Necromancer - Core Condition

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Power damage and Condition damage

Designed for: Open World, Open World General and Open World Core

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on September 02, 2023 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A sturdy open world condition build for core necromancer. Since condition damage gear is not easy to acquire while levelling, we don't recommed this as a levelling build.

Condi necromancer drowns its enemies in Bleeding, Torment, and Burning, turning even more resilient as they afflict their enemies. They are also adept at removing or even corrupting boons on enemies, and feature a very unique playstyle of inflicting conditions on themselves only to immediatly transfer those conditions to their enemies.

This build can also be played with minions, though that greatly reduces its damage.

Compared to Build:Scourge - Condi Scourge, this build inflicts much less damage but has more upfront tankyness with core necromancer shroud and extra toughness from Death Magic Death's Carapace. It can either be played while working on unlocking scourge, or should the player prefer core necromancer.

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Skill Bar

Scepter/Dagger

Staff

Utility

Weapon variants

Scepter is absolutely mandatory, and Dagger works great with it. For the other weapon set, you can use Staff for more utility, Warhorn for more Crowd Control, or (rarely) Focus if more boon removal is required.

If the player has access to Weaponmaster Training with the Secrets of the Obscure expansion, we recommed using Scepter+ Torch, plus Pistol+ Dagger.

Skill variants

Heal skill

The choice of heal skill is quite open. Consume Conditions is good in this build, but if the self-inflicted Blinded from Master of Corruption is too annoying you can consider other options:

• Well of Blood - good heal if you can stay inside the well
• Signet of Vampirism - good heal but the passive effect can be annoying and keep you in combat for longer.

Utility skill

Blood Is Power is absolutely fantastic and should never be replaced. Epidemic is amazing to improve your AoE damage, but useless in single target situations, adapt accordingly. Spectral Walk is a stun break but also removes conditions which is great. You can consider other alternatives:

• Corrosive Poison Cloud - mediocre damage but it destroys projectiles.
• Spectral Grasp - to pull enemies together to kill them easier. Also amazing at breaking defiance bars.
• Plague Signet - very situational, good against enemies that inflicts lots of conditions.
• Summon Shadow Fiend - mediocre damage but good life force generation with its active skill Haunt.

Elite skill

Plaguelands deals amazing damage, but you have to keep the enemy inside it.

• Summon Flesh Golem - low damage but good crowd control with its active skill Charge (necromancer)

Minions

This build can also be played with minions, though doing so is a massive damage loss. We recommend to never go full minions and always keep Blood Is Power

• Summon Blood Fiend
• Blood Is Power for damage. Don't go full minions.
• Summon Shadow Fiend
• Summon Bone Minions / Summon Bone Fiend whichever you prefer, they are both equally bad. Minions for life force, or Fiend for very minor crowd control.
• Summon Flesh Golem

Specializations

Trait variants

• Parasitic Contagion - large loss of damage in exchange for a little healing.
• Death Nova - good option when fighting trash mobs, though the minions might keep you in combat for longer.

Specialization variants

If playing with minions, adjust your Death Magic traits accordingly.

Corrupter's Fervor - against bosses where Death Nova is mostly useless.

Equipment

Ascended gear and stat infusions are not required. This build uses gear similar to Build:Scourge_-_Condi_Scourge, making it ideal for general PVE.

Head
Viper

Shoulders
Viper

Chest
Viper

Hands
Viper

Legs
Viper

Feet
Viper

Backpiece
Viper

Accessory
Viper

Accessory
Viper

Amulet
Viper

Ring
Viper

Ring
Viper

Scepter
Viper

Dagger
Viper

Sigil

Sigil

Staff
Viper

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Relic

• You can start with a cheaper attribute combination such as Rabid while working on acquiring the better but more expensive Viper gear. Likewise, you can use Rune of Superior Rune of the Lich while working on crafting the Rune of Superior Rune of the Trapper runes.
• If you need more defense you can use Trailblazer.
• Players with access to Weaponmaster Training with the Secrets of the Obscure expansion should instead use Scepter+Torch and Pistol+Dagger, plus Relic of Akeem which can be activated with Vile Blast, Doom, or Oppressive Collapse.

Usage

Generally speaking, you want to use Devouring Darkness and Grasping Dead off cooldown. Players with Weaponmaster Training will also want to use these skills off cooldown: Harrowing Wave, Oppressive Collapse, Weeping Shots, and Vile Blast.

Note that Devouring Darkness only inflicts Torment if the enemy is already suffering from conditions, so delay the skill if necessary.

Use Blood Is Power everytime you can transfer the self-inflicted conditions with Plague Sending, or Deathly Swarm, or Putrid Mark.

Your sources of life force are nearby deaths and Devouring Darkness. Finish off enemies outside of shroud, since you don't gain life force from nearby deaths while inside shroud. Players with Weaponmaster Training also gain life force from Harrowing Wave, and Vile Blast.

Rotation

Agains bosses and other durable enemies, it's a good idea to start the fight with this opener:

1. Blood Is Power
2. Putrid Mark
3. Chillblains
4. Weapon swap
5. Grasping Dead
6. Devouring Darkness
7. Death Shroud
8. Tainted Shackles
9. Dark Path
10. Shroud autos until Tainted Shackles ends.
11. End Death Shroud
12. Enfeebling Blood
13. Blood Is Power
14. Deathly Swarm
15. Grasping Dead
16. Devouring Darkness

You want to enter and leave Death Shroud periodically to trigger Soul Barbs. Death Shroud is mostly for defense so don't stay inside for long.

Weaponmaster Training opener:

Click to Expand

1. Blood Is Power
2. Deathly Swarm
3. Weeping Shots
4. Vile Blast (triggers Relic of Akeem)
5. Weapon Swap
6. Devouring Darkness
7. Grasping Dead
8. Blood Is Power
9. Death Shroud (triggers Plague Sending)
10. Tainted Shackles
11. Dark Path
12. Dhuumfire (skill) until Tainted Shackles ends.
13. End Death Shroud
14. Harrowing Wave
15. Oppressive Collapse
16. Devouring Darkness
17. Grasping Dead

Defense

• You're a fully ranged build, use that to your advantange. Never stop moving, sidestep and walk or dodge out of enemy attacks.
• You have a lot of toughness thanks to many traits in the Death Magic specialization.
• You have permanent Protection from Corrupter's Fervor and protection is improved to also reduce incoming condition damage thanks to Dark Defiance.
• In extremely rare situations you can use Unholy Sanctuary to negate a oneshot or very high damage attack.
• Deathly Swarm can blind trash mobs.
• You take 33% reduced damage inside Death Shroud, consider it as a second health bar.
• Remove boons from your enemies to make them less dangerous. You can use Devouring Darkness or use Corrupt Boon if you need even more.
• If you desperately need sustain you can use Parasitic Contagion at a damage loss.

Crowd Control

• Doom - 3 seconds of fear.
• Dark Path soff cc through chill.
• Tainted Shackles - soft cc through Immobilize.
• If you need more cc you can use Charge (necromancer) from Summon Flesh Golem to knockdown.
• Weaponmaster Training crowd control:
  • Vile Blast - 1 second of Stun.
  • Oppressive Collapse - 2 seconds of knockdown.