The Horadric Cube is one of gaming's most intuitive items and is right up there with Half-Life 2's gravity gun as one of the most revolutionary video game tools ever invented. It's Diablo 2's love letter to its dedicated and curious fans. Diablo 2: Resurrected rightfully brings back the Horadric Cube in its full function and a more high-res makeover.
Its recipe list remains as vast as ever with tons of alchemical combinations that let players craft their own weapons and armor. Some of these combinations are even necessary if players want to min-max their character. Seeing as Diablo 2: Resurrected retains the original's hardcore mechanics, then it's rather crucial to remember some of the handiest Horadric Cube recipes.
Updated December 12, 2021, by Sid Natividad: It just so happens that Diablo 2 Resurrected Horadric Cube recipes are quite extensive. As players progress in their journey to rid Sanctuary of the three Prime Evils, they'll run across some problems that can be eased using some nifty D2R Horadric Cube recipes. They'll even discover some of these D2R Cube recipes in Hell difficulty.
That speaks volumes about the vastness of D2R's crafting system. Thus it can even be daunting to try to pick the best Horadric Cube recipes in an ocean of them. Some of them aren't really all that useful anyway. Thankfully, this list has received its much-needed update and more D2r Cube recipes have been added— especially the ones most crucial for gameplay advantage.
13 White Item Socketing
- White/Normal Weapon (not Superior, not Low-Quality/Broken) + Ral Rune + Amn Rune + Perfect Amethyst
- White/Normal Body Armor + Tal Rune + Thul Rune + Perfect Topaz
- White/Normal Helm + Ral Rune + Thul Rune + Perfect Sapphire
- White/Normal Shield + Tal Rune + Amn Rune + Perfect Ruby
In Diablo 2 Resurrected or the original one, it's quite a Herculean challenge to find socketed items that fit the right number of sockets needed for a Runeword. Meanwhile, Larzuk's quest only gives the maximum number of sockets, which isn't always desired.
That's why the recipes above will provide a good opportunity to gamble for the number of sockets needed for a Runeword. It does only work in items with white names and without the Superior prefix. Also, the number of sockets will be randomized per attempt.
12 Clearing Item Sockets
- Socketed Item (filled sockets)
- Hel Rune
- Scroll of Town Portal
Some socketed items are simply too perfect to be discarded. Because there are instances when players will find a better Runeword set and they don't want to grind to find a Runeword base. Hence, clearing up a good socketed item to make room for a more powerful Runeword can save time.
The recipe above (which is thankfully cheap) will remove any existing runes, gems, or jewels in an occupied socketed item. One can also use it to destroy or clear up Runewords so it pays to be careful with this recipe. The items in the socket can't be recovered and are lost forever.
11 Unique Item Upgrading
- Normal Unique Armor + Shael Rune + Tal Rune + Perfect Diamond = Exceptional
- Exceptional Unique Armor + Lem Rune + Ko Rune + Perfect Diamond = Elite
- Normal Unique Weapon + Sol Rune + Ral Rune + Perfect Emerald = Exceptional
- Exceptional Unique Weapon + Lum Rune + Pul Rune + Perfect Emerald = Elite
Some unique items in Diablo 2 can be more powerful than Runewords while some have no Runeword competition and are simply best-in-slot. They're not always at their best versions though but there's a fix for that. Players can play around with the recipes above to upgrade the tier of their unique items.
That's because Normal-tier items are usually from the Normal difficulty, Exceptionals are from Nightmare, and Elites are from Hell. Players can keep upgrading their stuff until they become Elite-tier when it comes to stats.
10 Caster Amulet Crafting
- Blue/Magical Amulet
- Ral Rune
- Perfect Amethyst
- Jewel
Caster Amulets are not only the best amulets for caster classes such as the Hammerdin, Sorceress builds, Druid builds, or Necromancer but they're also a fairly consistent way of getting rich. That's because Caster Amulets are in-demand.
Many players can't be bothered to gamble for the good rolls on a Caster Amulets. So if players aren't going to craft Caster Amulets for their own casters, then they can at least sell them. Just be on the lookout for Amethysts and Ral Runes.
9 Full Rejuvenation Potion Crafting
- Three Rejuvenation Potions = Full Rejuvenation Potion
- 3 Healing Potions (any type) + 3 Mana Potions (any type) + normal-grade Gem or Skull = Full Rejuvenation Potion
Full Rejuvenation Potions are always welcome in any player's inventory and at times, they can even be overpowered. In Hardcore mode, they are a must. Too bad they can be rather rare as drops and players tend to consume a lot of them.
Luckily, they can be crafted. The second recipe is an easier way to obtain them as the most expensive requirement is only a normal-grade gem or skull. These are quite common and readily available in Normal and Nightmare difficulty.
8 Magic Weapon Reroll
- Three Chipped Gems
- A Magic Weapon
It's not useful for endgame or late-game but during the Normal Act, not getting the right Magic Weapon for a build can be disheartening. Thankfully, players can force their preferred weapon stats with the Horadric Cube using three Chipped Gems and a Magic Weapon.
It doesn't matter which colors the gems are. This recipe will result in a low-level Magic Weapon with randomized stats and qualities as well. The resulting item also comes with a socket. Players can keep trying again and again until they get their desired weapon stats or qualities.
7 Gem Upgrades
- Three of any same-color gems with quality lower than Perfect
One of the simplest combinations for the Horadric Cube, upgrading one's gems is also a good way to clear up stash space. There's no shortage of Chipped Gems or Skulls in Diablo 2 regardless of the difficulty level. Instead of waiting for the higher tier of the said Gems, players can make their own.
All they need is three Gems of the same color in the Horadric Cube. As long as the Gem quality is lower than Perfect, this will result in a single Gem of the next tier. Come Nightmare or above, it's almost necessary to have Perfect Gems.
6 Resistance Rings
- Any Ring + Perfect Emerald + Antidote Potion = Jade Ring (Poison Resistance)
- Any Ring + Perfect Ruby+ Exploding Potion = Garnet Ring (Fire Resistance)
- Any Ring + Perfect Sapphire + Thawing Potion = Cobalt Ring (Cold Resistance)
- Any Ring + Perfect Topaz + Rejuvenation Potion = Coral Ring (Lightning Resistance)
Why would players want a surplus of Perfect Gems in higher difficulty levels? Because the most common source of death in said difficulties is elemental attacks. That's because Nightmare or Hell gives negative elemental resistances.
As such, having rings that address those negative resistances in bulk numbers is mandatory for survival. Perfect Gems are the rarest crafting materials needed for the elemental resistance rings.
5 Prismatic Amulet (Elemental Resistance)
- Perfect Amethyst
- Perfect Emerald
- Perfect Ruby
- Perfect Sapphire
- Perfect Topaz
- Perfect Diamond
- Any Amulet
Another usage for that surplus of Perfect Gems is a more encompassing and generous alternative to resistance rings. That would be the Prismatic Amulet which provides a resistance percentage for all elements. It's a good way to cover all the bases if one doesn't have a Mara's Kaleidoscope.
The chore here is that it needs six Perfect Gems. This can take a while to farm especially if players keep using up their Gems. However, it's worth it and will surely make any character tanky, especially against the major bosses.
4 Savage Polearm
- Any Diamond
- Any Staff
- Any Kris
- Any Belt
The general consensus among the community is that the best companions in Diablo 2 are the mercenaries from Act 2. Those guys from Lut Gholein are mini-Paladin and come with their own useful aura. Of course, you'll still want them to contribute much to the damage pool.
That's why arming them with a Polearm containing the Savage prefix is a good decision. The Savage prefix adds up to 80 percent Enhanced Damage. In the early game, this makes the Lut Gholein mercenaries one-shot most mob enemies.
3 Secret Cow Level Portal
- Wirt's Leg
- Tome of Town Portal
Once players get past Normal Difficulty, the game gets more fun with the Easter Eggs and secrets. One of the most popular ones (making it not-so-secret anymore) is the hilarious Secret Cow Level. It's a place that offers good farming opportunities due to mob concentration.
Beyond that, the item drops tend to be good as well since the enemies are slow. In order to access it, players will need to combine Wirt's Leg and a Tome of Town Portal. Afterward, a red portal will open and it's time to cut up some medium-rare steaks for rare items.
2 Weapon & Armor Repair & Recharge
- An Ort Rune + Any Chipped Gem + Broken/Drained Weapon
- A Ral Rune + Any Flawed Gem + Broken/Drained Armor
In some cases in Diablo 2, players will find a weapon or armor that has an overpowered and META spell that fits well with their build. The limited charges can dissuade them from using it too much.
Turns out they needn't be conservative. Any weapon or armor with charges can be recharged using the specific runes mentioned above. As an added bonus, players can also repair the said items without any monetary cost or a trip to the blacksmith. Do note that Ethereal armor remains irreparable regardless.
1 Rare Item Crafting
Rare items can sometimes prove to be more powerful than Unique ones since they can fit in certain builds independently. The problem is that Rare items often have randomized qualities or prefixes or sometimes lack sockets to make them more viable for certain builds.
Again, the Horadric Cube solves this issue. All players have to do is follow the formulae below.
Socketing Rare Items
- Three Perfect Skulls
- Stone of Jordan
- Rare Item
In order for Rare items to fully realize their potential, some expensive items are needed. The three perfect skulls should be realistically achievable and even easy for some. The Stone of Jordan, on the other hand, might take a while. It's an in-demand item and has other uses, such as spawning Uber Diablo.
Higher Level Rare Item Exchange
- A Perfect Skull
- Stone of Jordan
- Rare Item
It can be easy to confuse this recipe for that one above so just be mindful. This works well if players have a surplus of lower-level Rare items from their previous runs and they've reached the endgame. That or it's great for replacing Rare items they've outgrown.
Following the formula above yields in a Rare item that has a higher level, better stats, and better prefixes or suffixes. Afterward, players can focus on socketing them though that can get expensive. Still, anything expensive is usually worth it in Diablo 2.