Fortitude is one of the best body-armor runewords for an Act 2 mercenary in Diablo 2: Resurrected — the +300% Enhanced Damage means more life-leech, and the Chilling Armor effect plus all-resist help your merc survive. But a runeword is only as good as the base armor you put it in. This guide covers the best bases for a Fortitude merc and the cheaper alternatives if you can’t afford it.
Fortitude runeword recap
Fortitude is made from El + Sol + Dol + Lo in a 4-socket body armor. It grants +300% Enhanced Damage, +200% Defense, +25–30% all resistances, a chance to cast Chilling Armor when struck, and other survivability bonuses — ideal for an Act 2 might/holy-freeze merc backing a physical-damage character.
Best base armor
1. Ethereal elite armor (the top choice)
Because mercenaries don’t degrade ethereal items, an ethereal base is best — the inherent ethereal defense bonus stacks with Fortitude’s massive +200% Defense for an enormous final number, at no durability cost. Aim for a high-defense elite base:
- Archon Plate — the lightest elite armor (lowest strength requirement), making it the most popular Fortitude base for mercs.
- Sacred Armor — the highest base defense elite armor, for maximum defense if the strength requirement isn’t an issue (it is for the merc, so this is more of a min-max pick).
- Dusk Shroud / Wyrmhide / Scarab Husk — light Sorceress-class elite armors with low strength needs and good defense, excellent ethereal Fortitude bases.
For an Act 2 merc, strength requirements aren’t a concern the way they are for your character, but a high-defense elite base in ethereal form gives the best result. Archon Plate is the classic, well-rounded pick.
2. Non-ethereal elite armor
If you can’t find an ethereal base, a normal (non-ethereal) elite armor still works perfectly — you just lose the ethereal defense multiplier. Archon Plate remains a great, easy-to-roll choice.
Cheaper alternatives to Fortitude
If Fortitude is out of budget, strong merc body-armor alternatives include:
- Treachery (Shael + Thul + Lem) — the budget king: 45% IAS, fade proc for resistances/damage reduction, and a venom proc. Cheap and excellent.
- Chains of Honor (Dol + Um + Ber + Ist) — superb all-resist, +damage to demons/undead, and damage reduction; pricier but a top survivability armor.
- Stone (Shael + Um + Pul + Lum) — huge defense and a Molten Boulder/Clay Golem proc, a solid defensive mid-budget option.
Bottom line
The best base for a Fortitude merc is a high-defense ethereal elite armor — Archon Plate is the all-round favorite, with Sacred Armor for max defense and light Sorc-class armors as great ethereal bases. Can’t afford Fortitude? Treachery is the best-value alternative, with Chains of Honor for premium survivability.