Unleashing the full potential of the Diablo 4 Necromancer lies in the art of detonating lifeless remains. While there may exist more efficient builds for the final stages, nothing compares to the sheer exhilaration of wielding the Corpse Explosion ability as a Necromancer. The unparalleled delight derived from manipulating the fallen bodies of your adversaries to wreak havoc upon their once allies is simply unmatched. With every life you extinguish, a surplus of lifeless vessels is at your disposal, ready to be obliterated or harnessed to summon a legion of new minions. Simply splendid.
Although Corpse Explosion may not possess great power by itself, when you infuse it with essential passives and complement it with skills that facilitate the application of vulnerability, its damage potential becomes remarkably formidable. Notably, it possesses the advantageous traits of being cost-free, immediate, and devoid of any cooldown. Moreover, this particular build will fortify your minions, thereby enhancing your overall survivability. With that being said, allow me to present my preferred Diablo 4 Necromancer build that proves effective from the early stages and remains a worthwhile investment for the later stages of the game.
Corpse Explosion Necromancer build
Give this a go if:
💀 In search of superior crowd management techniques.
💀 Unleash the dormant power within by mastering a fundamental skill.
💀 You savor the damp thud produced by an exploding corpse.
The Corpse Explosion strategy embodies elegance in its simplicity: it revolves around the art of creating lifeless bodies and igniting them into glorious explosions. Additionally, you have the power to weaken adversaries with the entangling grip of Corpse Tendrils and the mighty force of Iron Golem’s earth-shattering slam, making sure they suffer even more from the impending detonations. Amidst this chaotic symphony, your trusty minions and innate abilities work in perfect harmony to supply you with an abundance of corpses, essence, and the coveted Fortify enchantment. And when faced with dire circumstances, the formidable Bone Storm ultimate skill bestows upon you a much-needed shield of resilience.
Skills
Step into the realm of mastery by harnessing these six essential skills for crafting the ultimate build:
In order to enhance your gameplay in the early stages, it is advisable to acquire a fundamental ability known as Decompose. This skill not only allows you to produce lifeless bodies and accumulate essence, but it also serves as an excellent precursor to unlocking reapers and various passives that generate essence and corpses.
Passives and Book of the Dead
In this build, the key passives that hold utmost significance include Hewed Flesh, Grim Harvest, Fueled by Death, and Necrotic Carapace. Hewed Flesh grants a fortuitous opportunity for any attack to result in the creation of a lifeless body. On the other hand, Grim Harvest bestows the gift of essence replenishment upon detonating a corpse. Fueled by Death, as the name suggests, offers a delightful damage boost when a corpse is explosively shattered. Lastly, the invaluable Necrotic Carapace provides the boon of Fortify each time a corpse is brought into existence, an attribute particularly advantageous for early-game survival.
When it comes to other passive abilities, there are a plethora of options available for enhancing your minions. The skills like Skeletal Warrior Mastery, Skeletal Mage Mastery, Golem Mastery, Kalan’s Edict, Bonded in Essence, Inspiring Leader, and Death’s Defence are specifically designed to bolster the strength of your loyal minions. These enhancements can range from improving their health, providing healing, or even increasing their attack speed. As we all know, your minions play a crucial role in generating corpses, mercilessly crushing your adversaries, and even immobilizing enemies with icy spells cast by your mages.
Reaper Skeletal Warriors’ second node grants them the opportunity to generate lifeless bodies upon striking, Cold Skeletal Mages possess the ability to generate either life essence or render icy adversaries susceptible to intensified explosions, and the significance of your Iron Golem’s second node lies in its capacity to leave adversaries vulnerable after a powerful slam.
Aspects
This build encompasses six fundamental elements that I hold in high regard:
Flick your finger to effortlessly glide sideways.
Aspect of Grasping Veins | This increases your crit chance and crit damage against enemies who are caught by your Corpse Tendrils, so is perfect for follow up explosions |
Splintering Aspect | This improves your Bone Spear’s damage against vulnerable enemies |
Blood Getter’s Aspect | This adds two extra Reaper Skeletal Warriors for more corpse creation |
Viscous Aspect | This adds two extra Cold Skeletal Mages for more freezes |
Coldbringer’s Aspect | This lets your Cold Skeletal Mages create blizzards that freeze enemies every ten seconds. These seem to be cast by individual mages, so having more means more blizzards. |
Aspect of Shielding Storm | This is pretty vital for Torment and Nightmare Dungeon survivability, granting you a barrier when you damage enemies with your AoE Bone Storm. This gives you a brief period of almost invulnerability where you can get somewhere safe, bring minions back, or tangle your foes in Corpse Tendrils. |
Although I believe the aforementioned options are ideal, this particular build can greatly benefit from any form of crowd control or stun capabilities. Take, for instance, the Aspect of Retribution or Exploiter’s Aspect, both of which can enhance its effectiveness. One notable example is the Aspect of the Umbral, which grants essence whenever you successfully crowd control enemies. This synergizes exceptionally well with the Corpse Tendrils ability. Additionally, I have a personal fondness for the Aspect of Shared Misery, which allows for the potential spread of debuffs when striking a crowd-controlled enemy. This is especially effective when combined with Corpse Explosion on a group of enemies that have already been crowd controlled by Corpse Tendrils, struck by your golem, or subjected to the chilling and freezing effects of your mages.
The essence of this build lies in two exceptional artifacts – the Deathless Visage helm and the Black River scythe. The former bestows unparalleled might upon your Bone Spears, while the latter electrifies Corpse Explosion, enabling it to devour an additional four corpses, resulting in amplified damage and an expanded radius. As a consequence, this build emerges as a formidable contender in the realm of endgame possibilities.
Gems and Affix Priority
Levels of Paragon and the Power of Glyphs.
When it comes to Paragon levels, I recommend fortifying your faithful minions through the prestigious Cult Leader board. Enhancing this build with the Control Glyph will not only empower you but also equip your loyal skeletal servants with increased potency against adversaries under crowd control.
Now, let’s delve into the details; I would suggest incorporating damage enhancements against adversaries who are slowed, stunned, under crowd control, or vulnerable. The beauty of this strategy lies in the fact that by inflicting various debuffs, your damage output is guaranteed to receive a significant boost, regardless of your current abilities. Additionally, I would recommend focusing on improving critical hit rate or damage for bone skills. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to acquire additional proficiency in corpse skills, as well as specific abilities such as Bone Spear or Corpse Explosion, which hold considerable value. Lastly, it is wise to equip your feet with extra evade charges, allowing you to escape perilous situations with ease.
When it comes to precious stones, Emeralds and Sapphires enhance critical damage when faced with susceptible or constrained adversaries. However, in other situations, my focus would be on acquiring commendable overall resilience. Additionally, the Sapphire’s ability to diminish damage while fortified is crucial, especially considering the presence of the Necrotic Carapace passive, ensuring its near-constant utilization.
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Sean’s initial foray into the world of PC gaming involved immersing himself in the captivating realms of Full Throttle and Total Annihilation. Remarkably, his love for these games has endured throughout the years. In between diligently uncovering hidden secrets and facing the mind-bending challenges presented by various puzzles, Sean often finds solace in revisiting nostalgic Total War campaigns. Additionally, he frequently finds himself deeply engrossed in perfecting his Destiny 2 character or relentlessly striving to complete the mesmerizing saga of the Horus Heresy. Sean’s remarkable talent has also been acknowledged through his contributions to esteemed publications such as EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.