Rift Necromancer Strategy Guide

Necromancer Soul's Skills, Specs, Macros and Builds in Rift

Necromancer is a decent offensive/support soul that boasts many DOT spells, debilitating debuffs and even a few healing spells. As the name suggests, this soul revolves around the use of Death based spells and summoning undead pets. It's largest drawback is a lack of direct damage spells which give NPC enemies plenty of time to kill your pet, but with higher levels come more powerful spells and more durable pets that deal more damage. The highest tiers of this soul give you the ability to unleash a veritable army of undead on your foes, but as this army has a limited duration it's an ability that is most effectively used against powerful enemies.

Notes on the "Deathly Calling" Buff: A lot of the damage inflicted by Necromancers is the result of the Deathly Calling buff. On it's own it does no damage, but it works with various abilities to increase the overall damage output of you and your pet. Your higher level pets will also consume a charge with certain special attacks to provide special effects (these will be discussed with the different pets). The maximum number of stacks that can be applied at once is 5.

Necromancer Skills and Special Abilities

Dismiss Pet - Points Required: 0
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) This ability allows you to dismiss your pet, instantly destroying it. I almost never use this ability, since resummoning your pet or summoning a different one dismisses your current pet automatically.

Plague Bolt - Points Required: 0
Ability Info: (Cast time: 2 Seconds, Cooldown: None) This is the only direct damage spell in the Necromancer's arsenal. The damage isn't all that great, but each time it hits it applies a stack of Deathly Calling. This is an important builder to both apply this buff and keep it maxed as your pet consumes it.

Summon Skeletal Horror - Points Required: 0
Ability Info: (Cast time: 8 Seconds, Cooldown: None) The Necromancer's first pet. It has a maximum level of 30, so you could get some mileage out of it even though it's not all that sturdy. While this pet does not consume charges of Deathly Calling, it does receive the increased damage effect from it.

Necrosis - Points Required: 2
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) A quick casting DOT spell. Damage is applied over 12 seconds, and depends on the rank of the spell.

Revivify - Points Required: 4
Ability Info: (Cast time: Channeled, Cooldown: None) Uses your charge to heal your pet for 10% of it's hit points each second for 8 seconds. Using this as your primary charge consumer early on will help improve your survivability.

Reclaim Power - Points Required: 8
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) Drains 10% of your pet's maximum hit points to restore 10% of your maximum mana to you. If you're depending on your pet to stay alive, you absolutely have to be careful with this ability: the hit points drained is based on it's maximum hit points, not current, and will kill your pet if it's below 10% life. Despite this, it's a very handy spell in a pinch.

Essence Link - Points Required: 10
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) Simultaneously decreases the healing the target receives by 30% while causing any damage dealt by your pet to heal you. A handy spell when you're taking damage and/or dealing with a monster or player that's being healed.

Track Undead - Points Required: 10
Ability Info: (Cast time: , Cooldown: None) Shows the location of Undead monsters on your minimap. Not extremely helpful, unless you're hunting Undead creatures for some reason.

Summon Skeletal Stalwart - Points Required: 12
Ability Info: (Cast time: 8 Seconds, Cooldown: None) A sturdier Undead pet that hit's a bit harder than the Skeletal Horror. This one's a Warrior with a maximum level of 30. Does not consume Deathly Calling, but it does receive increased damage from it.

Life Shift - Points Required: 14
Ability Info: (Cast time: 2 Seconds, Cooldown: None) The first of two healing spells. The Mage sacrifices a small amount of his own health to heal an ally for a significant amount of health. This spell cannot target the Mage casting it. In combat, this works well in conjunction with Essence Link.

Exhume - Points Required: 16
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 60 Seconds) Reduces the cast time of your next summoning spell by 100%, making it an instant cast. Extremely useful to resummon your pet while you're in combat.

Blood Binding - Points Required: 18
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) The second healing spell available to a Necromancer. Drains some health (more than Life Shift) from the Mage over 10 seconds while it heals the ally for a bit more over the same time period (not nearly as much as Life Shift). This one is great for emergencies, as it has no cast time. This spell cannot target the Mage casting it. Like Life Shift, it also works well with Essence Link.

Looming Demise - Points Required: 20
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: None) A nice support debuff that reduces the target's Attack and Spell power by 5% for 60 seconds. In PVE, this is one spell that it helps to keep up on the enemy at all times, as it will reduce damage taken by your pet.

Summon Shadow Revenant - Points Required: 26
Ability Info: (Cast time: 8 Seconds, Cooldown: None) Summons a skeletal Mage to fight with you. It's Blood Corruption spell will convert a stack of Deathly Calling into a stack of Blood Corruption, increasing the damage over time this spell inflicts. While it's best for fighting with a group, if you need a blocker you're still better off with the Skeletal Knight or Skeletal Zealot you get from Ancient Tomb. Maximum level is 50.

Death's Grasp - Points Required: 32
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 30 Seconds) Stuns the enemy for 3 seconds, and each time an undead pet hits the enemy, it reduces it's movement speed by 30% for 3 seconds (the latter effect lasts for 60 seconds). While this should not be included in your damage macro, you should keep it close anyways. Slower enemies are easier to kill before they get to you.

Corpse Explosion - Points Required: 38
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 10 Seconds) Causes your enemy's corpse to explode when it dies, dealing damage to up to 8 enemies within 10 meters of it. This one should be included in your damage macro, so you can keep this effect up on anything you're fighting.

Deadly Collusion - Points Required: 40
Ability Info: (Passive) Spell critical hits will increase your pet's Attack and Spell Power by 30 for each stack of Deathly Calling applied on the target, for 15 seconds.

Epidemic - Points Required: 44
Ability Info: (Passive) Successful critical hits by the Mage's pet will make the next Plague Bolt cast by the Mage to be an instant cast. This is a must have for any main necromancer class, as it helps keep your stack of Deadly Calling at its maximum.

Last Gasp - Points Required: 44
Ability Info: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 30 Seconds) A DOT spell that can be particularly nasty in PVP. It deals Death damage over 12 seconds, but if the target is healed during that time, it applies another stack of Last Gasp to the target, increasing the damage they take over time. Maximum of 5 stacks.

Mass Grave - Points Required: 51
Ability Info: (Cast time: 3 Seconds, Cooldown: 2 Minutes) A rather vicious summoning spell that summons uncontrolled level 50 versions of the Skeletal Zealot (the undead Rogue) and Skeletal Revenant (the undead Mage) to fight with you for 30 seconds. While they only last for a short time, they are almost twice as powerful as their normally summoned counterparts. When summoned at the right time, these two temporary pets can wreak serious havoc.

Necromancer Soul Talents - Where to Spend Your Points

0-Point Soul Talents

Death's Ally
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Increases Death based damage inflicted by you and your pet by 1% per point spent. Even if Necromancer is just a support soul for any other soul that uses Death based attacks, this is a fantastic place to dump 5 points.

Deadly Plague
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Gives Plague Bolt a 20% chance to add an additional stack of Deathly Calling to your target, and increases the damage of Plague Bolt by 3% per point spent. This talent is really only useful for a Main Necromancer build, since half of Deathly Calling's purpose is to increase your pet's Attack/Spell Power by way of Deadly Collusion. But if you are creating a Necromancer build, this ability is a must.

5-Point Soul Talents

Flesh Rot
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Increases the duration of Necrosis by 2% and increases it's base damage by 20% per point spent. Definitely a worthwhile investment if you are planning on using Necrosis in your cast rotation.

Fresh Graves
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Each point invested increases the damage of your pet's Soul Rend ability by 5% per stack of Deathly Calling, and their Grave Touch reduces the damage they take by 2% for 10 seconds. Grave Touch also gains a 20% chance per point spent to deal 50% extra damage if the target is also affected by Necrosis. A must have talent if you're planning on using your undead pets.

Consumption
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 5 Seconds) Removes a beneficial buff from the target and restores 5% of the Mage's maximum mana. This one is really only worthwhile if you buy Greater Consumption as well.

10-Point Soul Talents

Symbiote
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Increases the healing the Mage receives from Essence Link by 10% per point spent. If you're using pets, this is a great ability to buy since Essence Link is a "fire and forget" healing ability. Almost a necessity if you plan on using any of the Necromancer's healing talents on your friends.

Grave Rot
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 10 Seconds) An AOE spell that deals rank based Death damage to up to 8 enemies over 6 seconds. The damage is rather weak, but it does apply a stack of Deathly Calling every time an enemy takes damage. This is the best way to start applying Deathly Calling before you even begin your casting rotation. If you're planning on using the Necromancer abilities to their fullest, this is definitely worth the 1 point investment.

Greater Consumption
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Requires: Consumption. Increases the amount of mana returned to the Mage by the Consumption spell by 5% per point. This 2 point investment will make Consumption worth using.

15-Point Soul Talents

Soul Purge
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: Channeled, Cooldown: None) The only significant self-healing ability available to a Necromancer. It deals damage to the enemy over 8 seconds, and heals the Mage and his pet for quite a bit more over the same time period. The drawback is that it requires charge to use, however this is offset by the fact that you're most likely to need it while you're in combat. That makes it a great way to use that charge up in emergency situations.

Detonate Bones
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) This talent gives your pet a 33% chance per point invested (100% with 3 points) of exploding upon death, stunning all nearby enemies for 2 seconds and inflicting 10% of it's maximum hit points in Death damage. If you depend on your pet to survive, this is a must have talent. That 2 seconds will give you just enough time to cast Exhume and resummon your pet. It might be a good idea to set up a macro for combat summoning your preferred pet for just such an occasion.

Life Bane
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Each point spent on this talent increases the damage of your undead pets by .6% for each point spent in the Necromancer soul. Just to give you an idea of how important this talent is if you use undead pets: a 51 point Necromancer's pet would have it's base damage increased by 153%. That's 2 1/2 times more damage than a Necromancer without this talent!

20-Point Soul Talents

Ancient Tomb
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: 8 Seconds, Cooldown: None) Grants the abilities Summon: Skeletal Knight and Summon Skeletal Zealot. The knight is a warrior that will consume a charge of Deathly Calling from up to 5 enemies within 7 meters, forcing them to attack it for 3 seconds. The zealot is a rogue who consumes Deathly Calling to reduce the cooldown of it's powerful Blood Spike ability by 2 seconds. They both max out at level 50.

Feign Death
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 30 Seconds) This is the greatest defense ability that any Mage soul has. When cast, it dismisses your pet and you collapse to the ground, forcing all NPC's to ignore you completely. You can remain in this state for up to 1 hour, but any movement or using another ability will cancel the effect.

Master Chirurgeon
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Increases the health of your undead pet by 10% per point invested. If you rely on your pets to survive, this is another must-have talent.

25-Point Soul Talents

Clattering Bones
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) Requires: Ancient Tomb. Each point spent in this talent causes the Skeletal Knight's Bone Shatter ability to reduce incoming damage by 2% per enemy hit, improves the critical strike damage of the Skeletal Zealot's Blood Spike by 50% and increases the cooldown reduction gained from consuming a stack of Deathly Calling by .5 seconds. Since this only affects the pets you get from Ancient Tomb, this is only useful if you're planning on using them a lot.

Vengeful Spirit
Soul Talent Description:: (Passive) This talent increases the abilities of the Shadow Revenant. Each point spent increases the number of stacks of Deathly Calling converted into Blood Corruption by 1, and decreases the chance that this conversion will actually consume the stacks of Deathly Calling in the process by 33% (100% with 3 points spent). Each point also increases the damage of Ruination by 3% per stack of Deathly Calling, and gives Oblivion a 33% chance to interrupt spell casting (100% with 3 points spent). This talent is very important if you plan on using the Shadow Revenant, but it's completely unnecessary if you don't since it doesn't affect any other pet or ability.

Empty the Crypts
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: 3 Seconds, Cooldown: 1 Minute, 30 Seconds) When cast, this spell summons 5 uncontrolled Shambling Corpses to fight for you. Even though they only last 20 seconds, the effect is impressive. Well worth the 1 point investment, and is a spectacular way to use your charge.

30-Point Soul Talents

Lich Form
Soul Talent Description:: (Cast time: Instant, Cooldown: 2 Minutes) This spell transforms the Mage into a Lich for 30 seconds. While transformed, it increases the Mage's mana regeneration by 20%, their damage by 20%, and their pet's damage by 30%. This ability also allows the Mage to breathe underwater for the duration. Not only is this well worth the 1 point it costs, it should be placed at the top of your damage macro to insure that it gets cast every time the cooldown is over.