Skeleton Necromancer

[Faragon]

Hi, just getting back into Diablo2 after quitting for over a year. I've not read all too much about patch 1.10, but I was curious about how viable the Necromancer's Skeleton Tree was now. How far can you get with it before the skeletons are nothing more than a paper wall between you and the baddies?

Because you know, ever since this game came out, I'd like to be able to play a true necromancer ;) Not just a guy who summoned golems and spammed iron maiden :P

Edit: Also, when I logged out just now, I saw "expires in 11 days" underneath my character. I'm guessing this is related to the ladder?

[adeyke]

Skeletons are bugged into being very powerful. So yes, a skeleton build is quite viable.

Edit: Also, when I logged out just now, I saw "expires in 11 days" underneath my character. I'm guessing this is related to the ladder?

No. It means that in 11 days, your character will expire from battle.net and be gone forever. That behaviour isn't new, but the fact that it's displayed is. Just refresh your character's timer when it gets that low.

[arrunique]

Just refresh your character's timer when it gets that low.

Or play a couple of hours and the timer goes away. Well it doesnt go away, it just gets set to 90 days.

In answer to the original question, Yes skelemancers are very viable and are probably the best class to start from nothing, doubly so in hardcore.

The build is fairly straightforward:
20 raise skeleton
20 skeleton mastery
1 corpse explosion + prereqs (or skip if you are a purist)
1 bone armor (if hardcore, if softcore then it can be skipped)
1 clay golem
1 golem mastery
1 summon resists
1 amp damage
1 decrep + prereqs
optional 1-10 dim vison - If you are in hardcore it is probably worth maxing

I haven't had great utility out of either confuse or attract so I never bothered with either.

At this point you have several options and lots of spare skill points
full summoner - 20 mages, 10 summon resists, 1 revive (let skillers increase the numbers), max golem of your choice (I like clay), rest in golem mastery
hybrid boner - 20 bone spear 20 bone spirit - I wouldnt just because bone spells aren't nearly as effective without synergies
hybrid poisoner - 20 poison nova and poison explosion, 1+ in lower resists - I haven't seen any of these but the damage numbers seem to work out ok

Best of luck!

[Wyrm]

optional 1-10 dim vison - If you are in hardcore it is probably worth maxing

You're going to need a minimum of 10 points in Dim Vision in order to get anywhere in hell. Against Gloams and Slingers it's invaluable. You should also put 1 point in every other curse and let the +skill equip you get get it up.

Make sure you use an aura merc (act 2). Usually, the best one to get is the Blessed Aim one, but if you want to play safety, then get a Thorns one.

If you've never played a skelmancer before than I suggest you read this thread at the Amazon Basin. http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/in...showtopic=40282

[gimlisam]

hybrid boner - 20 bone spear 20 bone spirit - I wouldnt just because bone spells aren't nearly as effective without synergies

I believe that the two, and one of their prerequsites, teeth, synergize each other. True, the two would not be fully synergized, but it would be enough to add a significant amount of damage to the attack, especially for bone spear (+7% per level of the synergy, compared to +4% for bone spirit). Oh, when I play a summoning necro, I usually go with a mix of mages and warriors, but that is just me. Just go out and have fun, it is a game after all.

[Faragon]

Thanks for the advice all :)

Currently up to lvl 22, with several skeletons and skeletal mages at my disposal. Currently pumping Skeleton Mastery :D

[lfd]

Skeletons are bugged into being very powerful.

What's the bug?

[ryan4nayr]

My concentrate-barb once tagged along my buddy's skelie-mancer in A1 Hell... let's just say it convinced me to retire my barb. Even against the various gold monsters, skelies held their own, very impressive.

[Obi2Kenobi]

Skeleton Mastery multiplies instead of adds with the Raise Skeleton life boni. Or something. :) If you have somewhere around the ballpark of 45 in both, you have near 10K life skeletons (at least according to some AB thread, haven't checked myself yet).