The Best Barbarian Runewords in D2R

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

Grief Runeword is the highest damage one-hand weapon. You can either use a Phase Blade or a Berserker Axe base depending on what build you play. Grief can be dual-wielded, so each of your weapons will add +340-400 extra damage. Other useful attributes of the Runeword are the 20% deadly strike, the additional damage against Demons and Ignoring the target’s defense.

Last Wish is amongst the best weapon choices for almost any Barbarian build. If you look for a weapon with both great offensive and defensive qualities, Last Wish is the best choice for that. It has high Enhanced Damage (up to 375%), 60-70% Chance of Crushing Blow, and it also has a chance to cast Life Tap on striking and Fade when struck. Once Life Tap is casted, each hit almost immediately heals you, and Fade provides 75% curse and poison damage length reduction, 11% physical resist, and 56% to All resistances. In addition, the Runeword also provides you with a Level 17 Might Aura, increasing your damage by 200%.

Breath of the Dying is the second highest damage dealing Barbarian weapon. Ideally you should put the Runeword in an Ethereal Berserker Axe base, but you can choose two-handed weapons as well, such as a Thunder Maul, a Ghost Spear, or a War Pike. The Runeword grants indestructibility, up to +400% enhanced damage, and an immense +60% increased attack speed. Other useful attributes on the Runeword are the 12-15% life steal, which allows you to heal quickly while attacking, and the +30 bonus to all of the four types of your stat points.

Beast is a must have Runeword if you want to switch to Bear form and play with a Bear Barbarian build. It has mediocre offensive qualities, but it grants a level 9 Fanaticism Aura which boosts the entire party’s damage and attack speed.

Doom is an optional weapon which should be worn in case you look for good crowd control, as it provides a level 12 Holy Freeze aura. The Runeword has decent offensive qualities, but its damage doesn’t come close to a Grief Runeword weapon.

Kingslayer his a relatively budget friendly weapon with high attack speed, mediocre enhanced damage, and high Crushing Blow (33%) and Open Wounds (50%) Chance

Oath is a budget friendly, high damage dealing weapon, with very fast attack speed. Since it grants Indestructibility, it should be put in an Ethereal weapon base.

Pride is the number one Mercenary weapon choice, as it grants a level6 to 20 Concentration Aura which boosts party's damage by 285-345%. If you want to maximize your character’s damage, put the Runeword on an Act2 Might Aura mercenary.

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.

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

Enigma is the only item which grants you the Teleport skill. If you want to farm bosses, it is a must have item for quick movement. It also grants +2 to All skills and 0.75 strength per level, making it the second highest damage booster Body Armor. It also adds +45% Faster Run and Walk speed, 1% Magic Find per level, 5% to maximum life, and 8% damage reduction.

Fortitude is the most effective damage booster Body Armor, as it adds +300% to Enhanced Damage. The Runeword has great defensive attributes as well, such as the +200% Enhanced Defense, the 25-30% All resistance, the 1-1.5 life per level, and the 20% chance to cast a level 15 Chilling Armor.

Duress is a budget friendly body armor. 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.

Chains of Honor is one of the two body armor Runewords which grants +2 to All skills. It is a great damage booster against Demon (+200%) and Undead (+100%) Monsters. The main utility of the Runeword is the immense +65% All Resistance boost. In addition, the Runeword grants 8% life steal and 8% physical damage reduction.

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

Lore Lore is another useful ladder starter / low level Runeword for any Barbarian 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, a very useful Cannot be Frozen attribute, and +25 to All Resistances, making it an ideal cheap shield choice for any Barbarian that doesn’t dual wield.

Phoenix is the most effective damage booster shield, as it provides up to +400% Enhanced Damage. It also grants you a level 10-15 Redemption Aura, which will constantly heal you and recover your mana.

Ancient's Pledge is a useful ladder starter / low budget Runeword which boosts All Resistances by almost 50%.

Myth is a budget friendly Runeword armor which provides +2 to Barbarian skill levels.

Wealth is a cornerstone item for the Goldfind Barbarian, as it grants +300% extra gold from monsters, and it also has 100% magic find.