The Best Assassin Runewords in D2R

In this section, we will introduce you to all of the Runeword weapons which can be useful for an Assassin character. We will review their offensive and defensive qualities, and the unique benefits of wearing them.

Mosaic Runeword is the most powerful Runeword in the game, providing insane amounts of elemental damage as well as the ability to recover life and mana with Cobra Strike. This has been a staple since patch 2.6 for any Martial Arts Assassin, helping her take over as the strongest class.

Plague Runeword is the number one choice for most claw based Assassin builds for several reasons. It has great attacking qualities such as the high Enhanced Damage (up to 320%), the 0.3% Deadly Strike per character Level, the open wounds chance and the attack speed bonus. In addition it also has a 20% Chance to cast Lower Resist when struck, which makes it an ideal weapon choice for elemental damage dealing melee Assassins. The Cleansing aura is another great attribute on the weapon, reducing course duration and poison damage length by 80%.

Last Wish is amongst the best weapon choices for Kicker Assassins. It is by far the most expensive Runeword, but the 70% Crushing Blow, the high Enhanced Damage (up to 375%) and the high chance of casting Life Tap makes this Runeword worth the investment. In addition, it also provides a level 17 Might Aura, which boosts the entire parties physical damage by 200%.

Grief is the highest damage dealer weapon for Kicksins due to its +340-400 Damage bonus. The 30-40% IAS is another great attribute which boosts attack speed, and the Runeword has other useful qualities such as the 20% Deadly Strike and the high enhanced damage against Demons.

Infinity is the ideal mercenary weapon for all of the elemental damage dealing Assassin builds, as the Level 12 Conviction Aura reduces enemy resistances by 85%. The Runeword has some other great features, such as the 35% Faster run and Walk, the monster healing prevention, or the 40% chance of Crushing Blow.

Chaos is a cornerstone Runeword for the Whirlwind Assassin build. It is the only item in the game which grants the Whirlwind skill. In addition to that, it also has great enhanced damage and attack speed potential

Spirit is the best budget weapon for caster Assassin builds. It grants 2 to all skills and up to 35% faster cast rate, and the combination of the two makes up for a great caster weapon.

Heart of the Oak is the best weapon for caster Assassins. It provides +3 to All skills and 40% Faster cast rate, making it the best offensive weapon, while having great defensive utilities such as the +30-40% to All resistances.

Call to Arms is a must have switch weapon on any build except for Barbarians. It grants you the Battle Orders skill, which can almost double your life and mana, and also grants the Battle Command skill, which adds 1 to all skills. The survivability boost of a CTA is unparalleled.

Edge Runeword is a must have for any D2R character, as it is the only item which reduces Vendor prices besides Gheed's Fortune. Equip it whenever you want to gamble or buy items from Vendors at cheaper prices.

Pattern is a claw only Runeword which is ideal for low level Assassin characters. The attack and elemental damage bonuses make it a good choice for offense, while the +30% faster block rate and the 15% to All resistance are useful defensive qualities.

In this section, we will introduce you to all of the armor Runewords which can be useful for an Assassin character. We will review their offensive and defensive qualities, and the unique benefits of wearing them.

Enigma is a must have item if you want to gain the Teleport skill, which is unbeatable for fast movement. In addition it is one of the two body armor Runewords which grant +2 to All skills. This Runeword has other unique qualities, such as the +45% Faster run and Walk, the 0.75 Strength bonus per level, and the 1% Magic Find bonus per level. The +5% to Maximum life and +8% Damage reduction are also useful extras.

A Spirit Shield offers even more benefits than a Spirit Sword for caster builds. It is the only shield with +2 to All skills bonus, and also has +25-35% Faster Cast Rate, making it by far the best caster Assassin shield

Duress is a budget friendly body armor option for Martial Arts skill based Assassins. The main distinguishing features of the Runeword are the +15% Chance of Crushing Blow and the 33% Chance of Open Wounds. It also offers great defensive utilities, such as the 150-200% Enhanced Defense, additional resistances, and 40% Faster Hit Recovery.

Treachery is a budget item, which has great offensive abilities, such as the +2 to Assassin skills and the +45% Increased Attack speed. The item is useful for any Assassin build, especially if you can’t afford an expensive Body Armor.

Sanctuary is a shield Runeword, which adds 50-70% to all resistances, making it a great option for elemental damage reduction. It also has a high defense bonus, and other useful blocking and hit recovery attributes. It can be used by any Assassin build except for the Whirlwind Assassin.

Smoke is a useful ladder starter / low level Runeword that grants +50% to all resistances.

Lore is another useful ladder starter / low level Runeword for any Assassin build. Its main utility is the +1 to All skill levels.

Rhyme is a budget friendly ladder starter / low level shield. It has good blocking bonuses while providing the Cannot be Frozen attribute and +25 to All resistances, making it useful for any Assassin that doesn’t dual wield claws.

Stealth is an awesome low level / ladder starter item for its +25% Faster Cast Rate and +25% Faster run and Walk. By wearing this armor, you will be able to progress faster towards the endgame.

Phoenix is the best shield for fire-damage dealing Assassin builds. It lowers enemy fire resistance by -28%, which greatly boosts fire damage. The Runeword provides a Level 10-15 Redemption Aura, which will continuously heal you and recover your mana.

Flickering Flame is another best-in-slot item for fire-damage dealing Assassins. It provides -10 to -15% to enemy Fire resistance, and a leveL 4 to 8 Resist Fire aura, which adds 85-106% to your fire resistance, eliminating the need for fire resistance on your charms or the rest of your gear.