D2R Rune List: All 33 Runes, Stats & Worth
Runes are the currency of Diablo 2 Resurrected. This guide lists all 33 runes by tier, their effects by gear slot, where they drop, and which ones hold value for trading.
The complete rune hierarchy
Diablo 2 Resurrected has exactly 33 unique runes, each with effects that change based on the gear slot. A rune in a weapon does something different than the same rune in armor or a shield. Understanding which runes matter, where they drop, and what they trade for is the foundation of the entire economy.
The rune tiers break down clearly: low runes (El through Amn) are cheap and farmable; mid runes (Sol through Mal) form the backbone of early-ladder trades; high runes (Ber and above) are wealth markers. But value shifts with ladder age, and early-season staples like Lem and Ko can cost more than late-season high runes.
Low runes: El to Amn
These runes drop everywhere and are treated as vendor trash by endgame players, but they make early runewords viable and are essential for cube recipes.
| Rune | Weapon Effect | Armor Effect | Shield Effect | Typical Use |
|---|
| El | +1 Light Radius | +1 Light Radius | +1 Light Radius | Cube filler |
| Eld | +75% Damage to Undead | Slow Monsters | Increased Block % | Undead bosses |
| Tir | +12 Energy | +2 Mana | +2 Mana | Insight pieces |
| Nef | -20% Poison Length | -20% Poison Length | -20% Poison Length | Smoke armor |
| Eth | Knockback | -20% Physical Dmg | -20% Physical Dmg | Stealth armor |
| Itc | +14 Mana | +5% Mana | +5% Mana | Runeword fill |
| Ral | Fire Damage +75 | Fire Resistance +30% | Fire Resistance +30% | Insight, basics |
| Ort | Cold Damage 1-50 | Cold Resistance +30% | Cold Resistance +30% | Lore, Insight |
| Thul | Cold Damage 3-14 | Cold Resistance +30% | Cold Resistance +30% | Spirit pieces |
| Amn | Life +7 to 7 | Poison Resistance +25% | Fire Resistance +25% | CTA, Spirit |
Low runes drop from most enemies and are your first runeword ingredients. The Countess in the Forgotten Tower guarantees drops up to specific tiers and is the classic farming route for building your first Stealth and Lore.
Mid runes: Sol through Mal
Where the action happens. Most viable leveling runewords and early endgame builds live in this tier. Mid runes are the grease that makes ladders function.
| Rune | Weapon | Armor | Shield | Where |
|---|
| Sol | +9 Fire Damage | Fire Res +30% | Fire Res +30% | Lore, Insight |
| Shael | +30% Attack Speed | +20% Faster Run | +20% Faster Run | Treachery, Runewords |
| Dol | Knockback | Damage Reduced -7% | +25% Block | Dragon, White |
| Hel | Regenerate Mana -7% | Regen Mana -7% | Regen Mana -7% | Runeword filler |
| Io | +10 Vitality | +10 Vitality | +10 Vitality | Spirit, Obsession |
| Lum | +10 Mana | Mana +10 | Mana +10 | Rune combos |
| Ko | +50 Attack Rating | +30 Fire Res | +30 Fire Res | Lore alternative |
| Fal | +200 Defense | +200 Defense | +200 Defense | Rune combos |
| Lem | +75% Gold Find | +75% Gold Find | +75% Gold Find | High value early |
| Pul | +15-21 Poison Dmg | +30% Poison Res | +30% Poison Res | Oath, Crescent |
| Um | +25% Poison Res | +25% Poison Res | +25% Poison Res | Crescent, Duress |
| Mal | -25% Enemy Res Cold | -25% Enemy Cold Res | -25% Enemy Cold Res | Runewords |
Lem holds surprising value early ladder because players need gold find gear for farming and Lem is rare enough to matter. Ko appears in many mid-tier words. This tier is where you spend your wealth early and where flipping low runes for mid runes becomes your farming job.
High runes: Amn through Zod
These are where endgame builds happen. Ber, Jah, Sur, Lo and Cham are the true power markers. Zod, with indestructible durability, is always in demand but limited by need.
High runes drop only from the hardest content: Hell bosses, Hell Countess runs, Hellforge on Hell, lower Kurast on Hell, and LK (Lower Kurast) treasure runs. Trading up from mid to high is the late-ladder game.
The real value tiers
Raw rune ladder depends on supply and drop rarity more than effects. Early ladder, Lem costs more than a Mal. Mid ladder, Ko becomes worthless but Pul stays liquid. By endgame, nobody cares about mid runes; they are thinking about Ber and Jah to close their last slot.
Your personal buying power shifts too. At day 1, you cannot afford a Pul. At week 2 of ladder, you flip Puls for Ums. At month 1, you are gambling on high-rune crafts. The rune ladder is a progression, not a fixed price list.
Drop sources by rune tier
Countess (Forgotten Tower, Act 1): Guarantees rune drops up to Ral (Normal), Ko (Nightmare), Lo (Hell). She is the primary rune farm for low and mid runes and resets with every game.
Hellforge (Act 4, Hell only): One random rune per playthrough, up to Zod. The free drop from Diablo on Hellforge Unique quests. Every Diablo kill gives exactly one rune.
Lower Kurast (Act 3, Hell): 3 unique chests with guaranteed rune drops. Runs average 30 seconds and can yield mid to high runes. The fastest farming method by runs per hour.
The Rune Upgrade Cube Recipe: 3 of the same rune + 1 flawed gem = next tier rune. Upranking low and mid runes is cheaper than trading them for higher ones, especially early ladder.
Which runes to save, which to cube
Keep your first drops of each rune type — you will need them for runewords or to sell. After that, the rule is simple: cube upward if the rune costs less than trading it away, and hoard anything Lem and higher. Ral, Ort, Tir and Sol are so common that cubing 3 into an Amn is often better than sitting on them.
Ladder progression
Early ladder (week 1): Tal, Ral, Ort become currency. By week 2, Lem and Ko dominate trades. Mid-ladder (week 4-6), Pul and Um are the volume currency. Late ladder, high runes are what matters and mid runes stack worthlessly.
The runeword mechanics guide breaks down exactly which runes go into which words, and the rune upgrading cube recipes guide covers upranking math. Start farming the best rune farming spots as soon as you hit Act 3 Normal, and your progression snowballs from there.