Ethereal items are an item quality in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo II: Resurrected. They are transparent, and can be magical, socketed, rare or unique. Ethereal items are representative of weapons and armor (but never amulets, rings, arrows, bolts, bows, crossbows, Phase Blades or set items) crafted from other-worldly material.
Ethereal is an item flag, similar to socketed, and is not a prefix or suffix. When an item is ethereal, it gains a bonus to its damage/defense, has reduced durability, has reduced requirements, and is no longer repairable through conventional means.
The bonus to damage or defense is 50%. The new durability is half of the original +1. Strength and Dexterity requirements are reduced by 10 each. The sale value is reduced by 75% or more.
Ethereal items can be self repairing, but if the item breaks, the self repairing attribute will stop working and the item will stay broken with the durability remaining at 0. The same principle doesn't apply to ethereal Throwing Weapons with replenish quantity — even if you hit 0, the attribute will still work and the quantity will be eventually restored.
It is safe to give an ethereal item to hirelings, because equipment used by them will never lose durability.
Whether or not the ethereal condition of items transmuted with the Horadric Cube will be kept depends on the recipe used. As a general rule, recipes that keep the attributes of the original item, like socketing and upgrading recipes, will also carry the ethereal condition to the results, while recipes that generate a new item with new properties, like rerolling or crafting recipes, likewise, won't carry the ethereal condition to the results. None of the Cube recipes that repair items work on ethereal items.
Ethereal items can be used to make Rune Words. An Ethereal item with a Zod Rune will fully negate the side effects of reduced durability (see Indestructible).
Some Unique items Repairs 1 durability in 4/5/10 or 20 seconds and can be ethereal: Sandstorm Trek (Boots), Warlord's Trust (Axe) Ginther's Rift (Sword), Demon Limb (Club), Skin of the Flayed One, Skullder's Ire, Steel Carapace (Armor), Hone Sundan (Spear)
Mercenaries can use ethereal items (Unique, rare, magic etc) without destroying them. Most popular items for Mercenaries: ethereal Andriel's Visage or Crown of Thieves, Vampire Gaze (Helmet), Duriel's Shell, Guardian Angel (Armor), Headstriker (Sword), Tomb Reaver (Polearm), Arioc's Needle (Spear). Less often rare or magic items, Goldskin (Armor).
Very expensive and popular to self use ethereal Titan's Revenge or Thunderstroke (Amazon Javelins), Demon's Arch (Javelins), Also have some value ethereal unique Throwing Weapons. Very expensive rare ethereal Throwing Weapons with Replenish Quantity + other mods.
Some Unique or Rare Ethereal wands, Sorceress Orbs and some other items for cast - can have over-high value if ethereal (for style), like Death's Web, Suicide Branch, Death's Fathom, Eschuta's Temper etc.
Some bases for casters can have over-high value if ethereal (for style), like Staves (with 4 sockets for Memory, 5os for CTA, 6os for Obs), 5os Sceptres for CTA, Perfect Monarch 4os for Spirit.
Some perfect ethereal items use for magic Duels can have high value, like Arachnid Mesh (Belt), Frostburn, Magefist (Gloves), Skin of the Vipermagi (Armor), Waterwalk (Boots), Lidless Wall (Shield) and some other; Rare armor (helms, shields etc).
Newer can be ethereal - Set items, Crafted items, Phase Blade (elite blade).
Phase Blade in any form (magic, rare) cannot be ethereal. If rare ethereal Dimensional Blade or Crystal Sword upgraded - he becomes non-ethereal. Only Ginther's Rift (unique Dimensional Blade) in ethereal form can be upgraded to ethereal Phase blade.
Most expensive bases for runewords is ethereal, socketed and perfect (15ed+3ar) like:
- Berserker Axe: 6OpenSockets for BOTD, or very rare 5os BA for Death - №1 game item
- polearms GT/GPA/CA: 4os for Merc Insight or Infinity, 6os for BOTD
- 4os Mancather for Merc Infinity, 6os War Pike for Merc BOTD
- 4os Sacred Targe or Vortex Shield for Exile
- 4os Sacred Armor for Merc Fortitude
Other specific ethereal items can have over-price value:
- 2os (for Larzuk) magic Sacred Armor with prefix Godly (max +200% defence) and suffix Self-Repair (or of Restoration), can have 2703 defense.
 | This page contains obsolete content This article contains information that is no longer relevant to gameplay. |
The socketing recipes for normal quality items presented a bug if used with ethereal armors (body armor, helm or shield) that would have applied an extra 50% bonus to defense. E.g. an ethereal armor with 100 defense would have yielded the same armor with a random number of sockets and 150 defense instead. These were often referred to as "bugged" or "eth bugged".
See also[]
- Indestructible and Zod Rune
- Self-repair and Ages (suffix)
- Upgrading items
- Imbuing (Charsi Quest)
- Low quality items
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