Class Overview:

The Necromancer is the second firepower class next to the Berserker even if it doesn't look like it on first sight. While the Berserker specializes in increasing his overall damage output the Necromancer focuses on only a few enemies or damage types. The Necromancers perk for example grants him additional damage against feral and sentient creatures which includes all Skaarj subtypes or for example Titans or Raptors. The Necromancer has 4 different groups of abilities. There are the two summon trees of Skeletons+Skeletal mages or the Zombie+Demon alternative. The Necromancer has also curses to damage or cripple enemies or the poison damage ability group. The Stats Overview reveals the Necromancer's greatest weakness, his defense. The lowest max health stats of all the classes more then compensate the highest resistances in the game. Many points want to be spent for getting this thing at least stable. The Necromancer's skills are overall very situation dependent. Summons want to be chosen wisely and there are few poison weapons beside the Bio Rifle. One point unique to the Necromancer are the souls he needs for his summons. The number of souls the Necromancer possesses is displayed below the experience bar on the right lower corner of the screen. The only way to obtain souls is by killing enemies yourself. You will gain the soul of every monster you kill under the following conditions: 1. The monster is not mechanical like for example Sentinals or the Mini Boss. 2. you must see the kill, for example killing with Mine Layers around corners, letting your summons kill stuff and hide or using the Flak to shoot places you can't see won't get you any souls. 3. you must be the one to deliver the final blow, it doesn't matter if you use a gun, vehicle or your minions though.

Development:

Rank 1: Almost as fragile as a Berserker. The same 100 base health paired with paladin class resistances. You are able to summon some skeletons or zombies but besides that there isn't much to do.

Rank 2: Stays fragile but at least gets some abilities to work with. You are able to revive monsters you kill or revive players as friendly monsters. The adrenaline consumption is rather high so you will be thankful for any support around.

Rank 3: Gains access to very powerful summons like mages, forgottens or demons. 200 base health is on the same level as a rank 2 Berserker though. Advanced poison and cursing abilities become available as well.

Rank 4: Probably the most complex rank 4 there is. Still not a tank with puny 250 spawning health but the resistances this thing can have are pretty damn high. Immortality or summoning Champions are just 2 of the many powerful rank 4 abilities that lay in wait.

Unique Ability:

The Necromancer does 12,5% per rank more damage to all sentient or feral creatures. This damage is calculated after your masteries are applied (Max: 50%). Since they don't have much health the Necromancer takes 30% less damage from Player Monsters.

Threat:

Your so called threat, is an invisible multiplier on any experience, for leveling,  you gain by shooting enemies. Since the classes do different amounts of damage, the possibility of threat evens out the classes so every class has the same chances for experience.

The necromancer class gains threat by summoning minions.

Ability recommendation:

Agonizing Demise (ME) -> cheap enough to be worth it

Arcane Reclamation (ME) -> only worth it in combination with Revivification

Blood Frenzy (ME) -> 34 stat points for what a rank 4 Paladin can do for a bit of adrenaline

Carrion Metamorphosis (ME) -> Bio Rifle Necromancer? Get it!

Death Ward (ME) -> expensive and only if you fight lots of undeads

Decay (ME) -> well worth it for the people who like cursing

Extended Retention (ME) -> very important for any Necromancer who summons stuff. No need to max the ability, Just buy another level each time you have the feel your bag is too tiny

Fatigue (ME) -> very useful depending on you seeing the evil guys before they find you since its mainly useful against melee attackers

Ghost of Anguish (ME) -> consumes a lot of souls

Immortality (ME) -> the longer the map and the more resurrection events there are the better this ability gets

Iron Maiden (ME) -> only if you want to purchase Pierce Armor

Pierce Armor (ME) -> can win you many many boss fights

Plague (ME) -> do you really want to get that close to the enemies?

Poison Mastery (ME) -> well the last 2 levels are very expensive for just poison handling

Poison Supremacy (ME) -> you really want to get hit that much?

Premature Burial (ME) -> the summon Necromancer needs this. The needed level depends on you. Don't max it, start with lvl 1 and see if you need more.

Preservation (ME) -> level 1 is a must if you have minions

Putrid Expiration (ME) -> if you can fill the prerequisites

Reaping Energy (ME) -> not sure if it worth it before rank 3

Resurgence (ME) -> the last level is better then a Paladin Spirit

Revivification (ME) -> depends highly on the map, your aiming skills and luck but it can be immensely powerfull

Soul Transfer (ME) -> any summon Necromancer should get it even if just for the alternative use commands

Summon Champion (ME) -> depends on how good the players are with the monsters

Summon Demon (ME) -> you need good souls but once you got them its really strong

Summon Forgotten (ME) -> if you have skeletons you might as well buy this

Summon Mastery (ME) -> must have

Summon Regeneration (ME) -> cheap but weak

Summon Skeletal Mage (ME) -> very strong

Summon Skeleton (ME) -> blockers for your mages

Summon Zombie (ME) -> not too impressive

Tainted Summons (ME) -> threat if the person you toss it to uses it besides that its useless

Toxic Proficiency (ME) -> the ability for the bio rifle fighter

Unnatural Shout (ME) -> needs good souls, the small ones are kind of useless

Venom Containment (ME) -> well you need to get hit but the reward is great

Wraith (ME) -> do you really want to invest in stuff that requires you to die?

Back to FrontPage or take a look at the other classes: Berserker Class Overview, Paladin Class Overview