Rune Words

Rune words, unfortunately, weren't made with Normal difficulty level in mind. That being said, there are very few rune words a bowazon can use at this level.

More information on runes and rune words can be found at the Runes and Rune Word sections of the Arreat Summit. If you want to know how a particular suit of armor will look on your amazon, please refer to inDiablo.de's "Modenschau" fashion guide.

Basic Rune Word Weapons

There's only two rune words for bows at this level. For better or worse, these outperform just about any unique, rare, or magical bow you'll find in normal.

• Zephyr 2-socket missile weapon (Ort + Eth): +33% enhanced damage, +66 attack rating, adds 1-50 lightning damage, -25% target defense, +25 defense, 25% faster run/walk, 25% increased attack speed, 7% chance to cast slvl-1 twister when hit, rlvl-21. Easy to make, fast as hell. At level 21, it's probably the best weapon you'll use for a while.

Ladder-only Rune Word Weapons

• Edge 3-socket missile weapon (Tir + Tal + Amn): slvl-15 thorns aura when equipped, +35% increased attack speed, +320-380% damage to demons, +280% damage to undead, +75 poison damage over 5 seconds, 7% life stolen per hit, prevent monster heal, +5-10 all attributes, +2 mana after each kill, reduces all vendor prices 15%, rlvl-25. This rune word doesn't offer enhanced damage, but it's outstanding against demons and the undead, which is the majority of the foes you'll be facing by the time you're able to equip this bow. The reducing of vendor prices makes this a great weapon switch for gamblers, and the thorns aura is awesome if you find yourself partied with a character with a lot of minions.

Rune Word Armor

There's only one rune word for armor on Normal, but it isn't a bad one at all.

• Stealth 2-socket armor (Tal + Eth): magic damage reduced by 3, +6 dexterity, +15 maximum stamina, poison resist 30%, regenerate mana 15%, +25% faster run/walk, +25% faster cast rate, +25% faster hit recovery, rlvl-17.

Rune Word Helmets

• Nadir 2-socket helms (Nef + Tir): +50% enhanced defense, +10 defense, +30 defense vs. missile, slvl-13 cloak of shadows (9 charges), +2 mana after each kill, +5 strength, -33% extra gold from monsters, -3 light radius, rlvl-13. Cloak of Shadows is wonderful for stopping enemies in their tracks and preventing them from using special abilities, something to remember when you're trudging past gloams in Hell.
• Lore 2-socket helms (Ort + Sol): +1 skills, +10 energy, +2 mana after each kill, lightning resist 30%, damage reduced by 7, +2 light radius, rlvl-27. If you're not able to find a nice rare circlet, Tarnhelm, or Peasant Crown, this is an excellent option if you want +skills on a helm.
• Radiance 3-socket helms (Nef + Sol + Ith): +75% enhanced defense, +30 defense vs. missile, +10 energy, +10 vitality, 15% damage goes to mana, magic damage reduced by 3, +33 mana, damage reduced by 7, +5 light radius, rlvl-27.