The recent patch to Diablo 4 has ushered in changes that demand a fresh look at character builds, especially for the Blood Lance Necromancer. Based on developer insights and our deep knowledge of the game's mechanics, this guide aims to ensure the Necromancer build is as effective as possible heading into Season 2.

 

• Overview of the Build Changes
• Build planners
• Vital Stats to Consider
• Important Build Functionality Changes
• Skill Tree Adjustments
• Weapon Choice: Two-handed vs. One-handed & Shield
• Gear Stat Priorities
• Aspects & Skills
• Jewelry Recommendations
• Build Adjustments and Experimentation
• Book of the Dead
• Navigating the Paragon Tree
• Vampiric Powers Breakdown
• Conclusion

 

↖ Overview of the Build Changes

The build presented here is an endgame version, focusing primarily on legendary gear. New uniques haven't been incorporated, as they require further in-depth examination once their stats are accessible.

For a comprehensive list of the build planners.

 

↖ Build planners

https://maxroll.gg/d4/planner/rh51i0t6

 

↖ Vital Stats to Consider

A Level 100 Necromancer starts with a base life of 8,000. The character in this guide boasts 23,000 life. Given the fortify stats and bonus life above the base, players can potentially achieve nearly 1000 additive overpower damage.

 

↖ Important Build Functionality Changes

• Rathma's Vigor no longer offers a 10% life bonus but guarantees an overpower every 12 seconds. This can be reduced by healing via a blood orb.
• The Blood Lance Necromancer can easily exploit this change using the Gore quills aspect, emphasizing the need for high attack speed, healing stats, and additional maximum life.

 

↖ Skill Tree Adjustments

• Hemorrhage & Acolytes Hemorrhage: Remain as primary tools for rapid blood orb and essence generation.
• Blood Lance: Needs to be maximized now, given the significance of weapon damage and the skill's base damage.
• Supernatural: For guaranteed overpower and blood orb creation.
• Hu Flesh: Generates a corpse during boss attacks for corpse tendrils.
• Blood Mist: Helps bring all foes into a pack, enhancing the efficiency of Gore quills.
• Abhorent Decrepify: For damage reduction, slowing/stunning enemies, and activating amplify for an extra damage multiplier.
• Gruesome Mending & Transfusion: Maxed out to improve healing and blood orb production.
• Tides of Blood, Coales Blood, & Drain Vitality: Essential for maximizing the overpower damage.
• Corpse Tendrils: Prioritized for blood orb generation over other multipliers.
• Bone Storm with Supreme Bone Storm: Vital for survivability.
• Inspiring Leader & Stand Alone: For increased attack speed and damage reduction, respectively.
• Momento Mori: Enhances sacrifice bonuses.
• Rathma's Vigor: An essential skill, especially with the new patch changes.

 

↖ Weapon Choice: Two-handed vs. One-handed & Shield

Two-Handed Weapon Argument: The item power maximum of 925, with the potential to reach 950, strongly suggests the use of weapons with the highest base damage. This allows for efficient multiplication when amassing intelligence. Two-handers also now have a doubled Critical Strike damage modifier, leading to significant bonus damage when transitioning to crit-focused builds. Moreover, two-handers can offer greater bonuses to intelligence and all other essential stats.

Alternative: Some players might argue for the combination of a one-handed weapon and shield to boost maximum life and other bonuses.

 

↖ Gear Stat Priorities

• Core Weapon Stats: Aim for the highest weapon damage possible. Put emphasis on intelligence, all-stats, and overpower. Keep a lookout for items like Gore Quills as they outperform others like Bloodseeker.
• Armor and Defense Stats: Focus on maximum life, total armor, cooldown reduction, and healing received. Experiment with healing received on multiple gear pieces to find the optimal balance. Additionally, using rubies can further enhance overpower damage.
• Special Mention for Gloves: While overpower damage is crucial, especially with the Momento Mory bug, you can also consider crit chance or lucky hit chance based on your build evolution.
• Boots: Prioritize movement speed, essence cost reduction, and skill-specific stats. Given the resistance challenges this season, don't be surprised if you find yourself needing to incorporate resistance values.

 

↖ Aspects & Skills

• Disobedience: Recently buffed, it compensates for the loss of armor's dual resistance.
• Hemorrhage: Vital for generating Essence when running low on blood orbs.
• Grasping Veins: Becomes more crucial due to its crit multiplier benefits.
• Shielding Storm: Undoubtedly the best defensive aspect currently available.
• Ghost Walkers: Essential for continuous blood mist availability, further enhanced by Vampiric power.

 

↖ Jewelry Recommendations

• Amulet: While the unique amulet from Duriel is the goal, in its absence, focus on Essence cost reduction, movement speed, and a boost to Tides of Blood.
• Rings: Emphasize overpower damage, maximum life, and either lucky hit chance (early on) or crit chance (later). Consider using Potent Blood for its essence benefits.

 

↖ Build Adjustments and Experimentation

• Untimely Death Ring: Depending on the effectiveness of overhealing between overpowers, you may need to transition to the Sacrificial ring to maximize overpower multipliers.
• Testing and Adaptation: As with any build, continuous testing and adjustments are essential. Adapt based on your playstyle, the current season's challenges, and the gear you acquire.

 

↖ Book of the Dead

After swapping to crit chance, aim for crit chance from your Skeleton Skirmishers. However, the upgraded version from the Defenders offering 20% all resistance is beneficial to address resistance issues. Diamonds in jewelry enhance resistance, but one might also consider the use of different gems like topaz, ruby, sapphire, and emerald for specific resistance boosts.

• Bone Mages: These should be sacrificed for the overpower bonus, which now functions differently from earlier iterations.
• Blood Golem: Sacrifice your Blood Golem to bolster your maximum life, ensuring increased survivability.

 

↖ Navigating the Paragon Tree

While the Paragon tree offers a plethora of choices, focus on:

• Sacrificial Glyph and Corporeal Glyph to enhance your multipliers and damage.
• Control Glyph for crowd control, although its inefficacy against bosses might necessitate replacement.
• Prioritize rare nodes to augment resistance, increase overpower damage, enhance maximum life, and leverage generic damage nodes that now work with overpower.

 

↖ Vampiric Powers Breakdown

Vampiric powers, essential for Necromancers, need thoughtful selection. Here's an overview:

• Ravenous: Boosts attack speed significantly, particularly beneficial for overpower builds.
• Sanguine Brace: Offers free crit chance and fortifying capabilities.
• Undying: Vital for overhealing, enhancing the effectiveness of the "Untimely Death" proc.
• Blood Boil: A major power, causes explosive damage with blood drops and offers additional overpower benefits.
• Metamorphosis: Universal in its utility, it provides evasion and applies the vampiric curse, synergizing well with Blood Mist.
• Moonrise: Enhances attack speed and movement, crucial for the typically slow Necromancer, especially when using a two-hander.

 

↖ Conclusion

The Blood Lance Necromancer, when played right, promises unmatched power and versatility. This guide serves as a blueprint to master this intricate class, optimizing each aspect for unparalleled dominance in Diablo 4