Death: Weapon Rune Word - Diablo 2

Death is one of the most popular budget Rune Words in the game since it is almost as powerful as Breath of the Dying but significantly cheaper to create. It's also another one of the very few high level Rune Words which grant Indestructible to a weapon which means that you can put this into an Ethereal Weapon without having to worry about it breaking.

The best part of Death isn't the Enhanced Damage it gives but the 50% Crushing Blow bonus. If you aren't aware, Crushing Blow does a percentage of the enemies current health in damage making it one of the most powerful attacks possible in the game.

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: Hel -- El -- Vex -- Ort -- Gul
Level Req: 55
Other Req: Ladder Only
Slots: Swords & Axes

Indestructible
100% Chance To Cast Level 44 Chain Lightning When You Die
25% Chance To Cast Level 18 Glacial Spike On Attack
+300-385% Enhanced Damage (varies)
20% Bonus To Attack Rating
+50 To Attack Rating
Adds 1-50 Lightning Damage
7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
50% Chance of Crushing Blow
(0.5*Clvl)% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)
+1 To Light Radius
Level 22 Blood Golem (15 Charges)
Requirements -20%