The UNDEAD HORDE - BG3 Necromancer Honour Build Guide

Want to command a horde of undead, sweeping all before you in a tide of flesh and bone? Want to play Starcraft while everyone else plays D&D? Want to do it all while being one of the most powerful, versatile classes in the game? Look no further!

This character uses Necromancy School Wizard to get massive numbers of undead and power them up the mightiest force the world has ever seen!

Full detailed level guide from 1-12, including stats, feats, skills, items, spells, and abilities!

0:00 Intro and Build Goals
1:47 Level 1 Build
5:41 Subclass Selection and Grim Harvest
9:39 Level 2 Spells
11:45 Feat Selection
13:50 Level 3 Spells
15:53 Necromancer's Best Feature
18:20 Skeletons or Zombies?
21:17 Should we Stay In Wizard?
22:58 Level 4 Spells
24:40 Feat Selection
25:54 Level 5 Spells
28:19 Level 6 Spells
29:34 Dip or Feat?
31:16 Zombies, Skeletons, Ghouls, Or Flying Ghouls?
33:07 Mummies
35:19 The Power of Aid
35:50 Items

[Prmmz]

I like the way you mentioned the progress from early game play style, lots of build videos go to the end game build that skip the hardest part when the characters have less power and struggle every fight

[alfonsosalemi]

Just wanna say your builds have been a blast to implement on my honor mode runs as both a tav and origin character, keep up the great work you’re killing it!

[IceGavel]

I'm planning a DUrge run, RPing as Emperor Palpatine, for one of my next playthroughs. You just provided me with the stormtroopers, thanks!

[charleswilliam]

Your videos are really helping with my understanding of the game, you're doing great, keep making them! when you can, haha.

[Logank]

One thing that can eventually pay off for this build is the Abyss Beckoners (gives summons resistance to every damage type except psychic) gloves in Act 1. They force a madness check on your summons, but flying ghouls are immune to it.

[zero]

Trying out my first necromancer build. It was a very slow start as there's no real necromancy going on until level 5 for 3rd level spell slots. A couple zombies are an INCREDIBLY effective force in a fight. Lots of fun. And, you can take advantage of their ability to create additional zombies in a BIG way. It's not very hard to have zombies tank for you.

However, if you upcast a level 4 spell slot and want to make four zombies ... you need four bodies in a really close proximity! I feel like the only way you're typically going to make this happen is by carrying bodies to move them close to one another specifically to use this spell. That sucks a bit.

But, between a quartet of zombies and a an Azer elemental ... you really don't need to worry about tanky characters.

Wait to use your daily aid spell until you have your zombies. You cannot heal the zombies, but aid does buff summons. So, a 4th level spell slot for aid gives 15 hit points to the four party members, plus all your summons. And, for zombies who at this level would otherwise have 30 hit points ... giving them an extra 15 is HUGE. Plus summons like elementals or the fey summons or the spore druid zombie or beastmaster druid pet or whatever else. I added 135 total health to the party (4 zombies and an Azer, plus 4 party members) and that felt like a very good usage of a 4th level spell slot to me. It lasts the whole day. There's no concentration, and there's no dispelling it (unless you cast another aid over it).

I have the Abyss Beckoners to give the undead resistance to basically all damage. But, with so many minions I'm worried about even TRYING to manage the toggle to keep them on target. It just feels easier to not have to think about it and not use or even wear those gloves. Though ... having 4 zombies with effectively 90 health each at level 8 sounds awesome (30 health naturally plus 15 aid health effectively doubled for resistance).

The grim harvest ability to gain health when you kill a thing based on the level of the spell used feels ... pretty useless. It feels less usable than the temp hit points from fiend warlock or bloodlust elixir. Burning through spell slots feels expensive and much more situational.
* Ray of sickness can potentially heal you for 3 (for a small first level 2D8 poison spell where half the game is immune to poison), though the hag's staff gives you the spell once per short rest which is like 3 extra first level spell slots per day.
* Vampiric touch is FAMOUSLY not a very good spell. Though, if you were to kill with it you would gain half of your offensive damage (3D6) and also an extra 9 hit points (average 14.25). More meaningfully, you can use it over and over as a concentration spell ... if you want to stay in melee range for some really bad reason.
* Blight is the 4th level spell slot option. 16 hit points of healing (if a thing dies) and also 8D8 necrotic damage.

I don't even have Vampiric Touch or Blight prepared, and if I needed healing I'd rather get a heal from the cleric which would come with blade ward and bless and also a bunch of healing and a little temp hit points. I'd MUCH rather use those 3rd and 4th level spell slots for more animate dead or conjure minor elemental.

I think necromancer should work more like beastmaster. You get options for undead summons. They get stronger as you gain levels. I don't like that you go through a full third of the game as a necromancer with no real necromancy. I don't know that an army of undead has to be the defining trait. I also don't know that higher level spell slots to summon an army of undead has to be a thing that isn't an option if you have a reasonable undead minion companion.

[priceaction]

Post a short gameplay of your builds to get an idea of what they do and their combat style. Thanks!

[blackhat]

Staff of Cherished Necromancy would be perfect for this build. Especially if you learn Dethrone, but even Blight becomes viable when you’re casting it for free.

[IliumGaming]

22:48 the crypt lord ring from mystic carrion could potentially be an alternative to 11 wizard if you want to MC

[Marshal_Dunnik]

After winning my golden dice - in part due to the excellent advice on this channel - I'm considering a Dark Urge run, and Necromancer seems like a perfect thematic fit

[kevinmiller]

One thing to mention about zombies, it's totally ok if they take damage, hell I'd argue it's even better if they take all the damage. Well as long as you don't lose all your zombies that is, they'll just make more zombie hp all by themselves. My biggest complaint is that you can't dismiss the "extra" zombies, having a bunch of noisy dying (re-dying) undead can get pretty annoying heh.

[neiska]

Hi hi, love the video, but there is one thing you can do that is fantastic for summons that I never see mentioned in any video or summon guide. I never see anyone ever mention the mind flayer power - Shield of Thralls. You can use this on one of your minions to give it 10 temp hitpoints, that when expire explodes in a 9m/30 foot radius for a DC 15 int save or be stunned for 1 turn. While stunned, they automatically fail all STR and DEX checks, and recharges on short rest. Just an AoE stun is fantastic for this playstyle and you might be surprised how many things in the game don't have a good INT score.

[KhorneDeth]

As you said, Lvl 6 Necro kinda gives you everything you came for.

So for a pure necro, I'd rather do 6/6 split with Sorc making sure to respec at 7 to take Sorc 1 > Wiz 6 > Sorc 6 so that the last new class chosen is Wizard and all spells and scrolls and items cast with INT. But you also get CON save proficiency and metamagics to do typical Sorc shenanigans on top of being a basically full power Necromancer.

Just take non-DC and utility spells/cantrips from the Sorc levels like Magic Missile, Shield, Misty Step, Minor Illusion, etc. Then you don't have to waste Wiz slots preparing those since you'll already have them from Sorc.

For Lvl 6 slot, I much prefer to upcast Elemental to a Myrmidon over the mummy, even if it's less thematic, so not worried about losing Lvl 11 Wiz.

[Divock]

One thing about ghouls vs skeletons and flying ghouls in particular is that flying ghouls are MUCH more flexible to move around in combat, to the point that I consider them better than the regular ones even with the marginally less survivability - yes it’s possible to micro them in a large portion of fights to avoid this but there are some locations where it’s basically impossible to enter in with your party not clumped up and if a steel watcher goes early it can walk sometimes just walk up to you and slam your party so I like to mitigate that at least a little bit with summons that have mobility

[AntiX_in_jeans]

Staff of Cherished Necromancy was bugged (and probably still is) as it doesn't consume life essence and gives a possibility to cast much more necromancy spells.
Bad that there is no Harm scroll in the game, but there's Dethrone in Karsus vault, and even Eyebite or CoD/Blight can dealt OK damage.

[robertboss]

Been thinking about playing a necro wizard that plays close up. Basically, with war caster/vampiric touch you run around touching enemies to death while you siphon away their life. You might not do a ton of damage but you would be super tanky with the amount of hitpoint you keep gaining from your class passive and the spell itself.

[AryOnYT]

This seems like a fun build for Vampire Ascendant Astarion (especially if you're playing him as the Player Character)

[aratakeneikawa]

Great video as always! Spore druid, and hunter ranger next!

Imo spore druid is just a better necromancer.

[serdarmirzaseyyar]

My biggest issue is that we have to control summons so fights takes so long

[Jonchua]

I would recommend for those picking tihs build to instead grab the alert feat first. That way you don't get CC'd at the start - especially for honour mode.