Fire Golem does get somewhat better if paired with Lower Resist or Conviction, but necromancers have access to better sources of damage.

Try taking a high-level Fire Golem into low-level areas of the game some time, to see what could have been if golems weren't so underpowered.

The most powerful golem for PvM, if you have been hoarding runes for several years and need a way to get rid of that collection, is an Iron Golem made from the Pride runeword.įire: Hefty mana cost and its damage output is still too low to be useful.

This is the only golem that can achieve appreciable damage against monsters, which isn't particularly relevant, since other damage sources surpass it by so much (the Obedience runeword seems to be the best performer as an attacking golem). Insight Golems are great for bone necros. Other than the item expenditure issue, Iron Golems can be pretty useful. Don't assume, 'I'll just make sure my golem never dies' either, because sometimes they just vanish on their own. Golems can have other auras too, but those items require higher runes and can't be so easily replaced. A golem made from an Insight weapon gives a Meditation aura, which is very nice. The biggest exception to this is the runeword Insight. Iron: Its properties are dependent on the item used, but the fact that it results in the permanent loss of the item should be enough to deter most people. Patch 1.13 did away with Blood Golem damaging the necromancer when it takes damage, but Blood Golem is still generally the worst golem. Ever since the patch that removed this (1.10 I think), Blood Golem has had a reputation as being useless. Most necromancers use Clay Golem for its capacity to tank monsters and for the slow, which (I think) stacks with Decrepify.īlood: Originally, Blood Golem's interaction with damage return, such as the necromancer's Iron Maiden, allowed for a fun experience in which monsters would surround the Blood Golem and their attacks would make them damage themselves while healing the Blood Golem and the necromancer. Pretty good with even one point invested into it (you'll also want a point into Golem Mastery). I really like them, and they manage to make themselves useful enough that just about every necromancer has one, but they're not nearly as good as they could be.Ĭlay: Cheap, durable, and slows enemies down. Golems have managed to get themselves into an awkward place in Diablo II.

Diablo 2 clay golem