Famine

Famine is an underused runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected created with Fal + Ohm + Ort + Jah in 4-socket axes or hammers. Despite offering respectable stats including diverse elemental damage, this runeword is rarely made due to its prohibitive rune cost and superior alternatives available for the same investment.

Elemental Damage Arsenal

The defining feature of Famine is its multi-element damage profile: Adds 180-200 Magic Damage, Adds 50-200 Fire Damage, Adds 51-250 Lightning Damage, and Adds 50-200 Cold Damage. This colorful damage spread allows Famine to hit physical-immune monsters that would otherwise be unkillable for pure physical builds.

Combined with +320-370% Enhanced Damage and Ignore Target's Defense, the runeword provides solid base damage with guaranteed hit chance. The 12% Life Stolen Per Hit offers excellent sustain for melee combat, while Prevent Monster Heal stops enemy regeneration.

The Rune Cost Problem

The critical flaw of Famine is requiring both Ohm and Jah runes—two of the most valuable and in-demand runes in the game. Ohm is essential for Call to Arms, while Jah is half of Enigma, arguably the most important runeword in Diablo 2.

Players who possess a Jah rune will almost universally save it for Enigma rather than spend it on Famine. The opportunity cost is simply too high—Enigma's teleport fundamentally changes gameplay, while Famine is just a decent weapon with no unique mechanics.

Superior Alternatives

For the rune investment required, Grief (using Lo instead of Jah) provides vastly superior damage output and is the best-in-slot weapon for most melee builds. Breath of the Dying, while expensive, offers Indestructible allowing ethereal bases and includes Prevent Monster Heal alongside massive damage.

Even budget options outperform Famine in specific scenarios. Oath provides comparable damage at a fraction of the cost. Unique weapons like The Grandfather or Tomb Reaver offer competitive stats without consuming valuable high runes.

Theoretical Use Cases

The only build where Famine gains marginal viability is melee Sorceresses using Enchant builds, where the Jah rune's Ignore Target's Defense helps land hits without significant attack rating investment. The elemental damage synergizes with Enchant's fire damage, and the diverse elements help against various immunities.

However, even here, Passion runeword in a Phase Blade provides better attack speed and attack rating bonuses at significantly lower cost, making Famine unnecessary.

Market Reality

The community notes Famine's fundamental problem: there's neither supply nor demand. Players don't make it because better options exist, and nobody wants to buy it because they'd rather spend Jah on Enigma. This creates a market dead zone where the runeword simply doesn't get traded or used.

While Famine offers reasonably powerful stats on paper, the combination of expensive runes and mediocre performance versus alternatives relegates it to theoretical curiosity rather than practical choice. Players hunting a Jah rune should save it for Enigma or cube toward Ber, not waste it on Famine.

Best Bases (If Making It)

If creating Famine for experimentation, use Berserker Axe for optimal speed and damage, or War Pike for hammers. The lack of Indestructible prevents ethereal base usage, limiting damage potential.