Kicking demons back from whence they came has never been as nostalgic as it is inDiablo 2: Resurrected. The problem is, these demons tend to kick back at the players and will rightfully give anyone a challenge come the late stages of Nightmare difficulty and certainly in Hell difficulty.
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Luckily, players have exciting tools at their disposal in theform of runewords. They’ll need to adapt to such as system inDiablo 2if they are to survive higher difficulties. For all classes or builds, it’s also mandatory to have runeword weapons especially if one plans to be comfortable in Hell or at least have fun on the way there.
Updated July 08, 2025, by Sid Natividad:After eons of waiting, the Ladder for Diablo 2: Resurrected has finally been released along with its 2.4 Update. As always, its economy will revolve around one thing: Diablo 2 runes. Diablo 2 runes can be expensive and it pays to know which Runewords are the best. It just so happens that there are plenty of good D2R weapon Runewords. At least, there’s a lot more than ten. Not all of them are great though, so for some Ladder-defining D2R Runewords, players should make sure to check out the additions to this list.
15Grief - Swords/Axes (Eth + Tir + Lo + Mal + Ral)
Players shouldn’t be fooled by the apparently low damage output of Grief on the item description. It’s the best melee weapon Runeword inDiablo 2. A few Runewords come close to Grief in a Phaseblade or Berserker Axe such as an Ethereal Breath of the Dying two-handed weapon, but Grief is still more accessible.
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It’s the best weapon for a lot of endgame builds, such as Tesladin, Zealot, Smiter, or Barbarian melee builds. Its secret lies in the flat damage increase which makes its average damage reliably high compared to other melee Runewords.
14Silence - (Dol + Eld + Hel + Ist + Tir + Vex)
Since Amazon bow builds are viable now thanks to the recent buffs, Runewords like this finally have a place in the meta. Silence is a little low on the plus to All Skills for a two-handed weapon, but everything else makes it good. No stat here is wasted.
The bonuses against the Undead mean it’s a great Runeword for farming places like Pindleskin or Arcane Sanctuary. Overall, it’s a complete package as far as ranged weapon Runewords go (even though it can also be used for melee weapons).
13Infinity - Polearms (Ber + Mal + Ber + Ist)
Infinity is an enabler for many of the most powerful endgame elemental builds inDiablo 2. It’s best equipped on an Act 2 Mercenary with an aura and on its own, it’s not a bad weapon and can even be used by melee builds if they like.
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Its real strength, of course, is when paired with Lightning Javazons or Sorceresses. That Conviction Aura will shred just about any enemy and make it vulnerable to elemental damage. Without it, some builds simply feel incomplete or significantly weaker.
12Harmony - Missile Weapons (Tir + Ith + Sol + Ko)
Harmony is quite a powerful Runeword for something that doesn’t cost much. Its most expensive Rune is Ko and this can easily be acquired in Hell Forge runs. It’s only available for Bowazons, however, but, as mentioned earlier, those got buffed.
Players should note that it’s not a great late-game or endgame weapon as there are better alternatives. Moreover, the split elemental damage doesn’t hold up well against tough enemies beyond Nightmare difficulty or even earlier.
11Last Wish - Axes/Hammers/Scepters (Jah + Mal + Jah + Sur + Jah + Ber)
Now, look at those runes! Back in the day, those were enough for players to purchase a second-hand car if sold through cash to other players. Last Wish is the most expensive Runeword ever, but it more than lives up to its reputation.
It’s a somewhat superior option compared to Grief when placed in a Tesladin or Smiter’s hands. It’s just that a lot of players simply do not have it or cannot afford it because of the required runes.
10Leaf - Staves (Tir + Ral)
It’s a low-level runeword and will likely be replaced come level 30 or 40 but Leaf is such a huge boost to Sorceresses that it’s become standard equipment. It also helps that Tir and Ral are easily obtainable runes.
A Fire Bolt Sorceress is also the most common leveling build before players respec to Frozen Orb or Blizzard. The Leaf runeword ticks many boxers in that regard and makes leveling a Sorceress build a pleasure.
9White - Wand (Dol + Io)
For a class that’s even less gear-dependent than the Sorceress, one can’t go wrong with the Necromancer. Likewise, the Necromancer also has a common go-to leveling build that players can also take to the endgame. That would be the Bone Necromancer or Bonemancer.
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Thus, the White runeword on a wand makes for theideal starteror mid-weapon for the Necromancer. It gives several layers of bonuses for the most used Bonemancer skills. Everything else is icing on the cake.
8Famine - Axes/Hammers ( Fal + Ohm + Ort + Jah)
Moving on to endgame runewords, Famine is one of the most formidable ones and can make Barbarians or even Paladins shine. The damage increase is just dizzying here coupled with the increased attack speed that makes weapon choice flexible.
Granted, the elemental damage additions are wasted on Hell difficulty due toimmune monstersbut the Ignore Target’s Defense more than makes up for that. Plus a bit of Magic Damage is thrown into the mix which is always great against Physical Immune enemies.
7Beast - Axes/Hammers/Scepters (Ber + Tir + Um + Mal + Lum)
At first glance, it would seem that Beast is a Druid-focused weapon but the Fanaticism Aura actually makes it an ideal option for a Summon Necromancer. That aura will put some muscle into one’s skeleton minions.
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Meanwhile, it’s also impressive for Barbarians or Paladins due to the Crushing Blow and Open Wounds auxiliary. All in all, it’s an awesome versatile weapon for melee characters and some spellcasters.
6Call to Arms (Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm)
Winding back down to something a little more affordable, Call to Arms is a great option. It’s one of the most popular swap weapons thanks to the Barbarian War Cry skills that any class can use.
Should players decide to use Call to Arms as a regular weapon, then they’ll not find its stats lacking. The +1 to all Skills is always a welcome damage increase. For Magic Find, it’s a pretty competent gear as well. Players can’t go wrong with this one.
