Runewords will not work on the Wirt's Leg, though it is a socketed weapon. Honor gives a hefty bonus to +Enhanced Damage, Life Leech and +1 to All Skills, making it comparable to pretty much anything you could hope to find in Normal difficulty. Many runewords are only craftable there. Once you have all the recipes, you can already create that wonderful weapon. This page contains examples of some of the best runewords new players can craft, with relatively easy to find components and low requirements to equip. The +3 to Fire Skills is just killer, and best of all, works with classes like the Fire Auradin and the [Fire Elemental Druid], too. We must remember that the core item mechanic of Diablo II is random item drop, not crafting. Runewords are crafted items that follow known recipes. Do not try to craft them elsewhere, unless you are using Plugy. The required runes, Tal and Eth are easy to find from Normal [Countess] and the armor base can be bought from Charsi in Act 1. Why not join us today? Keep in mind that youll want to seek out polearms to serve as bases for this weapon - spears will not work. It gives a heft boost to both Enhanced Damage and Attack Rating, with the odd additions of +Caster Rate and +Magic Find. Duration (Normal), 20% Chance To Cast Level 16 Tornado On Striking, 16% Chance To Cast Level 21 Frozen Orb On Attack, 10% Chance To Cast Level 17 Chain Lightning On Striking, 7% Chance To Cast Level 13 Static Field On Striking, 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Decrepify On Striking, Level 16-18 Sanctuary Aura When Equipped (varies), 15% Chance To Cast Level 13 Frozen Orb On Striking, 18% Chance To Cast Level 20 Ice Blast On Striking, 30% Chance To Cast Level 21 Enchant When You Kill An Enemy, Adds 3-14 Cold Damage 3 Second Duration (Normal), Adds 3-14 Cold Damage - Cold Duration 3 Seconds, +3 To Poison And Bone Skills (Necromancer Only), +4 To Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only), Level 12-17 Meditation Aura When Equipped (varies), Adds 3-14 Cold Damage - 3 Second Duration, + (2 Per Character Level) +2-198 To Defense (Based On Character Level), 35% Chance To Cast Level 14 Amplify Damage When Struck, 100% Chance To Cast Level 18 Bone Spear On Striking, Level 12-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped (varies), 100% Chance To Cast Level 40 Blizzard When You Level-up, 25% Chance To Cast Level 22 Frost Nova On Striking, 3.125-309.375 Extra Gold From Monsters (Based on Character Level), 30% Chance To Cast Level 1 Decrepify On Striking, 5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking, +3 To Bow and Crossbow Skills (Amazon Only), 7% Chance To Cast Level 1 Twister When Struck. You must first place Jah, then Ith, and then finally Ber. +(0.75 Per Character Level) +0-74 To Strength (Based On Character Level), +(1 Per Character Level) +1-99% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level), Level 15-21 Thorns Aura When Equipped (varies), 20% Chance to Cast Level 18 Venom When Struck, 12% Chance To Cast Level 15 Hydra On Striking, +0.375-37.125 To Strength (Based on Character Level), 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck, 100% Chance To Cast Level 5 Holy Bolt On Striking, 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Cyclone Armor When Struck, 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Twister On Striking, 15% Chance To Cast level 10 Bone Armor When Struck, 15% Chance To Cast level 10 Bone Spear On Striking, Adds 37-133 Cold Damage 2 sec. Finding the 4-socket sword this runeword requires takes more effort, but its still something you can pick up early in Nightmare difficulty. Best if paired with abilities like Frenzy or Zeal, for extra fast killing. Most importantly, determine if you are creating a runeword within or outside the Battle.net Ladder. 
The real interesting modifier is the sLv12-17 Meditation Aura it gives, however, as this provides all the Mana regeneration most casters could ever need. Find any 2-socketed weapon with Very Fast Attack Speed and youre good to go. Should you use a polearm, an axe, a sword? 
What gives the game much depth is not even the source of the ingredients, but the ingredients themselves. Spirit can also be made with shields, where its properties are somewhat different, swapping out elemental damage for resistances among a few other minor changes. For non-casters and non-Paladins, itll tide you over until you find something better. That's all. Hence it is very important that you become familiar with the terms used in the runeword recipes. The item must be a socketed non-magical item, The number of sockets in the item must be the same as required by the recipe, The runes must match exactly those in the recipe, The runes must be inserted into the item in the correct order based on the recipe, You are trying to spell the runeword when inserting it. Sadly, this is only truly a beginner runeword for Paladins, as 4-socket Paladin shields can drop relatively early. The weapon you just produced is constant, you can craft hundreds of these, and they will all be the same - same stats, same everything. You just need a weapon with five sockets and five runes. If you are going to use a voulge, should you use an ethereal, a superior, a normal? With Runewords, Diablo II became a more engaging crafting game, more than Monster Hunter, while not even having it as its core loop. Use the correct base item using the terminology shared above. The answer is - anywhere in the game. You can check this online and learn that you need the following ingredients: Where can you get these ingredients? The guide for Diablo 2 Resurrected seeks to help new players find their footing in Sanctuary by providing build advice and information on gear and how to farm it. It produces a lot of variety while keeping the mechanics extremely simple. Runewords are what separate Diablo II from all existing loot-based action RPG and elevate it to be the best hack and slash item collection game of all time. With its +2 to All Skills, +Caster Rate and +100~ to Mana, its a weapon thatll get a character through Hell difficulty. Know the recipe for the runeword Eternity. And after doing all that, even if you use the exact recipes, you will produce varying results. 
Helms - Any armor that is worn on the head: Shield - Any armor that is used for blocking: Exceptional and Elite versions of the above, This does not include any other type of maces, It does not include the Hammers listed above, Include only weapons that are meant for close combat, Include Wands, Staves and all the other hand weapons, This does not include ranged weapons and orbs, Weapons - all Melee Weapons, Missile Weapons, and Orbs.
Body Armor - Any armor that is worn on the chest. If any ingredient in the recipe is not followed, the transmutation will not work, and you will waste your ingredients. Bonus points if you shop around until you find a normal (non-magical) staff that adds +3 Fireball, in which case Leaf will last you until you get a Spirit sword. Duration (Normal), 15% Chance To Cast Level 3 Dim Vision When Struck, 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Blaze When Struck, 5% Chance To Cast level 15 Fire Ball On Striking, 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Fade When Struck, 25% Chance To Cast level 15 Venom On Striking, 100% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items, 4% Chance To Cast Level 5 Slow Missiles When Struck, 2% Chance To Cast level 15 Valkyrie On Striking, 3% Chance To Cast Level 1 Howl When Struck, 10% Chance To Cast Level 1 Taunt On Striking, 10% Chance To Cast Level 15 Confuse When Struck, +0.625-61.875 To Mana (Based On Character Level), 12-25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (varies), 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 (varies), 15% Chance To Cast Level 5 Life Tap On Striking, Level 13-16 Defiance Aura When Equipped (varies), 1% Chance To Cast Level 50 Delirium* (morph) When Struck, 6% Chance To Cast Level 14 Mind Blast When Struck, 14% Chance To Cast Level 13 Terror When Struck, 11% Chance To Cast Level 18 Confuse On Striking, 50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Poison Nova When You Kill An Enemy, 100% Chance To Cast Level 36 Blaze When You Level-Up, 100% Chance To Cast Level 48 Meteor When You Die, 10% Chance To Cast Level 9 Tornado On Striking, 5% Chance To Cast Level 18 Volcano On Striking, -(40-60)% To Enemy Cold Resistance (varies), 25% Chance To Cast Level 17 Fire Wall When Struck, Level 16-20 Concentration Aura When Equipped (varies), +1-99% Damage To Demons (Based on Character Level), 1.875-185.625% Extra Gold From Monsters (Based on Character Level), 23% Chance To Cast Level 12 Volcano On Striking, 5% Chance To Cast Level 23 Molten Boulder On Striking, 100% Chance To Cast level 45 Meteor When You Die, 15% Chance To Cast Level 22 Nova On Attack, 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, +(0.5 per character level) 0.5-49.5% Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level), 50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Chain Lightning When You Kill An Enemy, -(45-55)% To Enemy Lightning Resistance (varies), 0.5-49.5 To Vitality (Based on Character Level), 35% Chance To Cast Level 15 Venom On Striking, +(1.875 per character level) 1.875-185.625% Damage To Demons (Based on Character Level), -20-25% To Enemy Poison Resistance (varies), 30% Chance To Cast Level 20 Bone Spirit On Striking, 9% Chance To Cast Level 11 Frozen Orb On Striking, 11% Chance To Cast Level 9 Charged Bolt On Striking, 100% Chance To Cast Level 44 Chain Lightning When You Die, 25% Chance To Cast Level 18 Glacial Spike On Attack, +(0.5 per Character Level) 0.5-49.5% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level), Adds 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 sec. Of course, casters will probably want to be using some other gear, which makes hiring an Act 2 mercenary and giving them this weapon a popular move. At a glance, they look like items in games where crafting is a core mechanic, like in Monster Hunter. If you want to create a good weapon in Monster Hunter, say the Scorching Blazer, you need to do the following: Now, in Diablo II, you decided to create a weapon called Eternity. The sought after caster stats, however, remain the same. Know the recipe for the Scorching Blazer. If you are going to use a polearm, should you use a voulge, a thresher, a cryptic axe? Its no Spirit, and does cost a Shael rune, which will require some luck on later Acts in Normal difficulty, or some Nightmare [Countess] runs, but it does increase Block Chance and Block Rate considerably, grants +All Resistances, the ever-useful Cannot Be Frozen modifier, and some +Magic Find for good measure. Being able to roll one up in pretty much any two-socket weapon with runes easily farmed from the [Countess] is a huge boon for melee characters trying to get started. These are the runewords that are available only in the Battle.net Ladder. A great early-game caster helmet, Lore requires a Sol rune, which is one of the rarer youll find in Normal difficulty, but is by no means impossible to find, and can be easily farmed from Nightmare [Countess]. But what they are and where you get them, that's where Diablo II's runeword crafting beats Monster Hunter by a large gap. It makes all the official runewords craftable.
The go-to caster armor for Normal difficulty, itll last you until you find Skin of the Vipermagi or Skullders Ire. In other words, Diablo II gained the best of both worlds, random and deterministic items. By no means an amazing runeword, Steel nevertheless competes with most low-end Normal difficulty uniques. Determine the recipe for the runeword you want to create. To make them available in your offline game, a plugin called Plugy is a good option.
Shael (13) + Um (22) + Pul (21) + Lum (17), Vex (26) + Ohm (27) + Ist (24) + Dol (14), Vex (26) + Hel (15) + El (1) + Eld (2) + Zod (33) + Eth (5), Sur (29) + Cham (32) + Amn (11) + Lo (28), Amn (11) + Ral (8) + Mal (23) + Ist (24) + Ohm (27), Dol (14) + Eld (2) + Hel (15) + Ist (24) + Tir (3) + Vex (26), Amn (11) + Ber (30) + Ist (24) + Sol (12) + Sur (29), Amn (11) + El (1) + Ith (6) + Tir (3) + Sol (12), Hel (15) + Ohm (27) + Um (22) + Lo (28) + Cham (32), Vex (26) + Lo (28) + Ber (30) + Jah (31) + Ko (18), Jah (31) + Mal (23) + Jah (31) + Sur (29) + Jah (31) + Ber (30), Ber (30) + Tir (3) + Um (22) + Mal (23) + Lum (17), Ber (30) + Mal (23) + Ber (30) + Ist (24), Eth (5) + Tir (3) + Lo (28) + Mal (23) + Ral (8), Shael (13) + Pul (21) + Mal (23) + Lum (17), Hel (15) + El (1) + Vex (26) + Ort (9) + Gul (25), Ko (18) + Vex (26) + Pul (21) + Thul (10), Hel (15) + Ko (18) + Thul (10) + Eth (5) + Fal (19), Amn (11) + Shael (13) + Jah (31) + Lo (28), Pul (21) + Lum (17) + Ber (30) + Mal (23), Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Expansion Set, Quality of Life Changes for Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Diablo III: Eternal Collection - Game Guide, Bloodborne: Complete Edition - Game Guide, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Game Guide, Child of Light: Ultimate Edition - Game Guide, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - Game Guide, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction - Game Guide, Diablo II: How to Increase the Stash Size, Diablo II: How to Increase the Horadric Cube Size, Diablo II: New Cube Recipe to Unsocket and Preserve Items, Diablo II: Unlimited Socketing with Larzuk. When using superior socketed items, the actual stats might be higher than what is being shown. Requiring an Amn rune at its highest, Spirit is an incredibly cheap runeword to construct, and one that competes well with mid-tier caster uniques. Hence you must follow the sequence.
Its competitive with helmets like the Tarnhelm and Peasant Crown, and can hold you over until you find something like the Harlequin Crest. Make sure you have the right patch in your game. Remove ads and unlock special features, Diablo 2 Resurrected Patch 2.4 - New Runewords, Buffs, Nerfs and Bug Fixes, Level 12 - 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped (variable), 180 - 250% Bonus to Attack Rating (variable), +2-198 to Defense (Based on Character Level). Hard to get any simpler than that. Be careful when using the runes Io and Lo to avoid mistakes. What kind of weapon should you use? While there are other options for one-handed weapons, Honor is more geared for characters using heftier, two-handed weapons mostly because by the time you find 5-socket, one-handed weapons you can use as a base, youll probably have something better. Some runewords are valid only in the latest patches. Remember to always use the right items based on this terminology: To successfully create a runeword, you must follow these steps: The best runewords in the game are available only on the Battle.net Ladder. Insight is an obscenely good runeword for the level at which its runes can be obtained, with the rarest being Sol - easily obtained from Nightmare [Countess]. Just remember that superior items are the best base for runewords. But with Runewords, it complemented this random drop mechanic instead of replacing it, creating a powerful synergy that gave it much depth, without necessarily making it complex. For Paladin Shields, keep your eye out for specimens with +Resist All Elements, as these will stack with the bonuses Spirit grants. This effect has a chance to shave off a percentage of the enemys life (the health reduced varies by the type of monster in question, with champions, uniques and bosses taking less damage than normal enemies), meaning the faster the weapon, the more damage itll do regardless of what the damage numbers otherwise indicate. Weapons and armor drop from monsters, we don't craft them. And most important of them are those used for the base weapon and armor. We shared above that runewords follow a specific recipe. They could come from boss monsters, unique monsters, any monster, even from a lowly Fallen. Non-Paladin casters will have to wait until Hell difficulty for Monarch shields to drop, which carry a hefty 156 Strength requirement and a level requirement of 54. Runewords came late and got introduced only in the expansion Lord of Destruction, but it was enough to make it a game that can last for hundreds of hours, giving it an engaging loop in our search for the best items in the game. To craft this, you need to do the following: If you think about it, the depth of Diablo II's runewords is multiplicative. Perhaps the most compelling reason to play a Fire Sorceress at the beginning of the game (even if you ultimately want to respec into something else), Leaf is cheap to make with runes easily farmed from Normal [Countess]. They can come from chests, weapon racks, and even pots. Runewords can also be personalized in Anya's quest reward. While it does require an Amn rune and yields little in the way or +% Enhanced Damage, Strength does provide one incredibly useful modifier: Crushing Blow. All the bonuses from the runes will also be present. There is no depth at all in the ingredients nor on the results. Just hunt the Glavenus multiple times until you get all the parts you need. You can check this online and learn that you need the following ingredients: Where can you get these ingredients? After creating a runeword, new bonuses are added to the item. Example: The Enigma runeword is JahIthBer. Even for non-casters, its +Run/Walk speed, +Hit Recovery, +6 Dexterity and Poison Resistance make it decent armor - especially if youre otherwise relegated to rare armor youve found.