As Path of Exile 2 continues to evolve with a deeper emphasis on gear customization, the rune system has become a central pillar of item progression. Among the many types of runes available, none are more iconic or useful to physical-based characters than the Tempered Rune series. These runes are essential for enhancing raw melee damage or reflecting incoming hits back at enemies through the "Thorns" mechanic.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about Lesser, Tempered, and Greater Tempered Runes. Whether you're a two-handed powerhouse looking to cleave through monsters or a tank build aiming to punish attackers with reflective damage, this guide will show you how to farm, craft, and apply these runes effectively.

What Are Tempered Runes?

Tempered Runes are a specific series of runes in Path of Exile 2 that grant bonuses to physical damage on weapons and physical thorns on armor. They are socketed into gear to grant permanent bonuses and play a major role in both offense- and defense-oriented builds.

Tempered Runes are one-time use only—once placed into a socket, they cannot be removed, which makes planning your upgrades carefully a key part of the rune system. Their scaling recipe system also gives players a way to gradually improve their power over time.

Tempered Rune Tiers and Effects

Tempered Runes come in three tiers:

Rune Type Weapon Effect (Martial Weapons) Armor Effect

Lesser Tempered Rune Adds 3 to 4 Physical Damage 6 to 9 Physical Thorns Damage

Tempered Rune Adds 6 to 9 Physical Damage 14 to 21 Physical Thorns Damage

Greater Tempered Rune Adds 9 to 12 Physical Damage 31 to 52 Physical Thorns Damage

These runes are socketed into empty Rune Sockets in weapons or armor pieces. Once socketed, the effect is permanently added to that item, meaning you need to be selective with how you use them—especially with the more powerful Greater Tempered Rune.

How to Use Tempered Runes

To use a Tempered Rune, simply find or craft an item with an empty Rune Socket. Then:

Open your inventory.

Right-click the Tempered Rune.

Left-click the socket in your weapon or armor.

Done—the effect is now applied permanently.

You cannot extract or swap the rune afterward, so be sure it’s the gear you want to invest in long-term.

How to Obtain Tempered Runes

Tempered Runes, like many crafting materials in Path of Exile 2, can drop from any enemy in the game. However, the drop chance is tied to the level of the content and its difficulty.

Drop Levels:

Lesser Tempered Rune – Drops starting at Level 5.

Tempered Rune – Drops from Level 31 content and up.

Greater Tempered Rune – Found in Level 52+ areas or crafted via recipe.

Higher-tier Tempered Runes are rarer in the wild, so players looking to maximize their acquisition often rely on crafting recipes.

Tempered Rune Upgrade Recipes

If you're not lucky enough to find Tempered Runes in the wild, you can always craft them using the upgrade system.

Target Rune Required Materials Drop Level

Tempered Rune 3x Lesser Tempered Rune 31

Greater Tempered Rune 3x Tempered Rune 52

This recipe-based upgrading system ensures a steady path of progression even if you don’t rely on RNG. It rewards players who collect runes early and consistently upgrade them over time.

Best Builds for Tempered Runes

Physical DPS Builds

For characters focusing on raw melee or physical ranged damage—like Two-Handed Warriors, Bow users, or Physical-based Rogues—Tempered Runes are a go-to upgrade. The bonus physical damage adds directly to your attack skills and scales well with increased physical damage, critical multipliers, and attack speed.

Recommended Rune:

Greater Tempered Rune in both weapon and off-hand if dual wielding or two-handed setups.

Thorns/Tank Builds

Tempered Runes aren’t just for offense. Their armor effect grants physical thorns damage, a mechanic that reflects damage back to attackers. This makes them ideal for high-armor, low-evasion tanks who thrive on enemies hitting them repeatedly.

Recommended Rune:

Socket Greater Tempered Rune into your chest and shield to maximize passive retaliation damage.

Tips for Efficient Rune Farming

1. Run Mid- to High-Level Zones

Focus your grinding in level 31+ areas for Tempered Runes and 52+ for Greater Tempered Runes. Monster density and difficulty both increase rune drop rates.

2. Farm with Quantity-Boosting Gear

Use modifiers that increase item quantity (especially from rare mobs or bosses), which boosts your chances to find Lesser/Tempered Runes naturally.

3. Trade for Runes

If you’re flush with currency or crafting materials, you can trade for exact runes from other players. Buying PoE 2 Currency from reliable sources can help you stockpile resources to trade for Greater Tempered Runes without the grind.

4. Don’t Waste Them Early

Avoid socketing Tempered Runes into low-level gear. Save them for mid-game or endgame items with multiple modifiers or higher base stats for best returns.

Advanced Crafting with Tempered Runes

Some players like to combine Tempered Runes with other item enhancements like Essences, Enchants, or Mastercrafted Mods. Since the rune effect is added after the socketing process, it stacks with all other damage modifiers.

Here’s a common example of synergy:

Two-Handed Axe with Increased Physical Damage Mod

Add Greater Tempered Rune → Final damage output increases by a flat 9–12

Stack with attack speed and crit chance for full build optimization

Buying vs. Farming: Which Is Better?

If you’re playing solo and enjoy grinding content, farming runes can be rewarding over time. However, if your goal is fast progression, competitive racing, or endgame boss rushing, buying PoE 2 Currency and trading for Tempered Runes can save hours of repetitive grinding.

Many players sell full rune sets, upgrade components, and crafted weapons with sockets—so acquiring what you need is often just a few trades away.

Conclusion

The Tempered Rune series in Path of Exile 2 is one of the most essential item enhancement tools for physical-focused characters. With a clear upgrade path, powerful bonuses to both weapons and armor, and strong synergy with numerous builds, these runes belong in every player’s progression plan.

Whether you're dishing out devastating melee crits or reflecting waves of damage with thorns, Tempered Runes offer both accessibility and scalability. Start with Lesser Runes early, upgrade methodically, and unlock your build’s full potential with Greater Tempered Runes when it matters most.

And if you’re short on time? buy POE2 Currency, grab your runes, and crush your enemies in style.