The Countess reigns supreme as one of the best early rune farming spots in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Her special rune drop mechanic and wide range of high level runes make her a top target for stockpiling runes.
However, farming The Countess efficiently requires the right strategies and approaches. This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to maximize your rune acquisition from this iconic Act 1 boss.
Understanding Countess Runes
Let's first break down The Countess' rune drop mechanics:
- Has a regular monster drop table plus 0-3 bonus rune drops.
- Bonus runes based on difficulty - Normal (El-Ral), Nightmare (El-Io), Hell (El-Ist).
- Also drops Key of Terror in Hell for Uber Tristram.
So each Countess kill will drop gear from her regular drop table, but also has a very high chance of dropping extra runes on top. This makes repeatedly farming her invaluable for stocking up on essential runes for crafting early runewords in D2R before taking on higher difficulties.
Finding The Countess
The Countess resides on the 5th floor of the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh in Act 1. The steps to reach her are:
- Enter the Forgotten Tower entrance found randomly in Black Marsh.
- Traverse through Tower Cellar levels 1-4 using staircases.
- Take the staircase to the 5th floor Tower Cellar.
- Clear the 5th floor and locate The Countess.
Use waypoints after killing her to quickly return to the Black Marsh and repeat the run.
Recommended Farming Strategies
Lower Player Count
Farm The Countess on /players 1 or solo for a higher chance at maxing out her bonus rune drops. Lower player counts give her a better chance to drop fewer regular items, allowing more bonus rune drops.
Reset After Each Kill
To farm The Countess repeatedly, full quit and reopen the game after each kill to reset her and the Tower Cellar. This allows you to kill her over and over.
Teleporting Classes
Builds with Teleport like the Sorceress can optimize time spent traversing the Tower and reaching The Countess each run.
Ideal Farming Builds
Here are some strong character builds for efficiently farming The Countess:
Blizzard Sorceress
With Teleport and massive AOE damage, Blizzard Sorcs can quickly wipe out packs and reach The Countess.
Lightning Fury Javazon
Lightning Fury pierces immunities and can clear from range. Use skills like Charge to traverse quickly.
Trapsin
Trapsins utilize strong traps like Lightning Sentry and Death Sentry to demolish enemies. Burst of Speed provides needed mobility.
Hammerdin
Blessed Hammer cruises through the Tower Cellar floors. Teleport with Enigma or Naj's staff provides mobility.
When to Start Farming
As soon as you complete the required quest in Act 1, you can begin farming Normal Countess. Her El-Ral rune drops will allow crafting foundational runewords like Stealth, Lore, Spirit, and Insight.
Move up to Nightmare Countess once your character is strong enough, then eventually Hell Countess when you want to start acquiring high runes for powerful late game runewords like Grief and Fortitude.
Final Farming Tips
- Stack Magic Find to boost unique/set drops like Key of Terror.
- Have an Act 2 Holy Freeze merc to help deal with The Countess' minions.
- She is immune to Cold/Fire damage in Hell - plan accordingly.
- Use the waypoint to quickly return between runs.
With a deep understanding of The Countess' mechanics and farming strategies, you'll collect piles of valuable runes in no time. She can jump start your gear progression dramatically when farmed efficiently in the early game. Happy hunting!
