How To Use Skeletal Priests in Diablo 4

For Necromancer players in Diablo 4 who choose to embrace the full power of their undead army, Skeletal Priests are an indispensable ally. Far from being a minion to sacrifice, these spectral support units can significantly enhance the survivability and damage output of your entire skeletal host, making them invaluable when facing down Sanctuary's endless hordes.

Skeletal Priests in Diablo 4: What Are They?

A Skeletal Priest is a temporary, supportive entity summoned by a Necromancer when specific conditions are met. They are not a permanent minion like Skeleton Warriors or Mages.

• Summon Condition: You summon a Skeletal Priest by attempting to use your Summon Skeleton ability (the same button you use to raise new skeletons) when you already have your maximum number of Skeletons active. You will still need a corpse on the ground to trigger the summon.
• Appearance: When summoned, a Skeletal Priest briefly appears as a spectral figure with outstretched arms. You'll also notice a distinct bluish glow as they cast their healing spell.
• Duration: The summoned Skeletal Priest is fleeting; it will remain by your side for a brief amount of time (typically 5 seconds) before dissipating.
• Benefits: During its short lifespan, a Skeletal Priest provides a powerful, dual-purpose buff to all your nearby Skeleton minions:
  • Healing: They continuously heal your active Skeleton Warriors and Skeletal Mages.
  • Damage Bonus: They significantly increase the damage dealt by your Skeletons. Initial reports indicated a 20% damage buff, but patches have increased this to 30% bonus damage for your minions and 40% of their Maximum Life healed over the duration.

Diablo 4: How To Use Skeletal Priests

For any Necromancer build that relies on Skeleton minions, the optimal strategy is to summon a Skeletal Priest as frequently as possible. Even if your minions are at full health, the substantial damage buffthey provide makes regular summoning worthwhile for maximizing youroffensive capabilities.

Here’s how to best integrate Skeletal Priests into your gameplay and enhance their effectiveness:

Constant Re-Summoning: Keep an eye on your minions' health and the flow of combat. Wheneveryour "Raise Skeleton" ability is ready and you have a corpse available(and your minion count is maxed), use it to pop a Skeletal Priest. Thebuff duration is short (5-8 seconds, depending on patches/talents), soyou'll want to refresh it often. There's usually a small cooldown(around 5 seconds) before you can summon another priest, indicated by agreen bar above the summon icon on your skill bar.

Strategic Corpse Management: Since summoning a Skeletal Priest requires a corpse, ensure you have a reliable way to generate them. Skills like Decompose, Corpse Explosion, or passive abilities that create corpses are essential for continuous Priest uptime.

Leverage Legendary Aspects: Several Legendary Aspects can further amplify the power and utility of your Skeletal Priests:

• Blood Getter's Aspect (Offensive Aspect): "Your Skeletal Priest empowers you at X% of effectiveness." This aspect can be found on various gear slots. While the base Skeletal Priestbuffs your minions, this aspect allows a portion of that empowerment(healing and damage) to also apply to you, the Necromancer, increasing your own survivability and damage. The specific percentage of effectiveness varies.
• Aphotic Aspect (Offensive Aspect): "Your Skeletal Priest empowers your Skeletons to deal Shadow Damage.They also have a certain percentage chance of inflicting Stun on theenemy." This aspect introduces valuable crowd control and damage typeconversion:
  • Shadow Damage: Converts your Skeletons' damage to Shadow, which can synergize with other Shadow-relatedNecromancer skills and passive abilities (e.g., Shadowblight key passive).
  • Stun Chance: Gives your Skeletons a chance to stun enemies with their attacks,providing crucial crowd control that can protect your minions andyourself, and set up further damage.
• Bonded in Essence (Passive Skill): This Necromancer passive greatly enhances the healing provided by yourSkeletal Priests. At maximum ranks, it significantly increases theamount of healing your Skeletons receive from the Priest's effect,making your army far more resilient.

Byactively utilizing Skeletal Priests and synergizing them with the rightLegendary Aspects and passive skills, Necromancer players can transformtheir undead army into an even more formidable and self-sustaining force on the battlefields of Sanctuary.

---

Other Articles Related

How to Get Chaos Armor in Diablo 4
Discover how to obtain Chaos Armor in Diablo 4 with our comprehensive guide. Unlock powerful gear and enhance your gameplay
How to Get Ophidian Iris In Diablo 4
how to obtain the Ophidian Iris in Diablo 4 with our comprehensive guide. Unlock secrets and enhance your gameplay 
How To Get Twin Strikes in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide on how to get Twin Strikes in Diablo 4. Unlock powerful abilities and enhance your gameplay today!
How To Get Band of Ichorous Rose in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide on how to obtain the Band of Ichorous Rose in Diablo 4. Unlock its secrets and enhance your gameplay today!
How To Complete Cache Claimer in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide to completing the Cache Claimer in Diablo 4. Unlock rewards and master strategies 
How To Get Spark of Creation in Diablo 4 Season 9
Unleash the power of the Spark of Creation in Diablo 4 Season 9. Explore strategies and tips to elevate your gaming  
How To Get Deathmask of Nirmitruq in Diablo 4 Season 9
Unveil the secrets to acquiring the Deathmask of Nirmitruq in Diablo 4Season 9. Elevate your character  
How To Get Volatile Crystal in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to get Volatile Crystals in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover farming tips, best locations, andstrategies to maximize your loot!
How To Get Luminous Gem in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to obtain the Luminous Gem in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover farming tips, best locations, andstrategies to upgrade your gear!
How To Get Murky Essence in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to farm Murky Essence in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover the best methods, locations, and strategies to collect this key resource efficiently!
All Grass Wonder Event Choices in Umamusume
Explore all Grass Wonder event choices in Umamusume! Get the bestresponses and outcomes for Grass Wonder's storyline. Perfect guide forplayers!
How To Fix Diablo 4 Lagging on PS5
 Discover effective solutions to fix Diablo 4 lagging issues on PS5. Enhance your gaming experience with our tips
How To Unlock Signature Racewear in Umamusume
Unlock the secrets to Umamusume's Signature Racewear! Discover tips and tricks to enhance your gameplay and style.
All Winning Ticket Event Choices in Umamusume
Discover all the winning ticket event choices in Umamusume! Get the best outcomes for your horse girls with our complete guide to eventselections and rewards.
How To Get Giant Pinecone in Grow a Garden
Learn how to get the Giant Pinecone in Grow a Garden with our easyguide. Discover tips, tricks, and steps to unlock this rare garden item!