Baldur's Gate 3: Best Necromancy Wizard Build

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• Necromancy Subclass Features

• Best Race For A Necromancy Wizard

• Best Background For A Necromancy Wizard

• Best Abilities For A Necromancy Wizard

• Best Feats For A Necromancy Wizard

• Necromancy Wizard Level By Level Build

• Best Equipment For A Necromancy Wizard

• Best Weapons For A Necromancy Wizard

A wizard is one of the classes you can choose for your character in Baldur's Gate 3. This spell-casting unit uses intelligence to improve their magic ability, and can learn new spells from scrolls. This ability to learn spells from scrolls can be discounted based on the school that the wizard is part of, and a wizard's chosen school is what dictates their subclass.

Baldur's Gate 3: Complete Guide To Wizards

The Wizard is the class of choices - magic schools and spells aplenty, Wizards are incredibly versatile casters in Baldur's Gate 3.

One of the subclasses a wizard can choose is necromancy. Wizards of the necromancy subclass can learn necromancy spells for a cheaper price, at 25 gold pieces per scroll. That being said, they specialize in spells that deal necrotic damage and spells for the undead.

Necromancy Subclass Features

The primary reason for selecting the necromancy subclass is for their ability to summon undead servants that can provide support to the rest of the party in battle.

In addition to the summoning abilities of this subclass, these wizards still have access to tons of spells, and can provide so much versatility to the team.

The resistance to necrotic damage that necromancy wizards also receive in later levels is incredibly helpful, especially late-game where many enemies deal necrotic damage.

Level

Features

2

• Necromancy Savant: Halves the cost to learn necromancy spells from scrolls.
• Grim Harvest: Once per turn, if you kill a creature with a spell, you regain hit points equal to twice the spell slot level used - thrice if it's a necromancy spell. Undead and constructs are unaffected.

6

• Undead Thralls: Animate Dead
  • Gain the Animate Dead spell, if you didn't have it already.
• Undead Thralls: Additional Undead
  • When you use Animate Dead, you can raise an additional corpse.
• Undead Thralls: Better Summons
  • Creatures created with Animate Dead have additional hit points equal to your wizard level, and you proficiency bonus is added to their damage.

10

Inured to Undeath: You have steeped yourself so completely in death that you are resistance to necrotic damage, and your hit point maximum cannot be reduced.

Best Race For A Necromancy Wizard

None of the races really help make a necromancy wizard's undead servants more effective on the field. Instead, you'll want to pick a race that will give you advantages in other areas.

High Elf

A high elf is a great choice for a race for your necromancy wizard because of several racial features they possess:

• Elven Weapon Training: proficiency in longswords, shortswords, longbows, and shortbows
• Darkvision: can see in the dark up to 12m
• Fey Ancestry: advantage on saving throws against being charmed and magic can't put you to sleep
• Keen Senses: proficiency in the perception skill

High elves can also choose a cantrip to learn from the wizard spell list.

Best Background For A Necromancy Wizard

A sage makes for a great necromancy wizard. Their skills are arcana and history, with arcana improving based on their intelligence score. This is perfect for wizards, whose primary ability score is intelligence.

Best Abilities For A Necromancy Wizard

For a necromancy wizard, you'll want to prioritize intelligence in the ability score distribution. This will increase the effectivity of spellcasting.

The next most important abilities would be dexterity, in order to improve the wizard's armour class, and constitution for maintaining concentration and staying alive in battle.

You can have intelligence set at 16 to begin with, then distribute the rest of the points while skewing them towards dexterity and constitution.

Best Feats For A Necromancy Wizard

You can pick feats that will let you have more spells to cast and will improve your spellcasting.

Feat

About

Spell Sniper

This is a great feat because of the cantrip it adds to your arsenal. It'll also reduce the number needed to roll a critical hit by 1.

Ability Improvement

You'll be able to increase your intelligence score using this feat, and your spells will improve as a result.

Necromancy Wizard Level By Level Build

You'll be able to pick three feats for a necromancy wizard. You can re-arrange the order of the feats based on your needs wherever you are on your journey.

Level

Build

2

Subclass: necromancy

4

Feat: spell sniper

8

Feat: ability improvement (+2 intelligence)

12

Feat: ability improvement (+2 intelligence) OR lucky

When you hit level 12, pick lucky if your intelligence is already high enough.

Best Equipment For A Necromancy Wizard

You won't be fighting melee on the battlefield during your fights. As such, you should pick equipment that will instead give you a boost when it comes to spellcasting, while also providing enough defense in case of emergencies.

Best Early-Game Equipment

Equipment

Description

Location

Clothing: The Protecty Sparkswall

• Armour Class: 10 + dexterity modifier
• High Spellcasting: You gain a +1 bonus to spell save dc.
• Sparkswall Armour: The wearer has +1 to armour class and saving throws as long as they have lightning charges.

This can be looted from a chest in the Grymforge.

Helmet: Fistbreaker Helm

• High Spellcasting: You gain a +1 bonus to spell save dc.
• Seldom Caught Unawares: You gain a +1 bonus to initiative rolls.

This can be purchased from Lann Tarv at Moonrise Towers.

Gloves: Bracers of Defence

Become the Bulwark: You gain a +2 bonus to armour class as long as you are not wearing armour or holding a shield.

This can be looted from a chest in the Apothecary's Cellar in the Blighted Village.

Footwear: Disintegrating Night Walkers

• Night Walker: Can't be enwebbed, entangled, or ensnared and can't slip on grease or ice.
• Spell: Misty Step

This can be looted from Nere's body at the Grymforge.

Amulet: Spell Savant Amulet

• Spell Amplification: You gain an additional level 2 spell slot.

This can be looted from the n°1 vault in the Counting House.

Ring: Ring of Protection

• Armour Class +1
• Saving throw +1

Can be gained as a reward from Mol after the Steal the Sacred Idol quest.

There are dire consequences for completing the Steal the Sacred Idol quest, so take that into consideration.

Best Late-Game Equipment

Equipment

Description

Location

Clothing: Robe of the Weave

• Armour Class: 10 + dexterity modifier
• Arcane Enchantment: You gain a +1 bonus to spell save dc and spell attack rolls.
• Weave Eater: Whenever the wearer succeeds a saving throw against a spell, they regain 1d6 hitpoints.
• +2 to armour class

This can be found in Ramazith's Tower.

Helmet: Hood of the Weave

• Arcane Enchantment: You gain a +2 bonus to spell save dc and spell attack rolls.

This can be looted from Haarlep in the House of Hope.

Gloves: Helldusk Gloves

• Infernal Acuity: You gain a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and spell save dc.
• Infernal Touch: Your weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage. Your unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage, and can possibly inflict bleeding.
• +1 to strength saving throws
• Rays of Fire cantrip

This can be looted from Haarlep in the House of Hope.

Footwear: Bonespike Boots

• Evasive Instinct: You have a +1 bonus to armour class and saving throws as long as you are not wearing armour or holding a shield.
• Refined Vaulting: Jump distance is increased by 1.5m/5ft.
• Brutal Leap: Leap at a target and possibly knock it prone.

This can be looted from a chest in Rivington.

Ring: Crypt Lord Ring

• Spell: Create Undead

This can be obtained as a reward if Thrumbo survives after the Find Mystic Carrion's Servant quest.

Best Weapons For A Necromancy Wizard

When it comes to picking weapons, you should pick those that will enhance your spells. Anything that provides additional resistance, like the Darkfire Shortbow, will also be beneficial to your build.

Best Early-Game Weapons

Weapon

Description

Location

Quarterstave: Melf's First Staff

• One-handed: 1d6 + 1 (2~7) + Strength modifier (bludgeoning damage)
• Two-handed: 1d8 (1~8) + Strength modifier (bludgeoning damage)
• Arcane Enchantement: You gain a +1 bonus to spell save dc and spell attack rolls.
• Spell: Melf's Acid Arrow
• Topple: Swipe at a creature to knock it prone.

This can be purchased from Blurg in the Myconid Colony.

Shortbow: Darkfire Shortbow

• 1d6 + 2 (3~8) + dexterity modifier (piercing damage)
• Resistance to fire damage
• Resistance to cold damage
• Spell: Haste
• Hamstring Shot: Shoot an enemy in the thigh and possibly reduce their movement speed by 50%

This can be purchased from Dammon at the Last Light Inn.

Best Late-Game Weapon

Weapon

Description

Location

Quarterstave: Staff of Cherished Necromancy

• One-handed: 1d6 + 2 (3~8) + Strength modifier (bludgeoning damage)
• Two-handed: 1d8 + 2 (3~10) + Strength modifier (bludgeoning damage)
• Extra damage: 1d4 (1~4) necrotic damage
• Heightened Necromancy: creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against necromancy spells
• Life Essence Harvest: When the wielder kills a hostile creature with a spell, they greedily absorb its energy and gain life essence until their next long rest.
• Topple: Swipe at a creature to knock it prone.

This can be looted from Mystic Carrion's body in Philgrave's Mansion in the Lower City.

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