In The Elder Scrolls Online the new Necromancer is currently playable on the test server. Additionally, the developers have released a detailed video that describes the development of the new class.
What is the Necromancer? In the upcoming ESO addon Elsweyr, along with dragons and cat creatures , there is also a new class: The Necromancer. Players have been requesting this since the Beta. The 6th class in ESO summons the undead and uses death magic to annihilate enemies or even to heal.
However, according to the developers, the Necromancer is not just a rehash of the sorcerer class with dark spells and a few undead pets. Rather, they have put considerable effort into making the new class unique.
This is what the new class in ESO contains
These are the roles of the Necromancer: Like all classes in ESO, the Necromancer can take on any of the three classic MMORPG roles. He can be a tank, damage dealer, and even a healer.
This is what makes the Necromancer unique in ESO: When designing the new class, the developers wanted to ensure that it would not be a “sorcerer with undead pets” or a “dragon knight with necro powers.” Instead, they focused on a unique flair and special abilities that set the Necro apart from the other 5 classes:
- The Necro has access to almost all elements, including fire, frost, lightning, poison, scarecrows, and magic damage. Other classes usually have only 2 such elements. This makes the Necro versatile.
- The corpses are a special effect and a kind of mini-game. The more corpses you have, the better effects you can get from your skills. This makes the Necro unique and fun.
- Many players are pleased that the damage tree of the Necro can almost exclusively be converted to stamina. This is a welcome change as ranged combat has mostly relied on magicka so far.
- Since Necromancy is forbidden, there are consequences for using your skills in the city. You will be treated like thieves and murderers, and a bounty will be placed on your head.
- The Necromancer has particularly cool animations, such as the characteristic devil horns gesture he makes during the third cast of Flame Skull, which metal fans will recognize well.
In the following paragraphs, you will learn more about the skills of the Necromancer itself.
Grave Lord (Damage Dealer)
This skill tree of the Necromancer focuses on direct damage. He uses a series of death magic and quickly manageable undead. Almost all skills can be converted to stamina skills.
These are the skills:
- Flame Skull: Here you throw an exploding skull at the enemy. This skill can later be modified into a stamina skill with poison damage or a bouncing projectile.
- Blastbones: A burning skeleton rises, jumps on the opponent, and explodes. It leaves behind a corpse. Can be developed into a stamina skill with disease damage.
- Boneyard: An AoE effect that continuously deals damage in the area. Can become stronger through corpse utilization.
- Skeletal Mage: A skeletal mage is summoned for 16 seconds, attacking enemies by itself. It leaves behind a corpse and can be morphed into a stamina skill.
- Shocking Siphon: All enemies between you and a corpse take damage. You can also use this skill as a stamina skill.
- Frozen Colossus (Ultimate): An undead colossus rises from the ground and smashes enemies before it. This ability can also become a stamina skill.
Bone Tyrant (Tank)
The tank line of the Necromancer focuses on classic damage reduction and self-healing. Therefore, you get skills that give you more armor and heal at the expense of your enemies.
These are the skills:
- Death Scythe: A cool damage skill that summons a scythe to deal damage and heal. Can be used as a stamina skill.
- Bone Armor: A classic armor spell that grants you more armor and various buffs to resistance. It can also pull ranged enemies or make other skills cheaper.
- Bitter Harvest: Here you gain temporary life energy and ultimate points from corpses. Ideal when fighting bosses with many adds.
- Bone Totem: A buff that grants you and your friends resistance to damage and roots enemies at the end.
- Grave Grasp: A snare that allows you to slow down or completely hold enemies.
- Bone Goliath Transformation (Ultimate): You instantly turn into a giant bone creature with 30,000 health. You are also automatically healed to this amount. Ideal when you are about to die. Additionally, your attacks become stronger.
Living Dead (Healer)
The healer Necromancer is an effective supporter. He uses corpses and can quickly restore life to himself and allies. As an ultimate ability, he can resurrect almost the entire group!
These are the skills:
- Render Flesh: A healing effect for you and an ally. For this, the Necro weakens himself.
- Expunge: You remove negative effects and gain energy back depending on your orientation.
- Life amid Death: An AoE heal that gets even better when corpses are utilized.
- Spirit Mender: Creates a spirit that heals for 16 seconds. Then it leaves behind a corpse.
- Restoring Tether: Works like Shocking Tether from the damage tree, except that the effect heals instead of damages.
- Reanimate (Ultimate): You revive up to 3 friends from the dead. You can further enhance the skill so that a horde of exploding skeletons is created additionally.
By the way, we were allowed to try the Necro live a while ago:
