by Magistrate - 4 years ago     show comments

Whether you’re just starting your Diablo II: Resurrected journey or you’re planning for the as-of-yet unannounced ladder season start, quickly burning through Normal, Nightmare, and Hell mode to endgame is critical to success. Below, we look at some Runewords that are cheap, easy, and accessible from a low level–items that can help you push through to endgame.

1. Level requirements will not exceed 30 for the runeword, itself (base item might require higher).
2. General usage will be Normal mode or slightly into Nightmare mode.
3. Rune requirements will mostly be achievable in Normal mode or via some easy farming options listed below.
4. Ladder requirements have been removed from ALL RUNEWORDS for Diablo II: Resurrected, so you can make all of these, right now, on nonladder.
5. This is for casual players trying to catch up, not twinking, speedrunning, or ironmans.

Priority Stats

In my opinion, the following attributes are the targets for quick leveling, broadly speaking:

1. +to skills
2. Life Steal (if melee)/Mana Regeneration/Mana After Kill (if caster or primarily spamming spells)
3. +Resistances
4. +Faster Hit Recovery (melee or ranged)/+Attack Rating (if melee)
5. Block-related modifiers are nice, but at Normal difficulty, and even Nightmare, it’s almost unnecessary with base stat/gear defensive values + your own skills (my opinion).

Farming Runes

The low runes required for anything in this post are easily attainable, but some players might have trouble getting things like Sol, which is needed for several of these runewords.

You have a couple of options for farming these:

1. You can farm the Act I Countess, who will usually drop one or more runes between El and Ral.
2. You can farm the Secret Cow level on an alt, or following along in any of the numerous public cow run games online. This area has a high monster density perfect for farming runes.
3. You can farm other high density spawn areas, like Fallen camps throughout Act I.
4. You can collect your Hellforge quest reward on a current character or an alt character on any difficulty, which guarantees a rune drop.
5. You can collect your Rescue on Mount Arreat quest reward, which always gives you Ral+Ort+Tal. This is all the runes necessary to create the Ancient’s Pledge shield runeword.
6. You can upgrade your existing runes to better runes using your Horadric Cube.

Keep in mind that rune drops are not affected at all by Magic Find. In fact, if you purely want to farm runes, it’s better to choose more efficient/powerful gear over gear with Magic Find. More powerful gear means quicker farming runs, which means more opportunities for runes to drop. This can be done in any high mob density area.

Runewords

I list the runewords by level requirement below (lowest first to highest), but I want to make some callouts first:

1. Insight (Ral Tir Tal Sol, Polearms and Staves, Lvl 27) – This runeword is used by MANY through even Hell mode for endgame rushing/magic find runs/etc. for the level 12-17 Meditation Aura, which grants basically unlimited mana. A four socket polearm or staff can be tricky to find in Normal, and Sol is a bit steep (would likely have to come from a Nightmare alt). But whether you choose to put this in a polearm or staff for yourself or your mercenary, this is a weapon that will benefit you immensely, and will be hard to replace. (Did I mention the chuinky 35% Faster Cast Rate?)
2. Spirit (Tal Thul Ort Amn, Swords and Shields, Lvl 25) — This is another god-tier runeword that is best in slot (or damn near close) for many builds even in endgame. You can use this in 2h or 1h sword and in a shield. Crystal Swords are fairly common even in Normal mode with four sockets, giving you a generous +2 to All Skills, 25-35% Faster Cast Rate, 55% Faster Hit Recovery, multiple types of elemental damage, and 7% Life Steal. The first shield you can put this in is a Monarch, which won’t drop until later difficulties and has a steep STR and DEX requirement (although highly achievable for all builds by endgame). You can stack both of these for big bonuses, and the shield version with build elemental resistance is a game changer.
3. Leaf (Tir Ral, Staves, Lvl 19) – This adds an INCREDIBLE amount of +skills to Sorceress Fire abilities and Druid Fire abilities, plus mana on kill. For Sorceress specifically, you can pop this into a white staff with other +Fire abilities (it could be great for a hybrid build but you won’t run into immunities really until Nightmare/Hell at which point you’ll be looking for something with an offhand, most likely). Although you lose a shield and its potential elemental resistances and blocking, as a caster you want to avoid melee, anyway. Tir and Ral are incredibly attainable, either from Normal Countess runs or in Act II and beyond. This also only requires level 19–it’s basically begging to be used.
4. Holy Thunder (Eth Ral Ort Tal, Scepters, Lvl 23) — Only Paladins can use this, but it adds an INCREDIBLE amount of elemental damage of various tpyes, as well as 60% Lightning Resistance (and increases your max Lightning Resistance to 80%). A four-socket scepter will be exceptionally hard to find in Normal mode, so you most likely would need an alt to give you one, but the rune cost is minimal and attainable in Normal mode. Because of the Lightning Resistance, this is ideal for Mephisto, as well as Willowisps in Act III with their big Lightning damage or Diablo’s Red Lightning Hose ability, which deals huge Physical and Lightning damage.
5. Lore (Ort Sol, Helms, Lvl 27) — With +1 to All Skills, +10 to Energy damage reduction, chunky Lightning resistance, and mana after kill, this is an excellent starter helm for any caster build, even in Nightmare mode. Sol can be harder to come by and may have to be handed down from an alt in Nightmare mode, but a 2 socket helmet is easy to come by in Normal–I usually use a bone helm from Act II. The level requirement (27) is a bit steep for Normal, although you will likely be in this range by late Act III. The Lightning Resistance will be great for the reasons above for Holy Thunder.
6. Stealth (Tal Eth, Chest Armor, Lvl 17) – This adds 30% Poison Resistance, 25% Faster Run/Walk, 25% Faster Casting Rate, 25% Faster Hit Recovery, and 15% Mana Regeneration. With the level 17 requirement, only two extremely cheap runes, and the aforementioned stats, this is perfect for fighting Andariel the first time. You would probably be OK to face her at 17 regardless depending on your familiarity with the game and your skill build, but Stealth is cheap, accessible, and a great defensive/resource bonus.
7. Strength (Amn Tir, Melee Weapons, Lvl 25) – This adds a chunky 35% Enhanced Damage, 7% Life Stolen, 25% Crushing Blow, and a good amount of STR and VIT. With a level requirement of 25 and 2 cheap runes, this could be a great option if you are struggling with Duriel in Act II on a melee character. The 25% CB gives you a 25% chance on hit to take 12.5% of his current health (25% of current health for normal mobs and 12.5% for bosses/champions/etc.). If this runeword had Faster Hit Rate, it would be god tier.
8. Rhyme (Shael Eth, Shields, Lvl 29) – This adds 40% Faster Block Rate, 20% Increased Chance of Blocking, 15% Mana Regeneration, +25 to All Resistances, Cannot be Frozen (and let’s not forget about the 25% Magic Find). With a level requirement of 29 and only a two-rune cost, this could be excellent for fighting Mephisto, who deals big chunks of Lightning, Cold, and Poison damage. This would be good for melee, ranged, or caster builds. Shael is on the more expensive end and would likely need to be funneled from an alt in Nightmare mode.
9. Edge (Tir Tal Amn, Bows and Crossbows, Lvl 23) – Level 15 Thorns aura when equipped grants 810% returned Physical/melee damage on attackers while equipped–this could be AWESOME for the high mob density throughout Act IV and Act V (I would say Act III, but many are ranged). It also grants 7% Life Steal and big increases in damage vs. Undead and Demons. Amn may be a little steep for Normal and may have to come from a Nightmare alt, but a three socket bow in particular is easy peasy. This is also a great idea for anyone with a lot of minions, like a low level Druid or Necromancer, as the aura applies to mercenary and all minions.

The following list is from lowest level requirement to highest, and doesn’t require any mid or high runes.

Steel

Tir+El

Level 13
Swords, Axes and Maces

+25% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Enhanced Damage
+3 to Minimum Damage
+3 to Maximum Damage
+50 to Attack Rating
50% Chance of Open Wounds
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius

Nadir

Nef+Tir

Level 13
All Helmet Slot Items

+50% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
+30 Defense vs. Missile
+5 to Strength
+2 to Mana after each Kill
-33% Extra Gold from Monsters
-3 to Light Radius
Level 13 Cloak of Shadows (9 charges)

Malice

Ith+ El + Eth

Level 15
All Melee Weapons

+33% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Maximum Damage
-25% Target Defense
+50 to Attack Rating
100% Chance of Open Wounds
Prevent Monster Heal
-100 to Monster Defense Per Hit
Drain Life -5

Stealth

Tal + Eth

Level 178
Chest Armor

+25% Faster Run/Walk
+25% Faster Casting Rate
+25% Faster Hit Recovery
+6 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana 15%
+15 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +30%
Magic Damage Reduced by 3

Leaf

Tir+Ral

Level 19
Staves Only

+3 to Fire Skills
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
+3 to Inferno (Sorceress Only)
+3 to Warmth (Sorceress Only)
+3 to Fire Bolt (Sorceress Only)
+(2*Clvl) Defense (Based on Character Level)
Cold Resist +33%
+2 to Mana after each Kill

Zephyr

Ort+Eth

Level 21
Bows and Crossbows

7% Chance to Cast Level 1 Twister When Struck
+25% Faster Run/Walk
+25% Increased Attack Speed
+33% Enhanced Damage
-25% Target Defense
+66 to Attack Rating
Adds 1-50 Lightning damage
+25 Defense

Ancient’s Pledge

Ral+Ort+Tal

Level 21
Shields

+50% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +43%
Lightning Resist +48%
Fire Resist +48%
Poison Resist +48%
10% Damage Taken Goes to Mana

Edge

Tir+Tal+Amn

Level 23
Bows and Crossbows

Level 15 Thorns Aura When Equipped
+35% Increased Attack Speed
+320-380% Damage To Demons (varies)
+280% Damage To Undead
+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
7% Life Stolen Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+5-10 To All Attributes (varies)
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
Reduces All Vendor Prices 15%

Holy Thunder

Eth+Ral+Ort+Tal

Level 23
Scepters

+60% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Maximum Damage
-25% Target Defense
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
Adds 21-110 Lightning Damage
+75 Poison Damage over 5 secs
+3 to Holy Shock (Paladin Only)
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Lightning Resist +60%
Level 7 Chain Lightning (60 charges)

King’s Grace

Amn+Ral+Thul

Level 25
Swords and Scepters

+100% Enhanced Damage
+150 to Attack Rating
+100% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+50% Damage to Undead
+100 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
Adds 3-14 Cold damage
7% Life stolen per hit

Myth

Hel+Amn+Nef

Level 25
Chest Armor

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%

Strength

Amn+Tir

Level 25
Melee Weapons

+35% Enhanced Damage
7% Life Stolen per hit
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
+20 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
+2 to Mana after each Kill

Spirit

Tal+Thul+Ort+Amn

Level 25
Shields and Swords

Shields
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Swords
Adds 1-50 Lightning Damage
Adds 3-14 Cold Damage (3 Sec,Normal)
+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
7% Life Stolen Per Hit

Shields and Swords
+2 To All Skills
+25-35% Faster Cast Rate (varies)
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense Vs. Missile
+22 To Vitality
+89-112 To Mana (varies)
+3-8 Magic Absorb (varies)

Lore

Ort+Sol

Level 27
All Helmet Slot Items

+1 to All Skills
+10 to Energy
Lightning Resist +30%
Damage Reduced by 7
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+2 to Light Radius

Radiance

Nef+Sol+Ith

Level 27
All Helmet Slot Items

+75% Enhanced Defense
+30 Defense vs. Missiles
+10 to Vitality
+10 to Energy
+33 to Mana
Damage Reduced by 7
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
15% Damage Taken Goes to Mana
+5 to Light Radius

Honor

Amn+El+Ith+Tir+Sol

Level 27
Melee Weapons

+1 to all Skills
+160% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
+9 to Maximum Damage
+250 Attack Rating
7% Life Stolen per Hit
25% Deadly Strike
+10 to Strength
Replenish Life +10
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius

Insight

Ral+Tir+Tal+Sol

Level 27
Polearms & Staves

Level 12-17 Meditation Aura When Equipped (varies)
+35% Faster Cast Rate
+200-260% Enhanced Damage (varies)
+9 To Minimum Damage
180-250% Bonus to Attack Rating (varies)
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
+1-6 To Critical Strike (varies)
+5 To All Attributes
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Peace

Shael+Thul+Amn

Level 29
Chest Armor

4% Chance To Cast Level 5 Slow Missiles When Struck
2% Chance To Cast Level 15 Valkyrie On Striking
+2 To Amazon Skill Levels
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+2 To Critical Strike
Cold Resist +30%
Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Rhyme

Shael+Eth

Level 29
Shield

+40% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
Cannot be Frozen
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items