The game's Acts are split into regions, and most regions have their own waypoint that can be used for fast travel. Tir and Ral runes go into a stave for a huge boost to fire skills and cold resistance. Leaf is a fantastic runeword for Sorceresses. Shael and Eth go into shields to create the Rhyme runeword, with better block rate, 25% to all resistances, and a boost to magic find. It provides poison resistance, faster run/walk, faster cast rate, faster hit recovery, and more. Look for Tal and Eth runes to create the Stealth runeword for body armor. In the early game, Act One's Black Marsh is home to the Countess who commonly drops runes useful for crafting gear that can carry you through to at least the end of Normal difficulty. Run normal Countess for runesĭiablo 2 doesn't really have an endgame, but the nature of its procedurally generated levels and respawning enemies means you can run the same bosses over and over in search of loot.

Prioritize gear that offers resistances, and be sure to keep a look out for charms of the same nature. That means in the endgame you'll need somewhere around +175 to all resistances to have maximum protection. You'll see a -40 penalty in Nightmare, and a -100 penalty in Hell. If you have, say, 15 poison resistance, your character will see a 15% reduction from any poison elemental attack.ĭon't get too comfortable with resistances in Normal difficulty, as the base numbers take a deep dive once you hit the harder difficulties. You can check your resistances on the main character screen, just below your stats. For the latter, be sure to rescue Anya in Act Five. Characters start Normal difficulty with no resistances, but they can be gained through equipment and certain quests.

Your character's resistances to Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Poison are what will keep you alive when you move into Nightmare and Hell difficulties. Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

Diablo 2 digital download tutorial