Ancient's Pledge

Ancient's Pledge is a resistance-focused shield runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected that's guaranteed to every player. Created with Ral, Ort, and Tal runes in any 3-socket shield, it's available at level 21 and provides essential resistances for surviving Nightmare and Hell difficulties.

The Resistance Solution

Ancient's Pledge delivers massive resistances across the board: +48% Fire Resist, +48% Lightning Resist, +48% Poison Resist, and +43% Cold Resist. These resistances are crucial because Nightmare difficulty inflicts a -40% resistance penalty, and Hell difficulty inflicts a brutal -100% penalty. This shield helps offset those penalties and keeps you alive against elemental damage. The 10% Damage Goes to Mana is a bonus for casters who need mana sustain.

Quest Reward Runes

The unique feature of Ancient's Pledge is that all three runes are given as a quest reward from Qual-Kehk in Act 5 after completing "Rescue on Mount Arreat." This makes it the most accessible runeword in the game—you're literally handed the ingredients. If you need to make it before Act 5, farm Normal Countess for Ral and Tal, then use the Horadric Cube to upgrade 3 x Ral to make Ort.

When to Use and Replace

Make Ancient's Pledge as soon as you reach Nightmare difficulty and resistances become critical. It remains viable well into Hell difficulty for Hardcore characters who prioritize survival. Use it in a 3-socket shield from Fara in Act 2, or in a Paladin shield with inherent resistances if you're a Paladin. Replace it with Spirit shield (Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn) once you can farm the runes and need the Faster Cast Rate, or keep it if you still need the resistances.