Holy Thunder

Holy Thunder is a Paladin-focused scepter runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected that's rarely worth making. Created with Eth, Ral, Ort, and Tal runes in any 4-socket scepter, it's available at level 21 but faces a critical limitation: 4-socket scepters don't drop in Normal difficulty.

The Base Problem

While the runes for Holy Thunder are easily obtained from the "Rescue on Mount Arreat" quest in Act 5, you cannot get a 4-socket scepter until Nightmare difficulty. This defeats the purpose of a "low-level" runeword. By the time you can actually make it, you're already past the point where its stats are impressive. The +3 to Holy Shock is Paladin-only, and most Paladins will respec to Hammerdin shortly after reaching level 21 anyway.

Mediocre Stats

Even if you could make it early, Holy Thunder offers underwhelming bonuses. The +60% Enhanced Damage and +10 to Maximum Damage are modest. The elemental damage—5-30 Fire Damage, 21-110 Lightning Damage, and +75 Poison Damage—sounds impressive but scales poorly. The Level 7 Chain Lightning (60 Charges) is a novelty at best. The +60% Lightning Resist and +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist are the only truly useful stats.

Skip It

There's almost no reason to make Holy Thunder. By Nightmare, Paladins have better options, and the runes are better saved for other runewords. If you desperately need a scepter, look for rare or magic scepters with +skills instead. This runeword is a relic from original Diablo 2 that hasn't aged well in D2R.