Best Runewords in D2R

Are you looking for an incredible guide that tells you the best runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected? If so, you have come to the right place!

In this article, you will find useful information about what runewords are, as well as the ones that you should definitely invest in. We will highlight our recommendations on a tier list for your perusal.

So, strap yourself in, this is our comprehensive D2R best runewords guide!

What Are Runewords?

A guide about the best runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected will not be complete with actually establishing what they are. Before that, we must talk about runes.

Runes in D2R are items with inscriptions on them. They are inserted into specific pieces of socketed gear, including helmets, weapons, shields, and body armor.

When used by themselves, runes provide certain bonuses depending on where you place them. For instance, the Vex Rune increases your maximum fire resistance by 5% if you insert it into armor and shield. On the other hand, socketing this rune into a weapon will grant you the ability to steal 7% of mana per hit.

Now that you know what individual runes are, it is now time to talk about runewords. As you can surmise, runewords are just a combination of runes that provide even more stats and bonuses. That said, there are a few important things that you need to keep in mind regarding RWs.

First, runewords can only be formed if you insert the right runes in a specific order. Enigma, for example, requires you to put the Jah, Ith, and Ber runes into body armor with three sockets. If you somehow scramble the runes when you place them into the item (like putting the Ber rune first instead of Jah), then it will result in an item that has an incomplete runeword, which is something that you do not want.

Second, runewords need to be placed on specific pieces of gear of normal rarity. Call to Arms is a very popular RW that can only be put inside weapons in D2R with five sockets. Furthermore, you cannot use Magic, Rare, or Unique items as bases for runewords.

Speaking of which, the third and final thing that you need to bear in mind when it comes to runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected is that you should use a base item with the right amount of sockets in it; no more, no less. Take the "Spirit" runeword as an example. It requires you to use the Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn runes. Thus, you need a four-socketed sword or shield if you want to obtain this RW.

D2R Best Runewords Tier List

With all of the basics out of the way, it is time for us to explain how we came up with our best runewords tier list. We have based our recommendations based on the following factors:

Value

Because we are talking about only the best runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected, it is only right to use this as a basis for our recommendations.

What we mean by value, in this context, is how a runeword can benefit your character. Think about stats, effects, and bonuses relative to the price of the runes necessary to create the RW.

Popularity

We have scoured various D2R communities and resources to find out which runewords are quite popular to use so that you do not have to.

Ease of Access

Some RWs require runes that are either expensive or hard to obtain (or both). This affects the tier of the runeword.

Price

In Diablo II: Resurrected, most of the trades that happen in this game need the use of high runes in order to obtain the items that you want. Therefore, the price of the runes also has a bearing on their ranking. Each of our top picks will have a "$" that gives you an idea of their price. Here's a brief rundown:

• $: Budget or inexpensive
• $$: Competitively priced (not too cheap, not too expensive)
• $$$: Expensive

So, are you excited to know our recommendations for the best runewords in D2R? If so, let's get started!

D-Tier

The runewords that will be highlighted in this tier are pretty obtainable and have amazing stats relative to their price. The only reason why they are ranked this low is that you can use much better RWs later down the line. However, this is not to say that they are not worth using.

Leaf

Runes: Tir + Ral

Best Bases: Short Staff

Known for: +3 to Fire Skills

Price: $

Do you play as a sorceress that specializes in fire skills? If so, you can utilize Leaf to great effect. This runeword is best for fire damage Sorcs due to its unique bonuses, such as +3 to fire skills, as well as +3 to Inferno, Fire Bolt, and Warmth.

Given how mana-hungry Sorceress builds are in D2R, Leaf's "+2 to mana after each kill" allows you to use your damaging spells without worrying about anything.

You will eventually replace this runeword with something far better, but if you want to breeze through the game in the lower difficulty levels, Leaf is a good one!

White

Runes: Dol + Io

Best Bases: Wands with + to Bone Spear

Known for: +3 to Poison and Bone Spells, 20% FCR

Price: $

White is an incredible runeword for Bonemancers on a budget. This is amazing because of its +3 skill levels to poison and bone skills. Ideally, you want to put the Dol and Io runes into a wand that has "+ to Bone Spear" for maximum benefit. You can buy this base item from Drognan in Act 2 Normal.

That 20% Faster Cast Rate (FCR) can help you achieve a higher breakpoint, allowing you to reduce the animation frames of your skills.

Whether you want to put up a legion of skeletal warriors or slay Hell's minions with devastating Bone Spears, White is definitely something you could use.

Myth

Runes: Hel + Amn + Nef

Best Bases: Ring Mail or Cuirass

Known for: +2 to Barbarian Skills

Price: $

Myth is great if you want to start a new Ladder Season with the Barbarian as your class of choice. This is a well-rounded RW that provides you with defense and offense. It is popular for increasing the level of your skills by two.

Moreover, Myth bolsters your defense against ranged attacks by 30, which is quite helpful when you reach Act 3 onwards. Melee attackers would be wary of striking you from close range because they take "Thorns" damage as well. It might not be much but it should improve your clear speed regardless.

Peace

Runes: Shael + Thul + Amn

Best Bases: Cuirass or Full Plate Mail

Known for: Perma-Valkyrie, +2 to Amazon Skills, +2 to Critical Strike

Price: $

A very popular runeword for the Lightning Fury Javazon and other "caster" Amazon builds in Diablo II: Resurrected, Peace is actually more viable than it is on paper.

For starters, it raises the level of your skills by two. This bonus, in and of itself, is already quite helpful, but it does not stop there!

Peace also allows you to cast a level 15 Valkyrie simply by attacking monsters. A Valkyrie is a warrior that can fight alongside you. Although you typically deal most of the damage anyway, Valkyrie soaks incoming damage so you do not have to worry about getting hit.

The runes that you need for Peace can drop abundantly by defeating The Countess in Nightmare Difficulty. So, if you are playing the Lightning Fury Javazon, you might want to use this runeword in NM.

Since you are reading our guide for the best runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected, we are going to let you in on a little secret. Peace can actually be utilized even in the endgame! How? Well, instead of wearing it on your body armor, you just equip it to summon Valkyrie. Then, simply equip your preferred body armor after that. The Valkyrie that was summoned this way does not despawn even if you swap the runeword for something else!

Stealth

Runes: Tal + Eth

Best Bases: Breast Plate or Light Plate

Known for: 25% FCR, 25% FRW, 25% FHR

Price: $

Stealth is considered by many in the D2R community as one of the best runewords for every class early on. Its main highlight is that it provides you with a 25% increase in FCR (Faster Cast Rate), FRW (Faster Run/Walk Speed), and FHR (Faster Hit Recovery), allowing you to achieve certain breakpoints without investing a lot.

The runes that you need for Stealth (Tal and Eth) can be farmed easily by eliminating The Countess a few times in Normal Difficulty. Seriously, you cannot go wrong with Stealth if you are still in the process of leveling your character.

Ancient's Pledge

Runes: Ral + Ort + Tal

Best Bases: Any 3-socketed shield with low STR requirements

Known for: A huge boost in resistances

Price: $

As you venture into the higher difficulty levels of Diablo II: Resurrected, you will incur a resistance penalty that you need to address in one way or another. If you do not have a budget for equipment that handles your resistances, then you can use Ancient's Pledge for the time being.

Ancient's Pledge does not contain any modifiers that boost your offensive capabilities. However, what it does offer is a suite of defensive mods that can greatly improve your survivability.

Since the combination of runes required to create this runeword is quite cheap, the shield that you will use as a base does not matter. Just grab one with a low STR requirement and you should be good! Of course, it should go without saying that the shield must have three sockets in order to put the Ral, Ort, and Tal runes inside.

C-Tier

The C-Tier highlights a set of runewords that are "good enough" for most builds in Diablo II: Resurrected. They are not bad by any means, but they are beaten by the other RWs for sure.

Kingslayer

Runes: Mal + Um + Gul + Fal

Best Bases: Berserker Axe or Phase Blade (Ethereal)

Known for: Prevent monster heal, 33% chance of Crushing Blow, 50% chance of Open Wounds

Price: $$

Crushing Blow is a special modifier that enables you to take a huge chunk of the enemy's life per hit. If you are fighting against champions or bosses, for example, Crushing Blow removes 12.5% of their current HP when it procs.

Having said that, the Kingslayer is a fantastic runeword if you want to increase your chance of landing a Crushing Blow. Since this modifier stacks, you only need a few more pieces of gear to achieve a full 100% chance of Crushing Blow!

What's more, Kingslayer allows you to inflict Open Wounds, which is a condition that makes enemies bleed profusely, dealing damage over a period of eight seconds. This, coupled with the runeword's "prevent monster heal" property, combats the inherently high life regeneration of Uber Bosses in the game.

The only thing that holds Kingslayer down is that some of the runes are a bit expensive. However, this runeword is a solid and reliable choice, especially if you use the Berserker Axe (more damage) or Phase Blade (high attack speed) as the base.

While you are at it, make sure that you get an Ethereal base so that you get the highest possible stats.

Harmony

Runes: Tir + Ith + Sol + Ko

Best Bases: Grand Matron Bow with +1-3 to Bow & Crossbow Skills

Known for: Level 10 Vigor Aura, Valkyrie

Price: $

Harmony is one of those runewords that can be utilized on your main weapon or as a weapon swap to take advantage of the Vigor Aura. For the uninitiated, Vigor increases your movement speed, which is great if you are farming items in Nightmare or Hell Difficulty. Besides that, this aura boosts your stamina and stamina recovery, thus alleviating the need to stop and gasp for air.

This runeword is also popular for providing you with a means of summoning the ever-trusty Valkyrie. You can call forth this powerful warrior even if you did not allocate any points to the said skill.

While this can be greatly utilized by a Bowazon, Harmony could be used by other classes as well, specifically for its Vigor aura. In fact, you could even have the Act 1 Rogue hireling use this one so that you can benefit from the aura without equipping the runeword yourself.

The only reason why this runeword is not ranked higher is that its offensive modifiers are mediocre at best. Still, we can wholeheartedly recommend Harmony as a budget option for builds that use missile weapons like the Bowazon and whatnot.

Lore

Runes: Ort + Sol

Best Bases: Any helmet with two sockets

Known for: +1 to all skills

Price: $

There are not a lot of items in D2R that raise the level of your skills early on. Fortunately, there is a runeword that is known for that and it is called Lore.

Lore is quite amazing because it gives you "+1 to all skills" at level 27. Plus, the runes that you need for this RW are easily obtainable, making it a great choice for leveling without a doubt!

Lionheart

Runes: Hel + Lum + Fal

Best Bases: Archon Plate or Sacred Armor

Known for: +30 all resists, attributes

Price: $

If you are looking for a runeword that you can use in the mid-game, the Lionheart is one of the best contenders.

Considered the "Poor Man's Fortitude," the main highlight of this RW is that it gives you a considerable amount of attributes, life, and resistances.

Sure, it lacks the offensive modifiers found in other runewords, but since you gain bonus attributes with this one, you can replace your other pieces of gear with stuff that can address that.

Additionally, Lionheart reduces the stat requirements of the body armor you use as the base. Because of this, you can equip the Sacred Armor without spending too many points on strength.

Smoke

Runes: Nef + Lum

Best Bases: Any 2-socketed body armor with good defense

Known for: Defensive modifiers

Price: $

Smoke provides you with enough defenses to help you survive in the higher difficulty levels, particularly in Nightmare and early Hell Difficulty. This runeword is best known for its defensive modifiers, such as +50 all resists, +75% Enhanced Defense, and 20% Faster Hit Recovery.

Moreover, Smoke grants you the power to mitigate damage from ranged attacks, making it a good defensive runeword without breaking the bank.

Prudence

Runes: Mal + Tir

Best Bases: Any two-socketed body armor with good defense

Known for: 25% FHR, 170% Enhanced Defense, Repair 1 durability in four seconds

Price: $$

This is pretty much the "poor man's Fortitude," which is a popular runeword that we are going to discuss in greater detail later in the guide.

Although Prudence is devoid of any offensive mods, it makes up for it by providing you with a host of defensive bonuses, including 170% Enhanced Defense, +35 to all resistances, and 25% Faster Hit Recovery. The last one aids you in achieving a higher FHR breakpoint, enabling you to get out of that dreaded hit stun animation more quickly.

The only reason why this is not ranked higher is that it requires the "Mal" rune to create, which is slightly expensive for what this runeword offers. Still, if you are in early Hell difficulty and you want to bolster your defense significantly on a modest budget, then you cannot go wrong with Prudence.

B-Tier

Things just got a little bit more interesting. The runewords that we will talk about in the B-Tier are pretty good. However, as we have mentioned earlier, they are put in this rank either because of their lack of utility or because they're just too expensive relative to the actual value they provide.

Stone

Runes: Shael + Um + Pul + Lum

Best Bases: Archon Plate

Known for: 60% FHR, 290% Enhanced Defense

Price: $$

Faster Hit Recovery is one of the breakpoints that you need to be aware of in Diablo II: Resurrected. When you have enough FHR, you can significantly reduce the time it takes for you to get out of the hit stun animation, which occurs every time you receive damage equal to 1/12 of your maximum HP.

That said, Stone is a runeword that is best known for granting you a whopping 60% boost to Faster Hit Recovery! This alone can help you achieve a pretty high FHR, so you only need a couple of pieces of gear to achieve the full 100%.

Aside from that, this runeword gives you a pretty good amount of Enhanced Defense. If you are lucky, you can hit up to 290%! To maximize this, put the Shael, Um, Pul, and Lum runes into body armor with an inherently high defense stat like the Archon Plate.

Other noteworthy modifiers on this thing include +300 defense against ranged attacks, +16 STR/VIT, +10 Energy, and +15 to all resistances.

While you can certainly use Stone to your advantage, it is only placed in the B-Tier because some of its runes are a bit expensive. However, if you have the budget, you can never go wrong with this runeword!

Oath

Runes: Shael + Pul + Mal + Lum

Best Bases: Phase Blade (high attack speed) or Colossus Blade (more damage)

Known for: Being indestructible, +50% IAS, +340% Enhanced Damage, prevent monster heal

Price: $$

Oath is one of the best runewords in terms of sheer damage output in Diablo II: Resurrected. This RW is best known for providing you with a huge boost to attack speed. Furthermore, you can roll up to 340% ED, making it a runeword that is worthy of investment.

When you wield a weapon that has this particular runeword on it, you can effectively kill Uber Bosses without breaking a sweat. That is because Oath has that powerful effect that prevents enemies from healing themselves.

Oath is also popular for its indestructibility. Because of this, you can safely use an ethereal weapon as the base. Speaking of which, you have two viable options to choose from. The Phase Blade is a great base if you want to capitalize on the IAS modifier of this RW. Conversely, go for the Colossus Blade if you want to go all-out on damage.

Thanks to its incredible modifiers and relatively affordable runes, it is no wonder why Oath is considered one of the best runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected!

Beast

Runes: Ber + Tir + Um + Mal + Lum

Best Bases: Double Axe or Berserker Axe

Known for: Level 9 Fanaticism Aura, 20% Crushing Blow, prevent monster heal

Price: $$$

The Beast runeword might not be for every build in D2R, but it certainly deserves a spot on our tier list. This is one of those niche RWs that bring some unique things to the table.

For starters, this thing grants a level 9 Fanaticism Aura, which boosts the damage, attack rating, and attack speed of you and your allies.

In addition, the 40% IAS and 270% Enhanced Damage make it an effective weapon against the forces of evil. Add to that the fact that you can land a Crushing Blow with this runeword!

Anyway, the base for this runeword depends on how you intend to use it. If you are playing the Frenzy Barbarian, using the Berserker Axe makes sense due to its high damage output. On the other hand, if you play as Summoner Necromancer or Werebear Sorceress, a weapon with a low stat requirement such as the Double Axe shall suffice.

Because Beast requires the Ber rune, it is one of the more expensive options out there. Still, this RW is definitely worth the investment, especially if you are playing one of the builds just mentioned.

Treachery

Runes: Shael + Thul + Lem

Best Bases: Archon Plate

Known for: Fade, 45% IAS, 20% FHR

Price: $$

Treachery is quite popular in Diablo II: Resurrected as a budget body armor for the Act 2 Mercenary. While wearing body armor with this particular RW, your Mercenary has a small chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck by the enemy, which effectively increases their resistance to elemental and poison damage by 60%. Since the buff lasts for 288 seconds, you can proc Fade before doing Uber Tristram runs.

Here is another secret: you can consistently trigger Fade from Treachery by simply standing in the fire next to Hadriel. He is an NPC that you can find when you use the waypoint to teleport to the River of Flame.

Outfitting your hireling with Treachery really improves their survivability immensely, so we highly recommend this one for sure!

Duress

Runes: Shael + Um + Thul

Best Bases: Archon Plate or other 3-socketed body armors with high defensive stats

Known for: 15% chance of Crushing Blow, 200% Enhanced Defense, 15% lightning/fire/poison resistance

Price: $$

Duress is a well-rounded runeword for your hireling. If you use the Act 2 Mercenary with Might Aura, you can certainly make great use of this!

This RW has a combination of mods that make it appealing. The added cold damage, 20% Enhanced Damage, and 15% chance to land a Crushing Blow are welcome bonuses that make your Mercenary kill almost everything in their path.

While Duress has some really good offensive modifiers, it is no slouch when it comes to bolstering defenses as well. The increase in resistances provides ample protection against monsters in the higher difficulty levels.

The 200% Enhanced Defense is also noteworthy, which is why the Archon Plate or other body armors with inherently high base defenses are preferred here.

Melody

Runes: Shael + Ko + Nef

Best Bases: Grand Matron Bow with +3 to Bow and Crossbow Skills

Known for: +3 to Bow and Crossbow Skills, +3 to Critical Strike, +3 to Dodge, +3 to Slow Missiles, +300% damage to undead

Price: $$

The Bowazon is arguably one of the best builds in D2R as far as map-clearing and boss-killing potential is concerned. To bring out the best in this build, you can go for Melody as the RW of choice.

This runeword is awesome primarily for providing a lot more oomph to the Bowazon's attacks, especially against undead monsters. Besides that, Melody grants 20% IAS and 50% Enhanced Damage!

As for the base, you want to put the Shael, Ko, and Nef runes into a Grand Matron Bow with +3 to Bow and Crossbow Skills. If you are able to acquire the base, Melody is incredibly tough to beat!

The only reason why Melody is in the B-Tier is that it is only meant for Bowazons. So, if you are playing other D2R builds, you are better off using the other runewords on this list.

Last Wish

Runes: Jah + Mal + Jah + Sur + Jah + Ber

Best Bases: Phase Blade (high attack speed) or Berserker Axe (more damage)

Known for: Level 11 Fade, Level 18 Life Tap, Level 17 Might Aura, ignore target's defense, prevent monster heal, % Magic Find (MF)

Price: $$$

Last Wish is an interesting runeword, to say the least. It has a bevy of modifiers that are definitely worth its steep asking price.

One of its hallmark features is that it grants you the chance to cast level 18 Life Tap on striking. Life Tap is an incredible skill that allows you to gain HP simply by attacking the monsters affected by the said curse. Coupled with the Fade buff, you are virtually unkillable!

On the offensive side of things, you have a group of bonuses that are too hard to pass up! For instance, the Level 17 Might Aura provides you with 200% bonus damage. This is on top of the runeword's inherent 375% Enhanced Damage!

Furthermore, a perfectly rolled Last Wish gives you a whopping 70% chance of Crushing Blow. Thanks to this, you will have no problems taking down even the toughest bosses in the game.

By now, you are probably wondering why we have placed Last Wish only on the B-Tier given the incredible suite of modifiers it has. Well, the answer is simple: this is by far the most expensive runeword in Diablo II: Resurrected to date.

A single Jah rune is already pretty expensive, so you can imagine the heavy investment required to secure three pieces of it. As if that's not crazy enough, you also need a Ber rune, which is another pricey rune.

If the runes needed to create Last Wish were a bit more affordable, this would have ranked a lot higher. Do not worry, if LW is out of your reach, you still have plenty of other runewords to choose from!

A-Tier

Any of the runewords you will find in the A-Tier are actually quite amazing in their own way. However, they just lack something to make them great, which is why they are ranked a bit lower than those in the final group of our D2R runeword tier list. Still, you can never go wrong with any of our recommendations here.

Spirit

Runes: Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn

Best Bases: Crystal Sword or Monarch Shield

Known for: +2 to all skills, 35% FCR, 55% FHR, 7% life stolen per hit

Price: $$

Spirit is one of the most flexible runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected. That is because it has a collection of mods that make your character great!

It is popular for providing you with that "+2 to all skills" and a considerable increase in Faster Cast Rate. Although you can put the Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn runes into a sword or a shield, inserting them into the latter provides better utility since you can use it with another runeword, which will also be discussed later in the guide.

In addition, placing Spirit on shields allows you to take advantage of that huge cold, lightning, and poison resistance boost for survivability; not to mention that melee attackers will take some damage when they strike you as well.

If you are going to use a shield as the base for this RW, keep in mind that the earliest available in D2R that has four sockets (excluding Paladin shields) is the Monarch Shield. This thing requires you to be at level 54 and have at least 156 points allocated to strength to wield.

Moreover, since the runes that you need to create the Spirit runeword are affordable, you could roll a suitable Monarch Shield until you get the full 35% FCR for maximum effect.

All in all, Spirit is indeed a very useful runeword in D2R.

Call to Arms

Runes: Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm

Best Bases: Crystal Sword, Flail, and Caduceus

Known for: Battle Command, Battle Orders, +1 to all skills

Price: $$

Remember what we told you earlier about Spirit using another runeword to complement it? Well, that RW is none other than Call to Arms. This is another popular runeword in D2R and it is mainly used as a way to cast Battle Command and Battle Orders. The former allows you to raise the level of your skills by one, while the latter boosts your life, mana, and stamina that lasts for a considerably long period of time.

If you are wondering how Call to Arms synergizes with Spirit, the latter runeword provides you with a hefty 22-point increase in VIT, meaning, it boosts your HP by quite a bit. Since CTA's Battle Orders grant a percentage increase of your life, coupling it with Spirit's 22 VIT results in a significant HP enhancement!

Aside from that, both CTA and Spirit raise the level of all your skills, which includes Battle Command, Battle Orders, and Battle Cry as well.

Now, the bonuses that CTA provides are good, so you can definitely wield it on your main hand. However, in most cases, it is actually utilized as a weapon swap only to have the means of activating the Barbarian-exclusive warcry skills mentioned above.

With that said, if you are only using it as a switch weapon, you can insert the Amn, Ral, Mal, Ist, and Ohm runes into a five-socketed weapon with low stat requirements like the Flail or Crystal Sword.

If you are playing the Uber Smiter Paladin and would want to boost your damage manifold, you could go for a Caduceus with a +3 to Holy Shield mod to achieve better results.

Breath of the Dying

Runes: Vex + Hel + El + Eld + Zod + Eth

Best Bases: Berserker Axe, Colossus Blade, or Giant Thresher

Known for: 400% Enhanced Damage, -25% target defense, 60% IAS, prevent monster heal, indestructible

Price: $$$

If you like wielding melee weapons to slay the forces of evil, then you might be interested in the next runeword on our tier list. Breath of the Dying is definitely one of the best RWs for melee weapons in Diablo II: Resurrected. Why is that, you ask?

Well, it gives you 400% Enhanced Damage and 60% increased attack speed, which are some of the highest values you can find in an item.

Also, wielding a weapon with Breath of the Dying on it turns you (or your hireling) into a potent demon slayer who is able to eliminate any monster foolish enough to come your way.

Another noteworthy thing about this RW is that it reduces the target's defense by 25%. This is more useful than the "ignore target's defense" mod because some enemies in the game are immune to that.

For bases, you can pretty much use any weapon with six sockets. However, since this RW requires some very expensive runes to make, you want to maximize that by inserting the Vex, Hel, El, Eld, Zod, and Eth runes into a Berserker Axe (one-handed), Colossus Blade (two-handed), or Giant Thresher (for the Act 2 Mercenary).

Despite its steep price, Breath of the Dying is one of those things that are definitely worth the investment.

Chains of Honor

Runes: Dol + Um + Ber + Ist

Best Bases: Archon Plate

Known for: 200% damage to demons, 100% damage to undead, 8% life stolen per hit, +65 all resistances

Price: $$$

Chains of Honor is an endgame runeword and rightfully so. This allows you to decimate any monster in the game with ease thanks to the damage buffs it provides, especially when fighting against demons and the undead. If you use a boss-killing build, you will certainly benefit from Chains of Honor because most of the Uber Bosses in the game are classified as demons. The RW's also grants a 25% better chance of getting magic items, making it a great addition to suit your MF needs.

This runeword also covers your defenses. You get a huge boost to all resistances, an 8% reduction in physical damage, and a hefty 70% increase in Enhanced Defense. On top of that, this thing grants you the ability to steal 8% of life per hit, allowing you to survive longer on the battlefield.

Because Chains of Honor is an expensive runeword, you want to use a good base, which is why you have the Archon Plate for that. This body armor can roll with four sockets and has good base defenses with a relatively low stat requirement.

Insight

Runes: Ral + Tir + Tal + Sol

Best Bases: Poleaxe, Thresher, or Giant Thresher

Known for: Level 17 Meditation Aura, +6 to Critical Strike, 260% Enhanced Damage

Price: $

Insight is a runeword that is amazing for caster builds in Diablo II: Resurrected. The reason for this is that it grants the wielder the power to activate Meditation Aura - a Paladin-exclusive skill that boosts mana recovery for all allies.

This is typically put on an Act 2 Mercenary with either the Poleaxe, Thresher, or Giant Thresher used as the base for the RW. Even though it does not have a fantastic set of offensive mods, it still has some useful ones, including +6 to Critical Strike, 260% Enhanced Damage, and 250% bonus attack rating.

If you are playing a Necromancer who commands a legion of minions, you could use Insight to create an Iron Golem. This enables you to equip your hireling with a more powerful weapon while enjoying the effects of the Meditation Aura.

It is fascinating that Insight only requires a set of inexpensive runes to make. That is why you want to capitalize on that by rolling as many Insight weapons as possible to achieve a level 17 Meditation Aura.

Obedience

Runes: Hel + Ko + Thul + Eth= Fal

Best Bases: Ethereal Thresher or Giant Thresher

Known for: 30% chance to cast level 21 Enchant, 370% Enhanced Damage, -25% target defense, 40% chance of Crushing Blow

Price: $$

Obedience is one of those BiS runewords that you can equip on your Act 2 Mercenary to turn them into allies that you can rely on, especially in Hell Difficulty.

One of the most notable features of this RW is that it gives the wielder the chance to cast level 21 Enchant. Along with its inherent "-25% to enemy fire resistance" and "-25% target defense," you can destroy any monster with ease!

Obedience also grants a 40% chance of Crushing Blow, so if you are going to have your hireling equip this, you want to use a fast-attacking base weapon, such as the Thresher or Giant Thresher. It should go without saying that either of them must be Ethereal in order to get the maximum stats possible.

Although this runeword is typically placed on the Act 2 Mercenary, you can actually utilize it if you want to. You will find this incredibly useful for Leap Attack Barbarians, particularly due to its 40% Crushing Blow and 40% Faster Hit Recovery.

With the modifiers that it possesses, it is no wonder that Obedience is one of the best runewords in D2R that does not cost an arm and a leg to make.

Dream

Runes: Io + Jah + Pul

Best Bases: Bone Visage or Grand Crown (Helmets), Sacred Targe (Shield)

Known for: Level 15 Holy Shock Aura, 30% FHR, +220 Defense

Price: $$$

Dream is one of the best and most powerful runewords in Diablo II: Resurrected. As such, you have to be willing to invest in it because the runes that you need for this one are quite expensive to obtain.

This runeword is amazing for Auradins, in particular, because of that level 15 Holy Shock Aura. And, because you can place it on a helmet and shield, you can increase it to level 30 for even more damage!

If you are going to wear it on the Auradin, you might want to use the Grand Crown and the Sacred Targe as the base. The Grand Crown just looks majestic on a Paladin, while the Sacred Targe boasts the highest block chance among the different shields in the game.

Even though the Paladin can greatly benefit from this runeword, you can actually use it on a Sorceress with a max-level Lightning Mastery. Just make sure to equip both the helmet and shield to fully take advantage of the level 30 Holy Shock Aura.

Pride

Runes: Cham + Sur + Io + Lo

Best Bases: Ethereal Thresher or Giant Thresher

Known for: Chance to cast level 17 Fire Wall, level 20 Concentration Aura, +99% damage to demons, 20% deadly strike

Price: $$

At first glance, you might think that the modifiers on Pride are average at best. However, that level 20 Concentration Aura is nothing to scoff at because it increases your damage by a whopping 345%! Besides that, this aura grants a 20% chance to prevent your enemies from interrupting your attacks. This already justifies the high asking price for the runes required to make this RW.

Because you have access to better gear later down the line, you should have your Act 2 Mercenary use Pride instead. Aside from the fact that you can still benefit from that level 20 Concentration Aura, this runeword also grants your hireling the ability to land a Deadly Strike.

In case you do not know, Deadly Strike in Diablo II: Resurrected is the same as dealing double damage to the enemy.

If you are playing the Zealer Paladin, you will find that the level 20 Concentration Aura provided by Pride is of great use to you.

S-Tier

And finally, the S-Tier. In this group, we are going to talk about the "cream of the crop." Some of them are a bit expensive, but we can say that any one of these runewords is definitely worth the investment!

Infinity

Runes: Ber + Mal + Ber + Ist

Best Bases: Ethereal Thresher or Giant Thresher (for high attack speed), Great Poleaxe (for more consistent damage)

Known for: Level 12 Conviction Aura, 325% Enhanced Damage, -55% to enemy lightning resistance, 40% chance of Crushing Blow, prevent monster heal

Price: $$$

Infinity is the best-in-slot runeword for Act 2 Mercenaries, mainly for its level 12 Conviction Aura. This thing helps you deal with monsters with natural immunity to certain damage types because the said aura can reduce their resistances to a significant degree.

Lightning resistance is the easiest to break when using Infinity because of its inherent -55% to enemy lightning resistance. This alleviates the need to put the Sunder Charm, Crack of the Heavens, in your inventory, allowing you to place another Grand Charm that can benefit your build.

On the damage front, this RW grants up to 325% Enhanced Damage and a 40% chance of Crushing Blow, making your Mercenary slay bosses without your help.

It is important to note that this runeword is pretty expensive, requiring a couple of Ber runes to make. Despite that, Infinity is a BiS runeword that is worthy of investment.

Faith

Runes: Ohm + Jah + Lem + Eld

Best Bases: Grand Matron Bow with +3 skills or Great Bow with 15% Enhanced Damage

Known for: Level 15 Fanaticism Aura, +2 to all skills, 330% Enhanced Damage, ignore target's defense, 10% Reanimate as: Returned

Price: $$$

If you like the Bowazon a lot and you are willing to invest in it, then you should look at Faith as one of your endgame runewords.

Faith is great for Bowazons primarily because of that Fanaticism Aura. For the uninitiated, Fanaticism increases the damage, attack speed, and attack rating significantly for those who are affected by the aura. This includes you, your hireling, and your minions (if you have any).

Despite having lower maximum damage compared to Windforce, this RW boasts consistent damage output, which is further enhanced by that 330% ED and the "ignore target's defense" mod.

Faith also allows you to reanimate a slain monster to fight for you. Even though you do not rely on them specifically for eliminating enemies, they are perfect for soaking damage along with Valkyrie.

Although you could have an Act 1 Rogue hireling use this, Faith is just too expensive to put up. Unless you have a lot of high runes to spare, you should be the one using this runeword.

Heart of the Oak

Runes: Ko + Vex + Pul + Thul

Best Bases: Flail with four sockets

Known for: +3 to all skills, 40% FCR, +40 all resists

Price: $$

The ideal weapon runeword for casters and Hammerdins, Heart of the Oak (sometimes referred to as HOTO), is an incredible RW that is best known for raising the level of your skills by three and granting you a considerable 40% Faster Cast Rate. The latter allows you to achieve a much higher FCR breakpoint, which is almost a necessity for caster builds in D2R.

HOTO also increases your maximum mana by 15%, so if you invest some points into Energy, you will find this to be of great value for your character.

The runes necessary to create Heart of the Oak are not too difficult to obtain. However, they can only be acquired in NM and Hell Difficulties.

Be that as it may, HOTO is one of the most sought-after runewords for its amazing value proposition without breaking the bank.

If you are going for this runeword on your next build, be sure to use a Flail with four sockets. This is the best base for the Heart of the Oak because of its low attribute requirements.

Obsession

Runes: Zod + Ist + Lem + Lum + Io + Nef

Best Bases: Six-socketed Rune Staff or Archon Staff

Known for: +4 to all skills, 65% FCR, 60% FHR, +70% all resists, indestructible, chance to cast level 10 Weaken

Price: $$$

Obsession is an endgame runeword for casters. This is quite pricey, but it warrants the investment because the mods that are on here are just too good to pass up!

For instance, the 65% Faster Cast Rate and 60% Faster Hit Recovery that this provides are some of the highest ever seen in a two-handed weapon in Diablo II: Resurrected. Moreover, Obsession has that "+4 to all skills" mod, which is great for spells that gain a huge damage boost per level.

Despite the presence of amazing offensive mods, this is no slouch when it comes to defenses as well. This RW gives you a hefty increase in HP thanks to that "increase maximum life by 25%" mod and the 10-point boost to VIT.

What's more, you enjoy that huge 70-point increase in all resistances. This makes it a great solution for addressing that resistance penalty you get from playing in Hell Difficulty.

When you are playing at that level, most of your time will be spent farming highly-coveted items. That's why the runeword's 30% better chance of getting magic items and the 75% extra gold from monsters are also nice to have.

Now, there are only a few staves in Diablo II: Resurrected that can have six sockets. Hence, we recommend an Ethereal Archon Staff or Rune Staff to give you the best possible stats.

In addition, using Obsession alleviates the need for a Monarch Shield (for Spirit), thus allowing you to spend more stat points on VIT instead of STR.

In summation, Obsession is expensive but you could make a case for it being your endgame runeword, particularly when playing high-damaging caster builds like the Blizzard or Hybrid Sorcs.

Grief

Runes: Eth + Tir + Lo + Mal + Ral

Best Bases: Phase Blade with five sockets

Known for: +400 damage, ignore target's defense, -25% target defense, 20% Deadly Strike, prevent monster heal

Price: $$

Grief is the best melee runeword in the game, so much so that the D2R community deems it as "broken" in terms of the value it brings relative to the price of the runes required to create one.

Unlike most of the RWs on this list, Grief grants a huge amount of flat damage as opposed to "% Enhanced Damage." This might not seem good on the surface, but when you calculate your damage, you will see that this provides much better damage overall.

You see, % ED takes into account your flat damage, so if you have a small amount, there is very little to calculate, which results in a subpar damage output.

As to how much flat damage this runeword can give you, you can get a maximum of 400 if you manage to get a perfectly rolled Grief on your weapon. Speaking of which, the Phase Blade is the ideal base for this RW because it boasts the highest base attack speed among melee weapons in the game.

Aside from that, the 20% chance to deal Deadly Strike, -25% target defense, and ignore target's defense are highly desirable modifiers. The 25% reduction in the target's defense is even more useful considering that the "Ignore Target Defense" mod does not work on Act Bosses and Uber Bosses.

The Uber Smiter Paladin can greatly benefit from Grief because of the bonuses mentioned above. Of course, you could use it on other melee builds that you like. If you are asking if you can utilize this RW on the Whirlwind Barbarian, the answer is a resounding yes!

To maximize Grief's huge amount of flat damage, wear gear that contains "% Enhanced Damage" mods like Laying of Hands (gloves) or Fortitude (body armor).

Fortitude

Runes: El + Sol + Dol + Lo

Best Bases: Four-socketed Dusk Shroud, Archon Plate, or any armor with 700+ defense (choice for body armor); Thresher or Giant Thresher with four sockets (for weapons)

Known for: +300% Enhanced Damage, 20% Deadly Strike (weapon), +200% Enhanced Defense (body armor), 20% chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor

Price: $$$

This next runeword is ideal for you and your Mercenary. Fortitude has been a longtime staple in Diablo II: Resurrected because of what this thing can offer. Even though you can technically place Fortitude on a weapon with four sockets, it is commonly put into body armor. This effectively frees your weapon slot for something else.

Anyway, Fortitude has a bevy of incredible modifiers, such as +300% Enhanced Damage, +200% Enhanced Defense, and a 25% Faster Cast Rate. Yes, you've read that right. This thing provides a hefty 300% boost to ED even when you place the El, Sol, Dol, and Lo runes into any body armor of your choosing.

Having said that, you are probably wondering why Fortitude is typically used on body armor rather than a weapon. Well, there are a few good reasons for that.

First, having the runeword on body armor allows you or your hireling to use another weapon. For example, your Act 2 Mercenary could use a weapon with Insight or Infinity while enjoying the benefits that Fortitude provides.

Second, this runeword, when placed on body armor with high base defense like the Archon Plate, allows you to take full advantage of the +200% Enhanced Defense. Sure, you forgo that chance to land a Deadly Strike, but you make up for it by bolstering your protection against physical damage.

Third, with some expensive runes needed to create this runeword, Fortitude on a weapon is just not that good from a value standpoint. There are just so many incredible weapon runewords out there, such as Grief, Infinity, Insight, and Call to Arms, among others.

Be that as it may, Fortitude should be a great addition to your build, assuming that you put the runeword on a Dusk Shroud, Archon Plate, or other body armor with a high base defense.

Enigma

Runes: Jah + Ith + Ber

Best Bases: Dusk Shroud, Mage Plate, Archon Plate with three sockets

Known for: +1 to Teleport, +2 to all skills, +74 STR, 99% Magic Find

Price: $$$

And finally, one of the best runes in Diablo II: Resurrected, especially in the endgame, is Enigma. Those who farm items in Hell Difficulty can certainly benefit from this runeword, though this requires a heavy investment to make.

Before we talk about its steep asking price, let's discuss what makes Enigma so awesome. This RW is best known for granting you the ability to use Teleport - a Sorceress-exclusive skill that instantly transports you to a short distance in front of you.

Teleport is very helpful in Uber Tristram or Chaos Sanctuary runs, where you need to go from point A to point B in a jiffy. But, even if you do not take advantage of Teleport (because you have a low FCR), this runeword still provides a ton of value in other areas.

For one, this thing grants up to 74 points to strength, which alleviates the need to invest your stat points in the said attribute. Because of this, you can dump the points that you would have spent on STR to VIT for more life instead.

Another reason why Enigma is incredible for almost any build in D2R is that it gives a huge increase in MF. With this runeword on your character, you essentially gain a 99% better chance of getting magic items at the max level.

If you have the "% Enhanced Defense" mod on your other equipment, you can take full advantage of Enigma's huge +775 boost to defense.

While there is no doubt that Enigma brings a lot to the table, the thing is that this runeword requires a heavy investment. The runes that you need to create this RW (Jah, Ith, Ber) are quite expensive, particularly because they are used for other popular runewords as well.

However, you must make it your D2R life's mission to save up enough to get it. We promise that you will never regret ever getting Enigma for your character!

Conclusion

Runewords are an incredible and easy way to make your character shine in Diablo II: Resurrected. They provide a collection of stats and modifiers that are not available in other sources.

You are probably wondering why we did not include an F tier on our D2R runewords tier list. The answer is that there are far better options out there that you can spend your currency on. A quick perusal on the RWs in the D-Tier should convince you that anything lower than that is just not worth the investment.

With that said, we hope that you have found this guide helpful. Be sure to bookmark this for future reference.

Now, if you do not want to spend copious amounts of time getting your hands on some endgame runes like Jah, Ber, and Zod, then drop by our D2R store. We have every item that you need in D2R, including full runewords, unique items, and a whole lot more!

So, what are you waiting for? Visit our D2R store today!