Top 9 Budget Runewords
Best budget runewords you can make for less then a Mal rune
A lot of runewords are well known for being real powerhouses, but most of the popular runeword come with a hefty rune cost. This guide lists really good runewords that can be made for less than a Mal rune. Some of these runewords are often overlooked, but are definitely worth a try.
With the first ladder season in sight, these runewords can put you at a huge advantage to other players, without having to empty your pockets. All runes for the following runewords can be farmed from Nightmare or Hell Countess.
Use the advanced search to find specific runewords based on its properties. Use the runeword calculator to find out which runewords you can make with the runes you own.
1. Treachery
Treachery is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining shael + thul + lem into a 3 socket body armor. It requires at least level 43 to equip.
Even though Treachery was originally intended for Assassins, any class can benefit from the chance to proc Fade and high bonus to Increased Attack Speed and Faster Hit Recovery.
Because of its cheap cost and high boost to survivability , it is one of the best armors for mercenaries when created in an ethereal elite armor.
Treachery has a 5% chance to cast a level 15 Fade when struck. Fade is a great way to increase survivability of any character, as it increases both elemental and physical resistances, and reduces curse duration.
Fade level breakdown Fade level 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 curse duration reduction % 75 76 77 78 79 80 80 81 81 all resistance +% 56 57 58 60 60 62 62 63 63 duration (s) 240 252 264 276 288 300 312 324 336 physical resistance +% 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Treachery increases your Hit Recovery Speed by 20%. Faster hit recovery reduces the "hit stun" animation time, which is triggered when a hit takes more than 1/12th of your total life.
faster hit recovery breakpoints faster hit recovery frames 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 paladin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 assassin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 barbarian 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 amazon 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 necromancer 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 druid 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 sorceress 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 desert mercenary 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 - 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Fade When Struck
- 25% Chance To Cast level 15 Venom On Striking
- +2 To Assassin Skills
- +45% Increased Attack Speed
- +20% Faster Hit Recovery
- Cold Resist +30%
- 50% Extra Gold From Monsters
- socketed (3)
2. Unbending Will
Unbending Will is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining fal + io + ith + eld + el + hel into a 6 socket sword. It requires at least level 41 to equip.
The Unbending Will runeword is a mid level sword runeword released in patch 2.4. It is a great mid level and budget melee weapon that offers a huge boost to Enhanced Damage.
It is comparable to other melee runewords like Black, Death, and Oath. It looks like this runeword will fit as a runeword specifically for the Act 5 mercenary after the mercenary balance changes.
With a relatively high chance to proc Taunt, you will have a consistent way of debuffing your enemies. Keep in mind that Taunt is a single target war cry. When used on an Act 5 mercenary, he will only cast Taunt on the enemies he is already targeting.
Taunt level breakdown Taunt level 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 decreased damage 23% 25% 27% 29% 31% 33% 35% 37% 39% 41% 43% decreased attack rating 23% 25% 27% 29% 31% 33% 35% 37% 39% 41% 43% - 18% Chance To Cast Level 18 Taunt On Striking
- +3 to Combat Skills (Barbarian Only)
- +20-30% Increased Attack Speed (varies)
- +300-350% Enhanced Damage
- +9 to Maximum Damage
- +50 to Attack Rating
- +75 Damage to Undead
- +50 to Attack Rating Against Undead
- 8-10% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies)
- Prevent Monster Heal
- +10 to Strength
- +10 to Vitality
- Damage Reduced By 8
- +1 to Light Radius
- Requirements -20%
- socketed (6)
3. Obedience
Obedience is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining hel + ko + thul + eth + fal into a 5 socket polearm or spear. It requires at least level 41 to equip.
Obedience is a powerful but cheap runeword that perfectly fits the act 2 mercenary. It boasts a huge damage boost with 370% Enhanced Damage, 40% Crushing Blow, and a chance to cast level 21 Enchant when killing an enemy.
Besides its offensive bonuses, it also provides great defensive stats like up to +30 to All Resistances and up to 300 Defense.
Patch 2.4: Infinity, Obedience, and Pride can now be made in Spears and Amazon Spears.
Obedience has a 30% chance to cast a level 21 Enchant when you kill an enemy.
Enchant level breakdown Enchant level 17 18 19 20 21 bonus damage 56-76 62-83 68-90 74-97 80-104 bonus attack rating % 164 173 182 191 200 duration (s) 528 552 576 600 624 Obedience increases your Hit Recovery Speed by a decent 40%. Faster hit recovery reduces the "hit stun" animation time, which is triggered when a hit takes more than 1/12th of your total life. Most classes will already jump a few breakpoints with this bonus alone.
faster hit recovery breakpoints faster hit recovery frames 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 paladin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 assassin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 barbarian 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 amazon 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 necromancer 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 druid 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 sorceress 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 desert mercenary 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 - 30% Chance To Cast Level 21 Enchant When You Kill An Enemy
- +40% Faster Hit Recovery
- +370% Enhanced Damage
- -25% Target Defense
- Adds 3-14 Cold Damage
- -25% To Enemy Fire Resistance
- 40% Chance of Crushing Blow
- +200-300 Defense (varies)
- +10 To Strength
- +10 To Dexterity
- All Resistances +20-30 (varies)
- Requirements -20%
- socketed (5)
4. White
White is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining dol + io into a 2 socket wand. It requires at least level 35 to equip.
Wands can have up to 3 auto mods specific to Necromancers spells ranging between +1 and +3 to skill level. Therefore, you should look for a 2 socket wand with at least some +skills that your build uses. An easy way to quickly find a good wands is to shop with Drognan in act 2. You can reset his shop by exiting and re-entering town.
White increases your Cast Rate by 20%. Faster cast rate reduces the cast animation time of all spells. It does not have any affect on cast delays though.
faster cast rate breakpoints faster cast rate frames 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 necromancer 0 9 18 30 48 75 125 - +3 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
- +20% Faster Cast Rate
- +2 to Bone Spear (Necromancer Only)
- +4 to Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only)
- +3 to Bone Armor (Necromancer Only)
- Hit causes monster to flee 25%
- +10 to vitality
- +13 to mana
- Magic Damage Reduced by 4
- socketed (2)
5. Rhyme
Rhyme is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining shael + eth into a 2 socket shield. It requires at least level 29 to equip.
Rhyme is a popular shield runeword due to its Cannot be Frozen mod. It is one of the only budget ways to this bonus reliably, as other uniques rely heavily on luck to obtain. Cannot be Frozen is almost a necessity for most melee characters, so this runeword is an easy choice for low level players.
Rhyme increases your Block Rate by a whopping 40%. An increased block rate will reduce the time it takes for the blocking animation to finish. This is enough for all classes to significantly increase their block rate.
faster block rate breakpoints faster block rate frames 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 amazon 0 13 32 86 600 assassin 0 13 32 86 600 paladin 0 13 32 86 600 barbarian 0 9 20 42 86 280 sorceress 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 druid 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 necromancer 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 - +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
- socketed (2)
6. Duress
Duress is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining shael + um + thul into a 3 socket body armor. It requires at least level 47 to equip.
Duress is a budget runeword and a decent option for melee characters. It's biggest selling point is its high Chance of Open Wounds and moderate Chance of Crushing Blow. Besides its offensive bonuses, it also provides a decent defense and resistance boost.
Duress increases your Hit Recovery Speed by a decent 40%. Faster hit recovery reduces the "hit stun" animation time, which is triggered when a hit takes more than 1/12th of your total life. Most classes will already jump a few breakpoints with this bonus alone.
faster hit recovery breakpoints faster hit recovery frames 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 paladin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 assassin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 barbarian 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 amazon 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 necromancer 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 druid 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 sorceress 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 desert mercenary 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 - +40% faster hit Recovery
- +10-20% Enhanced Damage (varies)
- Adds 37-133 Cold Damage
- 15% Chance of Crushing Blow
- 33% Chance of Open Wounds
- +150-200% Enhanced Defense (varies)
- -20% Slower Stamina Drain
- Cold Resist +45%
- Lightning Resist +15%
- Fire Resist +15%
- Poison Resist +15%
- socketed (3)
7. Insight
Insight is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining ral + tir + tal + sol into a 4 socket polearm, staff or missile weapon. It requires at least level 27 to equip.
Insight is mainly used for its Meditation Aura, providing nearly unlimited mana for casters. 'This aura runeword is almost exclusvely used as act 2 mercenary runeword, but can also be consumed by Necromancer\s Iron Golem, both will activate the Meditation Aura for the team.'
The most common mistake people make when making Insight, is using a spear instead of a polearm, causing the runeword to not work. It is easy to mistake some spears for polearms, but only the bases listed below, qualify for the Insight runeword.
Patch 2.4: Insight can now be made in Bows and Crossbows.
Meditation level breakdown Meditation level 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 radius 19.3 20.6 22 23.3 24.6 26 27.3 28.6 30 31.3 mana recovery 525 550 575 600 625 650 675 700 725 750 Insight grants a maximum of +6 to Critical Strike. Critical Strike has a chance to double all physical damage of an attack. Critical Strike is in essence the same as Deadly Strike, but they don't stack. If either one triggers double damage, the other one is ignored.
Critical Strike level breakdown Critical Strike level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 crit chance % 16 25 32 38 42 46 49 51 54 56 58 59 Insight increases your Cast Rate by a hefty 35%. Faster cast rate reduces the cast animation time of all spells. It does not have any affect on cast delays though.
faster cast rate breakpoints faster cast rate frames 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 sorceress 0 9 20 37 63 105 200 barbarian 0 9 20 37 63 105 200 necromancer 0 9 18 30 48 75 125 paladin 0 9 18 30 48 75 125 assassin 0 8 16 27 42 65 102 174 druid 0 4 10 19 30 46 68 99 163 sorceress (lightning) 0 7 15 23 35 52 78 117 194 amazon 0 7 14 22 32 48 68 99 152 - 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
- socketed (4)
8. Spirit
Spirit is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining tal + thul + ort + amn into a 4 socket shield or sword. It requires at least level 25 to equip.
A Spirit sword is a massively overpowered starter runeword, given its low level requirement and cheap rune cost.A spirit shield on the other hand is an great end-game caster runeword. The exceptional +2 to All Skills bonus, up to +35% Faster Cast Rate, and massive up to 112 Mana increase, makes it a dream for any starter character and endgame caster build.
A Spirit shield is almost exclusively made in a Monarch, because it is the shield with the lowest strength requirement (still high for casters) that can still get 4 sockets. Because of the cheap runes, it can be recreated many times, to get the +35% Faster Cast Rate, which is required ror many builds to reach an FCR breakpoint.
The Spirit shield is also a popular item to use on switch alongside Call to Arms, as it is the only shield to grant +2 to All Skills. This way CTA's Battle Orders are boosted by another two levels, increasing the life and mana boost it provides.
The first non-Paladin shield that can roll 4 sockets is the elite Monarch shield. This shield can only drop in Hell difficulty. So even though the Spirit runeword has a level requirement of 25, you'll only be able to wear a Spirit shield from level 54. Paladin shields on the other hand can always roll (drop depends on the monster level) 4 sockets. So a Paladin can benefit from a Spirit shield early on.
Spirit increases your Cast Rate by a hefty 35%. Faster cast rate reduces the cast animation time of all spells. It does not have any affect on cast delays though.
faster cast rate breakpoints faster cast rate frames 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 sorceress 0 9 20 37 63 105 200 barbarian 0 9 20 37 63 105 200 necromancer 0 9 18 30 48 75 125 paladin 0 9 18 30 48 75 125 assassin 0 8 16 27 42 65 102 174 druid 0 4 10 19 30 46 68 99 163 sorceress (lightning) 0 7 15 23 35 52 78 117 194 amazon 0 7 14 22 32 48 68 99 152 Spirit also increases your Hit Recovery Speed by a hefty 55%. Faster hit recovery reduces the "hit stun" animation time, which is triggered when a hit takes more than 1/12th of your total life. For melee classes, this already puts you in one of the highest frame rates realistically achievable.
faster hit recovery breakpoints faster hit recovery frames 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 paladin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 assassin 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 barbarian 0 7 15 27 48 86 200 amazon 0 6 13 20 32 52 86 174 600 necromancer 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 druid 0 5 10 16 26 39 56 86 152 377 sorceress 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 desert mercenary 0 5 9 14 20 30 42 60 86 142 280 - +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)
- 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
- +75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
- 7% Life Stolen Per Hit
- socketed (4)
9. Melody
Melody is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining shael + ko + nef into a 3 socket missile weapon. It requires at least level 39 to equip.
Even though Melody doesn't add much enhanced damage, it does give +3 to Bow and Crossbow Skills, which can be increased to +6 when made in an Amazon bow with auto mods. For the low rune requirements, it is a great budget option for starting Bowazons.
Another overlooked mod on this runeword is Knockback, as a ranged based character you actually want to knock enemies away from you, so you have to spend less time kiting.
- +3 To Bow and Crossbow Skills (Amazon Only)
- +20% Increased Attack Speed
- +50% Enhanced Damage
- +300% Damage To Undead
- +3 To Slow Missiles (Amazon Only)
- +3 To Dodge (Amazon Only)
- +3 To Critical Strike (Amazon Only)
- Knockback
- +10 To Dexterity
- socketed (3)
An overview of the 9 best budget runewords
Runeword | Sockets | Allowed Bases | Runeword Recipe | Level | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treachery | 3 sockets | armor | 43 | ||
| Unbending Will | 6 sockets | sword | 41 | 18% Chance To Cast Level 18 Taunt On Striking+3 to Combat Skills (Barbarian Only)+20-30% Increased Attack Speed (varies)+300-350% Enhanced Damage+9 to Maximum Damage (ith)+50 to Attack Rating (el)+75 Damage to Undead+50 to Attack Rating Against Undead (eld)8-10% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies)Prevent Monster Heal+10 to Strength (fal)+10 to Vitality (io)Damage Reduced By 8+1 to Light Radius (el)Requirements -20% (hel) | |
| Obedience | 5 sockets | polearm, spear | 41 | 30% Chance To Cast Level 21 Enchant When You Kill An Enemy+40% Faster Hit Recovery+370% Enhanced Damage-25% Target Defense (eth)Adds 3-14 Cold Damage (thul)-25% To Enemy Fire Resistance40% Chance of Crushing Blow+200-300 Defense (varies)+10 To Strength (fal)+10 To Dexterity (ko)All Resistances +20-30 (varies)Requirements -20% (hel) | |
| White | 2 sockets | wand | 35 | ||
| Rhyme | 2 sockets | any shield | 29 | ||
| Duress | 3 sockets | armor | 47 | ||
| Insight | 4 sockets | polearm, staff, missile weapon | 27 | Level 12-17 Meditation Aura When Equipped (varies)+35% Faster Cast Rate+200-260% Enhanced Damage (varies)+9 To Minimum Damage (sol)180-250% Bonus to Attack Rating (varies)Adds 5-30 Fire Damage (ral)+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds (tal)+1-6 To Critical Strike (varies)+5 To All Attributes+2 To Mana After Each Kill (tir)23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items | |
| Spirit | 4 sockets | sword, any shield | 25 | +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)ShieldsCold Resist +35% (thul)Lightning Resist +35% (ort)Poison Resist +35% (tal)Attacker Takes Damage of 14 (amn)SwordsAdds 1-50 Lightning Damage (ort)Adds 3-14 Cold Damage (thul)+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds (tal)7% Life Stolen Per Hit (amn) | |
| Melody | 3 sockets | missile weapon | 39 |
