Necromancer Class Guide: Playing Dark Energy in Wanderer's Tale

The Necromancer is a spellcaster that wins by taking more than it gives. It drains life from the enemy to heal itself, raises a fighter to do its dirty work, and blows that fighter up for a finisher. If you like a fight that feeds you, this is your class.

The Necromancer is one of three premium classes in Wanderer's Tale, a free browser text RPG. See "How to unlock it" below. The game itself, and the four free classes, cost nothing.

At a glance

• Starting health: 62 base, plus 5 for every point of Constitution above 10, set when you create the character
• Starting Dark Energy (your ability resource): 70 base, plus 6 for every point of Intelligence above 10, set when you create the character (the largest pool of any class)
• Starting bonuses: +4 Intelligence, +1 Constitution
• Starting skills: Arcana and Intimidation
• Each level gives: +8 max health, +20 max Dark Energy, +4 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution
• Starts with: an Oak Staff, Mage's Robes, a Small Health Potion and a Small Mana Potion

How to unlock it

Necromancer is a premium class. It is a one-time unlock on your account (listed at $4.99 in the Premium Shop), and once you own it, it is available for every character you create from then on. The Premium Shop needs a free account, so if you are playing as a guest, use Save progress first.

How the Necromancer actually plays

You fight with spells, not with your weapon. Spell damage comes from your Intelligence, and your starting bonus is the largest in the game, so the staff in your hand matters for the Intelligence it adds, not for its damage. A plain Attack with a staff is a weak melee swing, so treat it as a last resort.

Most fights begin with the enemy several squares away, typically somewhere around 4 to 8, and walking toward you a little each round. Almost every Necromancer spell works at any distance, so those approach rounds are free setup time. The one exception is Death Nova, which only works when the enemy is within 3 squares.

Spells that ignore armor

Every Necromancer damage spell ignores the enemy's armor. Drain Soul, Death Nova, Corpse Explosion and Soul Harvest all deal their full damage no matter what the enemy is wearing, and so does your risen fighter. Armored enemies that make other classes struggle are no harder for you.

Spell damage scales with Intelligence. For example, with 20 Intelligence a Drain Soul does 18 to 24 damage and a Death Nova does 36 to 48.

Sustain is the point

The Necromancer is thinner than a Warrior, so it heals as it goes. Drain Soul returns 45% of the damage it deals as health, and Death Nova returns 25%. Two defensive spells, Bone Shield and Lichform, cover the moments when you are about to be hit hard.

Dark Energy: a pool to budget

Your Dark Energy is the largest pool in the game, but it only goes down in a fight. Nothing refills it as you attack or take damage, so every spell is a decision.

Dark Energy comes back in three ways:

• Mana Potions restore 25 (15 gold), 60 (40 gold, level 4), 120 (80 gold, level 7) or 200 (180 gold, level 10). They are sold to Necromancers and Mages, and they refill Dark Energy.
• Resting at the inn restores your health and Dark Energy for a fee.
• Leveling up refills both.

At 20 Intelligence a new Necromancer starts with 130 Dark Energy, enough for seven Drain Souls.

Abilities

Every Necromancer ability spends Dark Energy. You unlock them as you level.

Early game (levels 1 to 9). Drain Soul is your bread and butter: damage that pays you back. Raise Dead at level 3 is excellent value. For 25 Dark Energy you get a fighter that attacks for 8 to 14 on each of the next three rounds, which is more than one spell's worth of damage while you do something else. Bone Shield at level 6 is cheap insurance against a big hit.

Midgame. Death Nova is your biggest single hit, and it heals. It needs the enemy within 3 squares, so use Drain Soul and Raise Dead on the approach, then Nova once it arrives. Against enemies that never close in, it is not an option, so keep Drain Soul for those.

Late game. Corpse Explosion turns your risen fighter into a finisher. Raise Dead first, let the fighter hit for a round or two, then detonate it for 24 to 36 plus Intelligence. Raise Dead and Corpse Explosion together cost 55 Dark Energy. Lichform at level 35 is your safety net: the next two hits that land cannot drop you below 1 health. Soul Harvest at level 55 is a heavy damage spell that also adds 15 to your maximum health until the fight ends.

The Raise Dead combo

1. While the enemy approaches, cast Raise Dead. Your fighter starts attacking.
2. Keep casting Drain Soul to heal and add damage.
3. When the enemy is hurt, cast Corpse Explosion to detonate the fighter and end the fight. If it has already done its three rounds, the detonation is no longer available, so do not wait too long.

Corpse Explosion costs nothing if it fails: with no risen fighter, the game just tells you to Raise Dead first.

Staves and robes by level

Choose gear for the Intelligence it adds. Every point makes all of your spells hit harder, and it is the same gear a Mage uses.

• The Heirloom Weapon perk (2 points at character creation) starts you with the Ancestor's Staff: +5 Intelligence from level 1, better than anything in the store until the Mage's Staff at level 5.
• Necromancers cannot wear heavy armor. Your protection is Bone Shield, Lichform and the health you steal, not steel.
• Armor cuts damage by a percentage: your total armor divided by that number plus 40. Mage's Robes alone cut about 5%, so do not count on them.

Perks worth a look

If you use Customize at character creation instead of Quick Start, you get perk points to spend:

• Battle Hardened (1 point): +15 max health at the start. For a class with 62 health this is a very large boost.
• Heirloom Weapon (2 points): the Ancestor's Staff described above.
• Healer's Kit (1 point): start with an extra Mana Potion and Health Potion.
• Unbreakable (2 points): once per quest, survive a killing blow at 1 HP.

If you roll your own stats, put your best roll into Intelligence, since it sets your starting Dark Energy pool and powers every spell. Put the next best into Constitution for your starting health. After creation your health grows by a fixed 8 each level, so the starting number matters.

Common mistakes

• Casting Death Nova from a distance. It only works within 3 squares. Use your other spells until the enemy closes in.
• Casting Corpse Explosion with no risen fighter. Raise Dead first.
• Detonating too late. Your risen fighter lasts 3 rounds. Do not hold it past that.
• Meleeing with the staff. A plain Attack is weak. Use a spell.
• Burning Dark Energy on easy fights. You cannot refill mid-fight except with potions. Save the big spells for enemies that threaten you.
• Buying staves for their damage numbers. Spells ignore your weapon. Buy for Intelligence.

Start playing

Wanderer's Tale is free, runs in your browser, and does not need a signup to start. The four free classes are Warrior, Mage, Rogue and Ranger, and the Necromancer unlocks on any account.

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See also: Necromancer in the Codex, Mage class guide, Mage's Staff, Mana potions