D2R: How to Get Better Base Items for Runeword (2)

Mar-14-2025

This is MMOSO! How’s your farming in Diablo 2: Resurrected season 10? Need help dominating Season 10? Our guides have you covered! In our last guide, we thoroughly explored base items’ socket compatibility and partial attribute optimization. Today' s guide continues this deep dive-- we’re going to focus on special equipment parameters and the use of ethereal gear! We’ll break down exactly how to pick the perfect base items for your runewords in D2R, and you’ll soon know everything about it!

 

Attribute Optimization

C. Special Issues with Specific Base Items

New players often miss one key detail: the weight of armor and shield base items. While it might seem minor, the movement speed penalty matters more than you think. Medium armor reduces movement speed by 5%, while heavy armor cuts it by 10%. In Hell difficulty, slow movement from heavy armor can be deadly—for example, if a lightning-enchanted monster fires Charged Bolts, slower movement from heavy armor could leave your character trapped and killed.

Weapons don' t have weight, but balancing damage and attack speed is critical. Different weapons vary in both damage and attack speed. A slow weapon with high single-hit damage might deal less total damage over time than a faster, weaker weapon. Due to the game' s frame-based mechanics, attack speed works in tiered thresholds. For instance, at 0 attack speed, you attack once every 5 frames. To attack every 4 frames, you need at least 10 attack speed— if your attack speed is between 1 and 9, you’ ll still attack every 5 frames—no improvement at all.

Calculating attack speed isn’ t simple. Many factors come into play: the weapon' s base speed (higher numbers mean slower attacks), IAS (Increased Attack Speed) modifiers on gear, class-specific attack speeds (each attack takes different frames for every class), multi-hit skill mechanics (where high attack speeds can cause damage loss due to engine limitations), and temporary buffs or debuffs. With so many variables, even experienced players use online attack speed calculators to plan their builds.

Tip: Some equipment has three versions—Normal, Exceptional, and Elite—They look identical but have different names, stats, and requirements. Take armor as an example:

	Min/Max Defense	Min Strength	Durability	Sockets	Type	Quality Level
Quilted Armor	8-11	12	20	2	Light	1
Ghost Armor	102-117	22	38	20	Light	34
Dusk Shroud	361-467	49	77	20	Light	65

 

This tiered system means players must adjust their base item strategies as they progress.

Note: The "Superior" prefix mentioned in the previous guide is unrelated to these versions. All versions can randomly get the "Superior" modifier.

 

Ethereal Equipment

Some base items have the "Ethereal" tag. These items get 2 bonuses: higher defense/damage and lower stat requirements. For example, a normal Archon Plate has 410-524 defense and requires 103 Strength. An ethereal version boosts defense to 615-786 and lowers the Strength requirement to 72.

However, ethereal items lose durability permanently, that means the ethereal items can’t be fixed up. Once durability hits 0, the item breaks. There are 2 ways to avoid this:

• Use runewords with the "Indestructible" property (e.g., Breath of the Dying). This keeps the item usable even at 0 durability.
• Give ethereal gear to your mercenary. Mercenaries’ equipment doesn’ t lose durability, making them perfect users of ethereal items.

So, take care of your ethereal gears. It's also a good choice to wear ethereal gears while leveling, because you'll soon replace it with better gears.

 

Our guides for Diablo 2 runeword base items’ selection here come to the end. By now, we hope you can understand the core principles: choosing base items is about balancing multiple factors. When leveling, prioritize low-stat gear. As you specialize your build, focus on class-specific needs. In Hell difficulty, start saving Elite base items with potential. Remember: Perfect gear requires massive time and effort—only chase it if you’ re ready for the grind. If you have own thoughts and other base item recommendations for newcomers, feel free to share your ideas on reviews or with our 24/7 live chat customer service team! Your feedback will shape MMOSO' s future guides, and we may give out discounts for your advice!