Whether you’re making a character in the Seasonal or Eternal Realm, the Necromancer is wildly destructive and a beautifully grotesque character to build out. As you command the forces of the undead, you’ll bend death to your will, summoning corpses, monstrosities, and wicked weapons.
Here we’ve laid out three very straightforward and common Necromancer builds for you to progress through or use elements of as a framework for a more experimental build.
Exploding Corpse Necromancer Build
What’s better than manipulating corpses to your will? Why exploding them to trigger excellent AoE damage, of course. The Exploding Corpse Necromancer build optimizes a self-destructive army of the dead under your command.
Exploding Corpse Necromancer: Levels 1-15
Bone Splinters > Enhanced Bone Splinters > Initiate’s Bone Splinters
Blight > Enhanced Blight > Supernatural Blight
Skeletal Warrior Mastery
Corpse Explosion > Enhanced Corpse Explosion > Blighted Corpse Explosion
Corpse Tendrils > Enhanced Corpse Tendrils > Plagued Corpse Tendrils
For your final two skill points on the path to level 15, max out Skeletal Warrior Mastery to 3/3 ranks.
Exploding Corpse Necromancer: Levels 16-50
Unliving Energy > Imperfectly Balanced > Hewed Flesh
Reap > Enhanced Reap > Acolyte’s Reap
Army of the Dead > Prime Army of the Dead > Supreme Army of the Dead
Reaper’s Pursuit > Crippling Darkness > Terror > Gloom
Necrotic Carapace
Grim Harvest > Fueled by Death
Inspiring Leader > Death’s Defense
Shadowblight
Skeletal Mage Mastery
As you continue toward level 50, consider the following list of skills to max out your ranks in.
Blight
Imperfectly Balanced and Hewed Flesh
Corpse Explosion Skeletal Warrior Mastery, Grim Harvest, and Fueled By Death
Terror, Gloom, and Necrotic Carapace
Death’s Defense
Summoner Necromancer Build
What if you like summoning the undead but want to keep them around? You know, as friends. Friends that can help you on your path to absolute devastation. The Summoner Necromancer build focuses on making the most of your summoned skeletons, keeping them on the battlefield with you and your party as you rage through demon hordes.
Summoner Necromancer: Levels 1-15
Enhanced Bone Splinters > Enhanced Bone Splinters > Initiate’s Bone Splinters
Sever > Enhanced Sever > Supernatural Sever
Unliving Energy > Imperfectly Balanced > Hewed Flesh
Corpse Explosion > Enhanced Corpse Explosion > Blighted Corpse Explosion
Skeletal Warrior Mastery > Grim Harvest > Fueled by Death
Summoner Necromancer: Levels 16-50
Reap > Enhanced Reap > Acolyte’s Reap
Corpse Tendrils > Enhanced Corpse Tendrils > Plagued Corpse Tendrils
Reaper’s Pursuit > Crippling Darkness > Terror > Gloom
Shadowblight
Golem Mastery > Inspiring Leader
Skeletal Mage Mastery
On your path to level 50, consider upping your ranks in the following skills:
Sever
Corpse Explosion
Imperfectly Balance and Hewed Flesh
Skeletal Warrior Mastery, Grim Harvest, Fueled by Death
Terror and Gloom
Bone Spear Necromancer Build
If your calling to the cursed arts of necromancy involves summoning weapons made from the remnants of the dead, look no further than the Bone Spear Necromancer build. Here, you’ll optimize a build for using the Bone Spear skill to the best of its abilities, with both piercing and shrapnel damage.
Bone Spear Necromancer: Levels 1-15
Bone Splinters > Enhanced Bone Splinters > Acolyte’s Bone Splinters
Bone Spear > Enhanced Bone Spear > Supernatural Bone Spear
Blood Mist
Hewed Flesh
Corpse Explosion > Enhanced Corpse Explosion > Blighted Corpse Explosion
Grim Harvest
Corpse Tendrils > Enhanced Corpse Tendrils > Plagued Corpse Tendrils
Bone Spear Necromancer: Levels 16-50
Fueled by Death
Serration > Compound Fracture > Evulsion
Unliving Energy > Imperfectly Balanced > Hewed Flesh
Bone Storm > Prime Bone Storm > Supreme Bone Storm
Stand Alone > Memento Mori
Ossified Essence
As you continue the path to level 50, consider these skills for maxing ranks.
Bone Spear
Unliving Energy, Imperfectly Balanced, Hewed Flesh
Corpse Explosion
Grim Harvest and Fueled by Death
Death’s Reach
Serration, Compound Fracture, and Evulsion
Stand Alone, Memento Mori
The Necromancer stood out early on in Diablo IV’s life as a particular kind of lethal to control. While the latest season one patch has complicated some of the game’s meta, the Necromancer remains a great class and these builds lay the foundation for a solid character to take into endgame challenges.
