Zephyr

Zephyr is the go-to early-game bow runeword in Diablo 2 Resurrected for Amazon Bowazons. Created with Ort and Eth runes in any 2-socket bow or crossbow, it's available at level 21 and provides exceptional speed bonuses that make early leveling significantly smoother.

Speed is Everything

The defining strength of Zephyr is its dual speed boost: +25% Faster Run/Walk and +25% Increased Attack Speed. When combined with Stealth armor and faster run/walk boots, Bowazons become one of the fastest classes in Normal difficulty. This speed advantage lets you kite enemies effectively, position yourself safely, and farm areas more efficiently. The +66 to Attack Rating helps ensure your arrows actually hit targets, while -25% Target Defense makes enemies easier to pierce.

Rune Availability and Bases

Getting the runes is straightforward: Eth drops commonly from Normal Countess, and while Ort doesn't drop from her, you can farm Ral runes (averaging one every 3 runs) and use the Horadric Cube recipe to upgrade 3x Ral into Ort. For the base, shop any 2-socket bow from Charsi in Act 1—a Composite Bow offers balanced damage and speed, or a Short Bow for pure attack speed. The +1-50 Lightning Damage adds a nice damage range boost for early game.

Usage Timeline

Make Zephyr at level 21 and use it through late Normal into early Nightmare. It's viable even as a weapon swap for Javazons who want the mobility when not using javelins. Replace it when you find Edge runeword (Tir + Tal + Amn) for the Thorns aura and life/mana leech, or when unique bows like Raven Claw or Witherstring drop. The 7% Chance to Cast Level 1 Twister When Struck is mostly a visual novelty but can occasionally knock back enemies.