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Diablo 4 – Necromancer Skills Guide (Season 3)

This page covers all Necromancer Skills, Enhancements, and Upgrades.

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Neviriah

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The Necromancer class in Diablo 4 has access to 19 different skills in six categories. Additionally, most skills have an enhancement and two upgrades that improve them in a variety of ways.

The following section provides an overview of all Necromancer skills, enhancements, and upgrades. For a detailed list of Necromancer passives, refer to our Necromancer Passive Talents page.

Necromancer Passive Talents

For more general information about the Necromancer class, refer to our overview.

Necromancer Overview

Basic Skills

Basic Skills are spammable skills whose primary purpose is to regenerate Essence in order to be able to use more powerful skills from other categories.

Decompose

Essence Generation7 per second
Lucky Hit Chance40%
Damage TypeShadow
DescriptionTear the flesh from an enemy, dealing {#}% damage per second and forming a usable Corpse with the flesh every {#} seconds.
Enhanced DecomposeEnhanced DecomposeIf an enemy dies while afflicted with DecomposeDecompose, you gain {#} Essence.
Acolyte's DecomposeAcolyte’s DecomposeEvery 1.5 seconds, Decompose makes enemies Vulnerable for 4 seconds.
Initiate's DecomposeInitiate’s DecomposeDecomposeDecompose Slows enemies by {#}% and if you channel Decompose for at least 1.5 seconds, you gain {#}%[+] Movement Speed for 5 seconds after ending the channel.

Reap

Essence Generation4 per enemy hit
Lucky Hit Chance17%
Damage TypeShadow
DescriptionSweep an ethereal scythe in front of you, dealing {#}% damage. Hitting an enemy with Reap increases your Damage Reduction by {#}% for {#} seconds.
Enhanced ReapEnhanced ReapIf an enemy hit by ReapReap dies within {#} seconds, you gain {#}% Attack Speed for {#} seconds.
Acolyte's ReapAcolyte’s ReapReapReap forms a Corpse under the first enemy hit. Can only occur every {#} seconds.
Initiate's ReapInitiate’s ReapReapReap instantly executes non-Bosses below {#}% Life.

Hemorrhage

Essence Generation8
Lucky Hit Chance35%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionBurst an enemy’s blood, dealing {#}% damage. Hemorrhage has a {#}% chance to form a Blood Orb.
Enhanced HemorrhageEnhanced HemorrhageAfter picking up a Blood Orb, your next HemorrhageHemorrhage also deals damage to enemies around your target and grants {#} additional Essence per enemy hit.
Acolyte's HemorrhageAcolyte’s HemorrhageHemorrhageHemorrhage gains an additional {#}% Attack Speed while Healthy.
Initiate's HemorrhageInitiate’s HemorrhageHemorrhageHemorrhage grants {#}% Maximum Life ({#}) as Fortify each time it hits an enemy, and has a {#}% chance per enemy hit to Fortify you for {#}% Maximum Life ({#}).

Bone Splinters

Essence Generation6
Lucky Hit Chance17%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionFire three Bone Splinters, dealing {#}% damage each. Each subsequent time an enemy is hit by the same cast of Bone Splinters, you gain {#} Essence.
Enhanced Bone SplintersEnhanced Bone SplintersBone SplintersBone Splinters has a {#}% chance to fire {#} additional projectile if cast while you have {#} or more Essence.
Acolyte's Bone SplintersAcolyte’s Bone SplintersHitting the same enemy at least {#} times with the same cast of Bone SplintersBone Splinters grants {#}% Critical Strike Chance for {#} seconds.
Initiate's Bone SplintersInitiate’s Bone SplintersBone SplintersBone Splinters has a {#}% chance per hit to make enemies Vulnerable for {#} seconds.

Core Skills

These are some of the most used Necromancer skills in any build. However, while Core Skills have no cooldown, their biggest drawback is their Essence cost.

Blight

Essence Cost25
Lucky Hit Chance40%
Damage TypeShadow
DescriptionUnleash concentrated blight that deals {#}% damage and leaves behind a defiled area, dealing {#}% damage over {#} seconds.
Enhanced BlightEnhanced BlightBlightBlight Slows enemies by {#}%.
Paranormal BlightParanormal BlightBlightBlight has a {#}% chance to Immobilize enemies for {#} seconds on impact.
Supernatural BlightSupernatural BlightYou and your Minions deal x{#}% increased damage to enemies within BlightBlight.

Sever

Essence Cost20
Lucky Hit Chance20%
Damage TypeShadow
DescriptionA specter of you charges forward and attacks with its scythe for {#}% damage then returns to you and attacks again for {#}% damage.
Enhanced SeverEnhanced SeverSeverSever damages enemies along its path for {#}% of its damage.
Paranormal SeverParanormal SeverEvery 4th cast of SeverSever makes enemies Vulnerable for {#} seconds.
Supernatural SeverSupernatural SeverSeverSever deals x{#}% increased damage for each Minion you have upon cast.

Blood Surge

Essence Cost30
Lucky Hit Chance12%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionDraw blood from enemies, dealing {#}% damage, and expel a blood nova, dealing {#}% damage. Blood Surge’s nova damage is increased by x{#}% per enemy drained, up to x{#}%.
Enhanced Blood SurgeEnhanced Blood SurgeBlood SurgeBlood Surge heals you for {#}% of your maximum Life when drawing blood from enemies. If {#} or more enemies are drawn from, then heal for an additional {#}% of your maximum Life.
Paranormal Blood SurgeParanormal Blood SurgeIf an enemy is damaged by Blood SurgeBlood Surge‘s nova while you are Healthy, then gain 1 stack of Overwhelming Blood. When you have 5 stacks of Overwhelming Blood, your next Blood Surge Overpowers.
Supernatural Blood SurgeSupernatural Blood SurgeEach time an enemy is hit by Blood Surge’s nova, you are Fortified for {#}% Maximum Life ({#}). While you are Fortified for over {#}% of your Maximum Life, Blood SurgeBlood Surge deals {#}% increased damage.

Blood Lance

Essence Cost15
Lucky Hit Chance33%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionThrow a blood lance that lingers in an enemy for {#} seconds, dealing {#}% damage to the enemy and all other lanced enemies.
Enhanced Blood LanceEnhanced Blood LanceBlood LanceBlood Lance Pierces through enemies who are currently lanced, dealing {#}% reduced damage to subsequent enemies after the first.
Paranormal Blood LanceParanormal Blood LanceWhile at least {#} enemies or a Boss are affected by Blood LanceBlood Lance, you gain {#}% Attack Speed and Blood LanceBlood Lance‘s Essence cost is reduced by {#}.
Supernatural Blood LanceSupernatural Blood LanceAfter casting Blood LanceBlood Lance {#} times, your next cast of Blood LanceBlood Lance is guaranteed to Overpower and spawns a Blood Orb under the first enemy hit.

Bone Spear

Essence Cost25
Lucky Hit Chance50%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionConjure a bone spear from the ground, dealing {#}% damage and Piercing through enemies.
Enhanced Bone SpearEnhanced Bone SpearBone SpearBone Spear breaks into {#} shards when it is destroyed, dealing {#}% damage each.
Paranormal Bone SpearParanormal Bone SpearBone SpearBone Spear has a {#}% increased Critical Strike Chance. If Bone Spear’s primary projectile Critically Strikes, it fires {#} additional bone shards upon being destroyed.
Supernatural Bone SpearSupernatural Bone SpearBone SpearBone Spear makes the first enemy hit Vulnerable for {#} seconds.

Macabre Skills

Macabre Skills help to boost the defensive capabilities of the Necromancer, as well as providing powerful offensive options.

Corpse Explosion

Lucky Hit Chance25%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionDetonate a Corpse, dealing {#}% damage to surrounding enemies.
Enhanced Corpse ExplosionEnhanced Corpse ExplosionCorpse ExplosionCorpse Explosion‘s radius is increased by {#}%.
Blighted Corpse ExplosionBlighted Corpse ExplosionCorpse Explosion becomes a Darkness Skill and, Instead of exploding, Corpse ExplosionCorpse Explosion releases a vile miasma dealing {#}% Shadow Damage over {#} seconds.
Plagued Corpse ExplosionPlagued Corpse ExplosionCorpse ExplosionCorpse Explosion deals x{#}% increased damage to enemies that are Slowed, Stunned, or Vulnerable. These damage bonuses can stack.

Blood Mist

Cooldown24 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance9%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionDisperse into a bloody mist, becoming Immune for {#} seconds. Your Movement Speed is reduced by {#}% and you periodically deal {#}% damage to enemies, healing for {#}% of your Maximum Life.
Enhanced Blood MistEnhanced Blood MistCasting a Skill that Overpowers reduces the cooldown of Blood MistBlood Mist by 2 seconds.
Ghastly Blood MistGhastly Blood MistBlood MistBlood Mist leaves behind a Corpse every {#} second.
Dreadful Blood MistDreadful Blood MistYou gain +10% Critical Strike Chance for 4 seconds after Blood MistBlood Mist ends.

Bone Prison

Cooldown20 seconds
DescriptionUnearth a prison of bone with {#} Life that surrounds the target area for {#} seconds. Friendly players and Minions can freely pass through Bone Prison walls.
Enhanced Bone PrisonEnhanced Bone PrisonEnemies inside of Bone PrisonBone Prison are Vulnerable.
Ghastly Bone PrisonGhastly Bone PrisonIf an enemy is trapped by Bone PrisonBone Prison, gain {#} Essence, plus an additional 5 per enemy trapped.
Dreadful Bone PrisonDreadful Bone PrisonReduce your active cooldowns by {#} seconds for each enemy trapped by Bone PrisonBone Prison, up to {#} seconds.

Curse Skills

The Curse Skill category includes all Necromancer skills that inflict Curses upon enemies. Curses help with dealing damage over time and increase the damage dealt to Cursed enemies.

Iron Maiden

Essence Cost10
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionCurse the target area. Enemies afflicted by Iron Maiden take {#}% damage each time they deal direct damage. Lasts {#} seconds.
Enhanced Iron MaidenEnhanced Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden no longer costs Essence. Instead, gain {#} Essence for each enemy Cursed. Does not work with enemies who are already cursed with Iron MaidenIron Maiden.
Horrid Iron MaidenHorrid Iron MaidenWhen at least {#} enemies are afflicted by Iron MaidenIron Maiden, its damage is increased by x{#}%.
Abhorrent Iron MaidenAbhorrent Iron MaidenHeal for {#}% of your maximum Life when an enemy dies while afflicted with Iron MaidenIron Maiden.

Decrepify

Essence Cost10
DescriptionCurse the target area. Enemies afflicted by Decrepify are Slowed by {#}% and deal {#}% less damage for {#} seconds.
Enhanced DecrepifyEnhanced DecrepifyLucky Hit: Enemies hit while afflicted with DecrepifyDecrepify have up to a {#}% chance to be Stunned for {#} seconds.
Horrid DecrepifyHorrid DecrepifyWhen you or your Minions hit an enemy afflicted with DecrepifyDecrepify below {#}% Life, they are instantly killed. Does not work on Bosses.
Abhorrent DecrepifyAbhorrent DecrepifyLucky Hit: Enemies hit while afflicted with DecrepifyDecrepify have up to a {#}% chance to reduce your active cooldowns by {#} seconds.

Corpse and Macabre Skills

With these skills, Necromancers can boost their own damage while summoning additional horrors to deal even more combined destruction.

Corpse Tendrils

Cooldown11 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance20%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionVeins burst out of a Corpse, pulling in enemies, Stunning them for {#} seconds, and dealing {#}% damage to them. Does not consume the Corpse.
Enhanced Corpse TendrilsEnhanced Corpse TendrilsEnemies who are in range of Corpse TendrilsCorpse Tendrils are Slowed by {#}% before being pulled.
Plagued Corpse TendrilsPlagued Corpse TendrilsEnemies damaged by Corpse TendrilsCorpse Tendrils are made Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
Blighted Corpse TendrilsBlighted Corpse TendrilsCorpse TendrilsCorpse Tendrils has a {#}% chance when damaging enemies to drop a Blood Orb.

Bone Spirit

Cooldown12 seconds
Essence CostAll Remaining Essence
Lucky Hit Chance33%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionConsume all of your Essence to conjure a spirit of bone that seeks enemies. Upon reaching an enemy, the spirit explodes, dealing {#}% damage to the target and all surrounding enemies. Damage is increased by {#}% for each point of Essence spent casting Bone Spirit.
Enhanced Bone SpiritEnhanced Bone SpiritIf Bone SpiritBone Spirit Critically Strikes, its cooldown is reduced by {#} seconds. This effect can only happen once per cast.
Ghastly Bone SpiritGhastly Bone SpiritBone SpiritBone Spirit has an additional {#}% Critical Strike Chance.
Dreadful Bone SpiritDreadful Bone SpiritAfter Bone SpiritBone Spirit hits an enemy, you generate {#}% of your maximum Essence.

Ultimate Skills

Ultimate Skills are powerful skills that have a long cooldown. Ultimate Skills must be built around in order to be effective, and only one can be chosen at a time.

Army of the Dead

Cooldown70 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance64%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionCall forth the deep buried dead. Volatile undead emerge over the next {#} seconds that explode when around enemies, dealing {#}% damage.
Prime Army of the DeadPrime Army of the DeadWhen Army of the DeadArmy of the Dead‘s Skeletons explode, they have a {#}% chance to leave behind a Corpse.
Supreme Army of the DeadSupreme Army of the DeadArmy of the DeadArmy of the Dead also raises your Skeletal Warriors and Skeletal Mages.

Blood Wave

Cooldown50 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance20%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionConjure a tidal wave of blood that deals {#}% damage and knocks enemies back.
Prime Blood WavePrime Blood WaveBlood WaveBlood Wave Slows enemies by {#}% for {#} seconds.
Supreme Blood WaveSupreme Blood WaveBlood WaveBlood Wave leaves behind three Blood Orbs as it travels.

Bone Storm

Cooldown60 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance40%
Damage TypePhysical
DescriptionA swirling storm of bones appears around you and your Golem, dealing {#}% to surrounding enemies over {#} seconds.
Prime Bone StormPrime Bone StormYour Damage Reduction is increased by {#}% while Bone StormBone Storm is active.
Supreme Bone StormSupreme Bone StormYour Critical Strike Chance is increased by {#}% while Bone StormBone Storm is active.

Dismount Skill

While mounted, the Necromancer class has access to a unique Dismount Skill which causes them to jump off the mount, slam the ground, and create a frontal cone of magic bones, damaging enemies in the way. Players that are struck by an enemy are automatically dismounted and are unable to use their Dismount Skill.

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