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How to make a Spirit shield in Diablo 2: Resurrected

You'll need to go to Hell and back for this one (unless you're a Paladin).

One of the best Diablo 2: Resurrected items has to be a Spirit shield. It offers a long list of bonuses, but the most valuable one by far is its +2 to all skills bonus. The shield version of the Spirit Runeword is the most useful and most popular, but it can also be used with a sword. You can make a Spirit sword by following the same Runeword recipe described here, and switching out the shield for a sword. Note that this Runeword was ladder only in the original Diablo 2, but can be used in single-player and non-ladder multiplayer in Diablo 2: Resurrected.

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How to get a 4-socket shield

If you’re not playing as a Paladin, then there are only three types of shield that can possibly have four sockets: monarch, ward, and aegis. All three have very high strength requirements, but the monarchs are at least vaguely realistic, so that’s what most players opt for. These shields only drop on Hell difficulty — there’s no shortcut to getting one. If you get one, but it has fewer than four sockets, you can get Larzuk in Act V to max out its sockets to four.

Related: How to make an Insight polearm in Diablo 2: Resurrected

However, if you are playing as a Paladin, obtaining a 4-socket shield is much easier, and is even possible on Normal difficulty. You might be lucky enough to find one on the secret cow level, or on Acts IV and V on Normal, or on any act on Nightmare or Hell. If not, any plain Paladin shield (or one with fewer than four sockets) acquired on those levels will get four sockets if you take it to Larzuk. Don’t give him one from Acts I – III on normal difficulty (with the exception of the cow level); it won’t get as many as four sockets.

How to get the Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn runes

It is technically possible that these runes might drop on Normal difficulty, but your chances of getting all four are extremely slim. The best way to get them is to repeatedly defeat The Countess in the Forgotten Tower on Nightmare difficulty, or even on Hell Difficulty, seeing as you’re likely going to have to progress quite far on Hell to find the base shield anyway.

Once you’ve collected and combined the shield and runes, it’s time to create your Spirit Runeword. An important thing to remember is that you have to insert the Runes in the order listed above. If you don’t, it won’t create the Runeword and you will have wasted your time. When you do everything correctly you will have a shield with all of these bonuses:

  • +2 To All Skills
  • +25-35% Faster Cast Rate
  • +55% Faster Hit Recovery
  • +250 Defense vs. Missiles
  • +22 To Vitality
  • +89-112 To Mana
  • Cold Resist +35%
  • Lightning Resist +35%
  • Poison Resist +35%
  • +3-8 Magic Absorb
  • Attacker Takes Damage of 14

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Author
Image of Gavin Mackenzie
Gavin Mackenzie
Gavin Mackenzie has been playing video games since the early 80s, and writing about them professionally since the late 90s. Having been a writer and editor on various British magazines including PLAY, GamesTM, and X360, he's now a freelance guides specialist at Gamepur.