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Build guide / Necromancer

Necromancer / Bone Spear

Bone Necromancer (Teeth / Bone Spear) -- PD2 Season 14 Guide

by PD2 WaypointUpdated

01Overview

Season 14 rating

hiimpd2 S14 solo: Top (Teeth / Bonespear); hiimpd2 bossing: Vision of Terror T0 Moderate; Odealo: S (pre-launch)
hiimpd2's Season 14 solo tier list rates 'Teeth / Bonespear' Top. Its best map time (Ancestral Trial, 4:23) was recorded in S13; no S14 time was listed on 2026-11-04. hiimpd2's starter page lists it as a season starter tagged 'Chaos' and 'Early Map', so it is a good first character for Chaos Sanctuary runs and the first maps. On the S14 bossing list, Bone Spear was added for Vision of Terror (Diablo Clone) at T0 Moderate; T2 is unrated, and Voidstone (Rathma) and Shadow of Hatred (Lucion) have no rating for it. Odealo's S14 tier list puts 'Bone' in S tier, but that list was last updated on 2026-09-28, before launch. No Bone skill was changed in S14. The build still gains from S14: the new +2-5% magic skill damage jewel prefixes (hiimpd2: 'Big buff' for magic damage builds), +3 Poison and Bone skills on dropped rare wands, and +3 mana per level instead of +2. Honest limits: it needs a lot of FCR (75% minimum, 125% recommended), Teeth burns mana fast, and Blood Warp costs life on every cast.

Summary

The Bone Necromancer (hiimpd2: 'Teeth / Bonespear') is a caster that deals magic damage, a damage type that few monsters resist, with three spells from the Poison and Bone tree:
  • Teeth fires a fan of bone teeth: 3 at level 1, one more per level, up to 24 at skill level 22 (S14 Skills.txt). It is the main clear skill. Hiim's planner marks it as the main skill, and Odealo calls it 'the Build's primary tool for clearing open areas and dense Maps'.
  • Bone Spear fires a piercing spear down a line. It fires a second spear at skill level 15 and a third at 25. Use it in corridors and on tough packs.
  • Bone Spirit is a homing spirit with the highest damage per hit, for bosses and high-life targets.
All three share the same synergies. Teeth gets +24% per hard point in Bone Armor, Bone Spear and Bone Spirit. Bone Spear and Bone Spirit get +15% per point in the other two and in Bone Armor. So Hiim's planner, Odealo and every S14 showcase build max the same four skills: Teeth, Bone Spear, Bone Spirit and Bone Armor. Bone Armor is also your physical-damage shield. Blood Warp (a PD2 skill: a short-cooldown teleport that costs life) is your movement, and the leftover points go into it to shorten its cooldown. One point each in Clay Golem and Blood Golem are its prerequisites, and the Clay Golem also blocks for you.
Why play it: magic damage means elemental immunes are not your problem. Fire, cold, lightning and poison immunes all die to Teeth. It levels on the same skills you use at endgame, so there is no respec. It runs on cheap gear: Hiim's clvl 80 starter planner uses White, Splendor, Wormskull and Trang-Oul's Claws. It scales hard with +skills, FCR and the S14 magic skill damage jewels. The endgame S14 showcases (Boneshade, Boneflame, Harlequin Crest, Skin of the Vipermagi) reach 125% FCR and clvl 99.
Who it is for: players who want a safe, cheap league starter that becomes a Top-tier mapper, and who don't mind switching between skills. Odealo: 'Teeth dominates open packs, Bone Spear rewards good positioning, and Bone Spirit gives the Build a reliable answer to tougher targets.'

What works

  • Top tier on hiimpd2's S14 solo list and a listed S14 starter (Chaos Sanctuary, early maps)
  • Magic damage: fire, cold, lightning and poison immunes all die normally. Only a few maps have magic immunes
  • No respec: you level with Teeth and Bone Spear and keep the same skills at endgame
  • Cheap mid-game: White + Splendor + Trang-Oul's Claws reach the 75% FCR breakpoint
  • Three damage skills for three jobs: Teeth for open packs, Bone Spear for corridors, Bone Spirit for bosses
  • Blood Warp gives teleport-like mobility without Enigma
  • S14 buffs: +2-5% magic skill damage jewels, +3 Poison and Bone skills on rare wands, more mana per level

What to plan around

  • Needs a lot of FCR: 75% minimum, 125% recommended (Odealo)
  • Teeth's mana cost grows quickly with skill level (about 12 mana per cast at skill level 30). Mana sustain (Insight, mana after kill) matters
  • Blood Warp costs 12% of maximum life per cast and has a cooldown until it reaches skill level 30
  • Few ways to lower magic resistance: only the Act 4 merc's Sanctuary (or an Asylum merc)
  • Magic-immune monsters in some maps (Kyovoshad gained them in S14) need your merc or golem
  • Bossing is only T0 Moderate on Vision of Terror, and unrated elsewhere on hiimpd2's bossing list

Playstyle

A mid-range caster. Blood Warp next to a pack, open with Teeth, finish stragglers or a line of monsters with Bone Spear, and Blood Warp to the next pack. Switch to Bone Spirit for bosses. Keep Bone Armor up and a Clay Golem in front of you. Odealo: 'The Bone Necromancer is at its best when you actively switch between its different spells'.
Rotation
  • Precast Bone Armor (it absorbs physical damage and gives +10% defense per hard point) and summon a Clay Golem (slows what it hits and takes aggro). With a Call to Arms swap (Earl_Grey's and Caine's S14 planners), refresh Battle Orders
  • Blood Warp to the edge of the next pack (not into the middle; you are a ranged caster)
  • Open with Teeth. At skill level 22+ it fires 24 teeth in a wide fan and is your main clear skill
  • Use Bone Spear when monsters line up: corridors, doorways, monsters walking at you in a line. At skill level 25+ it fires three spears
  • On bosses, uniques and high-life elites switch to Bone Spirit, which homes in on its target
  • Recast Bone Armor when it breaks (2-second cooldown) and resummon the golem when it dies
Positioning: Stay at range. Teeth reaches about 25 yards and Bone Spear about 30 (PD2 wiki). Let the golem and merc stand between you and melee packs. Necromancers have slow hit recovery (39% FHR minimum, 56% recommended per Odealo), so don't stand where ranged packs can stunlock you. Blood Warp is your escape, but it costs life. At low life, walk or drink instead of warping again.
Bossing: Single target: Bone Spirit, with Bone Spear when the boss stands still. hiimpd2 lists Bone Spear at T0 Moderate for Vision of Terror (Diablo Clone), new in S14. That is entry-level gear; T2 is unrated. TDL's Diablo Clone kill (S12 video) used the full Trang-Oul's Avatar set, Waterwalk, Poison and Bone grand charms and resist charms. He used Boneshade and says the White runeword in a +Bone Spear wand 'performs just as well', with at least 75% FCR. hiimpd2 recommends 90% fire resistance plus fire absorb and 25% PDR at T0 for Vision of Terror. Bone Armor helps with the physical part.
Mapping: Teeth is the mapping skill. Hiim's planner marks it as the main skill, and hiimpd2's tier time was set in Ancestral Trial. Blood Warp from pack to pack, and spend leftover points in it: at skill level 30 its cooldown is gone (S14 Skills.txt: 150 - 5 x level frames). Mana comes from your merc's Insight (Meditation), mana after kill (Silkweave, Odealo) and mana leech. Odealo says Teeth 'can consume Mana very quickly during prolonged Mapping'. Since S14, Kyovoshad has fire, lightning and magic immunes. Skip magic immunes there or let the merc and golem handle them.

02Skills

Level 30 · 33 skill points

  • Teeth 14
  • Bone Spear 12
  • Bone Armor 3
  • Blood Golem 1
  • Blood Warp 1
  • Bone Spirit 1
  • Clay Golem 1

Skill order

  • Teeth from clvl 2 (1 point per level), 1 point Clay Golem and a few points in Bone Armor at clvl 6+
  • Bone Spear from clvl 18, 1 point per level
  • 1 point Blood Golem (18) and Blood Warp (24) for mobility
  • 1 point Bone Spirit at clvl 30
  • Max Bone Spear, then finish Teeth
  • Max Bone Spirit
  • Max Bone Armor (Hiim's planner is at 20/20/20/20 by clvl 80)
  • Remaining points into Blood Warp (9 at clvl 80, 20 by clvl 91)
  • After clvl 91: Golem Mastery or Revive (Odealo) or Bone Wall/Bone Prison (Earl_Grey)

Synergies

Synergies from the S14 Skills.txt (same values on the PD2 wiki Poison and Bone Spells page):
  • Teeth: +24% magic damage per hard point in Bone Armor, Bone Spear and Bone Spirit. With all three maxed, that is +1440%.
  • Bone Spear: +15% per hard point in Teeth, Bone Spirit and Bone Armor (+900% maxed).
  • Bone Spirit: +15% per hard point in Teeth, Bone Spear and Bone Armor (+900% maxed).
  • Bone Armor gets +15 absorb per point in Bone Wall and Bone Prison. It also gets +3 absorb per point of Energy (wiki; Skills.txt formula energy x 3) and +10% defense per hard point.
So the four core skills (Teeth, Bone Spear, Bone Spirit, Bone Armor) feed each other. Every point is both damage and synergy, and every source (Hiim's planner, Odealo, the Earl_Grey, Caipi204 and Caine S14 showcases) maxes exactly these four. Example from the S14 data (approximate, before +magic damage and resistances): Teeth at skill level 30 does 117-149 damage per tooth. With +1440% that is about 1,800-2,300 per tooth, and 24 teeth per cast. Bone Spear at level 30 does 453-485 per spear, so about 4,500-4,850 with +900%, and three spears.
Skill thresholds: Teeth fires 3 missiles at level 1, +1 per level, capped at 24 (level 22). Bone Spear fires 1 spear, 2 from level 15 and 3 from level 25; these count +skills, not only hard points. Blood Warp's cooldown is 150 - 5 x skill level frames (25 frames = 1 second), so 9 hard points plus about +3 from mid gear (level 12) give 3.6 seconds, and level 30 gives none. Clay Golem and Blood Golem are 1-point prerequisites for Blood Warp.

About these skill plans

  • Leveling (level 30): 33 points = 29 from levels + 4 Normal quest points (Den of Evil, Radament, Izual x2). Teeth carries Normal (maxroll's D2R route: Teeth from clvl 2, Bone Spear from 18). From clvl 18 every point goes into Bone Spear, which can hold at most 13 hard points at clvl 30. Blood Warp comes at 24 for mobility; Odealo says 'Take Blood Warp as soon as possible... one Point is enough during leveling'. The 1 point in Bone Spirit at 30 is its first synergy point. The exact split is our arithmetic inside the cited route.
  • Early endgame (Hiim's starter planner) (level 80): 91 points = 79 + 12 quest points, copied from Hiim's S14 'Teeth / Bonespear' planner (clvl 80, Hell): four core skills maxed, Clay Golem 1, Blood Golem 1, Blood Warp 9.
  • Endgame (clvl 91+) (level 91): 102 points = 90 + 12. Odealo: 'After the four core Bone Skills are completed, invest your remaining Points into Blood Warp to reduce its cooldown'. 20 hard points plus about +8-12 from endgame gear puts Blood Warp near skill level 30, where it has no cooldown. Points after clvl 91: Odealo suggests Golem Mastery or Revive for a stronger frontline. Earl_Grey's clvl 99 S14 showcase instead puts 20 into Bone Wall and 3 into Bone Prison (+15 Bone Armor absorb each) and keeps Blood Warp at 1. Caipi204's clvl 94 showcase maxes Golem Mastery.

Dealing with immunities

Magic damage is the build's answer to immunes. Odealo: 'Magic Damage, which is resisted by relatively few monsters'.
  • Elemental and poison immunes: no problem, Teeth and Bone Spear kill them normally.
  • Magic immunes are rare. Several maps had theirs removed in older seasons (wiki patch notes: Lost Temple, Ruins of Viz'jun, Shadows of Westmarch, Kehjistan Marketplace), but S14 gave Kyovoshad fire, lightning and magic immunes. Skip them, or let the merc and Clay Golem kill them.
  • Magic resistance: the Act 4 Light merc's Sanctuary aura lowers it by 5% + 1% per 2 aura levels (about -20% at merc level 79), and an Asylum on an Act 2 merc gives Sanctuary 17-20 (Caine's showcase). Odealo lists the lack of other magic-resistance reduction as the build's main con. Lower Resist and Amplify Damage do not affect magic damage.
  • Rathma and Voidstone: the wiki notes cut Rathma's and Mendeln's magic resistance from 45 to 35 and Void Knights' from 60 to 50 in an earlier season. hiimpd2 has no Voidstone rating for Bone Spear.

03Stats

Strength for gear, then Vitality. Up to about 50 Energy early (Hiim) if mana is a problem. Stat points total 5 per level + 15 from Lam Esen's Tome (Hiim at clvl 80: 91/0/269/50 = 410).
AttributeRecommendation
StrengthEnough for your gear. Hiim's clvl 80 planner uses 91 Strength (Trang-Oul's Claws need 58, Gloom's Trap 58). At endgame, Boneflame (Succubus Skull) needs 95 and Silkweave 65, so plan about 95 minus the strength on your gear.
DexterityNone (Hiim, Earl_Grey, Odealo). Odealo: only if you build around max block with a Necromancer shield. Caipi204's S14 showcase does this with 158 Dexterity.
VitalityEverything else. Hiim's clvl 80 planner: 269 Vitality. Earl_Grey's clvl 99 planner: 473. Odealo: 'Invest all'.
EnergyOptional. Hiim's starter planner puts 50 points into Energy, which also adds 150 absorb to Bone Armor (+3 per point) and mana for Teeth. Odealo says 'Nothing'. Caine's S14 showcase is an Energy variant (244 Energy, Skull Collector) for a bigger Bone Armor and mana pool. Pick one plan; the standard is Vitality.

04Leveling

Leveling plan

Bone Necromancers level with the same skills they use at endgame, so no respec is needed. The leveling route is the Bone route of our Necromancer leveling guide ('Bone (Teeth -> Bone Spear)'), shown here as the leveling timeline with gear, mercenary and tips per phase. It differs from that guide's main route (Poison Strike dagger -> Skeletal Mages -> respec into Poison Nova). Route: Teeth from clvl 2 (maxroll's D2R guide; in PD2 Teeth has 3 missiles at level 1 since S11 and gains one per level), a +Teeth wand from Akara, Bone Spear from clvl 18 with a +Bone Spear wand that later becomes White, Blood Warp at 24, Bone Spirit at 30, then fill the four core skills. hiimpd2's starter list tags Teeth / Bonespear as a Chaos Sanctuary and early-map starter, and philanthropy777's S13 PD2 necro guide has a 'Day 1 - Bone Spear' chapter. Hiim's clvl 80 planner is the target for Hell/early maps.
Switching to your main skill: There is no switch: Teeth is the main skill from clvl 2. Bone Spear becomes the line/corridor skill from 18, and Bone Spirit the boss skill once it has points (clvl 31-49).
Respec: Not needed if you follow this route. If you leveled with the class guide's summoner route, use Akara's free respec (one per difficulty after Den of Evil) at clvl 30-40, once Bone Spear can hold enough points. Later changes (e.g. Blood Warp versus Bone Wall points) cost a Token of Absolution.

Level 1 to endgame: Bone (Teeth -> Bone Spear) route

  1. Level 1–12Normal

    Act 1 to early Act 2 Normal (Teeth)

    Teeth from your first skill point. In PD2 Teeth fires 3 missiles at skill level 1 (since S11) and gains one missile per level, so it clears Act 1 from clvl 2 (maxroll's D2R route starts it at 2 as well). Buy a wand with +Teeth from Akara as soon as you have the gold and put Den of Evil's point into Teeth too. One point in Clay Golem at 6 gives you a meat shield that slows packs, and the first point in Bone Armor starts both the absorb shield and a Teeth synergy. This is the start of a route with no respec: every point here stays in the endgame build.
    Skill points
    1. +10Teeth
    2. +1Clay Golem
    3. +1Bone Armor

    Gear

    • WeaponSnake's Wand of the ApprenticeShop Akara for a wand with +2-3 Teeth (maxroll D2R: about 3,500-5,500 gold). Shown: mana and 10% FCR. The wand's random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod is what you shop for; it comes with the base and is not part of this configuration. How to get: Akara's shop (refresh it by going in and out of town), or any wand drop.
    • 2nd HandRusset Preserved Head of the FoxNecromancer heads also carry random +1-3 single skills (+Teeth or +Bone Armor are what you want); shown here with fire resistance and life. How to get: Akara or drops.
    • ArmorRare Quilted ArmorResistances and life; anything with defense works this early. How to get: Drops, Charsi.
    • RingNagelringUsable from clvl 7: mana after each kill keeps Teeth going, plus magic find. Hiim's clvl 80 planner still wears two. How to get: Random drop.
    • Mercenary WeaponVicious Hunter's Bow of GoreThe Rogue only uses her bow's damage.

    Skills

    • Level 2-5: Teeth +4 -- One point per level (maxroll D2R route). Each point adds a missile and damage.
    • Level 6: Clay Golem +1 -- One point as a meat shield; it slows what it hits.
    • Level Den of Evil: Teeth +1 -- Akara's quest point; Teeth 5.
    • Level 7-11: Teeth +5 -- Teeth 10 at clvl 11.
    • Level 12: Bone Armor +1 -- Absorb shield and +24% Teeth damage per hard point (synergy).

    Stats

    Put 2-3 early points into Energy for mana, then Vitality (maxroll). Strength only for the gear you want to wear.

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Rogue Scout -- Fire (Vigor aura): Any Act 1 Rogue works for the first acts. The PD2 wiki starter guides recommend the Fire Rogue ('For campaign and early farming, nothing can beat the A1 Fire mercenary with Vigor'). The Cold Rogue (Meditation) is the alternative if Teeth drains your mana; Odealo also names her as the bone build's budget merc.

    Where to farm

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point, unlocks Akara's respec. Do it first. Save the respec for the switch to Poison Nova around clvl 41.
    • Sisters' Burial Grounds (Blood Raven) (Act 1, recommended): Rogue mercenary hire for free. Blood Raven's zombies also give you lots of corpses to raise.
    • Tools of the Trade (Act 1, optional): Charsi imbue. Save it for a Nightmare or Hell magic/rare item if you like. A necro amulet or circlet cannot be imbued (weapons and armor only, vanilla rule).
    • Sisters to the Slaughter (Andariel) (Act 1, must do): Act 2 access. Bring Clay Golem in front, curse Andariel with Amplify Damage, and use thawing or antidote potions if you have them.

    Tips

    • Cast Teeth into packs at close-to-medium range: the missiles spread in a fan, so standing closer means more missiles hit the same target.
    • Teeth costs a lot of mana for a clvl 5 character. Pick up every mana potion and use the Akara wand; 2-3 points in Energy early help (maxroll).
    • Recast Clay Golem whenever it dies; it costs little mana and soaks hits for you.
    • Mistake: Spreading points into Raise Skeleton or Corpse Explosion because the main route does: this route puts everything into Teeth until clvl 17.
    • Mistake: Selling +Teeth / +Bone Spear wands and heads: you will want a 2-socket +Bone Spear wand for White at clvl 35.
  2. Level 13–24Normal

    Act 2 to Act 5 Normal (Teeth, then Bone Spear from 18)

    Finish the Teeth block (14 hard points by clvl 16) and Bone Armor (3 points), then switch every point into Bone Spear at clvl 18. Bone Spear pierces everything in a line, so corridors (Act 2 tombs, Act 3 sewers, Durance) become easy. Take Blood Golem at 18 with Izual's points and Blood Warp at 24: Odealo says 'Take Blood Warp as soon as possible... one Point is enough during leveling', and it is your teleport until Enigma. Stealth at 17 and Ancients' Pledge from the Act 5 rune quest prepare you for Nightmare.
    Skill points
    1. +4Teeth
    2. +2Bone Armor
    3. +7Bone Spear
    4. +1Blood Golem
    5. +1Blood Warp

    Gear

    • WeaponFungal Bone Wand of the ApprenticeFrom clvl 15 a Fungal wand (+1 Poison and Bone skills) with FCR. Before 18, look for one with +Bone Spear and 2 sockets: it becomes your White later (maxroll). The wand's random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod is what you shop for; it comes with the base and is not part of this configuration. How to get: Akara / Drognan / Act 3 vendors, drops.
    • ArmorStealthclvl 17: 20% FCR, 20% FHR, 10% FRW, magic damage reduction. The standard caster leveling armor (maxroll). How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune (Countess, Act 1-3 drops) in any 2-socket armor.
    • 2nd HandAncients' Pledgeclvl 21: +13 all resistances and +30 cold resistance for the Nightmare -40 penalty (maxroll lists it in the D2R route). How to get: The Act 5 Normal Rescue on Mount Arreat gives Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Tal Rune. 3-socket Large Shield (34 str).
      • orFungal Gargoyle Head of the ApprenticeA Gargoyle Head with +1 Poison and Bone skills and FCR; keep any 2-socket head with +Bone Spear for Splendor. The head's random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod is what you shop for; it comes with the base and is not part of this configuration.
    • BootsRare Boots20% FRW, 10% FHR and two resistances until Rite of Passage at 29. A common stage-appropriate pick. How to get: Drops, gambling.
    • RingNagelringMana after each kill for Teeth and Bone Spear. How to get: Random drop.
    • Mercenary WeaponBrutal Voulge of the LeechDamage and life leech until Insight.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthA spare Stealth is fine. Mercs can wear helm, armor, gloves, boots and belt in PD2.

    Skills

    • Level 13-16: Teeth +4 -- Teeth 14 at clvl 16 (the build guide's leveling tier).
    • Level 17 + Radament: Bone Armor +2 -- Bone Armor 3: more absorb and Teeth/Bone Spear synergy.
    • Level 18-23: Bone Spear +6 -- Every level point into Bone Spear from 18 (maxroll); shop a 2-socket +Bone Spear wand before 18.
    • Level Izual (Act 4): Blood Golem +1 -- Prerequisite for Blood Warp; also a sturdier golem.
    • Level Izual (Act 4): Bone Spear +1 -- Second Izual point.
    • Level 24: Blood Warp +1 -- Odealo: 'Take Blood Warp as soon as possible... one Point is enough during leveling'.

    Stats

    Strength for a 2-socket body armor base and a 3-socket Large Shield for Ancients' Pledge (34 str); the rest into Vitality. Lam Esen's Tome (Act 3) gives 5 more points.

    Mercenary

    Act 2 Desert Guard -- Defensive (Defiance aura): PD2 Act 2 mercs are Defiance, Blessed Aim or Thorns only. Hiim's S14 Teeth / Bonespear starter planners use the Defensive (Defiance) Desert Guard: he is the sturdiest frontline while you stand back and cast. Hire him in Lut Gholein and plan Insight for him as soon as you have the runes.

    Where to farm

    Quests

    • Radament's Lair (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point (Book of Skill). Sewers below Lut Gholein.
    • The Golden Bird (Act 3, recommended): +20 life potion. Picks itself up while you clear the jungle.
    • Lam Esen's Tome (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points. Kurast Bazaar temples.
    • The Fallen Angel (Izual) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points. Plains of Despair. Skeletons tank him easily.
    • Hell's Forge (Act 4, recommended): Random rune (Normal: low runes, vanilla table). Use a character that has not done it yet. It is a free rune per difficulty.
    • Rescue on Mount Arreat (Act 5, must do): Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Tal Rune (and the Act 5 Rescue reward). Exactly the runes for Ancients' Pledge.
    • Siege on Harrogath (Larzuk) (Act 5, recommended): Sockets for one item. Save it. A Monarch for Spirit, a Crystal Sword or a 4os polearm for the merc's Insight is a strong later use.
    • Prison of Ice (Anya) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances. Every difficulty.

    Tips

    • Bone Spear's mana cost is high for its level. Insight on the merc (next phase) fixes it; until then, mana potions and a few Energy points do.
    • Use Teeth on packs that surround you and Bone Spear on lines and corridors. Both share synergies, so neither is wasted.
    • Blood Warp costs life, not mana. Cast it in short hops and drink a potion afterwards.
    • Mistake: Delaying Bone Spear past 18: the route only works because Bone Spear can take every level point from 18 to 37.
    • Mistake: Skipping Ancients' Pledge or other resistances: Nightmare starts at -40 all resistances.
  3. Level 25–40Nightmare

    Nightmare (max Bone Spear, Bone Spirit at 30)

    Bone Spear keeps every level point until it is maxed (possible from clvl 37), with one point in Bone Spirit at 30 as its first synergy point and boss skill. At clvl 30 you match the build guide's leveling tier: Teeth 14, Bone Armor 3, Bone Spear 12, Bone Spirit 1, Clay Golem 1, Blood Golem 1, Blood Warp 1. Nightmare is where the gear plan comes together: Lore at 27, Rite of Passage at 29, White in your +Bone Spear wand at 35 and Splendor in a +Bone Spear/+Teeth head at 37 (Hiim's base planner). Give the merc Insight for mana.
    Skill points
    1. +13Bone Spear
    2. +1Bone Spirit
    3. +4Teeth

    Gear

    • HelmLoreclvl 27: +1 all skills, energy, mana after kill (Hiim's base planner). How to get: Ort Rune (Countess, quests) + Sol Rune (Nightmare Countess or 3 Amn Rune) in a 2-socket helm.
    • WeaponWhiteclvl 35: +2 Poison and Bone skills, +2-3 Bone Armor, 20% FCR (S14 data). In a wand with a +Bone Spear staffmod it is the core leveling weapon (Hiim's base planner, maxroll). How to get: Dol Rune + Io Rune (Nightmare Countess / Hellforge) in a 2-socket wand with +Bone Spear.
      • orNoxious Tomb Wand of the MagusBefore White: +2 Poison and Bone skills (Noxious, level 30) and 20% FCR on a Tomb Wand. The wand's random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod is what you shop for; it comes with the base and is not part of this configuration.
    • 2nd HandSplendorclvl 37: +1 all skills, 20-35% FCR, 20% faster block, MF (Hiim's base planner). Use a head with +Bone Spear or +Teeth. How to get: Eth Rune + Lum Rune (Nightmare Countess / Hellforge or 3 Io Rune) in a 2-socket head.
      • orAncients' PledgeKeep it until Splendor if you still need the resistances.
    • ArmorStealthKeep Stealth for its 20% FCR and FHR. How to get: Already made.
      • orSkin of the Vipermagiclvl 29: +1 all skills, 30% FCR, 20-30 all resistances if it drops (Odealo, build guide mid tier).
    • GlovesMagefistclvl 23: 20% FCR and mana regeneration (Odealo's alternative gloves). How to get: Random drop (Light Gauntlets).
    • BootsRite of Passageclvl 29: 30% FRW and cannot be frozen (Hiim's planners use it). How to get: Random drop.
    • BeltRare Light BeltNo cited source names a belt this early: resistances, 24% FHR and life are a common stage-appropriate pick. How to get: Drops, gambling.
    • AmuletNoxious Amulet+2 Poison and Bone skills from clvl 30, until the +3 Venomous amulet at 45 (build guide). How to get: Gamble or find amulets.
    • Mercenary WeaponInsightMeditation for mana (Hiim's starter planners).
    • Mercenary HelmLoreHiim's starter planners: +1 all skills and defense.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthHiim's starter planners: FHR and magic damage reduction.

    Skills

    • Level 25-29: Bone Spear +5 -- Bone Spear 12.
    • Level 30: Bone Spirit +1 -- First synergy point and the single-target boss skill.
    • Level 31-37 + NM Den of Evil: Bone Spear +8 -- Bone Spear 20 at clvl 37.
    • Level 38-40 + NM Radament: Teeth +4 -- Odealo's order: Teeth, Bone Spear, Bone Spirit, Bone Armor. Teeth 18.

    Stats

    Strength for gear (Magefist needs 45, Rite of Passage 20); the rest into Vitality. Hiim's starter planner also puts up to 50 points into Energy (mana for Teeth, +3 Bone Armor absorb per point); Vitality is the standard.

    Mercenary

    Act 2 Desert Guard -- Defensive (Defiance aura): Hiim's S14 starter planners: an Act 2 Defiance merc with Insight. Insight's Meditation aura (level 12-17) is the cheapest fix for Teeth's and Bone Spear's mana costs.

    Where to farm

    • Nightmare Countess (Forgotten Tower): The best place for Tal Rune, Ral Rune, Ort Rune, Thul Rune, Amn Rune, Sol Rune and Shael Rune. Spirit, Insight, Lore, Rhyme and White runes all come from here. Drops: Runes up to Ko Rune in Nightmare (rarely above Io Rune, vanilla table).
    • Nightmare Andariel and Mephisto: Fast boss runs, plus essences toward a Token of Absolution later (Twisted from Andariel, Charged from Mephisto). Drops: Uniques/sets, Twisted and Charged Essences.
    • Nightmare Cows / Chaos Sanctuary: Dense XP for the skeleton army and Corpse Explosion. Drops: Bases, runes.

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Nightmare) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point, Akara respec (Nightmare). You now hold two respecs (Normal and Nightmare) if you saved the first.
    • Radament's Lair (Nightmare) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
    • The Fallen Angel (Nightmare) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points
    • Lam Esen's Tome (Nightmare) (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
    • Prison of Ice (Nightmare) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances

    Tips

    • Bone Spear pierces: line packs up in corridors and cast down the line. Teeth handles packs that surround you, Bone Spirit single bosses.
    • Magic damage: Bone skills are not elemental, so very few Nightmare monsters resist them. That is why no secondary skill is needed.
    • Hiim's base planner uses a Tomb Wand with +Bone Spear for White and a Gargoyle Head with +Bone Spear for Splendor: keep staffmod bases from Act 1 onwards.
    • Mistake: Putting White into a wand without a +Bone Spear or +Teeth staffmod: the staffmod adds up to +3 to your main skill on top.
    • Mistake: Leaving the merc without Insight: mana is this route's only real bottleneck in Nightmare.
  4. Level 41–60Nightmare

    Nightmare end to Hell entry (finish Teeth, max Bone Spirit)

    Finish Teeth (20), then put every point into Bone Spirit until it is maxed (Odealo's order: Teeth, Bone Spear, Bone Spirit, Bone Armor). Bone Spirit homes in on targets and is the boss skill; each hard point in it also adds 15% to Bone Spear and 24% to Teeth. There is no respec on this route. Gear: Trang-Oul's Claws (clvl 45) with Stealth or The Spirit Shroud reaches the 75% FCR breakpoint, and the Venomous amulet (+3 Poison and Bone skills, level req 45) is the biggest cheap upgrade.
    Skill points
    1. +2Teeth
    2. +19Bone Spirit
    3. +1Bone Armor

    Gear

    • WeaponWhiteKeep White in the +Bone Spear wand. How to get: Already made.
    • 2nd HandSplendorKeep Splendor. How to get: Already made.
    • HelmWormskullclvl 21 unique: +1 Necromancer skills, +1 Poison and Bone skills, mana, life steal (Hiim's clvl 80 planner). How to get: Random drop (Bone Helm).
    • ArmorThe Spirit Shroudclvl 28: +1 all skills, cannot be frozen, magic damage reduction (Hiim's clvl 80 planner). How to get: Random drop (Ghost Armor).
      • orSkin of the Vipermagi+1 all skills, 30% FCR and all resistances (Odealo).
    • GlovesTrang-Oul's Clawsclvl 45: 20% FCR, +2 Curses, 30 cold resistance. With Stealth or The Spirit Shroud you reach 75% FCR (build guide). How to get: Random drop (Heavy Bracers).
    • BeltGloom's Trapclvl 36: mana, mana regeneration and mana leech (Hiim's clvl 80 planner). How to get: Random drop (Mesh Belt).
    • BootsRite of PassageKeep it for 30% FRW and cannot be frozen. How to get: Already found.
      • orSilkweaveclvl 36: 30% FRW and +5 mana after each kill (Odealo).
    • AmuletVenomous Amulet+3 Poison and Bone skills (magic-only on amulets, level req 45): in both of Hiim's planners. How to get: Gamble amulets at clvl 45+.
    • RingNagelringHiim's clvl 80 planner wears two for mana after kill and magic find. How to get: Random drop.
    • Mercenary WeaponInsightMeditation for mana.
    • Mercenary HelmLoreDefense and +1 all skills.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthFHR and magic damage reduction.

    Skills

    • Level 41-42: Teeth +2 -- Teeth 20 (maxed).
    • Level 43-60 + NM Izual: Bone Spirit +19 -- Bone Spirit 20 at clvl 60.
    • Level Last point: Bone Armor +1 -- Bone Armor 4: the first step of maxing it in Hell.

    Stats

    Strength to 58 for Trang-Oul's Claws and Gloom's Trap (count +str on gear), the rest into Vitality.

    Mercenary

    Act 2 Desert Guard -- Defensive (Defiance aura): Keep the Insight merc (Hiim's starter planners). If you want Odealo's Act 4 Light merc already, his Sanctuary aura lowers magic resistance, but he is fragile without leech and damage reduction gear.

    Where to farm

    • Nightmare/Hell Pits, Ancient Tunnels and Tower Cellar: Tower Cellar is area level 85 in Hell (PD2). Poison Nova clears its tight rooms quickly. Drops: Runes, uniques, Countess bonus runes in the same run.
    • Hell Cows: No immunes, dense packs, ideal for Poison Nova plus Desecrate. Drops: Elite bases, runes.

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Hell) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point, Hell respec. Hell resist penalty is -100 (vanilla). Get to 75% fire, cold and lightning before Act 1 Hell if you can.
    • Prison of Ice (Hell) (Act 5, must do): +10 all res; in PD2 Hell Anya also gives 3 tier-1 maps. Picked up later in Hell.

    Tips

    • Bone Spirit is slow but homing: use it on bosses and champions, Bone Spear on everything in a line.
    • Watch your FCR: the Necromancer table is 0/9/18/30/48/75/125 (PD2 wiki Breakpoints), and Trang-Oul's Claws plus Stealth/Spirit Shroud/White/Splendor get you to 75%.
    • Hell lowers all resistances by 100 (Nightmare by 40). Fix resistances before entering Hell, not after.
    • Mistake: Respeccing out of Teeth because the class guide's main route respecs at 41-60: this route keeps every point.
    • Mistake: Skipping Bone Armor completely: it is both your absorb shield and a synergy for all three damage skills.
  5. Level 61–80Hell

    Hell to Baal, Chaos Sanctuary, first maps (Bone Armor, Blood Warp)

    Max Bone Armor, then put the rest into Blood Warp. At clvl 80 you match Hiim's S14 Teeth / Bonespear starter planner exactly: Teeth 20, Bone Spear 20, Bone Spirit 20, Bone Armor 20, Clay Golem 1, Blood Golem 1, Blood Warp 9. hiimpd2 tags this build as a starter for Chaos Sanctuary and early maps. The gear is the build guide's mid tier: Wormskull, The Spirit Shroud, White, Splendor, Trang-Oul's Claws, Gloom's Trap, Rite of Passage, a Venomous amulet and Nagelrings.
    Skill points
    1. +16Bone Armor
    2. +8Blood Warp

    Gear

    • WeaponWhiteWhite in a +Bone Spear wand (Hiim's clvl 80 planner). How to get: Already made.
    • 2nd HandSplendorSplendor in a +Bone Spear/+Teeth head (Hiim's clvl 80 planner). How to get: Already made.
    • HelmWormskullHiim's clvl 80 planner. How to get: Random drop.
    • ArmorThe Spirit ShroudHiim's clvl 80 planner. How to get: Random drop.
      • orSkin of the VipermagiOdealo's all-round choice; the endgame armor too.
    • GlovesTrang-Oul's ClawsHiim's clvl 80 planner: FCR and cold resistance. How to get: Random drop.
    • BeltGloom's TrapHiim's clvl 80 planner: mana. How to get: Random drop.
    • BootsRite of PassageHiim's clvl 80 planner. How to get: Random drop.
      • orSilkweaveMana after kill and max mana; the endgame boots.
    • AmuletVenomous Amulet of the MammothHiim's planner. Odealo lists a 'Venomous Amulet of Life': +3 Poison and Bone skills plus life. How to get: Gamble or reroll magic amulets.
    • RingNagelringHiim's clvl 80 planner (two). How to get: Random drop.
      • orThe Stone of Jordan+1 all skills and mana (build guide mid tier).
    • CharmGrand CharmPoison and Bone grand charms (+1, level req 42) with FHR or life are the core charms (Odealo, Earl_Grey); Annihilus and a Necromancer Hellfire Torch come later. How to get: Drops (grand charms roll Fungal from item level 50).
    • Mercenary WeaponInsightMeditation for mana.
    • Mercenary HelmLoreHiim's starter planners.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthHiim's starter planners.

    Skills

    • Level 61-76 (+ Hell quests): Bone Armor +16 -- Bone Armor 20 (maxed): more absorb and +15% Bone Spear/Bone Spirit, +24% Teeth per point.
    • Level Rest to 80: Blood Warp +8 -- Blood Warp 9, Hiim's clvl 80 planner. More points shorten its cooldown.

    Stats

    Hiim's clvl 80 planner: 91 Strength, 0 Dexterity, 269 Vitality, 50 Energy. Strength for gear, everything else Vitality (Energy is optional).

    Mercenary

    Act 2 Desert Guard -- Defensive (Defiance aura), Act 4 Light later: Hiim's clvl 80 planner still uses the Act 2 Insight merc. Switch to Odealo's Act 4 Light merc (Sanctuary aura lowers magic resistance) once you can give him leech and damage reduction gear (next phase).

    Where to farm

    • Hell Chaos Sanctuary and Worldstone Keep / Throne of Destruction: Dense packs for Poison Nova, Prime Evil Soul and essences, key items. Drops: High runes, uniques, essences.
    • Corrupted Zones (Hell, rotating every 15 minutes, monster level 85): +50% Worldstone Shard drops in S14 and full Hell loot. Drops: Worldstone Shards, everything.
    • Tier 1 maps at clvl 80+ (start with the 3 maps from Hell Anya): The best XP and loot. The new S14 map The Poisoned Well (T1) is the fastest recorded Poison Nova clear on hiimpd2. Drops: Map orbs, Pure Demonic Essence, sigils.

    Quests

    • Radament's Lair (Hell) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
    • The Fallen Angel (Hell) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points. Brings you to 12 quest points total.
    • Rite of Passage (Hell Ancients) (Act 5, must do): Map access at clvl 80. The Ancients are mostly physical. Use Decrepify plus the golem, and kite.
    • Eve of Destruction (Hell Baal) (Act 5, recommended): Festering Essence, Prime Evil Soul chance. Hell bosses drop Token of Absolution essences.

    Tips

    • Chaos Sanctuary is this build's best Hell farm (hiimpd2 starter tag): Bone Spear down the long halls, Bone Spirit on the seal bosses and Diablo.
    • Blood Warp is your mobility until Enigma; at higher levels its cooldown shrinks. Odealo: with enough +skills it loses the cooldown at about skill level 30.
    • Mana after kill (Nagelring, later Silkweave) and Insight on the merc keep Teeth sustainable while mapping.
    • Mistake: Putting points into Blood Warp before Bone Armor is maxed: Hiim's planner maxes all four core skills first.
    • Mistake: Entering maps with less than 75% FCR: the breakpoint matters more than one extra skill level.
  6. Level 81–91Hell

    maps and endgame

    Finish Blood Warp (20); with endgame +skills it reaches about skill level 30, where its cooldown is gone (Odealo). Afterwards, put points into Golem Mastery or Revive (Odealo) or Bone Wall / Bone Prison (Earl_Grey). This is the build guide's endgame tier: Harlequin Crest, Skin of the Vipermagi, Boneshade, Boneflame, Trang-Oul's Claws, Arachnid Mesh, Silkweave, a +3 Poison and Bone FCR amulet, Constricting Loop and an FCR crafted ring for the 125% FCR breakpoint, with the Act 4 Light merc for Sanctuary's magic resistance reduction.
    Skill points
    1. +11Blood Warp

    Gear

    • HelmHarlequin CrestOdealo: 'one of the most reliable Helmets for the Build'. Earl_Grey corrupts it to 2 sockets with magic skill damage jewels. How to get: Random drop (Shako).
    • ArmorSkin of the VipermagiOdealo: 'one of the best all-around choices'. Earl_Grey upgrades it to elite and corrupts it to 3 sockets. How to get: Random drop.
    • WeaponBoneshadeOdealo: 'one of the strongest endgame Weapons': +2 Necromancer skills, 25% FCR, +4-5 Teeth, +2-3 Bone Spear, +2 Bone Spirit (S14 data). How to get: Random drop (Lich Wand, clvl 79).
    • 2nd HandBoneflameOdealo: 'an excellent offensive option'; Earl_Grey corrupts it to 3 sockets. How to get: Random drop (Succubus Skull, 95 str).
      • orDarkforce Spawn+1-3 to all three Necromancer trees (Odealo).
    • GlovesTrang-Oul's ClawsStill best in slot for FCR (Earl_Grey, Odealo). How to get: Random drop.
    • BeltArachnid Mesh+1 all skills and FCR (Earl_Grey). How to get: Random drop (Spiderweb Sash).
    • BootsSilkweaveMana after kill sustains Teeth while mapping (Odealo, Earl_Grey). How to get: Random drop.
    • AmuletVenomous Amulet of the ApprenticeEarl_Grey's planner: +3 Poison and Bone skills and 10% FCR. Odealo prefers a crafted +2 Necromancer amulet if you find one. How to get: Gamble or reroll magic amulets.
    • RingConstricting LoopEarl_Grey's planner. How to get: Random drop.
    • RingCrafted Brilliant RingEarl_Grey: a Brilliant crafted ring with FCR to complete the 125% breakpoint (Odealo also lists FCR rings). How to get: Craft: magic ring + jewel + Hel Rune + Perfect Diamond.
    • CharmHellfire TorchNecromancer Hellfire Torch for +3-6 Necromancer skills (Odealo, all endgame planners), with Annihilus and +1 Poison and Bone grand charms. How to get: Uber Tristram.
    • Mercenary WeaponInsightOdealo: Insight on a staff for Meditation. Endgame: Ondal's Wisdom (+4-5 all skills for a higher Sanctuary level; Earl_Grey, Caipi204).
    • Mercenary HelmVampire GazeOdealo: leech and damage reduction keep him alive. Endgame: Harlequin Crest.
    • Mercenary ArmorShaftstopOdealo: damage reduction and life. Endgame: Arkaine's Valor.

    Skills

    • Level 81-91: Blood Warp +11 -- Blood Warp 20 at clvl 91 (Odealo). After that: Golem Mastery or Revive (Odealo), or Bone Wall / Bone Prison (Earl_Grey).

    Stats

    Strength for Boneflame (95, Succubus Skull) and Silkweave (65) minus the strength on your gear, the rest into Vitality (Earl_Grey's clvl 99 planner: 473 Vitality).

    Mercenary

    Act 4 Ascendant -- Light (Sanctuary aura): Odealo calls the Act 4 Light merc 'one of the most synergistic choices': Sanctuary lowers enemy magic resistance, which raises all three bone skills. Earl_Grey and Caipi204 use him in S14. He wields staves only; keep him close, he is fragile.

    Tips

    • Odealo: 'an Annihilus, Necromancer Hellfire Torch, and Poison and Bone Skill Grand Charms form the core of the inventory'; elemental damage charms do nothing for magic damage.
    • S14 added magic skill damage jewels and large charms; hiimpd2 calls it a 'Big buff' for magic builds like this one.
    • Hold the Act 4 merc near you with short Blood Warp hops: Sanctuary's radius is small (Odealo).
    • Mistake: Wasting points beyond Blood Warp 20 before the four core skills and Blood Warp are done.
    • Mistake: Using Fire or Lightning charms: Bone skills deal magic damage.

Rune shopping list

Alternative leveling builds

  • Poison Strike dagger (2-12) -> Skeletal Mage summoner + Lower Resist/Revive (12-40) -> respec -> Poison Nova: This is the PD2 wiki's S14 starter summoner route: 'Get a dagger with Poison Strike and stab things until level 12 while putting points into Skeleton Mastery until level 12, start maxing Skeleton mages after that and let them do the work', then 'max Lower Resist and Revives'. The wiki calls it the easiest starter Necromancer with little to no gear requirements. Skeletal Mages deal random elemental damage (fire, cold, lightning, poison) with 100% pierce, so immunes are never a wall, and S14's Lower Resist buff (-20% base, from -11%) makes them stronger. It needs no gear. Afterwards Odealo's pre-launch S14 guide recommends switching into the poison package. Poison Nova's synergies (Poison Strike and Desecrate, +11% each per hard level in S14) are cheap to max after the respec. d2db's route respecs into Poison Nova at clvl 32-38, and Odealo says to switch after the summoner or caster phase. We recommend about clvl 38-41 (end of Nightmare), since Poison Nova can only hold clvl - 29 hard points. Later respecs between poison, bone and summon endgames cost a Token of Absolution.
  • Poison Strike + Blood Golems (PD2 wiki starter, no respec): The S14 PD2 wiki Poison Strike starter: 'Max Poison Strike first, then you will want to get at least 2 Blood Golems before putting the rest of your points into the Poison Strike synergies' (Desecrate, Bone Armor). In Normal you only need a dagger or kris and a Necromancer offhand with +3 Poison Strike. Act 1 Fire merc (Vigor) for the campaign. Poison Strike is Top tier on hiimpd2's S14 list, and Odealo notes Poison Strike plus Desecrate can carry early progression toward Poison Nova. If you want to end as Poison Strike, or go straight into Poison Nova without a summoner phase (Desecrate is also a Nova synergy).
  • Clay Golems (PD2 wiki Starter Golem Necromancer): 'Get a dagger with poison strike and stab things until level 12 while putting points into Amplify Damage until level 12, start maxing Clay Golems after that and let them do the work. As soon as you can get Golem Mastery max this.' Golem Mastery allows extra golems in PD2 (one per 5 hard levels in S14 data). The guide was written for S10/S11, so check S14 numbers. If you want a tanky pet build or the wiki's Travincal-farming Golem variant.
  • Corpse Explosion (PD2 wiki CE guide): 'Dump Amplify Damage until lvl 6 and go full Corpse Explosion', then Revive prerequisites at 30, then Amplify Damage and Desecrate. Early gear in that guide: White in a 2os +3 Corpse Explosion wand and Splendor in a 2os +3 Corpse Explosion head, both shoppable at Drognan. Merc: Act 2 with Insight ('ol' reliable'). If you want Corpse Explosion as your endgame. The guide's author prefers Clay Golems or Mages/Revives as a season starter.

Respecs

  • When to respec on this route: Not needed. If you leveled with the main summoner route instead, use Akara's free respec at clvl 30-40, once Bone Spear can hold enough points.
  • Free respecs: Akara gives one free respec per difficulty after you complete Den of Evil in that difficulty, so 3 in total. Unused ones stay available, so you can save the Normal respec for clvl 41.
  • Token of Absolution: Cube Twisted Essence of Suffering + Charged Essence of Hatred + Burning Essence of Terror + Festering Essence of Destruction. In PD2 these drop from act bosses in Nightmare and Hell (Andariel/Duriel = Twisted, Mephisto = Charged, Diablo = Burning, Baal = Festering).

Common leveling mistakes

  • Following the main route's respec: the Bone route keeps every point from clvl 2.
  • Making White or Splendor in bases without +Bone Spear / +Teeth staffmods.
  • Forgetting FCR: aim for 75% by Hell entry and 125% at endgame (PD2 wiki Breakpoints).
  • Planning synergies around soft points. Synergies (Poison Strike and Desecrate for Poison Nova, Skeleton Mastery for skeletons) count hard points only.
  • Forgetting the required-level rule: every hard point raises the next point's requirement by one clvl. Poison Nova holds 20 hard points only at clvl 49.
  • Putting Spirit or Ancients' Pledge in a normal 2os shrunken head. Spirit needs 4 sockets, Ancients' Pledge 3. Rhyme, Splendor and Lore are the 2-socket options.
  • Running out of mana instead of using Insight on the merc. Energy is the worst fix for mana.
  • Stacking Vitality only and leaving resistances at -60 in Hell. Hell's -100 penalty kills Necromancers far more often than low life.

What is different in PD2

  • PD2-only Necromancer skills: Curse Mastery (passive, +1 curse per 10 hard levels, stronger curses), Dark Pact (consumes curses for magic explosions; S14 radius 3 -> 4) and Blood Warp (life-cost teleport with a cooldown that shrinks with levels).
  • S14: Lower Resist base -11% -> -20%. Amplify Damage -11% -> -15% physical resist. Decrepify slows -10% -> -20%. Skeleton Archer base damage 15-20 -> 20-25. Necromancer mana per level 2 -> 3. Poison Nova synergies 10% -> 11% (scaling from level 28 on reduced 10%).
  • Poison Strike is a dagger/scythe attack in PD2 that pierces poison resist (-5% to -24% over levels 1-20). In S14 the pierce no longer lasts beyond the attack animation. For Poison Nova players it is a synergy.
  • Desecrate (PD2) summons 5 corpses per cast (max 10, decaying after 16 seconds) and releases a poison cloud. It needs line of sight.
  • Corpse Explosion no longer needs line of sight (since S12) and deals 5-10% of the corpse's max life, half physical and half fire.
  • Mercs: Act 1 Cold Rogue = Meditation. Act 2 = Defiance / Blessed Aim / Thorns. Act 3 = Cleansing / Prayer / Holy Shock + Static. Act 4 Ascendant (staves): Dark = Amplify Damage, Light = Sanctuary. Act 5 = Might / Battle Orders.
  • Rune cube: 3 runes -> next up to Pul Rune, 2 runes from Pul Rune upward. No gems needed (S14 data).

05Gear

Character

HelmLore
AmuletVenomous Amulet
WeaponWhite
ArmorStealth
2nd HandSplendor
GlovesMagefist
BeltRare Light Belt
RingNagelring
RingNagelring
BootsRare Boots
  • HelmLoreHiim's base planner: +1 all skills and mana after kill from clvl 27. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune (Nightmare Countess, or 3 Amn Rune = 1 Sol Rune).
    • AlternativeWormskull+1 Necromancer skills, +1 Poison and Bone skills, 5% life steal (clvl 21); Hiim's clvl 80 helm.
  • ArmorStealthHiim's base planner: 20% FCR, 20% FHR, 10% FRW from clvl 17. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in any 2-socket body armor.
  • WeaponWhiteHiim's base planner (Tomb Wand with a +Bone Spear staffmod). S14 data: +2 Poison and Bone skills, +2-3 Bone Armor, 20% FCR, +13 mana, magic damage reduced by 4. A +Bone Spear or +Teeth base adds those skills on top. How to get: Dol Rune + Io Rune (clvl 35) in a 2-socket wand. Before that, use a magic or white wand with +Teeth (maxroll's D2R route buys one from Akara after Den of Evil) and later +Bone Spear. Keep a 2-socket wand with +Bone Spear as the base for the White runeword.
    • AlternativeFungal Bone Wand of the ApprenticeThe leveling weapon until White: vendors (Akara) and drops (maxroll, D2R route). Configured as a Fungal wand (+1 Poison and Bone skills, level req 15) with 10% FCR; Noxious (+2) needs level 30, and a Bone Wand can hold the 2 sockets White needs. The base's own random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod (what you actually shop for) comes with the base and is not part of this configuration.
  • 2nd HandSplendorHiim's base planner (Gargoyle Head with a +Bone Spear staffmod). S14 data: +1 all skills, 20-35% FCR, 60-100% enhanced defense, 20% FBR, MF. How to get: Eth Rune + Lum Rune (clvl 37) in a 2-socket Necromancer head. Pick a head with +Bone Spear or +Teeth.
    • AlternativeFungal Gargoyle Head of the ApprenticeBefore Splendor (maxroll: keep picking up Necromancer heads with +Bone Spear). Configured: +1 Poison and Bone skills (Fungal) and 10% FCR on a Gargoyle Head (2 sockets possible, so it can later carry Splendor). The base's own random +1-3 Teeth / Bone Spear staffmod (what you actually shop for) comes with the base and is not part of this configuration.
    • AlternativeRhymeResistances and cannot be frozen from clvl 29 (maxroll mentions Rhyme in a Necromancer head).
  • GlovesMagefistOdealo's alternative gloves: 20% FCR and mana regeneration (clvl 23). Bone skills get nothing from its elemental skill bonus. How to get: Random drop (Light Gauntlets unique).
    • AlternativeCoral Leather Gloves of the ApprenticeFiller before Magefist: a resistance and 10% FCR (gloves roll 'of the Apprentice' from level 29). Common stage-appropriate pick, not from a cited source. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
  • BeltRare Light BeltNo community source names an early belt for this build, so this is a common stage-appropriate pick: fire and lightning resistances, 24% FHR and up to 60 life on a Light Belt, all rollable by clvl 22. Replace it with Gloom's Trap (mana) once you can wear it. How to get: Drops, gambling or vendors (rare belts). Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • AlternativeGloom's TrapHiim's clvl 80 belt (10-20% FCR) from clvl 36.
  • BootsRare BootsFiller until Rite of Passage (clvl 29), a common stage-appropriate pick: 30% FRW, 10% FHR and two resistances. Boots cannot roll life in S14 affix data. How to get: Drops, gambling or vendors (rare boots). Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • AlternativeRite of PassageHiim's clvl 80 boots: 30% FRW, cannot be frozen.
  • AmuletVenomous AmuletIn both of Hiim's planners, even the budget one. +3 to every core skill. How to get: Gamble or find. Before clvl 45, use 'Fungal' (+1, level req 15) or 'Noxious' (+2, level req 30) Poison and Bone amulets.
    • AlternativeNoxious AmuletSame idea, earlier: +2 Poison and Bone skills from level 30 (Fungal, +1, from level 15).
  • RingNagelringHiim's clvl 80 planner: magic find and mana after kill, from clvl 7. How to get: Random drop.
    • AlternativeRare RingFiller: 10% FCR, mana and two resistances on one rare ring (a magic ring holds only one prefix and one suffix). Common stage-appropriate pick, not from a cited source. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
  • RingNagelringSame as the left ring (Hiim uses two). How to get: Random drop.

Charms

Odealo: 'an Annihilus, Necromancer Hellfire Torch, and Poison and Bone Skill Grand Charms form the core of the inventory', with life or FHR on the grand charms. Elemental damage charms are useless for magic damage. Earl_Grey's S14 planner: Hellfire Torch, Annihilus, eight +1 Poison and Bone grand charms with FHR and one with life. Caipi204's S14 planner uses 18 large charms with +3% magic skill damage (with life or FHR) instead. Fill the rest with small charms with life and resistances, plus mana if Teeth runs dry (Odealo).
  • Grand charms: +1 to Poison and Bone Skills ('Fungal') with 12% FHR ('of Balance') - Earl_Grey (8 of them), Caine, Odealo; +1 to Poison and Bone Skills ('Fungal') with life - Earl_Grey, Caine, Odealo
  • Large charms: +3% Magic Skill Damage ('Scintillating', large charms) of Vita (life) or of Balance (8% FHR) - Caipi204, Caine
  • Small charms: Shimmering Small Charm of Vita (all resistances + life) - Caine; Life, resistances, mana or 5% FHR ('of Balance') small charms - Odealo
  • Annihilus: +1 all skills, attributes, resistances (all S14 endgame planners, Odealo).
  • Hellfire Torch: Necromancer Hellfire Torch for +3-6 Necromancer skills (Odealo, all endgame planners).

Socket fillers

  • helm, weapon, armor and shield sockets (corrupted Harlequin Crest, Boneshade, Skin of the Vipermagi, Boneflame): Magic jewel: Scintillating (magic skill damage) (+3-5% Magic Skill Damage (prefix 'Scintillating', alvl 50, magic or rare jewel; new on jewels in S14), optional suffix: 7% Faster Hit Recovery ('of Truth') or -15% Requirements ('of Freedom')) -- New in S14: +2-3% (alvl 28) and +3-5% (alvl 50) magic skill damage on magic and rare jewels. hiimpd2 calls it a 'Big buff' for magic damage builds. Earl_Grey fills eight sockets with 'Effervescent' (+2-3%) jewels with FHR or -requirements; Caine and Caipi204 also use them.
  • shield and armor (one socket each): Um Rune -- Earl_Grey puts one Um Rune in Boneflame and one in Skin of the Vipermagi for resistances.

06Mercenary

Which mercenary

Act 4 -- Ascendant -- Light (Sanctuary aura; casts Holy Bolt, Holy Light, Fist of the Heavens)
Aura: Sanctuary: lowers enemy magic resistance by 5% + 1% per 2 aura levels (S14 Skills.txt; PD2 wiki patch notes). The wiki's merc table gives aura level 30 at merc level 79, so about -20%, more with +skills on the merc
Odealo calls the Act 4 Light merc 'one of the most synergistic choices' for this build, because his Sanctuary aura lowers enemy magic resistance and so directly raises the damage of Teeth, Bone Spear and Bone Spirit. Two of the three S14 endgame showcases (Earl_Grey clvl 99, Caipi204 clvl 94) use him. In PD2 he can only wield staves. Odealo gives him an Insight staff for mana, and the endgame showcases give him Ondal's Wisdom and +skills gear. Odealo warns that Sanctuary's radius is small and the merc is fragile: keep him close (Blood Warp short hops) and use golems as a frontline.
Alternatives
  • Act 2 Desert Guard -- Defensive (Defiance) with Insight: Hiim's S14 starter planners use him: Insight in a War Pike, Lore in a Bone Helm, Stealth in Light Plate. He is the cheapest and sturdiest choice while leveling and in early maps. Caine's S14 endgame showcase also uses an Act 2 Defiance merc, but with Asylum (Sanctuary aura 17-20 from the runeword), Innocence and Ferocity: Sanctuary without the fragile Act 4 body, at a very high rune cost.
  • Act 1 Rogue Scout -- Cold (Meditation aura): Odealo's 'safer budget alternative when Mana sustain matters more than maximizing Damage. She tends to remain out of danger'. Meditation is native, so her weapon slot is free for damage.

Mercenary

HelmLore
WeaponInsight
2nd Hand
ArmorStealth
Gloves
Belt
Boots
  • Mercenary WeaponInsightHiim's starter planners: an Act 2 Defiance merc with Insight. The Meditation aura (level 12-17) fixes Teeth's mana cost. How to get: Ral Rune + Tir Rune + Tal Rune + Sol Rune (Nightmare Countess). Hiim uses a War Pike. A War Pike can have up to 6 sockets, so use a 4-socket one or a base with exactly 4 max sockets (Voulge, Bill). For an Act 4 merc, put it in a 4-socket staff such as Cedar Staff or Elder Staff (4 max sockets).
    • AlternativeInsightSame runeword in a base with exactly 4 max sockets; works for an Act 2 merc.
  • Mercenary HelmLoreHiim's starter planners: +1 all skills. On the merc it mainly adds defense and the skill level. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune in any 2-socket helm (clvl 27).
  • Mercenary ArmorStealthHiim's starter planners: FHR, magic damage reduction. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in any 2-socket armor (clvl 17). Light Plate can have 3 sockets, so use a 2-socket one.

07Breakpoints

StatBreakpointsAim forNotes
FCR (cast rate)091830487512575% minimum, 125% recommended (Odealo; TDL: 'at least hit the 75 Faster Cast Rate breakpoint')Necromancer. Hiim's clvl 80 planner: White 20 + Splendor 20-35 + Trang-Oul's Claws 20 + Gloom's Trap 10-20 = 70-95%, so 75% unless both Splendor and Gloom's Trap roll low. Earl_Grey's endgame: Boneshade 25 + Skin of the Vipermagi 30 + Trang-Oul's Claws 20 + Arachnid Mesh 10 + amulet 'of the Apprentice' 10 + Constricting Loop 20 + crafted ring 10 = 125%, plus an FCR ring corruption as a buffer.
FHR (hit recovery)0510162639568615237739% minimum, 56% recommended (Odealo)Necromancer. Earl_Grey's eight 12% FHR grand charms alone give 96% (86% breakpoint). Mid-game sources are FHR charms and jewels 'of Truth' (7%).
FRW (run/walk)—No breakpoints. Blood Warp is your main movement. Boneflame 30%, Silkweave 30% and Rite of Passage 30% help between warps. S14 rare boots can roll 40% ('of Acceleration').

08Tips & Tricks

Tips

  • Use the right skill: Teeth for open packs, Bone Spear for lines and corridors, Bone Spirit for bosses (Odealo). Bind all three plus Blood Warp and Bone Armor.
  • Bone Spear fires a 2nd spear at skill level 15 and a 3rd at 25, and Teeth reaches 24 teeth at level 22. These count +skills, so check your skill levels when you swap gear.
  • Every core skill is also a synergy: a point in Bone Spirit adds 24% to Teeth and 15% to Bone Spear. Don't leave a core skill at 1 point for long.
  • Blood Warp costs 12% of your maximum life per cast (S14 data). Don't chain-warp into packs at low life, and use life leech (Wormskull) or life after kill (Boneflame) to refill.
  • Push Blood Warp's skill level toward 30: its cooldown is 150 - 5 x level frames, so it is gone at level 30. Hard points are what Odealo puts there after the core skills.
  • Hiim's 50 Energy is not wasted: each point adds 3 absorb to Bone Armor (wiki) plus mana for Teeth.
  • Mana: Insight on the merc, Silkweave's mana after kill, and mana small charms (Odealo). Teeth costs about 12 mana per cast at skill level 30, Bone Spirit about 26.
  • S14: socket your Harlequin Crest, Boneshade, Boneflame and armor with +2-5% magic skill damage jewels (new in S14). Earl_Grey's planner fills eight sockets this way.
  • S14: dropped rare wands can now roll 'Venomous' (+3 Poison and Bone skills). Keep every rare wand with it plus FCR and +Teeth/+Bone Spear staffmods.
  • Keep a Clay Golem out: it slows what it hits and takes aggro, which protects a fragile Act 4 merc (Odealo).
  • For Act 4 Sanctuary, stay within the aura's small radius. Odealo: keep the merc close with short Blood Warps.
  • Do the Hell Ancients and Anya: Hell Anya gives 3 tier-1 maps in PD2, a good start for this map-focused build.
  • Weapon swap: Earl_Grey and Caine keep Call to Arms + Lidless Wall on swap for Battle Orders.

Where to farm

  • Chaos Sanctuary (Hell): hiimpd2's starter list tags Teeth / Bonespear 'Chaos'. Dense demons, no element problems.
  • Tier 1-3 maps (clvl 80+): The build's home (hiimpd2 solo: Top; time set in Ancestral Trial). Avoid Kyovoshad's magic immunes.
  • Vision of Terror (Diablo Clone), T0: hiimpd2 bossing: Bone Spear T0 Moderate (new in S14). TDL's video shows the kill with Bone Spirit/Bone Spear and Trang-Oul's set.
  • Tower Cellar (Countess), Nightmare and Hell: Runes for White (Dol Rune + Io Rune), Splendor (Eth Rune + Lum Rune), Lore and Insight. Hell Tower Cellar is area level 85 in PD2.
  • Corrupted Zones: Worldstone Shards (+50% in corrupted zones in S14) for socket corruptions on Harlequin Crest, Boneshade, Boneflame and Skin of the Vipermagi, which hold the magic skill damage jewels.

Hardcore

No community source covers Hardcore Bone Necromancers specifically. General notes from the build's mechanics: Bone Armor (higher with Energy, Bone Wall/Bone Prison points) absorbs physical hits before they reach your life. Golems block. Magic damage means no 'my element is immune' deaths. The risks are Blood Warp's 12% life cost per cast (never warp into the unknown at low life), slow necromancer hit recovery (aim for 56%+ FHR, Odealo's recommendation), and a fragile Act 4 merc. For HC, the Act 2 Defiance merc from Hiim's starter planners is the safer choice. Keep 75% resistances and avoid extra-damage map modifiers.

09FAQ

About this build

Teeth or Bone Spear: which is the main skill?
Both are maxed, but Teeth is the main mapping skill. Hiim's planner sets Teeth as the main skill, and Odealo calls it 'the Build's primary tool for clearing open areas and dense Maps'. Bone Spear does more damage per missile (453-485 versus 117-149 at skill level 30) and pierces in a line, so use it in corridors and on tough packs. Bone Spirit is for bosses. All three are maxed anyway because they are each other's synergies.
Do I need to respec after leveling?
No. Teeth from clvl 2, Bone Spear from 18 and Bone Spirit from 30 are the endgame skills, so the build levels into itself. A respec only makes sense if you leveled with another route (e.g. the class guide's Skeletal Mage route). Then use Akara's free respec at about clvl 30-40.
Which mercenary should I use?
Leveling and early maps: Hiim's Act 2 Defensive (Defiance) merc with Insight, Lore and Stealth. It is cheap and sturdy, and Meditation handles Teeth's mana. Endgame: the Act 4 Light (Sanctuary) merc, which Odealo and two of three S14 endgame showcases use. Sanctuary lowers magic resistance (about -20% at merc level 79, more with +skills), and Ondal's Wisdom, Harlequin Crest and Arkaine's Valor raise its level. Budget/safe: Act 1 Cold (Meditation) per Odealo.
How much FCR do I need?
The Necromancer table is 0/9/18/30/48/75/125. 75% is the minimum (Odealo, TDL) and 125% the goal (Odealo). Hiim's starter gear reaches 75% with White, Splendor, Trang-Oul's Claws and Gloom's Trap. Earl_Grey's endgame reaches 125% with Boneshade, Skin of the Vipermagi, Trang-Oul's Claws, Arachnid Mesh, an 'of the Apprentice' amulet, Constricting Loop and a crafted FCR ring.
Boneshade or the White runeword?
Boneshade is the endgame standard (Odealo; Earl_Grey and Caipi204 in S14): +2 Necromancer skills, 25% FCR, +4-5 Teeth, +2-3 Bone Spear, +2 Bone Spirit, +4-5 Bone Armor. White in a good +Bone Spear wand is the budget pick (Hiim's planner): +2 to the poison and bone skill tree, 20% FCR. TDL says White 'performs just as well' for his Diablo Clone kill. Note that Odealo's item boxes list some vanilla stats; this guide uses the S14 data (e.g. White has +2-3 Bone Armor, not +2 Bone Spear).
Is Blood Warp worth 20 points?
For mapping, yes. Its cooldown is 150 - 5 x skill level frames, so 9 hard points plus mid-game +skills (about level 12) leave a 3.6 second cooldown, while 20 hard points plus endgame +skills reach level 30 and remove it. Odealo puts all leftover points there. Earl_Grey's variant keeps 1 point and spends the rest on Bone Wall/Bone Prison for a bigger Bone Armor. That is fine for bossing, but you will walk more.
Should I put points into Energy?
Optional. Hiim's starter planner has 50 Energy: +150 Bone Armor absorb (3 per point) and more mana for Teeth. Odealo puts nothing into Energy and everything into Vitality. Caine's S14 showcase is an extreme Energy version (244 Energy). Standard: Vitality, with some Energy early if mana is tight.
What about magic immunes?
They are rare. In S14, Kyovoshad has fire, lightning and magic immunes. Skip them or let the merc and golem kill them. The Act 4 Sanctuary aura lowers magic resistance on everything around the merc.
Is the Bone Necromancer good for bossing?
Decent. hiimpd2 rates Bone Spear T0 Moderate for Vision of Terror (Diablo Clone) and has no rating for T2 or the other ubers. Bone Spirit is the single-target skill. TDL killed Diablo Clone (S12) with the full Trang-Oul's set, Boneshade, Waterwalk and Poison and Bone grand charms, and says the same gear does Uber Tristram.
Is it a good league starter?
Yes. hiimpd2's S14 starter list includes Teeth / Bonespear (tags: Chaos, Early Map). Its starter gear is cheap runewords (Lore, Stealth, White, Splendor) and an easy-to-find amulet, and no respec is needed.
Which charms should I use?
Annihilus, a Necromancer Hellfire Torch, and +1 Poison and Bone grand charms with FHR or life (Odealo; Earl_Grey: eight with 12% FHR). Caipi204's alternative is large charms with +3% magic skill damage. Elemental damage charms do nothing for this build.

Leveling questions

Why not start Poison Nova right at clvl 30?
Because of the required-level rule: each hard point in a skill needs one more clvl than the last, so at 30 Poison Nova can hold only 1 point. Community routes level with a dagger and summoner (PD2 wiki) or Teeth/Bone (D2R guides) and respec at 32-38 (d2db). We suggest the late end of that window.
Can I level as Poison from the start?
Yes. Take Desecrate at 12 and push Desecrate and Poison Strike (they synergize each other by 22% and 25%), then add Poison Nova at 30 and one point per level after. It is weaker in Normal than the summoner but needs no respec. See the alternative leveling builds.
Which merc should a leveling Necromancer use?
Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor) for the campaign start, as the PD2 wiki Poison Strike starter suggests, then Act 2 with Insight from clvl 27 ('ol' reliable' in the wiki CE guide) for Meditation mana. Act 3 Lightning (Holy Shock + Static Field) is Odealo's endgame option for Poison Nova.
Does Spirit fit a Necromancer shrunken head?
No. Shrunken heads count as shields (Any Shield), but they have at most 3 sockets (exceptional and elite heads) and only 2 at normal tier. Use Spirit in a 4os Crystal Sword or Broad Sword (as your weapon) or a Monarch. Rhyme, Splendor and Ancients' Pledge do fit heads.
Is Curse Mastery worth 10 points?
Curse Mastery exists in S14 (a PD2 passive: one extra curse per 10 hard levels, stronger curses). The community Poison Nova build (Odealo S14) does not take it, though: spare points go into Blood Warp and Golem Mastery. Consider it only as a personal variant.
How do I handle poison immunes?
Cast Desecrate near them (5 corpses) and Corpse Explosion the corpses. That is half physical and half fire damage based on corpse life. Your golem and merc help, and Lower Resist with enough +skills can bring weaker immunities below 100%. Strong immune packs are often better skipped.
Where do I farm my first Tal Rune, Eth Rune and Sol Rune?
Countess in Normal (Tal Rune/Eth Rune) and Nightmare (Ort Rune, Thul Rune, Amn Rune, Sol Rune, Shael Rune, Dol Rune, Io Rune, Lum Rune). Also use the cube: 3 Ith Rune = Tal Rune, 3 Nef Rune = Eth Rune, 3 Amn Rune = Sol Rune.
Is Blood Warp safe?
It costs 12% of your current life plus a flat minimum, regenerated over 5 seconds. Never warp at low life, and in hardcore warp only to positions you can see are safe.

General PD2 questions

How do I respec: Akara or a Token of Absolution?
Akara: after you finish Den of Evil, Akara offers one free full respec (skills and stats) per difficulty. Use the Normal one right after switching from your leveling build. Respeccing early is fine because you get more chances later.
Token of Absolution: cube one of each of the four essences:
In PD2 the essences drop in Nightmare and Hell at the same rates, and they stack in the materials tab. Right-click the token to reset all skill and stat points. Tokens are also easy to buy from other players, so a respec is rarely a big deal. Experiment with builds freely.
Which mercenary should I hire?
PD2 reworked every merc. They have the same stats whichever difficulty you hire them in, and they all wear helm, armor, gloves, boots and belt. The PD2 merc table:
  • Act 1 Rogue: Fire (Vigor aura), Cold (Meditation), Physical (Slow Movement). Bows and crossbows.
  • Act 2 Desert Guard: Defensive (Defiance), Offensive (Blessed Aim), Combat (Thorns). Polearms, spears and javelins; one-handed weapons do double damage. There is no Might, Prayer or Holy Freeze Act 2 merc in PD2.
  • Act 3 Iron Wolf: Fire (Cleansing), Cold (Prayer), Lightning (Holy Shock plus Static Field, which Season 14 reduced to 8% life).
  • Act 4 Ascendant (new): Dark (casts Amplify Damage), Light (Sanctuary). Staves.
  • Act 5 Barbarian: Combat (Might), Warcries (Battle Orders plus Battle Cry).
The usual default is an Act 2 Defiance merc in Insight (mana, and survives well). Physical builds love Might or Battle Orders, and casters often like Act 3 Cold for Prayer. Season 14 mercs get full XP from your kills, so they keep up easily.
What are breakpoints and which ones matter?
Diablo 2 animations run in whole frames, so Faster Cast Rate (FCR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Faster Block Rate and Increased Attack Speed only help once you reach the next threshold. Anything between thresholds is wasted. PD2 uses the vanilla FCR tables, for example:
  • Sorceress FCR: 0/9/20/37/63/105/200. Frozen Orb and Chain Lightning use a slower table, 0/7/15/23/35/52/78/117/194.
  • Paladin and Necromancer FCR: 0/9/18/30/48/75/125.
For most casters, 105% (Sorceress) or 75% (Paladin and Necromancer) is the main target. Get one or two FHR breakpoints for survival, such as 42-60% on a Sorceress. PD2 attack mechanics differ from vanilla: Whirlwind ignores IAS and hits at fixed intervals, Berserk uses Frenzy breakpoints, and item IAS has diminishing returns. Use the PD2 wiki breakpoint tables or an S14-aware planner for your class and weapon. Check a breakpoint before paying a lot for 5% more FCR.
Where do I get Stealth early, and how do I farm Tal Rune and Eth Rune?
Stealth is Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor and needs clvl 17. It gives 20% FCR, 20% FHR, 10% faster run/walk, +6 Dexterity and 3 magic damage reduction, which makes it the standard leveling armor for nearly every class.
Save spare Tals: they also go into Ancients' Pledge, Spirit and Insight. With Season 14's stash rework, runes stack in their own tab and upgrades need no key.
How does the rune upgrade cube recipe work in Season 14?
Per the Season 14 game data (CubeMain.txt) and the PD2 wiki:
You can put a whole stack in at once. The same goes for gems: 3 of a gem make the next quality, and 3 flawless make a perfect (also without a key in S14). Because of the 2:1 ratio from Pul Rune upward, high runes are much easier to reach by cubing than in vanilla. Mid runes like Pul Rune, Um Rune and Mal Rune still trade well, so check the market before you cube up.
How does corruption with Worldstone Shards work?
Put an item and a Worldstone Shard in the cube and transmute. The result depends on the item:
  • Normal (white/grey) items without sockets: 50% they gain sockets (up to the base maximum), 50% they become a random rare.
  • Magic, rare, set or unique items that can have sockets (helm, chest, shield, weapon, quiver): 25% sockets (1-3 on armor, 2-4 on one-handed weapons, 3-6 on two-handed), 50% a corruption modifier, 25% "brick" into a random rare of the same type.
  • Items that cannot have sockets (gloves, boots, belt, ring, amulet): 75% a corruption modifier, 25% brick.
Modifiers come in low, mid and high rarity tiers. High-rarity rolls are things like +1 all skills or 20% FCR on chests, +1 all skills on weapons, helms and shields, or +15% FRW on boots. A corrupted item can never be corrupted again, but most other recipes still work on it, including Puzzleboxes for sockets afterwards. Runewords count as regular socketed items and can't be corrupted. Make the base corrupt first.
What should I corrupt, and in which order?
Corrupt items where a 25% brick doesn't hurt much and a good roll is worth a lot:
  • Runeword bases before you socket them. A white 0-socket base has a 50% chance to get max sockets, so it is the cheap way to make Spirit shields, Insight polearms or 4-socket armor. A bricked white base costs almost nothing.
  • Duplicate uniques or sets, or cheap ones you have spares of. Aim for sockets or high-rarity modifiers.
  • Rings, amulets, gloves, boots and belts that are good but replaceable: 75% to gain a modifier.
  • Annihilus uses the special Tainted Worldstone Shard from Rathma, not a normal shard.
For socketable uniques, the community advice is to corrupt first and Puzzlebox second. Shards are cheaper than Puzzleboxes, and boxing first doesn't lower the 25% brick chance, so you'd risk losing the box. Never corrupt your only copy of a build-defining item unless you can afford to lose it.
How do maps work, and what do I need to open one?
Maps are PD2's endgame zones. To open one you need a level 80+ character who has killed the Hell Ancients. Right-click the map in your inventory while in Harrogath in Hell. Only one map or uber zone can be opened per game. The tiers:
  • Tier 1: area level 87
  • Tier 2: area level 88
  • Tier 3: area level 89
  • Tier 4 (dungeons): area level 92, made from a T3 map with a Horadrim Scarab and meant for strong groups
Your first maps come from Anya's Hell reward, rare drops in Hell and Nightmare Act 5, and corrupted zones. After that, maps mostly drop inside maps, with a chance of higher-tier maps. Each map has affixes that add density, experience and magic/gold find, plus monster modifiers. Before opening a map, check its immunities against your build. Map events (11% on normal, 22% magic, 33% rare maps) add bonus content such as the Treasure Fallen, the Dark Wanderer (extra Worldstone Shards) or Shadow of Mendeln (Splinter of the Void).

10Season 14 changes

S13 -> S14 changes for the Bone Necromancer (PD2 wiki Patch Notes and hiimpd2's S14 page; calculations are approximate):
  • Teeth, Bone Spear, Bone Spirit, Bone Armor, Blood Warp, Clay Golem, Blood Golem: no changes in S14. The S14 notes have no line for any of them, so skill damage and synergies are the same as in S13 (Teeth +24%, Bone Spear and Bone Spirit +15% per synergy point).
  • New magic skill damage jewel prefixes (+2-3% at alvl 28, +3-5% at alvl 50; hiimpd2: 'Big buff', since the stat was scarce before). Example: Earl_Grey's eight sockets of 2-3% give +16-24% magic skill damage. If it adds like other '+% skill damage' bonuses, a 2,000-damage tooth becomes about 2,300-2,500.
  • Venomous (+3 Poison and Bone skills) can now roll on dropped rare wands, together with 'of the Magus' FCR, 'of the Eldritch' magic damage and staffmods. That is the high-end weapon Odealo says 'can potentially outperform' Boneshade.
  • Dropped rare chests, helms and shields can roll +2 class skills (alvl 75), so rare Necromancer heads and chests with +2 Necromancer skills and FCR are now possible.
  • Necromancer mana per level +2 -> +3: at clvl 90 that is +89 mana over S13, about 7 extra Teeth casts at skill level 30 (about 12 mana each).
  • Skull Collector +2 -> +2-3 Necromancer skills (Caine's Energy variant). Blackhand Key and the Gloom runeword were also buffed, but only for curses.
  • Lower Resist, Amplify Damage and Decrepify buffs don't help: they lower elemental/poison or physical resistance, not magic.
  • hiimpd2 bossing list: Bone Spear was added for Vision of Terror at T0 Moderate.
  • Maps: Kyovoshad now has magic immunes. Mercs get full experience from your kills.

11Sources

  1. hiimpd2 - S14 solo tier list (Teeth / Bonespear: Top; best time Ancestral Trial 4:23, recorded in S13) ↗
  2. hiimpd2 - S14 starter builds (Teeth / Bonespear: tagged Chaos, Early Map) ↗
  3. hiimpd2 - Bossing tier list, S14 (Bone Spear: Vision of Terror T0 Moderate, T2 Unrated; updated 2026-10-15) ↗
  4. hiimpd2 - Season 14 changes (magic damage builds: 'Big buff' from the new jewel prefixes) ↗
  5. hiimpd2 planner - 'Teeth / Bonespear' (Hiim, S14, clvl 80 Starter Build Planner) ↗
  6. hiimpd2 planner - 'Teeth / Bonespear' (Hiim, S14 base planner, budget gear) ↗
  7. hiimpd2 build showcase - 'Teeth 7,3k' (Earl_Grey, S14, clvl 99, Act 4 Sanctuary merc) ↗
  8. hiimpd2 build showcase - 'Teeth HP' (Caipi204, S14, clvl 94) ↗
  9. hiimpd2 build showcase - 'Endgame Teeth - Close not Perfect' (Caine, S14, clvl 90, Energy/Skull Collector variant) ↗
  10. Odealo - Bone Necromancer Build Guide for PD2 (last updated 2026-09-23, before the S14 launch on 2026-10-23) ↗
  11. Odealo - [S14] Project Diablo 2 Best Builds Tier List (last updated 2026-09-28, pre-launch; Bone: S tier) ↗
  12. YouTube - philanthropy777: 'PD2 S13 Necro Guide - Full Progression (Day 1 -> Midgame -> Endgame)', chapter 08:08 'Necro Day 1 - Bone Spear' (S13 video) ↗
  13. YouTube - TDL Plays Games: 'Project Diablo 2 Season 12 - Bone Spear Necromancer vs Diablo Clone | Full Trang-Oul Set' (S12 video) ↗
  14. PD2 Wiki - Poison and Bone Spells ↗
  15. PD2 Wiki - Patch Notes (S14 Alliance) ↗
  16. PD2 Wiki - Mercenaries ↗
  17. PD2 Wiki - Mercenary Skills (Act 4 Sanctuary aura levels) ↗
  18. PD2 Wiki - Breakpoints ↗
  19. PD2 Wiki - Crafting ↗
  20. PD2 Wiki - Corruptions ↗
  21. PD2 Wiki - Maps ↗
  22. Maxroll - Necromancer Leveling Guide (D2R; Teeth from clvl 2, Bone Spear from 18, +Teeth wands from Akara) ↗
  23. PD2 Wiki -- Curses ↗
  24. PD2 Wiki -- Summoning Spells ↗
  25. PD2 Wiki -- General Changes ↗
  26. PD2 Wiki -- Recipes ↗
  27. Odealo -- [S14] Poison Nova Necromancer PD2 guide (last updated 2026-09-24, before the S14 launch on 2026-10-23) ↗
  28. Odealo -- Best leveling runewords in PD2 ↗
  29. PD2 Wiki -- Guide: Starter Summon Necromancer (Skeleton Mages + Revives), updated S14 ↗
  30. PD2 Wiki -- Starter Poison Strike Necromancer (S14) ↗
  31. PD2 Wiki -- Starter Golem Necromancer ↗
  32. PD2 Wiki -- Necromancer Corpse Explosion Guide ↗
  33. d2db -- Necromancer Leveling Guide (D2R; respec to Poison Nova at 32-38) ↗
  34. PD2 Wiki - Monsters (The Countess) ↗
  35. Odealo - Corruption and Worldstone Shards guide ↗