There is perhaps no class that looks so different from build to build in Diablo 3𓄧 than the Necromancer. Players can specialize in creating minions, blowing up enemy bodies, face-to-face combat, ranged spellcasting, and more. From looking at success rates in the greater rifts, it becomes apparent that♉ each such build has merit.
It's t๊ough to rank which one is best because personal taste accounts for so much of what makes the Nec✤romancer feel special. Nevertheless, the community has put up statistical data and shared their feelings in the forums, so there are some choice strategies for success that rise to the top.
Updated on April 23rd, 2021 by Hodey Johns: This article was published shortly after the 2.7.0 patch and had to make several assumptions based on statistics and community chatter. Now that the leaderboards are up and there is some concrete evidence, these rankings have been adjusted to account for this. Also, each section has been enhanced with bullet points that fully list every piece of the build for any readers who would like to construct that build themselves.
The "Rat"
- Active skills: Devour (Devouring Aura), Simulacrum (Reservoir), Blood Rush (Metabolism), Bone Armor (Harvest of Anguish), Land of the Dead (Frozen Lands), Skeletal Mage (Life Support)
- Passive skills: Overwhelming Essence, Final Service, Extended Servitude, Dark Reaping
- Armor: Andariel's Visage (no socket), Razeth's Volition, Requiem Cereplate (Flawless Royal Topazes), Tasker and Theo, Reaper's Wraps, The Witching Hour, Hexing Pants of Mr. Yan (Flawless Royal Topazes), Steuart's Greaves
- Jewelry: Squirt's Necklace, Convention of Elements, Krysbin's Sentence
- Weapons: Scythe of the Cycle (Flawless Royal Emerald), Lost Time
- Caldesann's Despair Augment: Intelligence
- Legendary Gems: Legacy of Dreams, Enforcer, Bane of the Trapped
- Item Stat Priorities: Skeletal Mage Damage, Critical Hit Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Attack Speed, Area Damage
- Kanai's Cube: Reilana's Shadowhook, St. Archew's Gage, Haunted Visions
The word "Rat" comes from a truncated version of "Rathma" as this build was originally centered on the Bones of Rathma set. The build has evolved to utilize the Legacy of Dreams legendary gem instead, but the style has not altered. To put it plainly: There is no better build for farming paragon levels and primal ancient items than the Rat Necromancer.
The target range of this build in rifts is actually quite low, usually between the 110 and 120 Greater Rift range even for a high-end build. But the winning bit is that the Rat can defeat these rifts within two minutes or less. This isn't just the best way to farm as a Necromancer, it's the best way to farm in the game. Chat logs are always filled with potential temmates looking for a Rat who will constantly be spamming Skeletal Mages and undead minions from the beginning to the end of a run.
Legacy Of Dreams Poison Scythe
- Active skills: Grim Scythe (Cursed Scythe), Siphon Blood (Power Shift), Simulacrum (Blood and Bone), Skeletal Mage (Contamination), Death Nova (Blight), Bone Armor (Dislocation)
- Passive skills: Spreading Malediction, Stand Alone, Final Service, Swift Harvesting
- Armor: Andariel's Visage (Flawless Royal Diamond), Razeth's Volition, Aquila Cuirass (Flawless Royal Topazes), Frostburn, Lacuni Prowlers, The Witching Hour, Depth Diggers (Flawless Royal Topazes), Illusory Boots
- Jewelry: Haunted Visions, Convention of Elements, Unity
- Weapons: Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang (Flawless Royal Emerald), Leger's Disdain
- Caldesann's Despair Augment: Intelligence
- Legendary Gems: Legacy of Dreams, Bane of the Stricken, Simplicity's Strength
- Item Stat Priorities: Poison Damage, Critical Hit Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Area Damage, Attack Speed, Crowd Control Reduction
- Kanai's Cube: Nayr's Black Death, Dayntee's Binding, Krisbin's Sentence
With Barbarians confined to almost exclusively a support role, there are actually very few melee damage classes in the game. The Aegis of Valor Crusader takes the crown on single target melee damage, it's probably the Poison Scythe Necromancer that takes the cake when it comes to doing area damage at melee range.
Though many groups will bring along a Poison Scythe Necromancer for clearing out trash mobs if they have a talented zBarb, the build actually does just fine on its own; maybe even better. Clearing out Greater Rift 135 solo is nothing to sneeze at.
Legacy of Dreams Corpse Explosion
- Active skills: Grim Scythe (Cursed Scythe), Blood Rush (Transfusion), Corpse Explosion (Close Quarters), Land of the Dead (Frozen Lands), Death Nova (Blight), Bone Armor (Dislocation)
- Passive skills: Spreading Malediction, Stand Alone, Blood is Power, Final Service
- Armor: Leoric's Crown (Flawless Royal Diamond), Razeth's Volition, Aquila Cuirass (Flawless Royal Topazes), Stone Gauntlets, Strongarm Bracers, Dayntee's Binding, Swamp Land Waders (Flawless Royal Topazes), Ice Climbers
- Jewelry: The Johnstone, Convention of Elements, Krysbin's Sentence
- Weapons: Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang (Flawless Royal Emerald), Bone Ringer
- Caldesann's Despair Augment: Intelligence
- Legendary Gems: Legacy of Dreams, Bane of the Stricken, Bane of the Trapped
- Item Stat Priorities: Cooldown Reduction, Poison Damage, Area Damage, Critical Hit Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Corpse Explosion
- Kanai's Cube: Nayr's Black Death, Grasps of Essence, Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac
If you think that the best solo farming build for Necromancers can't also be one of the best Greater Rift pushers in the game, think again. The Corpse Explosion Necromancer has completed Greater Rift 140 on its own thanks to a rotation that has the best burst damage of any build in the game.
It can be hard to get a good screenshot of the Corpse Explosion Necromancer detonating corpses because it fills up the entire screen with an infinite number of blasts. The rotation takes a long time (three full cycles pass on the Convention of Elements) but if you're good at gathering enemies during that in-between time, half of the dungeon floor can explode at the s🌄nap of a finger🅷.
Masquerade Bone Spear
- Active skills: Grim Scythe (Frost Scythe), Bone Spear (Blighted Marrow), Blood Rush (Metabolism), Decrepify (Wither), Simulacrum (Reservoir), Bone Armor (Dislocation)
- Passive skills: Bone Prison, Stand Alone, Serration, Spreading Malediction
- Armor: Luxurious Bauta (Flawless Royal Amethyst), Aughild's Power, Sophisticated Vest (Flawless Royal Topazes), Lavishing Gloves, Aughild's Search, Dayntee's Binding, Elegant Pants (Flawless Royal Topazes), Extravagant Shoes
- Jewelry: Haunted Visions, Convention of Elements, Krysbin's Sentence
- Weapons: Scythe of the Cycle (Flawless Royal Emerald), Lost Time
- Caldesann's Despair Augment: Intelligence
- Legendary Gems: Zei's Stone of Vengeance, Bane of the Trapped, Bane of the Stricken
- Item Stat Priorities:
- Kanai's Cube: Maltorius' Petrified Spike, Gelmindor's Marrow Guards, Ring of Royal Grandeur
This one is no surprise. It's hotly demanded by groups that want to clear Greater Rift 150 and is also capable of clearing Greater Rift 150 all on its own. It's got survivability, ridiculous area damage, and attacks quickly enough that Bane of the Stricken allows the build to take down Greater Rift Guardians with relative ease.
Seeing that only three players in the entire game have taken down Greater Rift 150 solo (as of this writing), and two of them used this build, that's a testament to its power. The Bone Spears deal more damage the further they travel and the more enemies they pass through, so get a group together, run away, then fire back to where you came from. You won't get to see their deaths, but your ex༒perience meter wiꦕll notice.