I played every class over the Diablo 4 beta weekends, but I only reached level 25 with the Necromancer. Then, when a friend asked about making some fresh characters, I decided to make another Necromancer. Diablo 4 has sprawling ability trees. So, while I was playing the same class, I never had an overlapping ability. My main necromancer specialized in shadow magic and undead companions, while my second thrived on blood magic, hemorrhaging enemies and siphoning their health.
A couple of friends of mine were tackling an icy stronghold, but found the boss to be too much of a challenge. The rogue stayed mobile, firing arrows at the Minotaur-looking creature, the barbarian charged in with a shout over and over again, but it was to no avail. Then I roll in, all emo-looking and emaciated and ready to fight, flanked by five skeletal warriors, another five skeletal mages, and a massive golem. I wasn’t just another body on the field, I was an army.
And that’s what it feels like to be a Necromancer most of the time. You aren’t just a magic wielder, you’re a posse, a dirty dozen.
My warriors and golem rushed into battle alongside the oafish Barbarian. A clatter of steel rang out as the creature slammed its hammer into my comrade, the knockback sending him reeling. My skeletal mages slung spells at the beast, while the rogue pelted it with arrow after arrow.
The creature howled for aid, bringing in its own ramshackle crew of smaller beasts. This would be its undoing. I went to work on the smaller creatures, weaving spells that locked them in place. As each one died, I exploded their corpse, creating a pool of poisonous miasma. The more they died, the more the miasma filled the small arena. The poison ate away at the boss’ considerable health bar until it fell, leaving behind a pile of loot and gold for us to collect. “Well that went a lot better!” my grateful pal exclaimed.
Part of the Necromancer’s considerable power is the ability to customize your undead companions. For instance, my skeletal warriors could be skirmishers or defenders. I could’ve opted for beefier skelly boys, but I always went with the deadly skirmishers. Furthermore, I could choose to increase their power or summon two more warriors. If you’re not a fan of traveling with a posse of undead, you can also choose to give yourself a powerful buff that prevents you from summoning the warriors. So, if you’re the kind of Necromancer who would rather go it alone, that’s a perfectly viable option. Personally, I always chose to have as many companions huddling around me as possible.
Exploring dungeons was an absolute delight. Whenever I entered a room with a lot of enemies, it was a full-on battle. My minions rushed in to meet any new danger. I was a smabling party of undead. Few rooms ever had more enemies than I had skeletons. Besides, a room full of foes is a room full of opportunity. The more enemies died, the more I could use corpse explosion. My hulking golem shredded through anything in its path. And, as if my own eleven companions weren’t enough, I had an ultimate ability called Army of the Dead. If I ever found myself in a tight spot, I could summon a horde of spirits onto the field to fight for me. I could even enhance this ability to reanimate any warriors or mages I’d lost in battle.
When I created my second Necromancer, I was surprised by how different the blood build felt. I was bleeding enemies, which caused them to drop blood orbs. The blood orbs healed me, making me very durable in combat. With a wave of my sickle I would pull the blood from my enemies, then throw it back as a deadly spear that could pierce through them. Thanks to the game’s magnificent character creator, I was also able to make this necromancer look as if she was smeared in blood, adding a bit of roleplay to my blood-sucking antics.
If you’re the kind of player who likes a clean screen where you can survey the battlefield clearly, the Necromancer likely isn’t for you. However, if you don’t mind a bit of chaos, you’re in for a hell of a good time.Between the skeletal companions, the golem, pools of miasma, and corpses exploding, I was walking chaos for myself and my teammates. But at the end of the day, I never found an encounter I couldn’t overcome or a boss (except for the world boss Ashava) that I couldn’t beat on my own. Needless to say, once the game launches, I’ll be making my third (but probably not final) Necromancer.
