Here is the English translation of the guide, localized for the Diablo II English-speaking community.
Diablo II: Complete Rune Upgrade Guide
Rune upgrading in Diablo II is the process of combining lower-tier runes into higher-tier ones using the Horadric Cube. It is one of the most important ways to obtain high runes (28# and above) in the endgame.
Below is the complete list of upgrade recipes, organized by rune tier. Note that not all runes can be upgraded directly, and starting from a certain tier, specific gems are required.
1. Basic Upgrade Rules
| Rune Range | Recipe | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| #1 – #9 | 3 same runes → 1 rune one tier higher | No gem required |
| #10 – #20 | 3 same runes + 1 specific gem → 1 rune one tier higher | Requires a specific type of gem |
| #21 – #33 | 2 same runes + 1 specific gem → 1 rune one tier higher | From #21 onward, only 2 runes are needed |
2. Recipes #1 – #9 (No Gem Required)
This is the simplest tier. Just place 3 identical runes in the cube.
| Input | Output | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3x El (#1) | → Eld (#2) | 3x Ith (#6) | → Tal (#7) |
| 3x Eld (#2) | → Tir (#3) | 3x Tal (#7) | → Ral (#8) |
| 3x Tir (#3) | → Nef (#4) | 3x Ral (#8) | → Ort (#9) |
| 3x Nef (#4) | → Eth (#5) | 3x Ort (#9) | → Thul (#10) |
| 3x Eth (#5) | → Ith (#6) |
3. Recipes #10 – #20 (Gem Required)
Starting from Thul (#10), each upgrade requires a specific gem in addition to the runes.
| Input | Required Gem | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 3x Thul (#10) | + Chipped Topaz | → Amn (#11) |
| 3x Amn (#11) | + Chipped Amethyst | → Sol (#12) |
| 3x Sol (#12) | + Chipped Sapphire | → Shael (#13) |
| 3x Shael (#13) | + Chipped Ruby | → Dol (#14) |
| 3x Dol (#14) | + Chipped Emerald | → Hel (#15) |
| 3x Hel (#15) | + Chipped Diamond | → Io (#16) |
| 3x Io (#16) | + Flawed Topaz | → Lum (#17) |
| 3x Lum (#17) | + Flawed Amethyst | → Ko (#18) |
| 3x Ko (#18) | + Flawed Sapphire | → Fal (#19) |
| 3x Fal (#19) | + Flawed Ruby | → Lem (#20) |
| 3x Lem (#20) | + Flawed Emerald | → Pul (#21) |
4. Recipes #21 – #33 (Only 2 Runes Required)
From Pul (#21) onward, only 2 runes are needed per upgrade, but a gem is still required. This is the key to pushing toward the highest runes.
| Input | Required Gem | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 2x Pul (#21) | + Flawed Diamond | → Um (#22) |
| 2x Um (#22) | + Topaz | → Mal (#23) |
| 2x Mal (#23) | + Amethyst | → Ist (#24) |
| 2x Ist (#24) | + Sapphire | → Gul (#25) |
| 2x Gul (#25) | + Ruby | → Vex (#26) |
| 2x Vex (#26) | + Emerald | → Ohm (#27) |
| 2x Ohm (#27) | + Diamond | → Lo (#28) |
| 2x Lo (#28) | + Flawless Topaz | → Sur (#29) |
| 2x Sur (#29) | + Flawless Amethyst | → Ber (#30) |
| 2x Ber (#30) | + Flawless Sapphire | → Jah (#31) |
| 2x Jah (#31) | + Flawless Ruby | → Cham (#32) |
| 2x Cham (#32) | + Flawless Emerald | → Zod (#33) |
5. Tips & Important Notes
Hel (#15) Special Use
Hel (#15) is also used to unsocket items. The recipe is:
Hel (#15) + Scroll of Town Portal + Socketed Item → The inserted runes/gems are destroyed, but the base item remains.
Gem Quality Progression
| Quality | Notes |
|---|---|
| Chipped | Lowest quality; drops abundantly in Hell difficulty |
| Flawed | One tier above Chipped |
| Standard | e.g., “Topaz” (no prefix) |
| Flawless | e.g., “Flawless Topaz” |
Gem quality increases as rune tiers go up. It’s a good idea to upgrade lower gems in advance using the cube.
Suggested Upgrade Strategy
-
For runes below Gul (#25), upgrading 3 → 1 is generally safe to save stash space.
-
Starting from Gul (#25), high runes are extremely rare and upgrading costs are significant (e.g., 2x Lo to make Sur). It’s often better to keep duplicates for runewords rather than upgrading immediately. For example, using 2x Lo to make Fortitude is usually more valuable than cubing them into a single Sur.
Resurrected vs. Classic
These upgrade recipes are identical in Diablo II: Resurrected and the original Classic version. All recipes also work in single‑player (offline) mode.
6. Quick Reference Table (Sorted by Rune #)
| Rune # | Name | Recipe to Upgrade to Next Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 1–9 | El – Ort | 3 → next tier (no gem) |
| 10 | Thul | 3 + Chipped Topaz → Amn |
| 11 | Amn | 3 + Chipped Amethyst → Sol |
| 12 | Sol | 3 + Chipped Sapphire → Shael |
| 13 | Shael | 3 + Chipped Ruby → Dol |
| 14 | Dol | 3 + Chipped Emerald → Hel |
| 15 | Hel | 3 + Chipped Diamond → Io |
| 16 | Io | 3 + Flawed Topaz → Lum |
| 17 | Lum | 3 + Flawed Amethyst → Ko |
| 18 | Ko | 3 + Flawed Sapphire → Fal |
| 19 | Fal | 3 + Flawed Ruby → Lem |
| 20 | Lem | 3 + Flawed Emerald → Pul |
| 21 | Pul | 2 + Flawed Diamond → Um |
| 22 | Um | 2 + Topaz → Mal |
| 23 | Mal | 2 + Amethyst → Ist |
| 24 | Ist | 2 + Sapphire → Gul |
| 25 | Gul | 2 + Ruby → Vex |
| 26 | Vex | 2 + Emerald → Ohm |
| 27 | Ohm | 2 + Diamond → Lo |
| 28 | Lo | 2 + Flawless Topaz → Sur |
| 29 | Sur | 2 + Flawless Amethyst → Ber |
| 30 | Ber | 2 + Flawless Sapphire → Jah |
| 31 | Jah | 2 + Flawless Ruby → Cham |
| 32 | Cham | 2 + Flawless Emerald → Zod |
