"Steel" the lost Runeword?

[tmd turka]

Now not everyone knows about this fantastic runeword and those that do pass it by.

Tir+El
20% Enhanced Damage
+3 To Minimum Damage
+3 To Maximum Damage
+50 To Attack Rating
50% Chance Of Open Wounds
25% Increased Attack Speed
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+1 To Light Radius

It is a fantastic item for a low level melee build. The two most common runes in the game and it can go in swords, axes, and maces.

It was kind of sad to join several pub games and when I mention my weapon (Steel Long sword) no one knows what it is. This is not the only good runeword that people pass by but it happens to be one of my favorites.

It would be nice to see more people use the orignal runewords (makes me feel like im not too old for this game).

Sign if you like it and feel free to post an original runeword you like.

:grin:

[Eilo Rytyj]

I love Edge. Not as a weapon, but as a gambling tool. I used to use it along with a -15% vendor Gheed's for some mass gambling action at a fraction of the price.

I always cook up a Lore helm/circlet for any of my levelling caster-types.

[Coltanz]

"Malice"
IthElEth

+33% Enhanced Damage
+9 To Maximum Damage
100% Chance Of Open Wounds
-25% Target Defense
-100 To Monster Defense Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+50 To Attack Rating
Drain Life -5

Its my favourite runeword, great for LLD and lvling use.
Rarely do see it nowadays.

[SSoG]

"Malice"
IthElEth

+33% Enhanced Damage
+9 To Maximum Damage
100% Chance Of Open Wounds
-25% Target Defense
-100 To Monster Defense Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+50 To Attack Rating
Drain Life -5

Its my favourite runeword, great for LLD and lvling use.
Rarely do see it nowadays.
I just made a Malice for my newest character. Great weapon for both Characters *AND* mercs (especially good on a BFsin), and capable of killing surprisingly well even into Hell.

The cheap original runewords are some of the best runewords in the game. Items like Black, Steel, Malice, Lore, Rhyme, Holy Thunder, Honor, Leaf, Lionheart, Melody, Memory, Smoke, Stealth, Strength, Wealth, and White are all so ridiculously cheap that they can be made even no-twink, and all make ridiculously good mid-game gear choices (and in some cases, such as Melody/Leaf/White/Smoke/Memory/Rhyme/Lionheart, even Hell-viable end-game gear choices. I can't count the number of Casters who beat Hell Baal while wearing a Smoke armor).

[Frosty_The_Snowman]

Now not everyone knows about this fantastic runeword and those that do pass it by.

Tir+El
20% Enhanced Damage
+3 To Minimum Damage
+3 To Maximum Damage
+50 To Attack Rating
50% Chance Of Open Wounds
25% Increased Attack Speed
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+1 To Light Radius

It is a fantastic item for a low level melee build. The two most common runes in the game and it can go in swords, axes, and maces.

It was kind of sad to join several pub games and when I mention my weapon (Steel Long sword) no one knows what it is. This is not the only good runeword that people pass by but it happens to be one of my favorites.

It would be nice to see more people use the orignal runewords (makes me feel like im not too old for this game).

Sign if you like it and feel free to post an original runeword you like.

:grin:You're absolutely right, this runeword is very good at the beginning of a Ladder season and for low-level chars (along with Black, Honor, Leaf, Lionheart, Malice, Rhyme, Stealth... :rolleyes: ). There's in fact a long list of disregarded runewords, because very few people play completely untwinked nowadays.

Personally, I'm using a Rixot's Keen (Unique short swort, level 2 required !! :prop: ) for each of my new chars, but Steel is easier to get if you don't have some spare stuff to mule.

[jakotaco]

I doubt I ever had a firesorc not using Leaf midgame... find a 2 socket staff with useful staffmods and you're good to go!

ps. Stealth owns :grin:

pps. isn't this mor community forum stuff than statistics?

[MrKaxe]

Holy Thunder
(4 Socket Scepters)

Eth + Ral + Ort + Tal

+60% Enhanced Damage
-25% Target Defense
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
Adds 21-110 Lightning Damage
+75 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
+10 To Maximum Damage
Lightning Resistance +60%
+5 To Maximum Lightning Resistance
+3 To Holy Shock (Paladin Only)
Level 7 Chain Lightning (60 Charges)

Gets my vote for early Avenger, you can use the Holy Shock as you don't have the Conviction aura 'til c/slvl30. The repair costs are a little steep (i hoarde gold so it's not an issue for me) but the chunky dmg at low lvl is good...have to pop into Norm cows for a useful 4-socket War Scepter tho...and do Q4 A5 if you're untwinked :laugh:

[sirwhere]

Some of these low runewords are really cool, and we should have more of them.

But then again.. the item system of D2 is obviously broken and things have got to a point where a fix is no longer possible..

[Rekk_Dalton]

I use steel all the time leveling chars up in hc, join a chant game and pick up runes while leveling so you have something to kill with when chant wears off :) works every time! usually can get a stealth also

[PFS]

Steel, Stealth, Rhyme, Lore, Leaf - all awesome.

[GotFriana]

My favorite from the original rune words are Strength, Stealth, Honor (dont forget this one if you find a 5 sockets polearm early instead of a 4so one, it can make a very good merc weapon) and one I havent seen mentioned here is King s Grace for low/mid lvl characters it makes a very nice weapon.

King's Grace 3 Socket Swords/Scepters Amn + Ral + Thul
+100% Enhanced Damage
+100% Damage To Demons
+50% Damage To Undead
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
Adds 3-14 Cold Damage - 3 Second Duration
+150 To Attack Rating
+100 To Attack Rating Against Demons
+100 To Attack Rating Against Undead
7% Life Stolen Per Hit

I think the main reason why these rune words were left in the closet nowadays is because not many people actually play through the entire game, most often they have or expect to find the end game gear for a certain class and simply rush through Normal and Nightmare so the attention is focused on the high level gear rather than low/mid level items.

[tmd turka]

Thanks for the support guys.

ps. If this thread wasn't supposed to be here I apologize to our forum moderator in advance.

[oOmpie]

My current Whirlwinder is carrying an Honor Ettin Axe and a Malice dunno what anymore :)

Works very nice!

[tmd turka]

A barb using Honor/Malice. Wow that brings me back. First barb I ever made used the exact same combo.

[jiansonz]

Nearly all my characters fight Normal Duriel (and usually most of act 2 before that) with a 'Steel' Flail. I just love the combination of good damage, good reach and speed.

Rhyme, Smoke and Black are often Hell-worthy items for me. My first (and so far, only) amazon Guardian used all three!

Nadir has a special use in stairs trap situations.

[WrongdayJ]

I have a 'Black' flail/mace and a 'Lore' crown/helm on almost every mid-level Paladin I've ever made. I use them all the way until I get end-game gear for them.

I am particularly fond of the corpse explosion charges and the 40% Crushing Blow the 'Black' gives. And the tasty +1 to skills from the 'Lore' is also handy.

The original runewords are far from dead. . .I'd say they get used FAR more than most people think. But for some reason they just don't get the same press that the exotic runewords get.

[Eilo Rytyj]

An old Dagger-zon of mine used a Lionheart and a Rhyme Bone shield that I made for her in Normal well into Hell difficulty. I was using a Stormspike as a weapon, for <insert deity here>'s sake. Not once did I even get close to dying, even with the pathetic damage and defense.

[PhatTrumpet]

First runewords I make every ladder season:

'Steel' in a superior Flail bought from Fara in Act 2.
'Leaf' in a Short Staff with either +2 or +3 to Fire Ball bought from Akara in Act 1.
'Stealth' in a Breast Plate bought from Fara in Act 2.

[HiTeknology]

Stealth + Leaf + Lore = Own all of normal mode, and a good amount of nightmare too.

Best for an untwinked sorceress, in mine and I'm sure many others opinions.

[Bladewind]

"Strength" Kris. Good for soloing ancients with a bowazon. :azn:

"Steel" Flail. It is a nice to have at the beginning but loses out quickly to malice once i get health regen gear.

Lore helm. A cheap tarnhelm without mf and gold find.

Smoke. 50 resist nuff said.

Honor PB. It was one of the first weapons i used when i first played 1.09 LoD.

[pancakeman]

I used an Honor CB/ Passion CS on my max def/sword barb, and he did well in Act 2 Hell. After that, a bit squirrely, but still capable of killing. I think that those are two of the best, and yet forgotten, runewords.
When I need a runeword, I go to the "Original Runeword" section of the Arreat first.

[Frosty_The_Snowman]

In 1.09, I wasn't rich enough to afford Grandfather, Silence or Fury runewords (two very popular and high-end runewords then). So I was using Doombringer (droppable on Hell Meph) or Honor pretty often. It was a great runeword, btw. Ah, memories :rolleyes:...

[tmd turka]

This has been a nice thread. Im glad to see people still like the old runewords.

[AnimeCraze]

I use Khalim's Will to twink, so that isn't as much of a need for steel. Zephyr edge bow is useful for bowies though. I used spirit + insight + lore + stealth + rhyme (some new, some old, and all ridiculously cheap) to start off this ladder myself. It's probably the char that had the most number of runewords used in my whole ladder. It lasted a little while, until meph and andy start to become generous.