Necromancer
From EQ2-Daily.com EQ2 Wiki
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| Necromancers are a class within the Mage archetype. Summoners (conjurors and necromancers) summon pets to fight for them. |
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Overview
Necromancers are one of the best soloing characters in the Everquest 2 world. Aside from certain priest classes that have significant damage spells, like Wardens and Fury, no other characters (Conjurers included) have as diverse and numerous attack options as one of these two summoner classes.
Necromancers set themselves apart from Conjurers in three different ways. First, Conjurers are basically Wizards w/ pets, and Necro's are Warlocks w/ pets. Wizards and Warlocks are tough in their own right, but add an additional character to help with the dirty work, and players will get mini-group for the price of one character. Necro's dish out poison and disease DOT's (Damage over Time) spell attacks, and Conj's deal out elemental (fire/ice/rocks)nukes. The power usage is significantly different between the two, whereas the elemental attacks are basically "nukes" (spells that do significant damage all at once at a great expenditure to power), Necro's DOT's use very little power, stack (many different spells can affect the enemy at the same time "stacking" their effectiveness), and don't pull aggro (attack focus of the enemy) to you, the caster. This is extremely important, because either summoner's pet will have a significantly greater amount of hit points than the caster, and the character will have a greater chance in winning an encounter if the pet takes the damage.
Second, while both summoners have class defining spells to buff their pets, heal their pets, and buff themselves, Necro's class defining spells assist in attack as well as defense.
Finally, because of their ability to use power slowly, and take health from their pet and turn it into power, Necro's are terrific fighting grouped mobs. Conj's have AoE (Area of Effect) attacks, that take a considerable amount of power to cast. Conj's also have individual nukes and proc's that also wear down single mobs. However, once a Conj is out of power, the encounter usually ends in death for the Conj, where a Necro will never really reach that point (if they are not completely outmatched).
Class Highlights
Necro's have terrific spells at eact Tier:
10 - 20: Lifetap - This spell draws health from a single target and replenishes a portion of it back to you. This is your only nuke, and it will save you many times as you level up.
20 - 30: Rats - Swarm pets can be cast to assist you in defeating a mob. Along with you main pet, this one-two punch is highly effective at the beginning of the fight, and can weaken an enemy considerably before you even cst your first spell.
30 - 40: Assassin pet - In the upper levels of thirty, you actually get several different types of pets (bats, warlock, assassin), but the assassin is the most effective. This pet, while not as tough as the fighter pet, can dish out tons of damage, and take a fair amount as well.
40 - 50: Lich - This is a scribed spell, but once you get it, you will be nearly unstoppable. Before this point, staying in a fight for the duration required a little dance. First, if your pet was taking damage, you would have to transfer some of your health to it. Next, if you began to run out of power, you would have to take health from your pet and turn it into power. Finally, if you began to lose health, you would have to take health from your target, and transfer it over to you. This balance had to managed throughout the fight until either you, or the target was destroyed. Once you transform into a Lich, your health is slowly transformed into power, but every spell you cast (because they are disease based)takes health from the target and transfers it to you. In most cases, you never run out of either.
55 - 70: Undead Wave - This is also a scribed spell, and it allows you to resurrect dead enemies and turn them into additional pets to use against another target. For example, if an instance boss is surrounded by numerous guards, as long as they are not looted, each one of them can be resurrected and sent into attack the boss. This is something to see.
Class Drawbacks
One of the major drawbacks of a Necro is their dependence on a pet. All summoners are useless without their pet. Their will be times where you will be doing nothing but healing your pet, and this may get boring, but people who pick this class are generally less-social (in gaming terms) and won't mind the bother.
While grouping, none of your pets can be effective tanks. It is best giving that job directly to a fighter class character. However, Necro pets do make good off-tanks, or second tanks, and can really save healers and mages by protecting them in the rear of the group. The reason they make mediocre tanks is because they cannot hold aggro very well and have very poor aggro drawing buffs, which means that anything that hits the target for more than the pet will immediately pull aggro and die very quickly.
Outside of some of the high level specialities that a Necro can do, and their pet, most groups would prefer to have a Wizard or Warlock, instead of a Necro, simply because they can do just as much damage (if not more), and they have better buffs and de-buffs. Smaller groups could do a fair bit better with a Necro instead to help fatten their ranks, and to have off-tanks if necessary.
Summary
Overall, Necromancers are hybrid Warlocks, with an additional character to assist them in attack. Unlike wards (for priests and shadowknights) Necromancers will get different pets for different objectives, all of which are very effective especially if they are upgraded to Adept III or higher. Unlike priests, pet heals do not necessarily have to be upgraded, but will help. Also, Necromancer DOT's don't necessarily get that much better if they are upgraded. Stuns and fear spell upgrades can be useful against groups, especially bosses with bodyguards. Lich is one of the best spells to upgrade, besides your pet, because of its effectiveness. Necromancers users may begin as loners, but will quickly want to show off in a group setting just how powerful and devastating they truly can be. They literally are one man armies.
