Breath of the Dying
A
A-Tier — Excellent, Widely Used
Rune Recipe
Insert in order: Vex → Hel → El → Eld → Zod → Eth
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Stats & Properties
+60% Increased Attack Speed
+200% Damage To Undead
12-15% Life Stolen Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Poison Nova When You Kill An Enemy
+350-400% Enhanced Damage
+30 To All Attributes
7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Indestructible
Requirements -20%
--- Rune Bonuses ---
Vex: 7% Mana Leech
Hel: -20% Requirements
El: +50 AR
El: +1 Light Radius
Eld: +75% Damage vs. Undead
Eld: +50 AR vs. Undead
Zod: Indestructible
Eth: -25% Target Defense
How to Socket Your Base
Larzuk Quest Reward — Gives max sockets on normal items. Best way to guarantee exactly 6 sockets on the right base.
Best Base Items for Breath of the Dying
Highest damage two-handed sword. Pair with Zod for a truly indestructible, massive damage weapon. Best for Whirlwind Barbs.
Budget: Berserker Axe — Slightly lower damage ceiling but axes have native mastery synergy for Barbarians. Also excellent.
Where it drops Hell difficulty only (elite swords/axes).
Socket ilvl Colossus Blade: ilvl 26–40 = 4 sockets, ilvl 41+ = 6 sockets. Breath of the Dying needs 6 sockets — Larzuk on any Hell-dropped Colossus Blade (ilvl 79+) gives exactly 6. Berserker Axe: ilvl 26–40 = 5, ilvl 41+ = 6. Larzuk on any Hell-dropped Berserker Axe gives 6 sockets — perfect for 6os BoTD.
How to socket Larzuk gives 6 sockets on any Hell-dropped Colossus Blade or Berserker Axe — ideal for Breath of the Dying (6os). Cube recipe gives random 1–6 sockets. Use Larzuk.
Best farming spots Hell Mephisto (Act 3) · Chaos Sanctuary (Act 4 Hell) · Worldstone Keep (Act 5 Hell) · The Pit (Act 1 Hell)
Terror Zones scale monster levels to your character level (up to 99), so any terrorized area can drop elite bases — great supplemental farming.
Indestructible base — Zod rune is technically wasted here (already indestructible), but Phase Blade's speed (WSM −30) and one-handed nature make it a valid choice for sword-and-board builds.
Where it drops Hell difficulty only.
Socket ilvl Phase Blade: max 6 sockets. Larzuk gives 6. For 5os: find a natural 5-socket drop or cube recipe.
How to socket Phase Blade: Larzuk gives 6os (too many). Find a 5-socket drop or cube recipe (Ral+Amn+Perfect Amethyst).
Best farming spots Hell Mephisto · Chaos Sanctuary · The Pit (Act 1 Hell)
Terror Zones scale monster levels to your character level (up to 99), so any terrorized area can drop elite bases — great supplemental farming.
Used In These Builds
Berserker BarbarianWhirlwind BarbarianMelee Builds
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