In Diablo 2 Resurrected, which items are worth picking up?

Dec-15-2023

Many players are entangled with which items to pick up and how to assess its value in D2R. This poses a headache, especially for beginners, due to limited inventory space and the fact that item value isn't solely determined by color.

While most players initially prioritize blue items over white ones, gold items over blue, and consider unique (set) items the most valuable, seasoned players realize that white items serve as base materials for crafting Runewords, blue items can appear top-tier items like scepters, and gold items, such as circlets, possess unique attributes. Relying solely on item color becomes confusing when deciding what to pick up. This guide focuses on the value of different colors in helms, amulets, armor, and shields, then you can determine whether those items are worth picking up.

Starting with helm, excluding class-specific items, we have helmets and circlets. White helmets can generally be ignored, and while they serve as Runeword base materials, there's no need to prioritize them. During the early phase, pick up some green or gold helmets for transitioning; blue ones can be ignored. In the post stage, unless it's a unique circlet, there's no need to pick up gold helmets.

In contrast, for circlets, any blue one is worth picking up, especially those with additional attributes like +30% movement speed, three sockets, increased skill levels, or life leech. Gold circlets are a must-pick, and unique circlets, like the rare "Crown of Ages" or "Veil of Steel" hold significant value.

After completing Charsi's quest in Act 1, where he upgrades a white item to gold for free, the optimal choice is upgrading a white circlet to gold, taking a chance at crafting a top-tier circlet.

Next up is amulets. There are no white ones, and blue ones can be skipped. Gold amulets, especially those increasing skill levels like "Mara's Kaleidoscope" are valuable. Green amulets, such as "Tal Rasha's Adjudication" have utility in the early game, but later, prioritize gold amulets or "Mara's Kaleidoscope."

For armor, skip white items unless used as base materials. Runewords like "Fortitude" and "Enigma" utilize specific white armors. Blue armor has limited use, and gold armor values rarely surpass exceptional or elite Runewords. Unique or set gold armors are exceptions and should be picked up. Class-specific elite armors can also be valuable.

In the shield category, white shields are noteworthy if they're a "Monarch" due to low strength requirements, ideal for Runewords like "Spirit." Blue shields, especially Monarchs, may yield valuable Runewords. If you already have a high-quality Runeword shield, you can ignore gold and even unique or set shields.