Summoner Necromancer
Commander of the Dead - Safe & Steady Farming
A-TIER BUILD📖 Build Overview
The Summoner Necromancer is the quintessential "lazy" build - and we mean that as a compliment. By raising an army of skeletal warriors, mages, and a powerful golem, you command a small battalion that does most of the fighting for you. Your job is to cast curses, direct traffic, and occasionally clean up with Corpse Explosion.
This build excels in nearly every situation through sheer attrition. Your minions die? Raise more. Encounter immunities? Your diverse army deals multiple damage types. Dangerous boss? Let your skeletons tank while you stand back safely.
💀 Why Choose Summoner Necro?
- Extreme Safety: Your army takes all the hits while you stay back
- Immunity Independent: Mixed physical/magic damage handles everything
- Budget King: Works with self-found gear, no expensive runewords required
- HC Favorite: One of the safest builds for Hardcore play
- Low APM: Relaxed gameplay, no intense clicking or positioning required
- Excellent at Bosses: Skeletons tank, you cast - simple and effective
⚠️ Considerations
- Slower Clear: Won't match the speed of Hammerdin or Light Sorc
- Needs Corpses: First kill in an area can be slow - need bodies for army/CE
- AI Dependent: Skeletons aren't always smart about targeting
- Screen Clutter: Hard to see loot/enemies through your army
- Teleport Desired: Without Enigma, repositioning army is tedious
⚔️ Your Army
A fully built Summoner commands an impressive force:
Total Army Size: 30-40 minions following you at all times!
Minion Details
Skeleton Warriors (20 points)
Your primary summons. They deal physical damage and serve as the main tank line. With maxed Skeleton Mastery, they become surprisingly durable and deal respectable damage. Each point in Raise Skeleton increases the maximum number you can have.
Skeleton Mages (1-20 points)
Ranged attackers dealing random elemental damage (Fire, Cold, Lightning, Poison). Less damage than warriors but help with physical immune enemies. Many builds only put 1 point here and rely on +skills for count. Optional to max.
Revives (1+ points)
Temporarily resurrects monster corpses to fight for you. The revived monster retains its original stats and abilities. Revive powerful monsters (like Urdars for Crushing Blow, or Council Members) for massive damage boost. Revives are temporary and expire after 3 minutes.
Golems
You can only have one active golem at a time. Options:
- Clay Golem (1 point): Slows enemies - great utility even at level 1
- Iron Golem: Created from items. Can make from Insight for permanent aura!
- Fire Golem: Absorbs fire damage, Holy Fire aura
Most players use Clay Golem for the slow effect or Iron Golem made from an Insight polearm.
⚡ Skill Point Allocation
Summoning Skills
Curses
Poison & Bone
Skill Priority
Levels 1-18: Teeth/Bone Spear Start
Early game, skeletons are weak. Use Teeth → Bone Spear for damage while building your army. Put points into Raise Skeleton and Skeleton Mastery as available.
Levels 18-40: Max Skeletons + Mastery
Focus on maxing Raise Skeleton first, then Skeleton Mastery. Get 1 point in Corpse Explosion ASAP - it's your primary damage skill once you have corpses.
Levels 40-60: Corpse Explosion
Max Corpse Explosion for massive area damage. One corpse = entire pack dead. This is where the build really comes online.
Levels 60+: Mages, Revive, or More Synergies
Remaining points go into Skeletal Mages (for more army) or can invest in Revive duration. Some players put points into the Bone Armor synergies for more personal defense.
💥 Corpse Explosion - Your Real Damage
While your army does the work, Corpse Explosion is what makes Summoner Necro efficient. Understanding this skill is crucial:
💥 How Corpse Explosion Works
- Deals 70-120% of the corpse's original HP as damage
- Damage is 50% Physical, 50% Fire
- Area of effect increases with skill level
- At max level, covers nearly the entire screen
- Scales with monster HP - better in Hell where monsters have more HP!
Corpse Explosion Chain Reaction
The magic of CE is the chain reaction:
- Your army kills one enemy, creating a corpse
- You cast Corpse Explosion on that corpse
- The explosion damages/kills nearby enemies
- Those deaths create more corpses
- Cast CE again - repeat until everything is dead
In dense areas, a single starting corpse can clear entire screens in seconds.
💡 Corpse Explosion Tips
- Amplify Damage: Cast before CE - doubles the physical portion of damage
- First Kill Problem: Your army is slow at the first kill. Consider using a wand with charges of a damage skill, or simply be patient.
- Lower Resist: Against fire resistant packs, Lower Resist helps the fire portion
- High Density: CE excels in packed areas - prioritize dense Terror Zones
☠️ Curses - Tactical Control
Curses are what separate good Summoners from great ones. One point in each curse (enhanced by +skills gear) is all you need:
| Curse | Effect | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Amplify Damage | -100% Physical Resistance | Default curse for most situations - doubles physical damage, including CE |
| Decrepify | -50% Phys Res, Slows, -50% Damage | Dangerous enemies, bosses - the slow and damage reduction add safety |
| Life Tap | Physical attacks leech life | Boss fights, Uber content - keeps your merc and army alive |
| Lower Resist | -% All Elemental Resistances | Against physical immunes, helps mages and fire portion of CE |
| Dim Vision | Blinds ranged attackers | Archers, Gloams/Souls - they won't attack if they can't see you |
| Attract | Enemies attack cursed target | Crowd control - make monsters fight each other |
🛡️ Equipment Guide
💰 Budget Gear (Highly Effective)
OR Spirit Monarch for FCR
OR any boots with FRW/Res
👑 Endgame Best-in-Slot
FANATICISM AURA = Skeletons attack faster!
Reposition entire army instantly
🔑 Summoner Gear Philosophy
- +Skills is King: Every +skill = more skeletons, stronger skeletons, bigger CE radius
- Enigma Priority: Teleport transforms the build - reposition army instantly, chase runners, escape danger
- Beast for Damage: Fanaticism aura from Beast makes your army attack significantly faster
- FCR not Critical: Unlike casters, you're not spamming skills constantly - FCR is nice, not mandatory
Mercenary: Might Aura A2 Nightmare
Pride: Concentration aura = more skeleton damage
The mercenary's Might aura boosts ALL your minions' physical damage substantially.
🎮 Gameplay Guide
Building Your Army
At the start of each session (or after dying):
- Go to an easy area (Normal Cows, Act 1 Hell Blood Moor)
- Kill enemies until you have maximum skeletons
- Raise skeletal mages from remaining corpses
- Summon your golem
- Now you're ready to farm
Combat Loop
Engage Pack
Walk (or teleport with Enigma) your army into enemies. They'll start fighting automatically.
Cast Amplify Damage
Curse the pack with Amplify Damage to double all physical damage dealt (including CE).
Wait for First Corpse
Your army will kill something. This is the slow part - be patient.
Corpse Explosion Chain
Start clicking CE on corpses. Watch the chain reaction clear the screen.
Optional: Revive
If there are good monsters (Urdars, Council Members), Revive them to add to your army.
Move On
Proceed to next pack. Keep Bone Armor active for safety.
Handling Immunities
Your army's diverse damage types handle most situations:
- Physical Immune: Skeletal Mages (elemental damage), Lower Resist curse for CE fire portion
- All Immunities: Decrepify can break some physical immunities; Revives of elemental monsters help
- Bosses: Decrepify + Life Tap rotation keeps everyone alive
🌍 Best Terror Zones for Summoner
| Terror Zone | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chaos Sanctuary | A-TIER | High density, CE chains beautifully |
| Cow Level | S-TIER | INSANE density - CE clears entire herds |
| Worldstone Keep | A-TIER | Good exp, Revive some good monsters |
| The Pit | A-TIER | Tight corridors = CE chain reactions |
| Travincal | B-TIER | Low density hurts CE effectiveness |
💡 Summoner excels in high-density zones
Corpse Explosion scales with enemy count. The more monsters packed together, the more devastating your chain reactions. Cow Level and similar dense zones are where Summoner really shines.