Black: Weapon Rune Word - Diablo 2
Black is a cheap to make mid level Rune Word that is ranked pretty high for its level range. The 40% Crushing Blow chance is amazing on a weapon since it does an amount of damage equal to a percentage of the enemies health. 15% Increased Attack Speed (IAS) ensures that you'll proc even more Crushing Blows with this weapon.
The biggest downside to this Rune Word is the Knockback that comes with it. Nothing is more annoying than Knockback on a melee weapon since you'll constantly have to keep running over to the mob after you knock them away.
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: 35
Other Req: N/A
Slots: Clubs, Hammers and Maces
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+120% Enhanced Damage
+200 to Attack Rating
Adds 3-14 Cold Damage (3 sec)
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Knockback
+10 to Vitality
Magic Damage Reduced By 2
Level 4 Corpse Explosion (12 Charges)
Black Rune Word in an Ethereal Devil Star.