Blizzard's Diablo 4 is still very much under work. The game is scheduled to release in 2023, but fortunately the developer is releasing information as the development gears turn. The company's has previously given fans a look into the visual and map design aspect of the game with a focus on the world of Diablo 4, known as Sanctuary, and several dungeons that are under work for the game.
Blizzard recently offered a sneak peek into one of the game's characters, the Necromancer. Thanks to the unique mechanics, the Necromancer has been a fan favorite class since it was introduced in Diablo 2. The class is also playable in Diablo 3, Diablo Immortal as well as in the remastered Diablo 2: Resurrected. With a style of play revolving around minions, it delivers something other classes can't. It is no surprise that Blizzard has decided to bring the Necromancer back in Diablo 4 as one of the five classes.
The Necromancer Basics
The Necromancer from previous Diablo titles is known for powerful, dark magic and reanimation of corpses. This is true for the Diablo 4 version of the Necromancer, too. The class uses two resources: essence and corpses. The former is a form of mana that regenerates automatically at a slow rate, while the latter allows players to use the remains of fallen enemies as targets for skills.
Corpses can be used to animate allies for the Necromancer or to power other skills. One of the classic abilities of the Necromancer is the powerful damage skill Corpse Explosion, which is also among the best skills in Diablo Immortal. As the name suggests, with Corpse Explosion the Necromancer targets a dead body that is in close proximity to enemies. By blowing up the corpse, the Necromancer deals area damage to all enemies near the explosion. While corpses are often plentiful in the world of Diablo, the development team has tried to add effects that can generate corpses nearby in addition to simply killing enemies. This is to make sure that players who are relying on corpses as resources aren't left without targets.
In terms of weapons, and other non-armor equipment, Necromancers use swords, daggers, wands, focuses, shields, and class-specific scythes. Some of the aforementioned equipment for Diablo 4's Necromancer was revealed already by Blizzard.
Four Different Playstyles
Similar to other Diablo 4 classes, the Necromancer can be played in various ways. The Necromancer has four distinct, top-level playstyles with differing strengths and weaknesses. These playstyles are Bone, Darkness, Blood, and the Army. The first three are like different elemental magic styles. Bone is a physical form of damaging the enemy that also uses a lot of Essence. Blizzard has brought back the Bone Spirit, which took a hiatus during Diablo 3. The skill allows the Necromancer to use all of their Essence to power a spirit that seeks enemies and explodes upon them.
Another skill that makes a return to Diablo is Bone Prison, which was used by the last boss in Diablo 2, Diablo himself, to surround players' town portals. In Diablo 4, players can trap their enemies with this skill, which could be used in powerful combination with other skills and effects. Not only can it create a barrier around a player in the open world of Diablo 4, but it can also be used to block tight hallways or trap enemies inside area effects. The Bone play style relies a lot on Critical Strikes, not only to add damage to the abilities but also to reduce skill cooldowns.
Darkness relies mostly on damage over time effects, debuffs, and crowd control. Decompose is a skill that damages the opponent while regenerating the player's Essence. It also generates corpses nearby. Another skill Darkness skill revealed is Blight, which summons an orb that deals damage on impact but more importantly creates an area that deals damage to enemies standing in it. This can be very effective against slow or immobile enemies, like an enemy trapped in a Bone Prison.
Blood magic provides damage skills that regenerate the Necromancer. Siphoning life from nearby enemies with Blood Surge creates an explosive blood nova that deals damage around the player. The more enemies players gather around them, the more they'll siphon and the more damage they'll be able to deal. This skill rewards playing a riskier playstyle which is enabled by higher hit point regeneration thanks to siphoning. The second Blood skill is Blood Mist, which is a defensive skill that makes the Necromancer invulnerable while siphoning life from enemies. This bubble-like mechanic will likely be very handy in both PvE and PvP environments.
Lastly, there's the Army. Necromancers are known for their armies of the dead; even Diablo Immortal's Necromancer commands a group of undead soldiers. The Army allows players to summon minions to fight for them and to make space for the traditionally squishy character. The army can consist of various types of Skeletons and the ultimate minion tank, the Golem. Even with several types of minions, the playstyle is easy to incorporate within other playstyles, since only two quick selection buttons are needed to control a maximum amount of undead followers. One of the buttons summons all different types of Skeleton minions, while the other is dedicated to the Golem.
The Book of the Dead
A new mechanic called Book of the Dead goes a long way to make the Diablo 4 Necromancer different from its predecessors. Book of the Dead is available straight from the beginning as soon as the Necromancer can reanimate its first Skeleton ally, helping players on their adventures throughout the Diablo 4 storyline. There are three categories of minions: Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, and the Golem. All of these can be upgraded as more options come available via leveling up. For example, the player starts with a damage-forward Skeleton Warrior Skirmisher that can be later switched to a more defensive Skeleton Warrior Defender.
Each of the three categories comes with three distinct specializations, and each of these can be upgraded with unique skills. Furthermore, the player can sacrifice the summoning ability to add a buff to themselves. This brings the possible Necromancer playstyle combinations with specific synergies to a whole new level. It also refreshes the class and makes it feel new from previous Diablo titles.
Diablo 4 is scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
