Baldur's Gate 3: Tips For Playing As A Necromancer (2024)

Key Takeaways

Enroll in the School of Necromancy for Animate Dead spell and boost undead with more HP and damage.
Store corpses at camp to cast Animate Dead before combat - pick up corpses, deposit them in camp chest.
Use 'Speak with Dead' to ask questions and uncover secrets - find Necromancy gear and complete quests related to necromancy.

Necromancy in Baldur's Gate 3 is just as dark as one would expect and equally fun. Typically, players will want to enroll in the Wizard subclass, the School of Necromancy, as this provides relatively early access to the Animate Dead spell. From Level 6 onwards, they can raise an additional corpse, and any undead created with this spell will have more HP and deal bonus damage.

Baldur's Gate 3: Best Necromancy Spells

Adventurers looking to dip into Necromancy in Baldur's Gate 3 have these powerful spells at their disposal.

However, this isn't the only way to play as a necromancer in BG3, as other classes are capable of using necromancy spells. Clerics and Oathbreaker Paladins are two good options and can provide undead with extra bonuses. The Circle of the Spores Druid subclass is another great option, which uses a different kind of necromancy involving fungi. Whatever build players opt for, the following necromancy tips for BG3 should help them get the most out of raising the dead.

6 Store Corpses At Camp

Players Can Then Cast Animate Dead At The Start Of Each Day

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While all Wizards in BG3 rely on Spell Slots as a kind of resource, Necromancers also require corpses and plenty of them. As not all creatures can be raised, especially in Act 2, players will want to store as many corpses as they can at camp. By doing so, they will also be able to use their Animate Dead spell before combat begins, meaning an action isn't wasted.

However, there is some nuance to harvesting corpses to store at camp. Firstly, most characters and Wizards especially aren't strong enough to pick up the vast majority of corpses. This can be circumvented with a strong Barbarian or the user of Strength elixers or even the Enlarge spell. Once a few corpses are in a character's inventory, they can go back to camp and deposit them in the camp chest. Even once summoned, players could leave their undead at camp until there is going to be a fight, as moving them around, especially when traps are involved, can be a messy business.

5 Not All Corpses Can Be Turned Into Undead

Undead Can't Be Raised Again & Certain Damage Is Too Destructive

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Unfortunately, for even the most skilled necromancers, not all corpses can be brought back from death with Animate Dead . For example, targets must be medium or small corpses, and the undead cannot be raised again. Additionally, creatures such as constructs aren't valid as they were never living beings to begin with.

4 Get A Cleric To Cast Aid On Your Undead To Turn Them Into Meatshields

Undead Can't Be Healed But Can Have Their Max HP Raised

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If players have a multiclass build in mind where they constantly heal their undead to keep them dead for longer, this unfortunately doesn't work. The vast majority of heals in BG3 do not work on undead. However, their maximum HP can be raised with the Aid spell.

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Aid is an area-of-effect spell, meaning it can be used on the entire party, including summons. If Aid is upcast, then all beneficiaries could see a huge increase in their health, turning seemingly squishy zombies into meatshields. Having a Cleric to cast Aid, or at Level 12 Heroes' Feast , is the best option, but if not, there are a few items that grant Aid. The Absolute's Talisman is one example.

3 Upcast Animate Dead To Raise More Corpses

Cast It As A Level 4 Spell To Raise 3 Skeletons Or Zombies

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For those who are unaware, upcasting in BG3 is when you take a Level 3 spell, for example, and cast it using a Level 4 spell slot to gain additional benefits. Not all spells benefit from being upcast, but Animate Dead certainly does. If it is cast at Level 4, players can raise 3 skeletons or zombies, instead of just one. Additionally, members of the School of Necromancy Wizard subclass will raise an extra corpse regardless.

When players unlock Level 5 spell slots, they can upcast Animate Dead to raise Ghouls or Flying Ghouls. Then, at Level 6, the spell will raise 3 of these superior undead creatures. These are some of the best summons in Baldur's Gate 3.

2 Use 'Speak With Dead' Often To Feel Like A True Necromancer

This Is Great For Roleplay & Finding Out Secrets

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Baldur's Gate 3: Most Chilling "Speak With Dead" Scenes

"Speak With Dead" is an often distressing spell in Baldur's Gate 3. Using it on some deceased characters provides particularly chilling results.

Not all corpses will respond, especially those who have been decapitated and most dead characters are reluctant to talk their killer. By correctly studying the Necromancy of Thay book in Act 1 or wearing The Amulet Of Lost Voices , characters can cast this spell for free, and the spell can always be recast on other corpses at no additional cost.

1 Visit Necromany Locations & Complete Relevant Quests

This Is Great For Roleplay, As Well As Obtaining Necromancy Gear & Spells

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Visit Auntie Ethel to potentially get Mayrina's husband as a zombie, Act 1.
Search The Cellar quest to find the Necromancy of Thay, Act 1.
Visit the Myconid Colony in the Underdark, Act 1.
Anything to do with Balthazar, Act 2.
Visit Mystic Carrion for the best necromancy gear, Act 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a game with infinite replayability, and it's almost impossible to find every location and engage in every quest in a single playthrough. As a necromancer, however, players will want to try and find all the locations and quests related to necromancy. They should do this for two reasons. Firstly, this is the best way to find gear and spells which enhance necromancy. The second reason is that at the end of the day, BG3 is a role-playing game, and so it makes sense for a necromancer to seek out the macabre and kindred spirits.