Leaf is a great early Rune Word for Sorceress' or Elemental Druids which are currently fire spec. +(2*Clvl) Defense (Based on Character Level)

Only Paladin Shields have 4 open Sockets and drop before in Normal/Early Nightmare. The down side with Spirit though is it requires a 4 open Socket Shield which you can't find until Monarch's start dropping late Nightmare/Hell.

Rhyme is the second best Rune Word for this level range with Spirit being by far the best. Assasin Claws work well too or Scepters for Paladins. Much like the Steel Rune Word before it, this goes best in any fast weapons like a Sabre or Crystal Sword.

You can make up for this with Replenish Life on any piece of gear. The biggest downside to this Rune Word is the -5 Drain Life. You can find a Tal and Eth Rune by farming The Countess on Normal (as well as any other difficulty) very early on in the game and make this armor right after entering Act 2. Out of all the early chest armor Rune Words that you can make, Stealth stands above them all. This Runeword works best in a fast weapon like a Crystal Sword or Sabre. Every Rune Word on this list is meant for characters who are level 30 or under, if you'd like to check out my other lists of Rune Words then follow the links below. This page contains a list of all the beginner Rune Words in Diablo 2 as well as a little bit of information about why they're on this list to begin with.

Diablo 2 low level rune words