Introduction
After picking up your first wand and taking that all important first step down the path of Darkness there can come a point where you are feeling overwhelmed with all the different skills at your disposal. There are just so many builds to create. You can create an easy to play build that will take you through Hell with only a few skills. Or you can make it hard for yourself and go for a build that will have you use almost every skill in the Necromancers arsenal at exactly the right time. You can build a Mage and fight from afar. Or you can build a Warrior and fight face-to-face. You can choose to let your minions do the fighting or even to let the monsters fight amongst themselves. Or you can choose to actively kill the monsters yourself with spells and weapons. You can create a build that doesn�t require equipment. Or you can go all out in obtaining items to make your Necromancer and his minions an unstoppable scourge. You can create a build superbly suited for killing monsters. Or you can create a build specifically to kill other players.
Although this variety is something that attracted a lot of us to the class in the first place, it is something that can be a bit daunting to Newcomers. This thread is here to inform new Necromancers about the different build options and the way the Necromancer (and the forum) works. It will also serve the more experienced players well as handy reference material. Take your time to view all this information as it is sure to give you a better understanding of the Necromancer class and its full potential.
PvM Guides
Skelliemancer by Nightfish
Often referred to as a Fishymancer. The basis of this build is formed by a maxed Skeleton Mastery and maxed Raise Skeleton. A maxed CE is added for kill speed. The use of a 4xEth 2xShael Phase Blade and Crushing Blow equipment is advocated and adds a unique element. This build has a lot of room for customisation thanks to the leftover skill points.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Commandomancer by TheKbob
Just as the Skelliemancer this build relies on a solid core of maxed Raise Skeleton and maxed Skeleton Mastery. Mages can also be maxed if you like to use them. What sets this build apart is the fact that the Necro will melee alongside his minions. It is an important part of the gameplay. The gear is aimed towards providing the Skeletons with as much useful auras as possible. A thread with questions and feedback can be found here.
This build can be used for PvP.
Commandomancer [Revised Edition] by Gix
As the name implies this guide is a revision of the Commandomancer guide by TheKbob. More gear options are given and some of the information and strategies were altered. Read both threads if you are interested in starting a Commandomancer.
This build can be used for PvP.
The Corrupted Televangelist by rickcarson
Thorns damage and Revives are used to kill enemies. CE provides additional damage and, together with the Merc, a way to deal with Ranged and Magic attackers. Insight is used to provide the mana necessary. The build is finished early leaving lots of room for customisation.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Lich Lord 1.10 Strategy Guide by Damric
Mages are used in a teleport minion-stacking attack. An Iron Golem made from Insight is employed to provide almost unlimited mana. Curses are limited to LR to increase damage. The Merc increases damage via an Infinity weapon.
This build can be used in PvP.
MF Poisonmancer by beudmaster.
This build is a standard Poisonmancer with all the synergies maxed. Bone Armor and the synergies to it are boosted to allow the Necromancer to quickly travel through packs of monsters.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Poison/Summon hybrid by gvandale
This hybrid combines maxed poison synergies with maxed Raise Skeleton. The result is a powerful Poison Nova and a pack of sturdy meatshields. Alternatively one can max Skeleton Mastery and Raise Skeleton and drop one poison synergy. This gives you a powerful army and a good supporting Poison Nova.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Poison/Summon hybrid by usamahanas
With maxed poison synergies and a maxed Raise Skeleton this build is a standard Poison/Summon hybrid. This guide differs from the previous guide in the way the Skeletons are used. The use of a Thorns aura is stressed to give your Skeletons an extra offensive edge.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Dentist by rickcarson
Instead of relying on the other Bone skills this build focuses on Teeth. The gameplay changes but the skill distribution does not. Focus lies on pumping Teeth and the synergies. No points are spent in curses in favor of using BW as a means to control crowds. This build can also be played as a normal Bonemancer.
This build can be used in PvP.
Bone/Summon hybrid by Angst
The core of this build is a Bone Spear or Spirit, depending on your preference, with a reasonable amount of synergies. Either Revives or Skeletons are used as meatshields and damage dealers. This guide does not stress the use of Marrowwalk. A thread with questions and feedback can be found here.
This build is not intended for PvP.
MF Bone/Summon hybrid by batuchka
This thread is focussed around MF. It gives info on how to MF safely with a Bone/Summon hybrid. Several gear options and strategies are given.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Meleemancer by Mad Mantis
Instead of using minions or spells to kill, this build focuses on the use of melee weapons, such as swords and axes, to kill. The synergies to Bone Armor are maxed in order to provide protection from damage and curses are employed as crowd control. Several variant builds are listed.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Daggermancer by darnocpdx
With maxed poison synergies this build appears to be a standard Poisonmancer. Instead of using a Poison Nova this build focuses on the use of the Poison Dagger skill. Curses are used as means to keep the enemy under control after a quick guerrilla style attack with a dagger. A thread with questions and feedback can be found here.
This build can be used for PvP.
The Nightmare: A Dream-using Meleemancer by JanusJones
Making use of the latest batch of runewords, this guide focuses on lowering resistances and getting elemental damage from equipment. Mages are employed to take full advantage from the enemies lowered resistances. Revives provide additional damage and meatshields.
This build is not intended for PvP.
The Dark Elemancer by TerrorClown
Damage comes from elemental attacks on the Merc and elemental attacks granted by equipment. A heavy investment in curses is made, almost to the point of Mojomancy, to control crowds and amplify the elemental damage.
This build is not intended for PvP.
The Darkmage by rickcarson
Dim Vision is the main focus of this build. It is used in almost all situations to control crowds. Actual damage comes from the various variants covered in the guide.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Jailkeeper by Leuchovius
Taking a different approach to building a Necromancer, this build focuses on the use of Bone Prison as a meatshield and means of crowd control. The core skills of the build do not deal with killing monsters, only with keeping them under control. Various hybrid builds are suggested to actually kill the monsters. A thread with questions and feedback can be found here.
This build is not intended for PvP.
Patsy's Crazy Fun-Themed Builds! by Patsy
If you ever get tired of the standard builds then read this guide. The builds might not be the strongest out there, or guaranteed to finish Act I, but they provide for a great role-playing experience.
None of these builds are intended for PvP.
PvP Guides
Poisonmancer by hks489
With maxed poison synergies this build is a standard Poisonmancer. However the build is directed towards duelling and as such several strategies versus various opponents are mentioned.
This build can be used for PvM.
Bonemancer by soulesschild
A standard in Necromancer duelling. This build focuses on pumping all the synergies to Bone Spear and Bone spirit.
This build can be used for PvM after adding some curses.
Bone/Summon hybrid by Dracoy
This core of this build is a maxed Raise Skeleton with maxed Skeleton Mastery. A maxed Bone Spirit and maxed Bone Wall give you a strong bone attack. Marrowwalk is strongly advocated. Tactics against various opponents are provided.
This build can be used for PvM.
Poison/Bone hybrid by hks489
An odd build for duelling. This build focuses on maxed poison synergies backed up a maxed Bone Wall and Bone Spear or Bone Spirit with as many points as possible. Marrowwalk is advocated.
This build can be used for PvM.|||General Information
Encyclopedia Necromantica by Beatboxer
A three part thread that gives comprehensive information regarding Character Types, Basic Play, Mercenaries, synergies, skills and much much more. It serves well as a guide to the Necromancer class for Newcomers and as a quick reference tool for more experienced players. Currently slightly outdated, but sill worth a read.
Facts & Formulae Archive by Dracoy & Co.
If you need to find a breakpoint, area level, MF information, information on the damage caused by Open Wounds or any other sort of statistical information, there is a big chance that you will find it in this guide. This guide lists all the formulae and common statistical questions.
Marrowwalks Explained: The Charge/Synergy Bug by Beatboxer
With the introduction of synergies a new exploit of charges on items has also been introduced. Most famous is the Marrowwalk bug. Some people view this as a bug and other people view it as a feature. Regardless of personal opinion this thread gives information regarding the Marrowwalk bug and how to exploit it. This information is also valid for other items with charges.
With the introduction of Patch 1.11 this bug no longer exists.
The Battle: Trangs Summoner vs. Unique Based Summoner by TheKbob
This thread lists an equipment set-up for a Summoner based on the full Trang-Oul�s Avatar set and a set-up based on Uniques. The goal is to see which set-up gives better Skeletons. Advantages and disadvantages are listed for both set-ups.
Golem FAQ Revised by Pherdnut
Ever since the introduction of patch 1.10 Golems are reduces to tanks. They make for excellent tanks in all builds, but they used to be much more. This thread provides statistics, skills.txt information, various kinds of breakpoints and different strategies for every type of Golem. It will help you get the most out of your Golem in this patch.
Poison Skills Information by onderduiker
The poison skills have always had an aura of mystery around them. Very few people knew how they worked. This thread contains information on the Necromancer's poison skills, all the immune monsters and their locations, a way to kill Baal using a single Poison Dagger stab, a way to kill all the other monsters using a single Poison Dagger stab and links to threads that help you accurately calculate your poison damage. A very valuable resource for any Necromancer interested in the Poison tree.
WSK Run Mini-Guide by Nightfish
Is the Throne of Destruction the only part of the Worldstone Keep you ever visit? Are you bored of running through the other level 85 areas? Take your time and read this mini-guide. It gives information on how to run through the Worldstone Keep with a Fishymancer. The mini-guide covers areas such as MF equipment, things to look for in a good WSK-map and tips on running through the different levels.
Destruction Key Run (Mini) Guide for (Skellie) Necromancers by Cyber Dragon
Emphasis of this guide lies on reaching Nihlathak and quickly defeating him. The use of the "Slain Monsters Rest in Peace" mod gives it an interesting twist. The build suggested is a Summoner. Other builds will find the strategies and floor plans to be of great help.
Full Trang-Oul's Avatar Vampire-form
Equipping the entire Trang-Oul's Avatar set will transform the appearance of your Necromancer into a Vampire. Besides gaining access to Fire Mastery, Meteor, Fire Wall and To Fire Ball, various breakpoints change. The new breakpoints are listed below thanks to hard work by RTB. Another change is the lack of a Blocking Animation. When you block while in Vampire-form you will use the Hit Recovery Animation instead.
Quote:
Vampire form FHR breakpoints:
Code:
FHR frames
0 15
2 14
6 13
10 12
16 11
24 10
34 9
48 8
72 7
117 6
208 5
Vampire form FCR breakpoints:
Code:
FCR frames
0 23
6 22
11 21
18 20
24 19
35 18
48 17
65 16
86 15
120 14
180 13
Vampire form IAS tables:
Code:
EIAS frames
-20 25
-18 24
-14 23
-11 22
-7 21
-2 20
3 19
8 18
14 17
20 16
28 15
36 14
46 13
57 12
70 11
You can use this IAS>EIAS table to see how much IAS you need for reaching a breakpoint.
Code:
+----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+
|EIAS| IAS| |EIAS| IAS| |EIAS| IAS| |EIAS| IAS| |EIAS| IAS|
+----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+
| 1| 2| | 21| 26| | 41| 63| | 61| 125| | 81| 250|
| 2| 3| | 22| 27| | 42| 65| | 62| 129| | 82| 259|
| 3| 4| | 23| 29| | 43| 68| | 63| 133| | 83| 270|
| 4| 5| | 24| 30| | 44| 70| | 64| 138| | 84| 280|
| 5| 6| | 25| 32| | 45| 72| | 65| 142| | 85| 292|
| 6| 7| | 26| 34| | 46| 75| | 66| 147| | 86| 304|
| 7| 8| | 27| 35| | 47| 78| | 67| 152| | 87| 317|
| 8| 9| | 28| 37| | 48| 80| | 68| 157| | 88| 330|
| 9| 10| | 29| 39| | 49| 83| | 69| 163| | 89| 345|
| 10| 11| | 30| 40| | 50| 86| | 70| 168| | 90| 360|
| 11| 13| | 31| 42| | 51| 89| | 71| 174| | 91| 377|
| 12| 14| | 32| 44| | 52| 92| | 72| 180| | 92| 395|
| 13| 15| | 33| 46| | 53| 95| | 73| 187| | 93| 414|
| 14| 16| | 34| 48| | 54| 99| | 74| 194| | 94| 434|
| 15| 18| | 35| 50| | 55| 102| | 75| 200| | 95| 456|
| 16| 19| | 36| 52| | 56| 105| | 76| 208| | 96| 480|
| 17| 20| | 37| 54| | 57| 109| | 77| 215| | 97| 507|
| 18| 22| | 38| 56| | 58| 113| | 78| 223| | 98| 535|
| 19| 23| | 39| 58| | 59| 117| | 79| 232| | 99| 566|
| 20| 24| | 40| 60| | 60| 120| | 80| 240| | 100| 600|
+----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+ +----+----+]
Table originally made by GaiaCaT
Example:
1. You want to reach 11 fpa, that's 70 EIAS.
2. Weapon = Cutlass (-30 WSM), 40 EIAS needed
3. Look up 40 EIAS in above table, that's 60 IAS needed for 11 fpa.
Tests
Poison Dagger Bug - Test Results by Necrochild313
The Poison Dagger bug has been used for a long time by Meleemancers to gain acceptable AR. With the coming of patch 1.10 this bug has been fixed. This thread describes a series of experiments to determine if the Poison Dagger bug is still in effect or not. The result of the tests is that the Poison Dagger bug does not work in patch 1.10.
Test Results: -% Enemy Poison Resistance and it's effect on Poison Damage by Necrochild313
With the introduction of items that lower Enemy Poison Resistance Poisonmancers have new ways of increasing their damage. These items seem to affect Poison Damage in a curious way. This thread lists the experiments performed to understand the effects of -% Enemy Poison Resistance on the duration and damage of Poison Attacks.
Search Tool
If you didn�t find the information you were looking for you can make use of our Search Tool to scan all the information we have discussed over the years. If you can�t find it in here you will probably find it using the Search Tool.
Still can�t find the information?
Sometimes it happens that you can not find the answer in here or by using the Search Tool. If that happens feel free to create a new thread. As long as you comply to the rules of the forum and use proper language and grammar you will receive an answer.
Item Fund for Necro Forum Members
So you have finally decided which build you want to play, but your funds are not adequate enough to support you. In other words, you are really poor. Go take a look in the Item Fund for Necro Forum Members. This thread is dedicated to helping the fledgling Necromancer.
Adding Information
What to do if you want to add something to this thread or spot a mistake? Have you seen an useful guide? Discovered some shocking new information regarding Blood Golem? Were you finally successful in empirically showing that Weaken is useless? Found a spelling error? Let the Mod know. Just send a PM to Mad Mantis and the thread will be reviewed and added to this thread.|||Updated Skelliemancer link.
Added WSK Run Mini-Guide by Nightfish.|||Updated Poisonmancer guide link to a reposted version of the Poisonmancer guide by hks489.|||Added Destruction Key Run (Mini) Guide for (Skellie) Necromancers by Cyber Dragon.|||Added Poison Skills Information by onderduiker.
I'll be adding the other stickied guides in the next few days. If anybody has a thread they'd like to see added to this sticky then send me a PM.
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