Bulwark

Bulwark is a defensive helm runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected introduced in Patch 2.6 that provides excellent physical damage mitigation and life sustain. Created with Shael + Io + Sol in any 3-socket helm, it's essentially a budget Vampire Gaze perfect for melee characters and mercenaries.

Physical Damage Tank

Bulwark excels at mitigating physical damage with Damage Reduced by 7 and Physical Damage Received Reduced by 10-15%. This dual-layer protection is particularly valuable against hard-hitting physical enemies in Hell difficulty. The helm also provides 4-6% Life Stolen Per Hit, giving melee builds crucial life leech, and Replenish Life +30 for passive regeneration between combat.

Additional Survivability

Beyond damage reduction, Bulwark grants +20% Faster Hit Recovery to minimize stun-lock, +75-100% Enhanced Defense for better armor rating, +10 to Vitality, and Increase Maximum Life 5%. This comprehensive defensive package makes the helm excellent for both players and Act 2 mercenaries who need survivability during Nightmare and early Hell progression.

Best Classes and Bases

Bulwark works best for melee classes including Barbarians, shapeshifting Druids, Martial Arts Assassins, and Zealots. Barbarians should use class-specific helms with +skills like Armet or Alpha Helm. Druids benefit from Druid Pelts with +skills. Other classes can use Crown or Grand Crown for balanced defense and strength requirements. For mercenaries, any high-defense elite helm works perfectly.

Availability

All three runes drop from Nightmare Countess, making it very affordable. Use Bulwark through mid-game until replacing it with Andariel's Visage, Vampire Gaze, or Crown of Ages in endgame builds.