January 19, 2022
-Build created

1. Strength - All you want, in terms of Strength, is enough of it to equip everything you will want to use on your character. 
2. Dexterity - Get enough Dex for your gear unless you can achieve max block by spending some more points on it (this will mostly depend on your gear, however). 
3. Vitality - You should put all your remaining points here - main stat. 
4. Energy - Adding points to Energy is an extreme waste - don't do it. 

This is the core Skill Tree of this Build. This Skill Tree will let you create your own undead army that will obey your every command (especially after the recent AI improvements). 

Skills:

1. Raise Skeleton Warrior [20/20] - Rises a Skeleton Warrior to fight for you, from a corpse of a fallen enemy. These are the "vanilla' Skeletons that will fight monsters in melee, making enemies less likely to damage you. At first, Skeleton Warriors might seem brittle, but they scale extremely well with Skill Points - On a well-geared leveled-up character, they can soak up unbelievable amounts of damage (even Ubers have problems with them...). When it comes to dealing damage, they are less reliable than Archers and will sometimes get stuck, but you can rally them with Blood Warp. Max this out. 
2. Skeleton Mastery [20/20] - A passive skill that increases the Damage, Life, and Velocity of your raised Skeletons. Also, Raise Skeleton Warrior and Raise Skeleton Archer synergize with this Skill, receiving +8% Skeleton Damage per level. Thanks to Skeleton Mastery, your Army will get stronger, tougher, and faster - max it out. 
3. Raise Skeletal Mage [X/20] - Rises a Skeleton Mage to fight for you, from a corpse of a fallen enemy. Skeleton Mages deal either Poison, Lightning, Cold, or Fire Damage from a distance. You can have up to 8 Skeleton Mages at your side (from 18 hard points invested). While this skill was buffed in season 4 (100% hitbox size increase for missiles and a damage buff), it does not benefit from Amplify Damage which makes it the weakest (by far) of the three skeleton-summoning skills. Nevertheless, Skeleton Mages will boost your single-target damage and thus you should spend all your remaining points here. 
4. Blood Warp [X/20] - Necromancer's equivalent of Sorceress' Teleport. It has a mana cost of 10 and will drain 12% of our current HP each cast. Additional Points only reduce its Cooldown. This Skill is essential for the build's mobility - being able to teleport out of trouble is unbelievably strong. Moreover, all your summons teleport with you, so you can easily rally them with this. Blood Warp's Cooldown decreases with every subsequent Skill Point - if you have enough soft points from gear, spending a single point on it is generally enough (if you use Enigma, you might want to skip this entirely). 
5. Raise Skeletal Archer [20/20] - Rises a Skeleton Archer to fight for you, from a corpse of a fallen enemy. This is the recent addition to Bonemancer's kit (it was added to PD2 in season 4). Skeleton Archers deal Physical Damage from a distance which makes them very powerful - they not only engage enemies faster than Warriors but they also benefit from Amplify Damage. You can have up to 8 Skeleton Archers at your side (from 18 hard points invested). This is one of your main summoning abilities - you should max it out. 

CURSES

This build utilizes Curses to break the enemy's physical resistance. With maxed-out Amplify Damage and Curse Mastery, you can lower enemy physical res by 75%. The rest of the Curses is not really worth spending any additional points on, but you can do it if you like their effects. 

Skills:

1. Amplify Damage [20/20] - A Curse that lowers the monster's physical resistances making it take more damage from physical attacks. Skeletons and Skeleton Archers deal physical damage and will greatly benefit from this. Sadly, Skeletal Mages don't scale with this at all which makes them fall behind quite substantially. Maxing this massively increases the build's offensive power and makes it much stronger against enemies with physical resistance. Also, this is handy to have while playing in a group with physical damage dealers. 
2. Life Tap [1/20] - Optional. Prerequisite. Curses a group of monsters so that damaging them gives the attacker life. 
3. Weaken [1/20] - Optional. A Curse that makes groups of enemies deal much less Damage which is life-saving, to say the least. If you need some additional survivability, you can spend 1 point here. 

This skill tree is not the focus of this build and all the skill points are needed elsewhere, but we can afford to invest 2 points to get Bone Armor. 

Skills:

1. Teeth [1/20] - Prerequisite. Fires a barrage of summoned barbed teeth that damage any enemy they hit. 
2. Bone Armor [1/20] - Surrounds the caster with a protective shield that absorbs incoming damage. This will give you that little extra bit of survivability; well-worth 2 total points. 

As per usual with PD2 Builds, you want to get as many Skill Levels (Necromancer/Summoning Spells 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, but not nearly as essential as with other types of necro builds. Defensive stats, like faster hit recovery and life on each kill, are a nice addition but you should not choose gear for them specifically. 

HELMETS

Steel Shade (Armet) - This Helmet is a surprisingly solid option for the build as you will be using a shield (or an off-hand that works like a shield). It provides +2 to All Skills, a 30% Faster Cast Rate, and offers a solid defensive boost on top (with 20% better blocking and 30% faster block rate). Moreover, it has high fire absorb which makes it great for certain bosses. 

• Defense: 300 to 345 
• Required Level: 62
• Required Strength: 109
• Durability: 24
  • [4-8]% Mana Stolen per Hit (varies) 
  • +[100-130]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • Replenish Life +[30-48] (varies) 
  • +[5-11] Fire Absorb (varies) 
  • +[1-2] to All Skills (varies) 
  • +30% Faster Block Rate 
  • 30% Increased Chance of Blocking 
  • [60-80]% Extra Gold from Monsters (varies) 

Harlequin Crest (Shako) - You can't go wrong with Shako on this build; It gives you everything you might want for your Skelemancer - Skill levels, Mana, Health, Damage taken reduction, attributes, and magic find. If you plan on using this build for magic finding, this is the best choice. 

• Defense: 98 to 141 
• Required Level: 62
• Required Strength: 50
• Durability: 20
  • +2 to All Skills 
  • +1-99 to Life(1 per character level) 
  • +1-99 to Mana(1 per character level) 
  • Damage Reduced By 3-5% (varies) 
  • 50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 
  • +2 to All Attributes 

Delirium (Rune Word) - This Helmet will give you some extra offensive power in the form of +2 Skills, a nice boost to Magic Find, and a solid increase in defenses. If you're looking for a more budget alternative for the Helmet slot, consider this one.  

• Defense: Depends on base Helmet
• Required Level: 51
• Required Strength: Depends on base Helmet
• Durability: Depends on base Helmet
• Lem + Ist + Io 
  • +261 Defense 
  • +10 Vitality 
  • +2 to All Skills
  • Level 17 Attract (60 Charges) 
  • 11% Chance to Cast Level 18 Confuse on Striking 
  • 6% Chance to Cast Level 14 Mind Blast When Struck 
  • 14% Chance to Cast Level 13 Terror When Struck 
  • +50% Extra Gold from Monsters
  • 25% Better Chance of Finding Magic Items 

WEAPONS

Beast (Runeword) - A very solid Weapon Choice for a Summon Necro. It gives 8-10 levels of Fanaticism Aura, when equipped, that greatly increases the damage output of your Skeletons. The downside is its extortionate price. It can be inscribed into Axes, Scepters, and Hammers that have 5 sockets. 

• Damage: Depends on base Weapon
• Required Level: 63 
• Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon
• Ber + Tir + Um + Mal + Lum 
  • +8-10 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped 
  • +3 to Hunger
  • +3 to Maul 
  • +3 to Werebear 
  • +40% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +260-290% Enhanced Damage 
  • 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
  • 25% Chance of Open Wounds 
  • Prevents Monster Heal 
  • +10 to Energy 
  • +2 to Mana After Each Kill 
  • Level 13 Summon Grizzly (35 Charges) 

Arm of King Leoric (Tomb Wand) - This wand was tailored specifically for Skelemancers. With it, you will be able to summon a total of 4 additional Skeletal minions, which is massive. It will also give you a lot of relevant Skill Levels and some FCR. Moreover, its level requirement is very low, so you can use it for leveling. 

• Damage: 10 to 22
• Required Level: 36 
• Required Dexterity: - 
• Required Strength: 25 
• Durability: 30 
  • +[1-2] to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only) (varies) 
  • +[1-2] to Poison and Bone Spells (Necromancer Only) (varies) 
  • +20% Faster Cast Rate 
  • +2 to Raise Skeletal Mage (Necromancer Only) 
  • +[2-3] to Raise Skeleton Warrior (Necromancer Only) (varies) 
  • +[2-3] to Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only) (varies) 
  • +[1-123] to Mana (+1.25 per Character Level) 
  • +50% Damage to Undead 
  • You May Now Summon 2 Additional Skeleton Mages 
  • You May Now Summon 2 Additional Skeleton Warriors 
  • Replenish Life +[14-32] (varies) 

Heart of the Oak (Runeword) - Heart of the Oak has got you covered if you need some extra Skill levels and FCR. Also, it not only increases your offensive power but also boosts your elemental resistances and takes care of your mana-related needs. 

• Damage:  Depends on base Weapon
• Required Level: 55
• Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
• Ko + Vex + Pul + Thul 
  • +3 To All Skills 
  • +30% Faster Cast Rate 
  • +75% Damage To Demons 
  • +100 To Attack Rating Against Demons 
  • Adds 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 sec. Duration (Normal) 
  • 7% Mana Stolen Per Hit 
  • +10 To Dexterity 
  • Replenish Life +20 
  • Increase Maximum Mana 15% 
  • All Resistances +20-30 (varies) 
  • Level 14 Raven (60 Charges) 

Boneflame (Succubus Skull) - An amazing off-hand that makes you Run faster, boosts your offensive power by a lot, provides a solid physical absorb, and increases your elemental resistances. This is objectively one of the most powerful off-hands in the game. You should try to get one that has +3 to Necromancer Skill Levels. 

• Defense:  323-367
• Required Level: 72 
• Required Strength: 95
• Durability: 20
• Block: 30% 
  • 5% Chance to Cast Level 3 Terror when Struck
  • +[2-3] to Necromancer Skill Levels (varies) 
  • +20% Faster Run/Walk 
  • +[120-150]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • All Resistances +[20-30] (varies) 
  • Physical Damage Taken Reduced by [10-20]% (varies) 
  • +[4-8] Life after each Kill (varies) 

Homonculus (Hierophant Trophy) - An extremely powerful Class item that increases Necromancer's Skills by 2 and provides some nice defensive bonuses (increased block chance and faster block rate are great). Homonculus pairs especially well with the Steel Shade. If you go for this one, you should invest some more points into Dexterity to make your block relevant. 

• Defense:  177-213
• Required Level: 42 
• Required Strength: 58
• Durability: 20
• Block: 72% 
  • +150-200% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • 3-5 Mana After Each Kill (varies) 
  • 40% Increased Chance of Blocking 
  • 30% Faster Block Rate 
  • +2 To Necromancer Skill Levels 
  • +20 To Energy 
  • Regenerate Mana 33% 
  • All Resistances +25-35 (varies) 

Stormshield (Monarch) - If you're looking for a shield that will make you almost impervious to incoming damage, pick up this one. It's a BiS defensive option that will allow you to achieve Max Block very easily. If you want to make your Summon Necro even less likely to die, Stormshield has got you covered. 

• Defense: 136-519 (Depends on your level)
• Required Level: 73
• Required Strength: 156
• Durability: Indestructible
  • +3-371 Defense (+3.75/level) 
  • 25% Increased Chance of Blocking 
  • 35% Faster Block Rate
  • 20-30% Physical Damage Taken Reduction 
  • +40-50% Cold Resist 
  • +25% Lightning Resist 
  • +20-30 Strength 
  • Indestructible 
  • Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 150-250 (varies) 

Call to Arms (Rune Word) - This powerful Runeword will allow you to pre-buff yourself up with Warcries (buffs persist through weapon swap). 

• Defense: Depends on base Weapon 
• Required Level: 57
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon ​​​​​
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
• Amn • Ral • Mal • Ist
  • +1 to All Skills 
  • +40% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +250-290% Enhanced Damage 
  • Adds 5-30 Fire Damage 
  • 7% Life Stolen Per Hit 
  • +2-6 To Battle Command 
  • +1-6 To Battle Orders 
  • +1-4 To Battle Cry 
  • Prevent Monster Heal 
  • Replenish Life +12 
  • 30% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items 

Lidless Wall (Grim Shield) - A very powerful Shield that grants up to +2 Skills and high FCR. You should use it on weapon swap to maximize the benefits you get from Warcries. 

• Defense: 271 - 347
• Required Level: 41
• Required Strength: 58
• Durability: 70
  • +80-130% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • +1-2 to All Skills (varies) 
  • Increase Maximum Mana 10% 
  • 20% Faster Cast Rate 
  • +4-6 to Mana After Each Kill (varies) 
  • +10 to Energy 
  • +1 to Light Radius 

AMULETS

Mara's Kaleidoscope - From this amulet, you'll get a great combination of skills, attributes, and resistances. It's a solid and versatile choice - you can't go wrong with it. 

• Required Level: 67
  • +2 To All Skills 
  • All Resistances +20-30 (varies) 
  • +5 To All Attributes 

[Alternative] Rare/Magic Amulets with + Necromancer/Summoning Spells are great budget choices and solid fillers before you are able to get Mara's Kaleidoscope. 

• Required Level: varies. 
• In Magic Amulets, look for:
  • +3 to Summoning Spells  
• In Rare Amulets, look for:
  • +2 Necromancer Skills 
  • Magic Find 
  • Resistances 
  • Attributes 

ARMORS

Enigma (Runeword) - This classic and expensive runeword is 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 (you won't achieve 0 Cooldown Bloodwarp unless you want to sacrifice your offensive power for it). 

• Defense: Depends on base Armor 
• Required Level: 65 
• Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
• Durability: Depends on base Armor 
• Jah + Ith + Ber  
  • +2 To All Skills 
  • +25% Faster Run/Walk 
  • Level 1 Blink* (5/5 Charges)
    Replenish 1 Charge in 3 Seconds
  • +500-775 Defense (varies) 
  • +[0-74] to Strength (+[0.5-0.75] per Character Level) (varies)
  • Increase Maximum Life 5%
  • Damage Reduced By 4%
  • 15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
  • [0-74]% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items ([0.5-0.75]% per Character Level) (varies)

Atma's Wail (Embossed Plate) - This amazing unique armor offers a solid mix of offensive and defensive affixes. It will make you much more durable while allowing you to cast spells quicker. Moreover, it offers some Magic Find, which is nice. 

• Defense: 670 to 988
• Required Strength: 125
• Durability: 105
• Required Level: 41
  • +120-160% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • +2-198 Defense (+2 per Character Level) 
  • 30% Faster Hit Recovery 
  • Replenish Life +10-20 (varies) 
  • Increase Maximum Mana 15% 
  • +15 to Dexterity 
  • +20% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items 
  • +1 to All Skills 
  • 30% Faster Cast Rate 

Trang-Oul's Scales (Chaos Armor) - A nice defensively-oriented armor that will make your summons and your blood warp better. You might want to consider it, even if you don't plan on running a full Trang's set. 

• Defense: 857
• Required Strength: 84
• Durability: 70
• Required Level: 49
  • +2 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only) 
  • +40% Faster Run/Walk 
  • +150% Enhanced Defense 
  • +100 Defense vs. Missile 
  • Poison Resist +40% 
  • Requirements -40% 
  • +[1-2] to Blood Warp (Necromancer Only) (varies)
  • Lightning Resist +50% (3 Items) 
  • Physical Damage Taken Reduced by 25% (Complete Set) 

RINGS

The Stone of Jordan - One of the most iconic items in Diablo 2, which increases the level of all your Skills and your max Mana. A solid offensive choice. 

• Required Level: 29
  • +1 to All Skills
  • Maximum Mana to 15-20% 
  • Adds 1-120 Lightning Damage 
  • +20-40 to Mana (varies) 

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. 

• Required Level: 76
  • +150-250 Attack Rating (varies) 
  • 15-45 Cold Damage 
  • +15-20 Dexterity (varies) 
  • +40 Mana 
  • Cold Absorb 5-10% (varies) 
  • Cannot be Frozen 

Wisp Projector - This is a BiS ring for this build as it allows you to buff your summons with Heart of the Wolverine. 

• Required Level: 76
  • Lightning Absorb 4-6% (varies)
  • 8-15% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 
  • +1-3 to Spirit of Barbs 
  • +1-3 to Heart of the Wolverine 
  • +1 To All Skills 

GLOVES

Gravepalm (Sharkskin Gloves) - These gloves give you +1 to Summoning Skills which automatically makes them a BiS item, as no other gloves will give you that. They also increase Strength which is rather nice as it allows you to put fewer points into it. 

• Defense: 96-112
• Required Level: 32
• Required Strength: 20
• Durability: 14
  • +140-180% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • +100-200% Damage to Undead (varies) 
  • +100-200 to Attack Rating Against Undead (varies) 
  • +10 to Energy 
  • +10 to Strength 
  • +1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only) 
  • 10-15% Deadly Strike (varies) 

Bloodfist (Heavy Gloves) - A solid defensively focused choice that offers a whopping +30% Faster Hit Recovery. If you want to be extra safe, pick these ones. 

• Defense: 17-18
• Required Level: 9
• Required Strength: -
• Durability: 14
  • +10-20% Enhanced Defense 
  • +10 Defense 
  • +10% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
  • +40 To Life 
  • +5-10 to Maximum Damage 

BOOTS

Waterwalk (Sharkskin Boots) - If you're looking for universal pair of boots, look no further. Waterwalks offer a great mix of mobility and defenses. With them, you will be able to move much faster while shrugging off incoming damage. 

• Defense: 112-124
• Required Level: 32
• Required Strength: 47
• Kick Damage: 28-50
• Durability: 14  
  • +180-210% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • 40% Faster Run/Walk 
  • 20% Faster Block Rate 
  • +15 to Dexterity 
  • +5% to Maximum Fire Resist 
  • Heal Stamina Plus 50% 
  • +40 to Maximum Stamina 
  • +45-65 to Life (varies) 

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. 

• Defense: 39-47
• Required Level: 45
• Required Strength: 95
• Kick Damage: 37-64
• Durability: Indestructible  
  • Indestructible 
  • 40% Faster Run/Walk 
  • 10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana 
  • +180 Maximum Stamina 
  • Heal Stamina Plus +32% 
  • +50 To Life 
  • Set Bonuses: 
    • +15 To Dexterity (2 Item) 
    • +15 To Dexterity (3 Items) 
    • +15 To Dexterity (Completed Set) 

Itherael's Path (Mirrored Boots) - These versatile boots will not only boost your attributes, defense, and hit recovery, but also increase your running speed and casting rate which makes it a solid option for the build. The downside is, they are hard to get and expensive. 

• Defense: 99-128
• Required Level: 85
• Required Strength: 163
• Kick Damage: 59-68
• Durability: 18
  • +20% Faster Run/Walk 
  • +20% Faster Cast Rate 
  • +20% Faster Hit Recovery 
  • +[40-60] Defense (varies) 
  • +[10-20] to Dexterity (varies) 
  • +[10-20] to Vitality (varies) 

BELTS

Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - 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. It's definitely the Best in Slot Belt for this build. 

• Defense: 119-138 
• Potion Slots: 16 
• Required Level: 80
• Required Strength: 50
• Durability: 12
  • +90-120% Enhanced Defense  
  • Slows Target by 20% 
  • +1 To All Skills 
  • +10-20% Faster Cast Rate 
  • Maximum Mana 5-10% 
  • Level 3 Venom (31 Charges) 

String of Ears (Demonhide Sash) - The String of Ears provides up to a 15% damage reduction bonus which is just amazing for this Item slot. It's a great option if you're after some additional survivability. 

• Defense: 102-113
• Potion Slots: 16 
• Required Level: 29
• Required Strength: 20
• Durability: 22
  • +150-180% Enhanced Defense 
  • +15 Defense 
  • 6-8% Life Stolen Per Hit 
  • Damage Reduced By 10-15% 
  • Magic Damage Reduced 10-15 

CHARMS

1. Annihilus - This fabled Charm boosts your Skills, Stats, and Resistances. It's the best Unique Small Charm, and it's limited to just 1 in your equipment. 
2. Gheed's Fortune - The secret to Gheed's wealth and prosperity. Pretty much a must-have if you're after the best available charms. It adds 80-160% extra gold from monsters, reduces vendor prices by up to 15%, and gives up to 40% better magic find. 
3. Hellfire Torch - The BiS Unique Large Charm that increases your Vitality, Skills, and more. You should, of course, go for one that gives +1 to Necromancer Skills. 
4. Grand Charms - These should have +Summoning Spells (mandatory) and +Life/+Faster Run/Walk Speed. 
5. Small Charms - With these, you should get your desired Resistances, bonuses to Life, or bonuses to Magic Find - whatever suits your needs, basically. 

MERCENARY

We recommend picking up Act 1 Vigor Mercenary for extra mobility (Vigor Aura makes your Golems Much faster, which is EXTREMELY important) that helps with clear speeds by a lot, and for the ability to use a Bow with a chance to cast Amplify Damage. She should be equipped with: 

1. Witchwild String - An exceptional Short Siege Bow that has a 10% chance to cast level 16 Amplify Damage on Striking. The other option is a Bow with "Wrath" Runeword in it. This greatly increases the damage of all your minions and break almost all physical immunities. 
2. Templar's Might - Provides Might Aura for some extra damage. 
3. Steelrend Gloves - For massive damage bonus and Crushing Blow. 
4. Vampire's Gaze - For high Life Leech and damage reduction. 
5. Nosferatu's Coil - For Life Leech and Deadly Strike. 
6. Gore Rider Boots - For Deadly Strike and Crushing Blow greatly boosting the merc's DPS. 

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.