Back in November, at Blizzard Entertainment’s annual BlizzCon event, they announced they would be bringing the Necromancer back to their highly popular Diablo series. When Diablo III was released, many fans were disappointed not to see that class listed among the options for characters. With the Reaper of Souls expansion, people once more hoped for the necromancer, only to be left wanting once more. So, when the announcement was made, it was rightfully met with some of the largest cheers of the day.
So, after the announcement, we Diablo fans waited. And waited. And waited. Seven months later, at the end of June, Blizzard finally released the necromancer to the world.
A few weeks after the debut, I think it is safe to say the necromancer brought Diablo back from the dead. On my Blizzard dashboard, where one can see their friends and what they are playing, I have seen many more people on Diablo than I have in months. So it isn’t just me finding a new love for this game.
A game for kids, this is not. Diablo is rated M for good reason. If the dark story line of demons taking over the land isn’t enough, the violence and graphic nature certainly make it one that parents should check out for themselves before allowing younger kids to play.
The necromancer, true to its name, has control over death. Early on in the game, you get an ability called “Corpse Explosion,” which is just as it sounds. The bodies of your enemies littering the ground become ammunition for other monsters that are coming at you. One click of the button and all those bodies explode, doing massive damage to the ones that are still alive. If you are lucky, the explosion kills your enemies and you have more bodies to deal with.
Like I said, graphic. But ultimately, very fun.
As I’ve said before, Diablo III was the first game I ever played from start to finish. That eventually included the expansion Reaper of Souls. But after completing, I never went back to it. Even with season play and everything they do to keep it up to date, it never appealed to me to go back and replay the game until the necromancer. Now, I find myself throwing hours at the game, reliving the quests I loved and finding new joy in them. If joy can be found by blowing up corpses.
The necromancer seems terribly overpowered, but that is part of the fun, I believe. Between corpse explosion and the army of skeletons that run around and do most of your work for you, the necromancer makes it quite easy to just fly through the lower levels. It only took me a few days to get my character to level fifteen, something that took weeks with the demon hunter I normally play.
I think it makes the necromancer the ideal character for someone who is new to the game, the genre, or gaming in general. Diablo is a fairly straightforward game so for those looking to try PC gaming; it is one I would recommend. (I have never played it on console, but I know people who swear by it, so I’m sure it is just as fun.)
The necromancer expansion is an additional $15 for people who already own the base game ($60 for the Eternal Collection that includes everything) but I think it is well worth it. Because $15 worth of content made the whole game feel new again.
