The Necromancer is already known to many of you from Diablo 2. Now the Necro is also available in Diablo 3. Which one is better?
You could already play a Necromancer in Blizzard’s last installment of the hack and slash series. However, in Diablo 2, the Necro was different from the new Necromancer in Diablo 3, which was released a few days ago.
We show you how the “old” and “new” versions of the Diablo Necromancer differ. What could the old one do better? Where does the new one excel?
Necromancer from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 Compared
In this comparison, we will look at some differences between the two necromancers. What has “the new one” taken from the original? Was the old Necromancer better, or is the new one a worthy successor?
We will specifically focus on the pets and companions that you can count as a Necromancer in your army. But the two variants of the Necro also differ in curses and bone abilities.
Minions / Pets – Which last longer?
Summoning Skeletons
- Diablo 2
- With “Raise Skeleton,” the Necro can summon a skeleton from an enemy corpse to fight by his side. Due to lag issues, the limit of skeletons was reduced to 8.
- Diablo 3
- “Command Skeletons” creates a group of up to 7 skeletons. However, these do not need to be summoned from corpses but are generated automatically at your side. With this ability, you can control what target the skeletons should attack. With a special rune, you can further enhance this ability.
Conclusion: The advantage lies here with the new Necromancer, who can only control 7 skeletons, but has control over them and does not need corpses for that.
Golem Companions
- Diablo 2
- In D2, there is the Clay Golem, Fire Golem, Iron Golem, and Blood Golem. The Iron Golem is made from an equipment item and takes on its attributes. Thus, you lose an item but gain a unique Golem companion.
- Diablo 3
- The new Necromancer has only one Blood Golem, which, however, has five different runes. You do not have to destroy an item for the new Golem, but choose through the runes which effects the companion should have.
Conclusion: If the Iron Golem mechanic from Diablo 2 had been included in the current game, we would have another cool mechanic. Possible balance issues or the developers’ reluctance to have items destroyed could be arguments against this mechanic. Too bad!
Skeleton Mages
- Diablo 2
- With “Raise Skeleton Mage,” you can raise a skeleton mage from the corpse of an opponent, which masters a random elemental attack. These skeletons remain your companions until they die. There is no time limit.
- Diablo 3
- Here, too, you can summon a skeleton mage, but you do not need a corpse for it. The mage lasts only 6 seconds, and you can summon a maximum of 10 of them at the same time.
Conclusion: While the skeleton mages in Diablo 3 are stronger with their runes, they last only a few seconds, and you have to keep pressing the summon button to have them as “pets.” Both variants have their pros and cons – we cannot determine a clear winner.
Revive
- Diablo 2
- In the original necromancer, a revived ally lasts up to 3 minutes, if it survives that long. Up to 25 revived allies can be active at the same time. Here you can specifically choose which creatures you want to revive, giving you strong influence over your army of the revived.
- Diablo 3
- The new Necromancer can lead a maximum of 10 revived pets, which remain active for up to 15 seconds (Here, too, the duration can be increased by items or runes). With the “Reaper’s Toll” rune, the servants turn back into corpses after the 15 seconds, which you can revive again. Thus, you can theoretically keep them with you permanently.
Conclusion: We prefer the revival from Diablo 2, as there you had more influence over the revived pets. In Diablo 3, random targets within a certain radius are revived.
Bone Armor
- Diablo 2
- The “Bone Armor” surrounds the old Necro and can absorb a portion of the physical damage he receives. It not only looks cool but is also effective.
- Diablo 3
- The new “Bone Armor” has essentially only taken the name from the old one. Visually, it is a real armor made of bones that buffs your damage reduction. Through the Inarius Set, you can get a version of Bone Armor that visually resembles the surrounding armor from D2.
Corpse Explosions
- Diablo 2
- In the original version, the Corpse Explosion is funny and enjoyable when used. The currently targeted corpse explodes.
- Diablo 3
- In Diablo 3, the fun is further expanded. However, all corpses in a target area explode.
Conclusion: Because of the many explosions occurring simultaneously, we find the Corpse Explosion in D3 more fun, and it is our winner. Unfortunately, the ability currently is not as strong as we would like it to be.
Bone Prison
- Diablo 2
- The Bone Prison in Diablo 2 can force enemies into an area from which they must fight their way out. This allows you to keep annoying enemies at bay.
- Diablo 3
- The new Necro unfortunately has this skill only modified as a passive ability, which has a 30% chance to hold an enemy for 3 seconds. Enemies do not have to fight their way out; they are simply held in place for a short time.
Conclusion: We like the ability from Diablo 2 much better because you had control over it, and the skill had a much stronger impact on the gameplay.
Iron Maiden – Can Diablo 3 Keep Up?
- Diablo 2
- Iron Maiden is not only a great band but also one of the most well-known curses of the D2 Necromancer. When an enemy is afflicted with this curse, all damage dealt by them is reflected back on themselves.
- Diablo 3
- The new Necromancer unfortunately does not have this cool curse. A “similar” effect is produced by the passive ability “Forbidden Creation,” in which servants deal a percentage of your thorns damage.
Conclusion: The clear winner here is the old Necromancer. Through Iron Maiden, you had more control over the reflected damage, which in D3 is now dependent on the companions.
Other Differences – New Skills for the Necro in D3
In a video, YouTuber Rhykker explains these and other differences between the Necromancer from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. He also discusses new skills like the Army of the Dead or Bloody Paths.
Have you played the old Necromancer and compared him with the new one from Diablo 3? Which one do you prefer?
You can currently try the Necromancer for free in Diablo 3 – Here you can find out how to do that
