Building a Necromancer in Divinity Original Sin 2 offers one of the most versatile physical damage playstyles in the game. Unlike traditional elemental mages, Necromancers deal physical damage that scales directly with the Warfare combat skill rather than the Necromancer skill itself. Understanding how to properly balance skill allocation and equipment selection allows players to maximize their combat efficiency across every act.
Core Attributes and Skill Allocation Strategy
To maximize physical damage output, primary attribute points should be poured heavily into Intelligence while maintaining enough Memory to equip essential utility spells. Players should prioritize leveling Warfare first because it directly increases all physical damage dealt by spells like Corpse Explosion and Mosquito Swarm. Investing just enough points into Necromancy unlocks required abilities without wasting combat efficiency.
Dipping into secondary skill trees like Hydrosophist, Pyrokinetic, and Aerotheurge unlocks critical combo abilities such as Blood Rain and Teleportation. Taking the Elemental Affinity talent allows characters standing in blood surfaces to reduce the Action Point cost of all Necromancy spells. Using an Elf character is particularly effective because the Flesh Sacrifice racial skill immediately creates a blood surface beneath your feet.
Essential Necromancer Skills for Combat Mastery
Early game combat relies on abilities like Mosquito Swarm and Bouncing Shield to strip enemy physical armor from a safe distance. Once corpses decorate the battlefield, Corpse Explosion and Mass Corpse Explosion deliver devastating area-of-effect damage to clustered foes. Utility skills like Teleportation and Nether Swap allow you to group targets together right before detonating nearby bodies.
For high-tier encounters, Source abilities such as Grasp of the Starved and Blood Storm become the centerpiece of your offensive strategy. Combining these devastating spells with Polymorph utility like Skin Graft allows you to reset cooldowns and unleash consecutive waves of damage. Buffs like Peace of Mind and Adrenaline further ensure your character can set up massive burst damage turns.
Optimal Equipment and Gear Selection
During the early to mid-game stages, equipping a one-handed weapon alongside a sturdy shield provides vital physical armor and access to Bouncing Shield. As you transition into late-game setups, dual-wielding weapons with critical chance bonuses or using a powerful two-handed weapon maximizes critical hit multipliers. Always prioritize gear that offers bonus points in Warfare, Scoundrel, Intelligence, and Critical Chance.
Slotting Flame Runes framed with Power Frames into your jewelry and weapons provides additional boosts to Intelligence and Critical Chance. Unique items found throughout Rivellon, such as rings with open rune slots, should be saved to stack core stats. Keeping a close eye on gear requirements ensures you can relocate base points directly into global damage modifiers.
