Why isn't "Stealth" on this list?! "Stealth" should be #1!! Tal+Eth, easiest Runeword for Starter: +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
well, Stealth with Tal Eth is really a cheap and early one... but if my memory serves well, White with Dol Io is harder to get (runes are pretty far in order)... and you need to get to Nightmare difficulty to drop them... so its not really a "starter"... more like a "budget" runeword... I might be wrong tho, its been almost 20 years after all...
I really like the early game and low-level items, so this video was fun for me. I definitely thought of Leaf first thing, and you mentioned Steel at one point, but I was always a big fan of the Strength runeword (Amn + Tir) for the easy crushing blow and boost to life. i pretty much always put this guy on a low level Barb and rode it out until I find something nice.
I think LORE deserves a mention. ORT - SOL in a helm is a very cheap skill + for any caster that's viable well into nm and even hell. This goes double for druid casters who find a socketed druid helm
Just came across your channel yesterday and since I love Diablo, especially D2LoD, I just had to subscribe. Great videos, keep up the good work and keep the world of Sanctuary alive!
"Best starter runewords" *mentions a 5os runeword that uses two HRs* Dude.. that's not a starter runeword.. you'll never get those runes in normal or the weapon needed to get that many sockets. Are you ok?
@@is0sceles says the person who doesn't know what a High Rune is. Dude you need to get it together and stop harassing people with your ignorant comments on topics you don't know about. Should I elaborate on the information of what a high rune is or are you content with being ignorant and calling people names?
@@is0sceles I'm using the term that was introduced when runewords were first being made. You are the one arguing because you don't know what you are talking about for a game that has a huge fan base and lingo that has already been made. I'm explaining to the fellow Diablo player that obedience doesn't require high runes. You are the one calling people names and being a disrespectful brat
I mean I can't pull off something like "Doom" so early on for a new play through. I also just got back into the game so it's nice to see some easier strategies for low level characters.
Meaning when you're still poor and don't have grief yet 😑 it's that awkward middle phase man. If you don't think it's real, you haven't played enough ladder resets. You can easily kill uber trist day one with a decent budget smite setup
You can uber with a smite with smoke/treachery/black/tgods/life tap wand on switch. Max out all res and aim for about 220 total lightning res in hell using as many charms to help and ort rune in your hat. Tgods plus putting 10 points into lightning res auro will increase your max light res to 90. I do it every ladder I play.
yeah it is ironic. but now that i'm returning to diablo 2 i can see why you'd just blow through nightmare and normal. hell mode to me is kinda like a learning curve
Thanks for the Vid! I just reinstalled and i am playing self-found-offline only for now. When i was checking what i could build with my low lvl runes so far i was wondering why no one ever thinks about Lionheart for example. Looks like everybody but me has better runes but this list sure helped me haha.
@@mateusfolletto6142 thing is the game is really easy before hell. You can use whatever your found and still be find. You only need to think about build before entering hell.
Something to note with the leaf staff you should have mentioned, If you are lucky enough to find a socketed staff that already has + to stuff, it can stack up for an impressive +7-9 to depending on how lucky you are.
I think part of the reason why lionheart is overlooked is the need for good 3os armors. most see lionheart as waste when you could just trade your 3os armor or make something better in it
I havent played the game for ages, but i remember that cheap armor runewords was very good in eth armors early on - low runes where cheap enough to use on something that wouldnt last, and the 50% defence buff and -10 str requirement made it easy to get very strong armors as you level up. Ofc you can also just c if the vendor has a decent eth armor for sale...
I actually discovered the original Obedience runeword when the patch hit all those years ago. All we knew at the time was the rune order and I got Ko & Fal from my forges. I used the original Obedience on a Fury Druid.
bang on man. Im tired of reference to websiites eeverytime I THINK I HAVE ALL ingredients - then i go to reference google to verify and damn am i tired of that - so I just pinned THIS VIDEO on bar to a handfull select runewords needed for early - i mean this is exactly whats needed more of IMO by rune category A. El-Lem B. Pul - Mal C. Vex-Zod & sayh start with el - what runewords use3d in with wep types and levels - then Tire - same formmat picture grapph of weapon types useses categories - review of better uses on what starters . and yeah - could assume it would give you a few long term views as refeerence guide i just thought of as I was watchiung your vid - so - its Collective collaboration :} cheers man
drewtoli vanilla never had runewords. They where introduced in LOD. I think what you meant to say is Honor was the BotD before 1.10[?] (I don’t remember which patch it was introduced).
While there are better options waiting in Act 2, it’s easy to shop for a three socket axe from either Charsi or Gheed if you are looking to make Steel right away. It’s one step slower than a flail but only requires 32 str and no dexterity. It can be fun to see how powerful you can get by the time you reach Andariel. However given the required level 15 of the runes themselves, I’d probably choose to wait to shop from Fara in most cases.
I was expecting (from the title) starter runes... you know before nightmare... or people starting the game again. Started good with leaf (actually useful) Can't talk for the rest of the vid mind you.... lol.
For real. I make that asap its pretty damn good for any character before you start finding things with plus skills to all skills or specific skills. I don't ever play an assasin but this is a great armor for merc too early on.
Top 10 starter Runewords and you show only one low items and rest is 50+ levels. Good 10 Starter Runewords are: Steel weapon, Malice weapon, Leaf staff, Stealth armor, Spirit weapon, Honor weapon, Insight weapon, Peace armor, Splendor shield, White wand.
Somehow I never really played this game with any runewords, I always found it to be more satisfying using uniques that dropped for me. I think the only runeword I ever used was like stealth I created accidentally when I was very new to the game and just wanted extra poison resist and mana regen lol.
Zephyr (Ort-Eth) is incredible for Bowzon! Then just combine it with Peace (Shael-Thul-Amn) and it's a life saver, you can cast a damn lvl 15 valkyrie and with extra attack speed from zephyr well it doesn't need explaining but it'll be a walk in the park from there.
Peace is basically mandatory for any zon. The valk is a great tank but also kinda buggy (keeps coming and going with an annoying noise at random times) until you put a skill point into it.
Leaf also effects fire trap for sins and what about strength? Amn and tir for any melee weapon? 35% Enhanced Damage 25% Chance Of Crushing Blow 7% Life Stolen Per Hit +2 To Mana After Each Kill +20 To Strength +10 To Vitality
While true, that's for speedrunners (and try-hard sorcs, or rather skilled teams.) Those speedrunners typically don't get all of those runes needed for most of the runewords listed in the video within those first 6 hours. Xtimus also says it's for early ladder reset, and not for speedruns, so...
Good video. I recently started playing diablo 2. I currently play on a hardcore assassin with a Spirit sword, +rhyme shield and an infinity on my merc. Working on that stealth before I'll try my luck in hell. Fuck trading :D
I know I'm super late but Obedience is the best in slot for budget summon-necro mercenaries. It's by far the best one. Considering summon necro rely a lot on Corpse Explosions AoE damage.
Hi Xtimus and Diablo 2 players, I understand that the Runeword "Leaf" works on a sorceress two-hands staff, but does it also works on a single-hand staff, such as a globe/orb/sphere/swirling crystal? Thank you!
Obedience OP? Man, Insight is OP. Lvl 6 CS is 46%, a good insight deals more damage than obedience, and it costs only up to Sol rune! Even when you reroll, it costs only several Hel runes. Not to metion that it has Meditation Aura. Obedience is only better at killing bosses. Oh many people may assume Enchant will be good. It's level 21! Actually Enchant without bonus from other sorc skills deals almost no damage. Its only purpose is providing extra AR. However Insight provides bonus AR too.
OK, Insight was left off. But still Obedience is completely overshadowed by Insight. The reason you make Obedience is always because you got a good polearm and it unfortunately has 5 sockets.
Some other thoughts of mine: Lionheart is good, but not attractive to me enough. For melee char it doesn't have enhance defense, which I found very useful. Also melee char got a lots of good runeword armors like Duress, and unique armors if you are lucky. For casters I would rather stick with Stealth. So it only attracts me when playing Bowazon. For Malice, I gave up using it on merc now. There is a cube formula: Diamond (any quality) + 1 Staff (any type and quality) + 1 Kris (any quality) + 1 Belt (any type and quality) = Savage Polearm Class Weapon which creates a polearm with 70+% ED that requires usually level 19. Farming El is not interesting in late versions. Similar for charaters. With El I would rather choose Steel.
good point about CS, but 40% crushing blow is still awesome, as you said particularly for bosses. and obedience has that nice res which gives you other options in armor and helms. depends on what you want really. insight is solid, but obedience is still an amazing value option for any merc. not to mention as you said eth 5os bases are cheaper and considerably easier to find than 4os bases :) the bases are really much harder to find than the runes, so
way better list of early game runewords, excluding insight and spirit because they're too obvious: 1-Lore = OrtSol in a helm, the +1 all skills is great for getting any caster going that much faster 2-Stealth = TalEth in a chest armor, the main thing is the fhr and the frw, both make you go faster through the content and resists aren't really an issue untill you reach nightmare 3-Splendor = EthLum in a shield, +1 skills and fcr, you'll be casting faster and with a bigger punch 4-Rhyme = ShaelEth in a shield, 25all resists, 25mf, good block stats, can propell your character into the stratosphere if you're lucky with your first boss kills 5-White = DolIo in a wand, very cheap and many +skills for just those 2 easy runes this very short list doesn't go beyond io or lum and with the 2 obvious choices added and the non-runewords you pick up, you'll be in hell quite fast. The list mentions 4 socket and even 5 socket items, those are mid-game and not starter, where you start to transition into top tier, but aren't there quite yet
Stealth, Ancient's Pledge, Rhyme, Lore for any class (all cheap and easy to make) Malice stick for A2 mercs Myth armor for barbs White wand for necros Leaf staff for sorcs (to use on swap for mana regen, if nothing else) Zephyr bow and Peace armor for zons and A1 mercs Splendor is nice to have, but if you already have a Rhyme then your first Lum is better in Smoke armor Spirit in auric shield for pally, Spirits in 2H swords for barbs (for +warcries weapons swap, not for attacking) Treachery, Strength, and Honor are all great stuff for fighters Steel and Lionheart are wasteful for starters who don't have endless runes But don't forget you get better overall bang for the buck when you use some low runes for crafting!
Obedience eth thresher, Andy helm with a Ral and an eth fortitude and my merc is absolutely filthy highly recommend for real. Even upped Duriel Shell is nasty with a g face or something. Wish I had an eth andy face just for some extra Def but oh well. Obedience, Andy head and eth fort (or upped Duriel Shell) is a disgusting setup for a merc Been tryin out a reaper toll here and there but the enchant from obedience is soooo nice
No one uses Lionheart (Hel-Lum-Fal) because Smoke (Nef-Lum) gives more resists and more defense while requiring an (easier-to-find) 2-socket base and not requiring a Fal. These runewords are generally "temporary" stuff you make to survive while levelling up your first character. Not so much "keeper" stuff you make later when your rune inventory is plentiful. Most players struggle to find their first Lum in early Nightmare (or maybe they cube one up after stubbornly running Normal Countess a thousand times). Fal is just not realistically obtainable at that point in the game unless you get a lucky drop - chances are that by the time you finally get a Fal you've already outgrown Lionheart (and Smoke), you've already figured out your resists, you have better item/runeword options available.
Obedience and treachery make a powerful polearm barb when mixed with arreats face shadow dancer soul drainer veldungo hearty cord bulkathos wedding band and highlords wrath and charms etc
The item type matters, and the amount of sockets has to match the amount of runes in the runeword. Each runeword has a specific set of runes, the order of the runes has to be right.
ok, so i started to play d2 after 15 years... starting with normal i don't have this runes... my stash is full with low level runes...are they any useful or should i sell them...no idea.
I agree 100%, us that played Diablo 2 in our youth and are picking it up from time to time have now turned 30 and we have to spend month to get to level 66. If he is going to show the best early game rune words he have to show true early game rune words not lvl 60+ that you have to spend hours after hours with farming to get.
Steel, Insight, Ancient pledge, Treachery, Stealth others is very hard to find. As I remember I've been found 1 or 2 hr's for the whole playtime on battle.net other hr's where dropped for me by other players. Game a bit disbalanced, but still pretty cool feature with runewords and horadric cube
What about Oath? Other than Insight I would say it's the most OP rune word for the cost. Hell you can use two of them. One that's ethereal for fighting and a normal one on weapon switch to cast Heart Of Wolverine and Iron Golem.
With D2:R introducing Ladder and MP content in single player (YAY), this video will suddenly become way more significant. I just noticed "Obediance" is ethereal, means it can´t be repaired, can those shrines that repair weapons repair ethereals? Can armor rune words be done on ANY type of armor or do at least some require heavy stuff lite plate armor like you show "Lionheart" on? "Honor" requires a lot of runes, but seems like a great weapon for a Double-swing Barbarian, keeping him healed and with mana for a LOOOOONG time.
There is no way to repair or recharge ethereal items. Unless they have an "indestructible" or "self-repair/self-replenish" mod on them (which makes some items like eth Titans very desirable). You can't fix them at shrines, with any cube recipes, at any blacksmiths, with Anya or Larzuk or Charsi rewards. Ethereal items do not get damaged when worn by mercs. Or made into iron golems. An eth Obedience stick would make a fine weapon for an A2 merc and it would make a fine golem, it has great mods for both. You can use ethereal items on your own character, of course. Armor pieces take a long time to break, with plenty of warning, assuming you get hit constantly. Weapons will never break if you only use them for casting - though they'll barely last a couple runs if you actually use them to attack stuff.
IO and LO are different runes. But they can be easily confused with the game's terrible font, or with websites which emulate the game's terrible font. You need to use the right item and the right runes in the right order to make a runeword.
Great and useful video, but a little to much talk here and there. I'm calling you out on "trying to reach 10 min" haha ;P "It´s really gonna help you early on to get your resistances up, So you are not getting completely destroyed in hell dificulty on your characater." -Xtimus on "Ancient's Pledge"
Yeah, but mainly for the increased speed (40%!). Think life steal + whatever your merc's weapon has on it will hit more times. I still use them on my mercs before I make Fortitude. Amazing.
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I also left the Insight runeword off this list because it’s an obvious choice like spirit. I wanted to get more of the unpopular runewords some shine.
great video
Man I love the video but you could do a top 11 because insight is a must lol
@@DanielMoraledaRobles I agree, it's a nice list, but if you mention "Spirit", you HAVE TO mention "Insight"
Insight & Enigma .. WIN & WIN
Lore is another great one and cheap as hell
Why isn't "Stealth" on this list?! "Stealth" should be #1!! Tal+Eth, easiest Runeword for Starter: +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
yeah, and what about "White" Dol+io ? this wand runeword is op af.
Yo dude thanks for the stealth Rune word
Thank you so much
Yea stealth as chest piece and 2x spirit on a sorc can get you to like lvl 70s EASY
@@pwnmeisterage 7:20
well, Stealth with Tal Eth is really a cheap and early one... but if my memory serves well, White with Dol Io is harder to get (runes are pretty far in order)... and you need to get to Nightmare difficulty to drop them... so its not really a "starter"... more like a "budget" runeword... I might be wrong tho, its been almost 20 years after all...
I really like the early game and low-level items, so this video was fun for me.
I definitely thought of Leaf first thing, and you mentioned Steel at one point, but I was always a big fan of the Strength runeword (Amn + Tir) for the easy crushing blow and boost to life. i pretty much always put this guy on a low level Barb and rode it out until I find something nice.
I think LORE deserves a mention. ORT - SOL in a helm is a very cheap skill + for any caster that's viable well into nm and even hell. This goes double for druid casters who find a socketed druid helm
Just came across your channel yesterday and since I love Diablo, especially D2LoD, I just had to subscribe. Great videos, keep up the good work and keep the world of Sanctuary alive!
"Best starter runewords"
*mentions a 5os runeword that uses two HRs*
Dude.. that's not a starter runeword.. you'll never get those runes in normal or the weapon needed to get that many sockets.
Are you ok?
We watching the same video? Obedience requires 2 mid runes
@@is0sceles says the person who doesn't know what a High Rune is. Dude you need to get it together and stop harassing people with your ignorant comments on topics you don't know about. Should I elaborate on the information of what a high rune is or are you content with being ignorant and calling people names?
@@is0sceles I'm using the term that was introduced when runewords were first being made. You are the one arguing because you don't know what you are talking about for a game that has a huge fan base and lingo that has already been made. I'm explaining to the fellow Diablo player that obedience doesn't require high runes. You are the one calling people names and being a disrespectful brat
If you left out "obvious choices" to show off less popular runewords, then this isn't a "top 10".
Sparks 1013 it's a top ten off lesser populair runewords ;)
I mean I can't pull off something like "Doom" so early on for a new play through. I also just got back into the game so it's nice to see some easier strategies for low level characters.
top 11 runewords
"Great early runeword for when you're doing uber trist early on"
lmfao
Meaning when you're still poor and don't have grief yet 😑 it's that awkward middle phase man. If you don't think it's real, you haven't played enough ladder resets. You can easily kill uber trist day one with a decent budget smite setup
@@tylerm8145 I just watched Mr llama and his people do uners first day
You can uber with a smite with smoke/treachery/black/tgods/life tap wand on switch. Max out all res and aim for about 220 total lightning res in hell using as many charms to help and ort rune in your hat. Tgods plus putting 10 points into lightning res auro will increase your max light res to 90. I do it every ladder I play.
@@finalcam1740 considering tgods has straight up light absorb you don't need 220 light res man
I like how "really early on runewords" means "not getting destroyed in hell difficulty"...
yeah it is ironic. but now that i'm returning to diablo 2 i can see why you'd just blow through nightmare and normal. hell mode to me is kinda like a learning curve
Thanks for sharing this information! I just bought the game, after many years. Cheers!
Thanks for the Vid! I just reinstalled and i am playing self-found-offline only for now. When i was checking what i could build with my low lvl runes so far i was wondering why no one ever thinks about Lionheart for example. Looks like everybody but me has better runes but this list sure helped me haha.
Another great list and video, Xtimus.
by ''starter'' i was expecting LOW level rw not 60+
@@Anemonea gotta farm to level 60 first to use them, so not really a starter runeword. The level19~26 are starter runewords.
@@mateusfolletto6142 i got to level 60 while farming the countess in nm. took me longer to find a (decent) 5-socket weapon
@@mateusfolletto6142 imo level 24 is starter. As soon as you hit 24 you can ancients and baal to 40 so fast nothing matters
@@mateusfolletto6142 thing is the game is really easy before hell. You can use whatever your found and still be find. You only need to think about build before entering hell.
Something to note with the leaf staff you should have mentioned, If you are lucky enough to find a socketed staff that already has + to stuff, it can stack up for an impressive +7-9 to depending on how lucky you are.
Smoke is actually one of my favorites. Only two runes and good resists.
Splendor is the softcore alternative for all those rhymes and ancient pledges
It's crazy to me how little love Splendor gives. Before Spirit, it was in the running for best caster shield; now it's chopped liver
Haven't played in prob a decade but this was a great refresher for getting ready for Resurrected
I think part of the reason why lionheart is overlooked is the need for good 3os armors. most see lionheart as waste when you could just trade your 3os armor or make something better in it
I havent played the game for ages, but i remember that cheap armor runewords was very good in eth armors early on - low runes where cheap enough to use on something that wouldnt last, and the 50% defence buff and -10 str requirement made it easy to get very strong armors as you level up. Ofc you can also just c if the vendor has a decent eth armor for sale...
I actually discovered the original Obedience runeword when the patch hit all those years ago. All we knew at the time was the rune order and I got Ko & Fal from my forges. I used the original Obedience on a Fury Druid.
you missed my biggest fave of all tal eth in a two sock armor gives fhr fcr, frw, and all kinds of bonuses.
Oh man i forgot about Stealth! great early on for sure
Yep, not sure how this is not in the list
Lore is also really good. It's super cheap and can last from normal all the way to hell before a potential upgrade.
Best starter runewords
Requiring level 50 and above
Ya lol...they are not starter runewords
Should also let people know best bases for these runewords. A 3 warmth 2 socket staff= level 9 warmth stick
3 warmth 3 fireball 3 meteor leaf works into hell.
Ok wth. You making a list of best starter runewords and you skipping... best starter runewords because they are "obvious" ?
They are also ladder only
I like the top Videos, How about one top of "Useless Skills" like increased stamina,Holy Bolt,etc
bang on man. Im tired of reference to websiites eeverytime I THINK I HAVE ALL ingredients - then i go to reference google to verify and damn am i tired of that - so I just pinned THIS VIDEO on bar to a handfull select runewords needed for early - i mean this is exactly whats needed more of IMO by rune category A. El-Lem B. Pul - Mal C. Vex-Zod & sayh start with el - what runewords use3d in with wep types and levels - then Tire - same formmat picture grapph of weapon types useses categories - review of better uses on what starters . and yeah - could assume it would give you a few long term views as refeerence guide i just thought of as I was watchiung your vid - so - its Collective collaboration :} cheers man
Honour was always used by me on my lowbies, its a great merc weapon too
Honor was the breath of the dying runeword before LOD expansion. It's powerful but it just can't compete anymore.
drewtoli vanilla never had runewords. They where introduced in LOD. I think what you meant to say is Honor was the BotD before 1.10[?] (I don’t remember which patch it was introduced).
Can you confirm that FADE also grants reduced damage that is not mentioned in the tooltip? Thanks man - great content
15% it does
Lionheart was the first runeword I ever made. Its great for mid lvls.
While there are better options waiting in Act 2, it’s easy to shop for a three socket axe from either Charsi or Gheed if you are looking to make Steel right away. It’s one step slower than a flail but only requires 32 str and no dexterity. It can be fun to see how powerful you can get by the time you reach Andariel. However given the required level 15 of the runes themselves, I’d probably choose to wait to shop from Fara in most cases.
I was expecting (from the title) starter runes... you know before nightmare... or people starting the game again. Started good with leaf (actually useful) Can't talk for the rest of the vid mind you.... lol.
Honestly, you can rush through normal just by using the junk you find on your way. No need for runewords
@@nomoyohoo5232 pretty much. I don't think normal should be much of a problem at all regardless of how unlucky you are in getting good gear
Ive never, ever needed to put a treachery in a Sacred Armor, but thats sexy end game stuff :) Especially eth on a merc!
C'mon dude, stealth is the best early lv and it's not hard to get
yeah man, that is always my first runeword every ladder. that frw is where it's at.
@@stantondinger5836 r diablo 2 servers still on? Are ppl still playing or is it still of bots?
@@narutokunnn D2 ladder just reset, bots are still there :(
@@narutokunnn lots of regular players too!
For real. I make that asap its pretty damn good for any character before you start finding things with plus skills to all skills or specific skills. I don't ever play an assasin but this is a great armor for merc too early on.
Top 10 starter Runewords and you show only one low items and rest is 50+ levels. Good 10 Starter Runewords are: Steel weapon, Malice weapon, Leaf staff, Stealth armor, Spirit weapon, Honor weapon, Insight weapon, Peace armor, Splendor shield, White wand.
Somehow I never really played this game with any runewords, I always found it to be more satisfying using uniques that dropped for me. I think the only runeword I ever used was like stealth I created accidentally when I was very new to the game and just wanted extra poison resist and mana regen lol.
edge should be on the list, great for act 1 merc and shopping op, cheap
Zephyr (Ort-Eth) is incredible for Bowzon! Then just combine it with Peace (Shael-Thul-Amn) and it's a life saver, you can cast a damn lvl 15 valkyrie and with extra attack speed from zephyr well it doesn't need explaining but it'll be a walk in the park from there.
Peace is basically mandatory for any zon. The valk is a great tank but also kinda buggy (keeps coming and going with an annoying noise at random times) until you put a skill point into it.
Fade gives implicit DR % and curse duration reduced, that buff is seriously strong, hence treachery is actually a beast of a runeword
Leaf also effects fire trap for sins and what about strength? Amn and tir for any melee weapon?
35% Enhanced Damage
25% Chance Of Crushing Blow
7% Life Stolen Per Hit
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+20 To Strength
+10 To Vitality
If you're playing in a group as necro, leaf works nicely with CE
"Strength" works great in katars for a kicksin also. You can equip 2 of them for 50 crushing blow, all that nice strength and use claw block.
i always use "strength" to kill boss, it's so useful
This is a great normal run wep for zeal or swing barb.
No Stealth, or Lore? I'm disappointed. The title states "starter" runewords, not mid-level runewords. Misleading title is misleading.
While true, that's for speedrunners (and try-hard sorcs, or rather skilled teams.) Those speedrunners typically don't get all of those runes needed for most of the runewords listed in the video within those first 6 hours. Xtimus also says it's for early ladder reset, and not for speedruns, so...
i get through normal before i even think about rune words, just sayin.
That works just fine, but you're gimping yourself for no reason. If you're playing hardcore, I'd consider it partially suicidal as well.
starter runewords..... lvl 60+ average... sigh
I agree with you. Tir + El (steel) now THAT is a starter runeword ^^
Lore (ort sol) is a good mid game rune word too
Leaf is also good on assassin
on malice it says drain life -5.. what is that ? sounds like I keep to my forge hammer as a starter weapon.
Ancient pledge is preaty op for the price you get all the rune from a quest in act 5. so your good to go in nightmare right away
Good video. I recently started playing diablo 2. I currently play on a hardcore assassin with a Spirit sword, +rhyme shield and an infinity on my merc. Working on that stealth before I'll try my luck in hell. Fuck trading :D
I know I'm super late but Obedience is the best in slot for budget summon-necro mercenaries. It's by far the best one. Considering summon necro rely a lot on Corpse Explosions AoE damage.
Hi Xtimus and Diablo 2 players, I understand that the Runeword "Leaf" works on a sorceress two-hands staff, but does it also works on a single-hand staff, such as a globe/orb/sphere/swirling crystal? Thank you!
Jonathan Lee nope. Staves are just staves, not orbs
Obedience OP? Man, Insight is OP. Lvl 6 CS is 46%, a good insight deals more damage than obedience, and it costs only up to Sol rune! Even when you reroll, it costs only several Hel runes. Not to metion that it has Meditation Aura.
Obedience is only better at killing bosses.
Oh many people may assume Enchant will be good. It's level 21! Actually Enchant without bonus from other sorc skills deals almost no damage. Its only purpose is providing extra AR. However Insight provides bonus AR too.
OK, Insight was left off. But still Obedience is completely overshadowed by Insight. The reason you make Obedience is always because you got a good polearm and it unfortunately has 5 sockets.
Some other thoughts of mine:
Lionheart is good, but not attractive to me enough. For melee char it doesn't have enhance defense, which I found very useful. Also melee char got a lots of good runeword armors like Duress, and unique armors if you are lucky. For casters I would rather stick with Stealth. So it only attracts me when playing Bowazon.
For Malice, I gave up using it on merc now. There is a cube formula:
Diamond (any quality) + 1 Staff (any type and quality) + 1 Kris (any quality) + 1 Belt (any type and quality) = Savage Polearm Class Weapon
which creates a polearm with 70+% ED that requires usually level 19. Farming El is not interesting in late versions. Similar for charaters. With El I would rather choose Steel.
good point about CS, but 40% crushing blow is still awesome, as you said particularly for bosses. and obedience has that nice res which gives you other options in armor and helms. depends on what you want really. insight is solid, but obedience is still an amazing value option for any merc. not to mention as you said eth 5os bases are cheaper and considerably easier to find than 4os bases :) the bases are really much harder to find than the runes, so
how about with crushing blow for 2 socketed weapon? i think.. isnt that good for starter? i use it to my assassin.
way better list of early game runewords, excluding insight and spirit because they're too obvious:
1-Lore = OrtSol in a helm, the +1 all skills is great for getting any caster going that much faster
2-Stealth = TalEth in a chest armor, the main thing is the fhr and the frw, both make you go faster through the content and resists aren't really an issue untill you reach nightmare
3-Splendor = EthLum in a shield, +1 skills and fcr, you'll be casting faster and with a bigger punch
4-Rhyme = ShaelEth in a shield, 25all resists, 25mf, good block stats, can propell your character into the stratosphere if you're lucky with your first boss kills
5-White = DolIo in a wand, very cheap and many +skills for just those 2 easy runes
this very short list doesn't go beyond io or lum and with the 2 obvious choices added and the non-runewords you pick up, you'll be in hell quite fast. The list mentions 4 socket and even 5 socket items, those are mid-game and not starter, where you start to transition into top tier, but aren't there quite yet
Stealth, Ancient's Pledge, Rhyme, Lore for any class (all cheap and easy to make)
Malice stick for A2 mercs
Myth armor for barbs
White wand for necros
Leaf staff for sorcs (to use on swap for mana regen, if nothing else)
Zephyr bow and Peace armor for zons and A1 mercs
Splendor is nice to have, but if you already have a Rhyme then your first Lum is better in Smoke armor
Spirit in auric shield for pally, Spirits in 2H swords for barbs (for +warcries weapons swap, not for attacking)
Treachery, Strength, and Honor are all great stuff for fighters
Steel and Lionheart are wasteful for starters who don't have endless runes
But don't forget you get better overall bang for the buck when you use some low runes for crafting!
Obedience eth thresher, Andy helm with a Ral and an eth fortitude and my merc is absolutely filthy highly recommend for real. Even upped Duriel Shell is nasty with a g face or something.
Wish I had an eth andy face just for some extra Def but oh well.
Obedience, Andy head and eth fort (or upped Duriel Shell) is a disgusting setup for a merc
Been tryin out a reaper toll here and there but the enchant from obedience is soooo nice
No one uses Lionheart (Hel-Lum-Fal) because Smoke (Nef-Lum) gives more resists and more defense while requiring an (easier-to-find) 2-socket base and not requiring a Fal.
These runewords are generally "temporary" stuff you make to survive while levelling up your first character. Not so much "keeper" stuff you make later when your rune inventory is plentiful. Most players struggle to find their first Lum in early Nightmare (or maybe they cube one up after stubbornly running Normal Countess a thousand times). Fal is just not realistically obtainable at that point in the game unless you get a lucky drop - chances are that by the time you finally get a Fal you've already outgrown Lionheart (and Smoke), you've already figured out your resists, you have better item/runeword options available.
i made the 3. 5. and 7. And this is awesome (and the sword)
Stealth should be pretty obvious too. Carries you easily till you get viper, smoke etc etc.
Not including Stealth was a huge disappointment.
I was going to add stealth aswell it’s awesome in the tomb runs
Indeed. It's also a cornerstone for speedruns, and a life saver for hardcore.
Fade does more than resistances. You’re forgetting the damage reduction and curse reduction time which are also huge’s.
thanks dude
I think a harmony bow on an act one Merc for a summon necromancer just blows it away for nightmare
Or a holly fire paladin using enlightenment to use the warmth spell
Obedience and treachery make a powerful polearm barb when mixed with arreats face shadow dancer soul drainer veldungo hearty cord bulkathos wedding band and highlords wrath and charms etc
got lum rune in nightmare pit (first run) and made smoke in a magic 2 socket armor by accident(i thought it was white)
This is not early... do a tutorial for normal level only thats the earliest.
Obedience is ridiculous. My go to for merc
Xtimus this is what i need 🤗🤗🤗🤗
So what should i use to put runes in? Can low level open socket work just as high lvl?
The item type matters, and the amount of sockets has to match the amount of runes in the runeword. Each runeword has a specific set of runes, the order of the runes has to be right.
I feel like ancient's pledge used to have a different name...
ok, so i started to play d2 after 15 years...
starting with normal i don't have this runes...
my stash is full with low level runes...are they any useful or should i sell them...no idea.
xD
He said: "Starter"
Aha... :P
Surprised there are no Stealth, Insight or Lore on the list. Those are my go to for any character, other than that good list.
I agree 100%, us that played Diablo 2 in our youth and are picking it up from time to time have now turned 30 and we have to spend month to get to level 66. If he is going to show the best early game rune words he have to show true early game rune words not lvl 60+ that you have to spend hours after hours with farming to get.
How does ancient's pledge provide more resists on a paladin shield?
Because paladin shields come with resists from the get go.
Steel, Insight, Ancient pledge, Treachery, Stealth others is very hard to find. As I remember I've been found 1 or 2 hr's for the whole playtime on battle.net other hr's where dropped for me by other players. Game a bit disbalanced, but still pretty cool feature with runewords and horadric cube
See my Reply above. You're welcome.
What about Oath?
Other than Insight I would say it's the most OP rune word for the cost.
Hell you can use two of them.
One that's ethereal for fighting and a normal one on weapon switch to cast Heart Of Wolverine and Iron Golem.
but they die the moment you switch off the weapon, so why have one on switch?
Will they still die if you still have the skill?
I was talking about using an ethereal one for fighting so you would still have the skill.
With D2:R introducing Ladder and MP content in single player (YAY), this video will suddenly become way more significant.
I just noticed "Obediance" is ethereal, means it can´t be repaired, can those shrines that repair weapons repair ethereals?
Can armor rune words be done on ANY type of armor or do at least some require heavy stuff lite plate armor like you show "Lionheart" on?
"Honor" requires a lot of runes, but seems like a great weapon for a Double-swing Barbarian, keeping him healed and with mana for a LOOOOONG time.
There is no way to repair or recharge ethereal items. Unless they have an "indestructible" or "self-repair/self-replenish" mod on them (which makes some items like eth Titans very desirable).
You can't fix them at shrines, with any cube recipes, at any blacksmiths, with Anya or Larzuk or Charsi rewards.
Ethereal items do not get damaged when worn by mercs. Or made into iron golems. An eth Obedience stick would make a fine weapon for an A2 merc and it would make a fine golem, it has great mods for both.
You can use ethereal items on your own character, of course. Armor pieces take a long time to break, with plenty of warning, assuming you get hit constantly. Weapons will never break if you only use them for casting - though they'll barely last a couple runs if you actually use them to attack stuff.
also the crushing blow. 2 runes only.
These rune words are why the game is fun.
leaf awesome for trao assassin too
Starter is at least before nightmare and late normal so why is everything late normal to nightmare
No need for runewords to plow your way throuhg normal that's why
Early on? Some. Of these require level 63!
That's the base item requirement not the runeword's. He used elite weapons/armors in his exemple.
It's the fucking item, not the runeword..
I feel like Honor should be paired with Chains of Honor.
Can you make leaf using any 2 socket weapon? Or it has to be a staff weapon.
Staff
what is low or early runes to this man ^^ many of these have never dropped on me
Hey bro can i make that item in single player mode? Thanks
How to get early 4 slot items ? Please help me .
Lionheart is dwarved by Smoke. That's why.
Love how people still play d2 with me
starter , i saw level required 60+ xD
Im playing 1.13v and don't know why Dol Lo (white) runeword doesnt work, anyone know whats wrong?
IO and LO are different runes.
But they can be easily confused with the game's terrible font, or with websites which emulate the game's terrible font. You need to use the right item and the right runes in the right order to make a runeword.
Great and useful video, but a little to much talk here and there.
I'm calling you out on "trying to reach 10 min" haha ;P
"It´s really gonna help you early on to get your resistances up,
So you are not getting completely destroyed in hell dificulty on your characater."
-Xtimus on "Ancient's Pledge"
i remember ORT, SOL
People sleep on Lore helm runeword to
Only major thing youre missing is how to get those runes for each runeword. You shouldve made a quick grind explanation for each runes it required.
Can't explain random.
also leaf is good for fire trap assasin
I've beaten d2 with zealer using Honor, it's pretty decent.
My favorite isn't here :(
Rip memory
Damn... I just realized one thing. You don't need to be an Assassin to use Treachery, so you can put that level 15 Venom on any character.
Yeah, but mainly for the increased speed (40%!). Think life steal + whatever your merc's weapon has on it will hit more times. I still use them on my mercs before I make Fortitude. Amazing.
It's really a good rune word
i remember that.
Thanks a lot
Hmm was expecting something really for starters. Like normal act V or something