espite the Unlikelihood, the necromancer can often be found fighting alongside the Faithful of the Church of Albion. These noble men and women pursue many beneficient magics, but do not always Comprehend the resultant effects when applied to the unliving. Let them learn from this essay which originally appeared in the necromantic community, and which is included here with the kind permission of the author.

Norien's Guide to Buffing the Necromancer

Since I answer numerous questions about how to buff our unique class, both in-game and here on the forums, I figured I may as well summarize everything and hope to have this made sticky. Listen up all of you Clerics and Friars, because I'm tired of getting a CON buff on my shade.

What buffs benefit who?

The Shade

The shade does benefit fully or partially from the following:

• DEX (decreases casting time)
• DEX/QUI (DEX decreases casting time, QUI does nothing)
• STR (increases carrying capacity)
• STR/CON (STR increases carrying capacity, CON does nothing)
• Acuity (increases damage dealt by spells)

The shade does not benefit from the following at all:

• CON
• Base AF
• Spec AF
• Health regen
• Resist buffs
• Heal proc buff

The Pet

The pet does benefit fully from the following:

• DEX (decreases casting time, increases Absorb%)
• DEX/QUI (decreases casting time, decreases swing delay, increases Absorb%)
• STR (increases chance to hit, increases melee damage)
• STR/CON (improves chance to hit, increases Absorb%)
• CON (increases Absorb%)
• Base AF (increases Absorb%)
• Spec AF (increases Absorb%)
• Health regen (increases health regen rate)
• Resist buffs (decreases damage taken by respective magic damage type)
• Heal proc buff (heals pet upon proccing)

The pet does not benefit at all from the following:

• Acuity

What is the order of importance of these buffs?

Assuming you have limited concentration and cannot afford to buff the Necromancer fully, most of us prefer to receive buffs in this order...

1. Acuity on the shade
2. STR/CON on the pet
3. CON on the pet
4. DEX/QUI on the pet
5. DEX/QUI on the shade
6. Spec AF on the pet
7. Base AF on the pet
8. DEX on the shade
9. Health regen on the pet

And, obviously, the heal proc buff and resists too, since they don't require concentration. Do not cast DEX or STR on the pet, as Necromancers receive these as baseline pet buffs that are roughly equal to a Cleric's or Friar's versions.

Is it true that the pet will receive double buff effects if the Cleric/Friar buffs the Necromancer prior to him summoning the pet?

This is absolutely untrue. Only bonuses from the Necromancer's gear transfer to the pet, not bonuses from buffs.

Why do Necromancers scream "Aaarrgh, noooo!" when Bunker of Faith (Cleric-unique Realm Ability) is used on them?

This is because, oddly enough, Absorb% is not capped at 100%. Bunker of Faith works by increasing the Cleric's group's Absorb by 50% for 60 seconds. If the Necromancer's pet is already over 50% Absorb when Bunker of Faith is used (which is not at all uncommon), then the pet's Absorb% will fly up and over 100%, landing at 0%. This renders the Necromancer's pet extremely vulnerable. So, Clerics, please at least try to warn us before using Bunker of Faith.

And there you have it. Read it, read it again, remember it. Please.

Norien Nyrinell, Necromancer