Stone Rune Word

Stone is the rune word  for body armor in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction''.

Stone is a relatively uncommon rune word when compared with more popular choices such as Chains of Honor and Enigma. However, Stone is cheaper to make, and offers many useful bonuses for mid-to-late game.

Stone's primary benefits are its large boost to defense, and significantly increased hit recovery. In addition to these bonuses Stone also features a modest increase to strength, vitality, energy, and all resistances. Finally it grants charges of Clay Golem and Molten Boulder.

Stone is not intended for any particular class, though characters with high strength will be able to wear heavier armor, and thus benefit more from the increased defense.

Stone's charges of Clay Golem are arguably its most useful attribute. When worn by a non-Necromancer (or a Necromancer who does not specialize in Golems), the level 16 Golem granted by Stone can serve as an effective tank through much of Nightmare and into Hell difficulty. When combined with a melee-oriented hireling and other summons (e.g. Valkyrie, Shadow Master, Grizzly) the player can have a very effective close-combat force. This can be especially useful for ranged characters who rely on summons and hirelings to take the brunt of the damage directed towards them.

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