Cure

Cure is a defensive helm runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected introduced in Patch 2.6 that specializes in poison resistance and curse protection. Created with Shael + Io + Tal in any 3-socket helm, it's designed to counter poison-heavy areas and bosses.

Poison and Curse Defense

Cure provides Poison Resist +40-60% and Poison Length Reduced by 50%, making it excellent against Andariel, Coldworm the Burrower in Maggot Lair, and poison-dealing mummies in Act 2. The Level 1 Cleansing Aura When Equipped further reduces poison duration by 39% (stacking for 89% total reduction) and significantly shortens curse durations like Amplify Damage and Decrepify. This makes Cure particularly valuable for mercenaries who need to self-heal without poison interference.

Prayer Mercenary Synergy

When equipped on an Act 2 Prayer mercenary alongside the Insight runeword, Cure creates a powerful triple-aura synergy. Prayer synergizes with both Meditation (from Insight) and Cleansing (from Cure), resulting in exceptionally fast health and mana regeneration that often eliminates the need for potions entirely. This Cure + Insight + Prayer mercenary setup has become the preferred configuration for many builds. The combined auras also drastically reduce poison duration and curse effects, making your mercenary nearly unkillable.

Best Uses and Bases

Use Cure as a swap helm for specific poison-heavy encounters or equip it on Act 2 mercenaries for consistent survivability. The helm also provides +20% Faster Hit Recovery, +75-100% Enhanced Defense, +10 to Vitality, and Increase Maximum Life 5%. Barbarians and Druids should use class-specific helms with +skills. All three runes drop from Nightmare Countess, making this very affordable.