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The Book of the Dead is unlocked at level 1 from your journey as a Necromancer in Diablo 4 (D4). Read on to learn how to unlock summon types and their sub-types for your undead army!
| All Necromancer Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
 Class Guide |
 Best Builds |
 Book of the Dead |
List of Contents
Starting at level 1 you can already access the Raise Skeleton skill which allows you to raise Skeletal Warriors to a specific number which you can increase through Aspects.
Necromancer Class Guide: Skills, Stats, and How to Play
Once you reach level 25, you'll be able to unlock the next component of the Book of the Dead to unlock the Golem skill. This is a separate skill from Raise Skeleton that summons melee skeletons and skeletal mages as this is a skill that allows you to summon a golem that can deal massive amounts of damage and tank strong hits without dying!
The Book of the Undead allows you to choose one of two upgrades for your summon sub-type, granting them buffs and abilities to enhance their prowess and utility.
The Book also allows you to sacrifice a summon sub-type in exchange for permanent buffs for your character but you will no longer be able to summon that type.
For example, sacrificing a Reaper grants you a permanent increase in shadow damage, but you will no longer be able to summon Skeletal Warriors.
 Raise Skeleton
|
→ | Warrior (Skirmisher) |
Sacrifice |
|---|---|---|---|
| → | Mage (Cold) |
Sacrifice | |
 Golem
|
→ | Iron | Sacrifice |
The best Book of the Dead effects above are for Necromancer builds that sacrifice summons. Most of these builds are top-tier Necromancer builds, like the Bone Spear Endgame Build.
| Skeletal Warriors | Effects |
|---|---|
| Skirmishers (Level:5) |
Main Effect:Sword-Wielding skeletal minions that deal 30% increased damage but have 15% reduced life. Upgrade 1:You can raise one additional Skirmisher Warrior. Upgrade 2: Each time you Critically Strike, your Skirmishers Warrior's next attack Critically Strikes and deals 50% bonus Critical Strike damage. Can only happen every 3 seconds. Sacrifice: Your Critical Strike Chance is increased by 5%, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors. |
| Defenders (Level:8) |
Main Effect:Increases Max HP Upgrade 1: Every 8 seconds, your Skeletal Defenders negate the next instance of Direct Damage they would take. Upgrade 2: Increase the amount of Thorns that Defender Warriors inherit from you from 30% to 50%. Sacrifice: You gain 15% non-physical resistance but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors. |
| Reapers (Level:12) |
Main Effect:Deals AoE damage every few seconds. Upgrade 1: Repear attacks against immobilized, slowed, stunned, or vulnerable enemies reduce the cooldown of their powerful wind-up attack by 2 seconds. Upgrade 2: Reapers have a 15% chance to carve flesh off enemies, forming a corpse. Sacrifice: You deal 10% increased shadow damage, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Warriors. |
| Skeletal Mages | Effects |
| Shadow (Level:15) |
Main Effect: Converts Skeletal Mage damage to Shadow. Upgrade 1: Shadow Mage attacks have a 10% chance to Stun for 2.2 seconds. This cannot happen on the same enemy more than once every 5 seconds. Upgrade 2: Shadow Mages fire an additional shadow bolt every 6th attack. Sacrifice: Your maximum Essence is increased by 15 but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages. |
| Cold (Level:18) |
Main Effect: Converts Skeletal Mage damage to Cold. Upgrade 1: Each time your Cold Mages damage enemies with their primary attack, you gain 2 essences. Upgrade 2: Enemies who are Frozen by or damaged while Frozen by your Cold mages' primary attack are made Vulnerable for 3 seconds. Sacrifice: You deal 15% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages. |
| Bone (Level:22) |
Main Effect: Deals higher damage but drains the Skeletal Mage's HP per attack Upgrade 1: Reduce the Life cost of your Bone Mages' attacks from 15% to 10%. After being alive for 5 seconds, Bone Mages deal 40% increased damage. Upgrade 2: Each time a Bone Mage dies from its attack, they leave behind a corpse and Fortify you for 11% of your Base Life. Sacrifice: Your Overpower damage is increased by 30%, but you can no longer raise Skeletal Mages. |
| Golem | Effects |
| Bone (Level:25) |
Main Effect: Activate to make the golem head to a direction then taunt all enemies. Upgrade 1: Each time your Bone Golem takes up to 20% of its maximum Life as damage, it sheds a corpse. Upgrade 2: Your Bone Golem gains 10% maximum Life and the amount of Thorns they inherit from you is increased from 30% to 50% Sacrifice: You gain 10% increased Attack Speed, but you lose the ability to summon a Golem. |
| Blood (Level:28) |
Main Effect: Drains blood from nearby enemies and bolster itself. Upgrade 1: Your Blood Golem absorbs 15% of the damage you would take. Upgrade 2: While Healthy, your Blood Golem gains 25% Damage Reduction and 50% increased damage. Sacrifice: Your maximum life is increased by 15% but you lose the ability to summon a Golem. |
| Iron (Level:32) |
Main Effect: An amalgamation of steel that slams the ground and stuns targets. Upgrade 1: Every 5th Iron Golem attack causes a shockwave, dealing XX damage to the primary enemy and to the enemies behind it. Upgrade 2: Your Iron Golem's attack also makes enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds. Sacrifice: You deal 30% increased Critical Strike damage but you lose the ability to summon a Golem. |
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Necromancer Book of the Dead Guide
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