Best Diablo 4 Necromancer Build Season 2: Skills, Stats, Items, Aspects

A step-by-step guide to the best Necromancer builds in Diablo 4 Season 2, from the skills to pick, best-in-slot items, Book of the Dead choices, stats & more.

First Published October 16, 2023, 08:35

Looking for the best Necromancer class build in Diablo 4 with the arrival of Season 2? Then we've got you covered. To quote Necromancers in Diablo lore: "What a pity... I was beginning to enjoy the darkness." Yes, we have enjoyed the darkness, and with the best skills, Legendary aspects, and more for Necromancers in Diablo 4, so can you.

In this consistently updated Diablo 4 class guide for Necromancers across the world of Sanctuary, we dive deep into everything players need to know. This includes the best Skills, Gems, Stats Priority, Book of the Dead, best-in-slot items, and much more for the Necromancer class in Diablo 4, so let's dive in.

Updated on 16 October 2023: We've updated this article with the best Necromancer build for Diablo 4 Season 2. If you're interested to learn more about how to unlock Golems in Diablo 4, you might like to check out our separate guide discussing it in more detail.

Table of Contents

Diablo 4 Necromancer Overview: Is it a Good Class in Season 2?

The Necromancer is one of the best classes to consider taking into Season 2 of Diablo 4. It is arguably also beginner-friendly, as you can cast spells from range and summon undead to tank enemies for you. But it doesn't stop there, as the class offers tons of versatility as you drill down into its specifics. An official lore description reads:

Necromancers are cunning summoners that conjure vengeful hordes of the undead. Their Essence flows into three powerful bastions of Bone, Blood, or Shadow to bring low their enemies.

Check out the official cinematic trailer for the Necromancer class below to get the blood flowing, no pun intended.

The Necromancer uses Essence as its resource to cast Bone, Blood, and Shadow spells, both offensively and defensively. The class features the unique Book of the Dead mechanic to customize your army of undead further.

The class' unique Dismount ability sees the player jump from their mount and slam into the ground. Releases a cone of Bone Magic to damage enemies nearby. But enough preamble, let's dive into the build you're all here for! 

Best Diablo 4 Necromancer Skills Build: Corpse Bomb

Our best Necromancer build in Diablo 4 season 2 referred to as the "Corpse Bomb." It revolves around skills that complement Corpse Explosion, along with summoning minions to draw enemy attention and hold them in place while you unleash devastating attacks on their allies. We also emphasize the importance of crowd-control (CC) skills to slow down larger groups of enemies.

Please note: The best Necromancer build for Diablo 4 Season 2 uses all possible Skill Points, including the two per region earned with renown.

For those new to Diablo 4, these skill names and upgrades might not mean anything in particular. To flesh out the best Necromancer build in Diablo 4, we've got explanations of each of the skills listed above.

• Reap - Sweep an ethereal scythe in front of you, dealing 13% damage. Hitting an enemy with Reap increases your Damage Reduction by 15% for 2 seconds. 
• Blight - Unleash concentrated blight that deals 30% damage and leaves behind a defiled area, dealing 13% damage over 6 seconds. 
• Unliving Energy - Your maximum Essence is increased by 3. 
• Imperfectly Balanced - Your Core Skills cost 3%[x] more Essence, but deal 5%[x] increased damage. 
• 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. 
• Corpse Explosion - Detonate a Corpse, dealing 50% damage to surrounding enemies. 
• Skeletal Warrior Mastery - Increase the damage and Life of your Skeletal Warriors by 15%[x].
• Grim Harvest - Consuming a Corpse generates 2 Essence. 
• Fueled By Death - You deal 3%[x] increased damage for 6 seconds after consuming a Corpse. 
• Skeletal Mage Mastery - Increase the damage and Life of your Skeletal Warriors by 15%[x].
• Corpse Tendrils - Veins burst out of a Corpse, Pulling in enemies, Stunning them for 3 seconds, and dealing 20% damage to them. Does not consume the Corpse.
• Reapers Pursuit - Damaging enemies with Darkness Skills increases your Movement Speed by 5%[+] for 3 seconds. 
• Crippling Darkness - Darkness Skills have up to a 15% chance to Stun for 1 second. 
• Terror - Darkness Skills deal 3%[x] bonus damage to enemies who are Slowed, and 3%[x] bonus damage to enemies who are Stunned or Immobilized. These bonuses stack and apply to Shadow damage dealt by your Minions. 
• Gloom - When you damage enemies with Darkness Skills, they take 2%[x] increased Shadow damage from you and your Minions for 2 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. 
• Necrotic Carapace - When a Corpse is formed from your Skills or your Minions, Fortify for 2% Base Life (33).
• Army of the Dead - Call forth the deep-buried dead. Volatile Skeletons emerge over the next 7 seconds that explode when around enemies, dealing 45% damage. 
• Inspiring Leader - After you have been Healthy for at least 4 seconds, you and your Minions gain 4%[+] Attack Speed. 
• Deaths Defense - Your Minions cannot lose more than 70% of their Maximum Life from a single damage instance. 
• Shadowblight - Shadow damage infects enemies with Shadowblight for 2 seconds. You and your Minions deal 10%[x] 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 an additional 22% Shadow damage. 

Still with us? Well done, but we are only about halfway through our in-depth best Diablo 4 Season 1 Necromancer build guide!

Diablo 4 Necromancer Book of the Dead

The Book of the Dead is the unique ability granted to Necromancers, allowing us to employ the Raise Skeleton and Golem skills, thereby summoning an army of undead minions to fight alongside us. Additionally, we have the option to sacrifice these minions, which provides distinct passive bonuses depending on the type we choose to sacrifice. This allows us to tailor our strategy by deciding which minions to summon and which ones to sacrifice, offering a variety of viable combinations to suit different builds.

For our Corpse Bomb Necromancer build, players can luckily utilize the same Skeletons from the onset of unlocking the Book of the Dead, all the way up to the end game. So once the book has been unlocked, we suggest going for the following summoning upgrades:

• Skeletal Warriors - Reapers (Corpse Formation)
• ‍Skeletal Mages - Shadow (Additional Shadow Bolt)
• Sacrifice Golems - Bone (Attack Speed)

Learn more about how the unique class mechanic for the Necromancer in Diablo 4, the Book of the Dead, works with our dedicated guide.

Stats Priority For Diablo 4 Necromancers

In terms of Primary Stats for Necromancers in Diablo 4, the priority is:

• Intelligence: +0.1% Skill Damage per point.
• Willpower: +0.1% Resource Generation per point.
• Dexterity: +0.02% Critical Strike Chance per point.
• Strength: Nothing.

Each primary stat increase has a defensive effect on the player's character in Diablo 4. Check out the defensive stats gained by increasing your primary stats.

• Strength: +1 increase to Armor per primary stat point.
• Dexterity: +0.025% increase to Dodge Chance per primary stat point.
• Intelligence: +0.05% increase to All Resistance per primary stat point.
• Willpower: +0.1% increase to Healing Received and +0.25% Overpower Damage per point

Please note: The defensive bonuses increase from primary stats for all classes, including the Necromancer. This priority list assumes your items will have enough resistance for your current difficulty level.

Best Diablo 4 Season 2 Necromancer Paragon Legendary Nodes & Glyphs

As you advance through the Paragon Board in Diablo 4 Season 2, you will incorporate specific Glyphs, leveling them up swiftly and unlocking several Legendary Nodes along the way. For the most effective Necromancer build in Season 2, we recommend prioritizing the following Glyphs:

• Exploit
• Darkness
• Grave Keeper
• Scourge
• Deadraiser

The Legendary Nodes and their respective boards, essential for progression (as displayed in the image above via D4builds.gg), are listed below in order of importance:

• Wither (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 
• Flesh Eater (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 
• Scent of Death (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 
• Cult Leader (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 

As a friendly reminder, always plan ahead and assess the stats needed to obtain additional bonuses. In this regard, we advise using the best Paragon Board planner designed for Diablo 4 Season 2.

Best Gems For Necromancers in Diablo 4

The best Gems for your Corpse Bomb Necromancer build in Diablo 4 Season 1 should complement your skill selection and fill in some blanks where you might be lacking or buff specific traits such as Essence generation. Our gem picks and reasons for adding them to specific slots can be found below.

• Royale Ruby - Add to weapon for increased Essence generation.
• Royale Skull - Add to Armor for +healing.

Top Legendary Aspects/Items For Diablo 4 Necromancers in Season 2

In Diablo 4's Season 2, players can utilize the Codex of Power and the Occultist vendor to Imprint, Extract, and Store Legendary Aspects and Powers. For our recommended Necromancer build in Season 2, we've compiled a list of the best Legendary Powers, which can be obtained through item drops or by completing Dungeons.

Keep in mind that you can also use the Occultist to extract and imprint these powers on Rare gear, effectively transforming them into Legendary items. Check out our complete guide to Diablo 4's Legendary Aspects and Powers for the Necromancer class in Season 2. 

Best Unique Items For Necromancer in Diablo 4 Season 2

Unique Items can bring out the best in any build, as they are specifically tailored to highlight your skills or buff your character; when it comes to the Corpse Bomb Necromancer build for Diablo 4 Season 2, you'll definitely want to get your hands on them. Below are the recommended Unique Items you should look out for that suit the Necromancer best, though none of the uber/super Unique items that players can get if they are (very) lucky are used. 

• Black River (Unique Scythe)
• Blood Artisan's Cuirass (Unique Chest Armor )
• Howl From Below (Unique Gloves )
• Ring of Mendeln (Unique Ring )

So there you have it, a comprehensive guide to the Necromancer class in Diablo 4 Season 2, outlining a robust build that covers the best skills to use, gem selection, stat priorities, the Book of the Dead mechanics, and more. Rest assured; we will consistently update this article to provide you with the latest information. 

For more Diablo 4, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Diablo 4 Season 2 Guides

Class Builds & Tier Lists

• Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Arsenal, Legendary Aspects
• Best Diablo 4 Necromancer Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
• Best Diablo 4 Sorcerer Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
• Best Diablo 4 Druid Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
• Best Diablo 4 Rogue Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Specialization, Legendary Aspects
• Diablo 4 Class Tier List: Best Solo Builds
• Best Diablo 4 Build Calculator: Skill Tree For All Classes & More
• Best Diablo 4 Paragon Board Planner
• Best Diablo 4 Class & Build For Beginners
• Best Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4
• Best Lightning Sorcerer Build in Diablo 4
• Best Fire Sorcerer Build in Diablo 4

Tech Guides & Fixes

World, Maps & Locations

Diablo 4 Items & Slots

Achievements/Challenges

Legendary Aspects

Strongholds

Bosses

• Diablo 4 Ashava Spawn Times, Location, and How To Beat Easily
• Diablo 4 Wandering Death World Boss: How To Beat, Spawn Location & Loot
• Diablo 4 Avarice World Boss: How To Beat, Spawn Location & More
• Diablo 4 Lilith's Lament: How To Beat Final Act 1 Boss
• Diablo 4 Den Mother Boss: How To Beat, Location & Rewards
• Diablo 4 Staggering System Explained: How To Stagger Bosses
• Diablo 4 Lord Avitus Location, How To Beat and Loot Drops
• Diablo 4 The Blood Bishop Location, How To Defeat, Loot Drops
• Diablo 4 The Butcher Location, How To Defeat, Loot Drops

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The Story, Lore & Characters

Diablo 4 Season Guides

Our section keeps growing, so check for new guides daily! Don't forget to pick up one of the Diablo 4 Editions and join the fight to save Sanctuary soon.

Written by Wessel Minnie

Wessel is a former member of Bravado Gaming, a top South African esports organization, and a former editor at GLITCHED.online. He can also be found on HLTV discussing everything CS esports.  When he's not writing or editing, Wessel is clicking heads in Counter-Strike 2, pondering over the best Diablo 4 builds for each class, or venturing into the Lands Between of Elden Ring for the umpteenth time. He loves ARPGs and any SoulsBorne title he can get his mitts on, but feel free to email or drop him a message on social media with any interesting gaming-related topics you think he might enjoy.

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