Quick answer: Identify high runes, craft/reroll rune packs, perfect gems, Uber keys, elite bases, skill/FCR blues, well-rolled rares and crafts, high-demand sets/uniques, skillers, life charms, 15/40 jewels and Rainbow Facets. Sections below list what to keep and why — not Ist quotes. Live prices: Traderie / d2jsp.

How to read this guide

Diablo II: Resurrected drops six qualities players care about for trade: currency (runes/gems/keys), white/gray bases, magic (blue), rare (yellow) and crafted (orange), set (green), and unique (gold), plus charms and jewels. Most of every pile is vendor trash. This page is a keep-or-vendor identification guide — the same job as a veteran “item ID” post — organized by quality so you can scan a drop and decide in seconds.

We do not publish forum-gold or Ist price tables. Ladder age, patch metas and supply move numbers weekly. When a line says “high demand,” it means the item usually finds a buyer or is BiS for a popular build; check trading sites before you sell. Sources for demand tiers include Maxroll’s valuable unique/set and magic-item lists and community keep guides.

Keep signalWhat it meansTypical action
Always identifyCommon trade fodder or near-universal BiSID, stash, price-check
Often keepBuild-specific BiS or mid demandID; sell if you will not use it
Self-use / early ladderUseful until you upgradeKeep one; vendor extras later
VendorOutclassed, wrong tree, or no buyerSell to Charsi unless collecting Holy Grail

Currency: runes, gems and keys

High and mid runes

High runes anchor the trade economy. Relative ranks shift across a season, but Maxroll-style tiers stay useful as a keep map: Ber and Jah sit at the top (Enigma / Infinity), then Sur and Lo (cubing into Ber, Grief / Fortitude), then Ohm, Zod, Cham and Vex. Gul through Pul are steady mid runes; Ist is a common quote anchor for mid-tier deals. Keep every rune from Pul up unless stash space forces a Lem+ cutoff.

Low runes worth bulk trading

Single low runes are usually junk. Packs are not. Keep and trade:

Cubing up can beat buying — see rune upgrade and rune farming.

Gems, keys and organs

White and gray bases

Normal and socketed items become runewords. A superior or ethereal elite base can outvalue the mid runes that go into it. Full socket math is on how to add sockets; the deep base checklist is on runeword bases. Below is the identification layer you need while picking up.

Armor and shields

Weapons and mercenary poles

Class-specific bases

Magic (blue) items

Blues roll one or two affixes. Some prefixes are magic-only, and Larzuk can add 1–2 sockets — that is why a blue can beat a unique. Decode names with magic affixes.

Circlets

Always ID circlets, coronets, tiaras and diadems. High-value patterns:

Rings and amulets

Class weapons and shields

Jeweler's Monarchs and armor

Jeweler's Monarch of Deflecting (4os + high block) is often treated as the single most valuable magic item — four Rainbow Facets in a block shield. Near-misses with life, FHR or −requirements still matter. Jeweler's Archon Plate (or other light elites) with Whale / FHR / DR suffixes are physical DIY armors. Jeweler's Sacred Targe with 40–45 all resist is the Paladin version of the same idea.

Also pick up 3 javelin / 20 IAS gloves for javazons and any blue 4os light armor with useful suffixes for Ist / facet socketing.

Rare yellow and crafted orange

Yellow and orange gear is combination-driven. Rule: if it clearly beats a common unique in a popular slot, ID and stash; if you need a price check, ask — do not vendor a 2/20 craft by accident.

Circlets and jewelry

Boots, gloves and belts

Craft targets worth the gems

Volume crafts that pay: Caster amulets, Blood rings, Blood gloves, Hit Power gloves, Caster belts. Details and ilvl/clvl breakpoints are on crafted items and Blood gloves.

Set items

Most set pieces become leveling leftovers after week one. Keep these:

Browse every piece in the sets database when unsure.

Unique items

Always keep (high demand)

Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, The Stone of Jordan, Arachnid Mesh, Harlequin Crest (Shako), Griffon's Eye, Mara's Kaleidoscope, Skin of the Vipermagi, War Traveler, Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, Highlord's Wrath, Herald of Zakarum, Death's Fathom, Death's Web, Crown of Ages, Tyrael's Might, Wisp Projector, and Rainbow Facets (near-perfect). Class torch skill order usually favors Sorceress and Paladin for trade.

Often keep (mid demand)

Andariel's Visage (ethereal for mercs), Raven Frost, Gheed's Fortune, Chance Guards, Vampire Gaze, Verdungo's Hearty Cord, Titan's Revenge, The Reaper's Toll, Eschuta's Temper, Nightwing's Veil, Ormus' Robes (right skill + matching elemental %), Homunculus, Arreat's Face, Dracul's Grasp, Gore Rider, Sandstorm Trek, Shadow Dancer, Metalgrid, Thundergod's Vigor, Thunderstroke, Stormshield, Head Hunter's Glory (3os).

Merc, Magic Find and early ladder

Skullder's Ire, The Oculus, Blade of Ali Baba, Nagelring, Goldwrap, Shaftstop (eth), Duriel's Shell (eth), Stealskull, Crown of Thieves, Wizardspike, Magefist, Frostburn, Bloodfist, Goblin Toe, Waterwalk — keep for self-use or early sales; many crash in price as the ladder matures. Ethereal often flips merc gear from “vendor” to “tradeable.”

All five Sunder charms (Cold Rupture, Crack of the Heavens, Flame Rift, Bone Break, Black Cleft) are keepers. Look up any other unique in the uniques database before you dump something rare.

Charms

Skill grand charms

Skillers are the easiest valuable blues for most players. Demand leaders: Lightning (Sparking), Combat (Lion Branded), Javelin (Harpoonist's), Poison & Bone (Fungal), then Fire (Burning), Cold (Chilling), Trap (Entrapping), Shadow (Shogukusha), Warcries (Sounding). Life suffixes multiply value — 41–45 life on a GC needs very high area levels or Terror Zone rerolls. Plain skillers still sell; curse / unwanted trees are usually vendor.

Physical and life charms

MF, gold and resists

7% MF small charms (plain or with resists/mana), gold-find GCs for Travincal / hork builds, and FHR / FRW small charms for breakpoint packing. Poison or lightning damage small charms matter mainly for PvP rulesets.

Jewels

Magic jewels

Junk jewels are still craft fuel — never throw them away until your stash of craft jewels is full.

Rainbow Facets

Unique jewels with −enemy resist / +skill damage. Lightning facets usually lead demand, then fire, cold and poison. Perfect 5/5 rolls trade far above mid rolls; death-when-killed vs level-up variants are preference. Color matching (e.g. blue lightning) can add a premium for collectors.

Pickup priority when inventory is full

  1. High runes, Annihilus / Torch / SoJ, perfect facets
  2. Charms, jewels, jewelry (rings/amulets/circlets)
  3. Class-specific blues (orbs, claws, heads, skill circlets)
  4. Elite ethereal bases and 4os Monarchs / Archon Plates
  5. High-demand uniques and set pieces listed above
  6. Everything else — vendor or leave

Those top rows are where “I almost vendored a fortune” stories come from.

How to check live prices

  1. Confirm the drop is not trash using this page (plus bases / affixes).
  2. Compare recent trades on Traderie or d2jsp — see trading sites.
  3. Adjust for ladder vs non-ladder and weeks into the season.
  4. Weird rares and crafts: request a price check; do not guess from memory.