Rixot's Keen

Rixot's Keen is a unique normal Short Sword that provides exceptional value for early-game melee builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected. With a level 2 requirement and powerful crushing blow, this weapon punches far above its weight class during Normal difficulty.

Crushing Blow for Boss Killing

The defining feature of Rixot's Keen is its 25% Chance of Crushing Blow, a stat rarely found on low-level items. Crushing Blow removes a percentage of an enemy's current health with each hit, making it devastatingly effective against high-health targets like act bosses and super uniques in Normal difficulty.

Combined with +100% Enhanced Damage, +5 to Minimum Damage, and 20% Bonus to Attack Rating, this sword delivers reliable damage for characters between levels 2-15. The +25 Defense provides minor survivability, though its real value lies in offensive power.

Best Used For

Rixot's Keen excels for Paladins using Zeal, Barbarians using Double Swing, and other melee characters progressing through Acts 1-2 of Normal difficulty. The crushing blow makes boss fights significantly faster, particularly against Blood Raven, Andariel, and Duriel.

However, the sword falls off quickly. By Act 3 Normal, most players replace it with better rares, runewords like Steel or Strength, or simply progress past its usefulness. The weapon becomes completely obsolete by Nightmare difficulty.

Availability

With treasure class 3 and quality level 3, Rixot's Keen drops from very early enemies. Coldcrow in Normal Cave Level 1 and Rakanishu both have decent drop rates. The sword can also be gambled, though gambling at such low levels is impractical.

Players who find it should consider upgrading through the cube recipe if they want to extend its viability. Upgrading to Gladius (exceptional) raises the level requirement to 23 but significantly increases damage. For most players, however, the upgrade cost exceeds the benefit, and the sword simply gets vendored or stashed for nostalgia.