THE NECROMANCER’S GRIMOIRE
Author’s noteI love Spirit. It’s a fantastic mastery and I find it hard to tear myself away from using it with every build. I’ve noticed that there hasn’t been a guide written for it on the forums for the modern game, and would like to give it a shot. I’ll introduce the basics of the mastery, evaluate all the skills, and then discuss potential mastery pairings, and all in the voice of the insidious necromancer that every Spirit user should aspire to be. From here on out, I’m no longer Kalimon of the TQ forums, but Kalimon the Unliving, Master of Spirits and Shadow of the Old Ones, and I’ll be coming for your soul.
Also, it’s worth noting that I play mainly on mobile, so don’t have access to Eternal Embers and any update changes from there.
IntroSo, ye who would seek to learn the dark ways of magic have turned to this grimoire? Very well. Not since the days of Grandmaster Poinas has any mage of life and death attempted to inscribe the insidious ways of the mastery of Spirit into a single tome, but I, Kalimon the Unliving, shall undertake this most nefarious and essential of tasks.
Firstly, we shall introduce the aspiring mage to the basics of the school of Spirit.
Secondly, we shall evaluate the spells, hexes and curses on offer to masters of Spirit, and how they fare for the various types of arcane warrior who would seek to employ them. In following the structure of Sensei Botebote of the League of Rogues, I shall evaluate each of the spells from 1-5, 1 being unworthy of your talents, 5 being so deliciously evil that any self-respecting necrolord should aspire to learn their ways.
Finally, we shall inspect the various other mastery schools, and evaluate which would make the most effective servants to the Spirit school. There are many ways in which undeath can be served, and the true beauty of unlife is its freedom - enslave, torture and defile your foes in a myriad of ways, the choice is up to you, young aspirant.
Spirit: generalSpirit is the mastery of life and death. Proficient Theurgists excel at dealing massive Vitality damage, draining the essence of enemies, sapping their armour and defences to bleeding and vitality attacks, summoning ancient liches, augmenting their own powers by insidious gifts from the Nether Realm or by trading in their own blood, and even preventing Death. As such, Spirit is a sturdy defensive mastery, with its powerful life-draining spells and supportive hexes best employed in conjunction with the reckless aggressive skills from any of the more offensive masteries.
Theurgists are unmatched at snuffing out the light of life from living opponents, but many of their attacks fail on other undead - thankfully, a powerful Spirit user will be skilled at banishing these pathetic excuses for liches. The only real challenge for a Theurgist is dealing with those who are neither living nor dead, who have no blood to siphon: Constructs. Theurgists may need to look elsewhere to deal with these pesky devices.
Spirit stat boosts at Level 40:
+ 800 health
+ 320 energy
+ 120 intelligence
+ 60 dexterity
Spirit: Skill evaluationsLife DrainLeeches life from an enemy to replenish your own. Available at Mastery Level 1.
Skill level 1/12
6.0 seconds Recharge
54 Energy Cost
49 Vitality Damage
150% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 12/12
6.0 seconds recharge
106 Energy Cost
209 Vitality Damage
260% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 16/12
6.0 seconds recharge
124 Energy Cost
295 Vitality Damage
300% of Attack Damage converted to Health
The seed of the Intelligence Theurgist’s greatest weapon. Life Drain allows you to sacrifice a worthless thrall to replenish yourself. At level 1, it will obliterate many low level enemies in early Normal. As Vitality Damage now scales with Int, it is a viable hex for later difficulties, but its true power is revealed with the arrival of Soul Drain at mastery level 40.
Take one point to have access to a free damage/heal in the early game, but continue to develop your understanding of the Spirit mastery - greater gifts are to come to the studious Theurgist.
CascadeCauses Life Drain to blast through the primary target and hit multiple enemies. Available at Mastery Level 10.
Skill level 1/10
35 Vitality Damage
150% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 10/10
88 Vitality Damage
240% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 14/10
140 Vitality Damage
280% of Attack Damage converted to Health
The spell blossoms into a curse that can devour groups of enemies - how delightful. As well as the dissemination of your destruction, it also costs the caster no additional mana - most excellent. Once again, it is worth taking a point immediately, but continue to invest in the mastery - the true power of the Life Drain is almost upon ye.
Soul DrainCause Life Drain to explode outwards, causing harm to body and soul. Available at Mastery Level 40.
Skill level 1/6
8.0 meter radius
12% Reduction to Enemy Health
150 Vitality Damage
6% Energy Drain
2.0 Seconds of Sleep
+200% Damage to Ghosts
Skill level 6/6
8.0 meter radius
42% Reduction to Enemy Health
150 Vitality Damage
21% Energy Drain
2.0 Seconds of Sleep
+200% Damage to Ghosts
Skill level 10/6
8.0 meter radius
66% Reduction to Enemy Health
150 Vitality Damage
33% Energy Drain
2.0 Seconds of Sleep
+200% Damage to Ghosts
Behold, the majesty. The sheer, awesome destructive capability of Life Drain is unleashed by its final upgrade. Affecting the Soul causes several major new perks to the curse, as well as massively increasing the base power of Life Drain.
Firstly, it stuns. The sheer pain of the spell forces enemies into an uncomfortable nightmare, from which they cannot escape - for 2 seconds. Make of this new time what you will.
Secondly, it drains energy now too. With some Energy Cost Reduction, a clever mage can suck both life and more mana from their unfortunate foes.
I would urge Intelligent readers to max this skill as soon as possible, before then going back through Cascade and the base Life Drain to fully complete the spell to its ultimate potential. The extra damage to Ghosts is bizarre, as Ghosts are all Undead and therefore not affected by Vitality damage (which the spell is).
For the more aggressive Spirit users, 3 points (one in each spell) will still stun entire groups of enemies and heal you somewhat. Still worthwhile as a stun skill for Strength builds.
5/5 for Int-based characters (absolutely max it), 2/5 for melee characters (would still recommend 1/1/1).—-
Deathchill AuraA deathly chill radiates from the character, slowing the attack and movement of enemies while it diminishes their life. Available at Mastery Level 1.
Skill level 1/6
4.0 seconds Recharge
2 Active Energy Cost per second
1 second duration (how often each hit will apply)
2.5 meter radius
1-3% Reduction to Enemy Health
-13% Total Speed
Skill level 6/6
4.0 seconds Recharge
2 Active Energy Cost per second
1 second duration
3.7 meter radius
3-9% Reduction to Enemy Health
-25% Total Speed
Skill level 10/6
4.0 seconds Recharge
2 Active Energy Cost per second
1.0 second duration
4.5 meter radius
3-15% Reduction to Enemy Health
-33% Total Speed
The air around the Theurgist is pungent and reeks of death, weakening the resolve of your foes and slowing their attacks. This is useful for any Theurgist, but particularly those who prefer fighting tooth and nail with their foes. In the very early game, however, the buffs are negligible, and I would recommend to avoid perking it immediately, and focus on developing the Mastery. However, end-game this tree is one of the best spells in the game.
Ravages of TimeA deathly chill radiates from the character, slowing the attack and movement of enemies while it diminishes their life. Available at Mastery Level 4.
Skill level 1/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
10% Reduced incoming Damage
-11% Enemy Armour Absorption
Skill level 8/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
36% Reduced incoming Damage
-36% Enemy Armour Absorption
Skill level 12/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
45% Reduced incoming Damage
-45% Enemy Armour Absorption
If the base skill weakens the foes’ speed, this malevolent upgrade reduces damage output, while also protecting the caster from physical blows. This is a really, really good skill, and absolutely essential for any Theurgist who chooses sword, axe or mace over staff and spell.
NecrosisWeakens the constitution of adjacent enemies, making them more susceptible to attacks that directly damage their life, such as Vitality damage and Life Leeching. Available at Mastery Level 16.
Skill level 1/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
-23% Enemy Bleeding Resistance
-23% Enemy Vitality Resistance
-23% Enemy Life Leech Resistance
Skill level 8/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
-81% Enemy Bleeding Resistance
-81% Enemy Vitality Resistance
-81% Enemy Life Leech Resistance
Skill level 12/8
0.5 Active Energy Cost per second
-119% Enemy Bleeding Resistance
-119% Enemy Vitality Resistance
-119% Enemy Life Leech Resistance
The final power of Deathchill is unlocked. On its own, Necrosis is one of the best resist reduction hexes in the game. For a warrior that specialises in bleed damage, this spell alone will more than double their bleeding damage. Even for casters and other Vitality Theurgists, one can double the damage of Life Drain by running into a mob of unfortunate foes before casting. Furthermore, the addition of the dark Soul Vortex spell at Level 40 further makes this skill essential, even for non-Int warriors, as it will double the life stolen from nearby enemies. There are very few Spirit users who should not invest in Deathchill.
5/5, almost every build can benefit enormously from this skill. Maybe the only class that doesn’t need Deathchill is a petmaster, as you should really never be within enemy vicinity, but even then, the base Deathchill and Ravages of Time will still protect you in the event that the enemies get through—-
Ternion AttackThis powerful wizard’s trick causes your staff to shoot three projectiles by channeling magical energy into it. Initially, each hit is not as powerful as a normal attack, but the effectiveness increases each level. Available at Mastery Level 4.
Skill level 1/12
Launches 3 projectiles
30 Energy Cost
-75% Total Damage
Skill level 12/12
Launches 3 projectiles
36 Energy Cost
-20% Total Damage
Skill level 16/12
38 Energy Cost
No damage reduction
Ahh, the old Ternion Trick, every self-respecting staff wizard should try at least once. Ternion turns a basic staff attack into a crowd control monster, spreading weapon effects across an area. Users on PC can also control the cone of the three projectiles - by holding Shift, you can make the cone wider by clicking closer to you, or tighter by clicking further away from you. Mobile and console users unfortunately don’t have such control, as far as I’m aware.
Ternion is good on its own, but really shines when spreading weapon malicious additional effects. Attack Damage to Health, Life/Energy Leech, confusing effects, resistance reduction etc is all spread over a wide area now, rather than a single target - obliterate groups rather than just a single foe. Staff Warlocks (Rogue/Spirit) can spread the effects of Mandrake/Nightshade with Ternion as well, which is one of the best uses for Ternion in the game.
However, Ternion is an energy-consuming beast, so is worth balancing with either massive Energy Cost Reduction or some form of Energy Leech to offset a cowardly dependence on potions.
Arcane LoreThe magic practitioners of elder civilisations devised many insidious techniques to bolster the destructive capabilities of their magical staves. Knowledge of these methods will unlock the true power of your staff attacks. Available at Mastery Level 16.
Skill level 1/6
4 Energy Cost
1 meter radius
+10% increase in Projectile Speed
Skill level 6/6
9 Energy Cost
1.9 meter radius
+50% increase in Projectile Speed
Skill level 10/6
13 Energy Cost
2.4 meter radius
+82% increase in Projectile Speed
Arcane Lore further expands Ternion’s crowd control capability by adding a small blast radius on impact of each hit. It also massively speeds up the travel time of the staff projectiles, helping you better target mobs before they move. Delightful.
Unfortunately, Ternion is not the monster it once was - when % Reduction to Enemy Health was gutted several patches ago, the apex predator staff build, that could kill even the Lernean Hydra in a matter of seconds, went with it. Ternion itself was also nerfed then. It is still good, but not as good, and only fully accessible on PC, where you can control the beam spread. With much gritted teeth, this author admits that Psionic Beam from the lame Dream School is probably the better staff skill now, although Ternion is still better for CC.
Ternion and its upgrade are all or nothing skills. 4/5 if you use a staff and it’s basic auto attacks as your main source of damage, 0/5 if you don’t—-
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