The Necromancer in Monsters & Memories is a pet-focused caster who combines damage-over-time spells, undead minions, and life-draining abilities to control PvE encounters. Rather than relying on burst damage alone, the class rewards careful preparation, effective pet management, and smart resource usage.
The September 29, 2026, developer deep dive outlined significant Necromancer revisions for the game's October 1 Early Access launch. These changes strengthen the class's core identity by improving damage-over-time abilities, keeping summoned minions relevant as characters level up, and introducing Pacts that trade the caster's health for additional power. For players planning a new character, understanding these systems is essential to building an effective PvE Necromancer.
This guide covers the most useful trait-selection principles, core spells, summoning strategies, and combat priorities based on the published class changes.
1. Understanding the Necromancer's PvE Role
The Necromancer specializes in sustained damage while an undead companion holds enemies at the front line. This arrangement allows players to attack from a safer distance while maintaining pressure through poison, disease, and corruption effects.
Its main strengths include:
- Reliable pet support: Summoned undead can engage enemies, use their own attacks, and generate threat through Provoke.
- Sustained damage: Damage-over-time spells continue dealing damage after they are applied.
- Flexible combat control: Snare, fear, root, and other utility abilities can help manage dangerous encounters.
- Health and mana management: Life-draining spells and selected Pacts provide additional ways to manage resources.
However, the class also has clear weaknesses. Necromancers wear cloth armor, have limited durability, and often need time to build up damage. Their pets require specific reagents, while several powerful abilities consume the caster's own health.
For solo PvE, the priority is maintaining a stable pet frontline. In group content, the Necromancer can contribute sustained damage and specialized utility without unnecessarily competing for the tank's role.
2. Best Trait Selection for a PvE Necromancer
Traits can influence a character's attributes, utility, and overall progression. For a Necromancer, the most sensible starting point is to prioritize traits that complement spellcasting, survivability, and long-term resource management.
Prioritize Intelligence
Intelligence is identified as the Necromancer's primary attribute in the class reference material. It should therefore be the first attribute to consider when comparing available character-building options.
A practical priority is:
- Intelligence: Your primary attribute to investigate when evaluating caster-focused choices.
- Stamina: A useful secondary consideration for a class that sometimes spends its own health to strengthen abilities.
- Dexterity: Another listed secondary attribute that may be worth considering when comparing available options.
These priorities are a general starting point, not a confirmed numerical damage formula. The value of individual traits depends on their actual effects, the character's current progression, and the encounters being tackled.
Choose Traits for Your Intended Playstyle
The developer's September traits preview explained that racial innates, background traits, and starting boons were part of an evolving system. The team also emphasized that trait choices should matter without permanently trapping players in decisions made before they understand their class.
Consequently, there is no need to treat an unverified trait combination as a definitive best-in-slot build. Instead, evaluate each option according to its practical contribution:
| Build priority | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Spellcasting | Options that complement your primary caster attribute |
| Survivability | Additional durability or defensive utility |
| Solo farming | Traits that support consistent, sustainable encounters |
| Group PvE | Benefits that complement your damage and support role |
| Resource management | Options that help you manage demanding, extended fights |
Important: Trait availability and effects can change during Early Access. Check the current character-creation and trait descriptions before committing to a specific combination.
3. Best Necromancer Spells for PvE
The revised Necromancer kit centers on three damage-over-time spell lines, summoned undead, pet-enhancement abilities, and tools for controlling enemies.
Deluge: Poison Damage with an Initial Burst
Deluge deals an initial burst of poison damage followed by lingering damage. This makes it a useful option when you want to establish pressure quickly without sacrificing the sustained-damage identity of the class.
Apply it early in longer encounters, then maintain other damage effects as the fight develops.
Shadows: Corruption and Snare
Shadows applies corruption damage over time and snares its target. Higher ranks deal more damage and last longer.
This combination is particularly useful when fighting enemies that threaten to reach you. Slowing a target can create extra time for your pet to hold the frontline or allow you to reposition when an encounter becomes dangerous.
Rot: Efficient Sustained Damage
The Rot spell line includes Rot Flesh, Rot Bones, and Rot Soul. Unlike Deluge, Rot does not provide an initial damage burst. Instead, it focuses entirely on damage over time and is described in the developer's deep dive as the most mana-efficient damage option over its full duration.
Rot is therefore worth prioritizing during longer fights where enemies survive long enough for its full effect to matter.
Damage-over-Time Spells Against Undead
One important change is that Deluge, Shadows, and Rot now deal bonus damage when they initially hit undead targets.
Previously, the Necromancer had separate undead-specific offensive spells. Those abilities were removed in favor of integrating the bonus damage into the main damage-over-time toolkit.
For PvE players, this simplifies spell selection: you can use your regular offensive spells against undead enemies without relying on an entirely separate damage rotation.
4. Choosing the Right Summoned Minion
Summoning is central to the Necromancer's identity. The three main pet lines are Skeleton, Zombie, and Ghoul, each with its own attacks and progression.
| Summon | Combat characteristics | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Skeleton | Uses Strike and Provoke | A foundational companion for leveling and solo encounters |
| Zombie | Uses Zombie Drain and Provoke | An alternative frontline pet to evaluate as you progress |
| Ghoul | Uses Ghoul Tendrils and Provoke | Another pet option with its own attack behavior |
| Spectre | Uses Spectre Drain and Provoke; immune to Fear | A specialized option when its abilities suit the encounter |
| Burning Bones | A summoned burning skeleton | An additional pet option available through a quest reward |
The developer has condensed the Skeleton, Zombie, and Ghoul spell lines into shorter rank progressions. More importantly, summoned minions now scale with the character's level between spell ranks, helping them remain relevant while players work toward their next summon upgrade.
Each pet still requires its corresponding reagent: bone chips for Skeletons, zombie skin for Zombies, and ghoul skin for Ghouls.
Which Pet Should You Summon?
For a new Necromancer, the Skeleton is a natural starting point because it becomes available earlier than the other main pet options. Learn how it behaves before experimenting with additional summons.
As you unlock more choices, compare how each minion performs in your actual encounters. Pay attention to its ability to maintain enemy attention, survive incoming damage, and contribute consistently.
Do not assume that one summon is automatically superior in every situation. Enemy behavior, your available spell ranks, and the demands of the encounter all affect which companion is most useful.
5. How to Use Pacts and Strengthen Your Minion
Pacts are among the most significant additions to the revised Necromancer toolkit. They deepen the relationship between the caster and their summoned pet by allowing players to exchange personal health for additional effects.
The published changes highlight three important directions:
- Stronger pets: Certain Pacts improve the effectiveness of your companion.
- Faster damage-over-time effects: Pact of Eldritch Quickening accelerates the ticking of the Deluge, Shadows, and Rot spell lines.
- Defensive interaction: Unliving Shield can bind your minion to you through Soul Tether, helping protect you when you are in danger.
These abilities create meaningful trade-offs. A stronger pet or faster damage output can shorten an encounter, but spending health recklessly can leave a cloth-wearing caster vulnerable to an unexpected attack.
Practical Pact Management
Use offensive Pacts when you can maintain control of the encounter and have enough health to absorb their cost. Avoid activating every available effect simply because it is ready.
When an enemy begins threatening your character directly, prioritize survival and pet control over maximizing damage. Defensive interactions are most valuable when used before a dangerous situation becomes unrecoverable.
The exact Pact sequence should depend on the encounter and the available ranks rather than an inflexible rotation.
6. Effective PvE Summoning Strategies for Solo Farming
A successful solo Necromancer does not simply summon a pet and cast every available spell. The goal is to maintain a controlled fight in which the minion absorbs pressure while your damage-over-time effects steadily reduce enemy health.
Step 1: Prepare Before Pulling
Check your health, mana, available reagents, and pet condition before engaging. Summoning resources are part of your farming preparation, so running out of reagents in the middle of a long session can interrupt your progress.
Step 2: Let Your Pet Engage First
Allow your minion to establish contact before committing to sustained spellcasting. Use Provoke and the pet's other abilities as appropriate, and avoid drawing unnecessary attention to yourself before the frontline is stable.
Step 3: Apply Your Damage-over-Time Effects
Once the pet is holding the enemy, apply Deluge, Shadows, and Rot according to the encounter. Use Shadows when its snare helps control movement, and consider Rot when the enemy will live long enough to benefit from its full duration.
Step 4: Monitor Threat and Survival
Keep enough distance to react if the enemy turns toward you. If the situation deteriorates, use available control abilities or defensive tools rather than continuing to cast offensive spells at all costs.
Step 5: Recover and Prepare for the Next Fight
After combat, evaluate your pet's health and your own resources. Mend the Dead can restore your minion's health, while Summon Companion brings it back to your side. Reclaim Essence destroys your pet and converts some of its health into mana, making it a situational resource-management option rather than a routine action to use without considering the cost.
This measured approach is especially valuable when farming repeatedly. Consistency and controlled downtime can matter more than squeezing out the highest possible damage in a single encounter.
7. Group PvE: Contributing More Than Pet Damage
In a group, the Necromancer should complement the party instead of treating every encounter as a solo farming exercise.
Your minion can provide additional combat pressure, while your damage-over-time spells contribute sustained damage. Pact of Vampirism is also worth examining because the revised class reference identifies it as a way to turn pet attacks into healing.
The class's undead-control toolkit provides further situational utility:
- Command the Dead and Dominate the Dead: Temporarily take control of an undead target.
- Restrain the Dead: Incapacitate a single undead enemy.
- Terrify the Dead: Cause an undead target to flee.
- Lull the Dead: Reduce an undead target's aggro radius.
- Invisibility versus Undead: Retains its specialized utility against undead enemies.
These abilities are situational rather than universal solutions. Their usefulness depends on the target type, encounter mechanics, and the needs of the group. Coordinate crowd control with teammates, especially because damage-over-time effects can break crowd control when they continue ticking on an affected enemy.
A well-played Necromancer contributes through preparation, sustained damage, pet management, and appropriate utility—not just the number of spells cast per minute.
8. Progression Tips and Gold Management
As your Necromancer advances, focus on upgrading your summon ranks, learning the revised spell toolkit, and maintaining a reliable supply of pet reagents.
When evaluating equipment and other purchases, prioritize items that address your current weaknesses rather than spending resources indiscriminately. A character struggling to survive may benefit more from appropriate defensive improvements than from a marginal offensive upgrade.
Monsters & Memories gold can be relevant to general character progression and the wider player economy, but the value of any particular purchase depends on the current market, available items, and your character's immediate needs.
Players looking for ways to manage their progression budget should compare the cost of essential supplies and equipment before committing their resources. If you are researching external services, EZBUFF is another name you may encounter while exploring gaming-related resources; always review applicable game rules and service terms before making a purchase. Searching for Buy Monsters & Memories Gold should not replace understanding the game's actual economy or verifying what is available in the current build.
9. What Necromancer Players Should Watch During Early Access
The developers have made it clear that the class changes are part of an ongoing process of iteration, feedback, and balance review. The September 29 deep dive also clarified that two previously discussed features were not ready for Early Access: collectible pets discovered through world exploration and the temporary raising of fallen enemies as additional pets.
Both remain planned features, with collectible pets expected to expand over time as new zones and content are added. Burning Bones, available as a quest reward, offers an early example of the direction the collectible-pet system may take.
Players should therefore distinguish between the current summoning toolkit and features that remain under development. As balance changes arrive, spell effectiveness, trait options, and the relative value of different pets may evolve.
Final Takeaway
The Monsters & Memories Necromancer is built around patience, preparation, and a strong relationship with its undead companion. Intelligence is the primary attribute to consider, Deluge, Shadows, and Rot form the foundation of its damage-over-time toolkit, and Skeletons, Zombies, and Ghouls provide different ways to maintain a frontline presence.
For solo PvE, the most reliable approach is to let your pet engage first, apply damage-over-time effects efficiently, and manage health and mana throughout the encounter. In groups, combine sustained damage with appropriate pet support and situational undead control.
Above all, treat trait choices and spell priorities as decisions to refine through actual gameplay. With Early Access balance work continuing, understanding the mechanics and adapting to encounters will serve Necromancers better than relying on an unverified fixed build.
