Diablo 2: Resurrected - The Case for Playing Necromancer at Launch

Slowly but surely, Diablo 2: Resurrected's late 2021 release date is drawing near. One of the greatest joys of playing a remaster is revisiting old concepts or fresh, unexplored ideas, and Diablo 2 presents players with a difficult choice between seven promising classes. Those with a fondness for bones, black magic, summoning, and truly obscene explosive damage will likely be drawn to the Necromancer, though. That's not to say there isn't nuance or flexibility in the class, as the Necromancer will also appeal to anyone who appreciates a well-rounded casting class that can perform viably in every scenario.

Considering the Diablo 4 classes that have been revealed thus far and the fact that the Necromancer already saw an updated outing in Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, it seems unlikely that the Necromancer will see a reprisal in Diablo 4. So, those looking to wake the dead in high definition will want to seize the chance in Diablo 2: Resurrected. While Reaper of Souls provided a satisfying modernization of the necromancer,in terms of thematic and mechanical synergy, Blizzard's take on the character circa 2000 remains one of the best executions of the archetype in ARPGs to date.

Those who never dabbled with the wizard of the dead before owe it to themselves to get familiar with the class' many options. And should fancy strike, players can already begin planning their build out in existing Diablo 2 skill calculators.

Not all lords of life and death need to specialize is osseous magic, but it must be said: a necromancer without bones is somewhat lacking. And as far as theming goes, few Necromancer builds are more in line with Blizzard's lore.

Mechanically, the path of the Bonemancer is not for the fainthearted. Certain aspects of the early leveling experience can be brutal, and solid gear is required to make the build sing. Those who persist however, will be awarded with an excellent PVP tool. Necromancers control the field with constructs such as Bone Wall and Bone Prison, trapping enemies or denying them convenient paths of approach.

Any Diablo Necromancer build really takes off, however, when the player chooses to dedicate themselves to either Bone Spirit or Bone Spear. At higher levels, Bone Spear will do more damage and pierce through enemies, but it will also guzzle mana. Bone Spirit does more damage at earlier levels, and has the advantage of homing in on its targets. Both of these skills receive synergy bonuses from the construct spell, boosting their already high damage. Finally, bonemancers usually have at least one skill point set aside for Clay Golem, which acts as a monstrous tank in both PVP and PVE scenarios.

A key component of most bonemancer builds are White Rune Words, which provide major bonuses to skills from the bone tree. Slotted into a wand that already has benefits for Bone Spirit or Bone Spear, this rune word will allow a necromancer to tear through throngs of enemies. Those who want to use Diablo 2's rune system to maximize their builds should consult a guide to see what synergizes best with their Bonemancers.