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Diablo 4 has five classes to choose from, and the Necromancer returns as one of these playable archetypes. Necromancers raise the dead, using blood, bone, and shadow to weave together terrible attacks while skeletons rise and mob enemies. I’ve put together a guide on the Necromancer’s abilities, so you can decide where to invest your experience as you play.
If you don’t have a copy yet, you can snag a Diablo 4 preorder now, with multiple different versions of the game with different bonuses depending on your budget and wants.
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Have a spare ready
Diablo games mean clicking everywhere for everything, so it might be a good idea to have a spare mouse ready if you’re playing on PC. You’ll want to be comfy over long gaming sessions, and having a quality mouse can aid in that comfort.
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills
Necromancer Skills are divided into a few categories: Basic Skills, Core Skills, Corpse and Macabre Skills, Corruption Skills, Summoning Skills, Ultimate Skills, and Key Passives.
These abilities are structured like with other classes, meaning Necromancers can level up any basic (non-passive and non-Ultimate) skill to a fifth level, while activated skills culminate in a choice of two mutually-exclusive upgrades. Necromancers’ main resource is Essence, which is collected by using Basic Skills and spent using other skills.
Necromancers also have access to the Book of the Dead, unlocking ways of customizing their Skeletal Warriors, Skeletal Mages (unlocked at Level 15), and (Golems unlocked at Level 25). They increase certain attributes by weakening others, including gaining large personal bonuses in exchange for sacrificing the ability to summon Minions at all.
Like other classes, it’s free to reset the Necromancer’s skill points until level 15, so you can experiment early on. After that, it starts to get expensive, costing an ever-increasing amount of gold per skill reset, so think carefully. The Necromancer was level-capped to Level 25 in the Open Beta, but goes all the way up to Level 100 in the full game.
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Basic Skills
Bone Splinters: Fire 3 Bone Splinters, dealing damage from each. Each subsequent time an enemy is hit by the same cast of Bone Splinters, you gain 1 Essence. (Generate 5 Essence)
- Enhanced Bone Splinters: Bone Splinters has a 30% chance to fire 2 additional projectiles if cast while you have 50 or more Essence.
- Acolyte’s Bone Splinters: Hitting the same enemy at least 3 times with the same cast of Bone Splinters grants 8% Critical Strike Chance for 4 seconds.
- Initiate’s Bone Splinters: Bone Splinters has a 20% chance per hit to make enemes Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
Decompose: Tear the flesh from an enemy, dealing damage per second and forming a usable Corpse with the flesh every 2.5 seconds. (Generate 5 Essence per second)
- Enhanced Decompose: If an enemy dies while being Decomposed, you gain 10 Essence.
- Acolyte’s Decompose: You and your Minions deal 10% increased damage to enemies who are being Decomposed.
- Initiate’s Decompose: Decompose Slows enemies by 30%.
Hemorrhage: Burst an enemy’s blood, dealing damage. Hemorrage has a 20% chance to form a Blood Orbs. (Generate 8 Essence) (Blood Orbs heal for 15% of Maximum Life when picked up)
- Enhanced Hemorrhage: After picking up a Blood Orb, your next Hemorrhage also deals damage to enemies around your target and grants 2 additional Essence per enemy hit.
- Acolyte’s Hemorrhage: Hemorrhage gains an additional 20% Attack Speed while Healthy.
- Initiate’s Hemorrhage: Hemorrhage grants 1.6% Base Life as Fortify each time it hits an enemy, and has a 1.5% chance per enemy hit to Fortify you for 100% Base Life.
Reap: Sweep an ethereal scythe in front of you, dealing daamge. Hitting an enemy with Reap increases your Damage Reduction by 15% for 2 seconds. (Generate 4 Essence per enemy hit)
- Enhanced Reap: If an enemy hit by Reap dies within 2 seconds, you gain 30% Attack Speed for 3 seconds.
- Acolyte’s Reap: Reap forms a Corpse under the first enemy hit. Can only occur every 5 seconds.
- Initiate’s Reap: Reap instantly kills targets below 5% Life. This does not work on bosses or players.
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Core Skills
Blight: Unleash concentrated blight that deals damage and leaves behind a defiled area, dealing damage over 6 seconds. (Cost 25 Essence)
- Enhanced Blight: Blight slows enemies by 25%.
- Paranormal Blight: Blight has a 30% chance to Immobilize enemies for 1.5 seconds on impact.
- Supernatural Blight: You and your Minions deal 15% increased damage to enemies within Blight.
Blood Lance: Throw a blood lance that lingers in an enemy for 3 seconds, dealing damage to the enemy and all other lanced enemies. (Cost 10 Essence)
- Enhanced Blood Lance: Blood Lance pierces through enemies who are currently lanced, dealing 15% reduced damage to subsequent enemies after the first.
- Paranormal Blood Lance: While at least 2 enemies or a Boss are affected by Blood Lance, you gain 15% Attack Speed and Blood Lance’s Essence Cost is reduced by 2.
- Supernatural Blood Lance: After casting Blood Lance 8 times, your next cast of Blood Lance is guarenteed to Overpower and spawns a Blood Orb under the first enemy hit.
Blood Surge: Draw blood from enemies, dealing damage, and expel a blood nova, dealing damage. Blood Surge’s nova damage is increased by 10% per enemy drained, up to 50%. (Cost 30 Essence)
- Enhanced Blood Surge: Blood Surge heals you for 2.5% of your Maximum Life when drawing blood from enemies. If 4 or more enemies are drawn from, then Heal for an additional 2.5% of your Maximum Life.
- Paranormal Blood Surge: If an enemy is damaged by Blood Surge’s nova while you are Healthy, then gain 1 stack of Overwhelming Blood. When you have 5 stacks of Overwhelming Blood, your next Blood Surge Overpowers.
- Supernatural Blood Surge: Each time an enemy is hit by Blood Surge’s nova, you are Fortified for 1% Base Life. While you have Fortify for over 50% of your Maximum Life, Blood Surge deals 20% increased damage.
Bone Spear: Conjure a bone spear from the ground, dealing damage and piercing through enemies. (Cost 25 Essence)
- Enhanced Bone Spear: Bone Spear breaks into 3 shards when it is destroyed, dealing damage each.
- Paranormal Bone Spear: Bone Spear has a 5% increased Critical Strike Chance. If Bone Spear’s primary projectile Critically Strikes, it fires 2 additional bone shards upon being destroyed.
- Supernatural Bone Spear: Bone Spear makes the first enemy hit Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
Hewed Flesh: Your damage has up to a 4% chance to create a Corpse at the target’s location. This chance is doubled against Bosses. (3 Levels)
Sever: A specter of you charges forward and attacks with its scythe for damage then returns to you and attacks again for damage. (Cost 20 Essence)
- Enhanced Sever: Sever damages enemies along its path for 25% of its initial damage.
- Paranormal Sever: Every 4th cast of Sever makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
- Supernatural Sever: Sever deals 2% increased damage for each Minion you have upon cast.
Unliving Energy: You maximum Essence is increased by 3. (3 Levels)
- Imperfectly Balance: Your Core Skills cost 5% more Essence, but deal 10% increased damage.
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Corpse and Macabre Skills
Blood Mist: Disperse into a bloody mist, becoming Immune for 3 seconds. Your Movement Speed is reduced by 20% and you periodically deal damage to enemies and Healing for 0.5% of your Maximum Life.
- Enhanced Blood Mist: Casting a Skill that Overpowers reduces the cooldown of Blood Mist by 2 seconds.
- Dreadful Blood Mist: Blood Mist Fortifies you for 0.5% Base Life each time it hits an enemy.
- Ghastly Blood Mist: Blood Mist leaves behind a Corpse every 1 second.
Bone Prison: Unearth a prison of bone with Life that surrounds the target area of 6 seconds.
- Enhanced Bone Prison: If an enemy is trapped by Bone Prison, gain 15 Essence, plus an additional 5 per enemy trapped.
- Dreadful Bone Prison: Fortify for 5% Base Life for reach enemy trapped by Bone Prison.
- Ghastly Bone Prison: Enemies inside of Bone Prison are Vulnerable.
Corpse Explosion: Detonate a corpse, dealing damage to surrounding enemies.
- Enhanced Corpse Explosion: Corpse Explosion’s radius is increased by 15%.
- Blight Corpse Explosion: Corpse Explosion becomes a Darkness Skill, and instead of exploding, releases a vile miasma dealing Shadow Damage over 6 seconds.
- Plagued Corpse Explosion: Corpse Explosion deals 10% increased damage to enemies that are Slowed, Stunned, or Vulnerable. These damage bonuses can stack.
Grim Harvest: Consuming a Corpse generates 3 Essence. (3 levels)
- Fueled by Death: You deal 4% increased damage for 4 seconds after consuming a Corpse. (3 levels)
Skeletal Warrior Mastery: Increase the damage and Life of your Skeletal Warriors by 15%. (3 levels)
Spiked Armor: Gain 8 Thorns. (3 levels)
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Corruption Skills
Amplify Damage: You deal 3% increased damage to Cursed enemies. (3 levels)
Death’s Embrace: Close enemies take 2% more damage from you and deal 3% less damage to you. (3 levels)
Death’s Reach: You deal 4% increased damage to Distant enemies. (3 levels)
Decrepify: Curse the target area. Enemies afflicted by Decrepify are Slowed by 40.0% and deal 20.0% less damage for 10 seconds. (Cost 10 Essence)
- Enhanced Decrepify: Enemies hit while afflicted with Decrepify have up to a 10% chance to Stun them for 2 seconds.
- Abhorrent Decrepify: Enemies hit while afflicted with Decrepify have up to a 15% chance to reduce your active Cooldowns by 1 second.
- Horrid Decrepify: When you or your Minions hit an enemy afflicted with Decrepify below 10% Life, they are instantly killed. Does not work on Bosses.
Iron Maiden: Curse the target area. Enemies afflicted by Iron Maiden take damage each time they deal direct damage. Lasts 10 seconds. (Cost 10 Essence)
- Enhanced Iron Maiden: Iron Maiden no longer costs Essence. Instead, gain 5 Essence for each enemy Cursed. Does not work with enemies who are already Cursed with Iron Maiden.
- Abhorrent Iron Maiden: Heal for 5% of your Maximum Life when an enemy dies while afflicted with Iron Maiden.
- Horrid Iron Maiden: When at least 3 enemies are afflicted by Iron Maiden, its damage is increased by 15%.
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Summoning Skills
Bone Spirit: Consume all of your Essence to conjure a spirit of bone that seeks enemies. Upon reaching an enemy, the spirit explodes, dealing damage to the target and all surrounding enemies. Damage is increased by 3% for each point of Essence spent casting Bone Spirit.
- Enhanced Bone Spirit: If Bone Spirit Critically Strikes, its Cooldown is reduced by 6 seconds. This effect can only happen once per cast.
- Dreadful Bone Spirit: After Bone Spirit hits an enemy, you generate 30 Essence over the next 4 seconds.
- Ghastly Bone Spirit: Bone Spirit has an additional 10% Critical Strike Chance.
Corpse Tendrils: Veins burst out of a Corpse, Pulling in enemies, Stunning them for 3 seconds, and dealing damage to them. Does not consume the Corpse.
- Enhanced Corpse Tendrils: Enemies who are in range of Corpse Tendrils are Slowed by 50% before being Pulled.
- Blighted Corpse Tendrils: Corpse Tendrils has a 20% chance when damaging enemies to drop a Blood Orb.
- Plagued Corpse Tendrils: Enemies damaged by Corpse Tendrils are made Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
Gruesome Mending: While below 50% Life, you receive 10% more Healing from all sources. (3 levels)
- Coalesced Blood: While Healthy your Blood Skills deal 6% increased damage (3 levels)
- Drain Vitality: Hitting enemies with Blood Skills has up to a 25% chance to Fortify you for 2% Base Life. (3 levels)
- Transfusion: Blood Orbs also Heal your Minions for 15% of the amount. (3 levels)
- Tides of Blood: Your Blood Skills deal 5% increased Overpower damage. This bonus is doubled while you are Healthy. (3 levels)
Necrotic Carapace: When a Corpse is formed from your Skills or your Minions, fortify for 2% Base Life. (3 levels)
Reaper’s Pursuit: Damaging enemies with Darkness Skills increases your Movement Speed by 5% for 3 seconds. (3 levels)
- Crippling Darkness: Darkness Skills have up to a 15% chance to Stun for 1 seconds.
- Gloom: When you damage enemies with Darkness Skills, they take 2% increased Shadow Damage from you and your minions for 2 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. (3 levels)
- Terror: Darkness Skills deal 3% bonus damage to enemies who are Slowed, and 3% bonus damage to enemies who are Stunned or Immobilized. These bonuses stack and apply to Shadow Damage dealt by your Minions.
Serration: Your Bone Skills have a 0.5% increased Critical Strike Chance for each 10 Essence you have upon cast. (3 levels)
- Compound Fracture: After Critically Striking 10 times with Bone Skills, your Bone Skills deal 5% increased damage for 5 seconds. (3 levels)
- Rapid Ossification: Every 100 Essence you spend reduces the cooldowns of your Bone Skills by 0.5 seconds. (3 levels)
- Evulsion: Your Bone Skills deal 6% increased Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable enemies. (3 levels)
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Ultimate Skills
Army of the Dead: Call forth deep buried dead. Volatile Skeletons emerge over the next 7 seconds that explode when around enemies, dealing damage.
- Prime Army of the Dead: When Army of the Dead’s Volatile Skeletons explode, they have a 15% chance to leave behind a Corpse.
- Supreme Army of the Dead: Army of the Dead also raises your Skeletal Warriors and Skeletal Mages.
Blood Wave: Conjure a tidal wave of blood that deals damage and Knocks Back enemies.
- Prime Blood Wave: Blood Wave Slows enemies by 50% for 4 seconds.
- Supreme Blood Wave: Blood Wave leaves behind 3 Blood Orbs as it travels.
Bonded in Essence: Every 5 seconds, your Skeletal Priest’s Healing will Heal your Skeletons for 20% of their Maximum Life. (3 levels)
- Inspiring Leader: After you have been Healthy for at least 4 seconds, you and your Minions gain 4% Attack Speed. (3 levels)
- Hellbent Commander: Your Minions deal 10% increased damage while you are Close to them. (3 levels)
- Death’s Defence: Your Minions cannot lose more than 75% of their Maximum life from a single damage instance. (3 levels)
Bone Storm: A swirling storm of bones appears around you and your Golem, dealing damage to surrounding enemies over 10 secoonds.
- Prime Bone Storm: Your Damage Reduction is increased by 15% while Bone Storm is active.
- Supreme Bone Storm: Your Critical Strike Chance is increased by 20% while Bone Storm is active.
Golem Mastery: Increase the damage and Life of your Golem by 15%. (3 levels)
Stand Alone: Increases Damage Reduction by 6%, reduced by 2% for each active Minion. (3 levels)
- Memento Mori: Sacrificing both Skeletal Warriors and Skeletal Mages increases their Sacrifice bonuses by 20%. (3 levels)
Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills: Key Passives
Kalen’s Edict: After you have not taken damage in the last 3 seconds, your Minions gain 15% Attack Speed. While you have at least 7 Minions, this bonus is doubled.
Ossified Essence: Your Bone Skills deal 1% increased damage for each point of Essence you have above 50 upon cast.
Rathma’s Vigor: Increase your Maximum Life by 10%. After being Healthy for 15 seconds, your next Blood Skill Overpowers.
Shadowblight: Shadow Damage infects enemies with Shadowblight for 2 seconds. You and your minions deal 10% bonus damage to enemies with Shadowblight. Every 10th time an enemy receives Shadow Damage from you or your Minions while they are affected by Shadowblight, they take additional damage.
Your enemies rise again, as your thralls
Diablo 4 is scheduled to launch on June 6, 2023 after first being revealed all the way back at BlizzCon 2019. If the Necromancer isn’t your style (or you just want to try another character) then there’s four other classes to check out. We’ve got the details on the Sorceress skill tree, Barbarian skill tree, and Druid skill tree.
