Following its announcement for Diablo 4 at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase event, the Necromancer has received a more in-depth look at how the class will work.
In the Diablo 4 quarterly update, we’ve been given more information on the newest class. The Necromancer has a stored history in the Diablo franchise, and has appeared in several prior entries. In the blog, Blizzard shares that although it has “spent a considerable amount of time making sure that fans of the Diablo 2, 3 and Immortal versions of the Necromancer see something familiar”, the studio also wanted to create something unique for Diablo 4.
The Necromancer will use two different resources in the form of Essence and Corpses. Essence is the primary resource and will restore itself automatically, though it replenishes faster when players use skills. Corpses, on the other hand, are the remains of enemies who die near the Necromancer and can be used to summon skeletal minions or power other skills. Corpses can also be generated via various effects, giving the player much greater control over how often they want to interact with them.
In terms of weaponry, Necromancers use swords, daggers, wands, focuses and shields. They’re also the only class that will be able to use scythes. Curses will also make an appearance, allowing the Necromancer to apply de-buffs to enemies.
The blog goes on to share that there are four playstyles for the Necromancer: Bone, Darkness, Blood and the Army. Bone leans more into physical skills, relying on Essence to get by. Darkness skills use Shadow magic to overwhelm their enemies, allowing the player to use bursts of attacks over a short period of time. Necromancers can utilise the power of Blood magic to siphon life from their enemies. This build is usually defensive, but can utilise this as offense by rewarding them for having large amounts of health.
Finally, with the Army playstyle Necromancers can focus on summoning the undead to do their hard work. The army can incorporate the Bone, Darkness and Blood skills to add increased levels of customisation to a playthrough.
The Necromancer’s unique class mechanic is the Book of the Dead, which will immediately give players the additional skill of Raise Skeleton. This enables undead warriors to be risen to fight by the player’s side. In the Book of the Dead you can customise your army, with options increasing as you level up, and unique paybacks for sacrificing an army member.
This update to the newest character announced for the game seems to give endless customisation options to anyone deciding to play as the Necromancer upon Diablo 4’s release, which is set for 2023.
In other news, Microsoft has made a “binding commitment” to guaranteeing union neutrality within Activision Blizzard.
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