One of the best subclasses for the Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Necromancer, specializing in magic that controls the undead. However, creating the perfect Necromancer — especially on higher difficulties — takes a bit of strategy and planning in the character build.
While weak in health and armor class, and with a relatively limited number of actions, Wizards make up for these shortcomings with the largest list of spells to choose from in Baldur’s Gate 3. The Necromancer subclass can use their dark magic to draw entire sub-armies through their mastery over the dead and elementals. Here is how to build the perfect Necromancer Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Best Necromancer Wizard Build in BG3
Necromancer Wizard Base Stats and Unique Features
As with the Wizard class overall, Necromancers’ primary ability is drawn from intelligence while their saving throws are governed by wisdom and intelligence. As players begin investing points in the Necromancy School subclass, they unlock a number of exclusive features. At Necromancy School Level 2, Necromancers unlock Grim Harvest, a passive feature that grants hit points to the character for every enemy kill worth twice the spell slot value used. This is boosted to three times the spell slot value used if the kill was made with a Necromancy spell.
Other passive features for Necromancer Wizards include Necromancy Savant, also acquired at Necromancy School Level 2, learning Necromancy spells from scrolls for half the gold cost. At Necromancy School Level 10, characters gain the Inured to Undeath feature, granting them a natural resistance to necrotic damage. Additionally, this feature prevents the Necromancer’s maximum health amount from being reduced.
At Necromancy School Level 5, characters gain active spells exclusive to the subclass, starting with Animate Dead. This spell lets Necromancers turn small or medium corpses within three meters of the character into zombies or skeletons to attack enemies. Players can then begin investing points into Undead Thralls: Additional Undead or Undead Thralls: Better Summons, to determine the number of undead soldiers and types to summon through the Animate Dead spell.
Building a Necromancer Wizard in BG3
Given the bonuses that come naturally with their race, High Elf is the best choice to build as a Necromancer Wizard, with Fey Ancestry, Darkvision, and the extra Cantrip especially coming in handy. For background, both Sage and Acolyte provide bonuses to intelligence, though Sage also comes with skills in arcana and history, which suit a Necromancer Wizard better. Investigation and religion are two skills that suit Wizards well, as they are both similarly governed by the amount of intelligence a character has.
As Wizards rely so heavily on intelligence, invest at least 17 points into this ability, with another 16 in dexterity and a significant amount in constitution. This will avoid making the character a glass cannon while also helping wizards wearing cloth armor. As High Elves get an extra Cantrip, we recommend starting out with Fire Bolt as an offensive spell and Bone Chill as an enemy debuff. Similarly, Necromancer Wizards should start out with predominantly offensive spells, including Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, and Thunderwave, but also Mage Armor to protect themselves.
Choosing Necromancer Wizard Spells
As subclasses aren’t accessible until characters reach Level 2, spend the early levels obtaining a healthy mix of offensive and defensive spells, suiting your preferred playstyle. The number of spell slots will increase upon the character reaching Level 3, and we recommend learning either Blur or Cloud of Daggers, depending whether you want to play more defensively or offensively. The big upgrade comes at Level 4, and we strongly recommend players invest in Ability Improvement to further boost the fledgling Necromancer Wizard’s intelligence.
By Level 5, Necromancer Wizards get access to their ultimate spell, Animate Dead, and at Level 6, they get the ability to raise additional undead and enhance their summons. Before closing out Act I, make sure the Necromancer Wizard has Haste and a number of attack spells for the escalating battles to come. At Level 7, learn Conjure Minor Elemental to allow for even more summons on the battlefield before progressing this to Conjure Elemental at Level 9.
As players approach the endgame, two spells Necromancer Wizards should work their way to learn are Circle of Death and Create Undead. The latter spell is the most powerful undead summon Necromancer Wizards in the game while the former is a devastating area-of-effect attack spell. These, coupled with the best wizarding gear available as players progress, should make for a particularly formidable Necromancer Wizard.
