Necromancer Glass Cannon
Dark-arts caster that trades survivability for raw burst. Necromancer + Dark Arts + Abyss carry damage, Bloodletting + Life Essences feed the engine.
Skills in this build
Stat priority
- Primary
- INT — Dark Arts + Abyss both scale exponentially here. Maxing INT before anything else.
- Secondary
- Spirit — Bloodletting converts spirit to damage; deeper pool = more rotations before backtracking.
Recommended weapons
- Primary
- Dark-element staff. Necromancer skills proc off elemental hits — match the weapon.
- Secondary
- Wand for instant Terror procs when you need a quick escape.
Armor
Light caster robes. Mana regen and INT mods only — no armor mods help this build.
Food & consumables
- INT-boost stew (constant)
- Mana-regen tea
- Bandages — you have no other healing
Playstyle
Cast Bloodletting on the highest-HP target to mark it for follow-up. Stack Dark Arts ticks; once 3 are stacked, fire Abyss for the burst spike. Terror is the panic button — it fears the closest enemy for 3 seconds. Life Essences pulls a small heal off enemy deaths, but don't count on it as primary sustain. The build's name is honest: glass + cannon. You out-DPS the room but die in 2 hits if positioning fails.
Strengths & weaknesses
Pros
- Highest mage DPS in the game post-30
- Strong against high-HP single targets (Veilwater Basin bosses)
- Terror gives you one 'oh no' escape per fight
Cons
- Squishiest build in the game — one mistake = dead
- Mana-hungry; rotations break down at long fights
- Useless against fear-immune enemies (some Fell variants)
Synergies & counters
Pairs with
- · Sword & Board Tank that holds all aggro while you free-cast
- · Healer Support — your survival depends on their heals
Struggles against
- · Solo open-world content — too squishy
- · Boss arenas with no cover for kiting
Level-by-level skill order
Suggested progression by level band. The planner enforces the 184-point cap; click any skill to jump to its detail page.
| Level band | Skill | Tree | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lv 1-15 |  Intelligence | Mage | 1p |
 Dark Arts | Mage | 3p | |
| Lv 15-30 | Necromancer | Mage | 3p |
| Bloodletting | Mage | 3p | |
| Spirit | Mage | 1p | |
| Lv 30-45 | Abyss | Mage | 4p |
| Terror | Mage | 4p | |
 Life Essences | Mage | 5p |
Why pick these skills in this order (expand per-band focus)
Lv 1-15
INT pips + Dark Arts base. Survival relies on positioning, not skills.
Lv 15-30
Necromancer + Bloodletting form the damage core.
Lv 30-45
Abyss as the burst capstone; Terror + Life Essences for emergencies.
FAQ
- Is Necromancer good for solo play?
- Risky — the build is designed around having a tank or healer to absorb mistakes. Solo it works for trash clearing but bosses are punishing.
- Best weapon for Necromancer?
- Dark-element staff with cast-speed mods. Cast speed matters more than raw damage because Dark Arts stacks proc on hit count.
- When does Necromancer come online?
- Level 30, Flame 7. Earlier you'll get more out of Fire Mage Starter; respec when Abyss unlocks.
Related Mage builds
- Fire Mage StarterA
A pure caster opener leaning into fire damage and survivability. Picks up Arsonist + early defensive resistances so the Shroud doesn't melt you mid-cast.
- Battlemage HybridA
Melee mage that ditches the staff and stays in plate. INT + STR core, Arsonist + Thunder for burst, Battle Heal + Heavy Plates for staying power.
- Ice Mage — Crowd ControlA
Slows + freezes everything that breathes. Iceman + Subzero stack chill, Frost amps the elemental damage, Arcane Deflection covers your soft caster body.
- Healer SupportA
Co-op cleric. Healer line + Healing Revive + Waters of Life keep the squad upright; Sun Aura + Radiant Aura push passive sustain.
Browse more builds
Update history2 entries
- 6d057d2feat(enshrouded): ship deferred steal-list — T2-8 + T3-4 + T3-8
- 5e41f4cfeat(enshrouded): Tier 3 competitor steal-list — content density + AIO citation patterns