Season 30 has begun, and I saw someone on the forums saying the “Venomous Etching Necromancer” build is incredibly powerful—it can breeze through high-level dungeons without dying. I was instantly intrigued and immediately created a new character to test it out.
But I knew nothing. I just picked up whatever gear I found. I slapped on the “Etched Mark” gear they gave out at the start of the season—saw ‘venom’ in the name, figured it must be good, right? Then I found a pair of boots called “Rat Fragments” and equipped those too. Skills? I just picked two that looked venom-related: one was Summon Skeleton, and the other was Toxic Nova, which unleashes a ring of poison gas.
Then I dove straight into a Mythic+ dungeon at level 70.
The result… was utterly disastrous.
My Skeletons vanished instantly when the monsters swatted them away. Standing there casting spells, my damage felt like tickling. The poison cloud only exploded occasionally—pure luck. I died… I lost count of how many times, easily over ten.
It felt like going into a fight with a plastic stick—my opponents had knives, and I didn’t even have a shield.
I went online to “copy homework”
When I couldn’t win, I knew I couldn’t just wing it. I opened the forums to see how others built their gear. That’s when I realized I’d missed so many crucial pieces.
Turns out several items are absolutely essential:
- Ancestral Crown: This hat keeps a slowing “bubble” active. Without it, enemies sprinted right at me.
- Jeram’s Mask: Makes my summoned skeletons hit harder. My skeletons barely scratched enemies before—all because I didn’t have this.
- Tasker and Theo’s Gloves: Speed up skeleton attacks, increasing hits per second and overall damage.
- Corpse Explosion (Poison): This is the core skill! I can’t believe I didn’t use it from the start—what a fool.
I spent an hour grinding monsters everywhere, dismantling useless gear for materials, and finally assembled these crucial items.I even stumbled upon a decent necklace with solid stats. Not top-tier, but way better than before.
Rebuilding My “Death Machine”
This time I’m not winging it—I’m carefully assigning skills:
- Summon Skeletons: Choose the poison damage variant so they spread poison while attacking.
- Golem: Picked any random one—the skeletons handle the brunt anyway.
- Death Nova (Poison Mist): Hold it down to spew poison gas continuously. Great for clearing minor enemies.
- Corpse Explosion (Poison): Key! Paired with “Corrosive Mark,” it triggers chain explosions—one after another.
- Time Delay (Poison): Deploys a slow-moving bubble. Enemies can’t enter, letting me safely attack from inside.
- Realm of the Dead: Lifesaver. Use when surrounded to clear the area.
I also swapped passive skills, focusing on boosting poison damage and skeleton strength. Attribute points no longer go solely into Intelligence—I’m now investing in Health too, making myself more durable.
With the new gear, everything changed. My skeletons became formidable, circling and attacking enemies; the slow bubble followed me, blocking intruders; poison gas exploded in concentric rings—the scene was chaotic yet… surprisingly effective.
Second Run in the Greater Rift: Victory
I reached level 70 again.
This time was completely different!
The moment I activated the slow bubble, monsters were blocked outside. My skeleton fought at the bubble’s edge, poisoning enemies as it attacked. Each fallen monster left a corpse on the ground—then “BOOM!” Corpse Explosion triggered automatically, unleashing toxic gas that hit nearby foes, toppling them down for another explosion… It was like setting off firecrackers, “pop-pop-pop” nonstop.
I stood in the center barely lifting a finger, watching the screen fill with green poison mist and explosion effects. Elite monsters appeared? They were poisoned to death in a few hits.
The most insane part—I didn’t die once, clearing the entire floor straight through.
That moment stunned me: This thing is way too powerful! Yesterday I was being chased by monsters, today I was just “watching the show.”
Tackling Higher Floors, Adjusting Slowly
Feeling cocky, I charged straight for Floor 80.
Result? Nearly got my ass kicked again.
Too many high-level monsters, too much health—the moment my bubble burst, I was in trouble. I started playing smarter: using teleport skills to move quickly, targeting small groups of monsters, and avoiding large clusters of elites.I also stopped spamming my survival skill, “Realm of the Dead,” saving it for the most critical moments.
I even farmed a great piece of gear—the “Ancient Corrupted Fang,” whose stats perfectly complemented my poison damage. After enhancing it with the Cain’s Box, my damage skyrocketed to a whole new level.
I swapped out my gems too:
- Trap’s Curse: Increases poison damage duration.
- Enforcer: Makes Skeletons more resilient.
- Arcane Mutation: Grants a shield at critical moments—a lifesaving tool.
With this setup, both survival and damage output are solid. I eventually soloed to Level 90! While further optimization is possible (like swapping for higher-tier Ancient gear), the core playstyle is already incredibly powerful.
My Honest Takeaway
This playstyle boils down to one thing: making mobs blow themselves up.
You don’t need fancy mechanics—just place your slow bubbles strategically, let the skeletons hold the line, and wait for the mobs to die. Their corpse explosions will chain automatically. More mobs = bigger explosions. It’s like a snowball effect—the later you get, the more devastating it becomes.
Here are the key points:
- You absolutely must have the Ancestral Crown. Without it, the slow bubble won’t persist, and you’ll get chased down by enemies.
- Corpse Explosion must be poison-based. Pair it with the Corrosion Seal to trigger auto-chain explosions.
- Your Skeletons need to be strong. Use the Jeram Mask and Gloves to boost their attack speed and damage.
- Don’t fear diving into mobs—actively seek them out. More corpses mean higher damage output.
- Save survival skills for critical moments—don’t waste them early.
It might feel daunting at first—skeletons die fast, and you might too. But once your gear is optimized, you’ll realize this class isn’t about fighting monsters—it’s about setting off fireworks.
Final Thoughts
From getting chased by monsters on day one to soloing floor 90 by day three—it took me less than two days.
This isn’t because I got stronger, but because this playstyle is just “brutally overdesigned.” It combines summoning, crowd control, and sustained damage into one system that runs on autopilot once activated.
If you love watching screens filled with effects, skeletons running wild, and poison gas exploding everywhere—yet don’t want to overwork your controls—this Venom Necromancer is truly worth trying.
I don’t play any other class anymore.
I log in daily just to hear those “Boom! Boom! Boom!” sounds—
They’re pure bliss.