How to use Necros??
- Thread starter Umeadjr
- Start date
Gibbo
Fledgling Freddie
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
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I wrote this a while ago for someone in my guild. Not sure how current or upto date the information is. The game has moved on since I wrote it but I have given it a quick read through and it all seems okish. Hope it helps.
PvE Necromancer Guide
Overview
--------
The Necromancer is one of the best (if not the best) PvE class in the game. There isn't much PvE wise that a Necromancer cannot do in the game whether it is killing high level mobs that most other classes wouldn't last more than a few seconds against or power levelling lower level characters in record time.
The guide is based on v1.71 of the game.
Although technically the Necromancer doesn't have a pet, the Necroservant/Abomination is the combat form of a Necromancer so shouldn't really be classed as a pet but for the purposes of this guide i'll use the term pet when describing the Abomination.
I will use the name Necromancer for someone without a pet. When the Necromancer casts a pet they become a Shade.
Starting
--------
You can choose either Inconnu, Briton or Saracen. It doesn't matter which race you pick, your effectiveness as a Necromancer will be unaffected.
You get 30 points to spend. You can put your points into any stat you wish although if you want to pick one put 17 points into Dexterity.
Ok this needs some explanation. The stats that you get from your race, the 30 points you spend at startup, and the additions that happen when you level only effect your Necromancer/Shade and not your pet.
The stats that transfer from you to the pet come from the items you are wearing only. Your starting stats and racial resists do not pass onto the pet. So a Necromancer wearing no armour and with no buffs will find that with 60 Dexterity their pet casts at the same speed as the another one with 70 Dexterity. Should the 60 Dex Necro wear some armour with Dex bonus on it then you will find that that pet now casts faster than the pet with a 70 Dex Necro.
How Stats Effect Your Pet
-------------------------
Remember that only the stats that pass to your pet come from the items you are wearing, i.e. your armour and jewelry. Buffing your Necromancer/Shade (from a Cleric or Friar) will not effect your pets stats. Different stats effect your Necromancer/Shade and Pet in different ways.
Constitution and Hit Points pass to the pet at creation only. This means that you could remove items with these 2 stats on them after you have cast your pet and your pets toughness will be unaffected.
70% Armour and Items
--------------------
Let all your armour and items drop to 70% Condition. You lose none of the pieces magical abilities when it is 70% apart from the Magic Skills of Death Servant, Deathsight and Painworking. All the other bonuses remain and this is how many Necromancers operate and never repair their items. The only item you should look at is your staff as the Focus on it can reduce at 70%.
How To Spec
-----------
If you have a buffbot then spec 47 Death Servant, 25 Deathsight.
If you don't have a buffbot then spec 48 Deathsight, 24 Death Servant.
Put the rest of your points into Painworking, enough to get an ae debuff spell.
Some go 39 Death Servant/37 Deathsight. You get the 2nd best of everything. I haven't tried this spec but people who are this say it is good.
Regardless of what level 50 spec you are going to choose I would level a Necromancer by speccing in Deathsight until the high 40's. Then if you aim to go Death Servant respec at that point. Deathsight is the easier specline for a new Necromancer.
Queuing Spells
--------------
Your shade instructs your pet to cast spells. You can have 2 spells ready for your pet to cast at any one time. If you try and queue more then 2 spells up then you will just waste mana and your pet won't cast them. Learn to instruct your pet to cast spells one at a time and always have a spell ready to cast, follow this procedure below :
1. Tell pet to cast spell
2. Tell pet to cast spell
3. Pet casts first spell
4. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
5. Pet casts second spell
6. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
7. Pet casts spell from step 4
8. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
9. Repeat
This will use your mana in the most efficient way. Note that your pet will not cast a spell until it has finished it's current action.
How Does Facilitate Painworking work?
-------------------------------------
This is the Necromancer version of Quickcast that other casters in the game get. However it differs as it allows more than one spell to be cast. It allows you to cast spells when you are in melee combat.
First make sure your pet has no queued up spells and isn't on Passive, this is very important. Now follow the procedure below :
1. Press Facilitate Painworking
2. Press the first spell you want to cast
3. Wait until you here a noise that sounds like Thunder
4. Your pet should start casting the first spell
5. Press the second spell you want to cast
6. Wait until the first spell has been cast and press the third spell you want to cast
Assuming you have done this you should be able to cast 3 spells.
Dexterity massively affects your ability to successfully cast 3 spells so make sure that your Dex is capped on your shade and pet.
Summoning Suit and Fighting Suit
--------------------------------
Your Necromancer should have 2 sets of armour. One set is used for casting your pet and the other is used when have the pet.
Your summoning suit should cap Constitution and Hits. At level 50 you can get 101 Constition (75 normal + 26 from TOA Bonus) and you can get 400 Hit Points (200 normal + 200 from TOA Bonus).
Your fighting suit should cap Dexterity, Intelligence and Resists. At level 50 you can get 101 Dexterity (75 normal + 26 from TOA Bonus) and 26% resists. You should aim for Melee resists to be 26% at the least.
You may wish to get some strength (to carry all that loot you will get) but this stat doesn't transfer to your pet so is optional if you can fit it in.
Remember that only stats from items transfer to your pet so it is important to maximise these on your equipment.
My summoning and fighting suits require that I need to change 10 items on my necro each time I cast my pet. This is a small price to pay for having capped stats.
Power and Power % Bonus
-----------------------
One item that is often overlooked by necros is your power pool. Your power is made up of your Intelligence and Power stats. The Acuity buff doesn't effect how much power you have.
Each time you cast a spell it uses up your power, the power that each spell uses is shown on the spell lists that are published by Mythic. The Power % Bonus increases your power by the given %, so if your power was 100 and you had 26% power bonus your total power would be 126.
My Necro has Power at 26 and Power % Bonus at 26%. You can actually cap these at 75 if you use the correct items however getting this is impossible. I feel it is worth getting your power as high as you can as this will allow you to cast more spells. If you can do it try to go above the 26% cap.
Buffbots and Buffs
------------------
With correct summoning and fighting suits your pet can become very tough indeed. Buffs to your Necromancer/Shade do not effect your Pet. The Pet must be buffed seperately.
Most as a rule give Dex and Acuity to the Necromancer/Shade and everything (except Acuity) to the Pet. Although you as a player are capped your pet isn't so buffs from a 50 Enhance Cleric will fully pass to the pet.
There are several choices for the spec of your buffbot, and to be a successful PvE Necro then a buffbot is essential. Your Buffbot should have 25% Buff Bonus, 25% heal Bonus and >26% Power Bonus. The choices are :
50 Enhance/20 Rejuve
This will allow you to fully buff your pet with all highest level buffs. You can also give your Shade the same (although with this spec you can give Yellow Dex buffs and still cap the Shade). You also get the highest level Heal Proc buff as well to give the group. You do however reduce your healing capability.
42 Enhance/33 Rejuve or 44 Enhance/30 Rejuve
This will allow you to buff your pet with high level buffs. You should also be able to cap your Shades stats as well. However you only get the Yellow Heal Proc which is actually just about good enough because with the 30+ Rejuve you have your healing is better.
It is possible to use a classic Rejuve spec Cleric (41r/35e or 40r/36e) but the pet will require more healing leading to the possibility of the cleric getting aggro. With this spec however you may find your ability to cast 3 spells within one fp reduced.
Ideally your buffbot should also have the Divine Intervention realm ability. This provides a pool of healing for the group. The real bonus of this is that when it is used to heal the pet the buffbot doesn't get aggro from the mob being attacked and helps the pet establish the aggro at the start of a fight. DI comes in 3 levels, level 1 give 1000 heal points, 2 gives 2000 and 3 gives 3000. You should aim for level 2 as a minimum.
You should also be ML5 so that you can cast a Power Font. The font will not effect the Shade (it doesn't work on a target in PvE Combat) but it will effect your buffbot who is considered to not be in combat. Power Font and a cleric with high Power % bonus can provide an almost unlimited supply of healing for the pet.
So how do I kill a really high level mob?
-----------------------------------------
Lets take Skyros Dreadnought as an example. This puts your level 44 pet against a level 72 mob. It shouldn't be a fair fight, Dreadnought should win everytime. Wrong, your pet should win everytime.
Buff everybody up. This means your shade, pet and buffbot. Cast DI. Cast a Powerfont with your buffbot stood inside it.
Now attack Dreadnought with your pet. As it's a level 44 pet v level 72 mob your pet will rarely hit. In order to kill the mob you need to cast the Damage Shield (in Death Servant spec line). Everytime the mob hits your pet a percentage of the damage is reflected back onto the mob. It is this that kills the mob. The higher spec your Death Servant the quicker it will take to kill the mob. The DI you cast will initially heal the pet, also cast the Heal Over Time spell that your Necro has and this will help the pet establish the aggro. A mob like this is prone to attack the healers if you heal too much so be careful with your healing. If you want to be really sure then cast DI on your Cleric and wait until it becomes available again, remember that DI becomes available to recast before the timer on the spell wears out, doing this will double the healing from DI at the start of the fight.
On a tethered mob like High Priest Akil this isn't so important and you can heal without fear of getting the aggro.
If you search forums there are enough guides around with strategies for killing really high level mobs. With the correct setup a lot of mobs in the game are killable by a Necromancer+Cleric combination.
PvE Necromancer Guide
Overview
--------
The Necromancer is one of the best (if not the best) PvE class in the game. There isn't much PvE wise that a Necromancer cannot do in the game whether it is killing high level mobs that most other classes wouldn't last more than a few seconds against or power levelling lower level characters in record time.
The guide is based on v1.71 of the game.
Although technically the Necromancer doesn't have a pet, the Necroservant/Abomination is the combat form of a Necromancer so shouldn't really be classed as a pet but for the purposes of this guide i'll use the term pet when describing the Abomination.
I will use the name Necromancer for someone without a pet. When the Necromancer casts a pet they become a Shade.
Starting
--------
You can choose either Inconnu, Briton or Saracen. It doesn't matter which race you pick, your effectiveness as a Necromancer will be unaffected.
You get 30 points to spend. You can put your points into any stat you wish although if you want to pick one put 17 points into Dexterity.
Ok this needs some explanation. The stats that you get from your race, the 30 points you spend at startup, and the additions that happen when you level only effect your Necromancer/Shade and not your pet.
The stats that transfer from you to the pet come from the items you are wearing only. Your starting stats and racial resists do not pass onto the pet. So a Necromancer wearing no armour and with no buffs will find that with 60 Dexterity their pet casts at the same speed as the another one with 70 Dexterity. Should the 60 Dex Necro wear some armour with Dex bonus on it then you will find that that pet now casts faster than the pet with a 70 Dex Necro.
How Stats Effect Your Pet
-------------------------
Remember that only the stats that pass to your pet come from the items you are wearing, i.e. your armour and jewelry. Buffing your Necromancer/Shade (from a Cleric or Friar) will not effect your pets stats. Different stats effect your Necromancer/Shade and Pet in different ways.
Constitution and Hit Points pass to the pet at creation only. This means that you could remove items with these 2 stats on them after you have cast your pet and your pets toughness will be unaffected.
70% Armour and Items
--------------------
Let all your armour and items drop to 70% Condition. You lose none of the pieces magical abilities when it is 70% apart from the Magic Skills of Death Servant, Deathsight and Painworking. All the other bonuses remain and this is how many Necromancers operate and never repair their items. The only item you should look at is your staff as the Focus on it can reduce at 70%.
How To Spec
-----------
If you have a buffbot then spec 47 Death Servant, 25 Deathsight.
If you don't have a buffbot then spec 48 Deathsight, 24 Death Servant.
Put the rest of your points into Painworking, enough to get an ae debuff spell.
Some go 39 Death Servant/37 Deathsight. You get the 2nd best of everything. I haven't tried this spec but people who are this say it is good.
Regardless of what level 50 spec you are going to choose I would level a Necromancer by speccing in Deathsight until the high 40's. Then if you aim to go Death Servant respec at that point. Deathsight is the easier specline for a new Necromancer.
Queuing Spells
--------------
Your shade instructs your pet to cast spells. You can have 2 spells ready for your pet to cast at any one time. If you try and queue more then 2 spells up then you will just waste mana and your pet won't cast them. Learn to instruct your pet to cast spells one at a time and always have a spell ready to cast, follow this procedure below :
1. Tell pet to cast spell
2. Tell pet to cast spell
3. Pet casts first spell
4. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
5. Pet casts second spell
6. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
7. Pet casts spell from step 4
8. As pet is casting spell tell pet to cast another spell
9. Repeat
This will use your mana in the most efficient way. Note that your pet will not cast a spell until it has finished it's current action.
How Does Facilitate Painworking work?
-------------------------------------
This is the Necromancer version of Quickcast that other casters in the game get. However it differs as it allows more than one spell to be cast. It allows you to cast spells when you are in melee combat.
First make sure your pet has no queued up spells and isn't on Passive, this is very important. Now follow the procedure below :
1. Press Facilitate Painworking
2. Press the first spell you want to cast
3. Wait until you here a noise that sounds like Thunder
4. Your pet should start casting the first spell
5. Press the second spell you want to cast
6. Wait until the first spell has been cast and press the third spell you want to cast
Assuming you have done this you should be able to cast 3 spells.
Dexterity massively affects your ability to successfully cast 3 spells so make sure that your Dex is capped on your shade and pet.
Summoning Suit and Fighting Suit
--------------------------------
Your Necromancer should have 2 sets of armour. One set is used for casting your pet and the other is used when have the pet.
Your summoning suit should cap Constitution and Hits. At level 50 you can get 101 Constition (75 normal + 26 from TOA Bonus) and you can get 400 Hit Points (200 normal + 200 from TOA Bonus).
Your fighting suit should cap Dexterity, Intelligence and Resists. At level 50 you can get 101 Dexterity (75 normal + 26 from TOA Bonus) and 26% resists. You should aim for Melee resists to be 26% at the least.
You may wish to get some strength (to carry all that loot you will get) but this stat doesn't transfer to your pet so is optional if you can fit it in.
Remember that only stats from items transfer to your pet so it is important to maximise these on your equipment.
My summoning and fighting suits require that I need to change 10 items on my necro each time I cast my pet. This is a small price to pay for having capped stats.
Power and Power % Bonus
-----------------------
One item that is often overlooked by necros is your power pool. Your power is made up of your Intelligence and Power stats. The Acuity buff doesn't effect how much power you have.
Each time you cast a spell it uses up your power, the power that each spell uses is shown on the spell lists that are published by Mythic. The Power % Bonus increases your power by the given %, so if your power was 100 and you had 26% power bonus your total power would be 126.
My Necro has Power at 26 and Power % Bonus at 26%. You can actually cap these at 75 if you use the correct items however getting this is impossible. I feel it is worth getting your power as high as you can as this will allow you to cast more spells. If you can do it try to go above the 26% cap.
Buffbots and Buffs
------------------
With correct summoning and fighting suits your pet can become very tough indeed. Buffs to your Necromancer/Shade do not effect your Pet. The Pet must be buffed seperately.
Most as a rule give Dex and Acuity to the Necromancer/Shade and everything (except Acuity) to the Pet. Although you as a player are capped your pet isn't so buffs from a 50 Enhance Cleric will fully pass to the pet.
There are several choices for the spec of your buffbot, and to be a successful PvE Necro then a buffbot is essential. Your Buffbot should have 25% Buff Bonus, 25% heal Bonus and >26% Power Bonus. The choices are :
50 Enhance/20 Rejuve
This will allow you to fully buff your pet with all highest level buffs. You can also give your Shade the same (although with this spec you can give Yellow Dex buffs and still cap the Shade). You also get the highest level Heal Proc buff as well to give the group. You do however reduce your healing capability.
42 Enhance/33 Rejuve or 44 Enhance/30 Rejuve
This will allow you to buff your pet with high level buffs. You should also be able to cap your Shades stats as well. However you only get the Yellow Heal Proc which is actually just about good enough because with the 30+ Rejuve you have your healing is better.
It is possible to use a classic Rejuve spec Cleric (41r/35e or 40r/36e) but the pet will require more healing leading to the possibility of the cleric getting aggro. With this spec however you may find your ability to cast 3 spells within one fp reduced.
Ideally your buffbot should also have the Divine Intervention realm ability. This provides a pool of healing for the group. The real bonus of this is that when it is used to heal the pet the buffbot doesn't get aggro from the mob being attacked and helps the pet establish the aggro at the start of a fight. DI comes in 3 levels, level 1 give 1000 heal points, 2 gives 2000 and 3 gives 3000. You should aim for level 2 as a minimum.
You should also be ML5 so that you can cast a Power Font. The font will not effect the Shade (it doesn't work on a target in PvE Combat) but it will effect your buffbot who is considered to not be in combat. Power Font and a cleric with high Power % bonus can provide an almost unlimited supply of healing for the pet.
So how do I kill a really high level mob?
-----------------------------------------
Lets take Skyros Dreadnought as an example. This puts your level 44 pet against a level 72 mob. It shouldn't be a fair fight, Dreadnought should win everytime. Wrong, your pet should win everytime.
Buff everybody up. This means your shade, pet and buffbot. Cast DI. Cast a Powerfont with your buffbot stood inside it.
Now attack Dreadnought with your pet. As it's a level 44 pet v level 72 mob your pet will rarely hit. In order to kill the mob you need to cast the Damage Shield (in Death Servant spec line). Everytime the mob hits your pet a percentage of the damage is reflected back onto the mob. It is this that kills the mob. The higher spec your Death Servant the quicker it will take to kill the mob. The DI you cast will initially heal the pet, also cast the Heal Over Time spell that your Necro has and this will help the pet establish the aggro. A mob like this is prone to attack the healers if you heal too much so be careful with your healing. If you want to be really sure then cast DI on your Cleric and wait until it becomes available again, remember that DI becomes available to recast before the timer on the spell wears out, doing this will double the healing from DI at the start of the fight.
On a tethered mob like High Priest Akil this isn't so important and you can heal without fear of getting the aggro.
If you search forums there are enough guides around with strategies for killing really high level mobs. With the correct setup a lot of mobs in the game are killable by a Necromancer+Cleric combination.
