A returning class from Diablo II, the necromancer brings a powerful array of undead magic and abilities to the game. Here are some suggested builds to help you make the most of this commander of the dead.
Necromancer primer
The necromancer is a dark priest that can summon undead minions and draw power from blood and death. Although necromancers were a playable class in Diablo II, they play a bit differently in Diablo III. For instance, they now have more active combat options that reduce the need to depend on minions in battle.
Most of the necromancer's abilities rely on the class's primary resource, "essence," which she draws from enemies. Attacking with her primary attack (assigned to the A button by default on Xbox One) replenishes essence. The maximum storable quantity of this life-based resource is 200.
The necromancer has an even more unique secondary resource, and that's corpses. Enemies she kills turn into dead bodies that can be used for further means. With the right skills, you can explode corpses like bombs, turn them into projectiles, drain them for essence, and revive them as minions.
Whichever way you want to play the necromancer, you'll be safest doing so at a distance. This class relies on ranged attacks and minions, so close combat can be extremely dangerous for our dark priest.
Some of these builds use two skills from the same category, thus foregoing another skill category. To equip multiple skills from the same category on the console version of Diablo III:
- Select Options.
- Head to Gameplay Options.
- Enable Elective Mode.
- Return to the game and access the Skills menu.
- Select the button to which you'd like to assign a skill from a duplicate category.
- Scroll left or right until you reach the duplicate category and choose the desired skill.
Beginner build
For this build, we've chosen skills that become available at early levels and remain worthwhile as you work your way up to 70.
This build uses Bone Spikes and Devour to keep the essence coming in. Summon Skeletal Mages and use Command Skeletons to provide yourself an army, augmenting your attacks with the Frailty curse. When things get too hectic, use Blood Rush to teleport away from the fray (at a small cost to your health).
- Primary: Bone Spikes – Rune: Sudden Impact
- Secondary: Skeletal Mage – Rune: Singularity
- Corpses: Devour – Rune: Devouring Aura
- Reanimation: Command Skeletons – Rune: Frenzy
- Curses: Frailty – Rune: Scent of Blood
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Passive I: Extended Servitude
- Passive II: Overwhelming Essence
- Passive III: Spreading Malediction
- Passive IV: Fueled by Death
Bone Storm build
This build was created by Deadset, a professional Diablo III player. You'll play with a melee style here, thanks to the Grim Scythe ability. It's recommended that you use the Inarius armor set for maximum effectiveness.
- Primary: Grim Scythe – Rune: Cursed Scythe
- Corpses: Corpse Lance – Rune: Brittle Touch
- Reanimation: Land of the Dead – Rune: Frozen Lands
- Curses: Decrepify – Rune: Dizzying Curse
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Passive I: Stand Alone
- Passive II: Spreading Malediction
- Passive III: Blood is Power
- Passive IV: Overwhelming Essence
Corpse Explosion build
Another build intended for use with the Inarius armor set. This build revolves around the Corse Explosion ability, allowing you to take down living foes by blowing up the fallen ones. It's a good solo build, but the limited mobility limits its effectiveness for Bounties.
- Primary: Grim Scythe – Rune: Cursed Scythe
- Secondary: Death Nova – Rune: Blight
- Corpses: Corpse Explosion – Rune: Close Quarters
- Reanimation: Land of the Dead – Rune: Frozen Lands
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Passive I: Stand Alone
- Passive II: Spreading Malediction
- Passive III: Rigor Mortis
- Passive IV: Blood is Power
Corpse Lance build
This build focuses on getting the most from the Corpse Lance ability. You'll use fallen enemies to generate projectiles, hurling them at anyone who stands in your way. The armor set that best complements this build is the Trag'Oul set.
- Corpses: Corpse Lance – Rune: Blood Lance
- Corpses: Devour – Rune: Cannibalize
- Reanimation: Command Golem – Rune: Flesh Golem
- Reanimation: Land of the Dead – Rune: Frozen Lands
- Curses: Decrepify – Rune: Dizzying Curse
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Stand Alone
- Passive II: Draw Life
- Passive III: Blood is Power
- Passive IV: Overwhelming Essence
Skeletal Mages build
For the player who likes to summon minions, this build focuses on acquiring a hoard of Skeletal Mages and Skeletons and keeping them around to fight in your place. You'll want to equip the Rathma armor set and use the Jesseth Skullcythe and Skullshield for your weapons.
- Primary: Bone Spikes – Rune: Sudden Impact
- Secondary: Skeletal Mage – Rune: Singularity
- Corpses: Devour – Rune: Cannibalize
- Reanimation: Command Skeletons – Rune: Dark Mending
- Curses: Decrepify – Rune: Wither
- Blood & Bone: Blood Rush – Rune: Potency
- Passive I: Extended Servitude
- Passive II: Overwhelming Essence
- Passive III: Spreading Malediction
- Passive IV: Swift Harvesting
The eternal battle
Diablo III is the largest and most popular loot-hunting action-RPG on Xbox One and PC. On console, up to four players can team up locally or online to battle the forces of Diablo. While you'll find many Diablo-style games on Xbox One such as Victor Vran and Marvel Heroes Omega, the original game still has unmatched atmosphere, scale, and production values.
The Rise of the Necromancer DLC is available for $14.99. You can also pick up Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which bundles Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition with the Rise of the Necromancer DLC for $59.99. See our Rise of the Necromancer review for more details!
