Breath of the Dying

Breath of the Dying is one of the most iconic endgame melee runewords in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Requiring Vex + Hel + El + Eld + Zod + Eth in a 6-socket weapon, this legendary runeword delivers devastating damage with comprehensive utility stats, making it the premier non-ladder melee weapon option.

Raw Power Package

The stat block on Breath of the Dying reads like a wish list for melee characters. +350-400% Enhanced Damage combines with +60% Increased Attack Speed, 12-15% Life Stolen per Hit, and 7% Mana Stolen per Hit to create a self-sustaining damage machine. The Indestructible modifier from Zod allows ethereal bases to maintain their 50% bonus damage permanently, pushing damage numbers into the stratosphere.

The Ethereal Advantage

The defining feature of Breath of the Dying is its ability to make ethereal weapons permanent. An ethereal Berserker Axe, Colossus Blade, or Thunder Maul becomes indestructible while retaining the massive damage increase from ethereal quality. This creates one-handed weapons exceeding 1,300 maximum damage or two-handed weapons approaching similar heights with superior attack speed.

Best Uses & Builds

Act 2 Mercenaries

The most common application in modern D2R is on Act 2 mercenaries for builds that don't need Infinity, Pride, or The Reaper's Toll. Goldfind Barbarians and Bone Necromancers particularly benefit, as they want raw mercenary damage without corpse-shattering effects. The 50% chance to cast level 20 Poison Nova on kill adds supplemental damage without destroying corpses.

Physical Melee Characters

Barbarians, Paladins, and Druids can use Breath of the Dying for tremendous damage output. However, it faces stiff competition from Grief in one-handed weapons, which provides superior overall damage through its flat +damage modifier. For two-handed weapons, Death often edges out Breath of the Dying in pure damage calculations.

The Grief Problem

In modern D2R, Breath of the Dying struggles against Grief's dominance. Despite Breath of the Dying's impressive percentage-based damage, Grief's flat +damage modifier scales better with attack speed, resulting in approximately 30% higher damage output on most builds. This relegates Breath of the Dying to niche applications or single-player where ladder runewords aren't available.

Comprehensive Stat Block

Beyond damage, Breath of the Dying provides +30 to All Attributes, +200% Damage to Undead, -25% Target Defense, Prevent Monster Heal, and Requirements -20%. These create a well-rounded weapon that excels in every situation, particularly in areas with undead enemies like the Chaos Sanctuary.

Rune Cost Considerations

Zod is the rarest rune in the game, but paradoxically one of the least valuable high runes due to limited applications. This makes Breath of the Dying relatively affordable compared to Grief or Infinity. The remaining runes are mid-tier and easily obtained, with Vex being the only other notable cost.

Best Bases

• Ethereal Berserker Axe - The optimal one-handed base, offering the highest damage-per-second ratio among one-handed weapons when ethereal. Low strength requirements from the runeword's -20% make it accessible
• Ethereal Colossus Blade / Colossus Sword - Popular two-handed options with devastating damage ranges. Colossus Blade is slightly faster while Colossus Sword offers marginally higher maximum damage
• Ethereal Thunder Maul - The highest maximum damage base in the game. Slower attack speed is offset by the runeword's +60% IAS, creating a devastating boss killer