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Please move up Necromancer rework to 2026

  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    The problem with this feedback is that you are mixing lore between two different franchises. Necromancers in Elder Scrolls don't raise entire armies of the dead at once. Every being in the world is limited by their Magicka, and the amount of Magicka it would take in order to summon an entire undead army is not possible for any Man nor Mer to conceivably obtain. This is the very reason that the discovery of the Eye of Magnus in Skyrim was such a big deal, it was a massive font of Magicka with untapped and unknown potential. Meanwhile, Diablo necromancers are a welcomed practice, often being respected for tending graveside and keeping the dead at peace. In times of strife, the Necromancers in Sanctuary will take their knowledge of the dead and gather up their assistance, but they don't have the same Magicka restriction that people on Nirn do. You can't compare apples and oranges.

    Now, on to some actual feedback for Necromancer in Elder Scrolls Online: I agree with the assessment that it is clunky. It lacks proper feedback, Blastbones is horrible and takes an unknowable amount of time to reach its target and then explode (I swear I have seen it disappear before even generating a corpse). The corpse system is a slog, often relying on a weird mini game to set things up before it can be used effectively. I have Blastbones set as the second skill I cast in my rotation specifically so I have enough time for it to explode by the time I get to the skill that needs a corpse on the ground (I run a weird hybrid setup, but the sentiment still applies).

    When it comes to the idea of a skeletal army though, I think having a small squad of GOOD skeletal minions is the best option to go with. They aren't great, they aren't weak, just middle of the road. Give us maybe 2 or 3 skills with the ability to keep a skeleton buddy around. Make it so you can swap out the gravestones for a skeletal warrior, blastbones for a wizard and another skill for an archer.

    But MOST IMPORTANTLY: ALL minions, from skills and armor effects and whatever else, NEED to share a common tag for boosting their damage. This way things like the Sorcerer passive that boosts Conjured Pet damage can affect all of your minions. It would also help to give them a bit more presence on the field, because man, minions barely contribute anything to DPS. Let the folks have their minion fun!
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • Silvains_Demon
    Silvains_Demon
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    Kalthea wrote: »
    The problem with this feedback is that you are mixing lore between two different franchises. Necromancers in Elder Scrolls don't raise entire armies of the dead at once. Every being in the world is limited by their Magicka, and the amount of Magicka it would take in order to summon an entire undead army is not possible for any Man nor Mer to conceivably obtain. This is the very reason that the discovery of the Eye of Magnus in Skyrim was such a big deal, it was a massive font of Magicka with untapped and unknown potential. Meanwhile, Diablo necromancers are a welcomed practice, often being respected for tending graveside and keeping the dead at peace. In times of strife, the Necromancers in Sanctuary will take their knowledge of the dead and gather up their assistance, but they don't have the same Magicka restriction that people on Nirn do. You can't compare apples and oranges.

    Now, on to some actual feedback for Necromancer in Elder Scrolls Online: I agree with the assessment that it is clunky. It lacks proper feedback, Blastbones is horrible and takes an unknowable amount of time to reach its target and then explode (I swear I have seen it disappear before even generating a corpse). The corpse system is a slog, often relying on a weird mini game to set things up before it can be used effectively. I have Blastbones set as the second skill I cast in my rotation specifically so I have enough time for it to explode by the time I get to the skill that needs a corpse on the ground (I run a weird hybrid setup, but the sentiment still applies).

    When it comes to the idea of a skeletal army though, I think having a small squad of GOOD skeletal minions is the best option to go with. They aren't great, they aren't weak, just middle of the road. Give us maybe 2 or 3 skills with the ability to keep a skeleton buddy around. Make it so you can swap out the gravestones for a skeletal warrior, blastbones for a wizard and another skill for an archer.

    But MOST IMPORTANTLY: ALL minions, from skills and armor effects and whatever else, NEED to share a common tag for boosting their damage. This way things like the Sorcerer passive that boosts Conjured Pet damage can affect all of your minions. It would also help to give them a bit more presence on the field, because man, minions barely contribute anything to DPS. Let the folks have their minion fun!

    I understand what you mean for being against "an army of the undead" but having squads should be fine. Hell, I know for sure that the action economy of a whole minion setup from Diablo IV (which is not as bad as Diablo III as a Necromancer when you wear sets like Bones of Rathma). I did try to fix the issue with 2 different solutions. Hopefully, ZOS finds an actual solution for this that makes the Necromancer less of a mini-game and more of a class that fits the title.
  • icefyer_ESO
    icefyer_ESO
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    My main frustration with the necro is the lack of pets as mentioned before since the abilities are basically just normal effects but with a pet animation tacked on, but also the corpse mechanic just feels so clunky compared to something like Crux. With Arcanist, the skills don't require crux but are more powerful if they have some, while some abilities you're just entirely locked out of unless you have a corpse, but others follow a more Crux-like method of doing something extra if they use a corpse. Plus, crux can be brought with you to do whatever, while a corpse just sits there and if it's not where you need it, tough luck, too bad for you. Like if the lore of the corpse mechanic is using up lingering life energy in said corpses, why not just suck it up into a wisp of necromantic energy instead? Unless they plan to massively expand the "you can treat an ally / living enemy as a corpse" mechanic so that it's not just locked behind 2 class mastery passives.

    That and overall the class lines just feel really lackluster outside of one or two abilities each, if that. Like everyone likes the flesh atronach ult for the vulnerability and maybe the graveyard for their aoe debuffs, but as far as I can tell the general consensus is that almost all the rest of the skills aren't liked much and are very weak or super situational like that one heal that gives resists based on health healed. Skulls is slow and not worth it for the corpse generation because of it (Meanwhile the Arcanist version gives you a crux with every single cast.), the tether skills, as said, rely on you actually getting a corpse in the right spot, especially for the morphs that cause an aoe around the corpse itself, which at least for a healer isn't easy if you're using the healer ghost which can also only heal 1 / 3 people depending on morph while most multi-target heals can heal a full 6. It really says something when I'm a necro healer but I don't actually use any necro heals except for some of the passives.

    Overall, I've heard good things about the DK rework, and it gives me some hope, but they definitely need to take their time if they're going to basically rework the class from the ground up.
    Edited by icefyer_ESO on May 25, 2026 3:05PM
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    Honestly, they should just replace the corpse system with a Black Soulstone replacement. Remove the abilities that rely on a corpse for tethering to, they were never great to begin with. Use the soulstones to summon a corpse on the point of impact or something.
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • brtomkin
    brtomkin
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    Necromancer needs two permanent skeletal minions similar in both power, utility, and behavior as the pack leader werewolf's direwolves. If it has to be tied to a skill, make it a "while slotted on either bar" type skill.

    PS5 NA: Pickmans__Model, CP 2600+
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    brtomkin wrote: »
    Necromancer needs two permanent skeletal minions similar in both power, utility, and behavior as the pack leader werewolf's direwolves. If it has to be tied to a skill, make it a "while slotted on either bar" type skill.

    Careful with the permanent pet on backbar idea, that would lead to a lot of uproar about pets needing to be permanent no matter what bar they're on for Sorc and Warden bear eapecially.
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • LunaFlora
    LunaFlora
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    Kalthea wrote: »
    brtomkin wrote: »
    Necromancer needs two permanent skeletal minions similar in both power, utility, and behavior as the pack leader werewolf's direwolves. If it has to be tied to a skill, make it a "while slotted on either bar" type skill.

    Careful with the permanent pet on backbar idea, that would lead to a lot of uproar about pets needing to be permanent no matter what bar they're on for Sorc and Warden bear eapecially.

    people have wanted that for years and years for Warden and Sorcerer
    miaow this is my forum signature! my name is Luna ( she/her ).

    🌸*throws cherry blossom on you*🌸
    "Eagles advance, traveler! And may the Green watch and keep you."
    🦬🦌🐰

    PlayStation EU is my primary server.
    LunaFloraBlossom on PlayStation 5 and PC.
    my main character is a Bosmer Warden named Greehnhart in-game, Greenie Florahart in full.


    all characters on PS EU:
    - Luna Blossom, Bosmer Dragonknight.
    - Dotty Greehnhart, Bosmer Sorcerer.
    - Lía Greehnhart, Khajiit Nightblade.
    - Lady Greehnhart, Altmer Templar. Lady is her name and title.
    - Holly Blossom, Altmer Sorcerer.
    - Sally Jadehart, Argonian Nightblade. Like a green salamander.
    - Dorothy Pizzalover, Orc Warden. add pizzas to the game please.
    - Greehnhart, Bosmer Warden.
    - Lúcia Azurehart, imperial Necromancer. Azureblight, she has a Maarselok outfit.
    - Bunny Rubyhart, Dunmer Nightblade.
    - Wisteria Antheia, Khajiit Templar. blue hair like the wisteria.
    - Cynthia Turquesa, Breton Warden.
    - Rubyhart, Bosmer Nightblade.
    - Hestia Rubyhart, Dunmer Dragonknight.
    - Aurelia Cherryhart, Altmer Warden. Spriggan.
    - Aurora Honey, Redguard Templar. Meridian cultist.
    - Speaks-With-Blossom, Argonian Warden.
    - Lulu Nightshade, Nord Necromancer.
    - Lunetta Gleamblossom, Bosmer Arcanist. Ohmes Khajiit.
    - Dianna Hyacinth, Altmer Arcanist. Maormer, water hyacinth.

    Links to my Housing threads:
    Links to my Fashion threads:
  • nightbringer1993
    nightbringer1993
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    LunaFlora wrote: »
    Kalthea wrote: »
    brtomkin wrote: »
    Necromancer needs two permanent skeletal minions similar in both power, utility, and behavior as the pack leader werewolf's direwolves. If it has to be tied to a skill, make it a "while slotted on either bar" type skill.

    Careful with the permanent pet on backbar idea, that would lead to a lot of uproar about pets needing to be permanent no matter what bar they're on for Sorc and Warden bear eapecially.

    people have wanted that for years and years for Warden and Sorcerer

    For years we have been asking for a refresh. Five years! And when stalking blastbone got removed thing went worst!

    We paid for a content we can’t even use because other classes are for too strong compared to us.

    Right now we can’t afford to play with our class, and I was forced to leave the game as a result. And you are telling us that warden and sorcerer are more in need where they’re dominating in PvP, tanking and heavy attacks builds!

    WE PAID FOR A CONTENT WE CANNOT EVEN USE!!!

    Our class is destroyed! We can’t e even use it because other classes are too strong compared to us! And we are being kicked out of groups because we are using the necromancer class!

    And we are supposed to accept that state up until winter 2027!

    Right now! I feel like I am being exiled because I am a necromancer main. I stopped playing ESO because of the state of the game! And I feel like I wasted my money!
    PC EU
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    LunaFlora wrote: »
    Kalthea wrote: »
    brtomkin wrote: »
    Necromancer needs two permanent skeletal minions similar in both power, utility, and behavior as the pack leader werewolf's direwolves. If it has to be tied to a skill, make it a "while slotted on either bar" type skill.

    Careful with the permanent pet on backbar idea, that would lead to a lot of uproar about pets needing to be permanent no matter what bar they're on for Sorc and Warden bear eapecially.

    people have wanted that for years and years for Warden and Sorcerer

    For years we have been asking for a refresh. Five years! And when stalking blastbone got removed thing went worst!

    We paid for a content we can’t even use because other classes are for too strong compared to us.

    Right now we can’t afford to play with our class, and I was forced to leave the game as a result. And you are telling us that warden and sorcerer are more in need where they’re dominating in PvP, tanking and heavy attacks builds!

    WE PAID FOR A CONTENT WE CANNOT EVEN USE!!!

    Our class is destroyed! We can’t e even use it because other classes are too strong compared to us! And we are being kicked out of groups because we are using the necromancer class!

    And we are supposed to accept that state up until winter 2027!

    Right now! I feel like I am being exiled because I am a necromancer main. I stopped playing ESO because of the state of the game! And I feel like I wasted my money!

    This is a bit of an over-dramatic reaction, but I understand the sentiment at least.

    Let me put it like this: What you see from Warden in PvP is not what you should be looking at. Warden is very much in need of a rework, ESPECIALLY their Magicka builds. I'm not sure if you've taken the time to build and play a MagDen, but they take a level of build-perfection that other classes don't need at all. That's why the constant adjustments to their frost damage passive in Winter's Embrace has been such a big sticking point.

    None of that even goes into the issue of choice on the class. Because each of their skill lines are so focused on their given tasks, it leaves little room for adjustment or interaction between any of them. At most, you snag the ones for resource maintenance and leave it at that.

    Now, that isn't to say Necromancer isn't also in a bad spot (corpses are for sure their biggest pain point). but Necromancer isn't any more "unplayable" than Warden. I think ignoring the problems with both classes is going to do more harm than good, and I would love to see both of these classes thrive in the best ways possible.
    Edited by Kalthea on May 22, 2026 9:39PM
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • propertyOfUndefined
    propertyOfUndefined
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    For what it's worth, I support the ask here.
  • Luneca
    Luneca
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    For what it's worth, I support the ask here.

    I think anyone with a necro does. They literally gutted the class over and over, then reworked DK which covers much of the same ground the class has (or used to). There's not point to them except the ultimates to be honest. And even then, that's a hard sell because the same amount of damage with better uptime can be generated in other ways.

    Purposeless class. Terrible corpse mechanic. Basic buffs locked behind terrible skills. And an inadequate scribing system.

    Yeah, it's not a surprise they aren't popular in PvP, and I don't really ever see them in PvE either (or the skill lines being used).
  • Seraphayel
    Seraphayel
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    Necromancer dead last really makes no sense at all. After Warden or Sorcerer even, that don’t really need much of a rework at all? Necromancer should be the top priority as the class is really lackluster in all regards and struck with terrible skills and gameplay loops all around.
    PS5
    EU
    Aldmeri Dominion
    - Khajiit Arcanist -
  • LunaFlora
    LunaFlora
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    Seraphayel wrote: »
    Necromancer dead last really makes no sense at all. After Warden or Sorcerer even, that don’t really need much of a rework at all? Necromancer should be the top priority as the class is really lackluster in all regards and struck with terrible skills and gameplay loops all around.

    Necromancer is the newest class before Arcanist so it does not need as much modernization as the other classes.

    Warden and Sorcerer have Frost, Shock, and Combat pets.
    Necromancer has all of that too.


    https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/69039
    read the Class Refresh deep dive from December, ZOS explains it well and personally i do not understand why people argue against the refresh order (other than simply having a favourite).
    miaow this is my forum signature! my name is Luna ( she/her ).

    🌸*throws cherry blossom on you*🌸
    "Eagles advance, traveler! And may the Green watch and keep you."
    🦬🦌🐰

    PlayStation EU is my primary server.
    LunaFloraBlossom on PlayStation 5 and PC.
    my main character is a Bosmer Warden named Greehnhart in-game, Greenie Florahart in full.


    all characters on PS EU:
    - Luna Blossom, Bosmer Dragonknight.
    - Dotty Greehnhart, Bosmer Sorcerer.
    - Lía Greehnhart, Khajiit Nightblade.
    - Lady Greehnhart, Altmer Templar. Lady is her name and title.
    - Holly Blossom, Altmer Sorcerer.
    - Sally Jadehart, Argonian Nightblade. Like a green salamander.
    - Dorothy Pizzalover, Orc Warden. add pizzas to the game please.
    - Greehnhart, Bosmer Warden.
    - Lúcia Azurehart, imperial Necromancer. Azureblight, she has a Maarselok outfit.
    - Bunny Rubyhart, Dunmer Nightblade.
    - Wisteria Antheia, Khajiit Templar. blue hair like the wisteria.
    - Cynthia Turquesa, Breton Warden.
    - Rubyhart, Bosmer Nightblade.
    - Hestia Rubyhart, Dunmer Dragonknight.
    - Aurelia Cherryhart, Altmer Warden. Spriggan.
    - Aurora Honey, Redguard Templar. Meridian cultist.
    - Speaks-With-Blossom, Argonian Warden.
    - Lulu Nightshade, Nord Necromancer.
    - Lunetta Gleamblossom, Bosmer Arcanist. Ohmes Khajiit.
    - Dianna Hyacinth, Altmer Arcanist. Maormer, water hyacinth.

    Links to my Housing threads:
    Links to my Fashion threads:
  • nightbringer1993
    nightbringer1993
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    LunaFlora wrote: »
    Seraphayel wrote: »
    Necromancer dead last really makes no sense at all. After Warden or Sorcerer even, that don’t really need much of a rework at all? Necromancer should be the top priority as the class is really lackluster in all regards and struck with terrible skills and gameplay loops all around.

    Necromancer is the newest class before Arcanist so it does not need as much modernization as the other classes.

    Warden and Sorcerer have Frost, Shock, and Combat pets.
    Necromancer has all of that too.


    https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/69039
    read the Class Refresh deep dive from December, ZOS explains it well and personally i do not understand why people argue against the refresh order (other than simply having a favourite).

    You are saying this because you play other classes than necromancer.

    For five years we have been nerfed again and again! And we are told to wait for winter 2027 and you think this is acceptable?

    Play Necro in PvP, damage dealing or healing and check for yourself. The class is unplayable because other classes are too strong. And soon because of the class refresh order, even tanking will be impossible.

    Right now I stopped playing and I won’t continue to give money to people who keep on destroying the class I paid for in favor of other classes.


    PC EU
  • LunaFlora
    LunaFlora
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    i play all classes.
    And to me Necromancer skills are still very useful for all roles, not the best but hopefully the refreshes will balance all the classes so there is no best class.

    miaow this is my forum signature! my name is Luna ( she/her ).

    🌸*throws cherry blossom on you*🌸
    "Eagles advance, traveler! And may the Green watch and keep you."
    🦬🦌🐰

    PlayStation EU is my primary server.
    LunaFloraBlossom on PlayStation 5 and PC.
    my main character is a Bosmer Warden named Greehnhart in-game, Greenie Florahart in full.


    all characters on PS EU:
    - Luna Blossom, Bosmer Dragonknight.
    - Dotty Greehnhart, Bosmer Sorcerer.
    - Lía Greehnhart, Khajiit Nightblade.
    - Lady Greehnhart, Altmer Templar. Lady is her name and title.
    - Holly Blossom, Altmer Sorcerer.
    - Sally Jadehart, Argonian Nightblade. Like a green salamander.
    - Dorothy Pizzalover, Orc Warden. add pizzas to the game please.
    - Greehnhart, Bosmer Warden.
    - Lúcia Azurehart, imperial Necromancer. Azureblight, she has a Maarselok outfit.
    - Bunny Rubyhart, Dunmer Nightblade.
    - Wisteria Antheia, Khajiit Templar. blue hair like the wisteria.
    - Cynthia Turquesa, Breton Warden.
    - Rubyhart, Bosmer Nightblade.
    - Hestia Rubyhart, Dunmer Dragonknight.
    - Aurelia Cherryhart, Altmer Warden. Spriggan.
    - Aurora Honey, Redguard Templar. Meridian cultist.
    - Speaks-With-Blossom, Argonian Warden.
    - Lulu Nightshade, Nord Necromancer.
    - Lunetta Gleamblossom, Bosmer Arcanist. Ohmes Khajiit.
    - Dianna Hyacinth, Altmer Arcanist. Maormer, water hyacinth.

    Links to my Housing threads:
    Links to my Fashion threads:
  • Luneca
    Luneca
    ✭✭✭
    LunaFlora wrote: »
    Seraphayel wrote: »
    Necromancer dead last really makes no sense at all. After Warden or Sorcerer even, that don’t really need much of a rework at all? Necromancer should be the top priority as the class is really lackluster in all regards and struck with terrible skills and gameplay loops all around.

    Necromancer is the newest class before Arcanist so it does not need as much modernization as the other classes.

    Warden and Sorcerer have Frost, Shock, and Combat pets.
    Necromancer has all of that too.


    https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/69039
    read the Class Refresh deep dive from December, ZOS explains it well and personally i do not understand why people argue against the refresh order (other than simply having a favourite).


    No way this is serious. 99% of the time I read the forums I think people have to be joking.

    Have you actually looked at the skills on the class? Do that, then tell everyone how the class is "modern" compared to any other class in the game.

    Also explain how getting debuffed with the class' burst heal is "modern". Because if that's the modern standard, they sure forgot it on Arcanist and the recently reworked DK.
  • nightbringer1993
    nightbringer1993
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    LunaFlora wrote: »
    i play all classes.
    And to me Necromancer skills are still very useful for all roles, not the best but hopefully the refreshes will balance all the classes so there is no best class.

    Necromancer is the WORST class in the game!

    And update 50 won't help because the masteries are not that great, and ZOS even mentioned it, and said that the necromancer refresh was needed to make things right. And I replied that they should refresh that class this year as a result.

    Right now necromancer is a pay to lose, and this needs to change, and the game is way too depressive as result, and this is why me and my friends left the game.
    PC EU
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    Luneca wrote: »
    LunaFlora wrote: »
    Seraphayel wrote: »
    Necromancer dead last really makes no sense at all. After Warden or Sorcerer even, that don’t really need much of a rework at all? Necromancer should be the top priority as the class is really lackluster in all regards and struck with terrible skills and gameplay loops all around.

    Necromancer is the newest class before Arcanist so it does not need as much modernization as the other classes.

    Warden and Sorcerer have Frost, Shock, and Combat pets.
    Necromancer has all of that too.


    https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/69039
    read the Class Refresh deep dive from December, ZOS explains it well and personally i do not understand why people argue against the refresh order (other than simply having a favourite).


    No way this is serious. 99% of the time I read the forums I think people have to be joking.

    Have you actually looked at the skills on the class? Do that, then tell everyone how the class is "modern" compared to any other class in the game.

    Also explain how getting debuffed with the class' burst heal is "modern". Because if that's the modern standard, they sure forgot it on Arcanist and the recently reworked DK.

    The telltale signs of someone who does not read the tooltips for all of their abilities or consider what ways their class's systems can be utilized.

    Cast Render Flesh to gain a negative effect, cast Expunge and Modify to gain resources from the negative effect. This was the intent, not to mention Necro can remove a ton of negative effects with any Expunge morph or Renewing Undeath. It doesn't make it super amazing, but the intent is there if you take the time to read your tooltips. (This is also ignoring that you don't actually need to use that burst heal if you dont want to. You can get up plenty of good healing output without it.)

    As for the rest of this discussion, everyone is overblowing the amount of work that Necromancer needs done to it in order for it to be in a good spot. I have played every class in this game, and honestly the ones that need the most work are Nightblade, Sorcerer, and Warden. Necromancer isn't in the best spot, but it works, and it can wait. Also the "this is the class I paid for" argument goes entirely out the window when you consider that Warden, Necro and Arcanist are all paid classes.

    Also: anyone using PvP as their benchmark for understanding a class and how it functions should understand that the meta for PvP is constantly shifting, and there will NEVER be a point in time where using PvP as any form of measurement for any sort of game or class balance is a good measurement. If you want a balanced PvP mode, wait for Vengeance to fully release.
    Edited by Kalthea on May 29, 2026 7:50PM
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • Oblivion_Protocol
    Oblivion_Protocol
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    Kalthea wrote: »
    Also: anyone using PvP as their benchmark for understanding a class and how it functions should understand that the meta for PvP is constantly shifting, and there will NEVER be a point in time where using PvP as any form of measurement for any sort of game or class balance is a good measurement. If you want a balanced PvP mode, wait for Vengeance to fully release.

    Agree wholeheartedly (though I’m not holding my breath for Vengeance to fix or balance anything). Too many people are comparing Necro to the broken stuff in PVP and saying it’s bad when you can do just fine with it if you have a modicum of skill and timing. No, it’s not going to set the world on fire. But you can still get mileage out of it.

    Same with PVE. Too many people looking at beam builds and busted dummy parses thinking they can’t match that output with Necro, therefore the class is dead. I complete Vet content on my Necro all the time, and it’s no problem.

    Besides, like I said before, there’s a plan in place, and ZOS isn’t going to change it, no matter how many times you tell them you’re leaving.
  • HarfnUA
    HarfnUA

    Agree wholeheartedly (though I’m not holding my breath for Vengeance to fix or balance anything). Too many people are comparing Necro to the broken stuff in PVP and saying it’s bad when you can do just fine with it if you have a modicum of skill and timing. No, it’s not going to set the world on fire. But you can still get mileage out of it.

    Same with PVE. Too many people looking at beam builds and busted dummy parses thinking they can’t match that output with Necro, therefore the class is dead. I complete Vet content on my Necro all the time, and it’s no problem.

    Besides, like I said before, there’s a plan in place, and ZOS isn’t going to change it, no matter how many times you tell them you’re leaving.

    Even if you try really hard, the most you can get from a necromancer is an average level. The problem is that even with excellent gameplay, a necromancer doesn't always manage to achieve even an average result. His abilities work too inconsistently. No matter how well you play, if the explosive bones don't trigger or, for example, the necromancer's class set blows up a corpse on the opposite side of the enemy, nothing can help. I'm not even talking about well-playing people simply changing position to avoid the necromancer's damage (which is already very low). Additionally, it's important to understand that playing as a necromancer is already harder than any other class. That's why it seems very strange to me when people call a necromancer average. Average is when you consistently get an average result. A necromancer is like a casino where you are also being cheated.
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    HarfnUA wrote: »

    Agree wholeheartedly (though I’m not holding my breath for Vengeance to fix or balance anything). Too many people are comparing Necro to the broken stuff in PVP and saying it’s bad when you can do just fine with it if you have a modicum of skill and timing. No, it’s not going to set the world on fire. But you can still get mileage out of it.

    Same with PVE. Too many people looking at beam builds and busted dummy parses thinking they can’t match that output with Necro, therefore the class is dead. I complete Vet content on my Necro all the time, and it’s no problem.

    Besides, like I said before, there’s a plan in place, and ZOS isn’t going to change it, no matter how many times you tell them you’re leaving.

    Even if you try really hard, the most you can get from a necromancer is an average level. The problem is that even with excellent gameplay, a necromancer doesn't always manage to achieve even an average result. His abilities work too inconsistently. No matter how well you play, if the explosive bones don't trigger or, for example, the necromancer's class set blows up a corpse on the opposite side of the enemy, nothing can help. I'm not even talking about well-playing people simply changing position to avoid the necromancer's damage (which is already very low). Additionally, it's important to understand that playing as a necromancer is already harder than any other class. That's why it seems very strange to me when people call a necromancer average. Average is when you consistently get an average result. A necromancer is like a casino where you are also being cheated.

    It seems you are viewing everything from a PvP perspective, as you completely ignored the post they were responding to, particularly the part about measuring everything from a PvP viewpoint. Both Gameplay and Class balance cannot be achieved in PvP, no matter what.

    Now, don't misunderstand me here; I get it. The class mechanics are janky, and Blast Bones struggles to hit targets. But it struggles to hit targets in PvP because they can move away from it. Your spells are popping corpses away from your targets, but I would say that you should use Bone Armor, since it makes you count as a corpse for the purpose of spell casting once every 10 seconds. Cast Flame Skull three times, and after the third cast you cast the corpse consuming ability as it reaches the target because it makes a corpse on the third hit right atop the target. You should never rely on the corpses left by Blast Bones or Enemies, and always find ways to work around those limitations.

    I do hope they rework the Corpse system when they redo the class, but there are a few tools to use that let you work around your limits at the moment. They aren't perfect, but they are there.
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • Oblivion_Protocol
    Oblivion_Protocol
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    HarfnUA wrote: »
    Even if you try really hard, the most you can get from a necromancer is an average level. The problem is that even with excellent gameplay, a necromancer doesn't always manage to achieve even an average result. His abilities work too inconsistently. No matter how well you play, if the explosive bones don't trigger or, for example, the necromancer's class set blows up a corpse on the opposite side of the enemy, nothing can help. I'm not even talking about well-playing people simply changing position to avoid the necromancer's damage (which is already very low). Additionally, it's important to understand that playing as a necromancer is already harder than any other class. That's why it seems very strange to me when people call a necromancer average. Average is when you consistently get an average result. A necromancer is like a casino where you are also being cheated.

    Your mileage may vary on that one, because I have never found trouble playing Necromancer to at least an average level. Yes, a lot had to get adjusted over the years, but it’s perfectly possible to play the class as is. That said, yes, I do have to sweat a bit more in some content than I would on a DK or a Warden. But that’s just part of the challenge.

    I am looking forward to seeing what the class adjustment will bring to the Necromancer, though.
  • HarfnUA
    HarfnUA
    Kalthea wrote: »

    It seems you are viewing everything from a PvP perspective, as you completely ignored the post they were responding to, particularly the part about measuring everything from a PvP viewpoint. Both Gameplay and Class balance cannot be achieved in PvP, no matter what.

    Now, don't misunderstand me here; I get it. The class mechanics are janky, and Blast Bones struggles to hit targets. But it struggles to hit targets in PvP because they can move away from it. Your spells are popping corpses away from your targets, but I would say that you should use Bone Armor, since it makes you count as a corpse for the purpose of spell casting once every 10 seconds. Cast Flame Skull three times, and after the third cast you cast the corpse consuming ability as it reaches the target because it makes a corpse on the third hit right atop the target. You should never rely on the corpses left by Blast Bones or Enemies, and always find ways to work around those limitations.

    I do hope they rework the Corpse system when they redo the class, but there are a few tools to use that let you work around your limits at the moment. They aren't perfect, but they are there.

    I understand that perfectly. I have yet to encounter a game with perfect balance. There are games with even more balance issues. But I would like to see more balance in ESO.

    I don't claim to be the strongest PvP player. And I don't play only as a pure necromancer. And I can at least say from my experience that the necromancer is the most complex class and unfortunately also a broken class. To win in PvP against strong players, you need to use corpse mechanics. Without this, a necromancer's DPS is too low, and after the bone nerf, the explosive damage was also reduced. And even if you play from ultimate to ultimate, the necromancer simply has to use corpse mechanics. I've probably tried all the main builds and setups. Here's a screenshots taken as an example in April.
    p4b4oupxm179.bmp
    oz5u0hauflar.bmp
    I basically only play PvP, except for the minimal necessary PvE to gear up my characters. In addition, I also play in Cyrodiil and the Imperial City. On my necromancer, my KD ratio is 0.9-1.2 (understandably, this ratio has slightly decreased on all classes due to the huge number of DK). But on other classes, the KD ratio is higher (For example, before the DK rework. On my pure DK, the KD ratio was 1.8-2.1). And I think I still play the necromancer quite well. Although over the past year, at high MMR BGs, necromancers are almost non-existent. I've encountered two necromancers, but I see them at best once a month. In Cyrodiil and the Imperial City, necromancers play sub-class builds in 99% of cases.

    Playing with other pure classes is much easier. It is clear that the DK is very strong right now. Other classes aren't perfect either. But other classes aren't as bugged as the necromancer. And that's why the necromancer is weak at the moment. I understand that they can be played in a raid group. In duels, you can sometimes win too (because in duels, since you have to fight almost in one place, the corpse mechanic works). I also understand that there are people who have played as a necromancer much more. And they might have a different opinion.
  • HarfnUA
    HarfnUA

    Your mileage may vary on that one, because I have never found trouble playing Necromancer to at least an average level. Yes, a lot had to get adjusted over the years, but it’s perfectly possible to play the class as is. That said, yes, I do have to sweat a bit more in some content than I would on a DK or a Warden. But that’s just part of the challenge.

    I am looking forward to seeing what the class adjustment will bring to the Necromancer, though.

    If we are talking about the average level of play, then I completely agree. There is a clear example right now. Before a patch, almost all strong players stop playing. You can see this in the leaderboards. I checked the top 500 today and found only 6 familiar names, and even those 6 hardly played. Today I played 7 or 8 BGs as a necromancer and finished most of them with a very positive score. But unfortunately, at a high MMR and in the Imperial City, the necromancer is unplayable.

    Of course, we need to wait for the patch and see how the necromancer will feel. But from what I have already seen on the test server, they are now making the necromancer a tank. Although there are class mastery passives for damage, unfortunately, it is still very difficult to actually deal that damage. Although I heard that the necromancer now deals a lot of damage in PvE (because there are many static fights there).

  • icefyer_ESO
    icefyer_ESO
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    Kalthea wrote: »

    The telltale signs of someone who does not read the tooltips for all of their abilities or consider what ways their class's systems can be utilized.

    Cast Render Flesh to gain a negative effect, cast Expunge and Modify to gain resources from the negative effect. This was the intent, not to mention Necro can remove a ton of negative effects with any Expunge morph or Renewing Undeath. It doesn't make it super amazing, but the intent is there if you take the time to read your tooltips. (This is also ignoring that you don't actually need to use that burst heal if you dont want to. You can get up plenty of good healing output without it.)

    As for the rest of this discussion, everyone is overblowing the amount of work that Necromancer needs done to it in order for it to be in a good spot. I have played every class in this game, and honestly the ones that need the most work are Nightblade, Sorcerer, and Warden. Necromancer isn't in the best spot, but it works, and it can wait. Also the "this is the class I paid for" argument goes entirely out the window when you consider that Warden, Necro and Arcanist are all paid classes.

    Also: anyone using PvP as their benchmark for understanding a class and how it functions should understand that the meta for PvP is constantly shifting, and there will NEVER be a point in time where using PvP as any form of measurement for any sort of game or class balance is a good measurement. If you want a balanced PvP mode, wait for Vengeance to fully release.

    One fun trick I like doing with subclassing. The Offering morph from Siphoning that gives Mending. It applies a bleed which counts as a negative effect for the purposes of the class passive as far as I'm aware, so you get to stack that with mending and without reducing your healing like Render Flesh does.
    Edited by icefyer_ESO on June 2, 2026 3:14AM
  • Kalthea
    Kalthea
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    HarfnUA wrote: »
    ...I basically only play PvP...

    Your entire post makes my point for me, but these five words especially point out a fundamental problem with your requests. You basically ONLY play PvP. Which means you're demanding changes to a class based almost entirely on that perspective, and ignoring the rest of the game, the mode that every single player needs to engage with. You are demanding changes due to a class not functioning to your standard in your specific mode of play.

    I agree that Necro needs adjustments and updates, but I cannot agree with this mindset and I cannot encourage Necro to be moved to the front of the line when there are several other classes in need of adjustment that have been waiting for it for far longer.
    Edited by Kalthea on June 2, 2026 3:14PM
    May your crops be sun-blessed, sweet soul.
  • nightbringer1993
    nightbringer1993
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    Necro is dead nearly everywhere except tanking for now.

    Necromancers are getting kicked out of trial groups, except if using tank for now, because I bet with those class refreshes that necro tanks will also get kicked out.

    The PvP is unplayable because other classes are far too strong, whether it is vengeance, BG or GH.

    Overland is "passable", but I don't thinking that necro will be easy to use compared to other class concerning the overland difficulty raises. If only pet damages could contribute to the ring of the pale order, that could help in solo content, but still I don't think it would be enough damage wise.

    Even in dungeons DDs are being kicked out.

    The necromancer is too weak and destroyed, and has a reputation of being so, making things unplayable in the game. Which is why I left the game, because I don't want to play other classes, and I am tired of seeing them buffed up again and again while mine is being left in the trash can. And let's not forget that necro is a paid class.
    PC EU
  • CatoUnchained
    CatoUnchained
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    AvidNecro wrote: »

    So what if housing is a money grab? Housing is optional and there are other games that specialize in housing and socializing that do it better than ESO.
  • HarfnUA
    HarfnUA
    Kalthea wrote: »
    Your entire post makes my point for me, but these five words especially point out a fundamental problem with your requests. You basically ONLY play PvP. Which means you're demanding changes to a class based almost entirely on that perspective, and ignoring the rest of the game, the mode that every single player needs to engage with. You are demanding changes due to a class not functioning to your standard in your specific mode of play.

    I agree that Necro needs adjustments and updates, but I cannot agree with this mindset and I cannot encourage Necro to be moved to the front of the line when there are several other classes in need of adjustment that have been waiting for it for far longer.

    I agree that I am evaluating the necromancer only in terms of its strength in PvP. Unfortunately, I cannot say for sure how the necromancer performs in PvE. I have been told that the necromancer also has issues in PvE, but I cannot verify this myself.

    But regarding the competitiveness of a necromancer in PvP, I am confident that my assessment is correct. The fact is, it doesn't matter what level a player plays a necromancer at, as this same player will perform much better at their level when playing another class.

    And I also understand that the developers will not change the sequence of the class rework (I fully understand that there are deadlines and limited resources). Everything I wrote earlier concerned the bugs in this class. The only thing I would like to suggest is to fix the buggy abilities and the obviously malfunctioning Corpsebuster set. And perhaps also to adjust the duration of the necromancer's buffs (which currently turn the necromancer into a machine of endless rebuffing). This certainly won't make the necromancer competitive in PvP, but at least it will remove the unpleasant feeling of inadequacy when playing this class.
  • Oblivion_Protocol
    Oblivion_Protocol
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    Necro is dead nearly everywhere except tanking for now.

    Necromancers are getting kicked out of trial groups, except if using tank for now, because I bet with those class refreshes that necro tanks will also get kicked out.

    The PvP is unplayable because other classes are far too strong, whether it is vengeance, BG or GH.

    Overland is "passable", but I don't thinking that necro will be easy to use compared to other class concerning the overland difficulty raises. If only pet damages could contribute to the ring of the pale order, that could help in solo content, but still I don't think it would be enough damage wise.

    Even in dungeons DDs are being kicked out.

    The necromancer is too weak and destroyed, and has a reputation of being so, making things unplayable in the game. Which is why I left the game, because I don't want to play other classes, and I am tired of seeing them buffed up again and again while mine is being left in the trash can. And let's not forget that necro is a paid class.

    I’ve never seen anyone kicked out of a group solely because they’re a Necromancer. I’ve played Necromancer in several groups recently and never had an issue.

    Also, you’ve mentioned in almost every single one of your posts that you’ve unsubscribed and left the game. So why continue this crusade? If you’re done, you can just be done. Saying that you’ve already left the game weakens any argument you might have in the eyes of people who make the decisions because you no longer contribute to their bottom line.
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