Dungeon-crawling looter games like Diablo 2: Resurrected are often faulted for having gear that requires luck to obtain. Several rare, unique, and legendary sets are out there, but the odds of finding them are low. Finding the pieces with the ideal statistics tied to them is even lower.
But that is when Runewords take over. Using this system in Diablo 2: Resurrected allows gamers to literally "make" their own luck. The statistics will be on the random side, but the core functionality remains the same. It's going to cost some runes to make the Runewords, but these are the items that make that investment pay off the most.
Note: This is a list that takes into consideration all characters and builds. Some Runewords, like the Leaf Runeword which works incredibly well for a fire sorceress but only for a fire sorceress, are excluded due to their specificity. The intent of this list is to find the gear best for everybody, not just one niche build.
Updated on December 14th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: Runewords are going to be very particular depending on the class and the build selected. There are certain Runewords that make perfect sense for one class and don't work at all for another. No single Runeword is going to be best in slot for everyone (outside of possibly the #1 entry on this list). However, there are generally accepted best items for the mercenary. Some of them are Runewords and so those entries have been added to this list. It might not be best on the player, but having them on the mercenary is just as important as having them equipped on the main character.
7 Infinity
- Weapon
- 4 sockets
- Ber, Mal, Ber, Ist runes
- 50% chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning on kill
- Level 12 Conviction Aura
- +35% faster move speed
- +225% - +325% enhanced damage
- -45% - 55% against enemy Lightning Resist
- +40% chance of Crushing Blow
- Prevents monster healing
- +0.5 - +49.5 Vitality (based on character level)
- +30% Magic Find
- 30 charges of level 21 Cyclone Armor
Making the most of mercenaries means having the right gear on them and the Infinity is about as good as it gets, especially for casting classes. The Infinity is the best weapon in this case, as it gives a Conviction Aura that applies to all enemies, lowering their resistances to all sources of magic.
6 Fortitude
- Body armor
- 4 sockets
- El, Sol, Dol, Lo runes
- 20% chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
- +25% faster cast rate
- +300% enhanced damage
- +200% enhanced defense
- +15 defense
- +Life (based on character level)
- +7 Replenish Life
- +5% maximum Lightning Resist
- +25 - +30 to all Resistances
- -7 damage taken
- +1 Light radius
- 12% damage taken goes to Mana
The Necromancer can brag about their fantastic golems all they want, but a mercenary with the Fortitude Runeword on it is nearly unstoppable. Not only does it become a peerless tank (as players should demand from their mercenary), it becomes a crowd control mechanism as well thanks to the Chilling Armor. In groups, this can slow opponents down to a nice crawl, setting them up to be wiped out with ease.
5 Famine
- Weapon
- 4 sockets
- Fal, Ohm, Ort, Jah runes
- +30% increase attack speed
- +320% - +370% enhanced damage
- Ignores target's defense
- Adds 180 - 200 magic damage
- Adds 50 - 200 fire damage
- Adds 51 - 250 lightning damage
- Adds 50 - 200 cold damage
- 12% Life stolen per hit
- Prevents monster heal
- +10 to strength
Other options ranked higher on this list might have more utility, but absolutely nothing deals more raw damage. Over 300% enhanced damage is absurd, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are four sources of magic and elemental damage, giving physical damage dealers an avenue to take down creates with physical damage immunity. There are a lot of changes in the game, but this favored weapon of veterans is still here in all its glory.
4 Silence
- Weapon
- 6 sockets
- Dol, Eld, Hel, Ist, Tir, Vex runes
- +2 to all skills
- +20% increased attack speed
- 20% faster hit recovery
- 200% enhanced damage
- +75% damage to undead
- +50 Attack Rating against undead
- 11% Mana stolen per hit
- Hit blinds targets +33
- 25% chance hits cause monsters to flee
- All resistances +75%
- +2 Mana per kill
- +30% better chance of getting magic items
- Requirements -20%
If 200% enhanced damage isn't a selling point, then there aren't any selling points on this list. The main function of this weapon is to keep enemies locked up, either because they'll be running away or unable to use any of their special abilities. When switched to legacy mode, this can make the pixels on the screen blur with how fast they keep running away.
3 Breath of the Dying
- Weapon
- 6 sockets
- Vex, Hel, El, Eld, Zod, Eth runes
- 50% chance to cast a level 20 Poison Nova when killing an enemy
- Indestructible
- +60% increased attack speed
- +350% - +400% enhanced damage
- -25% target Defenses
- +50 Attack Rating
- 200% damage to undead
- +50 Attack Rating against undead
- 7% Mana stolen per hit
- 12% - 15% Life stolen per hit
- Prevents monster heal
- +30 to all attributes
- +1 to light radius
- Requirements -20%
- Chance to increase maximum durability by +10% - +15%
- Chance to be Ethereal (cannot be repaired)
When looking over the vast list of Runewords, there is a lot of worthy competition for "best weapon in the game." The weapon slot will be the toughest choice, but Breath of the Dying makes a strong case for topping that list. In addition to Life steal, Mana steal, and a ridiculous +30 to all attributes, the 50% chance to cast a maxed-out Poison Nova every time an enemy dies is an absurd advantage.
2 Dream
- Helmet or shield
- 3 sockets
- Io, Jah, Pul runes
- 10% chance to cast level 15 Confuse when struck
- Level 15 Holy Shock Aura when equipped
- 20% - 30% faster hit recovery
- 30% enhanced Defense
- +150 - +220 Defense
- +10 to Vitality
- Increase maximum life by 5% (Helms only)
- +50 to Life (Shields only)
- +06.25 - +61.875 Mana (based on character level)
- +5 - +20 to all Resistances
- +12 - +25% better chance of getting magic items
While making one's way to the monastery barracks, players will be confronted with all manner of beasts that will try to find a way around the character's defenses. With the Dream helm/shield, they'll be certain to take lightning damage from the Holy Shock Aura. And if that doesn't work, enemies have a 10% chance to become confused with each attack, making them attack each other.
1 Enigma
- Body armor
- 3 sockets
- Jah, Ith, Ber runes
- +2 to all skills
- +45% faster run/walk speed
- +1 to Teleport
- +750 - +775 Defense
- +0 - +74 Strength (based on character level)
- Increase maximum life by 5%
- Damage reduced by 8%
- +14 Life after each kill
- 15% damage taken goes to Mana
- +1 - +99% better chance of getting magic items (based on character level)
- Chance of 15% enhanced Defense
- Chance of 15% increase in maximum Durability
After spending the entire game identifying mystery items, it's nice to finally "identify" an item with no mystery at all. It's just the best regardless of which expert gets asked. There's a reason players can buy this item as a real-life tee shirt. The +1 to Teleport gives every character, even ones without the skill, the ability to Teleport. That kind of movement superiority is without rival. The +2 to all character skills puts this one way over the top.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.