Diablo 4 has five incredible classes for players to choose from that have their own unique abilities that influence their playstyles. While the active skills in these classes are important in ranking which of the five is truly the best, players should also consider investing some perk points into the passive skills available at every stage of the skill tree.
Necromancers may not be the most played class in Diablo 4, though there are still plenty of players – especially solo players – that enjoy playing as the summoner of the undead. These are by far the best passive skills for the Necromancer a player should be using.
Updated on September 2, 2023, by Megan Smith: Since Diablo 4 was released in June this year players have been free to experiment with all sorts of skills when working on their character's class. With one of the most popular classes out of all of them being the Necromancer, many have wondered what skills to invest in for the perfect build. Diablo 4 like other online titles has taken on a season approach, Diablo 3 was similar, and therefore every season encourages a player to start a new character if they hope to try out the new season content. Besides the main skills in Diablo 4 for a Necromancer there are plenty of other passives that have been favored with the introduction of the first season.
12 Spiked Armor
The Necromancer is quite a versatile class as it can be played from a distance or up close and personal with their opponent. Through passive skills like Spiked Armor, players can further their offensive capabilities while they decide to be part of the front lines.
Spiked Armor grants the player twenty-four Thorns. Thorns is an offensive stat that attacks the opponent back for a percentage amount of the damage they had done back every time they hit the player. It should be noted that this doesn't reduce the amount of damage the player takes, and therefore a player should still consider defensive abilities.
11 Evulsion
Depending on the active skills a player has selected it's also essential to focus on passive skills that will better improve the damage outcome of those skills further. Bones is one of the damage types a Necromancer can focus on, with it dealing an immense amount of physical damage.
By taking the Evulsion passive perk a player can increase the amount of Critical Strike damage Bone skills do to an opponent by six percent if they are vulnerable. Investing further points into this passive will increase the Critical Strike damage further which can make for a lethal Bone build.
10 Hellbent Commander
While Stand Alone benefits players who don't want undead friends, Hellbent Commander is for those who have relied greatly on their minions. Hellbent Commander increases the amount of damage that the player's minions do to enemies when they are nearby them.
This allows a player to be a part of the action by fighting alongside their undead minions while also increasing their usefulness. While at first level this will only increase their damage by ten percent, increasing this to the max allows the player's minions to do thirty percent more damage.
9 Tides Of Blood
Players that have instead chosen Blood skills aren't left out either when looking at passives as there are multiple to choose from, though some are more necessary than others. One especially prominent passive skill players that use Blood skills will want to obtain is Tides of Blood.
With this passive skill equipped, a player has a five percent increase in the amount of Overpower Damage done by Blood Skills. While being at rank three of the passive will increase its damage by fifteen percent, if a player is deemed healthy the damage done – no matter the rank – is doubled.
8 Amplify Damage
Curses are another vital active skill that any player using Necromancer should take advantage of. They can either slow their opponents or deal further damage to them if they attack the player. Once again, this effect can be increased through passive skills such as Amplify Damagewhicht does exactly as its name suggests.
At the first rank of Amplify Damage players do three percent more damage to all enemies that have been affected by a curse. By rank three of the passive this damage is then increased to nine percent. Combining this with the active skill of Iron Maiden is sure to dispose of opponents quickly.
7 Crippling Darkness
Another skill line many players may feel like following is that of Darkness through the various active skills of each line of the tree. Like Evulsion, Crippling Darkness is another passive skill that will benefit players when using a particular type of damage.
However, Crippling Darkness doesn't increase the amount of damage done by the player, but instead gives them a fifteen percent chance of stunning an opponent for a second when using a Darkness skill. This short stun time opens the enemy up to further attacks and if the player is lucky, they may end up stunning them again.
6 Bonded In Essence
While many Necromancers in Diablo 4 enjoy the benefits of adventuring solo without the help of skeletons there are some passives that make these bony friends useful to a player's team. Bonded in Essence is a passive skill that directly impacts the player's Skeletal Priest.
When using the Skeletal Priest heal, every five seconds the player's skeletons are healed for a large percentage of their maximum health. This allows them all to survive longer in battles, without the worry of their skeleton companions crumbling to dust without dealing any damage.
5 Stand Alone
While many players may wish to rely on their summons in Diablo 4, some decide to sacrifice the capability of raising the dead to have their own stats boosted. While these stats on their own are powerful, the passive skill of Stand Alone can improve the Necromancer's chances of survival further.
Stand Alone increases the damage reduction of the player by six percent, which when maxed with three perk points turns this damage reduction to eighteen percent. However, for every minion the player has summoned this damage reduction is reduced by two percent. This is why it's important to only use this skill if the player plans to not have any undead companions.
4 Hewed Flesh
Although Corpses are already likely to be left after a foe has been defeated, in some cases depending on what active skills a player has chosen, being able to summon more corpses is vital to the player's survival.
Thankfully, a Necromancer that has put points into the passive skill of Hewed Flesh need not worry as this skill increases the likelihood of a corpse being left after an enemy has been defeated. This percentage chance is then doubled for any boss the player kills though it is likely to be more useful when defeating regular foes.
3 Grim Harvest
Necromancers rely heavily on their use of corpses, these are formed after defeating an enemy and allow the player to summon skeletal allies to help defend the player. However, apart from this, these corpses can also be consumed to give the Necromancer some well-needed buffs.
With this passive a Necromancer gains a percentage of Essence when they consume a corpse. If they have all three levels of the skill Grim Harvest, then they gain a max of six Essence from each corpse used. Essence is vital for using the player's active skills.