List of Most Useful Mercenary Runewords
Discover what runewords will keep your mercenary alive
Runewords for a mercenary are usually picked to improve survivability or to provide a supporting function to the player. The best runewords that improve survivability are Treachery, Fortitude, and Chains of Honor. The most popular runewords that support the player passively are Insight, Infinity, and Faith. These runewords provide very useful auras that can normally only be obtained by a Paladin.
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. Infinity
Infinity is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining ber + mal + ber + ist into a 4 socket polearm or spear. It requires at least level 63 to equip.
Infinity takes a top spot as overpowered runeword because it is the best mercenary runeword for characters that deal elemental damage. The Conviction Aura granted by this aura runeword reduces enemy defenses and lowers enemy cold, fire, and lightning resistances.
Even though the runeword provides additional reduced Enemy Lightning Resistance, this only applies for the wielder of the polearm. So when using this for your mercenary, this will only boost the Chain Lightning procs from the runeword. When using Infinity for a mercenary, the best base is an ethereal (Giant) Thresher.
The high cost of 2 Ber runes makes this a very rare runeword.
Patch 2.4: Infinity, Obedience, and Pride can now be made in Spears and Amazon Spears.
Conviction level breakdown Conviction level 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 defense −% 77 79 80 82 83 85 86 86 88 maximum resist −% 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 - 50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Chain Lightning When You Kill An Enemy
- Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
- +35% Faster Run/Walk
- +255-325% Enhanced Damage (varies)
- -45-55% To Enemy Lightning Resistance (varies)
- 40% Chance of Crushing Blow
- Prevent Monster Heal
- +(0.5*Clvl) To Vitality (Based on Character Level)
- 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
- Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30 Charges)
- socketed (4)
2. 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)
3. 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)
4. Bulwark
Bulwark is a ladder-only Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining shael + io + sol into a 3 socket helm. It requires at least level 35 to equip.
Bulwark offers a solid defensive package for mid-game characters in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Its life steal, additional vitality, and physical damage mitigation provide valuable tools to enhance survivability on the battlefield.
Mercenaries and non-caster classes, in particular, can greatly benefit from this runeword's attributes.
Bulwark 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 - +20% Faster Hit Recovery
- 5% Life Stolen per Hit
- +75% to +100% Enhanced Defense
- +10 to Vitality
- Increase Maximum Life 5%
- Replenish Life +30
- Damage Reduced by 7
- Physical Damage Received Reduced by 15%
- socketed (3)
5. Chains of Honor
Chains of Honor is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining dol + um + ber + ist into a 4 socket body armor. It requires at least level 63 to equip.
Chains of Honor is the best all-purpose choice for nearly any build. Even though its Life Leach gears it slightly towards physical builds, the +2 to All Skills and massive bonus to All Resistances makes it a great choice for all types of builds.
The best base for Chains of Honor is an elite light armor (Dusk Shroud, Wyrmhide, Scarab Husk, Wire Fleece, Great Hauberk and Archon Plate). A Dusk Shroud requires the lowest strength, while an Archon Plate has the highest defense.
- +2 To All Skills
- +200% Damage To Demons
- +100% Damage To Undead
- 8% Life Stolen Per Hit
- +70% Enhanced Defense
- +20 To Strength
- Replenish Life +7
- All Resistances +65
- Damage Reduced By 8%
- 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
- socketed (4)
6. Fortitude
Fortitude is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining el + sol + dol + lo into a 4 socket weapon or body armor. It requires at least level 59 to equip.
Fortitude can be made in both weapons and armor. Because of the high cost of a Lo rune, and many better alternatives in the weapon slot for that price, Fortitude is usually only made in the armor slot. The best armor to make Fortitude in is a high-defense Archon Plate. For a mercenary, the best armor should be ethereal and ideally be superior. If you have a low level mercenary, it's best to also go for an Archon Plate. If you have a high level mercenary (lvl 90+), you can opt for a Sacred Armor, given the high strength requirement.
Because of its high Enhanced Damage, Fortitude is most useful for physical damage characters like Smiter Paladin, Bowazon, Kicksin, or Frenzy Barb. When created in an ethereal base, this is also a perfect armor for any physical damage mercenary.
Enhanced Damage on an armor does in fact work and increases physical damage. First all weapon damage modifiers are applied, secondly all offhand damage modifiers are applied. This means that if you have f.e. +200% Enhanced Damage (damage x 3) on your weapon and +300% Enhanced Damage (damage x 4) from Fortitude, you will multiply your damage by 12 in total.
On top of this ability to massively enhance physical damage, it also provides many benefits to survivability like Enhanced Defense and All Resistances. However you should be careful when selecting this armor for defensive purposes, as Chains of Honor could be a better alternative in some cases.
Fortitude has a 20% chance to cast a level 15 Chilling Armor when struck. Chilling armor increases the defense of the caster, and (only) retaliates with an Ice Bolt when hit by projectiles.
Chilling Armor level breakdown Chilling Armor level 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 defense +% 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 damage 19-27 21-30 22-33 26-35 28-38 30-41 34-45 37-49 41-53 duration (s) 224 230 236 242 248 254 260 266 272 Fortitude increases your Cast Rate by 25%. 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 - 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck
- +25% Faster Cast Rate
- +300% Enhanced Damage
- +200% Enhanced Defense
- +((8-12)*0.125*Clvl) To Life (Based on Character Level) (varies)
- All Resistances +25-30 (varies)
- 12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
- +1 To Light Radius
- Weapons
- +9 To Minimum Damage
- +50 To Attack Rating
- 20% Deadly Strike
- Hit Causes Monster To Flee 25%
- Armor
- +15 Defense
- Replenish Life +7
- +5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
- Damage Reduced By 7
- socketed (4)
7. Faith
Faith is a Diablo 2 Resurrected runeword created by combining ohm + jah + lem + eld into a 4 socket missile weapon. It requires at least level 65 to equip.
Faith is one of the highest physical damage missile weapons in the game. Along with Beast, it is the only runeword granting the Fanaticism aura to its user. When used on an Act 1 mercenary, it will grant this aura to you and your team without having to sacrifice an item slot on your main character.
When this weapon kills an enemy, there is a 10% chance it will return as an allied Returned skeleton.
Fanaticism level breakdown Fanaticism level 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 radius 13.3 14 14.6 15.3 16 16.6 17.3 18 party damage +% 101 110 118 127 135 144 152 161 your damage +% 203 220 237 254 271 288 305 322 attack speed +% 30 31 31 32 33 33 34 34 attack rating +% 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 - Level 12-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped (varies)
- +1-2 To All Skills (varies)
- +330% Enhanced Damage
- Ignore Target's Defense
- 300% Bonus To Attack Rating
- +75% Damage To Undead
- +50 To Attack Rating Against Undead
- +120 Fire Damage
- All Resistances +15
- 10% Reanimate As: Returned
- 75% Extra Gold From Monsters
- socketed (4)
8. 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)
9. 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)
What do you think is the strongest mercenary runeword?
Summary of the top 9 mercenary runewords
Runeword | Sockets | Allowed Bases | Runeword Recipe | Level | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinity | 4 sockets | polearm, spear | 63 | 50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Chain Lightning When You Kill An EnemyLevel 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped+35% Faster Run/Walk+255-325% Enhanced Damage (varies)-45-55% To Enemy Lightning Resistance (varies)40% Chance of Crushing Blow (ber)Prevent Monster Heal (mal)+(0.5*Clvl) To Vitality (Based on Character Level)30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (ist)Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30 Charges) | |
| 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 | |
| Treachery | 3 sockets | armor | 43 | ||
Bulwark | 3 sockets | helm | 35 | ||
| Chains of Honor | 4 sockets | armor | 63 | ||
| Fortitude | 4 sockets | weapon, armor | 59 | 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck+25% Faster Cast Rate+300% Enhanced Damage+200% Enhanced Defense+((8-12)*0.125*Clvl) To Life (Based on Character Level) (varies)All Resistances +25-30 (varies)12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana+1 To Light Radius (el)Weapons+9 To Minimum Damage (sol)+50 To Attack Rating (el)20% Deadly Strike (lo)Hit Causes Monster To Flee 25% (dol)Armor+15 Defense (el)Replenish Life +7 (dol)+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist (lo)Damage Reduced By 7 (sol) | |
| Faith | 4 sockets | missile weapon | 65 | Level 12-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped (varies)+1-2 To All Skills (varies)+330% Enhanced Damage (ohm)Ignore Target's Defense (jah)300% Bonus To Attack Rating+75% Damage To Undead (eld)+50 To Attack Rating Against Undead (eld)+120 Fire DamageAll Resistances +1510% Reanimate As: Returned75% Extra Gold From Monsters (lem) | |
| Duress | 3 sockets | armor | 47 | ||
| 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) |
Did I miss any important runewords for the mercenary? What runeword would you add to this list?
