Valuable Uniques
Last Updated:July 18, 2024|Changelog
Uniques are often exceptionally powerful items, but there are a lot of them and they vary greatly in value. When a shiny new Unique drops, how do you determine whether it's a Best in Slot (BiS) or an item that you can safely leave behind if the affixes don't appeal to you? While it would be unrealistic to list every Unique here and give it a relative value, we can tell you about some of the most useful and sought after ones in the game! Keep in mind that just because an item doesn't make the list doesn't mean it's useless. We had to cut off the list somewhere, which means some items that didn't make it will still be good in the right circumstance. Instead, we recommend using this guide as a way to start understanding what makes Uniques valuable while also making sure you don't miss some of the best stuff.
Items with Legendary Potential are considerably more valuable than ones without. Many of the items on this list are capable of getting multiple LP on them. If you find one with 2+ LP, chances are you've struck gold! Some of the rarer items on this list, like Ravenous Void, Red Ring of Atlaria and Wings of Argentus are exceptionally valuable with even 1 LP. As a general rule of thumb, if you find any Unique with 2 or more LP, you should take a close look at it, because it's often the difference between trash and treasure.
Leveling Uniques
This list is for the items that can make leveling a new character significantly easier. We generally focus on Uniques that can be used by multiple Characters and Classes instead of ones that are only useful for a single build.
Arboreal Circuit
Arboreal Circuit has been a staple leveling item for a long time. The most important stat is the Movement Speed. It can roll up to 18%, which is the same as the highest implicit on boots. Wearing two of these allows players to get through the campaign much faster. The Illusory Tree procs are also great because they taunt which keeps enemies from hitting you, and wearing two stacks the chance to summon a tree. If you're running a minion build it's even better because it provides them with a ton of Armor. Putting on two of these rings will significantly speed up the leveling process for any build, and the best part is you can wear these at level 1.
Firestarter's Torch
Firestarter's Torch was added recently, and has proven to be a real game changer for leveling. While all of the stats are nice for a fire build, the real star is the chance to inflict Spreading Flames. This Ailment deals high Fire Damage over Time and also spreads to nearby enemies, which tremendously improves clear on lower level characters. The damage affixes on the item further increase the power of Spreading Flames. The items can be worn at level 1, so put it on and watch literally any build that hits breeze through the first 20-30 levels.
Taste of Blood
Where Firestarter's Torch helps with clear, Taste of Blood can be a significant buff to single target. Ailments in general are very strong early game, so getting an axe at level 13 with nearly 100% Chance to Bleed is huge. The added damage is also high, so both your Ailments and your Hits will deal good damage. Note that unlike the Torch this is not a universally good item and should only be used with Melee builds due to most of the Bleed Chance applying on Melee Hit.
Avarice
Avarice gloves are listed here for three reasons. First, they're very easy to acquire thanks to an early side quest that offers them as one of the rewards (Quest: Ezra's Ledger. Turn in to Elder Ezra, NOT the Gambler). Second, they provide a lot of Resistances for an early game item that are useful for every build. Finally, the Leech they provide for Elemental builds (Fire, Cold, Lightning) is excellent and provides a level of sustain that is unusual for this early in the game. Choose these for any build, but especially if you use any Elemental Damage (including the damage from Firestarter's Torch)
Bleeding Heart
There may be no better early game sustain than what Bleeding Heart can offer. In fact, the Leech provided by this Amulet is so good that it ends up as BiS in many endgame builds as well. Use this for any build that isn't relying on spellcasting as the main source of damage (If you cast a lot of spells the Bleeds will kill you quickly). If you're a Melee or Throwing Attack build then the implicit makes this Amulet even better.
Vipertail
As we mentioned with Taste of Blood, Ailments are very good early game and Poisons from Vipertail are no exception. This Belt should be used on any hit build and can be worm all the way into early endgame to provide a big damage boost. Slow is also valuable here, especially for ranged builds. The Melee Attack Speed and Increased Dodge Rating are bonuses for any build that can take advantage of them.
Boots With High Movement Speed
Nothing will get your through the Campaign faster than good Movement Speed, which is why Arboreal Circuit is first on the list, but that's not the only Movement Speed you can gain from Uniques early on. Mourningfrost can be equipped at level 8 and provide up to 29% Movement Speed. Combine these with two of the rings and you could reach up to 65% Movement Speed before reaching level 10! Later on these boots can be replaced with Stormtide or Eterra's Path which provide even more speed and other benefits. Eterra's Path is the go-to if you aren't playing a Lightning Build thanks to the high Health affix.
Additional Useful Leveling Uniques
Beyond the above list, there are still many Uniques that can have a lot value for the right build while leveling. Here are some additional items to look out for to help boost your leveling experience further.
Dreamthorn - Amazing Added Melee Damage for a level 15 item. Can be worn on any Melee build but it can carry Void builds well into the endgame before it falls off.
Grimoire of Necrotic Elixirs - This relic requires potion management to get the most out of it, but if done correctly the payoff is huge. The added damage is so high that is doesn't matter whether you're scaling Necrotic damage or not, and the kind of damage reduction it provides is massive for the first several chapters of the game. If you're willing to put in the work this is easily one of the best early game Uniques.
Isadora's Tomb Binding - While not technically a Unique, the amount of Damage Reduction this provides from Armor is huge at level 19. If you aren't scaling Dodge and don't need the damage from Vipertail or Thorn Slinger put this on instead.
Lessons of the Metropolis - Can be worn from level 1 and has a huge dodge buff for early game. Movement speed is lacking so replace these with Mourningfrost at level 8 for max efficiency.
Prism Wraps - This can provide some Leech and Increased Crit Chance, but stacking Crit is difficult early game. The Less Elemental Damage taken is a big DR source, but most builds can find better options.
Quicksilver Coil - Putting one of these on when using a skill that hits consistently and often like Warpath can provide even more average movement speed than an Arboreal Circuit, but for most builds wearing two of the latter is better.
The Falcon - This can provide a sizeable buff to Movement Speed early on for any build that hits.
Thorn Slinger - Great for Physical builds with the +1 to skill and Bleed. The Movement Speed is a bonus. For non Physical builds Vipertail will provide more damage.
Tome of Elements - The Leech is great but the Ailments are even better for builds going Elemental. Ignite is a damage boost while Chill makes everything hit and move more slowly, making the game much easier (especially bosses). Shock is excellent for Lightning builds but also provides CC for other builds thanks to the increased chance to Stun.
Torch Of The Pontifex - The Ignite Chance on this is huge, making this a superior Single Target option to Firestarter's Torch.
Carcinization of Momentum - This is a great ring for leveling that also carries deep into the endgame, even finding itself a Best in Slot position in some builds. The movement speed from Swiftness alone is enough to make this ring worthwhile, but it adds to that with great primary stats and Armor.
High Value Endgame Uniques
There are a lot of items that can fit into this category. Anywhere from generally high value Uniques to those that are only great for one build can be considered a high value endgame item. Listing them all and providing a description would be a massive undertaking while also making it harder for you to know what are the especially juicy items, so this list only consists of items that have the potential to make you say WOW when it drops. If you drop one of these you got lucky. If you drop one with Legendary Potential you got REALLY lucky, so keep an eye out for them!
Null Portent
Null Portentis an excellent Body Armor for Melee builds, but the easily obtainable 20% DR, Increased Health, and Physical Resistance make it a great all around option for almost any build if the LP on it is high enough. The challenge to acquiring this item is it drops off of the Pinnacle Boss Aberroth.
Nihilis
Another item from Aberroth, Nihilis has crazy good stats, but the roll ranges are equally crazy. It's the only item in the game that can roll negative stats, making a well rolled version highly valuable. Get a high rolled one with 2+ LP and you have an incredible find that is Best in Slot for almost every build.
Ravenous Void
The general defense that these gloves can provide to almost any build is unrivaled, but it requires a source of Cleanse to knock off Mimic Feast. Gloves are also a premium slot for several great affixes like Armor Shred and Melee Leech, so choosing Ravenous Void is a tradeoff, but for many it will be well worth it.
They are one of the rarest items in the game as a random world drop but can be target farmed at high corruption from the Timeline Boss The Husk of Elder Gaspar. Note that even this method produces drop rates in the low single digits, so acquiring this Unique may require a lot of time and patience.
Orian's Eye
The second most rare Unique in the game behind Red Ring of Atlaria, Orian's Eye is well worth the rarity. With good rolls this Amulet can open up Affix slots due to not needing Void Resistance while also providing additional Damage Reduction against both Fire and Void Damage. The mana is also amazing on builds that want to stack the stat. It also has a very powerful implicit that is best in slot for many builds. The Stun Immunity Duration increase is a nice bonus.
Omnis
A very rare item that can only drop off of Shade of Orobyss at 200+ Corruption, the value of an Omnis lies entirely in the rolls. Great rolls can make this a BiS item on practically any build, while bad rolls can make it basically useless. Each Resistance rolls independently of the others so getting one with all high rolls would be similar to winning the lottery.
Any time an Omnis drops be sure to check to see if you're one of the lucky ones. Even if you didn't get all high rolls, you may have gotten enough of them to free up a lot of space on your gear for additional Health or Defense. The +1 to All Skills also brings a lot of value, especially for builds that need just one more skill point to maximize it.
Check out our Shade of Orobyss Guide if you're unfamiliar with the fight!
Herald of the Scurry
The only item here that is used for one particular build, Herald of the Scurry's rarity, power and popularity make it deserving of being on this list. While it's technically not THAT rare, it is hard to come by. Getting a very well rolled one is even harder. Getting a well rolled one with Legendary Potential so that you can slap on a Tier 7 Level of Summon Wolf is...well you get the point. The amount of scaling that can be obtained from this item is unrivaled. If you want to play a Squirrel build then hunting for a good version of this Helmet is your top priority, and that doesn't come cheap.
Aurora's Time Glass
Aurora's Time Glass provides what is effectively a 'cheat death' with a very low cooldown of 20 seconds. As long as you don't get one shot this Amulet makes you nearly impossible to kill. To that effect, the Endurance provided helps reduce one shots. Get your Endurance capped (60%) and this Amulet will ensure that you can only die to really big hits (assuming it's not on Cooldown). Getting Legendary Potential on this Unique is rare, so if you find one with 1 or more LP you got lucky.
Red Ring of Atlaria
This ring is the rarest Unique in the game. Introduced in 0.9, Red Ring of Atlaria provides resistances that are only rivaled by a well rolled Omnis, and the roll range on this ring is far smaller with dramatically less variance due to it being a single stat, so getting a good one is much more likely.
Wearing two of these can provide more than half of the total resistances you need to cap. The All Attributes and Movement Speed are also great Affixes, and while the Health/Mana Regen and Dodge are more build specific, they are valuable to the builds that use them. The Damage Reduction is arguably the least valuable stat here since it's relatively low and has a very large stat requirement to achieve, but if you can reach it and manage to find two of these rings it's a solid bonus to an already very strong ring.
Summary
- There are many great leveling Uniques, including Arboreal Circuit, Firestarter's Torch and Bleeding Heart.
- Using a combination of these items can significantly speed up leveling and get your through the campaign much faster.
- There are also a number of very rare and very valuable endgame Uniques, including Ravenous Void, Omnis and Red Ring of Atlaria
- Finding these rare items is lucky, but finding them with Legendary Potential means you've found something especially rare.
- This list is far from exhaustive. Don't assume that because a Unique item isn't on the list that it's not good!
Video
Credits
Written by McFluffin
Reviewed by Facefoot