Diablo 4's recent Server Slam beta was quite a success for players and Blizzard developers alike, as fans got to engage with the game's starting area and challenges once more before launch, all while providing direct and indirect feedback about the state of the classes. Diablo 4's Sorcerer was nerfed with the beta's release, for example, having a good chunk of damage removed from the Chain Lightning skill, which was a necessary evil to make builds more diverse. The Necromancer also got its fair share of buffs and nerfs with the Server Slam beta's launch, with underused skills like Blood Lance getting a great boost in power and overtuned ones like Corpse Explosion and Bone Spear getting a damage reduction.
Interestingly, Blizzard heavily buffed the companions of the Druid class, all while decreasing the offensive and staying power of the Necromancer's summons. The result was that Druid players found a new way to play their class successfully, whereas Necromancers were caught between a rock and a hard place due to the good and not-so-great changes. Yet, it didn't take long for players and Blizzard itself to notice that the Diablo 4 Server Slam beta patch had gone too hard on nerfing the Necromancer's Skeletons, and a hotfix that rolled out on the beta's last day to buff them back up bodes well for the class' launch performance.
Why Diablo 4's Necromancer is the Class to Watch at Launch
Diablo 4's approach to classes and missions makes leveling a critical part of the process that not all classes get right from the get-go. For example, Druids and Barbarians are better the higher their level, but getting there can be a bit more painful than other classes, whereas the Necromancer gets amazing tools right off the bat, but it can be more difficult to master.
One of the pain points for the game's balance between classes was that Necromancers can immediately start with their Skeletons as companions, which can make the leveling process incredibly smooth. This proved to be the case when Diablo 4 Necromancer builds started to pop up after the first two betas, showcasing the raw power of the class when focused on the right skills or gameplay aspects. However, the Server Slam's nerfs to the Skeletons made them too frail fairly quickly, with them playing a pivotal role in the early game up to level 10 or so, and then being annihilated by the many Elite enemies later on.
With the help of the final day's hotfix and careful fine-tuning before the game's launch, Diablo 4's Book of the Dead summons could find their sweet spot and not die as often as they did this past weekend, but not being as tough to kill as they were in the past betas. This is a key aspect of the Necromancer's gameplay loop, and players shouldn't feel like summons are better off being sacrificed via the Book of the Dead to power up the caster's various abilities, instead.
For example, Reaper Skeletons can be extremely useful in builds that revolve around generating corpses, and Cold Mages can instead make the difference between the Necromancer being able to consistently use Core skills and having to rely on multiple casts of Basic skills to generate Essence. Golems can also be quite powerful and build-defining, with an example coming from the Blood Golem's ability to absorb damage dealt to the player, effectively acting as the Druid's Cyclone Armor skill or the Barbarian's intrinsic damage reduction boon. Overall, Diablo 4's boss fights can be even more rewarding when amassing an army of summons and successfully keeping them alive, which makes a great case for why Blizzard should keep being a bit more generous with Skeletons.
Diablo 4 launches June 6 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.
