Necromancer

Necromancers delve in the dark art of animating and mastering the dead. The life of a necromancer is one of isolation. You will be treated poorly by most NPC's that view that your black art as evil. It will not be uncommon to be shunned by your own race(unless you are a dark elf). The necromancers guilds are often underground or outside of town. Perhaps it is the summoning of undead that these mortals fear, or perhaps it is your somewhat sizeable amount of power.

Many races can be necromancers including humans, dark elves, gnomes and erudites. Dark elves are probably the best choice even though an erudites base intelligence is a few points higher. This is due to the fact that necromacners are not only accepted but they are embraced by the dark elves. While necromancers of other races will have problems finding places to shop a dark elf necromancer will feel right at home in Neriak.

Many players tend to think of necromancers simply as masters of the undead. While they are in fact the true masters of undead beasts they also feature one of the widest variety of spells in the game. To fully understand all of the spells which a necromancer has at his disposal we will group the types of necromancer spells below.

First and foremost are the pet summoning spells. Every circle you will receive a new summoning spell. These pets are vital to your soloability. There are two popular tactics associated with using your pets.

The first tactic is most effective at lower levels and all but suicidal at higher levels. This tactic is to firstsend in your pet to attack the monster. While your pet is tanking the monster you will get off your DoT spells(not many at lower levels but the lost grows as you go). When your pet gets down to about half health you will run and and share the damage load with him. You can always heal yourself with your lifetap spells so this is a rather effective tactic.

The second tactic is less effective at lower levels but is the safest tactic at higher levels of play. This is to once again send in your pet to tank the monster. Once again you will fire off all of your DoT spells as quickly as possible. You will then use your offensive spells until you get low on mana. Heal your pet as well as you can and then meditate during the battle. The reason you will not personally enter the battle is because you will not last long with a high level monster striking you for 90+ points of damage and your melee capabilities are going to dish a lot less than you would be able to by meditating and launching spells.

Now that we have covered summoing spells we will cover the spells which will be your most effective offensive spells under most circumstances. These are damage over time spells(DoT). These spells have a great damage to mana ratio however it will take a couple of minutes for them to do full damage. These spells are very effective when used in combination with your pet. Most importantly necromancers receive four seperate stackable lines of these spells including the heat blood, clinging darkness, poison and heart flutter lines of spells. When you stack the four of these together you will be very effective in a long fight.

The most unique line of spells that a necromancer has are your lifetap line of spells. These spells have two effects. First they do direct damage to your opponent, and second they take those hit points and use them to heal yourself. There are two types of lifetap spells. The first is the lifetap->lifespike line of spells which can be used from long range. Second is the vampiric embrace line of spells which are more effective but require you to actually touch your opponent(without wielding a weapon).

Another interesting type of necromancer spells is the siphon spells. At level 1 you receive siphon strength which not only weakenes your opponent but it also strengthens you. Higher strength will raise your ATK rating which is still quite useful at lower levels. Weakening the monster will mean that you or your party will absorb a bit less damage over the course of a fight which is always a good thing.

Necromancers get several buffing and utility spells which most mage types do not. These spells can be beneficial to other party members. Spells included in this category are endure spells, cure spells and even spirit armor(an armor class buffing spell). The dark empathy spell will allow you to heal others while taking hit points away from yourself. This makes you more useful to a party even though your DoT spells will be less useful than when solo. This is due to the fact that a well balanced group will kill a monster too fast for DoT to take full effect.

The ward->expulse->dismiss->expel->banish undead line of spells make necromancers the ultimate undead slayers. They receive these spells one circle later than their cleric counterparts however necromancers commonly have much higher intelligence than a cleric has wisdom. This extra mana means that necros will never be much behind their cleric counterparts even in the levels when necromancers are one spell behind.

Adding to their undead mastery are several undead utility spells such as the calm line of spells for use versus undead, the hungry earth(undead root) spell and the charm undead line of spells.

As if undead mastery wasn't enough necromancers can also cast anti-summoned spells all the way up to the expel summoned spell. These spells are extremely effective versus summoned foes such as elements.

Just when you were beginning to think that you had too much power already the charm spells will begin to appear. Necromancers can not only charm undead beings but also(at a later level) living mobs. Some view charm as a mere parlor trick however it can be very effective in the proper situations. The weakness of charm is the unpredictable(and often short) duration.

The word of shadow line of spells are area effect spells which center around the casters. I honestly would not recommend using these spells unless you are attempting to finish several monsters at once. Once you use these spells the monsters will often all turn and attack you. Necromancers usually don't have enough hit points to sustain this kind of offensive onslaught.

The locate corpse spell which you receive at level 1 will make you a popular person in large outdoor zones. It is often hard to find ones corpse in outdoor areas and this spell will make your life easier. If you click on a player and then cast this spell it will point you in the direction of their corpse if it is nearby.

The level 8 shadow step spell will be very useful for those situations when a monster begins pounding you a bit too much. It will teleport you a nice distance away and hopefully allow your group members a chance to taunt him off of you in that time.

More important however is the level 16 feign death spell which will make the monster believe that you are dead(while you lay motionless). When successful this will buy you the time to heal up or to allow the monster to back far enough away for you to run or gate.

Many useful necromancers spells are self only however. These include being able to grant yourself infravision and the ability to see invisible foes. Necromancers receive damage shields via the grim->banshee aura lines of spells. These damage shields are self only however. Necromancers also get invisibility at a relatively low level(8). Once again this is a self only spell. Breath of the dead will remove the need for air and acts as a water breathing spell.

One of the largest weaknesses of necromancers is the lack of root spells. You will not be able to root living beings until level 34. Your darkness line of spells(engulfing darkness etc) will slow your opponents noticeably however and will need to act as a poor man's root spell in the meantime.

Another weakness is the lack of good direct damage spells. Your lifetap spells and poison bolt will be your best direct damage spells throughout most of your career as a necro.

All that having been said I feel that necromancers are perhaps the most interesting class in the game(right up there with druids, enchanters and bards). You can do a little bit of everything. Necromancers are probably the most suited class in the game for solo play. With recent changes your pets will no longer take a share of experience in a party unless they dish out the killing blow. This makes necromancers(and magicians) a much more viable option for group play than they once were. There was a time when necromancers were viewed as a great solo class who was often not on a groups "must have" list. At this point they are not only a viable solo class but also one of the more useful classes for group play as well.


	The Sterling \| home Bard \| Cleric \| Druid \| Enchanter \| Magician \| Monk \| Necromancer \| Paladin \| Ranger \| Rogue \| Shadowknight \| Shaman \| Warrior \| Wizard Necromancer Necromancers delve in the dark art of animating and mastering the dead. The life of a necromancer is one of isolation. You will be treated poorly by most NPC's that view that your black art as evil. It will not be uncommon to be shunned by your own race(unless you are a dark elf). The necromancers guilds are often underground or outside of town. Perhaps it is the summoning of undead that these mortals fear, or perhaps it is your somewhat sizeable amount of power. Many races can be necromancers including humans, dark elves, gnomes and erudites. Dark elves are probably the best choice even though an erudites base intelligence is a few points higher. This is due to the fact that necromacners are not only accepted but they are embraced by the dark elves. While necromancers of other races will have problems finding places to shop a dark elf necromancer will feel right at home in Neriak. Many players tend to think of necromancers simply as masters of the undead. While they are in fact the true masters of undead beasts they also feature one of the widest variety of spells in the game. To fully understand all of the spells which a necromancer has at his disposal we will group the types of necromancer spells below. First and foremost are the pet summoning spells. Every circle you will receive a new summoning spell. These pets are vital to your soloability. There are two popular tactics associated with using your pets. The first tactic is most effective at lower levels and all but suicidal at higher levels. This tactic is to firstsend in your pet to attack the monster. While your pet is tanking the monster you will get off your DoT spells(not many at lower levels but the lost grows as you go). When your pet gets down to about half health you will run and and share the damage load with him. You can always heal yourself with your lifetap spells so this is a rather effective tactic. The second tactic is less effective at lower levels but is the safest tactic at higher levels of play. This is to once again send in your pet to tank the monster. Once again you will fire off all of your DoT spells as quickly as possible. You will then use your offensive spells until you get low on mana. Heal your pet as well as you can and then meditate during the battle. The reason you will not personally enter the battle is because you will not last long with a high level monster striking you for 90+ points of damage and your melee capabilities are going to dish a lot less than you would be able to by meditating and launching spells. Now that we have covered summoing spells we will cover the spells which will be your most effective offensive spells under most circumstances. These are damage over time spells(DoT). These spells have a great damage to mana ratio however it will take a couple of minutes for them to do full damage. These spells are very effective when used in combination with your pet. Most importantly necromancers receive four seperate stackable lines of these spells including the heat blood, clinging darkness, poison and heart flutter lines of spells. When you stack the four of these together you will be very effective in a long fight. The most unique line of spells that a necromancer has are your lifetap line of spells. These spells have two effects. First they do direct damage to your opponent, and second they take those hit points and use them to heal yourself. There are two types of lifetap spells. The first is the lifetap->lifespike line of spells which can be used from long range. Second is the vampiric embrace line of spells which are more effective but require you to actually touch your opponent(without wielding a weapon). Another interesting type of necromancer spells is the siphon spells. At level 1 you receive siphon strength which not only weakenes your opponent but it also strengthens you. Higher strength will raise your ATK rating which is still quite useful at lower levels. Weakening the monster will mean that you or your party will absorb a bit less damage over the course of a fight which is always a good thing. Necromancers get several buffing and utility spells which most mage types do not. These spells can be beneficial to other party members. Spells included in this category are endure spells, cure spells and even spirit armor(an armor class buffing spell). The dark empathy spell will allow you to heal others while taking hit points away from yourself. This makes you more useful to a party even though your DoT spells will be less useful than when solo. This is due to the fact that a well balanced group will kill a monster too fast for DoT to take full effect. The ward->expulse->dismiss->expel->banish undead line of spells make necromancers the ultimate undead slayers. They receive these spells one circle later than their cleric counterparts however necromancers commonly have much higher intelligence than a cleric has wisdom. This extra mana means that necros will never be much behind their cleric counterparts even in the levels when necromancers are one spell behind. Adding to their undead mastery are several undead utility spells such as the calm line of spells for use versus undead, the hungry earth(undead root) spell and the charm undead line of spells. As if undead mastery wasn't enough necromancers can also cast anti-summoned spells all the way up to the expel summoned spell. These spells are extremely effective versus summoned foes such as elements. Just when you were beginning to think that you had too much power already the charm spells will begin to appear. Necromancers can not only charm undead beings but also(at a later level) living mobs. Some view charm as a mere parlor trick however it can be very effective in the proper situations. The weakness of charm is the unpredictable(and often short) duration. The word of shadow line of spells are area effect spells which center around the casters. I honestly would not recommend using these spells unless you are attempting to finish several monsters at once. Once you use these spells the monsters will often all turn and attack you. Necromancers usually don't have enough hit points to sustain this kind of offensive onslaught. The locate corpse spell which you receive at level 1 will make you a popular person in large outdoor zones. It is often hard to find ones corpse in outdoor areas and this spell will make your life easier. If you click on a player and then cast this spell it will point you in the direction of their corpse if it is nearby. The level 8 shadow step spell will be very useful for those situations when a monster begins pounding you a bit too much. It will teleport you a nice distance away and hopefully allow your group members a chance to taunt him off of you in that time. More important however is the level 16 feign death spell which will make the monster believe that you are dead(while you lay motionless). When successful this will buy you the time to heal up or to allow the monster to back far enough away for you to run or gate. Many useful necromancers spells are self only however. These include being able to grant yourself infravision and the ability to see invisible foes. Necromancers receive damage shields via the grim->banshee aura lines of spells. These damage shields are self only however. Necromancers also get invisibility at a relatively low level(8). Once again this is a self only spell. Breath of the dead will remove the need for air and acts as a water breathing spell. One of the largest weaknesses of necromancers is the lack of root spells. You will not be able to root living beings until level 34. Your darkness line of spells(engulfing darkness etc) will slow your opponents noticeably however and will need to act as a poor man's root spell in the meantime. Another weakness is the lack of good direct damage spells. Your lifetap spells and poison bolt will be your best direct damage spells throughout most of your career as a necro. All that having been said I feel that necromancers are perhaps the most interesting class in the game(right up there with druids, enchanters and bards). You can do a little bit of everything. Necromancers are probably the most suited class in the game for solo play. With recent changes your pets will no longer take a share of experience in a party unless they dish out the killing blow. This makes necromancers(and magicians) a much more viable option for group play than they once were. There was a time when necromancers were viewed as a great solo class who was often not on a groups "must have" list. At this point they are not only a viable solo class but also one of the more useful classes for group play as well.