Necromancer · Summoner AoE command
Minion Necromancer
Raise the line, manage the corpses, command from the back.
The classic summoner. A skeleton front line holds packs while Shadow mages pour in shadow damage and Corpse Explosion turns every kill into more bombs. The Golem gets sacrificed for flat damage, Shadowblight burns anything your shadows touch, and your actual job is corpse economy — never running dry, never running out of minions.
Tier A
Maxroll Endgame
- Difficulty
- Patch
- Season 15 · Patch 3.2
- Path updated
- Sep 19, 2026
- Level bands
- 10
Zero guessing
The level path
Every band is a range of levels. Take the steps in order as you reach them — each one says why it beats the alternative.
Your progress
Mark objectives as you complete them
- 1
Levels 1–2
0/3Start the corpse economy while your warriors fight for free
- DecomposeRank 1
The corpse-maker — your Basic skill exists to leave bodies for everything else in this build.
- Enhanced Decompose1 pt
More reliable corpse output — the ammo factory comes online.
- Skeleton WarriorsBook of the Dead
They fight alongside you from the first level and their damage is free — let them hold the line while you set up.
- 3
Levels 3–5
0/3Core slot online — start the shadow engine, corpse layering right behind
- BlightRank 1 (Core unlocks at 3)
Shadow damage over a pool — it starts the shadow theme that Shadowblight will pay off later.
- Corpse ExplosionRank 1
Grab it as soon as its slot opens — every corpse becomes a bomb and every bomb leaves more corpses.
- Corpse TendrilsRank 1 (third slot at 5)
Pulls the pack into a pile and stuns it — gathering is half your AoE, the other half is detonating what gathered.
Unlock: Level 3: Core skill slot unlocks — Blight now, with the corpse skills layered in immediately after.
- 6
Levels 6–10
0/3Rank the corpse skills and pick your warrior flavor
- Corpse ExplosionRanks 2–3
More explosions per corpse — this is your pack-clear speed.
- Corpse TendrilsEnhanced + ranks
Stronger pull and stun means tighter piles means bigger explosion chains.
- Book of the Dead — Warriors: SkirmishersUpgrade
Ranged spears with Bleed keep packs honest while you channel and cast from the back.
Unlock: Book of the Dead: Skirmisher warriors — your front line now does damage instead of just standing there.
- 11
Levels 11–15
0/3Mages join the squad; complete the Golem unlock
- Book of the Dead — Mages: ShadowUpgrade
Shadow mages stack shadow damage on everything — the exact fuel Shadowblight will burn later.
- BlightRanks 2–3
Your between-explosions damage and another shadow trigger for the key passive.
- GolemComplete the unlock quest
Take the Golem quest when it appears — even if you'll sacrifice it later, its body carries you through the teens.
Unlock: Level 15: the fourth skill slot opens — keep layering corpse and shadow skills, nothing here is a trap.
- 16
Levels 16–25
0/4Passive engine: essence, damage bursts, sacrifice scaling
- Grim HarvestRanks 1–3
Essence from every consumed corpse — your casting fuel scales with your explosions.
- Fueled by DeathRanks 1–3
Damage burst after each corpse consumed — chains explosions into snowballs.
- SacrificialRanks 1–3
Crit scaling per sacrificed minion type — it's the reason the Golem is about to leave the party.
- Corpse ExplosionRanks 4–5
Finish maxing your AoE engine before Torment.
- 26
Levels 26–35
0/3Key passive + ultimate + the Golem's pink slip
- ShadowblightKey passive
Shadow damage accumulates and periodically detonates — with mages and Blight stacking shadow constantly, it becomes a furnace.
- Army of the DeadRank 1 (Ultimate unlocks at 12+, take it here)
A wave of shadow explosions — the biggest Shadowblight trigger you own. Pop for elites and boss packs.
- Book of the Dead — Golem: SacrificeSacrifice
The sacrifice bonus is straight damage, and Sacrificial pays you crit for it. Your skeleton line holds fine without a golem.
Unlock: Level 30+: World Tier 3 (Nightmare) — re-gear into Legendary items with the aspects below.
- 36
Levels 36–45
0/3Legendary Aspects turn the squad into an army
- Aspect of Frenzied DeadWeapon(s)
Minion attack speed — every skeleton and mage hits faster, which means more shadow triggers per second.
- Aspect of Ultimate ShadowUtility slot
Shadow skills spawn additional shadow bursts — more Shadowblight fuel, more pack clear. Verify its exact effect in the live guides.
- Minion-damage aspectArmor slot
Any aspect raising minion damage or attack speed is a straight upgrade — they're common drops and all help.
- 46
Levels 46–50
0/2Enter the endgame engine
- Aspect of Requiem-style minion scalingKeep farming aspects
Stack minion damage and attack speed until the squad out-DPSes you — that's when this build is done. Name varies by season; check the linked guides.
- Paragon BoardsStart at 50
Open the first board and path toward Intelligence + minion nodes; respec freely until 60 — it's cheap.
Unlock: Level 50: Paragon Board + World Tier 4 (Torment) after a gear refresh.
- 51
Levels 51–70
0/4Glyphs, torment farming, build finalization
- Deadraiser GlyphSocket first
The minion-scaling glyph every summon board wants — corpse consumption powers up the squad.
- Board's shadow glyphSocket second
Pick the shadow-damage glyph on your actual board — glyph value depends on the nodes you path through, so read the board before socketing.
- Minion Life temperingCraft layer
Torment AoE deletes skeletons — Minion Life and attack speed tempering keep the front line standing.
- Torment dungeonsFarm loop
Helltides + Nightmare dungeons + Lair bosses for Ancestral gear and glyph leveling.
- 70
Levels 70+
0/3Push the Pit and refine
- Ring of MendelnUnique ring
The minion build's endgame prize — your squad detonates on its own triggers. Verify current tuning on the linked guides before building around it.
- Masterworking + TemperingCraft layer
Temper minion damage/life and Corpse Explosion affixes, then masterwork crit and cooldown stats first.
- Check live tuningEvery season
Minion scaling, aspect values and glyph thresholds shift by patch — verify final numbers on Maxroll or Icy Veins.
Beyond the cap
Endgame chapters
The game after the level path — the loop where most hours go. Same checkable flow as the level path.
Endgame checklist
Same second-screen flow — check phases off as you conquer them
Torment entry · 50–60
0/4Survive World Tier 4 and rebuild the squad on Ancestral gear
- Ancestral re-gearFirst week
Replace leveling legendaries with Ancestral pieces from Helltides and Lair bosses — Minion Damage, Minion Attack Speed and Minion Life outrank your own offense everywhere they fit.
- Deadraiser GlyphSocket + level
First glyph to level — corpse consumption powers the squad, and no build makes corpses faster than yours.
- Aspect refreshMax rolls
Re-imprint Frenzied Dead and the shadow-burst aspects at their highest rolls on Ancestral gear — minion attack speed feeds Shadowblight triggers per second.
- Book of the Dead auditSacrifice check
Re-confirm the loadout after every big gear swap: Skirmisher warriors, Shadow mages, Golem sacrificed — re-gear can flip which sacrifice bonus pays best.
Glyph bonus thresholds are reached by pathing Paragon boards toward the glyph socket — route Deadraiser through minion nodes before spending points.
Farming loop · 60–70
0/4Glyph XP, squad tempering and the Mendeln hunt
- Nightmare dungeonsTier ladder
Primary glyph XP and Ancestral stream — run the highest tier you clear fast; the squad clears density, so pack-heavy dungeons pay best.
- Lair boss rotationSummon mats from Whispers
Boss loot tables are your unique hunt — Ring of Mendeln is the build-defining prize; verify its live tuning before building around it.
- TemperingMinion lines
Temper Minion Damage, Minion Attack Speed and Minion Life onto every applicable slot before masterworking — Torment AoE deletes skeletons otherwise.
- HelltidesChests + mats
Fastest rare-material and leveling gear farm — run them between dungeon keys.
The Pit push · 70+
0/3Climb tiers and finish the craft layer
- MasterworkingMinion + cooldown first
Masterwork minion damage and cooldown stats before raw main-stat — the squad is your DPS and Tendrils is your tempo.
- Pit climbingComfortable +3 tiers
Push tiers you clear reliably; the upgrade drops and leaderboard thresholds reward consistency.
- Glyph ranks15 → 21+
Every major glyph threshold changes board scaling — keep glyph XP running even during pushes.
Torment difficulty tiers and Pit rewards shift with patches — verify current thresholds on Maxroll or Icy Veins before spending gold.
Long-term refinement
0/3Uniques, sacrifice tuning and seasonal resets
- Unique hunt listBuild-defining pieces
Ring of Mendeln detonates the squad on its own triggers — the ceiling pick; run the specific Lair bosses that drop it and re-optimize the Book of the Dead around it once it lands.
- Book of the Dead re-optimizationEach season
Sacrifice bonuses and minion upgrades get retuned — re-read every warrior, mage and Golem entry before locking a Paragon path.
- Seasonal rerollEach season
Level paths stay evergreen; re-check minion scaling and glyph thresholds against the live guides each season.
Equipment
Gear priorities
Hover or tap any slot for the full item card. Below the doll: the plain-text checklist.
Equipment
Ancestral target · hover or tap any slot
Tap or hover a slot for the full item card. Stats are representative rolls for this build — the sources section links the live guides for exact values.
Helm
Cooldown Reduction + skill ranks
Visage of the Grave Command · Helltides & Lair boss drops
Chest
Tanky stat stick with a minion-life bump
Carapace of the Silent Legion · Nightmare dungeons
Gloves
Attack-speed and proc tuning
Gravebinder Gauntlets · Nightmare dungeons
Pants
Pure defense
Boneshroud Greaves · Nightmare dungeons
Boots
Movement + sustain
Treads of the Pale Procession · Helltides
Main Hand
Two-handed scythe — Aspect of Frenzied Dead is the leveling multiplier; wand + focus only for a hybrid caster variant
Harvest of the Hollow King · Nightmare dungeons · aspect imprint
Off-Hand
Two-handed scythe occupies both hands — this slot stays empty; grab a wand + focus only for a hybrid caster variant
Amulet
Skill ranks + movement
Pendant of the Pale Court · Lair boss drops
Ring 1
Crit + shadow scaling — Ring of Mendeln is the endgame lottery target; verify live tuning before building around it
Signet of the Shadow Choir · Nightmare dungeons
Ring 2
Minion-scaling filler
Loop of the Corpselight · Helltides
Stat weights
What to chase on every item
- 1
Intelligence
Scales your damage and minion power — the default pick everywhere.
- 2
Minion Damage
The affix that makes the squad an army — take it every slot it fits.
- 3
Minion Attack Speed
Tempering target — faster minions trigger Shadowblight more often.
- 4
Cooldown Reduction
Corpse Tendrils and Army of the Dead uptime.
- 5
Lucky Hit Chance
Feeds proc ranks and corpse-adjacent effects.
- 6
Shadow Damage
Blight, mages, Army of the Dead and Shadowblight all share the element.
- 7
Damage Reduction / Max Life
If the skeleton line falls, you're next — never skip the defensive layer.
Button order
Rotation priorities
Follow top to bottom — earlier steps take precedence over later ones.
Pull / Setup
- 1Step 1: Lead with Corpse Tendrils — the pull-and-stun gathers the pack into a corpse piñata.
- 2Step 2: Decompose anything that didn't cluster — start manufacturing ammo before you spend it.
Standard pack
- 1Step 1: Corpse Explosion into the pile — every detonation leaves more corpses, so chain them until the screen clears.
- 2Step 2: Blight between explosions to keep shadow stacking (and Shadowblight) ticking.
- 3Step 3: Re-cast Tendrils on cooldown — gathering is the build's real cooldown management.
Elites / Bosses
- 1Step 1: Pop Army of the Dead — the shadow storm chains through everything nearby and floods Shadowblight.
- 2Step 2: Keep Blight and Tendrils cycling on the boss; your minions do the single-target work.
- 3Step 3: Your job is corpse management, not melee heroics — stay behind the skeleton line.
Zero guessing
Watch-outs
The mistakes that cost levels, kills and raid slots — flagged before you make them.
Corpse Explosion eats your ammo — spamming it dry starves Tendrils and leaves you with nothing to detonate. Alternate the casts; don't hold one button.
Sacrifice passives count minion TYPES, not individual bodies — sacrifice the Golem only. Bleeding out your warriors and mages for a few crit points leaves you with no front line.
Shadowblight detonates on a cadence, not on command — build burst expectations around Army of the Dead, and let Shadowblight be the furnace under it.
Torment AoE deletes skeletons fast — Minion Life/attack-speed tempering is not optional once the front line starts evaporating.
Don't farm Torment before re-gearing into Legendary Aspects at 30+/50+ — the difficulty spike punishes blue gear and naked minions.
Minion scaling and aspect values shift every season — verify final numbers in the linked live guides before you lock a Paragon path.
Loadout layers
Aspects, runes & more
Key Legendary Aspects
- Aspect of Frenzied DeadMinion attack speed — the leveling core.
- Aspect of Ultimate ShadowShadow bursts off your shadow skills — Shadowblight fuel.
- Minion-damage aspectsAny drop raising minion damage/attack speed — stack them all.
- Corpse-generation aspectsWhatever your board drops that makes or preserves corpses — ammo economy wins games.
Paragon Glyphs
- DeadraiserFirst socket — corpse consumption empowers the squad.
- Your board's shadow glyphExact pick depends on your board pathing — read the nodes before socketing.
Consumables
- Intelligence elixirFlat damage for the leveling push.
- Any incense before TormentLife + sustain for Torment entries.
- Elixirs before bossesAlways run one — free XP bonus in early Torment.
Verify & go deeper
Sources & attribution
BuildForge summarizes; the guides own the content. Values shift every patch — these are the live sources to verify against.
This page is a second-screen companion, not a replacement for the source guides. Tiers come from the Maxroll and Icy Veins tier lists, checked nightly — see the sync report for when each list was last read.