Iron Golem

Transforms a metallic item into a golem that gains the properties of the item.

Iron Golem is a level 24 Necromancer spell (Summoning tree, requires Blood Golem; it unlocks Fire Golem and Revive). Cast on an identified metallic weapon or piece of armour lying on the ground, it consumes the item and summons a single IronGolem melee pet that carries the item's properties as if it were wearing it. Its own level buys one thing, +35 defense a level, and it carries a thorns state that returns flat damage to whatever hits it in melee. It can be cast in town, replaces any other golem, costs a flat 35 mana, and is the one golem that comes back in a new game.

The numbers

• Defense is Param8 35, "Iron Golem Armor synergy", times the level (passivecalc3): +35 at level 1, +700 at level 20, +1,050 at level 30, on a base of 140, which the tooltip prints as the second line: 175 at level 1, 840 at level 20. The Basin adds the golem's monster level on top. The same Param8 is what the other three golems read per hard point.
• Damage returned is the thorns state (aurastate "thorns", aurastatcalc1 edmn on item_attackertakesdamage): a flat amount from the table's EMin 15 with brackets of +6 a level to level 8, +12 to 16, +18 to 22, +24 to 28 and +30 past that (EMinLev1–5): 15 at level 1, 225 at level 20, 465 at level 30. The tooltip's "% damage returned" line reads an empty calc and prints 0, so it is left out of the table. The Basin's older page gives a percentage rule, 135 + 15 × level %, which the current table does not carry; the stat it sets is the flat Attacker Takes Damage.
• Life is calc1, "HP % Modifier": Golem Mastery's life % (20 a level) plus 5% per hard point in Blood Golem, and nothing from Iron Golem's own level. The base is 306 in Normal, 595 in Nightmare and 980 in Hell (the Basin).
• Damage is the base, 7–19 in Normal, 11–30 in Nightmare and 12–33 in Hell, plus whatever the item adds, times 6% per hard point in Fire Golem (passivecalc4). Attack rating is 80 plus Golem Mastery's ln56 plus 20 per hard point in Clay Golem (passivecalc2); the Basin's base is 138 in Nightmare and 197 in Hell plus monster level.

The defense and the thorns read the golem's full level (lvl); Golem Mastery is read at full level; the three golem cross-synergies read hard points (blvl).

How it works

The golem is a golem pet with a melee attack that rolls Chance to Hit like a monster. The Basin's rules:

• It can be made from any identified metallic armour or weapon on the ground. The Basin lists what does not count as metallic: caps and bone helms, primal helms and pelts, the leather body armours (Quilted to Studded and their upgrades), bows, crossbows, clubs, orbs, staves, wands, shrunken heads, grimoires, the crystal sword line, the Bone and Spiked shields, belts, boots, gloves, and the quest hammers and flails.
• Damage, defense and every other stat are calculated as though the item were equipped, and all its properties apply except Prevent Monster Heal. Off-weapon +% damage, including the Fire Golem synergy, applies to the sum of the weapon's damage and the golem's base. Weapon speed and Increased Attack Speed on the item change its attack rate. An ethereal item makes a translucent golem.
• Its thorns applies only to itself and is always overridden by a Thorns aura, even when the golem's own would return more; when the aura leaves, the golem's own thorns is gone too.
• One golem at a time; the level used for chance to hit, attack and defense is the caster's level at casting, and stats are set at the point of casting. Golem Mastery and Summon Resist apply; Battle Orders and Oak Sage are applied after the mastery's life.
• It is summoned again in a new game as long as the Necromancer has at least one hard point or a +skill to it, with stats from the bonuses in force at the start of that game. The Basin notes a golem made from charges alone did not return in Lord of Destruction, citing a Resurrected patch note for the fix.
• It has 50% lightning and 100% poison resistance, cannot be put into hit recovery or knocked back, and can open doors. In Resurrected all six of the caster's sunder charms are applied to its hits (passivecalc5–10).

Synergies and +skills

Three tooltip lines name the other golems, each read as hard points:

• Clay Golem: +20 Attack Rating per Level (Clay Golem Param8 20)
• Blood Golem: +5% Life per Level (BloodGolem Param8 5)
• Fire Golem: +6% Damage per Level (FireGolem Param8 6)

In return Iron Golem's own Param8 35 is +35 defense per hard point to Clay Golem, Blood Golem and Fire Golem. Golem Mastery is read at full level; the cross-synergies move only with hard points.

Against players

The Necromancer casts nothing on a player with this skill. The golem's hits on a player are melee hits with the item's damage, cut to 17% by the player-versus-player rule; the Basin's page records no other player-versus-player rule. See Player versus Player.

Build notes

• The golem's own level is defense and thorns only, 840 and 225 at level 20 for a flat 35 mana; its life comes from Golem Mastery and Blood Golem hard points, its damage from the item and Fire Golem hard points.
• The item is the build: everything on it applies as if worn, so an aura runeword or a high-damage weapon is the Iron Golem's real level.
• It is summoned again in the next game, so the item is spent once; a golem that dies takes the item with it.