The upcoming rune update will split runes into 5 paths

There has been a slow trickle of news regarding the Runes Reforged system coming to replace runes and masteries this preseason. But before the update hits the Public Beta Environment later this month, Lead Systems Designer Riot Fearless showed up on the Dev forums to share how the new runes are organized.

Runes are built into five separate paths. Each path has runes that are specific to it, including the Keystone. Players will select which path they want to use based on the Keystone they want and then select three other runes from the same path. Once they have the four runes slotted from their main path, players can pick two non-Keystone runes from a secondary path as well for six runes total.

While the path names and themes are still very much work in progress according to Fearless, here is what they have so far:

Sorcery

Theme - Harness wild magic to empower your abilities and discover limitless reserves of energy.

Function - Amp spellcasting and ability power, and find ways to cheat out a few extra casts.

Examples: Meteor Keystone Recap

Resolve

Theme - Become an unbreakable behemoth that controls the line of battle.

Function - Concentrated durability along with ways to leverage that durability into other forms of power.

Examples: RKT Keystone Recap

Precision

Theme - Outclass your opponents with overwhelming barrages and deft strikes.

Function - Augment auto attacks and amplify consistent damage patterns.

Examples: Berserk Keystone Recap

Domination

Theme - Hunt your prey and revel in the glory of the kill.

Function - Track, chase, and execute your targets with mobility and burst damage.

Examples: Blood Moon Keystone Recap

Inspiration

Not like the others - Inspiration is a Path focused on providing unique options that map to player preferences, not class functionality.

Theme - Cheat the rules to outwit your enemies.

Function - Bend the rules of the game to your advantage and capitalize on new options, play patterns, or game knowledge.

Examples: Summoner Specialist and Hextech Freezray