Diablo 4 Season 10: The Reap Skeletons Build

Every new Diablo 4 season seems to shake up the Necromancer meta, but Season 10 has introduced one of the wildest twists yet. With the introduction of the Grim Reapers perk and several chaos synergies, Necromancer skeletons have transformed into the deadliest minions the game has ever seen.

Yes, you read that right: skeleton warriors-the long-ignored backbone of Necro summoning-are now capable of hitting for hundreds of billions of damage per swing. In the right setup, they can even push into Pit tier 120, making them one of the highest-scaling builds in the entire game.

And yet… this might also be the worst that minions have ever felt to actually play.

So how can a build be both god-tier powerful and borderline unplayable? Let's break it down.

Why Reap Skeletons Exist in Season 10

The key change lies in a new chaos perk called Grim Reapers. This innocuous-looking effect gives your skeleton warriors a 25% chance to cast the basic skill Reap instead of their default attacks.

On paper, it doesn't sound game-breaking. In practice, it's absurd.

 Skeleton Reaps count as your Reap. They inherit your skill ranks, shadow damage bonuses, and Reap multipliers.

 Their Reap casts always do 150% of base damage-a huge bump compared to normal attacks.

 When combined with Unstable Power, every single Reap they cast is guaranteed to crit, overpower, and deal double damage.

 That's a baseline of 3x Reap damage per trigger before even layering on other multipliers.

Now add in Necro staples like Shard of Veratheal, Moonrise, Wrathma's Vigor, and dozens of additive/overpower bonuses, and suddenly your little skeletons are dishing out trillion-damage nukes with nothing more than a basic skill proc.

The Numbers: Trillions on Screen

Even without perfect gear, players are reporting:

 800 billion+ hits with average buffs procced.

 1 trillion+ hits in full endgame optimization.

 Reliable Pit tier 120 clears, placing the build in S-tier alongside the most broken setups of the season.

For the first time in Diablo 4's history, skeleton warriors are the primary damage dealers rather than a background flavor. 

Previously, even with Ring of Mendeln, they were support units. Now, they're front and center, and that alone has electrified the Necro community.

The Twist: When Power Meets Broken AI

Here's the Shyamalan-style twist: this is also the worst minion gameplay experience Diablo 4 has ever offered.

Why? Because all that raw damage means nothing when your skeletons refuse to cooperate.

The AI Problem

 They stop attacking at random. Sometimes they just stand around mid-fight.

 They can't navigate tight spaces. Corridors, doorways, and dungeon chokepoints leave half your army stuck behind.

 They don't re-leash properly. Unlike other minions, skeletons often fail to teleport back to you when you move forward, leaving you stranded with no frontline.

What this creates is a build that crushes bosses and AoE packs in perfect conditions but feels terrible in day-to-day gameplay. 

Running dungeons becomes an exercise in frustration as you constantly backtrack, herd skeletons, or wait for them to catch up.

Where the Build Shines

Let's not undersell the highs-because they're insane.

1.Early Game / Leveling-The Reap Skeletons setup is one of the strongest leveling builds in Diablo 4 history. Damage ramps instantly, and bosses melt.

2.Bossing-On single-target fights without phase gimmicks, skeletons delete health bars. Even on scuffed gear, they perform like an endgame powerhouse.

3.High-End Pits-With optimized gear, the build legitimately pushes tier 120+, making it one of the best scaling Necro options this season.

For players who mostly farm bosses or enjoy pushing ladders, the build feels like a revelation.

Where It Fails

But for everyday dungeon grinders, the frustrations mount quickly.

 Trash Clearing-Minions are clunky at targeting, leading to wasted procs and downtime.

 Mobility-Fast dungeon pacing punishes you; moving too far ahead strands your army.

 Reliability-The AI leash bug makes progression a gamble-sometimes your skeletons are gods, other times they're statues.

In other words, the build is peak fun when it works, peak pain when it doesn't.

Gear & Mechanics Breakdown

For players who want to try it despite the issues, here's the core of the build:

Chaos Perks

 Grim Reapers-25% chance for skeletons to cast Reap. The heart of the build.

 Unstable Power-All basic skills crit, overpower, and double damage. Multiplies Grim Reaper's effect.

Multipliers That Work

 Wrathma's Vigor-Scales overpower damage.

 Moonrise-Attack speed and damage, buffs both you and skeletons.

 Adaptability-Resource scaling for massive basic skill multipliers.

 Gloom, Terror, Crippling Darkness-All add shadow damage multipliers to Reap procs.

Items

 Pain Gorgers (Unique)-Echoes minion damage. Bugged, but still decent for farming. Provides attack speed, basic skill ranks, and AoE spread.

 Lidless Wall + Bone Storm-Core endgame synergy. Double Bone Storm uptime grants attack speed, damage reduction, and critical chance.

 Shard of Veratheal-A staple for scaling minion DPS through basic skill enhancements.

What Doesn't Work

 Skeleton Mastery ranks-Currently bugged, don't scale Grim Reaper procs.

 Some unique aspects-"Gospel of the Devote" bonus doesn't apply correctly.

 Pain Gorgers scaling-Echo damage ignores Grim Reaper's 50% bonus and mastery multipliers, halving its potential.

Player Experience: Slow Down to Succeed

The biggest advice for making the build playable? Go slower.

 Clear entire packs before moving forward.

 Keep enemies directly in front of your army to ensure overlapping Reap AoE hits.

 Use Corpse Tendril size tempers to cluster enemies tightly for massive burst damage.

This playstyle won't suit everyone, but it minimizes AI bugs and maximizes your insane scaling.

Is This the Best Minion Build Ever?

On paper? Absolutely. The numbers don't lie.

In practice? Not even close.

The Reap Skeletons Necro is a perfect storm of raw power, bugged mechanics, and clunky AI. If Blizzard fixes the AI and scaling issues, this could become the undisputed best minion build Diablo 4 has ever seen. But until then, it's a love-hate relationship: thrilling boss kills balanced by frustrating dungeon crawls.

Final Thoughts

Season 10's Reap Skeletons build is one of Diablo 4's strangest contradictions:

 The strongest Necro skeletons have ever been.

 One of the worst minion play experiences to date.

If you're here for boss farming or pushing Pit leaderboards, you'll find this build both rewarding and eye-popping. But if your focus is daily dungeon grinding, be prepared for a frustrating time babysitting your undead army. Choose the build that suits you, invest Diablo 4 Items and Diablo 4 Gold into it, and maybe you'll find more surprises.

Still, it's hard not to be excited about the direction. For years, Necro mains have begged for skeleton warriors to matter. And now, thanks to Grim Reapers, they finally do. If Blizzard can clean up the AI and fix scaling bugs, this might be the defining Necro build of the season-and maybe the game.

MMOexp Diablo 4 Team