Dragon: Shield Rune Word - Diablo 2
Dragon Rune Word is one high level Rune Words that is available to both Shields and Armor. This Rune Word is a decent one to use if you don't need the added protection from other Rune Words like Sanctuary or Chains of Honor. The Holy Fire Aura along with the chance to proc Venom and Hydra both increase your damage done a decent amount as well as give you the ability to deal more than one element of damage.
This Rune Word can be Socketed into the class specific Necromancer Shrunken Heads as well as into any Paladin Shields. Additionally, you can put the Dragon Rune Word onto a Mercenary and still gain the Holy Fire Aura benefit from him.
Keep in mind that all Rune Words you create will retain any pre-existing bonuses found on the item. If you find a 'Superior' piece of armor with +Enhanced Defense, a Superior Weapon with +Enhanced Damage or a Helm/Weapon that has +Skill bonuses for a certain class, all of these will remain on the final Rune Word that is created. It's also possible to 'ebug' a piece of Ethereal Armor that you find which will increase the Defense bonuses by 50%, check out my Ebugging Guide for more information.
Farming High Runes: Out of all locations in the game one stands above the rest for farming specifically High Runes, the Countess during Act 1. The Countess has a guaranteed chance to always drop a High Rune and can even drop more than one. Check out my The Countess Farming Guide for more information.
Required Runes:
Level Req: 61
Other Req: Ladder Only
Slots: Shields & Armor
Both
20% Chance to Cast Level 18 Venom When Struck
12% Chance To Cast Level 15 Hydra On Striking
Level 14 Holy Fire Aura When Equipped
+360 Defense
+230 Defense Vs. Missile
+3-5 To All Attributes (varies)
+(0.375*Clvl) To Strength (Based on Character Level)
+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
Damage Reduced by 7
Armor
Increase Maximum Mana 5%
Shields
+50 To Mana
Dragon Rune Word in Ebugged Monarch Shield.
