Class deep dive
The Necromancer
The Necromancer at a glance
| Role | Caster: damage and an independent pet |
| Armor | Cloth |
| Key stats | Stamina, Intelligence |
| Arrived | Launch class (1999) |
Allakhazam’s class guide sums the necromancer up as a spellcaster of death and life-draining, master of fire, disease, poison and magic, with the best sustained spell damage, a strong undead pet and good staying power in emergencies; one of the game’s best soloing classes.
Sources: Allakhazam: EQ:Classes (wiki)
What a necromancer does
Necromancers are servants of the dark gods who study ancient, mysterious tomes to gain power over the dead. They wear cloth and wield blunt weapons and daggers.
They raise the dead to fight for them, and a skeletal servant often travels with them. They have mastered poison and disease and use them to wear down an enemy’s life over time.
They learn to control and imitate the dead: escaping harm, turning their own health into mana, and bending undead minds to their will. Shadow is theirs too, with spells that bind and choke enemies in darkness, hide the necromancer in invisibility, and teleport through shadows to safety.
The official text calls necromancers very self-sufficient and recommends them to independent players, though they add a great deal to a group as well.
Sources: Library of Erudin: EverQuest Library — The Classes of Norrath (official text) · Allakhazam: EQ:Classes (wiki)
The epic: Scythe of the Shadowed Soul
Epic quests came to EverQuest in September 2000, shortly after The Ruins of Kunark. They were modelled on the paladin’s Fiery Avenger quest: long, multi-step journeys through the highest-level dungeons, usually needing groups to kill powerful creatures. Each ended in a unique weapon with its own model and particle effects. The necromancer’s reward was the Scythe of the Shadowed Soul, with the effect Torment of Shadows.
Who could be one
In the classic era recreated by Project 1999, the necromancer epic could be used by Human, Erudite, Dark Elf, Gnome, Iksar. The Iksar appear there because they joined with The Ruins of Kunark.
Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Class Epic Quest List
Titles
After level 50, each class earns titles that show in /who. A necromancer became a Heretic at 51, a Defiler at 55 and a Warlock at 60.
Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Character Classes and titles
Playing a necromancer today
The class is still in the game on Daybreak’s live and time-locked progression servers. Project 1999 recreates the Classic, Kunark and Velious eras, so it has the original fourteen classes. See EverQuest Today for where the game stands now.
All class deep dives → The Shaman
Illustrations are original fan art made for this site, not in-game screenshots.