Necromancer Rathma Army of the Dead Build
Introduction
The Bones of Rathma set sees a complete reimagining in Patch 2.7, one that transforms it into a Revive- and Army of the Dead-centric set that uses the power of his necromantic posse to reset an otherwise humongous cooldown, and turn it into a steady stream of nukes that envelop and control the battlefield. This guide will cover all of its available playstyles. The base one presented on this page is the Greater Rift Solo Pushing Variation, but this build also has a Nephalem Rift Farming Variation, and a Greater Rift Speed Farming Variation.
Quick Reference
Skill Setup
The basic skill setup of the Rathma Army of the Dead Necromancer is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.
Active Skills |
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Passive Skills |
Gear Setup
The required gear setup for the Rathma Army of the Dead Necromancer is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on the required stat rolls on gear, itemization alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube and Paragon distribution.
- Head:
Rathma's Skull Helm
- Shoulders:
Rathma's Spikes
- Torso:
Rathma's Ribcage Plate
- Wrists:
Bonds of C'Lena
- Hands:
Rathma's Macabre Vambraces
- Waist:
Captain Crimson's Silk Girdle
- Legs:
Captain Crimson's Thrust
- Feet:
Rathma's Ossified Sabatons
- Amulet:
Squirt's Necklace
- Ring #1:
Krysbin's Sentence
- Ring #2:
Convention of Elements
- Weapon:
Jesseth Skullscythe
- Offhand:
Jesseth Skullshield
Season 28: Altar of Rites
Season 28 comes with the theme of the Altar of Rites — a powerful new account-wide and Season-specific progression system that brings tremendous offensive and defensive buffs to every seasonal character. For virtually all builds and players of all skill levels — from casual to advanced — we recommend progressing through the Altar tree using the path outlined below. The suggested path is geared towards maximum quality of life first, then amplifying damage, and then mopping up the tree with defensive and edge case utility nodes.
Note that while they require reaching them with a Seal, Legendary Potion Powers are not part of the Seal cost system; Potions unlock with a separate resource called Primordial Ashes, obtained from salvaging Legendary or Set items of Primal (red bordered) quality. Upgrade them as soon as possible, and in the order shown below (courtesy of Caleko's Altar of Rites planner).

You can read more on the Altar of Rites, Seals and Legendary Potion Powers in our dedicated Altar of Rites Mechanics guide.
Legendary Gems
- Legendary Gem 1:
Bane of the Trapped
- Legendary Gem 2:
Gogok of Swiftness
- Legendary Gem 3:
Zei's Stone of Vengeance
Kanai's Cube
- Weapon Slot:
Funerary Pick
- Armor Slot:
Fate's Vow
- Jewelry Slot:
Ring of Royal Grandeur
Changelog
- 22 Feb. 2023 (this page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
- 22 Feb. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
- 22 Feb. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (this page): Guide revised to reflect Funerary Pick changes, and added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (skills page): Guide revised to reflect Funerary Pick changes, and added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Guide revised to reflect Funerary Pick changes, and added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
- 14 Apr. 2022 (skills page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 14 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 14 Apr. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 08 Dec. 2021 (gear page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
- 08 Dec. 2021 (this page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
- 08 Dec. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 25.
- 22 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 22 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 22 Jul. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 24.
- 29 Mar. 2021 (this page): Guide added.
- 29 Mar. 2021 (gear page): Guide added.
- 29 Mar. 2021 (skills page): Guide added.
More Necromancer Guides
Builds from Other Classes
Farming Guides
This build is presented to you by Deadset, one of the very few professional Diablo 3 players. Deadset regularly publishes video guides on Youtube and streams on Twitch, where you can see how this and other builds play out in practice.
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