Wiki / Items worth keeping
Items Worth Keeping
What to pick up, what to identify and what to keep. Socket counts and runeword bases are checked against the game files, and roll values show the best the game allows on that item type, so you know what a perfect drop looks like.
Pickup checklist
A quick checklist by item colour. The sections below explain what makes each one good.
Grey (socketed / ethereal)
Normal items that already have sockets or are ethereal: runeword material.
- Berserker Axe— 4-6 Sockets
- Thresher— Superior and/or Ethereal.
- Giant Thresher
- Colossus Voulge
- Cryptic Axe— 4-5 Sockets
- Body Armor— 500+ / 800+ Defense. 3-4 Sockets. Superior and/or Ethereal.
- Ethereal Elite Weapon— 5-6 Sockets.
- Elite Paladin Shield— 3-4 Sockets. 35+ Resist.
White
Plain bases worth socketing, or with useful built-in skills.
- Matriarchal Pike
- Matriarchal Spear
- Grand Matron Bow
- Matriarchal Bow— 4 Sockets. +3 Skills.
- Necro-Wands— 2 Sockets. +3 Bone Spirit.
- Archon Staff— 4 Sockets. +3 Skills
- Druid Pelt— 3 Sockets. +3 Skills.
- Barb Helmet— 3 Sockets. +3 Skills.
- Runic Talons— 3 Sockets. +3 Skills.
- Greater Talons— 3 Sockets. +3 Skills.
- Feral Claws— 3 Sockets. +3 Skills.
Blue (magic): identify these
Identify and check the rolls against the magic items list below.
- Small Charm
- Grand Charm
- Jewel
- Elite Body Armor
- Monarch
- Elite Paladin Shield
- Assassin Claws
- Amazon Javelins
- Barb Helmet
- Druid Pelt
- Tiara
- Coronet
- Diadem
- Amulet
- Ring
Yellow (rare): identify these
Identify and check the rolls against the rare items list below.
- Ethereal Crystal Sword
- Ethereal Dimensional Blade
- Ethereal common weapon types
- Ethereal all armor
- Amulet
- Ring
- Jewel
- Diadem
- Tiara
- Coronet
- Gloves
- Boots
- Belts
- Class Items
- Helmets
Runeword bases
Normal (white or grey) bases worth keeping for runewords. Superior bases add up to +15% damage or defense on top of the runeword.
| Base | Max sockets | Superior | Runewords |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berserker Axe | 6 | Wanted |
|
| Giant Thresher | 6 | Wanted | |
| Cryptic Axe | 5 | Wanted | |
| Colossus Voulge | 4 | Wanted | |
| Thresher | 5 | Wanted | |
| Sacred Armor | 4 | Wanted |
|
| Mage Plate | 3 | Wanted |
|
| Colossus Blade | 6 | Wanted |
|
| War Pike | 6 | Wanted |
|
| Matriarchal Spear +3 Javelin and Spear Skills | 6 | Wanted |
|
| Grand Matron Bow +3 Bow and Crossbow Skills | 5 | Wanted |
|
| Thunder Maul | 6 | Wanted |
|
| Mythical Sword Ethereal with 3 sockets: a weapon for the Act 5 mercenary | 3 | Wanted |
|
| Vortex Shield | 4 | Wanted |
|
| Savage Helmet +3 Double Throw, +3 Throwing Mastery | 3 | Wanted | |
| Sun Spirit +3 Armageddon, +3 Molten Boulder | 3 | Wanted |
|
| Lich Wand +3 Bone Spirit, +2 Optional Skill, +3 Bone Spear | 2 | — |
|
| Runic Talons +3 Mind Blast, +3 Lightning Sentry, +2 Weapon Block | 3 | Wanted | |
| Feral Claws +3 Mind Blast, +3 Lightning Sentry, +2 Weapon Block | 3 | Wanted | |
| Archon Staff +3 Lightning Mastery, +2 Energy Shield, +3 Nova | 6 | — |
|
| Monarch | 4 | Wanted |
|
| Crystal Sword | 6 | — |
|
| Flail | 5 | — |
|
| Phase Blade | 6 | — |
|
Magic items
Blue items worth keeping when they roll like this. Values are the best the game allows; anything close is still good.
- Larzuk can socket magic items too (up to 2 sockets).
- Rule of thumb: Check charms, jewels and class items.
| Item | Rolls to look for |
|---|---|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Jewel |
|
| Grand Charm |
|
| Grand Charm |
|
| Grand Charm |
|
| Grand Charm |
|
| Grand Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Small Charm |
|
| Body Armor |
|
| Body Armor |
|
| Elite Paladin Shields |
Magic items can't hold runewords; these are worth keeping as they are. |
| Exceptional & Elite Amazon Javelins |
|
| Exceptional & Elite Assassin Claws |
|
| Barbarian Helmets |
|
| Druid Pelts |
|
| Circlet/Tiara/Diadem/Coronets |
|
| Circlet/Tiara/Diadem/Coronets |
|
| Circlet/Tiara/Diadem/Coronets |
A magic circlet has one prefix and one suffix, so it can't also have a skill tree bonus. |
| Amulet |
|
| Amulet |
|
| Ring |
|
Rare & crafted items
Yellow (rare) and orange (crafted) items. A number with + is a minimum to look for; (up to N) is the best possible roll.
| Item | Rolls to look for | For |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereal Crystal Sword |
| |
| Ethereal Dimensional Blade |
| |
| Ethereal Berserker Axe |
| |
| Amulet |
| |
| Jewelry(crafted) |
| |
| Ring |
| Caster |
| Ring |
| Melee |
| Circlet/Tiara/Diadem/Coronets |
| |
| Gloves |
| |
| Gloves |
| |
| Boots |
| |
| Belt |
| |
| Class-Items |
| |
| Ethereal Boneweave |
| |
| Ethereal War Gauntlets |
| |
| Ethereal Battle Belt |
|
Valuable affixes
If an unidentified item can roll these, it's worth identifying.
Increased Attack SpeedEnhanced Damage %Maximum DamageFaster Cast RateFaster Run/WalkFaster Block RateAttack RatingLife LeechMana LeechStrengthDexterityLifeResistancesMagic Find
Adding sockets
Horadric Cube recipes that add sockets to a normal (white) item. The number of sockets is random, up to the base's maximum.
- 1 Tal Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Topaz + 1 Normal Torso Armor → Socketed Torso Armor
- 1 Ral Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + 1 Normal Weapon → Socketed Weapon
- 1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + 1 Normal Helm → Socketed Helm
- 1 Tal Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Ruby + 1 Normal Shield → Socketed Shield
All recipes: Cube recipes.