The Daggermancer Build is similar to the Novamancer. It uses Poison Nova as the primary attack and Poison Dagger as a physical attack to deal with poison immunes. Also, it utilizes some other poison skills, curses and a few points Summoning Spells.

General tactics

Unless the monsters are too numerous or immune to poison, use your Golem and your mercenary (if it’s a melee type) to get the enemy’s attention. Then, cast Lower Resist and Poison Nova. Use Poison Dagger to attack monsters until the Poison Nova effect has worn off. After you move to a safe distance cast Poison Nova again.

Once a monster in the group has fallen, you can use Corpse Explosion to deal area damage. However, it deals both fire and physical damage and some monsters will remain immune to fire even if you lowered their resistances. In this case, you can use Amplify Damage to boost the physical damage dealt before activating Corpse Explosion.

Daggermancer Build  Skills

You should max out (20 points) your main skills because they synergize with each other. These are:

• Poison Nova: This is your main attack. It deals damage to multiple enemies.

• Poison Dagger: This is your secondary attack. It’s useful to dispatch opponents faster.

• Poison Explosion: Max out this skill because it provides synergy to Poison Dagger. Despite its massive damage, it’s not as easy as it seems to use.

Other skills you should invest some points to the following skills:

Poison and Bone Skills

• Bone Wall (1-5): It’s a synergy to Bone Armor. You can also use it to distract monsters.

• Bone Armor (1): Don’t spend more than a point here, because it’s better to invest in its synergies.

• Bone Prison (1-5): It’s a synergy to the Bone Armor skill. It provides some Crowd Control too.

• Corpse Explosion (1-5): It’s a powerful skill that causes area damage. It’s also useful as it provides a third element (fire) to your arsenal.

Summoning Skills

• Golem (10-20): The better options are the Clay Golem and the Iron Golem, depending on our preference.

• Golem Mastery (1-10): It depends on your preference too. Placing at least a point in this skill is necessary to acquire the Summon Resist skill. Investing a few extra points will benefit your golem.

• Summon Resist (1): Don’t invest more than a point here because returns diminish at higher levels.

Curses

• Amplify Damage(1-5): It reduces a foe’s damage resistance by 100% and it can break immunities too.

• Dim Vision (0-10): It’s entirely optional. However, it can prevent deadly long-range enemies from attacking.

• Decrepify(1-5): It isn’t very effective for breaking physical immunity, but it can slow down enemies.

• Lower Resist(1): It affects all resistances, including poison.

• Iron Maiden(1): It serves as a prerequisite.

• Life Tap(1): It allows you and your allies to leech 50% of their damage dealt.

• Weaken(1): It’s just a prerequisite.

• Terror(1): It’s useful for breaking up large groups of tough monsters.

Daggermancer Build Equipment

This build can use any item that boosts attack rating, skills, resistances, attributes and poison damage. Your character will act as a fighter in this Necromancer build, so keep in mind that you will be able to equip large shields and heavy armors in order to survive tough battles.

Weapon

• Fleshripper: Decent physical damage, Deadly Strike, Crushing Blow, Open Wounds.

• Blackbog’s Sharp: Great bonus to Poison Dagger, Poison Nova, and Poison Explosion, high poison damage.

• Spineripper: It provides bonus to all Necromancer skills, life leeching, attack speed bonus and ignores target defense.

Shield

• Spirit: Resistance bonuses and +2 to all skills.

• Stormshield: For 35% physical damage reduction.

• Gerke’s Sanctuary

• Homunculus: Blocking and skill bonuses.

Helm

• Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest

• Guillaume’s Face: For Crushing Blow and Deadly Strike bonuses.

• Kira’s Guardian: High Resistance bonuses and Cannot be frozen

• Harlequin Crest

Armor

• Duriel’s Shell

• Chains of Honor

• Enigma

• Shaftstop: For its physical damage reduction.

• Bramble: For the +25-50% To Poison Skill Damage and the Poison Immunity.

Gloves

• Trang-Oul’s Claws: For the extra poison damage.

• Steelrend: For the Crushing blow and enhanced damage

• Soul Drainers: It reduces monsters’ defense and it has dual leech.

• Laying of Hands:

Boots

• Gore Rider

• Sandstorm Treks: It provides 20% faster hit recovery along with other useful bonuses.

Belt

• Nosferatu’s Coil: For the increased attack speed, life leeching and slowing target.

• Arachnid Mesh: For +Skills, slowing enemies and Faster Cast Rate.

• Verdungo’s Hearty Cord: For the Life boost.

Rings

• Stone of Jordan

• Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band

• Raven Frost: It’s essential if you don’t have other sources of the Cannot be Frozen

Amulet

• Mara’s Kaleidoscope

• Highlord’s Wrath: +Skills, increased attack speed, and Deadly Strike bonus.

• The Cat’s Eye: For the higher movement and attack speed.

Sub-Build using Trang-Oul’s Set

Instead of using Amplify Damage and Iron Golem in order to deal physical damage to enemies with poison immunity, the Daggermancer can use Fire Golem and Lower Resist in combination with the Fire Ball, Meteor, and Fire Wall skills granted by the Trang-Oul’s Avatar set.

Daggermancer Build Stats

Strength: Invest enough points to Strength so you can equip your best gear.

Dexterity: Some players go for a max block as they use a shield.

Vitality: Invest all the points left in this attribute.

Energy: Regarding mana- you might encounter some problems here. Until you have enough mana points to use comfortably all of your skills, use perfect sapphires in your armor and helm. Also, you can benefit from items with mana leech or gear that grants mana after each kill. In addition, you can construct an Insight Polearm for your Act 2 Mercenary.