The much-anticipated Diablo II Resurrected: Reign of the Warlock update ushers in an impressive array of new items for all classes, yet it places a strong emphasis on empowering the Warlock. With the arrival of Grimoires, a host of new Uniques and Runewords, renewed Sunder Charms, and innovative Dagger staff mods, players are facing more specialization options and greater build variety than ever. This guide takes you through the latest additions, how the Warlock class interacts with them, and ranks the best classes for each new item type.
D2R New Items in Reign of the Warlock
In 2026, the Warlock makes their presence known, changing the item meta throughout the game. Along with about 30 newly implemented pieces, ranging from powerful tomes and runewords to fresh rings and amulets, players now have more ways to strengthen their characters and diversify their gameplay. This update extends its reach to all classes, but the Warlock reaps the greatest rewards, owing to their exclusive item types and specialized affixes.
D2R Grimoires (How To Use & Get)
The Warlock’s defining item, the Grimoire, stands out as a shield-equivalent for this class. Available in several variants for each quality tier—such as Old Book, Burnt Text, Forgotten Volume, and Blasphemous Grimoire—these powerful offhands often come with Warlock staff mods and can roll with elemental weapon damage (Fire or Magic) akin to the classic Necromancer Shrunken Heads.
Grimoires not only deliver impressive bonuses like enhanced skill levels and faster cast rate (FCR), but also include custom affixes including minus to enemy magic resistance—an attribute that’s particularly sought after in magic-focused builds. Players can further boost their effectiveness by socketing the new gems released alongside the patch.
Ranking (Top Classes for Grimoires):
Warlock: By design, Warlocks benefit most, gaining essential skill and damage enhancements unavailable elsewhere.
Necromancer/Casters: Limited benefit through shield alternatives, though they lack Warlock-specific mods.
D2R New Unique Items (How To Use & Get)
A set of new Uniques tailored to the Warlock class delivers a diverse array of bonuses. These include items like:
Ars Al’ Diablolos (Blapshemous Grimoire): High FCR, Warlock skills, and minus enemy magic resistance, providing solid benefits for magic-oriented players.
Ars Tor’Baalos (Blapshemous Compendium): Plus to demon skills and significant life boost, catering to the Warlock’s survivability and utility.
Measured Wrath (Burnt Text): Early access for mid-game progression, including FCR, vitality, and useful skill bonuses.
Other Uniques, such as Dreadfang or Wraithstep, provide excellent functionality to multiple classes. Dreadfang, for example, packs a substantial chance to cast Amplify Damage and is expected to see strong use on mercenaries as well as for melee builds, while Wraithstep (Mirrored Boots) gives a respectable boost to Eldritch skills, making it ideal for Warlock players orienting toward elemental builds.
Ranking (Best Classes for the New Uniques):
Warlock: Easily tops the list due to direct skill synergies and exclusive offhands.
Sorceress/Paladin: Can utilize some Uniques (like Void or Dreadfang) for certain caster/melee hybrids.
Barbarian/Amazon: Find use mostly with generic or physical-boosting Uniques such as Dreadfang.
D2R New Runewords (How To Use & Get)
The new set of runewords diversify build options for many classes. Here’s a snapshot:
Void (3 Socket Dagger: Thul + Zod + Ist): Delivers indestructibility, FCR, and a big bonus to magic skill damage, along with OSkills like Abyss. Numerous caster builds are expected to use this, considering its competitive edge over Heart of the Oak for Hammerdins and others.
Coven (3 Socket Helm: Ist + Ral + Io): With plus skills, FCR, fire resist, and MF, it serves as a solid mid-game helm that can bridge gaps before players find class-specific options.
Vigilence (2 Socket Shield: Dol + Gul): Offers life, mana, poison resistance, and substantial all resistances, potentially useful for Necromancers and Warlocks alike.
Ritual (3 Socket Dagger: Amn + Shael + Ohm): Focused on physical and anti-demon performance with AR and life leech, appeals primarily to melee builds or Warlock players experimenting with hybrid setups.
Authority (3 Socket Body Armor: Hel + Shael + Ral): Notable for plus skills and utility mods, providing an accessible early-game boost to Warlocks.
Runewords like Void are particularly sought after, with many hailing it as a top-tier piece for a variety of caster specs.
Ranking (Runeword Usage by Class):
Warlock: Most versatile and gains substantial power from both Void and Ritual.
Paladin: Hammerdins now often favor Void for the magic damage bonus.
Necromancer/Sorceress: Find value in Coven and Void for spellcasting builds.
Barbarian: Niche cases, e.g., dual Void singer Barbs.
D2R New Sunder Charms (How To Use & Get)
With criticism around the old Sunder Charm system, the update now links Sunder drops to specific heralds—special mobs encountered by hunting terror zones, making them far rarer and more desirable. Each Sunder Charm that drops now begins at its maximum value, providing a clear starting point, but further improvement comes via the renewal recipe. This process allows players to cube their Sunder with a gem, a rune, and world stone shards, granting new possible stat combinations, such as added skill damage, minus enemy resistance, life or mana, move speed, and other defensive or farming boosts.
Not only do Warlocks benefit from custom Sunder stats like minus magic resist, but all classes now have a reason to hunt for heralds and optimize their Sunder via renewal.
Ranking (Sunder Charms by Class):
All Classes: Receive equal potential; the best Sunder type varies with each build (e.g., Sorceress for elemental, Warlock for magic, Barbarian for physical).
Warlock: Especially benefits from magic res reduction and other synergy effects.
Sorceress: Strong use for classic cold/light/fire builds.
D2R Sets: Warlock’s Bane’s Garments and Horazon’s Splendor (How To Use & Get)
Normal and Elite sets for Warlock, like Bane’s Garments and Horazon’s Splendor, focus heavily on enhancing both survivability and offense for the class. Bane’s Garments bring a useful mix of max damage, attack rating for early leveling, FCR, and substantial magic resist, making it one of the better low-level sets compared to others in the game. Meanwhile, Horazon’s Splendor delivers everything from crushing blow and resistances to plus skills and 100% magic find, ensuring Warlocks can farm effectively and push endgame content.
The boots from Horazon’s Splendor—with cannot be frozen, strength, dexterity, and magic resistance—are proving to be essential not only for Warlocks but also as a high-demand PvP staple for other classes.
Ranking (Set Usage):
Warlock: Both sets are tailored for Warlocks and provide best-in-slot bonuses.
Other Classes: Can utilize individual armor or boots for PvP or leveling niches.
Dagger Staff Mods (How To Use & Get)
The shift allowing daggers to randomly roll +1-3 to any Warlock skill (up to three skills per dagger), and their addition to vendor inventory, means Warlocks can gear up efficiently from vendors like Akara, Drognan, Ormus, Jamella, and Malah. Daggers no longer appear through gambling, ensuring a more streamlined route to assembling a potent skill setup early in the game.
Ranking:
Warlock: Main beneficiary, allowing highly customized weapon skill combinations from the onset.
Other Classes: No comparable effect.
While Reign of the Warlock shines a spotlight on its newest class, several of the new items—Uniques, Runewords, and Charms—offer real value for the whole playerbase. Warlocks benefit the most, especially with exclusive Grimoires and dagger staff mods, while Paladins and Sorceresses will find strong build upgrades among the runewords and renewed Sunder charms. New boots, rings, and amulets bring quality-of-life improvements across the board.
Not every item will become the new standard, but the combination of fresh gear, the rarity of truly powerful finds, and the excitement around optimizing the new Sunder system provide ample rewards for creative and persistent players.