2 months ago

Diablo 2: Resurrected has brought back the classic action RPG experience that fans know and love, along with all the powerful runewords that can take your character to new heights. One of the most useful early runewords for boosting your defenses is the Ancient's Pledge. Let's take an in-depth look at what makes this shield runeword so potent and how to craft it.

What is the Ancient's Pledge Runeword? Ancient's Pledge is a 3-socket shield runeword that provides a major boost to your resistances, making it invaluable for surviving the elemental attacks you'll face as you battle through the dangers of Sanctuary. The runeword is created by socketing the runes Ral, Ort, and Tal into a shield in that order.

When successfully created, Ancient's Pledge imbues a shield with the following powerful properties:

+50% Enhanced Defense +43% Cold Resist +48% Fire Resist +48% Lightning Resist +48% Poison Resist 10% Damage Goes to Mana This combination of strong defensive bonuses and resistance to all elements makes Ancient's Pledge a go-to choice for many D2R characters looking to shore up their defenses in the early-to-mid game. The bonus to mana is a nice addition for casters.

What Shields Are Best for Ancient's Pledge? For most classes, the best shields to socket with Ancient's Pledge are those with a good base defense and a low strength requirement so they can be equipped early. The Kite Shield and Large Shield are the most common choices. Paladins can make special use of the runeword by placing it in a Paladin-specific shield with +Combat Skills to gain additional bonuses.

Remember that white (normal) quality shields can only be socketed using the Horadric Cube recipe with Tal, Amn, and a Perfect Ruby. To get the exact 3 sockets needed, you'll need to find a 3-socket shield from drops or use the Act 5 Quest socket reward from Larzuk on a normal shield (except Paladin Shields, which get 4).

How to Farm the Runes for Ancient's Pledge The good news is that the runes for Ancient's Pledge are very easy to acquire. All three runes - Ral, Ort and Tal - are low level runes that drop frequently in the early acts of the game. You can often find them by killing Countess, farming chests, or getting lucky with mob drops. You're also guaranteed to get all 3 runes you need from the Act 5 quest reward for rescuing the barbarians on the Bloody Foothills.

However, if you want to speed up your farming and get D2R gear and items from rocketprices.com, they have a great selection for sale. By buying D2R items instead of finding them yourself, you can quickly power up your character with the Ancient's Pledge runeword and other top-tier gear.

Unlock the Power of Ancient's Pledge Whether you choose to farm the runes yourself or buy them from a trusted seller, adding the Ancient's Pledge runeword to your shield is a great way to enhance your character's survivability in Diablo 2 Resurrected. With its hefty resistance bonuses, you'll be well-equipped to take on tougher enemies and progress further into the challenges that await. Socket it in the right base and this runeword can serve you well into the mid-game and beyond!