Diablo 4 Necromancer Guide: Book of the Dead Explained

If you played Diablo 4 during the original March Early Access period, you might already be familiar with the first three classes – Barbarian, Sorcerer and Rogue. Since then, the game has introduced new ones, including the powerful Necromancer, capable of summoning undead hordes to fight. The Necromancer uses its trusty Book of the Dead to strengthen its undead army, raising one important question: What even is this book? If you’d like to learn more, continue reading to find a comprehensive guide on the Necromancer’s Book of the Dead, including how to access and use it.

Diablo 4 Necromancer Book of the Dead Guide – Units and Traits Explained

The Book of the Dead is a Necromancer-exclusive class skill allowing you to upgrade your undead units directly. You can press Shift + C if you’re using keyboard and mouse or RB on a controller to access the menu. Alternatively, you can head into your inventory and find it between Character and Abilities.

You’ll find options for three different units from here, starting with Skeletal Warriors and progressing to Skeletal Mages and Golems. You’ll unlock more as you level up your character, which you can change and upgrade from the first Book of the Dead menu screen. Each unit type has unique abilities and perks you can unlock as you level up your character.

Upgrading Your Undead Army in the Diablo 4 Book of the Dead

You can access your Undead units’ upgrade menus after selecting one of your three unit types. Like before, you’ll gain more perks as you level up your character, allowing you to power up your undead units. These upgrades range from summoning additional skeletons to increasing their damage.

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If you’d like, you can also sacrifice the units to strengthen your character, gaining perks along the way. You can select only one upgrade for each tier but can also swap between them whenever you’d like. For example, you can increase your critical strike chance, non-physical resistance or shadow damage in exchange for your units!

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Using Diablo 4’s Book of the Dead, you can significantly alter the type of units you can summon using the raise skeleton spell you unlock at the beginning of the game. If you’re not interested in this, you can instead boost your character’s stats and focus on a spellcasting-oriented build, with the sacrifices helping you inflict more damage. After unlocking Golems, you can also use these alongside your skeletons and mages, so it’s important to manage all your unit types as you progress through the game.

Diablo 4 Necromancer Book of the Dead Guide – All Units and Perks Listed

Below are all three units you can summon in Diablo 4, alongside their perks and traits:

Skeletal Warriors

Skirmishers

• You can raise one additional Skirmisher Warrior
• Each time you Critically Strike, your Skirmishers Warriors’ next attack Critically Strikes and deals 50% bonus Critical Strike damage. Can only happen every 3 seconds.
• Your Critical Strike chance is increased by 5%, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors.

Defenders

• Every 6 seconds your Skeletal Defenders negate the next instance of Direct Damage they would take.
• Increase the amount of Thorns that Defender Warriors inherit from you from 30% to 40%
• You gain 15% Non-Physical Resistance, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors.

Reapers

• Reaper attacks against enemies who are Immobolized, Slowed, Stunned or Vulnerable reduce the cooldown of their powerful wind-up attack by 2 seconds.
• Reapers have a 15% chance to carve the flesh off enemies, forming a Corpse.
• You deal 15% increased Shadow damage, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors.

Skeletal Mages

Shadow Mages

• Shadow Mage attacks have a 10% chance to Stun for 2 seconds. This cannot happen on the same enemy more than once every 5 seconds.
• Shadow Mages fire an additional shadow bolt every 5th attack.
• Your maximum Essence is increased by 15, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages.

Cold Mages

• Each time your Cold Mages damage enemies with their primary attack, you gain 2 Essence.
• Enemies who are Frozen by or damaged while Frozen by your Cold Mages’ primary attack are made Vulnerable for 4 seconds.
• You deal 15% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages

Bone Mages

• Reduce the Life cost of your Bone Mages’ attacks from 15% to 10%. After being alive for 5 seconds, Bone Mages deal 40% increased damage.
• Each time a Bone Mage dies from its own attack, they leave behind a Corpse and Fortify you.
• Your Overpower damage is increased by 40%, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages.

Golems

Bone Golem

• Each time your Bone Golem takes up to 20% of its Maximum Life as damage, it sheds a Corpse.
• Your Bone Golem gains 10% Maximum Life and the amount of Thorns they inherit from you is increased from 30% to 50%
• You gain 10% increased Attack Speed, but you lose the ability to summon a Golem.

Blood Golem

• Your Blood Golem absorbs 15% of damage you would take.
• While Healthy, your Blood Golem gains 25% Damage Reduction and increased damage.
• Your Maximum Life is increased by 10%, but you lose the ability to summon a Golem.

Iron Golem

• Every 5th Iron Golem attach causes a shockwave, dealing damage to the primary enemy and to enemies behind them.
• Your Iron Golem’s slam attack also makes enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
• You deal 30% increased Critical Strike Damage, but you lose the ability to summon a Golem.

Diablo 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. To learn more about the game, check out what is Overpower damage in Diablo 4 or click the Diablo IV tag below to browse our entire content library!