Mandragora: Whispers Of The Witch Tree - Necromancer Boss Guide

The Necromancer in Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is the toughest boss you'll face in the first main quest of the game. This multi-phase spider boss comes with two main phases, a mini phase, a variety of annoying abilities, DoT (damage over time), and bursts, and small spiders to back it up.

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In this guide, you’ll learn where to find the Necromancer, how to survive each phase, and which strategies work best. You’ll also discover all its abilities, how to counter them, and the reward you get for making it out alive.

Where To Find The Necromancer

The nearest Witch Stone to the Necromancer is the Forgotten Catacombs. Just to the right, you’ll notice a massive door with two altars: One glows red and the other green.

To unlock the door, you’ll need two seals: The Blood Seal and the Plague Seal from the Blood Guardian and the Plague Guardian.

How To Get The Blood Seal

To get the Blood Seal, you need to defeat the Blood Guardian on the upper floor. Start at the Forgotten Catacombs Witch Stone. Cross the chasm, defeat the Undead Necromancer and spider, then climb the ladder.

Jump left across two ledges, defeat another Undead Necromancer, and climb the second ladder to the top. You'll see an Abomination and a spear-wielding skeleton. You can skip them if you want. Jump up the ledge to the left to reach the Blood Guardian’s room.

How To Get The Plague Seal

To get the Plague Seal, you need to take down the Plague Guardian on the lower floor. Start at the Forgotten Catacombs Witch Stone. Cross the chasm, defeat the Undead Necromancer and the spider.

Instead of climbing the ladder, head right and you'll reach two giant swinging axes. Time your runs and rolls carefully since these axes can one-shot you.

Wait for the axe to swing toward you, then run after it as it swings away. When it reaches the end of its swing, roll to dodge it as it circles back. Run back a little bit to avoid the second axe before using the same strategy to get past it.

Defeat the enemies and head down the ladder. Take out the Undead Necromancer at the bottom, pull the lever to summon the elevator, and ride it down to the lower floor. And before you is the Plague Guardian’s room.

Once you have both seals, return to the door and place them on the altars to unlock the door. Head inside, turn left, and you’ll step into the Necromancer’s lair.

How To Beat The Necromancer

The Necromancer battle consists of two intense phases, in which the boss unleashes all its deadly abilities, followed by a short mini-phase in which it runs away from you. While the Necromancer may seem daunting, it actually has many openings for you to attack. You just need to stay calm and be patient.

Also, bring a few Cleansing Potions to deal with the poison. You can buy them from Gerald near the Witch Tree.

If you know you're about to die and you're carrying a lot of Essence, make a run for the entrance door of the Necromancer’s lair. If you fall near the door, you can easily return, grab your lost Essence, and exit without triggering the boss fight.

Phase One

The Necromancer’s first move isn’t always the same, so you should keep your distance when the fight begins. One of its most dangerous openers is a poison stream that deals heavy damage over time and can quickly drain your HP.

Don’t burn through all your Health Flasks in this phase. Try to save at least two for phase two, where things get a lot tougher.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Necromancer’s abilities in phase one and how to counter each one:

Ability

Description

How To Counter

Necrotic Orbs

The Necromancer lowers its hands to the ground, signaling a two-part attack. First, it creates three glowing areas on the floor that deal continuous DoT if you stand in them.

Then, it raises its hands and summons three purple orbs from those spots that home in on you and explode on contact.

Stay away from the glowing areas on the ground. They deal constant damage if you stand in them. Manage your distance so you can still hit the Necromancer while it’s casting.

When the purple orbs appear, watch for a brief pause in the air. That’s when they’re about to crash down on your location. Time your dodge roll just before impact to avoid the explosion.

Venom Spit

The boss clutches its belly for a brief moment, then stands tall and spews venom, dealing heavy DoT damage.

Stay out of the venom stream’s range. If you can’t move away quickly enough, roll toward the boss and crouch down. The toxin will fly over your head, letting you avoid the damage.

If you're feeling brave, roll behind the boss. This allows you to attack from its back. Just be cautious of its back kick.

Back Kick

The Necromancer raises its hind leg and kicks you.

Roll out of its range.

Ground Stomp

The Necromancer raises its front legs and stomps down, damaging the area in front of it.

Roll out of its range. This is a good opportunity to deal some damage if you have ranged attacks.

Jump Slam

The Necromancer lowers its upper body, leaps up, and slams down. If it attacks, it slams down at you. It can also use this move to create distance between you and itself.

When you see it leap up, always roll out of your current position.

Summon Spiders

When the Necromancer reaches the half HP threshold, it stops receiving damage. It looks up, then jumps to the ceiling. Small spiders then fall down, gaining momentum as they leap at you, dealing damage.

Once you've cleared all the spiders, the Necromancer will drop down onto your position, dealing damage.

It’s best to kill any spider that appears immediately. If you see them shift their weight backward, it means they’re about to jump. Roll behind them or out of their range to avoid the damage. Don’t let the spiders stack up. They’ll overwhelm you.

Once you've cleared all the spiders, keep an eye on the green circle that appears on the ground. It marks where the Necromancer is about to drop down.

After you've dealt with the summoned spiders, the Necromancer will repeat the abilities listed above until you've worn down all of its HP. A short cutscene will play, and the Necromancer will split into two parts, marking the start of phase two.

Phase Two

The upper half of the Necromancer hangs from the ceiling, while its lower body continues its attacks from phase one, but with much faster speed. The good news is that its HP in phase two is lower than in phase one, so you'll want to burst it down quickly. If you don’t, its enhanced speed and overlapping abilities can quickly overwhelm you.

It’s harder to predict the Necromancer’s abilities in the second phase since its body is severed. You’ll need to watch both its upper and lower bodies. The glowing colors of its abilities are easiest to spot on the upper body.

The hardest ability to avoid is the Venom Spit. For this, focus on the lower body. It will briefly lower itself, and during that moment, the upper body won’t show any glowing effect.

In phase two, there is a new ability:

Ability

Description

How To Counter

Frozen Grasp

The Necromancer summons ghostly hands that travel across the ground, slowing your movement. If you stand in them too long, you risk being frozen, leaving yourself vulnerable to the boss’s other attacks.

Jump to dodge. You can also roll to avoid, but it's recommended to jump and don't touch them completely.

When the Necromancer reaches around half or one-third of its HP, it will summon small spiders again. This time, its upper body will keep using abilities, making it more dangerous than in phase one. Clear out the spiders quickly, then focus on attacking the Necromancer until its HP is gone.

Phase Three: Mini Struggle

Once you’ve worn down all of its HP, the Necromancer enters its final mini-phase. The lower body disappears, and the upper body falls down from the ceiling. It won’t attack you. Instead, it will crawl away on its hands. Its HP will refill, but don’t worry, it’s very little, and you can easily burst it down. With that, you've defeated the Necromancer.

The Necromancer Reward

With the Necromancer defeated, talk to Branween and invite her back to the Witch Tree. This will unlock the Altar of Power where you can retalent.

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