Alright, settle in folks. Today I finally decided to stop messing around and sort out my poor neglected Bowazon in Diablo 2. Everyone kept yelling “Bow Runewords!” in my ear, so I figured I’d actually try them out myself, step by step, and see what sticks. Here’s how that mess went down.
The Big Plan (Mostly Guesswork)
First thing? I hauled my dusty old Amazon out of retirement. She was still rocking some yellow junk bow I probably found years ago. Embarrassing, really. Goal was simple: ditch the trash, make a legit Runeword bow. But which one? Chaos, right? Nope. Wrong weapon type. Doh!
Scrounging For Gear (Like a Pack Rat)
Time to hunt bases. I started rummaging through my stash, tossing stuff everywhere like a hurricane hit. Found a few decent bases eventually:
- A Superior Grand Matron Bow. Fancy name, zero sockets. Useless.
- Some random Hydra Bow with 4 sockets. Decent enough, but kinda slow.
- And finally, a 4-socket Blade Bow. Faster! Score! Seemed good for starters.
Had to cube a couple myself too, nearly ran out of Larzuk quests just for this project.
The Runeword Rollercoaster
Okay, bases found. Now the runes. My heart sank checking prices. I ain’t rich! Some of these things need Jahs and Bers? Forget it! Decided to test the cheaper stuff first.
Starting Simple (And Cheap)
First up: Harmony. Tir, Ith, Sol, Ko. Easy enough, had those rattling around. Slapped it into a Blade Bow. Boom, made it. Immediate thoughts? Man, this thing zooms! Ran like the wind through Blood Moor. The Revive Valk? Cool party trick, but honestly, kinda dumb most times. Mostly felt like I paid a Ko rune just for Vigor. Still, awesome for running places fast, weak sauce for killing tough stuff.
Getting Fancy (And Confused)
Next project: Brand. Jah, Lo, Mal, Gul. Yeah… Gul was the “cheap” part. Found that after way too much farming. Made it in a Hydra Bow. Looked sick. Fire explosions everywhere! Sounds brutal, right? Reality check: Pure Pain. Everything Magic Immune? Suddenly useless. Stupid ghost just floated right through my arrows! Physical damage? Barely a tickle. Felt like setting high runes on fire. Pretty fireworks, pathetic results.
The “Holy Grail” Try (Ouch)
Saved up forever. Finally got Faith. Ohm, Jah, Lem, Eld. That Jah hurt the soul. Made it in a Grand Matron Bow. Holy mother of speed! This thing fires so fast it hums. Fanaticism aura? Absolute game changer. My whole attack speed felt cracked. Physical damage actually chunked monsters. Night and day difference. Suddenly soloing Hell felt possible again. Yeah, the price is bonkers. But wow, did it feel worth the grind.
Mistakes Learned (The Hard Way)
Cloned my Brand bow like an idiot for testing. Used the same hydra base. Thought “Maybe I just got unlucky”. Nope. Got stomped in the Chaos Sanctuary again. Wasted runes. My advice:
- Forget Brand for Bowazons. Seriously. It’s trash for damage. Looks cool, kills slow.
- Harmony is your budget Uber driver. Speedy taxi, but hits like a wet noodle.
- Faith hurts your rune stash, but heals your gameplay. Nothing comes close. Speed + damage + aura = win.
Tried a Grief Phase Blade too just to compare on my merc. It sliced better than Brand ever shot. Traded that junk same day.
Final Takeaway
Faith wins. Hands down. Yeah, you sweat farming those high runes. But man, seeing your Zon turn into a machine gun shredding Hell cows? Priceless. Harmony’s great for leveling or zooming places cheap. Brand? Look, maybe if you REALLY like the purple glow and poison explosions? I don’t know. Physical damage matters way more. Didn’t see any Amp damage proc much either. Guess I’m colorblind. Stick with Faith if you can. Sold the Brand, kept the Faith, back to the killing sprees.