1h Melee Necro (Dagger & Dex)

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Dexterity Based Melee Necro (Dagger & Shield)


Overview
This character is a Melee oriented Necromancer, specifically using a dagger/shield combo and stacking insane amounts of dexterity for tons of damage and defense. The play-style is easy, and the gearing is cheap… I would recommend this build to anybody who is new to Median or making their first attempts at Median’s end game content.

This guide will develop as the adventure goes on… if you’re curious where I’ve made it just check the bottom of this post. I have played this character 100% Single Player (Solo Self Found & Untwinked) and have been extremely pleased with it.

This is also my first Median Guide so I am open to suggestions/criticism!

PATCH 1.1.0 UPDATE: Melee Necro got somewhat of a buff in this patch. First, we get added movement speed, more damage, removed morph, and our very own summon... all good things! However, we lose some defense, and now we have more passives to spread points among.

PROS
Can clear a decent amount of game content
TU gear will carry through 115 Ubers
Fairly tanky, 500k def with TUs, 1m endgame
Decent single target and AOE damages
Endgame block around 60%
Fun to stack dex!

CONS
Necro hit recovery feels meh
Easy/boring gameplay (pro for some)
Melee Playstyle


EARLY GAME (LVL 1 – 104)

STATS
Strength: Enough for gear.
Dexterity: Everything else.
Vitality: None.
Energy: None.

SKILLS
Embalming – Max. This is where we get our big life pool from. Any +flat life on gear will make this passive shine.
Death Pact - Max. Gives us TCD and physical damage.
Deathward – Max. Gives us more TCD and avoid.
Carnage – 7 points. Our main single target skill, 7 points will remove the cooldown. Anything more just adds attack rating which we dont need.
Famine/Parasite – Remaining. We get life leech and movement speed from Famine, and even with a single point we still get the hefty damage bonus from dex (this will exceed 1000% weapon physical damage endgame). Parasite gives us a better AoE attack, handy in many uber encounters. It's up to you where to sink your leftover points.
Deathlord – Max. This makes us attack faster, adds block, gives flat STR and DEX, and most importantly gives us a buttload of flat defense. It is possible to achieve over 100k flat added defense! Insane.
Talon's Hold (Ennead Skill) – 1 point. Can’t go wrong with extra slow and good reanimates… both will help you survive.
Rathma's Chosen (Uber Skill) – 1 point. A nice little attack speed boost, and a friend to play along with.

GEAR
Weapon:
Compass of Souls
Compass of Souls
Hexblade (4)

(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 11
Required Dexterity: 27
Item Level: 19
Innate Fire Damage: (10.0% of Dexterity)
Adds 5-6 Fire Damage
Adds 5-8 Fire Damage
-(4 to 6)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana +(21 to 25)%
+1 Mana on Striking
Socketed (1)
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 30
Required Dexterity: 53
Item Level: 36
Innate Fire Damage: (15.0% of Dexterity)
Adds 14-20 Fire Damage
Adds 10-20 Fire Damage
-(7 to 9)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+35 to Strength
+35 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana +(31 to 35)%
+2 Mana on Striking
Socketed (2)
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 51
Required Dexterity: 114
Item Level: 59
Innate Fire Damage: (20.0% of Dexterity)
Adds 40-60 Fire Damage
Adds 40-60 Fire Damage
-(10 to 12)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+50 to Strength
+50 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana +(41 to 45)%
+3 Mana on Striking
Socketed (2)
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 59
Required Dexterity: 233
Item Level: 85
Innate Fire Damage: (25.0% of Dexterity)
Adds 120-160 Fire Damage
Adds 120-150 Fire Damage
-(13 to 15)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+65 to Strength
+65 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana +(46 to 50)%
+4 Mana on Striking
Socketed (3)
Good +STR/+DEX, 20% UA, and extra fire damage. Once you get a sacred base, there are a handful of runewords you can upgrade to. I chose
Berith
for the stats, but you could also use
King's Blood

King's Blood
Daggers
Except Throwing Knives

'VezLo'
Runeword Level: 115
+(3 to 4) to All Skills
20% Cast Speed
15% Block Speed
+167 to Minimum Damage
(32 to 42)% Life stolen per Hit
+200% Enhanced Damage
+(61 to 80) to all Attributes
Maximum Block Chance +5%
+7% to Experience Gained
+3 to Light Radius
,
Seid
, and others. High phys damage is your goal.
Shield:
Hellspeak
Hellspeak
Demon Head (4)

Defense: (140 - 160) to (273 - 313)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 10
Required Dexterity: 36
Item Level: 10
15% Chance to cast level 2 Doom on Kill
+(6 to 13) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(3 to 4)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Defense
(11 to 15)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 2%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (445 - 495) to (817 - 909)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 28
Required Dexterity: 54
Item Level: 31
21% Chance to cast level 6 Doom on Kill
+(21 to 25) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(5 to 6)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 3%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1105 - 1199) to (1987 - 2157)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 45
Required Dexterity: 113
Item Level: 51
27% Chance to cast level 10 Doom on Kill
+(31 to 35) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(7 to 8)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(31 to 35)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 4%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1640 - 1768) to (2939 - 3170)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 54
Required Dexterity: 236
Item Level: 77
30% Chance to cast level 12 Doom on Kill
+(36 to 40) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(9 to 10)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
(36 to 40)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 5%
Socketed (4)
Look at all that %dex. Also has doom proc, added damage, and other good stats.
Helmet:
Topspin
Topspin
Skull Cap (4)

Defense: (76 - 83) to (115 - 125)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 1
5% Attack Speed
+(31 to 50)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 50) Defense
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
(3 to 5)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
10% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (1)
Defense: (277 - 301) to (365 - 397)
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
15% Attack Speed
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
+(71 to 100) Defense
(6 to 8)% to Dexterity
(6 to 8)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
20% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (3)
Defense: (704 - 760) to (876 - 943)
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 192
Item Level: 51
25% Attack Speed
+(91 to 110)% Enhanced Defense
+(151 to 200) Defense
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
(9 to 11)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
30% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1182 - 1258) to (1471 - 1564)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 384
Item Level: 77
30% Attack Speed
+(121 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
+(301 to 400) Defense
(12 to 14)% to Dexterity
(12 to 14)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
40% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
or
Haareis
Haareis
Diadem (4)

Defense: 36 to 80
Required Level: 10
Required Dexterity: 28
Item Level: 1
1% Chance to cast level 1 Shackles of Ice on Melee Attack
Adds 5-7 Cold Damage
(2 to 4)% Life stolen per Hit
(4 to 6)% to Strength
(4 to 6)% to Dexterity
(4 to 6)% to Vitality
Cold Resist +(16 to 25)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 103 to 194
Required Level: 28
Required Dexterity: 57
Item Level: 31
2% Chance to cast level 5 Shackles of Ice on Melee Attack
Adds 18-20 Cold Damage
(8 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
(7 to 9)% to Strength
(7 to 9)% to Dexterity
(7 to 9)% to Vitality
Cold Resist +(36 to 45)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 215 to 386
Required Level: 46
Required Dexterity: 137
Item Level: 51
3% Chance to cast level 9 Shackles of Ice on Melee Attack
Adds 55-65 Cold Damage
(14 to 16)% Life stolen per Hit
(10 to 12)% to Strength
(10 to 12)% to Dexterity
(10 to 12)% to Vitality
Cold Resist +(56 to 65)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: 296 to 523
Required Level: 54
Required Dexterity: 294
Item Level: 77
4% Chance to cast level 11 Shackles of Ice on Melee Attack
Adds 175-190 Cold Damage
(17 to 19)% Life stolen per Hit
(13 to 15)% to Strength
(13 to 15)% to Dexterity
(13 to 15)% to Vitality
Cold Resist +(66 to 75)%
Socketed (4)
Both have %dex and good offensive stats, but Topspin is my favorite here.
Armor:
Leather of Aut
Leather of Aut
Hard Leather Armor (4)

Defense: (66 - 75) to (132 - 151)
Required Level: 2
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 1
+(2 to 4) to Whirlpool
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Strength
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
(3 to 5)% to Vitality
(11 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (2)
Defense: (267 - 297) to (449 - 500)
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
+(5 to 8) to Whirlpool
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Strength
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
(9 to 11)% to Vitality
(21 to 30)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
Defense: (701 - 761) to (1131 - 1228)
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 193
Item Level: 51
+(9 to 12) to Whirlpool
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Strength
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
(15 to 17)% to Vitality
(31 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1052 - 1135) to (1691 - 1823)
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 385
Item Level: 77
+(13 to 16) to Whirlpool
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Strength
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
(18 to 20)% to Vitality
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (6)
Stat boosts, TCD, 40% UA. You could also use
Shroud Royal
Shroud Royal
Full Plate Mail (4)

Defense: (336 - 390) to (676 - 786)
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 35
Item Level: 29
Additional Strength Damage Bonus: 0.01171875%
+(1 to 2) to Vanquish
+(35 to 57)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Physical Damage Reduced by (7 to 10)
(6 to 8)% Gold Find
(6 to 8)% Magic Find
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1082 - 1213) to (2067 - 2318)
Required Level: 28
Required Strength: 70
Item Level: 40
Additional Strength Damage Bonus: 0.015625%
+(5 to 6) to Vanquish
+(81 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to All Attributes
Physical Damage Reduced by (15 to 18)
(10 to 12)% Gold Find
(10 to 12)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2707 - 2983) to (5055 - 5570)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 245
Item Level: 67
Additional Strength Damage Bonus: 0.01953125%
+(9 to 10) to Vanquish
+(126 to 149)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to All Attributes
Physical Damage Reduced by (23 to 26)
(14 to 16)% Gold Find
(14 to 16)% Magic Find
Socketed (5)
Defense: (4043 - 4401) to (7534 - 8200)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 490
Item Level: 85
Additional Strength Damage Bonus: 0.0234375%
+(11 to 12) to Vanquish
+(149 to 171)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to All Attributes
Physical Damage Reduced by (27 to 30)
(18 to 20)% Gold Find
(18 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (6)
, but I wouldn’t go past T3 because of the strength requirement.
Belt: Honorific with Res/TCD/FHR/Dex
Gloves: Honorific with Res/TCD/FHR/Dex. Could also use
Wormtongue
Wormtongue
Light Belt (4)

Defense: (53 - 58) to (71 - 78)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 26
Item Level: 1
(31 to 50)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5-13 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(2 to 4)% Life stolen per Hit
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(11 to 15) to Dexterity
Socketed (1)
Defense: (214 - 231) to (259 - 279)
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
(71 to 90)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 19-50 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(8 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (544 - 581) to (649 - 693)
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 192
Item Level: 51
(111 to 130)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 75-150 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(14 to 16)% Life stolen per Hit
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (801 - 851) to (946 - 1006)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 384
Item Level: 77
(131 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 100-250 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(17 to 19)% Life stolen per Hit
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
.
Boots:
Zealot Rush
Zealot Rush
Light Plated Boots (4)

Defense: (67 - 78) to (102 - 119)
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 31
Item Level: 10
5% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(11 to 25)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(21 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
1% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (1)
Defense: (248 - 281) to (338 - 384)
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 62
Item Level: 36
10% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(41 to 55)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (2)
Defense: (613 - 685) to (817 - 914)
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 218
Item Level: 51
20% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(71 to 85)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
3% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (3)
Defense: (944 - 1044) to (1247 - 1378)
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 436
Item Level: 85
30% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(86 to 100)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(81 to 100)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
4% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (4)
%Dex, IAS and reanimates. Don’t bother taking to T4 until you have some charms and can afford the strength.
Amulet:
Scarab of Death
Scarab of Death
Amulet

Required Level: 40
Item Level: 70
50% Attack Speed
50% Cast Speed
50% Hit Recovery
Elemental Resists +25%
Physical Resist -5%
5% Reanimate as: Random Monster
or
Angel Heart
Angel Heart
Amulet

Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
(5 to 10)% to Strength
(5 to 10)% to Dexterity
(15 to 25)% Bonus to Defense
+(3 to 5) to Light Radius
are ideal. Anything else with good stats works too.
Rings:
Ring of Truth
Ring of Truth
Ring

Required Level: 20
Item Level: 20
25% Block Speed
15% Hit Recovery
(31 to 50)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Slows Attacker by (3 to 5)%
(11 to 15)% Bonus to Defense
+2 to Light Radius
for defensive or
Ripstar
Ripstar
Ring

Required Level: 60
Item Level: 60
+0.5625 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+20 Life on Melee Attack
for offensive. Anything else with good stats works too.

Sockets: Use resistance gems in your armor and diamonds in your shield, until you can get high res honorifics. After that point, change all armor sockets to amethysts and your shield and weapon sockets to IO runes, all in the interest of getting as much %dex as possible.
MOs: Resistances as needed to stay maxed, then TCD followed by +dex. Put some Mana on Attack on your dagger to negate any problems there.

LEVELING & GAMEPLAY
I would recommend buying a dagger before you first walk out of town. Keep carnage maxed until skill level 7, and I would also keep Dragonfire Oil and Famine maxed until you achieve Level 24 and get Deathlord. Respec here, and distribute points as noted above.

For items, try to get the TU shield asap because it gives a massive dex bonus and will boost your damage and defense greatly. Then go for the dagger. You can pretty much steamroll content up to Act 5 just using items you find along the way, at which point I would recommend farming Nihlithak for enough crystals to outfit yourself with the gears mentioned above. Complete the level challenge (super easy), and keep upgrading gear to T3 and T4 as you go. You should have no trouble clearing all the way through Nightmare difficulty.

When you reach Level 90, respec your points again to maximize your dexterity and also drop your single points into Rathma's Chosen and Talon's Hold. If you have the cash, I would also create your honorifics if you haven't yet, going for lots of resistance and TCD. MO the rest of your gear as needed.

Before you go rushing into Hell mode, make sure you get all the veteran tokens and cube with your class charm. You don’t want to miss out on 20% experience gains.

Continue on through Hell mode until you ding 105, and I would suggest working up to the Ancients Way in Act 5. If you haven’t hit 105 by that point, any of the elite zones are a great place to go level (I like the Frozen Tundra one). You shouldn’t have too much trouble reaching this point, except for maybe a few select enemies (Broken Souls, Lifebloods, etc.), and act bosses may take a bit of patience since your damage isn’t too crazy yet. Do not get discouraged here... things will get hard less easy for a short while until you can get a few charms in your inventory.


MID GAME (LVL 105 – 119)

STATS & SKILLS stay the same as before. Keep pumping points into dex!

GEAR
DISCLAIMER: I make these gear recommendations based on what appears to be a solid choice from the documentation. I myself play Solo Self Found, so I don’t have the luxury of obtaining some of these items for testing. Mini-rant: I play SSF because it is my opinion that the game is infinitely more enjoyable when you find items along the way rather than purchasing them. For what it’s worth, I completed all Ubers through level 115 with the gear listed in the Early Game section! So don’t get discouraged if you can’t find these items… just enjoy the game and use what you treasures you stumble upon! End of mini-rant.

Weapon: Weird or Abandon Crafted/Blessed Necro Dagger. Go for high damage, procs, +skills/stats, and %dex.
Shield:
Hellspeak
Hellspeak
Demon Head (4)

Defense: (140 - 160) to (273 - 313)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 10
Required Dexterity: 36
Item Level: 10
15% Chance to cast level 2 Doom on Kill
+(6 to 13) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(3 to 4)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Defense
(11 to 15)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 2%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (445 - 495) to (817 - 909)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 28
Required Dexterity: 54
Item Level: 31
21% Chance to cast level 6 Doom on Kill
+(21 to 25) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(5 to 6)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 3%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1105 - 1199) to (1987 - 2157)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 45
Required Dexterity: 113
Item Level: 51
27% Chance to cast level 10 Doom on Kill
+(31 to 35) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(7 to 8)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(31 to 35)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 4%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1640 - 1768) to (2939 - 3170)
Chance to Block: 2%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 54
Required Dexterity: 236
Item Level: 77
30% Chance to cast level 12 Doom on Kill
+(36 to 40) to Maximum Damage
Stun Attack
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
(9 to 10)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
(36 to 40)% to Dexterity
Fire Absorb 5%
Socketed (4)
%Dex on this can’t be beaten.
Helmet:
Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Hood
Cap (Sacred)

Defense: (2136 - 2611) to (2161 - 2642)
Required Level: 90
Required Strength:
250
Item Level: 1
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
(16 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

Witchhunter's Attire
(Assassin Claw Set)
%Dex and great other stats.
Armor:
Zerae's Redemption
Zerae's Redemption
Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (7374 - 8171) to (8485 - 9421)
Required Level: 90
Required Strength:
468
Item Level: 1
30% Combat Speeds
(11 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+1000 Defense
(26 to 30)% to Dexterity
(26 to 30)% to Energy
+(101 to 200) to Life
Requirements -25%
Socketed (6)

Zerae's Divinity
(Amazon Storm Set)
Speaks for itself.
Belt:
Serpent's Coil
Serpent's Coil
Belt (Sacred)

Defense: (2374 - 2967) to (2520 - 3150)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
345
Item Level: 1
+1 to Assassin Skill Levels
15% Attack Speed
30% Hit Recovery
+(100 to 150)% Enhanced Defense
(11 to 15)% to Dexterity
Requirements -40%
Socketed (2)

The Snake Pit
(Assassin Naginata Set)
or keep Honorific.
Gloves:
Blind Anger
Blind Anger
Light Gauntlets (Sacred)

Defense: (1179 - 1447) to (1342 - 1647)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 600
Item Level: 105
8% Chance to cast level 13 Crucify on Melee Attack
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
(1 to 5)% Chance of Crushing Blow
Blinds Attacker +3
+(120 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(11 to 15)% to All Attributes
Socketed (4)
or keep Honorific.
Boots:
Celestia's Charge
Celestia's Charge
Light Plated Boots (Sacred)

Defense: (1881 - 2116) to (2083 - 2343)
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 1
2% Chance to cast level 6 Celerity on Kill
(20 to 50)% Movement Speed
20% Hit Recovery
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 50) to Strength
(11 to 15)% to Dexterity
(11 to 15)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)

Celestia's Myth
(Amazon Spear Set)
.
Amulet:
Klaatu Barada Nikto
Klaatu Barada Nikto
Amulet

Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
30% Enhanced Damage vs. Necrobots
10% Chance to cast level 40 Nova Bomb on Melee Attack
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
Adds 1-188 Lightning Damage
+650 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
Stun Attack
+(11 to 16) to Hive
Lightning Resist +(40 to 50)%
Poison Resist +(40 to 50)%
or
Locket of Dreams
Locket of Dreams
Amulet

Required Level: 100
Item Level: 105
+(2 to 3) to All Skills
+100 to Vitality
+(150 to 200) Life when Struck by an Enemy
25% Gold Find
+10 to Light Radius
.
Rings:
Adrenaline Rush
Adrenaline Rush
Ring

Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
40% Combat Speeds
40% Movement Speed
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
or
Der Nebelring
Der Nebelring
Ring

Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
+(20 to 30)% to Summoned Minion Life
+15% to Summoned Minion Damage
+1000 Defense
+400 to Life
Physical Resist (4 to 6)%
+(40 to 50) Life after each Kill
+2 to Light Radius
for the +life.

Sockets: Perfect Amethysts in all your armors and IO runes in your shield. For the weapon I would also go IO runes if you aren't using a runeword, and if you are using one than Ber craft two nice jewels to go in it. For a nice Quality of Life, make one of them an indestructible jewel (we hit fast, weapons degrade quickly).
MOs: Resistances as needed to stay maxed, then TCD followed by +dex. If you still have remaining space on armors, MO for block speed. Put flat defense on your jewelry.

GAMEPLAY
It’s time to plow through the first Ubers. Do so, using the uber section below for assistance, and hope you find some nice gear along the way. The Island of the Sunless Sea is a great place to level from 105 to 110, and will net you a ton of cash to keep MO’ing your gear with anything helpful.

At 110, it’s the same thing, you should be knocking most of these Ubers out of the park. For leveling here, you have two options. The first is The Secret Cow Level, which is better experience and better item drops. The second is the Torajan Jungles, where experience is still plentiful and there are better odds of dropping stat signets. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t farm up 500 signets like many folks say to do, but if you were curious in doing so, know that with your current gear/charms, an extra 500 points sunk into dex will give you over 2000 more total dex. That’s an extra 500% physical weapon damage and an extra 40k flat defense.

115 really isn’t much different, but you can now get your Black Road skill (if you want it). While this buff doesn’t deal much damage, it may help finish off some stragglers and help proc on-kill effects. This is now the point where I would begin trying to farm some better gear if you haven’t already. You have plenty of options to farm what you want and where you want. K3BA would be my personal recommendation, because there are plenty of decent set items we can make use of and anything you don’t need can be turned into signets. It’s also a dense area and experience is pretty good. If you have really good defense (600k+), Tran Athulua may appeal to you more for the unique item bias. Regardless of where you go, keep at it until level 120 rolls around.


MY GEAR AFTER COMPLETING ALL 115 UBERS
► Show Spoiler



END GAME (LVL 120 – 150)

STATS & SKILLS stay the same as before. Keep pumping points into dex! After every handful of charms you collect, I suggest respecing to move as much strength points into dex as possible.

GEAR
Weapon:
The Defiler
The Defiler
Spirit Edge (Sacred)

One-Hand Damage: (170 - 211) to (362 - 441)
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 537
Item Level: 120
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.13 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
Parasite: +6 Targets
Deathlord Morph
+(1 to 3) to Necromancer Skill Levels
Adds (90 to 115)-(220 to 270) Damage
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
(10 to 15)% Deadly Strike
Socketed (3)
,
Roc

Roc
Necromancer Daggers

'EldOhm'
Runeword Level: 70
15% Hit Recovery
Thunder Slam Cooldown Reduced by 3 seconds
+(46 to 55) to Maximum Damage
+(141 to 171)% Enhanced Damage
+(9 to 12) to Thunder Slam
(3 to 5)% Chance of Crushing Blow
Hit Causes Monster to Flee +25%
25% to Strength
25% to Dexterity
7% Reanimate as: Random Monster
or
King's Blood (Xis)
. Depends on what you find easier to obtain (SU, GR or Xis), but all three are pretty solid options.
Shield: Abandon Crafted/Blessed Necro Shield with 1% block, skills and good dex roll.
Feardrinker
Feardrinker
Zombie Head (Sacred)

Defense: (2802 - 3312) to (3117 - 3684)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Necromancer Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 438
Item Level: 120
+15% Malice Skill Damage
+(2 to 5) to Necromancer Skill Levels
2% Base Block Chance
+(20 to 30)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(20 to 28) to Wrath
+(120 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
+120 Life Regenerated per Second
+(300 to 500) to Life
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Socketed (4)
is also an option for the block, skills and max life/res.
Helmet:
Royal Circlet
Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)

Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+50% Damage to Demons
+50% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
.
Armor:
Wolverine Skin
Wolverine Skin
Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (6374 - 7171) to (7485 - 8421)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
312
Item Level: 120
15% Chance to cast level 20 Crucify on Melee Attack
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
50% Hit Recovery
+40 to Maximum Damage
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(50 to 100) to Strength
+(50 to 100) to Dexterity
+50 Life Regenerated per Second
50% Magic Find
Requirements -50%
Socketed (6)
or
Arkaine's Valor
Arkaine's Valor
Splint Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (9532 - 10839) to (12577 - 14093)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 600
Item Level: 120
50% of Your Bonus to Defense Added as Vitality
+1 to All Skills
50% Hit Recovery
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(3000 to 5000) Defense
Physical Resist 10%
Socketed (6)
.
Belt:
Black Void
Black Void
Heavy Belt (Sacred)

Defense: (3060 - 3442) to (3304 - 3717)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
20% Attack Speed
Adds 10-15 Damage
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
Slow Target 10%
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Target Takes Additional Damage of (25 to 50)
30% Magic Find
Socketed (2)
.
Gloves:
Rogue Foresight
Rogue Foresight
Heavy Gloves (Sacred)

Defense: 492 to 522
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 525
Item Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
5% Deadly Strike
-10% to Strength
20% to Dexterity
Physical Resist 5%
Socketed (4)
.
Boots:
Akarat's Trek
Akarat's Trek
Light Plated Boots (Sacred)

Defense: (1960 - 2352) to (2170 - 2604)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
2% Chance to cast level 30 Hammertime on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Wave on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Hammer Nova on Melee Attack
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(15 to 20) to Charged Strike
Weapon Physical Damage +(60 to 90)%
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
10% to All Attributes
+10 to Light Radius
Socketed (4)
or
Knight's Grace
Knight's Grace
Greaves (Sacred)

Defense: (2232 - 2481) to (2519 - 2799)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
780
Item Level: 120
2% Chance to cast level 35 Knife Throw on Striking
+1 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
Adds 10-25 Damage
+(170 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(15 to 25) to all Attributes
Physical Resist 5%
Requirements +20%
Socketed (4)
. Abandon Crafted/Blessed boots are also an option.
Amulet:
Beads of the Snake Queen
Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet

Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 Damage
Stun Attack
+(200 to 500) Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+100 Life after each Kill
.
Rings:
Signet of the Gladiator
Signet of the Gladiator
Ring

Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
2% Chance to cast level 50 Shadow Blade on Striking
+1 to All Skills
1% Base Block Chance
Elemental Resists -25%
or a well rolled
Ouroboros
Ouroboros
Ring

Required Level: 110
Item Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
(-15 to 25)% to Strength
(-15 to 25)% to Dexterity
(-15 to 25)% to Vitality
(-15 to 25)% to Energy
.

Sockets: Same as before.
MOs: Same as before. After you have a handful of charms you can stop using all res MOs and add more block speed.


GAMEPLAY - STILL WORKING ON THIS (see character progression below)


UBERS
LVL 105 DUNGEONS:
Horror Under Tristram - Easy
Carnage.

Infernal Machine - Easy
Approach with caution, using Parasite to clear packs. Work your way to the boss and Carnage.

Death Projector - Easy
Lure most of the guys away, and then Carnage on the boss.


LVL 105 RIFTS:
Island of the Sunless Sea - Easy
Carnage for the Angels, Parasite for everything else.


LVL 110 DUNGEONS:
Assault on Mount Arreat – Easy
No troubles here, just don’t get pummeled by 15 barbarians at once.

The Binding of Baal – Easy
Parasite and Carnage.

Akarat – Easy
Literally just Carnage your way into the herd and he will die fast.

Lord Aldric Jitan – Easy
Don’t pull more than two or three guards at a time and you will be fine.

Horazon’s Sanctum – Easy
Carnage FTW.


LVL 110 RIFTS:
The Secret Cow Level – Easy
For this I like to use Carnage as the main skill, as too many cows will prevent Parasite from killing quickly. Try and get Carnage going before you get swarmed. Parasite makes a great clean up skill though when the packs are thinned out.

Torajan Jungles – Easy
Nothing in here is difficult. I go Parasite for everything except the big guys. Carnage for them.


LVL 115 DUNGEONS:
Black Road - Easy
Use Jitans Gate or Angel of Death to get in and out of the fire circle and away from the Beacon. When you have Boyard in the circle just spam Carnage on him. You will get swarmed by cultists but should be able to withstand/clear them just fine. I did this with TU/Honorifics as soon as I hit 115.

Legacy of Blood - Easy
Use Angel of Death to get ontop of Bartuc and spam Carnage. When you start taking a lot of damage use Jitan's Gate to teleport away and heal up, then AoD right back in. You can use Parasite to clear the golems, even while attacking Bartuc.

Bull Prince Rodeo - Easy
With our defenses, the chickens are the only thing that hurts pretty bad. Spam Carnage, and when he cast the chicken spell just Jitan's Gate or Angel of Death to get away. BPR will likely pounce on you, but it doesn't really hurt so just keep hitting him and repeating as needed. Keeping a potion up helps. Repeat until you get a decent dex charm.

Rathma Square - Easy
Carnage on Inarus, throwing in some Parasites as needed to keep crawlers at bay. Jitan's helps to catch a breath if you are taking heavy damage.

The Veiled Prophet - Easy
When you walk in, the ball will shoot lasers and the nuns will come after you. Avoid both, and once the lasers stop just Jitan onto the ball and Carnage until its gone. Go after the Clerics next, dodging Inarus and additional nuns as needed. Inarus is easy when it's just him.

Heart of Sin - Easy
Getting to Azmodan is the hardest part here. When fighting him, your biggest threats are the molten boulder guys and the flame strike. Both are pretty easy to avoid... the molten boulders are easy to spot and the flamestrike's upfront damage won't kill you immediately if you don't see it coming.


LVL 115 RIFTS:
Kurast 3000BA - Easy
Farming here is very easy, or just sprint/AoD your way to the three necromancers and, you guessed it, Carnage.

High Heavens - Easy
Easy enough, just avoid the punisher balls. Jitan or AoD onto the Avatars if you aren't in danger of punishers hitting you there.

Tran Athula - Easy
Parasite is your skill to use here for general clearing, but Carnage for the Priestesses. If you haven’t farmed any gear upgrades yet, just take it easy and don’t pull massive packs. If you have around 700k defense and a high uninterruptible attack (I’d aim for 90%+) then this area becomes a cake walk.


LVL 120 DUNGEONS:
Twin Seas - Medium
The constant stuns are the most frustrating thing here. If you keep a potion up you can tank most, if not all, the damage. When you need a breather from the guided chains just AoD or Jitan and run far away, heal up, and resume. Recommend 100% chance uninterruptible attack here, and 700k+ defense.

Eve of Destruction - Medium
Go the facetank method here. Keep a potion up the whole time, and when his summons pop up dispatch them quickly. Don’t be too afraid of the magic AoE spell, it doesn’t hurt as bad as you think. Try and get Baal in that funk where he just sits and casts spells without moving all over the place, and you can easily remove ¼ of his life before he changes things up again.

Quov Tsin - Not Completed Yet

Judgement Day - Medium
Jitan onto bosses and Carnage. I find these fights to vary greatly in difficulty… sometimes I can wipe them out without any taking any damage, sometimes I die to each one. If you have a good first fight, rush to the other boss and go for the upgrade. Each fight only takes about 6 seconds if deathless.

Banisher of Light - Not Completed Yet

Kingdom of Shadow - Not Completed Yet


LVL 120 RIFTS:
Teganze - Not Completed Yet

The Triune - Not Completed Yet

Duncraig - Easy
This character does amazing in Duncraig. Watch out for barrels and you shouldn't have any problems.




CURRENT CHARACTER PROGRESSION
I stopped playing this character around level 120 due to some personal things that requires my attention. Please review the comments for input and suggestions by other great players who have been able to take this build much farther than I was able to.
Edited by Semigloss 4 years.
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billy500
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Nice Job so far, don't forget about ring choices.
SirPerfluous_
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Ignore accidental double post
Edited by SirPerfluous_ 4 years.
SirPerfluous_
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Trying out your version in the new season. I have played a scythe melee necro before and loved it!
Also maybe add some information about your MO's on gear. Do we use life on attack or life leech on weapon, I forgot?
Thanks for the well written guide.
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morphed
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the new deathlord form is bugged, you cant hit 6 fpa with scythe/dagger ive tested with 500 ias and its limited to 9fpa for scyhte 8 for dagger, bugged for sure
SirPerfluous_
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Ok I thought so...it seems sooo slow in deathlord form compared to before.

Definitely think it's bugged as well
Govl_diablo
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Death ward is 24lvl support skill now btw.
Semigloss
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Thank you for the comments, I will add/update accordingly. And Deathlord is bugged I agree. It also appears my total armor and damage both decreased significantly with this patch. Overall, this patch in its current state feels like a huge nerf.

Waiting for the deathlord issue to be resolved before I push further on this character.
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iDonors
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i have finished all ubers up to 115 with relative ease and i am still in TU's. It feels pretty smooth to me. But take into consideration i never played melee necro before. Currently have 9k life 700k def with 30% block still in TU's. Must say i am having a blast.
thysick
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What UBER skill to get? Just Talon hold ? im lvl 24 and 1 point in Deathlord... but cant seem to be able to cast the Buff... oh WOW... make sure you have 500 mana... to be able to cast the Buff....