Staff Mods

Staff Mods and Auto Mods in Diablo 2 Resurrected are very powerful and chase bonus Stats on White, Ethereal, Magic, Rare and Crafted items! They add bonuses to Character Skill Levels, and additional powerful Stats like Resistances and Enhanced Damage. Because of the bonus Stats, these make the best bases for many Runewords! The game can be very stingy in giving you the Stats you want, but there are ways to tweak the RNG in your favor!

Staff Mods

Certain items can spawn with bonuses to specific Skills each Character has. These items are typically thematic and appropriate for the Character, or restricted to that Character. The game uses progressive logic to determine what Skills can spawn on these items. Lower Level Skills spawn on lower Item Level (iLVL) bases, whereas higher Level Skills spawn on higher iLVL bases.

• Skills are broken up into Tiers which represent the required Level to put Skill Points into them:
  • Tier 1 - Level 1 Required
  • Tier 2 - Level 6 Required
  • Tier 3 - Level 12 Required
  • Tier 4 - Level 18 Required
  • Tier 5 - Level 24 Required
  • Tier 6 - Level 30 Required

Bases

The following item bases can spawn with Staff Mods, adding +1 to 3 Character Skill Level (sLVL) for Character specific Skills. Only Characters of the named class can benefit from these Skills.

The exception being, Characters using OSkills granted by Items.

1. The following Claws cannot spawn with Staff Mods: katar, wristblade, hatchethands, cestus, claws, bladetalons, scissorskatar, quhab, wristspike, fascia
2. Cannot normally spawn with Combat Skills. Due to coding issues, they can rarely spawn on this base.
3. Cannot normally spawn with poisondagger. Due to coding issues, it can rarely spawn on these bases.
4. Cannot normally spawn with holyshield or smite. Due to coding issues, they can rarely spawn on this base.

Possible Skills

There are restrictions on the Skills that can spawn as Staff Mods. The game uses Skill_ID tags for future calculations as well. We list each Skill, its Skill_ID, and any restrictions they have which normally impedes their ability to be a Staff Mod.

Assassin

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
fireblast	251	-	1
clawmastery	252	h2h	1
psychichammer	253	-	1
tigerstrike	254	mele	1
dragontalon	255	-	1
shockweb	256	-	2
bladesentinel	257	-	2
burstofspeed	258	-	2
fistsoffire	259	h2h	2
dragonclaw	260	h2h	2
chargedboltsentry	261	-	3
wakeoffire	262	-	3
weaponblock	263	h2h	3
cloakofshadows	264	-	3
cobrastrike	265	mele	3
bladefury	266	-	4
fade	267	-	4
shadowwarrior	268	-	4
clawsofthunder	269	h2h	4
dragontail	270	-	4
lightningsentry	271	-	5
wakeofinferno	272	-	5
mindblast	273	-	5
bladesofice	274	-	5
dragonflight	275	-	5
deathsentry	276	-	6
bladeshield	277	-	6
venom	278	-	6
shadowmaster	279	-	6
phoenixstrike	280	mele	6

h2h: Refers to Hand 2 Hand type Weapons which are Claws.
mele: Refers to any Melee type Weapon.

Other than the restrictions listed in Bases, every Assassin Skill can spawn as a Staff Mod. Because lower iLVL bases cannot spawn with Staff Mods, the Tier 1 Mods cannot be found on naturally spawning items.

• To create a Claw that has a chance to roll Tier 1 Mods, a Character between Levels 8 to 20 can Imbue a White base Claw. The resulting iLVL of 12 to 23 can spawn with Tier 1 Mods.

Barbarian

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
bash	126	mele	1
swordmastery	127	-	1
axemastery	128	-	1
macemastery	129	-	1
howl	130	-	1
findpotion	131	-	2
leap	132	-	2
doubleswing	133	mele	2
polearmmastery	134	-	2
throwingmastery	135	-	2
spearmastery	136	-	3
taunt	137	-	3
shout	138	-	3
stun	139	mele	3
doublethrow	140	thro	3
increasedstamina	141	-	4
finditem	142	-	4
leapattack	143	mele	4
concentrate	144	mele	4
ironskin	145	-	4
battlecry	146	-	5
frenzy	147	mele	5
increasedspeed	148	-	5
battleorders	149	-	5
grimward	150	-	5
whirlwind	151	mele	6
berserk	152	mele	6
naturalresistance	153	-	6
warcry	154	-	6
battlecommand	155	-	6

mele: Refers to any Melee type Weapons.
thro: Refers to non-Bow Ranged type Weapons.

Because Staff Mods are only available on Primal Helms, and nearly every Combat Skill Tree Skill is restricted to Weapons, these Skills cannot normally spawn as Staff Mods.

Due to coding errors, these Skills can still spawn as Staff Mods, but it is incredibly rare.

Druid

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
raven	221	-	1
poisoncreeper	222	-	1
werewolf	223	-	1
lycanthropy	224	-	1
firestorm	225	-	1
oaksage	226	-	2
summonspiritwolf	227	-	2
werebear	228	-	2
moltenboulder	229	-	2
arcticblast	230	-	2
carrionvine	231	-	3
feralrage	232	-	3
maul	233	-	3
fissure	234	-	3
cyclonearmor	235	-	3
heartofwolverine	236	-	4
summondirewolf	237	-	4
rabies	238	-	4
fireclaws	239	-	4
twister	240	-	4
solarcreeper	241	-	5
hunger	242	-	5
shockwave	243	-	5
volcano	244	-	5
tornado	245	-	5
spiritofbarbs	246	-	6
summongrizzly	247	-	6
fury	248	-	6
armageddon	249	-	6
hurricane	250	-	6

Any Druid Skill can spawn as a Staff Mod on Pelts.

Necromancer

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
amplifydamage	66	-	1
teeth	67	-	1
bonearmor	68	-	1
skeletonmastery	69	-	1
raiseskeleton	70	-	1
dimvision	71	-	2
weaken	72	-	2
poisondagger	73	knif	2
corpseexplosion	74	-	2
claygolem	75	-	2
ironmaiden	76	-	3
terror	77	-	3
bonewall	78	-	3
golemmastery	79	-	3
raiseskeletalmage	80	-	3
confuse	81	-	4
lifetap	82	-	4
poisonexplosion	83	-	4
bonespear	84	-	4
bloodgolem	85	-	4
attract	86	-	5
decrepify	87	-	5
boneprison	88	-	5
summonresist	89	-	5
irongolem	90	-	5
lowerresist	91	-	6
poisonnova	92	-	6
bonespirit	93	-	6
firegolem	94	-	6
revive	95	-	6

knif: Refers to Knife type Weapons.

Every Necromancer Skill can spawn as a Staff Mod on Wands and Voodoo Heads, other than poisondagger.

Due to coding errors, this Skill can still spawn as a Staff Mod, but it is incredibly rare.

Paladin

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
sacrifice	96	mele	1
smite	97	shld	1
might	98	-	1
prayer	99	-	1
resistfire	100	-	1
holybolt	101	-	2
holyfire	102	-	2
thorns	103	-	2
defiance	104	-	2
resistcold	105	-	2
zeal	106	mele	3
charge	107	mele	3
blessedaim	108	-	3
cleansing	109	-	3
resistlightning	110	-	3
vengeance	111	mele	4
blessedhammer	112	-	4
concentration	113	-	4
holyfreeze	114	-	4
vigor	115	-	4
conversion	116	mele	5
holyshield	117	shld	5
holyshock	118	-	5
sanctuary	119	-	5
meditation	120	-	5
fistoftheheavens	121	-	6
fanaticism	122	-	6
conviction	123	mele	6
redemption	124	-	6
salvation	125	-	6

shld: Refers to Shields.
mele: Refers to any Melee type Weapon.

holyshield and smite are both restricted to Shield type items, so they cannot normally spawn as Staff Mods.

Due to coding errors, these Skill can still spawn as a Staff Mod, but it is incredibly rare.

Sorceress

Skill Name	SkillID	Item Restriction	Skill Tier
firebolt	36	-	1
warmth	37	-	1
chargedbolt	38	-	1
icebolt	39	-	1
frozenarmor	40	-	1
inferno	41	-	2
staticfield	42	-	2
telekinesis	43	-	2
frostnova	44	-	2
iceblast	45	-	2
blaze	46	-	3
fireball	47	-	3
nova	48	-	3
lightning	49	-	3
shiverarmor	50	-	3
firewall	51	-	4
enchant	52	-	4
chainlightning	53	-	4
teleport	54	-	4
glacialspike	55	-	4
meteor	56	-	5
thunderstorm	57	-	5
energyshield	58	-	5
blizzard	59	-	5
chillingarmor	60	-	5
firemastery	61	-	6
hydra	62	-	6
lightningmastery	63	-	6
frozenorb	64	-	6
coldmastery	65	-	6

Any Sorceress Skill can spawn as a Staff Mod on Staves and Orbs.

Calculate Skill Chances

When the Item spawns, it needs to determine three things:

1. How many Skills does it try to add to the Item?
2. What Skills are chosen?
3. How many +x to Character Skills (x = 1 to 3) does it add?

These three determinations are mostly random. The iLVL of the base is used to determine the range of Skills that can spawn on the item.

We'll use 72 as our Z value for 2 Skills, in the following example.

Skill_ID = Skill_baseID + 5 * Skill_add - 5 + rnd[5]

This equation is used to determine the ID number of the Skill that is added as a Staff Mod.

Skill_ID = The resulting value from the equation, which correlates to the labeled Skill_ID in the accordions above.

• Example: warmth is Skill_ID 37.

Skill_baseID = The lowest Skill_ID of the Character's Skill list.

• Example: firebolt is the lowest Skill_ID for the Sorceress at 36.

Skill_add = Calculated from a base number determined by the iLVL of the base, then modified by a random number according to a second roll. This is the only part of the equation that can be influenced, because you can set the iLVL of certain items from sources like Quest Rewards, and Horadric Cube Recipes.

rnd[5] = A random number from 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Now let's calculate what our Skill would be using the Sorceress and the values from our example above. Remember:

• Must spawn on a Staff or Orb type Weapon.
• Our iLVL is 27 giving us a B of 4. Z2 rolled 82, giving us a +1 modifier. The Skill_add is 5. We'll use rnd[5] of 4.
• Sorceress has a Skill_baseID of 36.

Skill_ID = 36 + 5 * 5 - 5 + 4
Skill_ID = 60
Skill_ID 60 = chillingarmor

Our example Skill result is chillingarmor and now we must determine what the second Skill on the item is.

• Nothing from the previous rolls impacts the selection of the following Skills. You can roll the same value for Z2 and rnd[5].
• If the same Skill is selected, the game rerolls these 2 values in an attempt to roll a different Skill_ID .
  • If the Same Skill is selected 6 times in a row, then the game replaces the previous Skill with the same Skill.
    • This counts as one of the Skill rolls. Even though our result for Z said we should have 2 Staff Mods on the item, this replacement means the item spawns with only 1 Staff Mod.
• This same process occurs when the selected Skill_ID is restricted by Item type.
  • A Scepters cannot normally spawn with HolyShield because this Skill is restricted to spawning on Shields.
  • If the Skill_ID roll would select holyshield 6 times in a row, then the game forces the item generation, anyway.
  • These outcomes are incredibly rare, but do occur.

After selecting the Skills that the item spawns with, we must decide the + value (1, 2, or 3).

Because of the relationship between B, and Z2 modifier, we can build a table that shows the chances that an item generates with certain Tiers of Skills based off the iLVL of the base item.

Important Notes

• If a new item would be generated from the Item base, whether from Charsi Imbue, Horadric Cube Recipes, or Crafting, the Staff Mods are rerolled. The base Item's Staff Mods are not preserved.
• If the base Item would be used to create a Runeword, the Staff Mods are preserved.
• You can never have Tier 6 Staff Mods spawn on an item with Tier 1 or Tier 2 Mods.

Auto Mods

Auto Mods are a set of Stats that always spawn on certain Item bases. These Stats are in addition to any normal Affix, or Staff Mod that can spawn on the item.

• These Stats can spawn on White, Ethereal, Magic, Rare, and Crafted items.
  • The Affix Level (aLVL) of the item must be equal to or higher than the required aLVL of the Auto Mod for the item to have a chance of spawning with that Mod.
  • Typically, the highest Affix Level (aLVL) required Stats cannot spawn on Rare and Crafted items.

To calculate an item's aLVL then you need the Item Level (iLVL) and Quality Level (qLVL).

• iLVL = Monster Level of the monster that dropped it, or determined by the Craft / Recipe / Imbue that generated it.
• qLVL = a static value based on the Base Item.
• If the item has a Magic Level (mLVL), then aLVL = iLVL + 1.

If ilvl < 99 - int(qlvl / 2) then
alvl = ilvl - int(qlvl / 2)
Otherwise
alvl = ilvl * 2 - 99

• The % Chance of any Auto Mod spawning on an item is calculated:
  • % Chance = (X / Y) where:
    • X = Frequency of the desired Auto Mod.
    • Y = Sum of Mod frequencies that your aLVL meets the requirements of.

Amazon Weapons

Item Bases: Amazon Bow, Amazon Javelin, Amazon Spear.

• Because these Mods are different from Affixes, you can have an item spawn with +2 to Amazon Skills / +3 to Javelin and Spear Skills, and these Mods.
  • Example: Lancer's Maiden Javelin

Amazon Bows

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
Fletcher's	1	3	+1 to Bow and Crossbow Skills
Bowyer's	40	2	+2 to Bow and Crossbow Skills
Archer's1	60	1	+3 to Bow and Crossbow Skills

Javelins / Spears

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
Harpoonist's	1	3	+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills
Spearmaiden's	40	2	+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills
Lancer's1	60	1	+3 to Javelin and Spear Skills

1. Cannot spawn on Rare Items.

Necromancer Shields

Item Bases: Voodoo Head

• These Mods add to Damage on Attack and Attack Skills, not on non-Attack Skills.

Voodoo Heads

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
of Blight	1	3	Adds 2 to 7 poison damage over 3 seconds
of Venom	15	2	Adds 5 to 14 poison damage over 3 seconds
of Pestilence	25	2	Adds 13 to 28 poison damage over 3 seconds
of Anthrax1	35	2	Adds 25 to 50 poison damage over 3 seconds

1. Cannot spawn on Rare Items.

Paladin Shields

Item Bases: Auric Shields.

• The item either spawns with the Resistance Mod, or the Damage + Attack Rating Mod.

Resistance

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
Shimmering	1	8	All Resistances +5 to +10
Rainbow	18	7	All Resistances +8 to +15
Scintillating	28	6	All Resistances +16 to +30
Prismatic	39	5	All Resistances +25 to +35
Chromatic1	50	4	All Resistances +35 to +45

Enhanced Damage + Attack Rating

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
Sharp	10	3	+10% to + 20% Enhanced Damage +15 to + 30 to Attack Rating
Fine	18	3	+21% to + 30% Enhanced Damage +31 to + 60 to Attack Rating
Warrior's	30	2	+31% to + 40% Enhanced Damage +61 to + 80 to Attack Rating
Soldier's	42	2	+41% to + 50% Enhanced Damage +81 to + 100 to Attack Rating
Knight's1	50	2	+51% to + 65% Enhanced Damage +101 to + 121 to Attack Rating

1. Cannot spawn on Rare Items.

Sorceress Orbs

Item Bases: Sorceress Orb.

• The item either spawns with the +xx Life Mod, or the +xx Mana Mod.

Mana

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
Lizard's	3	4	+1 to +5 to Mana
Snake's	12	3	+5 to +10 to Mana
Serpent's	23	2	+11 to +20 to Mana
Drake's	34	2	+21 to +30 to Mana
Dragon's	45	1	+31 to +40 to Mana
Wyrm's	56	1	+41 to +60 to Mana
Great Wyrm's1	67	1	+61 to +80 to Mana

Life

Auto Mod	aLVL	Frequency	Property
of the Jackal	1	6	+1 to +5 to Life
of the Fox	11	5	+6 to +10 to Life
of the Wolf	27	4	+11 to +20 to Life
of the Tiger	43	3	+21 to +30 to Life
of the Mammoth	59	2	+31 to +40 to Life
of the Colossus1	75	1	+41 to +60 to Life

1. Cannot spawn on Rare Items.

Summary

Staff Mods and Auto Mods can be incredibly powerful, but also very rare. There's only so much you can do to influence your chances of spawning a GG item. This level of randomness makes for super chase items, that if found, can be worth a fortune. Good luck hunting for the perfect item bases!

Credits

Written by MacroBioBoi
Reviewed by Teo1904