New Ladder - Fishymancer Questions Answered
Okay, the new ladder is about to start. And we all know that means one thing. Tons of threads about "how do I make a fishymancer without reading the thread in the guide thread".
So here is a copy/paste of something I've posted again and again. Fish gets all the credit for this. The modifications I make are minor for the most part, but important to me. I guess you could call this the "Zarnimancer" but that would be giving me too much credit.
SO FOR ALL OF YOU WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SUMMONER BUILD - HERE IS ONE POSSIBLE ANSWER:
If you don't like this answer, read the guide at the top of the necro forum and find the fishymancer thread.
/Repost begins here.
THE ZARNIMANCER (joke, it's just a slightly modified fishy)
The base fishymancer remains a great build. However, I personally disagree with it significantly in a few areas. But, they are minor, so if you already have his guide, you can shut this and go about your business.
I have played this version of the fishymancer (summoner) for many ladders. It is devastating once built. If you can get your skellies pumped just a bit, 26+ you'll be fine in hell except for the stray pack of outrageously, fanatically enchanted dolls or something.
Here is my build:
STATISTICS:
strength - I keep as low as I can. I'm lazy so I'll usually bump it to 40 or 45 until I get my enigma. Charms for the rest that doesn't come with my gear.
Dexteriry - I pray you do not listen to those that tell you max block isn't important. You're using a homunculus I hope, and it will save you where hit points can't. Just enough to max block once you have homunculus.
Vitality - every other point you have.
SKILLS:
20 skeleton mastery
20 raise skeleton
20 raise skeletal mage (they are NOT useless)
12 - 15 corpse explosion (I have gone to 20 - very little difference really).
10- 12 dim vision
1 in the rest of the summoning tree except fire golem
1 in the rest of the curse tree
I like to put a single point in bone armor (fill here at the end if you're out of stuff to spend on)
IF YOU ARE A PURIST. Max CE and only go to 10 in Dim Vision. It's still hugely helpful.
If you don't like dim vision, you need to take a different crowd control spell for gloams and other things. Attract works well I've heard. I like dim vision because it just shuts down everything on the screen that isn't a champion or Super Unique. At high levels it will affect places you cannot even see yet. What that means is, if you don't have a long-distance crowd control curse, ranged attackers will fry you sometimes.
Do not put any points in fire golem. Do not put more than 1 point in any golem skill. Clay golem is the BEST golem. It will die endlessly until you get more + skill gear later. don't worry about it.
I'm serious, you do not need to sink more than one point into any other skills but the 5 listed to beat the entire game fairly easily. I strongly suggest you don't. Oblivion knights will still suck (until 1.13), and until you get about 28 in your summoning skills the rare fanatical lightning enchanted double packs will clean your clock.
Levelling:
The only time in the game a necro will really struggle (outside of the awful maggot lair and arcane sanctuary), is Normal Diablo and sometimes Normal Duriel. The only way to get through it is just wear it down. TP, summon merc again, summon army again, TP, etc. Get past it, even if you have to join a game to kill with others.
To help with the inevitable questions, here's how I level mine (this is off the top of my head):
Level 1: amplify damage
Levels 2-5: Raise skeleton
Level 6: Clay Golem
Level 7: Skeleton Mastery
Level 8-11: Raise Skeleton
Level 12: Golem Mastery
Level 13: Skeleton Mastery
Levels 14-17: Raise Skeleton
Level 18: Skelton Mastery
Levels 19-21: Raise Skeleton
Levels 22-24: SAVE these points and buy decrepify as soon as it's available.
Level 25: teeth
Level 26: Corpse Explosion
Now finish Raise skeleton and Skeleton mastery by continuing to spend 4 points in RS and then one in SM. When RS is finished, finish SM.
Now you have 20 RS, 20 SM, 1 CE, 1 Decrepify, 1 Clay Golem, 1 Golem Mastery.
Finish your 1 point wonders in the summoning tree, then pump CE to 10. Add mages if you wish after that/OR pump 10-12 into Dim Vision.
Get 1 point in revives and all curses last.
You're going to struggle with Normal Diablo above all else. Try to not do him before level 24 when you'll at least have decrepify. Duriel will be a struggle also.
If you can get past normal diablo, the rest of the game is easy on all levels.
For equipment in the early/midgame:
Grab a cheap vipermagi (armor), a homunculus(shield), an arm of king leoric (weapon), A necro helm with +2 summoning skills and resists or life, and a +3 necro summoning amulet and you're already at like 32 summoning skills and owning everything.
I usually have 28 summoning skills early in ladders and the only thing that gives me trouble is oblivion knights (and gloams because my + all skills isn't high enough yet to really pump dim vision). The writer of the fishymancer guide suggested 1 in dim vision. That certainly works if you know what you're doing and don't mind getting a new game sometimes when you run into unslayable packs. But, from experience I know that 10+ is a safe bet, especially for people new to the necromancer.
One note: to turn the summoning necro from a great class to a overpowered class, you will need an enigma.
Later in the ladder, my gear will be:
Head: shako
Armor: Enigma runeword
Boots: War Travellers
Weapon: Heart of the oak runeword in a flail
Shield: Homunculus with a perfect diamond socketed
Belt: Arachnid mesh OR Thundergods Vigor
Amulet: Either a great +3 summoning ammy, a +2 necro magic find, or a maras kaleidescope.
Rings - 2x nagels, or 1 mf ring + a ring with a ton of str on it. We really don't need FCR. I've succeeded at this below even the first breakpoint.
Gloves - Early on something like magefists. Later on, chance guards for magic finding.
Weapon switch: arm of king leoric (we have no need for a CTA).
Shield switch: Spirit in anything or another homunculus.
Your merc:
I always use a cold merc from act 1 in normal until I can get an offense (blessed aim) merc in act 2. I keep that one until I can get an offense merc in nightmare mode (might aura). I keep this forever. If you decided to go blessed aim, some people swear by it. I'm not one of them. My merc has two jobs - get me a corpse, and use CB to burn bosses down.
You can dress your merc in anything. But, you want to get him crushing blow. The way I typcially do it is to buy him a guillaume's facemask which has 35 perecent CB and costs pgems. People talk about using uber runewords for his weapon, but I always use an insight in a cryptic axe or thresher. Having plenty of mana is great and I tried using infinity and pride and it makes no real difference. I wipe out anything with or without them.
If you want to do UBER Tristram with a necro, then I do suggest you read the uber tristram guide for necros because you will need to make some changes.
HERE IS A WEBSITE THAT IS INVALUABLE: http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/
Welcome to the necro class!
Z
Okay, the new ladder is about to start. And we all know that means one thing. Tons of threads about "how do I make a fishymancer without reading the thread in the guide thread".
So here is a copy/paste of something I've posted again and again. Fish gets all the credit for this. The modifications I make are minor for the most part, but important to me. I guess you could call this the "Zarnimancer" but that would be giving me too much credit.
SO FOR ALL OF YOU WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SUMMONER BUILD - HERE IS ONE POSSIBLE ANSWER:
If you don't like this answer, read the guide at the top of the necro forum and find the fishymancer thread.
/Repost begins here.
THE ZARNIMANCER (joke, it's just a slightly modified fishy)
The base fishymancer remains a great build. However, I personally disagree with it significantly in a few areas. But, they are minor, so if you already have his guide, you can shut this and go about your business.
I have played this version of the fishymancer (summoner) for many ladders. It is devastating once built. If you can get your skellies pumped just a bit, 26+ you'll be fine in hell except for the stray pack of outrageously, fanatically enchanted dolls or something.
Here is my build:
STATISTICS:
strength - I keep as low as I can. I'm lazy so I'll usually bump it to 40 or 45 until I get my enigma. Charms for the rest that doesn't come with my gear.
Dexteriry - I pray you do not listen to those that tell you max block isn't important. You're using a homunculus I hope, and it will save you where hit points can't. Just enough to max block once you have homunculus.
Vitality - every other point you have.
SKILLS:
20 skeleton mastery
20 raise skeleton
20 raise skeletal mage (they are NOT useless)
12 - 15 corpse explosion (I have gone to 20 - very little difference really).
10- 12 dim vision
1 in the rest of the summoning tree except fire golem
1 in the rest of the curse tree
I like to put a single point in bone armor (fill here at the end if you're out of stuff to spend on)
IF YOU ARE A PURIST. Max CE and only go to 10 in Dim Vision. It's still hugely helpful.
If you don't like dim vision, you need to take a different crowd control spell for gloams and other things. Attract works well I've heard. I like dim vision because it just shuts down everything on the screen that isn't a champion or Super Unique. At high levels it will affect places you cannot even see yet. What that means is, if you don't have a long-distance crowd control curse, ranged attackers will fry you sometimes.
Do not put any points in fire golem. Do not put more than 1 point in any golem skill. Clay golem is the BEST golem. It will die endlessly until you get more + skill gear later. don't worry about it.
I'm serious, you do not need to sink more than one point into any other skills but the 5 listed to beat the entire game fairly easily. I strongly suggest you don't. Oblivion knights will still suck (until 1.13), and until you get about 28 in your summoning skills the rare fanatical lightning enchanted double packs will clean your clock.
Levelling:
The only time in the game a necro will really struggle (outside of the awful maggot lair and arcane sanctuary), is Normal Diablo and sometimes Normal Duriel. The only way to get through it is just wear it down. TP, summon merc again, summon army again, TP, etc. Get past it, even if you have to join a game to kill with others.
To help with the inevitable questions, here's how I level mine (this is off the top of my head):
Level 1: amplify damage
Levels 2-5: Raise skeleton
Level 6: Clay Golem
Level 7: Skeleton Mastery
Level 8-11: Raise Skeleton
Level 12: Golem Mastery
Level 13: Skeleton Mastery
Levels 14-17: Raise Skeleton
Level 18: Skelton Mastery
Levels 19-21: Raise Skeleton
Levels 22-24: SAVE these points and buy decrepify as soon as it's available.
Level 25: teeth
Level 26: Corpse Explosion
Now finish Raise skeleton and Skeleton mastery by continuing to spend 4 points in RS and then one in SM. When RS is finished, finish SM.
Now you have 20 RS, 20 SM, 1 CE, 1 Decrepify, 1 Clay Golem, 1 Golem Mastery.
Finish your 1 point wonders in the summoning tree, then pump CE to 10. Add mages if you wish after that/OR pump 10-12 into Dim Vision.
Get 1 point in revives and all curses last.
You're going to struggle with Normal Diablo above all else. Try to not do him before level 24 when you'll at least have decrepify. Duriel will be a struggle also.
If you can get past normal diablo, the rest of the game is easy on all levels.
For equipment in the early/midgame:
Grab a cheap vipermagi (armor), a homunculus(shield), an arm of king leoric (weapon), A necro helm with +2 summoning skills and resists or life, and a +3 necro summoning amulet and you're already at like 32 summoning skills and owning everything.
I usually have 28 summoning skills early in ladders and the only thing that gives me trouble is oblivion knights (and gloams because my + all skills isn't high enough yet to really pump dim vision). The writer of the fishymancer guide suggested 1 in dim vision. That certainly works if you know what you're doing and don't mind getting a new game sometimes when you run into unslayable packs. But, from experience I know that 10+ is a safe bet, especially for people new to the necromancer.
One note: to turn the summoning necro from a great class to a overpowered class, you will need an enigma.
Later in the ladder, my gear will be:
Head: shako
Armor: Enigma runeword
Boots: War Travellers
Weapon: Heart of the oak runeword in a flail
Shield: Homunculus with a perfect diamond socketed
Belt: Arachnid mesh OR Thundergods Vigor
Amulet: Either a great +3 summoning ammy, a +2 necro magic find, or a maras kaleidescope.
Rings - 2x nagels, or 1 mf ring + a ring with a ton of str on it. We really don't need FCR. I've succeeded at this below even the first breakpoint.
Gloves - Early on something like magefists. Later on, chance guards for magic finding.
Weapon switch: arm of king leoric (we have no need for a CTA).
Shield switch: Spirit in anything or another homunculus.
Your merc:
I always use a cold merc from act 1 in normal until I can get an offense (blessed aim) merc in act 2. I keep that one until I can get an offense merc in nightmare mode (might aura). I keep this forever. If you decided to go blessed aim, some people swear by it. I'm not one of them. My merc has two jobs - get me a corpse, and use CB to burn bosses down.
You can dress your merc in anything. But, you want to get him crushing blow. The way I typcially do it is to buy him a guillaume's facemask which has 35 perecent CB and costs pgems. People talk about using uber runewords for his weapon, but I always use an insight in a cryptic axe or thresher. Having plenty of mana is great and I tried using infinity and pride and it makes no real difference. I wipe out anything with or without them.
If you want to do UBER Tristram with a necro, then I do suggest you read the uber tristram guide for necros because you will need to make some changes.
HERE IS A WEBSITE THAT IS INVALUABLE: http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp/
Welcome to the necro class!
Z
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