The Necromancer is one of the three Masteries available for the Acolyte class in Last Epoch. Here’s everything to know about raising an army of undead.
Last Epoch’s class system gives players loads of flexibility. Each base class branches out into a series of Masteries, allowing players to tailor their endgame play to their preferences.
So far, the Acolyte has proved a popular pick for those eager to output big damage. And for those who want to summon ghoulish hordes to do their bidding, it’s hard to go past the Necromancer mastery.
In terms of the stats, Necromancers have two they should be concentrating on boosting. As a sub-class of the Acolyte, intelligence is their most important stat. Vitality is also a must to provide more survivability in endgame content. But there’s a lot to learn about the master of the undead. Here’s a complete Necromancer build guide with skills, gear, gameplay, and leveling tips.
Complete Last Epoch Necromancer Guide
There’s a slew of different options for the Necromancer mastery. While each has its own personal charms, one of the best damage dealers through the endgame is a Necro with Wraiths.
There are multiple Wraith builds players can look to, including the popular Wraithlord build, built around the new Wraithlord’s Harbor helm. However, the guide below sticks to a stock standard Wraith-focused Necromancer build.
Note: This guide is designed to take players through Last Epoch’s endgame content and assumes a character level of at least 70 and at least two Adorned Immortal Idols with Flame Wraith conversion to play it.
Necromancer Passive choices
Passives influence a class’s playstyle, with certain Passives providing better synergy with different Class Masteries.
Necromancers want to focus on nodes that provide a boost to Intelligence, Health, and Vitality, as well as increasing their Minion Cast Speed. Dipping into Lich Mastery for 5 points is well worth the Intelligence and mana regen it will provide.
The following tips are solid advice for choosing Passives which synergize well with a Wraith build.
- Invest in Forbidden Knowledge and Rite of Undeath to cap out resistance
- Points in Aegisfall provide a considerable increase to DPS, but no more than 4 should be necessary
- Frantic Summons will boost Cast Speed
- Moonlight Pyre provides a substantial increase to the class’s base Damage
Necromancer Passive node point buy
The first four Passive abilities this build requires come from the Acolyte base Class and the Lich Mastery. All other Passives are from the Necromancer Mastery. Players can follow the point buy order listed below for maximum efficiency, or customize the order according to their own playstyle.
| Passive | Points |
|---|---|
| Forbidden Knowledge (Acolyte Passive) | 8 |
| Dark Rituals (Acolyte Passive) | 5 |
| Stolen Vitality (Acolyte Passive) | 7 |
| Apocrypha (Lich Passive) | 5 |
| Risen Army | 8 |
| Cursed Blood | 4 |
| Reclamation of Souls | 3 |
| Aegisfall | 8 |
| Reclamation of Souls | 2 |
| Frantic Summons | 5 |
| River of Bones | 5 |
| Moonlight Pyre | 10 |
| Heresy | 3 |
| Blades of the Forlorn | 10 |
| Rite of Undeath | 8 |
| Tyrant | 8 |
| Cling to Life | 3 |
| Empty the Graves | 4 |
| Heresy | 7 |
Last Epoch Necromancer skills and tree breakdown
There’s more than one way to build a Necro, of course, but focusing on skills like Summon Wraith and Dread Shade is a must. Supplementing the Necromancer’s damage output with some survivability from Drain Life and increasing movement speed via Transplant helps make for a balanced endgame build that doesn’t skimp on the minions.
Transplant
Transplant is an Acolyte skill, which is worth keeping on the Hotbar for this Wraith build. Transplant creates a new body for the player at a target location. When the player moves, their old body is detonated, dealing damage to any surrounding enemies.
It’s worth keeping in mind Transplant will consume 13% of a player’s current health to cast. So it’s not something to use when HP is low.
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Transplant is a skill Acolytes should focus on during early leveling. It remains viable for a Wraith build thanks to its utility and buffs to movement from Acolyte’s Fervor. It also helps take the squish out of things with Plated Bone and Apostasy both providing an enhancement to Bone Armor.
For players who really want more movement, taking a point in Fleeting Form instead of Violent Emergence is an alternative option.
Summon Wraith
As the Skill’s name suggests, it summons a Wraith to automatically seek out and attack the player’s foes. And, it’s the central skill of this build.
With the help of Flame Wraith and a couple of Adorned Idols, players can increase their chance of summoning Flame Wraiths instead of the normal type — Flame Wraiths will always attack at ranged and deal fire damage to enemies. Spirit Link and Dawn of the Fall both grant an extra chance to Crit. While Locus of Death can turn the player’s Wraiths into turrets, capable of outputting massive damage.
Drain Life
Another skill that forms a core part of the Wraith Necro build is the Drain Life skill. It’s ability to provide mana regen is essential in the late games. Combining Hecatcomb, Grasp of the Damned, and Necrotic Feast can turn minions into a near-infinite source of mana, plus it provides players with a decent way to recover health.
This skill also forms a core part of the Wraith Necro build. Its ability to provide mana regen is essential in the late games. Combining Hecatcomb, Grasp of the Damned, and Necrotic Feast can turn minions into a near-infinite source of mana, plus it provides players with a decent way to recover health.
Dread Shade
Activating Dread Shade will drain the targeted minion for a total of 3% of its max health for each second it’s active. But it increases the damage minions around it deal by +10 necrotic for spells and 50% increase necrotic damage for physical attacks.
This skill is vital for enhancing Minion Damage. The nodes to focus on are Dying Coven, Lingering Doom, and Grim Fate. Martyrdom will also help with increasing survivability through tough fights.
Summon Volatile Zombie
Volatile Zombies will make for the nearest enemy as soon as it’s summoned. When it reaches them, or if it dies beforehand, it explodes dealing both physical and fire damage in an AoE. The final skill to focus on for a sturdy Wraith build.
Summon Volatile Zombie can provide excellent additional damage — especially in boss fights. Ravenous and Pull of the Grave are both a must for boosting damage output.
Necromancer gear and stat priority guide
As mentioned earlier, Necromancer’s most important stats are Intelligence and Vitality. Cast Speed is another indispensable perk, so gear that provides a boost to either of these is worth grabbing too. Capping out Resistances should also be a focus for endgame survivability. A safe approach to take when gearing a Necromancer is to keep an eye out for drops with the following boosts:
- Intelligence buffs (Necro will want their Intelligence buffed to at least 70)
- Cast Speed
- Capping out Resistances
- Minion Critical Strike multipliers
- Movement Speed
In terms of gear, this guide has been created to work with any set. Its only requirement are the Idols. But there are some items players will definitely want to keep an eye out for. Aberrant Call and Logi’s Hunger are two Uniques that will complement this build well.
If there is a must-have item to consider for a Wraith Necro, the Twisted Heart of Uhkeiros would be it. The Relic provides a whopping 16% cast speed, making it a perfect match for a Wraith-focused build.
