Venom: Weapon Rune Word - Diablo 2
Venom is a mid range Rune Word which is moderately easy to craft; Mal is the highest required Rune. This Rune Word is not commonly used since it provides no bonuses to physical damage which makes it difficult to incorporate into many builds. Bows are probably the only weapon this Rune Word would prove moderately useful for since you'll be able to keep enemies away from you easier with the Hits Cause Monsters to Flee.
Essentially this Rune Word is designed for you to kill enemies slowly over time with Poison as they flee from you.
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: 49
Other Req: N/A
Slots: All Weapons
Ignore Target's Defense
+273 Poison Damage Over 6 Seconds
7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
Hit Causes Monster To Flee 25%
Level 13 Poison Nova (11 Charges)
Level 15 Poison Explosion (27 Charges)
