Following the reveal of the Necromancer as Diablo 4’s fifth and final class for launch, Blizzard Entertainment’s latest Quarterly Update Blog offers new details on the class and its abilities. Along with Swords, Daggers, Focuses, Wands and Shields, Necromancers can wield Scythes (which are class-exclusive). Curses also return, allowing players to debuff foes with Decrepify and Iron Maiden.
The Necromancer’s skills can be clumped into four play styles – Bone, Darkness, Blood and the Army. Bone skills are physical and include abilities like Bone Spirit which consumes all Essence to create a bone spirit that seeks out foes and deals immense damage. Bone Prison traps foes within an area, serving as crowd control. Darkness skills rely on Shadow Magic and can debuff foes while also generating Essence, as with Decompose. Decompose also summons Corpses periodically which is good for Corpse Explosion.
Blood Magic steals life from enemies. Blood Surge can create a blood nova, dealing damage based on enemy health drained while Blood Mist sees the Necromancer turning into mist form and becoming immune to damage while draining life from enemies passed through. Then there are the Army skills where players can raise Skeletons and a Golem (with dedicated buttons on the skill bar for the same).
Book of the Dead allows further customization of summons. Skeletal Warriors can be Skirmishers (which have reduced health but deal more damage), Defenders (which have bonus health) and Reapers (slower attacks but can dish out AoE damage including a strong wind-up attack). You can also sacrifice units for different permanent buffs.
Diablo 4 is out in 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out the videos below to see the Necromancer’s skills in action.
