Necromancy in RS3: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Necromancy is RuneScape 3's fourth combat style and its newest skill, and it has quickly become the recommended way for new and returning players to get into combat. Here's why, and how it actually works.
What makes Necromancy special
- It's a standalone skill (levels 1-120). Unlike the other styles, it has its own skill and its own gear rather than sharing Attack/Ranged/Magic systems.
- It sits outside the combat triangle. No style strength or weakness, so you never have to worry about being "off-style" against a boss. (See the combat styles guide.)
- It needs far fewer gear switches than the other styles, with simple, strong rotations, which is exactly why it's so beginner-friendly, all the way to end-game PvM.
Conjures: your undead army
The signature mechanic is conjuring, summoning undead allies that fight alongside you (Skeleton Warriors, Putrid Zombies, Ghosts, and more). You conjure your army at the start of a fight and command them as you go, so a chunk of your damage comes from your minions.
The two resources: Necrosis and souls
Instead of adrenaline alone, Necromancy layers in two resources you build and spend:
- Necrosis stacks, built by abilities like Touch of Death and spent by Finger of Death for a big hit. Stacking then dumping them is the core damage loop.
- Residual souls, generated by Soul Sap and spent by Volley of Souls.
Managing these two on top of your normal rotation is the skill ceiling of the style, but the floor is very low, which is the whole appeal.
Incantations
Incantations are Necromancy's spells, cast with necrotic runes — buffs and utility like boosting your damage or weakening the target. A couple of well-timed incantations round out your rotation.
Equipment and progression
Necromancy uses its own main-hand and off-hand weapons and its own armour (rather than melee/ranged/magic gear), upgraded in tiers like everything else, see gear tiers. The wiki's Necromancy page lists the current sets and where to get them.
Necromancy is a normal combat skill that happens to cap at 120, it is not an elite skill like Invention, and it uses the standard XP curve, so its milestones match any other skill:
- 99 Necromancy: 13,034,431 XP
- 120 Necromancy: 104,273,167 XP
Work out the XP between any two Necromancy levels on the XP Calculator.
Learn the current rotations
Exact ability orders and gear shift with updates, so use the maintained sources:
- RuneScape Wiki, Necromancy for abilities, conjures, and equipment.
- PvME for optimal Necromancy rotations at every boss.
Track your Necromancy level and progress toward 120 by searching your name on The Codex. Necromancy details and images here are courtesy of the RuneScape Wiki.