Plague Runeword: Cham Shael Um

Plague Runeword

May 25, 2026

Plague boosting poison skill damage.
Runes
Item Types	Sword Knife Hand to Hand
Ladder Only?	No
Level Required	67
Patch	2.4 - Current
Expansion	Lord of Destruction
25% Chance to cast level 15 Poison Nova on striking20% Chance to cast level 12 Lower Resist when struckLevel 13 to 17 Cleansing Aura When Equipped+1 to 2 to All Skills+20% Increased Attack Speed-23% to Enemy Poison Resistance0.375% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)25% Chance of Open WoundsFreezes Target +3+220 to 320% Enhanced Damage

Plague is a Diablo 2 Resurrected Runeword created by combining Cham + Shael + Um into 3 socket Sword, Knife or Hand to Hand. It requires at least level 67 to equip. Plague was first released in patch 2.4.

The Plague Runeword is a high level weapon Runeword released in patch 2.4. It is one of the Runewords that were in the original game files, but were disabled. Blizzard had announced 10 new Runewords for patch 1.11, but only 7 made it in the final release (excluding Plague).

The allowed gear initially changed from all weapons to Swords only, this severely limited the usability and was a missed opportunity to give a solid Runeword for Claws and Daggers.