Diablo 2: How to make an Exile shield
To build an Exile shield in Diablo 2: Resurrected, add a Vex, Ohm, Ist, and Dol rune to a 4-socket Paladin shield. It’s important to add the runes in that order. Exile cannot be done with a Monarch, Ward, or Aegis shield.
On Normal difficulty, a 4-socket Paladin shield can be found as early as Act IV, although the chances grow progressively as you go into Nightmare and Hell. In Act IV Normal or later, you can either acquire Larzuk to add sockets or use the Horadric Cubes add sockets recipe. Having said that, Exile is a costly runeword, therefore failing to obtain an excellent shield on Hell difficulty is a waste (or maybe on the Secret Cow Level on Nightmare difficulty).
This recipe’s Dol rune is the simplest. On Normal difficulty, you might obtain one as early as Act V. If not, you can get it from the Countess or the Hellforge on Nightmare or Hell. Ist drops exclusively in Act V Nightmare and only at the Hellforge or Countess on Hell difficulty. But Ist is easier to gain than Vex or Ohm, which neither the Hellforge nor The Countess will drop. Unless you have two spare Gul runes and a ruby, which can be combined in the Horadric Cube to generate a Vex. If you have two extra Vex runes, mix them with an emerald to construct an Ohm.
An Exile shield’s defensive enhancements and Defiance aura will turn your Paladin into a tank. It just lacks resistance bonuses, so obtain those elsewhere.
Exile’s full list of bonuses is as follows:
- 15% Chance To Cast Level 5 Life Tap On Striking
- Level 13-16 Defiance Aura When Equipped
- +2 To Offensive Auras (Paladin Only)
- +30% Faster Block Rate
- Freezes Target
- +220-260% Enhanced Defense (varies)
- Replenish Life +7
- +5% To Maximum Cold Resist
- +5% To Maximum Fire Resist
- 25% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items
- Repairs 1 Durability in 4 Seconds