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This page provides examples of some of the best runewords that new players can craft. These runewords have components that are relatively simple to find, and the requirements to equip them are relatively low.
Helmets
Lore (OrtSol)
Although it is one of the more uncommon runes you’ll find in Normal difficulty, the Lore rune is not impossible to acquire and can be easily farmed from Nightmare Countess. This rune is required for the Lore helmet, which is an excellent early-game caster headpiece. It is comparable in quality to other helmets, such as the Tarnhelm and the Peasant Crown, and it can serve as a stopgap measure until you come across an item like the Harlequin Crest.
The Honor of the Weapons (AmnElIthTirSol)
Even though there are other choices available for one-handed weapons, Honor is primarily designed for characters who prefer to use heavier, two-handed weapons. . . primarily due to the fact that by the time you find one-handed weapons with five sockets that you can use as a foundation, you will probably already have something more powerful. Because Honor provides a sizeable bonus to +Enhanced Damage, Life Leech, and +1 to All Skills, it is on par with virtually anything else that you could hope to find in Normal difficulty.
(RalTirTalSol): a flash of insight
- For the level at which its runes can be obtained, Insight is an absurdly powerful runeword
- The most uncommon of its runes is Sol, and Nightmare Countess is an easy source for this rune
- It provides a significant enhancement to both the Attack Rating and the Enhanced Damage, in addition to the odd additions of +Caster Rate and +Magic Find
- However, the truly interesting aspect of this mod is the level 12–17 Meditation Aura that it grants, as this provides the maximum amount of mana regeneration that the vast majority of spellcasters could ever require
- Casters will, of course, want to be using some other gear, which is why hiring an Act 2 mercenary and giving them this weapon is a popular move
- Casters will probably want to use some other gear
- It is important to keep in mind that spears will not work as bases for this weapon, so you will need to look for polearms to use instead
The Leaf (Tiral)
Leaf is an inexpensive item that can be crafted with runes that can be easily harvested from Normal Countess. This is one of the most compelling reasons to play a Fire Sorceress at the beginning of the game, even if you ultimately want to respec into something else. The fact that the +3 to Fire Skills bonus also applies to other classes, such as the Fire Auradin and the Fire Elemental Druid, is an added bonus that is sure to come in handy. If you are successful in your search for a standard (non-magical) staff that grants an additional +3 Fireball, then Leaf will serve you well until you acquire a Spirit sword. Bonus points will be awarded if you find such a staff.
Spirit (TalThulOrtAmn)
Spirit is a runeword that can be crafted for an extremely low cost, only requiring an Amn buy Diablo 2 ladder Runes at its highest level, and it is one that is able to compete favorably with mid-tier caster uniques. Even though acquiring the 4-socket sword that is required for this runeword requires more work, it is still something that can be acquired early on in the Nightmare difficulty setting. It is a weapon that can get a character through the Hell difficulty with its +2 to All Skills bonus, its +Caster Rate bonus, and its +100 to Mana bonus.
Steel (TirEl)
Steel is not even close to being an amazing runeword, but it can still compete with the majority of low-end Normal difficulty uniques. The fact that runes can be easily gathered from the Countess makes it possible for melee characters who are just starting out to roll one up in pretty much any two-socket weapon, which is a huge benefit.
The AmnTir of Strength
Strength confers one incredibly useful modifier, known as Crushing Blow, despite the fact that it must be equipped with an Amn Diablo 2 runewords and provides very little in the way of additional +% Enhanced Damage. This effect has a chance to shave off a percentage of the enemy’s life (the health reduced varies depending on the type of monster in question, with champions, uniques, and bosses taking less damage than normal enemies), which means that the faster the weapon, the more damage it’ll do regardless of what the damage numbers would otherwise indicate. Find a weapon with two sockets that has a Very Fast Attack Speed, and you’ll be good to go. It works best when combined with other abilities that increase the rate of killing, such as Frenzy or Zeal.
Shields Rhyme, also written as ShaelEth.
It is not a Spirit, and buy Diablo 2 ladder Runes does cost a Shael rune, which will require some luck on later Acts in Normal difficulty or on some Nightmare Countess runs, but it does significantly increase Block Chance and Block Rate, grants +All Resistances, the extremely helpful “Cannot Be Frozen” modifier, and some +Magic Find for good measure. It will suffice for those of you who are neither casters nor Paladins until you find something more suitable.
Spirit (TalThulOrtAmn) Spirit can also be crafted using shields, in which case its properties are modified in a number of subtle ways. For example, elemental damage is replaced by resistances, and a few other minor adjustments are also made.
The sought-after caster stats, on the other hand, have remained unchanged. The fact that 4-socket Paladin shields can drop relatively early makes it unfortunate that this runeword is only truly suitable for beginning Paladins. Casters who are not Paladins will have to wait until the Hell difficulty for Monarch shields to drop. These shields have a level requirement of 54 and a Strength requirement of 156, making them very difficult to obtain. When shopping for Paladin Shields, be on the lookout for examples that have a +Resist All Elements bonus, as this bonus will stack with the benefits that Spirit bestows.
Armor Stealth, also known as TalEth.
The most reliable piece of caster armor for the Normal difficulty setting, it will hold you over until you locate Skin of the Vipermagi or Skullder’s Ire. The necessary runes, Tal and Eth, can be acquired with relative ease from Normal Countess, and the armor base can be purchased from Charsi in Act 1. It’s hard to imagine a simpler explanation than that. Even for non-casters, it is a decent piece of armor due to its +Run/Walk speed, +Hit Recovery, +6 Dexterity, and Poison Resistance. This is especially true if you are otherwise limited to the rare armor that you have found.
