Find out all the pros and cons for the Diablo 2 Summonmancer build. Including an overview of skills, and a stat point distribution guide!

• D2 Decrepify Vs Amplify Damage
• Diablo 2 Amplify Damage
• Diablo 2 Decrepify Vs Amplify Damage

Decrepify combines the effects of Amplify Damage and Weaken, and also slows opponents as though they were chilled. Damage, speed, and physical resistance are all reduced by 50%. Decrepify can therefore decrease the damage output of enemies by slowing their attack (although it does not slow the actual speed of their projectiles). After doing it on a skill planner with 0 summon gcs you would do roughly 500 dmg per skellie at 14 skells. 5k nova dmg with 9 gcs pnb gcs over 2 seconds. And have 65 resist all from summon resist, also 15+revives. Gear used was hoto nigma homu shako 2 nec ammy arach trangs soj torch anni This post was edited by dojxryanx on Mar 28 2009 10:00am. There are four main elemental attacks in Diablo II: Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Poison. Each class can resist, or reduce damage from, these attacks by using items or skills. Curses and Bone-based attacks are not considered elemental, so these resistances will not protect against them.

Description

Amplify Damage is one of the most potent curses the Necromancer has available to him. It lowers the Physical Resist of the enemy monsters by 100%. It is possible to remove Physical Immunities from monsters, and it is essential for Necromancers focusing on the Summoning Skills.

Tips

Amplify Damage is a great skill to use in parties, as almost all melee characters benefit from it. It is however not adviseable to spend more than one or a few points into this skill, as the potency of the skill doesn't increase. The benefit of added radius and duration can be achieved with items providing + to skills, something most Necromancer builds tend to focus on.

Lore

This deceptively potent curse rapidly advances the age and putridity of any wound. Ordinary blows will cut through flesh and carve particularly vicious wounds that fester and seethe. Increases the amount of damage received.^[1]

References

1. ↑Diablo II Manual, page 71. Blizzard Entertainment, 2000.

The Daggermancer Build is similar to the Novamancer. It uses Poison Nova as the primary attack and Poison Dagger as a physical attack to deal with poison immunes. Also, it utilizes some other poison skills, curses and a few points Summoning Spells.

General tactics

Unless the monsters are too numerous or immune to poison, use your Golem and your mercenary (if it’s a melee type) to get the enemy’s attention. Then, cast Lower Resist and Poison Nova. Use Poison Dagger to attack monsters until the Poison Nova effect has worn off. After you move to a safe distance cast Poison Nova again.

Once a monster in the group has fallen, you can use Corpse Explosion to deal area damage. However, it deals both fire and physical damage and some monsters will remain immune to fire even if you lowered their resistances. In this case, you can use Amplify Damage to boost the physical damage dealt before activating Corpse Explosion.

You should max out (20 points) your main skills because they synergize with each other. These are:

• Poison Nova: This is your main attack. It deals damage to multiple enemies.

• Poison Dagger: This is your secondary attack. It’s useful to dispatch opponents faster.

• Poison Explosion: Max out this skill because it provides synergy to Poison Dagger. Despite its massive damage, it’s not as easy as it seems to use.

Other skills you should invest some points to the following skills:

Poison and Bone Skills

• Bone Wall (1-5): It’s a synergy to Bone Armor. You can also use it to distract monsters.

• Bone Armor (1): Don’t spend more than a point here, because it’s better to invest in its synergies.

• Bone Prison (1-5): It’s a synergy to the Bone Armor skill. It provides some Crowd Control too.

• Corpse Explosion (1-5): It’s a powerful skill that causes area damage. It’s also useful as it provides a third element (fire) to your arsenal.

Summoning Skills

• Golem (10-20): The better options are the Clay Golem and the Iron Golem, depending on our preference.

• Golem Mastery (1-10): It depends on your preference too. Placing at least a point in this skill is necessary to acquire the Summon Resist skill. Investing a few extra points will benefit your golem.

• Summon Resist (1): Don’t invest more than a point here because returns diminish at higher levels.

Curses

• Amplify Damage(1-5): It reduces a foe’s damage resistance by 100% and it can break immunities too.

• Dim Vision (0-10): It’s entirely optional. However, it can prevent deadly long-range enemies from attacking.

• Decrepify(1-5): It isn’t very effective for breaking physical immunity, but it can slow down enemies.

• Lower Resist(1): It affects all resistances, including poison.

• Iron Maiden(1): It serves as a prerequisite.

• Life Tap(1): It allows you and your allies to leech 50% of their damage dealt.

• Weaken(1): It’s just a prerequisite.

• Terror(1): It’s useful for breaking up large groups of tough monsters.

This build can use any item that boosts attack rating, skills, resistances, attributes and poison damage. Your character will act as a fighter in this Necromancer build, so keep in mind that you will be able to equip large shields and heavy armors in order to survive tough battles.

Weapon

• Fleshripper: Decent physical damage, Deadly Strike, Crushing Blow, Open Wounds.

• Blackbog’s Sharp: Great bonus to Poison Dagger, Poison Nova, and Poison Explosion, high poison damage.

• Spineripper: It provides bonus to all Necromancer skills, life leeching, attack speed bonus and ignores target defense.

Shield

• Spirit: Resistance bonuses and +2 to all skills.

• Stormshield: For 35% physical damage reduction.

• Gerke’s Sanctuary

• Homunculus: Blocking and skill bonuses.

Helm

• Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest

• Guillaume’s Face: For Crushing Blow and Deadly Strike bonuses.

• Kira’s Guardian: High Resistance bonuses and Cannot be frozen

• Harlequin Crest

Armor

• Duriel’s Shell

• Chains of Honor

• Enigma

• Shaftstop: For its physical damage reduction.

• Bramble: For the +25-50% To Poison Skill Damage and the Poison Immunity.

Gloves

• Trang-Oul’s Claws: For the extra poison damage.

• Steelrend: For the Crushing blow and enhanced damage

• Soul Drainers: It reduces monsters’ defense and it has dual leech.

• Laying of Hands:

Boots

• Gore Rider

• Sandstorm Treks: It provides 20% faster hit recovery along with other useful bonuses.

Belt

• Nosferatu’s Coil: For the increased attack speed, life leeching and slowing target.

• Arachnid Mesh: For +Skills, slowing enemies and Faster Cast Rate.

• Verdungo’s Hearty Cord: For the Life boost.

Rings

• Stone of Jordan

• Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band

• Raven Frost: It’s essential if you don’t have other sources of the Cannot be Frozen

Amulet

• Mara’s Kaleidoscope

D2 Decrepify Vs Amplify Damage

• Highlord’s Wrath: +Skills, increased attack speed, and Deadly Strike bonus.

• The Cat’s Eye: For the higher movement and attack speed.

Sub-Build using Trang-Oul’s Set

Instead of using Amplify Damage and Iron Golem in order to deal physical damage to enemies with poison immunity, the Daggermancer can use Fire Golem and Lower Resist in combination with the Fire Ball, Meteor, and Fire Wall skills granted by the Trang-Oul’s Avatar set.

Diablo 2 Amplify Damage

Strength: Invest enough points to Strength so you can equip your best gear.

Diablo 2 Decrepify Vs Amplify Damage

Dexterity: Some players go for a max block as they use a shield.

Vitality: Invest all the points left in this attribute.

Energy: Regarding mana- you might encounter some problems here. Until you have enough mana points to use comfortably all of your skills, use perfect sapphires in your armor and helm. Also, you can benefit from items with mana leech or gear that grants mana after each kill. In addition, you can construct an Insight Polearm for your Act 2 Mercenary.