Build notes: |
June 4, 2021 January 04, 2022 |
Build Overview
When we think of high mobility builds, the first few that come to mind are all Sorc builds. This is not a coincidence as Sorc's Teleport is simply the best when it comes to moving around rapidly. It's not without competition, however, as Necro's Blood Warp can provide comparable levels of mobility. When we combine Blood Warp with Necro's Poison Skills we receive one of the deadliest high mobility builds available in Project Diablo 2, in fact; The Build utilizes Poison Nova as its main offensive ability and supplements it with Blood Warp to deliver death with extreme precision and to escape in the blink of an eye afterward.
The featured version of the Poison Nova Necromancer is fully capable of solo clearing maps at insane speeds. It offers unbelievably high AoE Damage output and almost unparalleled mobility. Quite a few points were invested into Summons which, combined with the build's mobility, ensure that the featured Necro is very hard to crack and can escape from even the direst of situations.
Season 4 Note: Even after all the scaling nerfs introduced in Season 3 and 4, Poison Nova remains one of the strongest skills in Project Diablo 2 (and it got a bit better in the early game, actually). Because of this, Poison Nova Necro keeps his position among the most powerful PD2 builds. Also, Desecrate is unbelievably powerful now.
You can also check our other Best Project Diablo 2 Builds
Pros | Cons |
Great Mobility with Blood Warp | Relies on a single damage type - Poison which makes it unsuited for some maps |
Extremely high AoE and Single-Target Damage | Very low utility for a Necro build |
Multiple Summons to distract enemies | |
Extremely fast map clear speeds - the fastest build for clearing River of Blood |
Skills
ATTRIBUTES |
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POISON AND BONE SPELLS |
This skill tree is the main focus of this build and will be the source of your offensive power. Desecrate will be your main source of single-target damage and the Poison Nova will prove to be irreplaceable when clearing groups of monsters. Skills:
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CURSES |
Curses can be handy for breaking the enemy resistances, slowing down faster foes, and they provide solid utility in general. Lower Resist is especially useful as the bulk of our damage comes from Poisons. However, you can play without investing any points into Curses and still do perfectly fine with this Build. If you decide to invest some points into Curses, you should take a closer look at the following three especially: Skills:
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SUMMONING SPELLS |
This Skill Tree is essential for us because it contains the Blood Warp that's simply mandatory for the build. As for the rest of its contents, Clay Golems are great because they will stand between you and your enemies. Skills:
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Items
As per usual with PD2 Builds, you want to get as many Skill levels (Necromancer/Poison and Bone Skills in this case) as possible to increase the build's overall power level. Resistances are also important, but they should never come before the offensive power. A faster cast rate is nice to have (the higher the breakpoint, you can achieve, the better - 56 FHR and 75 FCR breakpoints are rather easy to achieve and you should aim, at least, for them). Defensive stats, like faster hit recovery and life leech/life on each kill, are a nice addition but you should not choose gear for them specifically. |
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HELMETS |
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Steel Shade (Armet) - A very strong Helmet that adds +2 to All Skills, provides a 30% Faster Cast Rate, takes care of our mana problems, and offers a solid defensive boost on top. Moreover, it has high Magic Find bonus which makes it a great choice for farming. |
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Harlequin Crest (Shako) - A staple of most PD2 Builds. This helmet gives you everything you might want for your Necromancer - Skill levels, Mana, Health, Damage taken reduction, attributes, and magic find. |
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Trang-Oul's Guise (Bone Visage) - While this helmet is not as good as the alternatives by itself, wearing a whole Trang-Oul's Set will more than make up for it. Note: If you plan on using Trang'Oul's set pieces, you should go for the whole set. |
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WEAPONS |
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Death's Web (Unearthed Wand) - This is the single best item you can have on a Poison Nova Necromancer. It gives up to +4 to Poison and Bone Skills AND provides a solid enemy poison resistance reduction (up to -20% - this was nerfed, sadly). With this Wand, adding points into Lower Resist is a waste. |
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Heart of the Oak (Runeword) - This is a solid alternative to the Boneshade that gives +3 to All Skills, provides a nice cast rate boost, and some resistances. Place it in a Flail for the lowest attribute requirements. |
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OFF-HANDS/SHIELDS | |
Boneflame (Succubus Skull) - An extremely powerful off-hand that provides high life gain on each kill which will help you survive. Moreover, it gives you up to 3 Necromancer Skill Levels and high amounts of resistances. |
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Homonculus (Hierophant Trophy) - An extremely powerful Class item that increases Necromancer's Skills by 2, and provides some much-needed bonuses to mana. If you have sustain problems, you can't go wrong with Homonculus. |
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Trang-Oul's Wing (Cantor Trophy) - You can't go wrong with this one, especially if you have at least 3 Trang'Oul's set pieces in total for that amazing -25% Enemy Poison Resistance reduction. |
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WEAPON SWAP | |
Call to Arms (Rune Word) - This powerful Runeword will allow you to pre-buff yourself up with Warcries (buffs persist through weapon swap).
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Lidless Wall (Grim Shield) - A very powerful Shield that grants up to +2 Skills and high FCR. Good to have on swap for that additional Skill Levels. |
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AMULETS |
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Mara's Kaleidoscope - This is one of the best Amulets in PD2 overall and it fits most of the builds, which makes it a good investment. It provides a great combination of offensive (+2 to all skills) and defensive (+20-30 to all resistances) properties. |
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[Alternative] Rare/Magic Amulets with + Necromancer/Poison and Bone Spells are great budget choices and solid fillers before you are able to get Mara's Kaleidoscope.
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ARMORS |
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Bramble (Runeword) - A definite top choice for the build (the trade-off is, you won't benefit from the full Trang's set). This armor gives us an insane Poison Damage Boost, some good resistances, and a quite good mana regen increase. Without Bramble, your Damage output won't be anywhere near as high as it could be.
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Enigma (Runeword) - A solid all-around choice that takes care of your defense and offense. Blink Charges it gives you are less relevant because of Blood Warp, but still handy to have in some situations. Because of the Jah • Ith • Ber runes required to complete it, it is very expensive, however. |
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Trang-Oul's Scales (Chaos Armor) - This is a solid defensively-oriented armor that will make you (almost) impervious to physical damage if you combine it with the rest of the set. Sadly, it can't even compare with something like Bramble when it comes to offensive bonuses. |
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RINGS |
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The Stone of Jordan - A solid offensive choice that increases your Skills by +1. It is one of the most recognizable rings in Diablo2 (and for a good reason). |
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Bul-Kathos Wedding Band - A great ring that adds +1 to Skills. It also increases stamina and gives some nice life steal. |
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Raven Frost - This ring provides Freeze immunity which is extremely important to have. If you have freeze immunity from another item, you can choose a different ring. |
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Wisp Projector - Even though it's a Druid Ring, it is very solid for every Class. Also, the Lightning Absorb is a great addition to your defenses. Plenty of your deaths will be caused by Lightning Damage, so this one is definitely worth picking up. |
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GLOVES |
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Trang-Oul's Claws (Heavy Bracers) - These gloves offer an amazing faster cast rate boost (for gloves, that is). However, the best thing about them is a respectable bonus to Poison Skill Damage - up to 15%. Bonus to Curses is not important for this build but can come in handy if you decide to invest a few points into the tree. |
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BOOTS |
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Waterwalk (Sharkskin Boots) - You can't go wrong with these boots - they are an extremely solid all-around choice. The most important thing about them is the very high, up to +65, Life bonus. However, you will appreciate their amazing +40% faster Run/Walk and almost infinite Stamina as well. |
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Aldur's Advance (Battle Boots) - This pair of Boots offers very high bonus Movement Speed and Life. Also, they have a very high bonus to Fire Resistance, which is handy if you don't have fire resistance charms or want your charms to have other bonuses. |
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BELTS |
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Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - Definitely a Best in Slot Belt for this build. Arachnid Mesh gives +1 to all Skills in addition to increasing your Cast Rate. This belt is a must-have in a wide range of caster builds, so purchasing it is a good investment. |
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String of Ears (Demonhide Sash) - A great option if you're after some additional survivability. The String of Ears provides up to a 15% damage reduction bonus which is just amazing for this Item slot. |
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Trang-Oul's Girth (Troll Belt) - A solid defensively-oriented belt that provides you with the "Cannot be Frozen" affix which lets you swap Ravenfrost for another +Skills ring. |
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SET BONUSES | |
Wearing full Trang-Oul's Set will also give you: |
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CHARMS |
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MERCENARY |
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We recommend picking up Act 1 Cold Mercenary for extra utility. She should be equipped with:
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END NOTE This is our premiere Project Diablo 2 build where we tried to include all of the important information on how to set up this character while keeping the guide as compact as possible. If we've missed something of importance, please let us know! If you have any Build requests, please post them in the Comments section below. We will be happy to cover your most requested builds in the future! Also, we hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. Also, we will be happy to receive constructive criticism that will help us improve our future work, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback. |