Making a Summoner Necromancer in Diablo 2: Resurrected feels different from any other class or build. Yes, many builds incorporate spawned allies and all of them rely on a mercenary. But being able to fill up the screen with allies and never having to worry about being outnumbered is a benefit strictly for Summoner Necromancers.

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The build is often put together incorrectly and, as a result, falls short toward the end of the game when enemies in Diablo 2: Resurrected are at their best. Don't get fooled into thinking this build isn't viable! It can be the most entertaining build in the game so long as players make a few modifications toward the endgame.

Updated on April 22nd, 2022 by Hodey Johns: This remains the best build in the game for the Summoner Necromancer, though there are many intriguing alterations. After players are geared up, there are ways to respec the build for speed, but as far as winning the game, this is the surest bet. However, many players found the build difficult to use while they were leveling up. The gear requested and the skills all require maximum investment. To help players get from one place to another, a section has been added about how to level up the character so that they can go from start to finish as the Necromancer. Also, pictures have been added that show the Summoner Necromancer in action.

Skill Tree

Early on, maxed out Skeletons and Clay Golems will be able to steamroll most anything that tries to stop the Summoner. Eventually, enemy resistances will get so high that they will barely seem to do any damage, but that's where Corpse Explosion shines as one of the best skills of any class at high levels.

Corpse Explosion is as strong as the life of the body that it is cast upon, so casting it on the maxed-out skeletons that die will do loads of damage. The move itself is also a mix of physical and magic damage, able to take care of monsters that are immune to one or the other. Amplify Damage is the only skill able to completely remove physical immunities at anything less than level 24 and it can do so at level 1!

Our friends over at Icy Veins have a skill calculator (as seen here) for those who would like to customize the skills for themselves!

Attributes

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A strength of 156 allows players to equip the Monarch, a shield with 4 sockets (required for the best Runeword buff in the game). Getting block to 75% with dexterity will help immensely against enemies that break through the lines. Though this is a "caster" the mana requirements are very low and casting is relatively infrequent.

Equipment will do enough to keep a decent mana pool going, so energy is unnecessary. Vitality should take the bulk of the attribute points, helping the squishy Summoner become a tank, shoring up the build's only potential weakness.

Gear

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What do all of these items have in common? They provide the most boosts possible to skills.

There are of course other Runewords that compete for best in the game, but unless it adds to those Necromancer skills, it's going to have a hard time compensating.

Mercenary Companion

The Act 2 mercenary carries a Might Offensive Aura that works for all of the Necromancer's summoned minions, so there is no debate over him being the best.

The Reaper's Toll is well-regarded for doing excellent damage while Fortitude and Andariel's Visage cast Chilling Armor and Poison Nova, respectively, when the mercenary is struck.

Leveling With The Build

Seeing this build as a level one character is a daunting task. The skill trees alone take several levels and almost all of the items require maximum level play. Here are some tips for getting from start to finish as the Summoner Necromancer without experiencing a brick wall of frustration that tend to pop up against the game's hardest bosses.

Skill Order

Prioritize Raise Skeletons, then Skeleton Mastery, and then Amplify Damage. These three skills alone will defend the Necromancer, fill the screen with skeletons, and eliminate any resistances enemies have to being killed by the skeletons. This will take the build to midgame, so invest the ten points into Corpse Explosion, which will be the primary damage source for the rest of the entire game.

This leaves mostly the golem skills to go and that's alright, the golem is better off as a tank which is more valuable later than earlier. It will work alongside and hired mercenaries to form a front that should prevent the Summoner from ever having to fight.

Stat Priorities

Pro tips for Diablo 2: Resurrected's endgame can do incredible work, but the player needs to get geared enough to survive that long. Until getting access to the best gear in the game, focus on anything that boosts summoning skills or all Necromancer skills. It's also important to get resistance to magic, poison, and all elements up to 75%. While minions will do most of the tanking, some spells just plain can't be avoided.

Early on, anything that adds mana or energy can be helpful, especially when skeletons are weaker and need to be frequently re-raised. Attribute bonuses can also help when needing to slip into some armor that has a high strength requirement.

Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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