Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred (Season 6)
Last updated on 06/10/2024
DIablo 4 Builds
General Notes
General Notes for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide in Vessel of Hatred
Note: This leveling guide is optimized for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred (Season 6).
If you want to play your Necromancer without a minions, my Bone Spear Necro is a good choice. The main damage of this build comes from Bone Shards that form at the end of every Bone Spear and fly back. With the Aspect of Splintering Shards, they can pierce enemies and have increased damage. Without the aspect, the build is still playable, but cannot yet deal its full damage.
Important: As long as you do not yet have the Aspect of Splintering Shards, it is advisable to combine the Bone Spear build with minions.
Until when is this leveling build playable? You can play this and all my other leveling guides on Vitablo.com for as long as you like. Some of them still perform well at Torment difficulty 4, others have their limit at Torment difficulty 3. As soon as your build no longer feels strong enough, you can switch to one of my endgame builds.
Playstyle
Playstyle for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
- Against small groups of monsters, you only need to use Bone spears until they are all dead.
- With elite enemies, you should use Iron Maiden, Bone Prison and Corpse Tendrils to pull them together. You can only use Corpse Tendrils if there is a corpse nearby. If this is not the case, you must first cast Bone Spear until a corpse has been created.
- You can save Soul Rift for particularly strong enemy groups or bosses to create a Barrier and increase your damage even further.
- If you run out of Essence, you can use Iron Maiden and Bone Prison on enemy groups to generate Resources. You can also use Corpse Explosion as it doesn't cost Essence. It also increases the damage of Bone Spear when consuming corpses thanks to a passive skill and a Paragon node.
Skills
Skills for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Note: Level up all your active skills first and work your way down to your Key Passive as quickly as possible. If you are missing skill points to progress on your way through the skill tree, you can invest them in some passive skills. As soon as you have leveled up all active abilities and your Key Passive Ability, continue with the missing passive skills.
Skill tree notes:
- If you have problems with survival and have enough Essence, you can replace Iron Maiden with Decrepify.
Specialization
Specialization for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Skeletal Warriors → Skirmishers → Sacrifice
Your Critical Strike Chance is increased by X%, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors.
Skeletal Mages → Shadow → Sacrifice
Your Maximum Essence is increased by X, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages.
Golem → Iron → Sacrifice
You deal X% increased Critical Strike Damage, but you lose the ability to summon a Golem.
Aspects
Aspects for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Splintering Aspect
Bone Spear's primary attack makes enemies hit beyond the first Vulnerable for X seconds. Bone Shards from Bone Spear deal X% bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies and pierce them.
Very important!
Undying Aspect
When you cast a Skill, you heal for X% Life. Double this bonus while below X% Life.
Aspect of Hardened Bones
You and your Minions gain X% increased Damage Reduction.
Aspect of Grasping Veins
Gain X% increased Critical Strike Chance for X seconds when you cast Corpse Tendrils. You deal X% bonus Critical Strike Damage to enemies for X seconds after they are damaged by Corpse Tendrils.
Aspect of the Prudent Heart
After being damaged for at least X% of your Maximum Life at once, you become Immune for X seconds. Can only occur once every X seconds.
Aspect of Metamorphosis
When you Evade you turn into a cloud of bats, becoming Unstoppable for X seconds. Enemies along your path take X Physical damage and are inflicted with Vampiric Curse. Evade's Cooldown is increased by X seconds.
Aspect of Serration
The Ossified Essence Key Passive also increases the Critical Strike Damage of your Bone Skills by X% per Essence above X, up to X%.
Sacrificial Aspect
Your Sacrifice bonuses are increased by X%.
Aspect of Torment
Critical Strikes with Bone Skills increase your Essence Regeneration by X% for X seconds.
Aspect of Exposed Flesh
Lucky Hit: Up to a X% chance to generate X Essence when hitting a Vulnerable enemy.
OPTIONAL: You can use this aspect instead of the Aspect of Torment to create Essence.
Items & Affixes
Items & Affixes for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
General tips about your Gear
- Armor: You need a maximum of 1,000 armor. Anything above that is useless and has no effect. If you haven't reached your armor cap yet, adjust your equipment, gems and paragon talents accordingly.
- Resistances: You need at least 70% to all resistances. If you have not yet reached these values, adjust your equipment, gems and paragon talents accordingly.
- Affixes: Each item type has different properties (affixes) that are useful for this build. Some of these are mandatory, others are optional. Please pay attention to the following symbols:
Helmet
- Life
- Intelligence
- Cooldown Reduction
- Essence per Second
- Armor as required
- Resistances as required
- Undying Aspect
Profane Innovation
- Corpse Explosion Size
- Corpse Tendrils Size
- Curse Size
- Curse Duration
You need both at 100%, so you can take whichever you hit first.
Worldly Endurance
- Maximum Life
- Total Armor
- Dodge Chance
Until Torment 1 Life, after that Armor.
Chest Armor
- Essence per Second
- Life
- Intelligence
- Armor as required
- Resistances as required
- Aspect of Hardened Bones
Profane Innovation
- Corpse Explosion Size
- Corpse Tendrils Size
- Curse Size
- Curse Duration
You need both at 100%, so you can take whichever you hit first.
Worldly Endurance
- Maximum Life
- Total Armor
- Dodge Chance
Until Torment 1 Life, after that Armor.
Gloves
- Ranks to Bone Spear
- Ranks to Core Skills
- Critical Hit Chance
- Attack Speed
- Intelligence
- Life
- Critical Hit Damage
- Aspect of Grasping Veins
Bone Finesse
- Bone Damage
- Bone Critical Strike Chance
- Bone Critical Strike Damage
Profane Innovation
- Corpse Explosion Size
- Corpse Tendrils Size
- Curse Size
- Curse Duration
You need both at 100%, so you can take whichever you hit first.
Pants
- Life
- Intelligence
- Armor as required
- Resistances as required
- Aspect of the Prudent Heart
Profane Innovation
- Corpse Explosion Size
- Corpse Tendrils Size
- Curse Size
- Curse Duration
You need both at 100%, so you can take whichever you hit first.
Worldly Endurance
- Maximum Life
- Total Armor
- Dodge Chance
Until Torment 1 Life, after that Armor.
Boots
- Attacks Reduce Evade's Cooldown
- Movement Speed
- Essence per Second
- Life
- Intelligence
- Resistances as required
- Aspect of Metamorphosis
Profane Innovation
- Corpse Explosion Size
- Corpse Tendrils Size
- Curse Size
- Curse Duration
You need both at 100%, so you can take whichever you hit first.
Necromancer Motion
- Movement Speed
- Movement Speed for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
- Movement Speed during Blood Mist
Amulet
- Intelligence
- Ranks to Evulsion
- Ranks to Compound Fracture
- Ranks to Imperfectly Balanced
- Critical Hit Chance
- Attack Speed
- Movement Speed
- Resource Cost Reduction
- Aspect of Serration
Bone Finesse
- Bone Damage
- Bone Critical Strike Chance
- Bone Critical Strike Damage
Necromancer Efficiency
- Ultimate Cooldown Reduction
- Golem Active Cooldown Reduction
- Bone Spirit Cooldown Reduction
- Ranks to Rapid Ossification
Rings
- Critical Hit Chance
- Attack Speed
- Resource Cost Reduction
- Intelligence
- Critical Hit Damage
- Aspect of Torment
- Sacrificial Aspect
Bone Finesse
- Bone Damage
- Bone Critical Strike Chance
- Bone Critical Strike Damage
Worldly Stability
- Resource Generation
- Resource Cost Reduction
- Lucky Hit: Chance to Restore X% Primary Resource
2H Weapon
- Intelligence
- Life
- Resource Cost Reduction
- Critical Hit Damage
- Splintering Aspect
Bone Augments
- Chance for Bone Splinter Projectiles to Cast Twice
- Chance for Bone Spear Projectiles to Cast Twice
- Chance for Bone Spirit to Deal Double Damage
- Chance for Bone Storm to Deal Double Damage
Bone Finesse
- Bone Damage
- Bone Critical Strike Chance
- Bone Critical Strike Damage
Deathless Visage
Maximum Resource
Armor
Chance for Bone Spear Projectiles to Cast Twice
Ranks to Bone Spear
Bone Spear leaves behind echoes as it travels that explode dealing X damage, increased by X% for every X% of your Critical Strike Damage Bonus.
Varshan
Necromancer
Tibault's Will
All Stats
Maximum Life
Maximum Resource
Damage Reduction while Unstoppable
You deal X% increased damage while Unstoppable and for X seconds after. When you become Unstoppable, gain X of your Primary Resource.
Duriel, Andariel
All Classes
Heir of Perdition
Damage to Angels and Demons
Critical Strike Chance
Lucky Hit Chance
Movement Speed
Ranks to Core Skills
Succumb to hatred and earn Mother’s Favor, increasing your damage dealt by X%. Briefly steal Mother’s Favor from Nearby allies by slaughtering enemies.
Duriel, Andariel, Tormented Bosses
All Classes
Harlequin Crest
Maximum Life
Maximum Resource
Armor
Cooldown Reduction
Gain X% Damage Reduction. In addition, gain +X Ranks to all Skills.
Duriel, Andariel, Tormented Bosses
All Classes
Tyrael's Might
Ignore Durability Loss
Movement Speed
Maximum Resistance to All Elements
Resistance to All Elements
Damage Reduction
While at full Life, your Skills unleash a divine barrage dealing X damage.
Duriel, Andariel, Tormented Bosses
All Classes
The Grandfather
Damage
Ignore Durability Loss
All Stats
Maximum Life
Maximum Resource
Damage
Increases your Critical Strike Damage by X%. The other properties of this weapon can roll higher than normal.
Duriel, Andariel, Tormented Bosses
Barbarian, Necromancer
Ring of Starless Skies
Resistance to All Elements
Attack Speed
Critical Strike Chance
Lucky Hit Chance
Ranks to Core Skills
Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resource cost of your Skills and increases your damage by X% for X seconds, up to X%.
Duriel, Andariel, Tormented Bosses
All Classes
Runewords
Runeswords for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Note: If you are missing the required Runes, you can use Gemstones in the meantime.
1st Runeword: Lith + Lum (Chest Armor)
Lith
Gain: 25 Offering
Stand still for X seconds.
Lum
Required: 5 Offering
Cooldown: 1 Second
Restore X Primary Resource. (Overflow: Increased Resource Restored)
Note: If you already have enough Essence, you can replace the Lum Rune with a Yom Rune to trigger the Druid's Ultimate Skill Petrify. You can also replace the Lith Rune with a Bac Rune if you prefer to move around a lot in battle.
Bac
Gain: 10 Offering
Travel X meters.
Yom
Required: 500 Offering
Cooldown: 5 Seconds
Evoke the Druid's Petrify, Stunning enemies and gain Resource.
2nd Runeword: Tam + Ohm (2H Weapon)
Tam
Gain: 25 Offering
Cast a non-Channeled Core Skill.
Ohm
Required: 600 Offering
Cooldown: 2 Seconds
Evoke the Barbarian's War Cry, increasing your damage dealt. (Overflow: Increased Duration)
Gemstones
Gemstones for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
WeaponEmerald
Weapons: Critical Strike Damage
Armor: Dexterity
Jewelry: Poison Resistance
ArmorTopaz
Weapons: Basic Damage
Armor: Intelligence
Jewelry: Lightning Resistance
JewelryGems and Skulls
You'll need at least 70% to all resistances. If you haven't reached those numbers yet, change your gems accordingly. If you have too many resistances on your items, you can also use skulls, but you shouldn't exceed the armor cap of 1,000.
Paragon Board
Paragon Board for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
General tips about the Paragon-Board
- Glyph Radius: To increase the radius of your Glyphs, you have to level them in the Pit. The starting radius is 3 boxes. At level 15, it increases to 4 boxes and its Additional Bonus is unlocked. At level 45, the radius is 5 boxes and the Glyph receives its Legendary Bonus.
- Skill Order: The Essential Layout shows you the most important Glyphs and Nodes that you should skill first. As soon as you're finished, you can switch to the Final Layout and fill in any missing Paragon Nodes or adjust the board layout and Glyphs as required.
Sacrificial
Rare Glyph "Sacrificial"
Grants X% bonus to all Magic nodes within range.
Additional Bonus: You deal X% increased damage while you have no active Minions.
Legendary Bonus: Increase damage by X%.
Legendary Node "Bone Graft"
Hitting enemies with Bone Skills increases your damage by X% and your Maximum Essence by X for X seconds, stacks up to X% increased damage and X Maximum Essence.
Rare Glyph "Corporeal"
Grants X% bonus to all Magic nodes within range.
Additional Bonus: You and your Minions deal X% increased Physical damage and you gain X% Movement Speed for each active Minion.
Legendary Bonus: Increase Physical damage by X%.
Legendary Node "Frailty"
Cursed enemies take X% increased damage from you and your Minions, increased by X% each second they are Cursed, up to X%.
Rare Glyph "Essence"
For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal X% increased Critical Strike Damage.
Additional Bonus: Critical Strikes deal X% increased damage to enemies that are not Healthy.
Legendary Bonus: Increase Critical Strike Damage by X%.
Legendary Node "Scent of Death"
With at least X Corpses Nearby, you gain X% Damage Reduction. With no Corpses Nearby, you deal X% increased damage.
Rare Glyph "Amplify"
Grants X% bonus to all Magic nodes within range.
Additional Bonus: Enemies affected by Curse Skills take X% increased damage from you and your Minions.
Legendary Bonus: You deal X% increased damage to Injured enemies.
Legendary Node "Flesh Eater"
Consuming X Corpses grants X% increased damage for X seconds.
Rare Glyph "Exploit"
For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal X% increased damage to Vulnerable targets.
Additional Bonus: Dealing damage to a Vulnerable enemy increases your damage by X% for X seconds, up to X%.
Legendary Bonus: Increase damage to Vulnerable targets by X%.
Noch in Arbeit.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Primary Mercenary: Varyana
Massacre
You and Varyana stack Massacre together on kills. Certain stack thresholds grant Movement Speed. Massacre resets after X seconds of not killing an enemy.
Cleave
Varyana swings two axes in an arc in front of her, dealing X% Physical damage and X% Bleeding damage over X seconds.
Selecting a Mercenary Core Skill alters their wielded Weapon and Basic Attack.
Weapon: Dual Axes
Basic Attack: Double Strike
Varyana slashes enemies with dual axes, dealing X% Physical damage. She has a X% chance to also deal X% Bleeding damage over X seconds.
Hysteria
You gain X% Attack Speed for X seconds whenever Varyana damages an enemy, up to X%.
Recklessness
Varyana's Cleave inflicts Vulnerable on enemies for X seconds.
Shockwave
Varyana slams the ground for a brutal shockwave in front of her, dealing X% Physical damage and Knocking Down enemies for X seconds.
Selecting a Mercenary Core Skill alters their wielded Weapon and Basic Attack.
Weapon: Two-Handed Mace
Basic Attack: Heavy Strike
Varyana batters enemies with a mace, dealing X% Physical damage with X% increased Critical Strike Chance.
Crushing Force
When Varyana deals damage to an enemy, she has a X% chance to Knock them Down for X seconds.
Reprisal
If you become Crowd Controlled, Varyana leaps towards the enemy that inflicted it, dealing X% Physical damage and Knocking Down surrounding enemies for X seconds on impact. This can only occur once every X seconds.
Bloodthirst
Varyana enters Bloodthirst, gaining X% Attack Speed, X% Movement Speed, and Unstoppable for X seconds. Varyana's Bloodthirst grants X% Attack Speed to you for the same duration.
Intimidated
While Varyana has Bloodthirst, enemies around her deal X% reduced damage.
Bloodlust
Varyana's Bloodthirst further increases your Attack Speed by X%.
Whirlwind
Varyana spins violently in a line, repeatedly dealing X% Physical damage and X% Bleeding damage over X seconds.
No Escape
Varyana's Whirlwind Pulls In enemies every X seconds and gains X% Size.
Taste of Flesh
When you or Varyana deal direct damage to an enemy inflicted with any of her Bleeding effects, you Heal for X% of your Maximum Life.
Earth Breaker
Varyana crushes the ground with her mace, leaving a tremor that deals X% Physical damage over X seconds and Knocks enemies Down repeatedly.
Rampage
You deal X% increased damage to enemies afflicted by any of Varyana's Crowd Control effects.
Dismembering
Enemies damaged by Varyana's Earth Breaker are left exposed, causing your next hit against them within X seconds to be a guaranteed Overpower. This may only occur on the same target once every X seconds.
Ancient Harpoons
Varyana launches three harpoons ahead of her, piercing enemies for X% Physical damage. She then rips them back, Pulling In and Stunning enemies for X seconds.
Annihilator
Varyana's Ancient Harpoons additionally Slow enemies by X% for X seconds. During this time, you gain X% Lucky Hit Chance against those targets.
Iron Grip
Varyana's Ancient Harpoons travel X% farther and reduce enemies' Impairment Resistance by X% for X seconds.
Reinforcement: Raheir
Supports you with:
Crater
Is triggered by:
Bone Spear
Video Showcase
Video Showcase for the Bone Spear Necromancer Leveling Guide
Changelog
- 10/02/24 – Optimized for Vessel of Hatred (Season 6)