Diablo 4's Hand of Naz Mendeln Necromancer build is proof that summoner builds not only survive but thrive in Season 9. While this build does require a few Uniques to make it move, I had no issues just grinding until I had them.

Since it's a summoner build, there's not a lot of painful transition from leveling to endgame, but you need to completely redotalent loadout. Instead of using Soulrift as my big damage, as you do with Shadowblight Necro, this is an Army of the Dead build. If you want to dominate Diablo 4 Season 9 with very little effort, Hand of Naz Mendeln Necromancer is the way to go.

How the Hand of Naz Mendeln Necromancer Works

The build revolves around the Hand of Naz and Ring of Mendeln Uniques. Hand of Naz allows you to sacrifice your Skeletons and Golem in exchange for extra Skeleton Mages. These mages can teleport and evolve into Arch-Mages, drastically boosting your army's firepower. Combined with the Ring of Mendeln, which causes every sixth attack to burst with bonus damage, this build easily clears packs.

Though powerful, the downside is the Necromancer's fragility, so careful positioning is crucial.

Skill Loadout:

·Decompose

·Blight

·Army of the Dead

·Bone Prison

·Corpse Tendrils

·Summon Skeleton

Rotation:

1. Keep Raise Skeleton up for buffs.

2. Use Bone Prison and Corpse Tendrils to trap enemies.

3. Drop Blight for damage.

4. Use Army of the Dead as your major damage dealer.

Optional:

·Aspect of the Void (makes Blight pull enemies in).

Talents & Book of the Dead

Skip Skeleton Warrior Mastery and reserve most skill points for Army of the Dead and survivability. Your talent focus will shift once you acquire the Hand of Naz.

Book of the Dead Configuration (Post-Hand of Nekhen):

·Melee Skeletons: Skirmisher (sacrifice for crit chance) or Reapers if using Heir of Perdition)

·Mages: Shadow (Main Source)

·Golem: Iron (sacrifice for crit damage)

Horadric Spellcrafting Combo

·Catalyst: Astral Pillar (Blight)

·Infusion: Nebulous Extract

Arcanas:

·Bloody Charm (Executes enemies)

·Tranquil Stone (Unstoppable)

·Fractured Core (Disables monster damage resistance)

Once you unlock Horadric Jewels, choose:

·Idol from Below

·Reverie Horn

·Willbreaker

Best Mercenary Setup

·Primary Merc: Raheir

·Reinforcement: Varyana (with Bloodthirst linked to Blight)

Skills:

·Ground Slam

·Raheir's Aegis

·Bastion

·Inspiration

Essential Unique Diablo 4 Items

1. Hand of Naz - Enables the skeletal mage army.

2. Ring of Mendeln - Delivers massive bonus damage.

3. Blood Moon Breeches - Boosts survivability and damage.

Ideal Legendary Aspects & Tempers

·Aspect of Service and Sacrifice - 90% Damage Reduction to Skeleton Mages.

·Aspect of Reanimation

·Aspect of Frenzied Dead

·Aspect of Grasping Veins

Tempering Priorities:

·Essence Restored on Hit

·Lucky Hit Chance

·Summoner Skill Damage

·Critical Strike Damage

Weapon Type:

·Two-Handed Scythe (best drop rates for key affixes)

Rune Word Combos

·Igni + Gar - Store Offering to gain Critical Strike Chance.

·Nagu + Thul - Active summon triggers Mystical Frost Nova.

·Cir + Ceh - After 5 skills, summon Wolves (if Crit Chance isn't needed).

Paragon Board Setup

·Board 1: Starting Board (Corporeal Glyph)

·Board 2: North to Flesh Eater (Amplify Glyph)

·Board 3: West to Cult Leader (Deadraiser Glyph)

·Board 4: North to Scent of Death (Essence Glyph)

·Board 5: East to Frailty (Gravekeeper Glyph, One Rotation)

Final Thoughts

Hand of Naz Mendeln Necromancer is a low-effort, high-damage summoner build with the ability to clear high-level content in Diablo 4 Season 9. While the gear setup needs to buy D4 materials, the payoff is massive. With this setup, you'll find yourself cruising through Nightmare Dungeons, Strongholds, and even endgame boss content with ease. Just keep yourself alive, and let your army do the work.