
In Season 7 of Diablo 4, the Blood Wave Necromancer is making waves in the competitive meta. This guide will help you master this formidable build and elevate your gameplay.
While traditional Necromancer setups remain popular, the Blood Wave variant is gaining traction for its overwhelming power, particularly in PvE scenarios. Below, we outline the essential steps to build your character effectively. Additionally, we will assess its viability in PvP encounters this season.
Optimal Skills for Blood Wave Necromancer
To create a successful Blood Wave Necromancer, strategically distribute skill points as follows:
Active Skill | Upgrades | Points Allocated |
---|---|---|
Reap | – | 1 |
Decompose | – | 1 |
Blight | Enhanced, Supernatural | 1 |
Blood Mist | Enhanced, Dreadful | 1 |
Corpse Explosion | Enhanced, Blighted | 1 |
Decrepify | Enhanced, Abhorrent | 1 |
Blood Wave | Enhanced, Supreme | 5 |
Next, select the following Passive Skills to enhance your build:
Recommended Passive Skills
Passive Skill | Points |
---|---|
Hewed Flesh | 3 |
Titan’s Fall | 3 |
Necrotic Fortitude | 2 |
Fueled by Death | 3 |
Spiked Armor | 3 |
Death’s Embrace | 3 |
Amplify Damage | 3 |
Precision Decay | 2 |
Coalesced Blood | 3 |
Terror | 3 |
Gloom | 3 |
Tides of Blood | 3 |
Reaper’s Pursuit | 3 |
Finality | 3 |
Stand Alone | 3 |
Memento Mori | 3 |
Inspiring Leader | 3 |
Rathma’s Vigor | 1 |
If you’re a seasoned player starting a new character, you’ll have ample skill points from prior Renown achievements or a boost to level 60. New players, however, will need to climb the ranks from the ground up. Fortunately, leveling up post-Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4 is relatively quick.
In the following sections, we will detail the point allocation for each skill required for optimal performance in your chosen build.
The Blood Wave skill doesn’t always manifest as blood.
Mastering the Book of the Dead
Your Blood Wave Necromancer build relies heavily on how you utilize the Book of the Dead to summon or sacrifice minions. For your strategy, prioritize the following sacrifices:
- Skeletal Warriors – Sacrifice
- Skeletal Mages – Sacrifice
- Golems – Sacrifice
This approach maximizes your damage output by enhancing the potency of your Overpower hits and critical strikes. While this strategy eliminates your minions as allies, their sacrifice significantly boosts your own power, making you a formidable force.
Effective Skill Rotation
To engage effectively with mobs and elite enemies, employ the following rotation:
- Decrepify
- Decompose
- Blight
- Blood Wave
- Corpse Explosion
Start by cursing your adversaries using Decrepify to slow them down, then follow with Decompose and Blight. This combination effectively weakens and hinders the enemies caught in the fray. You might need to chain cast Blight and Decompose to thoroughly saturate your targets.
Once their defenses are lowered, unleash Blood Wave to devastate your enemies, followed by Corpse Explosion to finish off any remaining foes.
Top Witchcraft Powers
For optimizing your Blood Wave Necromancer, consider the following Witchcraft Powers:
- Aura Specialization: Enlarges aura coverage and slightly increases critical strike damage.
- Aura of Siphoning: Infuses your attacks with added damage and healing.
- Hex of Whispers: Amplifies damage while negating crowd control effects in tight situations.
- Soul Harvest: Enhances core stats based on surrounding monster density.
- Piranhado: Pulls multiple enemies together for maximum impact.
- Purging Touch: Increases Eldritch power.
- Breath of the Coven: Boosts attack speed.
- The Cycle: Creates a flower that poisons foes and heals allies.
Although some Witchcraft Powers may vanish post-Season 7, they could return in a different format, akin to reminiscent items like Vampire Powers and Malignant Hearts.
Essential Occult Gems
The following Occult Gems will complement the Blood Wave build:
- Voice of the Stars: Elevates damage for The Seeker.
- Friend of the Bog: Offers additional stats for greater damage and defense alongside movement freedom within hordes.
- Phantom String: A reliable damage amplifier.
Choosing the Right Mercenaries
For optimal gameplay, hire Subo as your frontline mercenary, acting as a scout who can engage enemies before they reach you, allowing time to initiate your skill rotation.
Select Raheir as your support merc. He provides vital defensive buffs that keep you viable during skirmishes and contributes decent damage when charging into battle.
Notable Legendary Aspects
Incorporating Legendary Aspects can significantly enhance your build by applying powerful effects to your primary skills. The following Aspects are essential:
Aspect | Acquisition Method | Region | Dungeon | Gamble Obols |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heir of Perdition | Defeat Uber bosses | – | – | Helm |
Shroud of False Death | Defeat Uber bosses | – | – | Chest |
Ultimate Shadow | Salvage | – | – | – |
Kessime’s Legacy | Salvage / Helltide Chest | – | – | Pants |
Exploiter’s | Salvage | – | – | – |
Tidal | Salvage | – | – | – |
Sacrificial | Salvage | – | – | Focus |
Damned | Salvage | – | – | Focus |
Vehement Brawler’s | Salvage | – | – | Focus |
Remember, Aspects can be extracted from their original equipment and utilized on items of your choice.
Understanding Paragon Glyphs
As you reach level 60, skill points transition to Paragon points, introducing a new leveling paradigm that involves selecting enhancements across various themed boards.
Different paths yield unique advantages, but targeting specific Glyphs while navigating the Paragon Board will significantly benefit your Necromancer build. Here are the optimal Glyphs for your Blood Wave setup:
Level 15 Glyphs
- Corporeal
- Exploit
- Dominate
- Essence
- Sacrificial
- Amplify
Level 21 Glyphs
- Essence
- Dominate
- Exploit
- Corporeal
- Eliminator
- Sacrificial
Upon reaching Paragon Level 15, focus on these Glyphs for optimal growth. Additional Glyphs will unlock as you progress through the Paragon Board, allowing you to fine-tune your build further.
Essential Gear for Blood Wave Necromancer
The following items represent the best gear for the Blood Wave Necromancer build, along with optimal socket recommendations:
Item | Socket | Item Type | Power |
---|---|---|---|
Heir of Perdition | Occult Gems (listed above) | Helm | Increases damage dealt by 60%.Steal Mother’s Favor from nearby allies when slaughtering enemies. |
Shroud of False Death | ZanXal | Chest | Achieve stealth and gain 40% movement speed if you haven’t dealt damage in 2 seconds. |
Runic Gloves of Ultimate Shadow | – | Gloves | Bone Wave generates Desecrated Ground. |
Kessime’s Legacy | Occult Gems (listed above) | Pants | Blood Wave has a chance to deal double damage. |
Runic Cleats of the Cursed Aura | – | Boots | Enhances health and movement speed. |
Tidal Bonebreaker | Bag | Main Hand | Increases the number of Blood Waves. |
Sacrificial Ocelot’s Eye | Emerald | Amulet | Boosts Blood skills. |
Fastblood Soulwatch Hoop | Skull | Ring | Reduces cooldown. |
Soulwatch Hoop of the Damned | Skull | Ring | Reduces cooldown. |
– | – | Offhand | – |
Acquiring this exact ensemble requires dedication, yet it will significantly enhance your effectiveness in endgame content.
Feel free to explore different gear combinations, but following this setup will provide a significant advantage in your journey.
Blood Wave Necromancer for PvP
This Blood Wave Necromancer build proves effective in PvP engagements. With a focus on Overpower, you can swiftly eliminate opponents with unexpected bursts of damage.
Refer to our Diablo 4 Class tier list for insights into how this build performs within the current meta.
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