While raising the dead is not exactly what the Tarnished specializes in, that doesn’t mean you can’t get very close. A few weapons, armor, and spells in Elden Ring make you a close facsimile of a Necromancer, but you’ll have to build for it. Let’s go over some of the highlights a Necromancer build should have.
Since Elden Ring doesn’t have player-made undead armies that a Necromancer is known for, we’ll have to get a bit creative with our definition. For our purposes, a Necromancer is a master of Death magic and capable of summoning Skeletons using Spirit Ashes.
Best stats for a Necromancer build in Elden Ring
Our stats are going to be for a level 120 Necromancer—around where the average PvP level is in Elden Ring. We start as an Astrologian, who has excellent base stats for our purposes.
- Vigor: 40
- Mind: 27
- Endurance: Nine
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 12
- Intelligence: 60
- Faith: 30
- Arcane: Nine
You’d be rightfully confused by two stats on this list. 30 Faith is the minimum required to cast the strongest Death Sorcery in the game, Explosive Ghostflame. This spell deals massive damage, so getting to the minimum Faith is helpful. This amount of Faith can also be used to cast a handful of buffs.
Our 12 Strength is the other interesting thing. It is the bare minimum required to two-hand our weapon of choice, Rosus’s Axe. This thing can summon Skeletons as a Weapon Skill, so you know we have to bring it along. It also means we have just enough Strength to two-hand the Grave Scythe—though, sadly, not enough Dexterity to wield it. You can drop a point from Mind into Dexterity if you want the Grave Scythe for flavor purposes, but mind your Endurance. A Necromancer shouldn’t wear much armor, but if you wield enough weapons, you’ll probably regret it.
Best weapons, staves, and seals for a Necromancer build in Elden Ring
As detailed earlier, we want to prioritize the two most Necromantic weapons in the game for our Necromancer build—the Rosus’s Axe and the Grave Scythe. In addition, the Death Prince’s Staff augments our Death Magic, which serves as our primary source of damage for this build. The Golden Order Seal is our recommended Seal, thanks to its Intelligence scaling.
Our weapons are mostly here for flavor, though the Rosus’s Axe’s Weapon Skill is legitimately good on a high-Intelligence character. The Death Prince’s Staff augments our Death Sorceries by 10 percent—a big buff to an otherwise just fine spell school. This will be our primary weapon throughout the game.
The Seal is just for if you want to buff your allies with the various Incantations that do so in Elden Ring. Realistically, this seal has too high of a stat requirement to be the main source of damage for us. But, at least we can put our Intelligence to good work on spells like Barrier of Gold or Blessing’s Boon.
Best armor for a Necromancer build in Elden Ring
Necromancer armor is best off as dark robes and simple headpieces. However, the Twinsage Glintstone Crown works well to reduce your physical stats and improve your magic, so we recommend that for your Necromancer. Otherwise, Fia’s Robes or other mage-like armors can work well.
Armor usually doesn’t do much in Elden Ring, and the Necromancer build has no significant additions other than Intelligence boosts. You can forgo some flavor to wear robes like the Deathbed Dress—from Fia’s quest—and get a small health regen. Leg and hand armor can be basically anything, as long as it doesn’t put you into a heavy weight threshold.
Helms can provide Intelligence boosts. The one we like the most, the Twinsage Glintstone Crown, is one of the more ostentatious options but one that provides a moderate Intelligence boost. If you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of flavor for power, it’s what we’d go with.
Best Sorceries and Incantations for a Necromancer build in Elden Ring
Necromancers should focus on Death Sorceries, a subschool of Intelligence magic featuring five spells: Ancient Death Rancor, Explosive Ghostflame, Fia’s Mist, Rancorcall, and Tibia’s Summons. However, a Necromancer may want to dip into some Incantations, thanks to their already solid Faith, and pick up buff magic to improve your summons’ potential.
Ancient Death Rancor, from the Liurnia of the Lakes Death Rite Bird, is an effective spam spell that seeks out foes. Rancorcall works in this role as well, while Explosive Ghostflame serves as a moderately effective room-clear. Tibia’s Summons creates three spooky boys to jump your foes, much like Rosus’s Axe, though this deals more damage at the cost of more FP. Sadly, Fia’s Mist is a spell only effective on invaders, so leave it off your bar most of the time. We also like a handful of buff Incantations, like Golden Vow and Barrier of Gold, to protect your weak little summons during fights.
Of course, nothing says you should let flavor dictate your life. Other magic, like Glintstone Sorceries and Frenzied Flame Incantations, can be effective for a Necromancer wanting a more standard, quick-moving attack.
Best Talismans for a Necromancer build in Elden Ring
Your best Talismans focus on buffing your Sorcery damage, even at the cost of your own health. You can wear a defensive option or two to prevent you from getting one-shot from some specific bosses. Relying on your adds serves you just as well. What good Necromancer wouldn’t fold like a piece of paper to any damage?
We recommend the following talismans for a Necromancer:
- Graven-Mass Talisman: From the Consecrated Snowfield’s eastern tower, this talisman boosts Sorcery damage by a whopping eight percent.
- Magic Scorpion Charm: From Preceptor Seluvis’s questline, you gain 12 percent Magic damage, which applies to all Death Sorcery spells that deal damage. However, you’ll also take 10 percent more physical damage.
- Graven-School Talisman: Stacking with the Graven-Mass option, the Graven-School Talisman adds another four percent to your Sorcery damage. This one’s found early in Raya Lucaria, behind a secret wall before the Debate Parlor Site of Grace.
- Primal Glintstone Blade: This little blade cuts 15 percent of your Max HP away but grants you a 25 percent discount on all spell FP costs. Unlocked by showing the guardian of the Stargazer’s Ruins your Spirit Jellyfish.
If you don’t want to take too much damage with this build, an Erdtree’s Favor +2 or Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman can replace the Graven-School Talisman or Primal Glintstone Blade.
