Best Barbarian Runewords - D2R 2.6

This guide collects the top runewords for the Barbarian class from beginner / ladder starter levelling RWs to end-game ones. Get a head-start with your Barb by equipping it with beginner runewords, getting to the end-game, and gearing it up with the top runeword choices for the 2.6 Patch.

Lore (Helm base, Ort+Sol)

+1 To All Skills

+10 To Energy

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

Lightning Resist +30%

Damage Reduced By 7

+2 To Light Radius

Lore is a great ladder starter/low level item for Barbarians, mainly due to its all skill bonus. The runes and base needed can be acquired quite fast by farming Countess on nightmare difficulty.

Edge (Missile Weapon base, Tir+Tal+Amn)

Level 15 Thorns Aura When Equipped

+35% Increased Attack Speed

+320-380% Damage To Demons

+280% Damage To Undead

+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds

7% Life Stolen Per Hit

Prevent Monster Heal

+5-10 To All Attributes

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

Reduces All Vendor Prices 15%

Edge is a must-have runeword due to its Vendor Price reduction. If you plan to gamble items, you will be able to buy them 15% cheaper from Vendors. The runeword has no other utility for Barbs. The runes can be acquired quite easily by farming The Countess.

Harmony (Missile Weapon, Tir+Ith+Sol+Ko)

Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped

+200-275% Enhanced Damage

+9 To Minimum Damage

+9 To Maximum Damage

Adds 55-160 Lightning Damage

Adds 55-160 Fire Damage

Adds 55-160 Cold Damage

+2-6 To Valkyrie

+10 To Dexterity

Regenerate Mana 20%

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

+2 To Light Radius

Level 20 Revive (25 Charges)

Harmony is mainly useful when worn by your Act1 mercenary. The Vigor Aura will boost your character's running speed by 36%, making levelling and farming much faster. Other than the run speed bonus, the runeword has quite good offensive qualities, allowing your merc to deal a decent amount of damage.

Fortitude (Weapon base, El+Sol+Dol+Lo)

20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck

+25% Faster Cast Rate

+300% Enhanced Damage

+9 To Minimum Damage

+50 To Attack Rating

20% Deadly Strike

Hit Causes Monster To Flee 25%

+200% Enhanced Defense

+X To Life (Based on Character Level)

All Resistances +25-30

12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana

+1 To Light Radius

Fortitude is usually worn as a Body Armor, but it can be utilised as a weapon as well. It provides awesome defensive bonuses, such as the 200% Enhanced Defense, the 1-1.5life per character level, and the 25-30% all resistance bonus. While you won't be able to deal a huge amount of damage, the runeword is optimal for Barbarians doing magic find runs such as killing Mephisto or Andariel. Due to its 25% faster cast rate, when worn with an Enigma or a Teleport Charge amulet you can get to bosses quicker with the 25% FCR increase. A fortitude weapon is also optimal for Hardcore gameplay for its defensive qualities.

Phoenix (Weapon base, Vex+Vex+Lo+Jah)

100% Chance To Cast level 40 Blaze When You Level Up

40% Chance To Cast Level 22 Firestorm On Striking

Level 10-15 Redemption Aura When Equipped

+350-400% Enhanced Damage

Ignores Target's Defense

14% Mana Stolen Per Hit

-28% To Enemy Fire Resistance

20% Deadly Strike

+350-400 Defense Vs. Missile

+15-21 Fire Absorb

A Phoenix weapon is amongst the best defensive/hardcore choices. The Redemption Aura can make your character almost immortal, as it constantly heals you for every redeemed corpse. The runeword doesn't deal a huge amount of damage, but when dual wielded with a Grief you will be able to kill monsters fairly quick, and is ideal for Solo play.

Breath of the Dying (Weapon base, Vex+Hel+El+Eld+Zod+Eth)

50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Poison Nova When You Kill An Enemy

Indestructible

+60% Increased Attack Speed

+350-400% Enhanced Damage

+200% Damage To Undead

-25% Target Defense

+50 To Attack Rating

+50 To Attack Rating Against Undead

7% Mana Stolen per Hit

12-15% Life Stolen per Hit

Prevent Monster Heal

+30 To All Attributes

+1 To Light Radius

Requirements -20%

BOTD is amongst the best weapon choices for damage and survivability both. The mana and life steal will make your farming experience much smoother as you won't need to rely on health and mana potions. As the RW is indestructible, you should use an ethereal base. The best one-hand base choice is an Eth Berserker Axe, but dual wielding an Eth War Pike or Ghost Spear has the benefit of higher range adder, making you able to reach monsters with your attacks from larger distances. The 60% IAS bonus is the best any runeword can offer, so in case you dual wield you can afford to have a slower off-hand weapon without compromising attacking speed. In addition, the 30 to All Attributes bonus allows you to put a lot more of your Stat Points on Vitality, making the runeword a great Hardcore choice.

Crescent Moon (Polearm/Axe/Sword base, Shael+Um+Tir)

10% Chance To Cast Level 17 Chain Lightning On Striking

7% Chance To Cast Level 13 Static Field On Striking

+20% Increased Attack Speed

+180-220% Enhanced Damage

Ignore Target's Defense

-35% To Enemy Lightning Resistance

25% Chance of Open Wounds

+9-11 Magic Absorb

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

Level 18 Summon Spirit Wolf (30 Charges)

Crescent Moon's most attractive quality is the Static Field cast on Striking. Worn with Crushing Blow items, you will quickly be able to dispose of Bosses. The runeword is also attractive for its relatively cheap cost. 

Doom (Axe/Polearm/Hammer base, Hel+Ohm+Um+Lo+Cham)

5% Chance To Cast Level 18 Volcano On Striking

Level 12 Holy Freeze Aura When Equipped

+2 To All Skills

+45% Increased Attack Speed

+330-370% Enhanced Damage

-(40-60)% To Enemy Cold Resist

20% Deadly Strike

25% Chance of Open Wounds

Prevent Monster Heal

Freezes Target +3

Requirements -20%

Doom provides an immense amount of Attack Speed, and the deadly strike, open wounds, and prevent monster heal qualities make it an optimal choice for farming Bosses with high life. The runeword is amazing for Hardcore and Survivability, as the Holy Freeze Aura slows enemy monsters by 50%, while you also Freeze them with each hit.

Pride (Polearm/Spear base, Cham+Sur+Io+Lo)

25% Chance To Cast Level 17 Fire Wall When Struck

Level 16-20 Concentration Aura When Equipped

260-300% Bonus To Attack Rating

+1-99% Damage To Demons (Based on Character Level)

Adds 50-280 Lightning Damage

20% Deadly Strike

Hit Blinds Target

Freezes Target +3

+10 To Vitality

Replenish Life +8

1.875-185.625% Extra Gold From Monsters (Based on Character Level)

Pride is probably the best runeword on an Act2 Mercenary. Your Merc will be able to deal a huge amount of damage, while granting you roughly 300% enhanced damage for physical damage dealing attacks. If your goal is to gain additional damage and make your character's offensive capabilities more effective, it is your go-to Merc weapon.

Oath (Sword/Axe/Mace base, Shael+Pul+Mal+Lum)

30% Chance To Cast Level 20 Bone Spirit On Striking

Indestructible

+50% Increased Attack Speed

+210-340% Enhanced Damage

+75% Damage To Demons

+100 To Attack Rating Against Demons

Prevent Monster Heal

+10 To Energy

+10-15 Magic Absorb

Level 16 Heart of Wolverine (20 Charges)

Level 17 Iron Golem (14 Charges)

Oath is a relatively cheap but highly effective weapon choice. Since it's indestructible, you should use an ethereal weapon as a base. Compared to its price, the damage dealt is quite high, almost comparable to BOTD, and the same goes for attack speed, you will easily be able to reach the highest attack speed breakpoints.

Last Wish (Sword/Hammer/Axe base, Jah+Mal+Jah+Sur+Jah+Ber)

6% Chance To Cast Level 11 Fade When Struck

10% Chance To Cast Level 18 Life Tap On Striking

20% Chance To Cast Level 20 Charged Bolt On Attack

Level 17 Might Aura When Equipped

+330-375% Enhanced Damage

Ignore Target's Defense

60-70% Chance of Crushing Blow

Prevent Monster Heal

Hit Blinds Target

+(0.5 per character level) 0.5-49.5% Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level)

Last Wish is an amazing, all-purpose weapon, and the most expensive item in the game. Weather you play softcore or hardcore, and want offensive or defensive qualities, the weapon will be an optimal choice for your barbarian. The LvL17 might aura grants 200% Enhanced damage, the Life tap on Striking allows for instant healing, the Fade when struck provides a huge amount of all resistance and added physical resistance, while the Crushing Blow will help you get rid of high-life monsters quickly.

Grief (Axe/Sword base, Eth+Tir+Lo+Mal+Ral)

5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Venom On Striking

+30-40% Increased Attack Speed

Damage +340-400

Ignore Target's Defense

-25% Target Defense

+(1.875 per character level) 1.875-185.625% Damage To Demons (Based on Character Level)

Adds 5-30 Fire Damage

-20-25% To Enemy Poison Resist

20% Deadly Strike

Prevent Monster Heal

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

+10-15 Life After Each Kill

Grief is the highest damage weapon choice for a Barbarian, and is clearly the best choice for Softcore gameplay. Nothing beats the +340-400 added damage, while it also grants you enough attack speed to reach maximum speed caps. The additional damage to Demons is a nice extra when farming Chaos Sanctuary. Dual-wielding griefs allows you to achieve the highest damage possible for any Barbarian build.

Kingslayer (Sword/Axe base, Mal+Um+Gul+Fal)

+30% Increased Attack Speed

+230-270% Enhanced Damage

-25% Target Defense

20% Bonus To Attack Rating

33% Chance of Crushing Blow

50% Chance of Open Wounds

+1 To Vengeance

Prevent Monster Heal

+10 To Strength

40% Extra Gold From Monsters

Kingslayer is somewhat similar to Oath and Crescent Moon. It has decent offensive qualities, and is not too expensive. However there are much better weapon choices both for attacking and defending purposes.

Death (Sword/Axe base, Hel+El+Vex+Ort+Gul)

100% Chance To Cast Level 44 Chain Lightning When You Die

25% Chance To Cast Level 18 Glacial Spike On Attack

Indestructible

+300-385% Enhanced Damage

20% Bonus To Attack Rating

+50 To Attack Rating

Adds 1-50 Lightning Damage

7% Mana Stolen Per Hit

50% Chance of Crushing Blow

+(0.5 per Character Level) 0.5-49.5% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)

+1 To Light Radius

Level 22 Blood Golem (15 Charges)

Requirements -20%

Death is amongst the best weapon choices for its high Deadly Strike bonus, which doubles the damage of your attacks. In addition you can use an Eth base which grants you a bunch of additional damage, and the 50% Crushing Blow is very useful against Bosses. When dual-wielded with a Grief or a BOTD, the runeword provides an excellent offensive performance.

Beast (Axe/Scepter/Hammer base, Ber+Tir+Um+Mal+Lum)

Level 9 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped

+40% Increased Attack Speed

+240-270% Enhanced Damage

20% Chance of Crushing Blow

25% Chance of Open Wounds

+3 To Werebear

+3 To Lycanthropy

Prevent Monster Heal

+25-40 To Strength

+10 To Energy

+2 To Mana After Each Kill

Level 13 Summon Grizzly (5 Charges)

Beast is a quite expensive runeword, but it's plenty of fun. You can turn yourself into a Werebear, boosting your life and defensive abilities through the roof. The runeword also grants you Fanaticism aura, with which you can easily reach the high attack speed breakpoints, and the open wounds/crushing blow is a nice addition. If you want to play a regular barbarian without shifting shape, the runeword is not amongst the best choices, however your party will be grateful for the granted Fanaticism Aura.

Plague (Sword/Claw/Dagger base, Cham+Shael+Um)

20% Chance To Cast Level 12 Lower Resist When Struck

25% Chance to Cast Level 15 Poison Nova On Striking

Level 13-17 Cleansing Aura When Equipped +1-2 To All Skills

+20% Increased Attack Speed

+220-320% Enhanced Damage

-23% To Enemy Poison Resistance

+0.3% (0-29.7) Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)

+25% Chance of Open Wounds

Freezes Target +3

Plague is a great Hardcore runeword choice for your mercenary. The provided Cleansing Aura reduces Curse and Poison duration by almost 80%, which boosts your survivability immensely. The target freezing is another great capability, and damage can be quite good in an Eth Sword base for an Act5 Mercenary.

Heart of the Oak (Mace/Staff base, Ko+Vex+Pul+Thul)

+3 To All Skills

+40% Faster Cast Rate

+75% Damage To Demons

+100 To Attack Rating Against DemonsAdds 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 sec.Duration

7% Mana Stolen Per Hit

+10 To Dexterity

Replenish Life +20

Increase Maximum Mana 15%

All Resistances +30-40

Level 4 Oak Sage (25 Charges)

Level 14 Raven (60 Charges)

Hoto's only purpose on a barbarian is to allow faster teleportation when worn with an enigma runeword. It should only be used as a switch weapon in order to get to Bosses quickly via teleport.

Enigma (Body Armor base, Jah+Ith+Ber)

+2 To All Skills

+45% Faster Run/Walk

+1 To Teleport

+750-775 Defense

+ (0.75 Per Character Level) +0-74 To Strength (Based On Character Level)

Increase Maximum Life 5%

Damage Reduced By 8%

+14 Life After Each Kill

15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana

+ (1 Per Character Level) +1-99% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level)

Enigma is a great runeword for softcore, as it allows you to get to Bosses very quickly via teleportation. The 45% FRW is a nice addition as well, and the All Skill and Strength bonuses grants you the highest amount of damage from any armour besides Fortitude. The Magic Find bonus is also unrivalled, enigma is clearly the best armor choice for MFing.

Duress (Body Armor base, Shael+Um+Thul)

+40% Faster Hit Recovery

+10-20% Enhanced Damage

Adds 37-133 Cold Damage 2 sec. Duration

15% Chance of Crushing Blow

33% Chance of Open Wounds

+150-200% Enhanced Defense

-20% Slower Stamina Drain

Cold Resist +45%

Lightning Resist +15%

Fire Resist +15%

Poison Resist +15%

Duress is the best offensive barbarian armour due to it's Crushing Blow and Open wounds stats. The defensive bonuses are also quite nice, you will have fairly high defense when compared to other armor choices, and the FHR and cold damage/slowing capabilities are also quite nice.

Fortitude (Body Armor base, El+Sol+Dol+Lo)

20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck

+25% Faster Cast Rate

+300% Enhanced Damage

+200% Enhanced Defense

+15 Defense

+X To Life (Based on Character Level)

Replenish Life +7

+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist

All Resistances +25-30

Damage Reduced By 7

12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana

+1 To Light Radius

A Fortitude armor is amongst the best armor choices for a barb, as it provides well balanced offensive and defensive capabilities. It will grant you the highest amount of defense amongst any runeword armors, and the +300% ED is a huge damage boost. Chilling Armor is a nice defense boosting addition as well, and the +Life, all resistance and nice defense makes it one of the best defensive armors.

Other than wearing on your Barbarian, a Fortitude eth base armor is the best choice for your mercenary too, no matter which type you hire!

Stone (Body Armor base, Shael+Um+Thul+Lum)

+60% Faster Hit Recovery

+250-290% Enhanced Defense

+300 Defense vs. Missile

+16 To Strength

+16 To Vitality

+10 To Energy

All Resistances +15

Level 16 Molten Boulder (80 Charges)

Level 16 Clay Golem (16 Charges)

Stone has amazing defensive capabilities, the 60% FHR and 250-290% Defense boosts your survivability against physical damage dealing monsters immensely. The +15% allres is also a nice addition.

Chains of Honor (Body Armor base, Dol+Um+Ber+Ist)

+2 To All Skills

+200% Damage To Demons

+100% Damage To Undead

8% Life Stolen Per Hit

+70% Enhanced Defense

+20 To Strength

Replenish Life +7

All Resistances +65

Damage Reduced By 8%

25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Chains of Honor, also called COH is the optimal armor if you look to gain high all resistance. The 65% All res bonus is unmatched amongst runewords. The Life steal is a nice healing addition, and the +2 All skills is another awesome quality that boosts both survivability and offense.

Myth (Body Armor base, Hel+Amn+Nef)

3% Chance To Cast Level 1 Howl When Struck

10% Chance To Cast Level 1 Taunt On Striking

+2 To Barbarian Skill Levels

+30 Defense Vs. Missile

Replenish Life +10

Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Requirements -15%

Myth is a cheap, easily accessible ladder starter/beginner armor. Its main utility is the +2 Barbarian skills which comes very handy during levelling and the earlier parts of the game.

Gloom (Body Armor base, Fal+Um+Pul)

15% Chance To Cast Level 3 Dim Vision When Struck

+10% Faster Hit Recovery

+200-260% Enhanced Defense

+10 To Strength

All Resistances +45

Half Freeze Duration

5% Damage Taken Goes To Mana

-3 To Light Radius

Gloom is similar to Stone as it grants a great deal of defense, however it provides a +45% allresistance bonus. It is less effective against physical attacks compared to Stone, but if you look for an Armor choice that provides allresistance at an affordable price, it is your best choice.

Phoenix (Shield base, Vex+Vex+Lo+Jah)

100% Chance To Cast level 40 Blaze When You Level Up

40% Chance To Cast Level 22 Firestorm On Striking

Level 10-15 Redemption Aura When Equipped

+350-400% Enhanced Damage

Ignores Target's Defense

14% Mana Stolen Per Hit

-28% To Enemy Fire Resistance

20% Deadly Strike

+350-400 Defense Vs. Missile

+15-21 Fire Absorb

A phoenix shield is great both for offensive and defensive purposes. The 400% Enhanced damage grants almost as much damage as if you would dual wield, while the Redemption Aura will continuously heal you as you redeem corpses. The Fire Absorb and deadly strike are nice additions as well. If you look for a shield that's great for offense, Phoenix is your best choice, but for defensive purposes it's far from the best.

If you are tired of farming for endless hours, you can quickly buy the best items at our D2R Store.