Raise Skeleton Class: Necromancer (Diablo II) Required Level: 1 Skill Tree: Summoning Spells Active Cost: 4 Mana Raise an undead warrior from a corpse to fight for you. Damage Type: Physical Synergies: Skeleton Mastery, Summon Resist Other Stats: Summon; Requires a corpse  |
Raise Skeleton is a Necromancer Skill in Diablo II which is part of the Necromancer's Summoning Spells skill tree. It creates a skeleton that fights for the Necromancer.
Lore[]
Early on, Necromancers learn to control the skeletal remains of deceased creatures. Invoking this skill causes a nightmarish jumble of animated bones to rise from a fresh corpse. Animated partially through their own will and partially through the summoned spirits of ancient warriors, Necromancers often maintain a small host of these reanimated soldiers to do their bidding.
General Information[]
Synergies[]
- Gives synergy to: None
- Receives synergy from:
Raise Skeleton summons a skeleton warrior that fights the Necromancer's enemies to the death. The skill is targeted on a monster corpse, from which the Skeleton rises. Skeletons follow their master and engage his enemies in melee combat, playing both defensive and offensive roles by distracting enemies and physically damaging them. When further strengthened with Skeleton Mastery, Skeletons can grow quite powerful. However, without substantial skill point focus, Skeletons usually perform poorly past Act II. Nevertheless, a Necromancer that specializes in Skeletons (by maxing Raise Skeleton and other associated skills) can create Skeletons strong enough to face all monsters throughout Normal difficulty, and with particular focus even Nightmare and Hell difficulties too.
As more points are placed into Raise Skeleton, more Skeletons can be summoned at a time and each Skeleton grows stronger. Skeletons provide excellent crowd control and deal impressive physical damage, especially when aided by Amplify Damage or Decrepify. Skeletons work best in open spaces, where they can all fight at the same time and surround small groups of monsters. They heal over time and can endure substantial punishment before perishing, especially at higher skill levels. Moreover, skillful application of Curses and Auras to bolster a troop of Skeletons further magnifies their power on the battlefield.
However, Skeletons have some drawbacks. Significant skill investment is required to make them worthwhile, and even the strongest Skeletons may struggle to damage monsters found late in Hell difficulty. Their collective strength is divided across many individuals, making them vulnerable to attacks and spells that deal damage over an area, such as those used by some Act bosses. Skeletons cannot harm monsters who are Immune to Physical (though Amplify Damage and Decrepify can sometimes breach this immunity). Finally, a large force of Skeletons can be awkward to maneuver, especially in closed spaces (such as the Maggot Lair) and versus hostile players. Maneuvering challenges can be remedied by using the Teleport skill to position the Necromancer's minions, although teleporting requires an item with this capability.
Skeleton Mastery increases the life and damage of Skeletons and changes their appearance. Points added to Raise Skeleton do not change their appearance nor the weapons they wield. Skeletons have a 5% chance to receive a shield when raised, which gives them a 3% block rate.
Skill Progression[]
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Skeletons | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Mana Cost | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Damage | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 4–5 | 6–7 | 8–9 |
| Bonus Attack | 20 | 35 | 50 | 65 | 80 | 90 | 110 | 125 | 140 | 155 | 170 |
| Defense | 20 | 35 | 50 | 65 | 80 | 90 | 110 | 125 | 140 | 155 | 170 |
| Life | 21 | 21 | 21 | 31 | 42 | 52 | 63 | 73 | 84 | 94 | 105 |
| Level | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Skeletons | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
| Mana Cost | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | |
| Damage | 10–11 | 12–14 | 14–16 | 17–19 | 21–23 | 26–28 | 31–33 | 37–39 | 37–39 | |
| Bonus Attack | 185 | 200 | 215 | 230 | 245 | 260 | 275 | 290 | 305 | |
| Defense | 185 | 200 | 215 | 230 | 245 | 260 | 275 | 290 | 305 | |
| Life | 115 | 126 | 136 | 147 | 157 | 168 | 178 | 189 | 199 |
Development[]
In earlier versions of the game, each point invested into Raise Skeleton allowed the summoning of a new Skeleton, potentially granting the necromancer the ability to control 20+ Skeletons at a time. These skeletons were much weaker, however, and were rarely viable outside of the first half of Normal difficulty.
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