Is Necromancer good in Diablo IV Lord of Hatred?

Necromancer is A-tier in Season 13 (Season of Reckoning). Blood Wave with Kessime's Legacy remains strong. The class was higher tier pre-Hotfix 2 (April 29, 2026), which nerfed both the Schadenfreude variant of Iron Maiden and the Bramble variant of Bone Prison after they tested far above intended damage values.

What is the best Necromancer build in Season 13?

Blood Wave Necromancer with the Kessime's Legacy unique is the headline pick. Summoner builds (Skeletal Mages, Skeletal Warriors, Golem) clear Torment cleanly, and Bone Spear and Sever remain viable secondary options. Iron Maiden Schadenfreude and Bone Prison Bramble are no longer top-tier after Hotfix 2 nerfs.

What was nerfed in Hotfix 2?

Hotfix 2 (April 29, 2026) reduced damage on the Schadenfreude variant of Iron Maiden and the Bramble variant of Bone Prison. Both were testing far above intended output. The class is still A-tier without these variants.

What is the Book of the Dead?

The Book of the Dead is the Necromancer's class specialization. It controls minion variants — Skeletal Warriors (Skirmishers / Defenders / Reapers), Skeletal Mages (Shadow / Cold / Bone), and Golem (Bone / Blood / Iron). Each variant trades minion stats for a sacrifice bonus you can claim by giving up that minion type entirely.

Does Necromancer use Strength or Intelligence?

Intelligence is the Necromancer's primary stat. Necromancers wear medium armor, wield wands, scythes, and shields, and scale damage through Intelligence regardless of whether they're using Blood, Bone, Shadow, or Summon trees.

Diablo IV

Necromancer class guide for Diablo IV Lord of Hatred (Season 13). Book of the Dead minion summoning, Blood/Bone/Shadow trees, Curses, top A-tier builds (Blood Wave, Summons, Bone Spear), and the Hotfix 2 Iron Maiden / Bone Prison nerfs.

Class Overview Tier A 10 min read

Necromancer — Diablo IV Class Guide

By the DiabloBytes team · Updated May 2026 · Season 13: Reckoning / Lord of Hatred

The Necromancer is the army-of-the-dead summoner of Sanctuary — a Priest of Rathma whose minions are allies, not tools. Resource is Essence, generated by Basics and Curses, spent on Core skills across three damage trees: Blood, Bone, and Shadow. The class sits at A-tier in current LoH meta — Blood Wave with Kessime's Legacy still shines, and summoner builds remain consistent. Necromancer was higher pre-Hotfix 2, which trimmed Iron Maiden Schadenfreude and Bone Prison Bramble back to intended values.

⚠ Hotfix 2 Nerfs (April 29, 2026)

Hotfix 2 reined in two overtuned Necro interactions:

→ Iron Maiden (Schadenfreude variant) damage values reduced.
→ Bone Prison (Bramble variant) damage scaling reduced.

See the full Hotfix log for every patch since launch.

The Three Damage Trees

Necromancer skills split across three thematic schools that scale through different mechanics. Most builds sub-class into one but layer Curses and Summons across all of them.

Blood Sustain + Overpower

Blood Wave, Blood Lance, Blood Surge. Scales through Maximum Life and Overpower. Naturally tanky — heals on cast.

Bone Crit Burst

Bone Spear, Bone Splinters, Bone Spirit. Highest Crit Damage scaling. Glass-cannon archetype.

Shadow DoT / Spread

Sever, Blight, Shadow Blight Key Passive. Damage-over-time with infectious spread between targets.

Summons Army

Skeletal Warriors, Skeletal Mages, Golem, plus Curses. Scales independently — Book of the Dead controls minion type and sacrifice.

Top Season 13 Builds

Rankings reflect post-Hotfix 2 meta. See the full class tier list for cross-class context.

Blood Wave Necromancer Blood

Tidal wave of blood with Kessime’s Legacy unique. Sustained, tanky, big AoE — the headline Necro pick.

Summon Necromancer Summons

Skeletal Warriors + Skeletal Mages + Golem + Curses. The army-of-the-dead fantasy. Reliable in groups and solo.

Bone Spear Necromancer Bone

Piercing crit projectile build. Strong ranged AoE — viable but no longer top tier without Schadenfreude.

Sever Necromancer Shadow

Shadow projectile build with Blight detonations. Mid-meta solid clear, Shadow Blight Key Passive carries.

Blood Lance Necromancer Blood

Lance-and-mark Blood build. Overpower-driven burst, weaker AoE than Blood Wave.

Iron Maiden (post-nerf) Curse / Reflect

Reflect-damage Curse build. Still functional but no longer competitive after Hotfix 2.

Key Skills

Skill	Category	Role
Bone Splinters	Basic	Essence generator + Bone scaling
Reap	Basic	Melee shadow generator with damage reduction
Hemorrhage	Basic	Blood Orb generator
Bone Spear	Core	Piercing crit projectile
Blood Surge	Core	Blood pulse AoE + nova
Blight	Core	Slow shadow ground field
Sever	Core	Shadow apparition projectile
Blood Wave	Macabre	Tidal blood AoE — headline ult
Bone Prison	Macabre	Trap enemies in bone (Bramble nerfed)
Iron Maiden	Curse	Reflect-damage curse (Schadenfreude nerfed)
Decrepify	Curse	Slow + crit-vulnerability curse
Corpse Explosion	Corpse	Detonate corpses for AoE damage
Corpse Tendrils	Corpse	Pull and stun cluster from corpses
Skeletal Warriors	Summon	Three-pack melee minions
Skeletal Mages	Summon	Ranged minion casters
Golem	Summon	Tank pet with active ability
Bone Storm	Ultimate	Spinning bone barrier
Army of the Dead	Ultimate	Massive minion swarm