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Finding a four-socket shield in Diablo 2: Resurrected is needed to create a Spirit Shield. This very useful piece of equipment adds a multitude of perks that can help out most classes and builds in a big way. This guide will help players find a four-socket shield as early as possible.

Updated on December 16th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: The four-socket Monarch shield is something almost every build will be trying to farm up at some point. With a whole community frantically looking, it often seems like a matter of luck to get one to drop. But, frankly, many players are farming in areas that will never yield the shield at all. That problem has persisted and made this guide more important than ever. This update to the guide has made the information easier to find by placing the specific answer to the question up front and moving the exposition about the shield to the end.

Prerequisites

There are special circumstances that must be met for the shield to ever drop.

Character level 54 Hell difficulty

or

Paladin level 26 Use the Horadric Cube on a normal shield

Aside from the Paladin, anybody farming for a four-socket shield is making a mistake if they aren’t 54 and aren’t playing on Hell difficulty. This is the absolute minimum level needed and odds will go up as the level grows. If Hell seems too difficult, grab a great hireling to help carry the character through to maps.

Where To Get A Four-Socket Shield

There are a few ways to get one. Most players will farm for one, but Paladins who know all of the Horadric Cube recipes might be able to make one.

Farming For A Shield

Keeping in mind the previous prerequisites, there are a few places that have a higher-than-average chance to get a four-socket shield to drop.

The Pits in Tamoe Highlands (Act 1) Ancient Tunnels in Lost City (Act 2) The Secret Cow Level

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Making A Four-Socket Shield

This will only work for Paladins, but putting this in the Horadric Cube can get a jump start toward being the best Hammerdin possible.

The result will always be some variation of a four-socket shield.

Why is a 4-Socket Shield Needed in Diablo 2?

Making the Spirit Runeword is core to most character builds. This can be done with either the Monarch, Aegis, or Ward shields, but Monarch is preferable since it has the lowest strength requirement.

Players need four sockets in order to insert the runes Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn to make the Spirit Runeword. A Normal white shield or sword with 4 sockets is required to hold the runes. The Spirit Shield has stats that speak for themselves.

Spirit Shield Stats

+2 To All Skills +25-35% Faster Cast Rate +55% Faster Hit Recovery +250 Defense Vs. Missile +22 To Vitality +89-112 To Mana +3-8 Magic Absorb Cold Resist +35% Lightning Resist +35% Poison Resist +35% Attacker Takes Damage of 14

The Spirit Shield is favored over the Spirit Sword as it’s an off-hand piece of equipment that doesn’t need to be actively used to reap the most benefits. Having the shield instead of the sword means other classes can get better attack bonuses with other weapons. Players must be at least Level 25 to make Spirit.

Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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