I decided to compile all my findings regarding runes for Cabal Online as a point of reference for myself and as for anyone else who would like to take up this post as a guide.

My guide is incomplete but I will update it from time to time when I get relevant information and the time to do so.

Oh, of course, credits will be given and best of all, it is given right here, right now:

Screenshots of the game were taken by myself from CabalSEA
Original artworks belong to and is the copyright of ESTSoft

Following is the list of FAQ:

FAQ Index

1. Introduction and Basics of Runes (a.k.a. Soul Ability)
2. Introduction and Basics of Blended Runes
3. Application of Runes
4. Rune Usage and Growth
5. AP Gaining
6. Rune Drop Location
7. Rune Stats, Types and Abilities
8. Rune Abilities Limitation
9. Things Needed to Learn and Develop Rune Abilities
10. Rune Charts

What are Runes?

Runes are the latest edition to the game, Cabal Online in Episode 3: Soul & Sienna, amongst other new features. The Runes (also known as Soul Ability) are similar to the pet option, whereby you can use it to learn specific options such as HP, Attack, Magic Attack and etc. that adds bonus to you permanently as long as you have learnt the Runes and is not deleted from the Soul Ability window.

To access this window, simply press U from your keyboard or alternatively click the icon circled in red as shown in the screenshot below:



Once done, you will see this window:



As you can see, the attribute skills which I had learned are Stun Resist, Down Resist, Knock-Back Resist, STR, DEX, INT and Pet EXP respectively.

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What are Blended Runes?

Blended Runes are an extension of how normal runes work. Unlike normal Runes which are completely passive, Blended Rune requires you to firstly 'activate' the skill or effect that you want in order for it to work passively. For example, having the Shock I, Defenseless I and Sword Pressure I rune learned, you can have all 3 blended runes activated at any one time as long as it is 'activated'.

As of Cabal Episode 6: Legacy of Darkness patch, all learned Blended Runes will be considered 'active', meaning they will work without the need to manually select them.

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When can I use/learn Runes?

You can start learning these Runes from level 120 onwards, as this is where the first rune's level requirement is met and also this is when you start to gain Soul Ability known as Ability Experience Points (AXP). There is a bar right above the EXP bar which is yellow, instead of the EXP which is blue, as seen from the screenshot below:



It is also visible inside the Soul Ability Window (U) as shown in the screenshot below:



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How do I level up my Runes?

Runes require AP to learn and level it. In order to gain 1 AP, it is required to attain 10,000,000 AXP. The character gains AXP every time the character gains EXP, through certain quests or by scoring in Nation War. A character at any given time can store a maximum of 700 AP. Once reaching this limit, the character will not be able to gain anymore AXP nor AP until it is spent on Runes.

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Where can I earn AXP/AP?

There are numerous ways of gaining AXP and AP.

Through EXP:

You gain AXP/AP based on the EXP you gain when attacking mobs. However, you don't gain AXP/AP from EXP obtained through quests, party EXP or from exchanging WEXP. The rate of AXP/AP conversion is as follow:

LVL	EXP to AXP rate
120 - 129	75%
130 - 139	80%
140 - 149	85%
150 - 159	90%
160 - 169	95%
170 - 190	100%

For an example, A lvl 167 character gaining 70,000 EXP from hitting mobs, that would mean they will receive 66,500 AXP.

Through Plate of Souls:

By using this, think of it as a Plate of Honor for AXP/AP. There will be a selective few mobs from higher level dungeons such as AOS B1F where you have to kill the required amount to gain the AXP/AP.

Through dungeons:

Illusion Castle Radiant Hall has in-dungeon quests that gives AXP upon running through them.

Through daily quests:

Flasha's being generous by giving a couple of AXP quests while you are grinding in fields, kills two birds with one stone - grinding EXP that converts to AXP and gaining AXP as reward from the quests as well. It's not much, but it's something.

Through cube of soul:

You can exchange your Dungeon Points (DP) for cube of soul which will give you varying amount of AXP potions.

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Where can I find/hunt for Runes?

You can generally find runes at higher level maps and dungeons.

For Maps:

• Lakeside
• Mutant Forest
• Pontus Ferrum
• Porta Inferno

For Dungeons:

• Frozen Tower of the Undead B1F
• Frozen Tower of the Undead B2F
• Volcanic Citadel
• Forgotten Temple B1F
• Forgotten Temple B2F
• Forbidden Island
• Sienna Altar B1F
• Sienna Altar B2F
• Illusion Castle Underworld
• Illusion Castle Radiant Hall
• Maquinas Outpost
• Panic Cave
• Steamer Crazy
• Frozen Catacomb
• Lava Hellfire
• Hazardous Valley

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What type of Runes are there?

There are altogether 26 types of Runes at the moment for Cabal Online. The Runes, in the breakdown in groupings are:

Stats:

• HP
• MP
• STR
• INT
• DEX
• Attack
• Magic Attack
• Defense
• Attack Rate
• Defense Rate
• Max Critical Rate
• Critical Damage

Resistance:

• Down Resistance
• Stun Resistance
• Knock-Back Resistance

EXP:

• EXP
• Skill EXP
• Party EXP
• Pet EXP

Amp:

• Sword Skill Amp
• Magic Skill Amp

Vampiric:

• HP Steal Percentage
• HP Steal Per Hit
• MP Steal Percentage
• MP Steal Per Hit

Wealth:

• Alz Drop Rate
• Alz Drop Amount
• Alz Bomb Chance

For reference of each type of Rune after it has been learned, refer here.

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What are the limitations to the Runes I could learn?

Although there are 28 Runes in which could be very helpful if a player is given the chance to learn all of it, however a character can only learn up to 15 types of Rune at any one time.

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What do I need to learn these Runes?

The first thing would be the Rune itself, of course along with other catalysts, mainly cores. The type of cores that are needed for the skill increases depending on the growth and level of the Rune. For a more detailed information on requirements for Rune growth, refer to the Rune Growth Chart (Still in progress).

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Rune Charts

Runes (With Images)

Type	Image	Name	Drop Location
Stats		HP	Pontus Ferrum (Cornus) Porta Inferno
		STR	Frozen Tower of the Undead B1F (Chest)
		INT	Frozen Tower of the Undead B2F
		DEX	Volcanic Citadel (Chest)
		Attack Rate	Volcanic Citadel (Any mobs)
		Defense Rate	Forbidden Island (Any mobs)
Resistances		Knock-Back Resist	Forbidden Island
		Down Resist	Frozen Tower of the Undead B2F
		Stun Resist	Volcanic Citadel Frozen Clue (Chest)

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Change Log
22nd March 2012	-	Updated Blended Rune mechanism and added Cube of Soul information.
09th November 2011	-	Updated Rune Drop Locations for Dungeons.
24th January 2011	-	Added AXP/AP gaining guide.
14th January 2011	-	Added information to accommodate the Episode V: Mercenary changes for runes.
8th November 2010	-	Ported this post to my gaming blog.
	-	Added Drop Location for HP, INT and Stun Resist Rune.
24th September 2010	-	Added HP, Attack Rate and Defense Rate Runes to the table
20th August 2010	-	Added Blended Runes to the guide
28th August 2009	-	Guide is up!