Diablo 2: Resurrected's Horadric Cube is one of the most powerful tools in the game, allowing you to craft items, upgrade runes and gems, socket items, open special boss portals, and more.
Because Diablo 2 doesn't have an in-game list of Horadric Cube recipes, many go unnoticed by beginner and veteran players alike. That's where a complete list of Horadric Cube recipes like the one I've compiled here comes in handy.
Diablo 2: Resurrected entered Ladder Season 10 on March 7, 2025, and countless players have returned to the game for another crack at the leaderboard. Lobbies are plentiful, both on PC and console.
There are no major changes to report from the latest update, so you're still looking at a complete collection of Diablo 2 Horadric Cube recipes.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube rune recipes
Diablo 2 allows you to "cube up" all runes except Zod, which sits at the top of the complete runes list.
Working with the most common El rune through Ort rune, you simply need three of the same rune in your cube to turn it into the next room on the rarity list.
For example, three El runes transmute into Eld, three Eld transmute into Tir, and so on up to Thul.
With Thul runes and rarer, the Horadric Cube recipe requires an extra gem to make the Transmute work properly.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube gem recipes
Chipped gems begin dropping in Act 1 Normal, moving all the way up to flawless gems as you progress through the game.
Perfect gems are only available via the Hellforge in Act 4, Gem Shrines, or by cubing up three flawless gems.
The recipe is the same for all gems, including skulls. You'll need three of one type and grade to cube up to the next grade.
Using a ruby as an example, here's how the Horadric cube gem recipes look.
- 3 Chipped Ruby = 1 Flawed Ruby
- 3 Flawed Ruby = 1 Ruby
- 3 Ruby = 1 Flawless Ruby
- 3 Flawless Ruby = 1 Perfect Ruby
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube jewelry recipes
Those undesirable rings and amulets you find lying around can actually be quite handy with the right Horadric Cube recipes.
While you'll generally find far better unique and rare jewelry in your adventures through Nightmare and Hell modes, these recipes are especially useful during the early game.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube potion recipes
The potions you pick up can be transmuted into different versions that might be more useful on your quest.
The Full Rejuvenation recipe — requiring three standard Rejuvenation potions — will remain useful throughout your entire playthrough.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube weapon and armor recipes
The Horadric Cube is invaluable when it comes to tweaking your weapons and armor.
Not only can you repair, add sockets, or create entirely new weapons and ammo, the Horadric Cube also allows you to improve unique and set items for more damage or defense.
I'll start this section with some cube recipes for general gear (applicable to both armor and weapons) before getting into specialized sections.
With the more general gear-oriented Horadric Cube recipes out of the way, I'm turning my attention to those with a more specific focus on weapons and armor.
Unique and rare items can be upgraded to the next quality via the Horadric Cube. The hierarchy of loot quality is Normal < Exceptional < Elite.
Knowing how to improve the quality can come in especially handy if you find a useful low-level unique early game that you wish to take to use in the higher difficulties.
For example, a Goldwrap Belt can be upgraded to become a Goldwrap Battle Belt with the right recipe, which will increase its defense stats and potion slots. It can be upgraded — or "upped" in Diablo slang — again to become the Goldwrap Troll Belt.
This moves the item from normal to exceptional to elite along the way. In the case of armor, granted bonuses will remain the same, but defense (and requirements) will climb.
In the case of weapons, granted bonuses will also remain, but damage and requirements will climb. This can be done to ethereal items, but it cannot be done to runewords or items you've crafted.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube special recipes
The Secret Cow Level is legendary in Diablo lore, and for good reason. This is a great pasture place to farm for items and experience, but is only accessible via a portal created with a Horadric Cube recipe.
It can be created by any character that has defeated Baal with the same difficulty that they're trying to open the portal.
For example, a character that has defeated Baal (with the quest completed) in Normal difficulty will be able to open the portal in Normal. You'll need a Tome of Town Portal and a Wirt's Leg. Wirt's Leg is acquired by heading for the cairn stones in the Stony Field, going through the portal to Tristram, and lifting it from Wirt's corpse (west side of the map).
Note that as long as you have the right ingredients, you can open the portal as many times as you want, but only one portal may exist per game.
- 1x Tome of Town Portal + 1x Wirt's Leg = Secret Cow Level Portal
The Pandemonium Event is a mega-boss battle that ends with the player receiving a coveted Hellfire Torch Large Charm.
Keys must be sourced from bosses throughout the game — Key of Terror from Countess, Key of Hate from Summoner, and Key of Destruction from Nihlathak — and placed into the Cube together to open a portal to a demi-boss.
- 1x Key of Terror + 1x Key of Hate + 1x Key of Destruction = Portal to Matron's Den, Furnace of Pain, or Forgotten Sands (random)
A good tip is to gather three of each key for a "key set" before beginning. This will prevent you from opening the same portal twice.
Once you've killed the demi-boss in each of the three portals, place the three gathered organs (one drops from each demi-boss) into the Cube.
- 1x Mephisto's Brain + 1x Diablo's Horn + 1x Baal's Eye = Portal to Uber Tristram
Defeat the bosses in Uber Tristram and a Hellfire Torch will drop. This is one of the most coveted items in the game due to how much time it takes to prepare for and how difficult it is to complete.
Finally, you can create Tokens of Absolution in the Horadric Cube. Tokens are used to reset your character's attributes and skill points. Once you've used up the three free respecs granted by Akara, this is the only way to reset your character.
- 1 Twisted Essence of Suffering + 1 Charged Essence of Hatred + 1 Burning Essence of Terror + 1 Festering Essence of Destruction = 1 Token of Absolution
The Twisted Essence of Suffering can drop from Andariel or Duriel, the Charged Essence of Hatred can drop from Mephisto, the Burning Essence of Terror can drop from Diablo, and the Festering Essence of Destruction can drop from Baal. Note that this only applies to Hell difficulty.
Diablo 2 Horadric Cube gear crafting recipes
Alongside the general list of Diablo 2: Resurrected Horadric Cube recipes, there's an entire other set of ingredients that can be used for endgame gear crafting.
Based on what you use as ingredients in the Cube, your item will come out with one of four categories: Blood, Caster, Hitpower, Safety.
Blood gear is best reserved for melee characters who need life leech, Caster gear is best for casters who need extra mana and faster cast rate, Hitpower adds damage or faster hit recovery (plus a chance to cast a Frost Nova when hit), and Safety gear reduces damage and ups defense.
When you craft an item, it destroys the original item entirely and spits out something new with one to four new affixes on top of the preset mods (which I've listed in the tables below under the "Result" column).
How many affixes your crafted item receives depends on the item's level. For a 100% chance of getting four affixes, the item you use as a base to craft should be at least level 71.
You also want to use your character with the highest level when crafting. If you're crafting caster amulets (an extremely common endgame activity), your character should be at least level 93 to potentially get +2 to skills.
Items (armor, amulets, weapons) you use as a base for crafting must be Magic (Blue). The jewel you use in the recipe can be Magic, Rare, or Unique.
Recipes will work with any type of item (normal, exceptional, or elite), and I've listed the three variants in the "Recipe" column where applicable.
Diablo 2: Resurrected Horadric Cube FAQ
Whether or not you're new to Diablo 2: Resurrected, there are some oft-asked questions that I can answer right here.
Where do I find the Horadric Cube in Diablo 2?
The Horadric Cube can be found in Act 2 on the third level (bottom floor) of the Halls of the Dead. You will need it to progress through the main storyline; talk to Deckard Cain in Act 2 to receive the quest.
How do I use the Horadric Cube in Diablo 2?
The Horadric Cube takes up four spaces in your character inventory or stash. When opened, it has 12 spaces inside.
Placing recipe items into the Cube and hitting the Transmute button will complete the formula.
What happens if I lose my Horadric Cube in Diablo 2?
Fear not if you somehow misplace your Horadric Cube. Returning to the Halls of the Dead chest on the third floor should spawn you a new one.
If you're powerful enough or have progressed far enough in the game, killing a council member at Travincal should also drop you a new Horadric Cube.
Should I keep the Horadric Cube in my character inventory or my stash?
I am firmly on the side of keeping the Horadric Cube in my character's inventory, especially in the late game.
Having something that only takes up four spaces (but can hold 12 spaces of goods) is invaluable when you have a personal inventory full of charms.
If you're playing on console, you can rebind one input to pick up items directly into the cube to make farming a lot faster.
Can I use Magic and Rare items for runewords in Diablo 2?
Only plain items with sockets can be used for runewords in Diablo 2. Magic (Blue), Rare (Yellow), and Unique (Gold/Brown) items cannot be used for runewords.
Does Deckard Cain identify items in the Horadric Cube?
Yes, items you have stored in your Horadric Cube will be identified by Cain if the Cube is in your character's personal inventory.
More Diablo 2: Resurrected resources
Diablo 2: Resurrected may be the first experience of the grim world of Sanctuary for many players, and has perhaps sparked interest in Diablo 3 players who want to go back and experience a darker, more foreboding game.
The gameplay and grind can be quite stark in contrast to Diablo 3, but no problem; we have a bunch of guides that can help.
My roundup of 15 beginner Diablo 2: Resurrected tips and tricks will help greenhorns get off to a good start, and our Diablo 2: Resurrected guide to classes and abilities will take your characters to the next level.
