Most Diablo 2 players shudder at the thought of using set items for the endgame. However, those guys are probably rich and swimming in runes. For the regular Joe, obtaining the most desirable runes to craft into your ideal items is quite a tall order. For a lot of players, that's merely a dream. In such cases, set items offer a good stepping stone while players do the endgame runeword grind of Diablo 2.
Turns out not all set items are useless in the face of broken and overpowered runewords. Some of them can even offer a nice alternative or a poor man's version of powerful runewords. Besides, set items look glorious and thematic. They also come with their own lore and origins. If you want to pursue those green items and play the fashion endgame, these are the set items worth your while.
10 Angelic Raiment
The Angelic Raiment comprises four items: Angelic Sickle (Sabre), Angelic Mantle (Ring Mail), Angelic Halo (Ring), and Angelic Wings (Amulet). They're all decent and viable for mid-game but any new or starting character would be lucky to have them.
That's because the set bonus for the Angelic Raiment consists of helpful survival stuff such as the half-Freeze duration and resistances. It also boosts up the character's Magic Find stat, making it a good stepping stone.
9 Sigon's Complete Steel
Speaking of new characters who need a leg up in the ladder, a set like Sigon's Complete Steel is both intimidating and useful. It consists of Sigon's Shelter (Gothic Plate), Sigon's Guard (Tower Shield), Sigon's Visor (Great Helm), Sigon's Gage (Gauntlets), Sigon's Wrap (Plated Belt), Sigon's Sabot (Greaves).
All of them are beneficial but stopping at two items is good enough as that gives the wearer some considerable amounts of Life Steal. Three items in the set can add up to enormous amounts of attack speed as well. The rest are just defensive gravy and should make a character tanky enough until they find their runes.
8 Death's Disguise
Want something awesome to pair with a partial Sigon's Complete Steel? Then maybe something like Death's Disguise should do the trick. It only has three items namely Death's Touch (War Sword), Death's Hand (Leather Gloves), and Death's Guard (Sash).
Most players want the sash since it gives immunity to being Frozen which is one of the deadliest status effects in the game. Other than that, the two-piece bonus gives additional Life Steal, making it a well-balanced defensive set.
7 Tal Rasha's Wrappings
Tal Rasha's Wrappings is a popular choice for players focusing on magic and finding or farming good items. It consists of Tal Rasha's Lidless Eye (Swirling Crystal), Tal Rasha's Guardianship (Lacquered Plate), Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest (Death Mask), Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth (Mesh Belt), and Tal Rasha's Adjudication (Amulet).
The armor pieces and the weapon provide the most bonuses. However, the full set bonuses are too good to pass up as they not only improve Magic Find but also mana and life recovery as well as tons of resistances.
6 Aldur's Watchtower
Boots are often underrated but they give substantial bonuses to movement speed and stamina. In Diablo 2, one of the most useful boots for starter characters is the Aldur's Advance set which consists of Aldur's Stony Gaze (Hunter's Guise), Aldur's Deception (Shadow Plate), Aldur's Rhythm (Jagged Star), and Aldur's Advance (Battle Boots).
Most players go for the boots due to their awesome movement speed bonus and some additions to mana replenishment. Meanwhile, the full set is only advisable if you have a Druid as it was tailored for that class.
5 Naj's Ancient Vestige
Whoever Naj is, magic-users in Diablo 2 ought to thank them as their set is one of the most viable alternatives for the JahIthBer or Enigma runeword. The set contains Naj's Puzzler (Elder Staff), Naj's Light Plate (Hellforge Plate), and Naj's Circlet (Circlet).
Of course, only one among those is well-desired and that would be the staff, Naj's Puzzler. It provides a level 11 Teleport with 69 charges— nice! The other items and the set bonus can be ignored.
4 Tancred's Battlegear
Much like Naj's Ancient Vestige, Tancred's Battlegear is mostly unremarkable. However, it has an amulet called Tancred's Weird that boosts Magic Find by quite a lot. Hence it has become a go-to for players who want a good Magic Find piece.
Tancred's Spine (Full Plate Mail), Tancred's Crowbill (Military Pick), Tancred's Hobnails (Boots), and Tancred's Skull (Bone Helm) make up the rest of the set. Meanwhile, the full set bonus is great for extra Gold Find though by no means recommended.
3 The Disciple
Attack speed is always a great stat to boost in Diablo 2 as it speeds up the clearing and killing process. It just so happens that The Disciple item set has one of the best gloves for this matter, and it's called Laying Of Hands.
Those bramble mitts increase the attack speed by 20 percent. The rest of the set, Telling of Beads (Amulet), Rite of Passage (Demonhide Boots), Dark Adherent (Dusk Shroud), and Credendum (Mithril Coil) is a nice defensive boost.
2 Orphan's Call
Orphan's Call as a whole isn't that great apart from the 80 percent Magic Find for the whole set bonus. It consists of Guillaume's Face (Winged Helm), Wilhelm's Pride (Battle Belt), Magnus' Skin (Sharkskin Gloves), and Whitstan's Guard (Round Shield).
Of those, the Winged Helm (often referred to as G-face) is the best. It has enormous defense and a chance for both a Deadly Strike and a Crushing Blow make it a solid option for melee characters and even casters alike.
1 Immortal King
Who could forget this most iconic item set for Barbarians or melee characters? The Immortal, which consists of Immortal King's Will (Avenger Guard), Immortal King's Soul Cage (Sacred Armor), Immortal King's Detail (War Belt), Immortal King's Forge (War Gauntlets), Immortal King's Pillar (War Boots), and Immortal King's Stone Crusher (Ogre Maul), is as grand as item sets go.
It's essentially the best set item compared to others and even provides a nice visual effect when completed. Only the Barbarian can fully utilize it, but once he does, he becomes a powerhouse worthy of the endgame. Do note that the best runeword items are still preferable.