Divinity: Original Sin 2: Pro Tips For Making A Necromancer Build

Key Takeaways

Necromancers dominate DOS2, excelling in crowd control and damage output with proper talent choices and gear.
Aerotheurge skills enhance Necromancer mobility, allowing for strategic positioning and effective close-range attacks.
Healing support synergizes with Necromancer skills, turning Decaying Touch into a powerful asset against foes.

As a seasoned Necromancer myself, I can confidently say that the Elemental Affinity talent is a game-changer for any casting class. It’s like having a built-in discount at the magical spell store! And what better way to utilize this talent than with our pointy-eared friends, the Elves, and their Flesh Sacrifice racial? Talk about synergy!

The acclaimed role-playing game, Divinity: Original Sin 2 by Larian Studios, is appreciated for inspiring creativity in its gameplay mechanics. At the outset, players are given multiple character classes to select from. Instead of strictly adhering to a set path, they can opt to specialize further or blend different class abilities, thereby creating their unique playstyle.

In the game Divinity Original Sin 2, the Necromancer character class might be one of the most potent in the game. When skillfully built, a Necromancer can swiftly eliminate numerous opponents before they even have a chance to respond. However, this power is contingent on making the right decisions regarding talents, abilities, and gear as the player progresses through Rivellon.

19 Push For Crowd Control

Get Crowd Control Skills To Avoid Punishment

Divinity: Original Sin 2: Pro Tips For Making A Necromancer Build

Capitalize on AOE-based Skills (Infect, Black Shroud, Grasp of the Starved) to guarantee damage and control effects for all opponents
Dip into Skill Schools that grant AOE based on playstyle

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, a player might find themselves concerned about their character’s safety when confronted by numerous enemies, especially if they have chosen the Necromancer class, given its focus on spellcasting. Unlike other classes like Wizards, Necromancers lack the basic firepower that could make them feel less effective in combat, particularly when it comes to dealing damage. However, what the Necromancer may lack in raw damage output, they can compensate with crowd control abilities. The Necromancer’s role is often about managing and controlling opponents, allowing their party members to finish off the weakened foes. Furthermore, Divinity: Original Sin 2 allows for a great deal of customization, enabling Necromancers to explore other Skill Schools and decide how they want to shape the battlefield according to their preferences.

At base, Necromancers alone can use Infect (Necromancer 2) to spread debuffs around nearby foes, while Black Shroud (Necromancer 3) can Blind opponents and leave them defenseless. Pyrokinetic is an easy DPS-oriented dip, courtesy of Ignition and Searing Daggers (Pyrokinetic 1), as well as Fireball (Pyrokinetic 2). Likewise, even Hail Strike (Hydrosophist 1), Winter Blast and Ice Fan (Hydrosophist 2) is a nifty DPS move. When Necromancers have Decaying Touch, the likes of Healing Tears (Hydrosophist 1, Polymorph 1), Healing Ritual (Hydrosophist 2), and Mass Cleanse Wounds (Hydrosophist 2, Warfare 2) can become debilitating damage-dealers to foes.

18 Go Aero For Mobility

Secure Safety In Mobility With Aerotheurge

Dip into Aerotheurge to get access to mobility-enhancing Skills
Not only do these grant teleportation but allow Necromancers to get up close for attacks

As a necromancer gamer, I’m always on the lookout for ways to deal maximum damage to my enemies, especially those big bosses. However, the downside is that our character is quite fragile, so trying to get close to them can lead to swift retaliation. In such situations, I often consider dabbling in Aerotheurge to balance things out.

Delving into Aerotheurge Level 1 offers the Necromancer enhanced movement speed (Favorable Wind), while Aerotheurge Level 2 equips dodge-focused defense (Uncanny Evasion) and brings opponents closer to them (Teleportation). At Aerotheurge Level 3, players acquire the ability to swap places with a target (Nether Swap), effectively bridging the distance between high-priority targets to initiate a Decaying Touch combo or utilize other Necromancer Skills more efficiently in close proximity.

17 Get Healing Support

Get Healing For Allies, Extra Damage For The Necro

Set up damaging combos with Decaying Skills
Incentivize team survivability while offering damage support

In the gameplay of Divinity: Original Sin 2, one captivating aspect involving the Necromancer Skill centers around the Decaying status. Characters afflicted with this status effect will incur 100% Damage from all healing sources rather than receiving Health restoration. Consequently, common healing methods such as First Aid, Restoration, and even food consumption would inflict harm on any character affected by Decaying.

For a Necromancer, it’s advantageous to have a healer in the team because a Hydrosophist, who primarily focuses on healing, can inflict damage if the Necromancer manages to cause Decay on many enemies. From a Damage Per Second (DPS) point of view, this implies that the Necromancer doesn’t need to deal as much base damage – especially since the healer can now retaliate against enemies by healing them while still providing healing support to allies.

16 Prioritize Decaying Touch

Decaying Touch Turns Healing Into A Disadvantage

Secure Decaying Touch early on to start Decay combos
Decay grants 100% Damage from healing sources, making it an effective tool against most foes

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, the AI behaves in a way that mimics player actions, making enemies react by retreating or healing when possible to survive battles. However, for Necromancers, this strategy works against them as soon as they acquire Decaying Touch. This skill is accessible from the moment players choose the Necromancer character archetype. Essentially, it allows the Necromancer to touch any creature, causing some Physical Damage and inflicting Decay on them.

With this status effect, any healing applied to the Decaying target will cause them equal damage instead. Remarkably, damage from healing can even be amplified if the healer has invested points in Warfare or lands critical hits using the Savage Stortilege Talent. If a Necromancer decides to blend healing with Hydrosophist skills, they could quickly transform into one of the game’s deadliest party members.

15 Add Some Points In Hydrosophist

Synergize With Healing

The Hydrosophist skill helps Necromancers gain access to certain skills
Can potentially lead to a secondary healer in the party too

As a Necromancer, there are numerous abilities at your disposal. One such skill, Blood Rain, specifically demands that you also possess a certain level of proficiency in Hydrosophy.

If players are solely focusing on a Necromancer character, it’s crucial to maximize the acquisition of skills related to this magical school. Gaining some points in Hydrosophy will significantly enhance the effectiveness of your necromancer, not just during battles but also outside of them.

14 Don’t Invest In Constitution

No Need For Too Much Health

Physical and Magical Armor are more important to manage and improve
No point in increasing Vitality for a class that regenerates health anyway

In the challenging game Divinity: Original Sin 2, the Constitution stat is often met with disdain by many players due to the game’s difficulty. This is especially true when players unintentionally adopt an ineffective character build. For instance, when it comes to a necromancy build, Constitution offers little to no benefit for one particular reason.

Because necromancers regenerate health when attacking opponents, they might not require a substantial amount of Vitality initially. However, if enemies can instantly kill them by depleting their health… then the problem lies with players engaging in battles that are significantly beyond their level.

13 Stay Patient With This Class Early On

Snowballs Into A Damaging Attacker Later On

Necromancers don’t get good skills until later on in the game
Fort Joy is brutal without a party that is well-rounded

In the game “Divinity: Original Sin 2,” a necromancer might not be incredibly helpful when you’re just starting out. This could pose a problem because Fort Joy is known for being one of the most challenging beginning areas in video game history, and an unsuitable character build will only make the difficulties a player encounters in this area even more daunting.

If you’re planning to use this character class at the start, don’t expect greatness right away or choose a more functional build instead until you find the respec mirror. Opting for the latter might seem daunting, but patience is key!

12 Take The Hothead Trait

Take Advantage Of Full Health From Afar

Hothead adds 10% to both accuracy and critical chance at full health
Necromancers are always at full health since they regenerate Vitality after inflicting damage

In simpler terms, the “Hothead” trait enhances the precision and likelihood of success in attacks for characters who are fully healthy within your party. To put it another way, a Necromancer character would gain significant advantages by employing this build.

Essentially, due to the fact that Necromancers recover vitality from each wound they deal out, it follows that they usually maintain maximum health throughout the game. Consequently, they can effectively utilize the Hothead trait for a significant portion of their gaming experience.

11 Use A Shield To Gain A Ton Of Armor Early On

Enhance Overall Defense

A Shield gives a ton of Physical Armor to mages who are notorious for lacking in this department
Mages rely more on Intelligence stat than the weapons they have anyway

In the game Divinity: Original Sin 2, there’s just one scenario that makes it worth enhancing Constitution, and that’s when players decide to equip a shield for one of their team members. Since mages are quite fragile physically at the beginning, it’s understandable why a shield could be crucial in the early stages.

A Necromancer focusing solely on an intelligence build might want to consider wielding a shield initially to reduce potential damage received early in the game. With high-quality gear being scarce at this stage, it’s understandable that players would prefer to avoid unnecessary deaths if their Necromancy spellcaster has some armor to absorb incoming attacks.

10 Choose An Elf Or Human

Maximize Racial Bonuses

Elves – Flesh Sacrifice: +1 AP at the cost of health
Humans – Ingenious: Extra Crit Chance, Encourage: Increase ally stats

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but appreciate how Elf and Human characters truly shine when it comes to crafting a Necromancer build. The Elves’ Flesh Sacrifice allows me to gain an additional action point and dish out extra damage, albeit at the expense of my Constitution. On the other hand, Humans’ Ingenious talent and Encourage ability boost my damage output, critical chance, and basic stats for my party members, making us a formidable team on the battlefield.

Although Undead, Dwarves, and Lizards can work well with Necromancy, Elves and Humans significantly amplify its power by providing high damage output and strong supportive abilities.

9 Look For Viper’s Tongue And The Reckoning

Maximize Stat Boosts

Viper’s Tongue: +1 Strength, +1 Warfare
The Reckoning: +2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +2 Necromancy

Necromancers excel during the initial stages of gameplay with melee weapons and hand-to-hand combat in tight spaces. Abilities such as Decaying Touch necessitate being extremely close to the target. Although these two weapons demand teleportation and defeating a boss, they are incredibly valuable for necromancers in the early game.

Outside Fort Joy, you’ll come across the Viper’s Tongue – a single-bladed sword which enhances your strength and combat skills. After defeating Dallis, you’ll be rewarded with The Reckoning – a two-handed mace that also boosts your necromancy abilities.

8 Max Out Intelligence, Then Wits

Strengthen Spell Attacks

Intelligence increases the damage of magical spells/effects
Wits increases crit chance and initiative in combat

In simpler terms, the main abilities that spellcasting classes enhance to boost magical power and refine their elemental abilities are Intelligence. For dealing maximum damage, it is advisable to invest as much as you can into Intelligence, with any extra points going towards Wits.

Enhancing your Wits boosts both critical strike probability and initiative. Although it’s crucial, it’s advisable to invest one point in Wits for every two to three points you put into Intelligence. This strategy results in a more stable magic damage output while also granting a gradual increase in the likelihood of scoring critical hits over an extended period.

7 *Put Only A Few Points Into Necromancer

Not All Skills Are Useful

Necromancer heals the player when dealing damage to enemy vitality
Warfare is more effective for increasing Necromancer damage, though

Although the character is called a Necromancer, it’s not necessary to invest heavily in its combat skill for necromancy spells usage. Instead, just a couple or few points are enough. However, as you enhance the character with appropriate items that boost the Necromancer’s abilities, those invested points can be consumed rather swiftly.

To clarify, the Necromancer’s battle skill restores the player’s health whenever they inflict damage on an enemy’s vitality, and it enhances the fundamental damage output of necromantic abilities. However, it doesn’t boost this as significantly as Warfare does.

6 *Focus On Warfare And Scoundrel

Give Necromancers A Tactical Edge

Warfare: Increases Necromancer spell damage by more than the Necromancer ability
Scoundrel: Movement Speed and Critical Multiplier increase

It’s worth noting that Necromancy causes damage similar to a physical attack with a melee weapon, and this damage increases significantly with a high Warfare skill. This makes it more beneficial to improve your Warfare ability compared to your Necromancer ability, due to the substantial boost in damage it provides.

After the battle, the player should prioritize enhancing their Scoundrel ability. This upgrade slightly boosts movement speed and significantly amplifies the damage multiplier during a critical hit. This bonus is particularly useful when combined with a good Wits stat, as it magnifies the damage of a critical hit without directly raising the chance of scoring a critical hit.

5 *Choose The Savage Sortilege Talent

Make Spells Do Crits

Savage Sortilege: Gives all magical skills a critical chance equal to the player’s critical chance score
No prerequisites to pick up this talent, can be picked at the start

For necromancers aiming to boost their critical hit probability, the Savage Sortilege skill is indispensable. With this talent, every magical ability gains a critical hit probability equal to the player’s current critical hit score. Normally, spells don’t crit, but with this talent, they have the same chance of scoring a critical hit as any other attack in the game.

For a Necromancer to successfully score critical hits with their ranged abilities such as Mosquito Swarm and Infect, possessing the required talent becomes essential.

4 *Choose The Elemental Affinity Talent

Strengthen Elemental Attacks

Elemental Affinity: Reduces AP cost of spells by 1 when standing on the corresponding element
Synergizes with Elf Flesh Sacrifice

Every casting class would greatly benefit from having the Elemental Affinity skill. With this skill, the cost of casting spells decreases by one action point when the caster is on a surface that matches their element – for instance, Water Mages work best near water, Fire Mages need flames, and Necromancers thrive in areas with blood.

As an avid fan, I can tell you that the Elves’ Flesh Sacrifice racial harmonizes exceptionally with your character. When this skill is activated, a pool of blood materializes right under you. It’s also worth considering the talent Vampirism, which restores health to characters standing in the blood.

3 *Choose Party Members With Synergy

Consider Skill Interactions

In the unique blend of RPG and Sandbox genres that makes up “Divinity Original Sin 2,” the interaction among party members plays a crucial role, setting it apart from conventional RPGs. For instance, an undead character gains an advantage when standing in poison, allowing a Geomancer to cast poisonous spells nearby without any negative consequences.

For Necromancers, have at least one party member who can play support and a party member with summoning abilities. Once that party members’ summon dies, the necromancer can raise it again to fight as the fifth party member, and that’s only one synergy.

2 *Put One Point In Pyrokinetic For Corpse Explosion

Maximize Corpse Disposal

Corpse Explosion: Deaks 250% player Physical Damage in an area around target corpse
Only requires 1 point in Necromancy and 1 Point in Pyrokinetic

A Necromancer’s arsenal is quite extensive, particularly in the later stages of the game, but there are additional skills that amplify their control over corpses. The skill called Corpse Explosion necessitates investing one point each in Pyrokinetic and Necromancer.

At lower stages, this skill becomes remarkably potent, particularly when combined with teleportation. Transport an enemy’s remains to a gathering of foes, then detonate them with Corpse Explosion, and enjoy the spectacle of the corpses being blasted away.

1 *Consider Melee Or Ranged Necromancy

Choose The Most Ideal Style Of Combat

It’s indisputable that Necromancers excel in melee combat setups. A significant number of their abilities require physical contact and the most effective gear for this class usually consists of one-handed swords and shields. Yet, it’s essential not to underestimate the power of a ranged Necromancer.

For a Ranged Necromancer, it’s wise to invest in Summoning skills, as this will give your character a strong presence on the battlefield up front. Additionally, Huntsman and Archery are also great choices; however, keep in mind that your character may exhaust its abilities rapidly, resulting in lengthy periods between cooldowns.

2024-11-01 23:55