Necromancy (2024)

This article is about the Necromancy skill. For information on training Necromancy, see Necromancy training.

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Necromancy
Release date	7 August 2023 (Update)
Members	Yes
Type	Combat
Statistics
Minimum level to be ranked	15 (as of 6 Jun 2024)
Players with 99	117,913 (as of 6 Jun 2024)
Players with 120	39,738 (as of 6 Jun 2024)
Players with 200M XP	9,386 (as of 6 Jun 2024)

Necromancy level-up jingle (1–98, 100–119)

Necromancy level-up jingle (99 & 120)

Necromancy is a combat skill (capitalised Necromancy) as well as a combat style (capitalised necromancy) released on 7 August 2023. It is RuneScape's 29th skill and is a standalone combat style that sits outside of the existing combat triangle. It is the first combat skill to go to level 120, and free-to-play players can train the skill up to level 20. The skill raises the maximum combat level of a player to 152.

Necromancy is heavily featured in the The First Necromancer quest series, where quests released alongside the skill introduce players to new mechanics, unlocks and rewards, as well as two repeatable Necromancy boss encounters. The narrative of the skill revolves around the City of Um located in the Underworld, and Rasial, the First Necromancer as an antagonist.

Necromancy can be trained both by fighting monsters and by performing the non-combat rituals. Necromancy combat involves dual-wield equipment: a main hand siphon allowing the use of necrotic attacks, and an off-hand conduit allowing the players to conjure the dead to aid them in combat. Players can use incantations, a new type of spells using necrotic runes, to enhance their attacks. New abilities and upgrades can be acquired through the talents system.

Getting started[edit | edit source]

From the Draynor lodestone walk north a short distance. Right beside the entrances to Death's office and War's Retreat is the Underworld portal. Try to enter the portal to start the Necromancy! quest.

Combat[edit | edit source]

Necromancy is a combat style independent from the classic combat triangle. It is intended to be an easy-to-learn, hard-to-master style, providing more accessible means of learning the combat mechanics. The skill puts emphasis on a new style of auto-attacks in the form of an automatic ability. Additional abilities are introduced at a slower pace and are intended to be more impactful and easier to learn than in the case of other styles.

The two primary combat mechanics of the skill are necrotic attacks, and conjuring undead. Necrotic attacks are channelled with the main hand weapon (a siphon) to damage, debuff, or afflict enemies through new abilities; conjuring is performed with the off-hand weapon (a conduit) to summon undead who fight alongside the player.

In general, necrotic attacks (especially the basic attack) have a much more consistent damage output than other styles. The abilities have a much lower range of damage, and in most cases it is not possible for attacks to miss—hit chance acts as a multiplier to damage, instead of a chance of missing. However, if hit chance is below a certain threshold (25% for most monsters), it is simply not possible to hit successfully with necromancy, though conjures can still inflict damage. Necromancy has a damage cap of 30,000, like other combat styles.

Critical strikes have a base chance of 10% to trigger with necromancy combat. Initially, they deal 20% extra damage, but this can be increased up to 50% by levelling up the Necromancy skill.

Details[edit | edit source]

Necromancy attacks use the affinity of the target corresponding to the primary style the monster uses; for example abyssal demons' primary style is melee, so necromancy uses the melee affinity for hit chance calculation. For most monsters, this is 55. (The primary style is also what determines the effectiveness of the hexhunter bow/inquisitor staff/terrasaur maul.)

In general:

• Monsters that are immune to specific styles are not immune to necromancy
  • Aviansie are immune to melee, but necromancy is fully functional
• Monsters that are only susceptible to a specific style are immune to necromancy
  • The Dagannoth Kings have weaknesses in line with the combat triangle, and therefore are immune to necromancy
• Monsters that use prayers are only immune to necromancy if they utilise the protect from necromancy prayer (or deflect necromancy curse)
  • Kalphite Queen, Akrisae the Doomed, and Tormented demons do not utilise necromancy prayers so can be damaged with necromancy normally (necromancy does not bypass the Tormented demons' fire shield, however)
  • Sigmund does utilise protect from necromancy so he is immune to necromancy while he is using it

Effects that grant additional critical hit chance (e.g. the Biting perk, reaver's ring, Erethdor's grimoire) function as expected with necromancy - granting additional chance to get the critical hit multiplier applied.

Abilities[edit | edit source]

Necromancy features a new set of abilities that can be used like any other combat style. Unlike other combat styles, Necromancy features an ability that can perform an auto-attack. Some abilities can generate Necrosis stacks, which can then be consumed by other abilities to deal extra damage. It is not possible to access Necromancy abilities below their level through boosts, and having Necromancy level drained below the level required to use an ability won't allow to activate it even if it has been unlocked before.

Some of the abilities are unlocked through the talents system.

Ability		Members	Level	Adrenaline	Description
Necromancy			1	9%	Attack the target. - [number]-[number] 90%-110% Necromancy damage. - Generates 9% Adrenaline. Automatically triggered during combat.
Death Skulls			28	-100%	Launch a flurry of skulls at the target. - [number]-[number] (225-275%) Necromancy damage per hit. - Bounces between enemies within 6 tiles of each other up to 4 times (disabled in PvP). Prioritises enemies with higher maximum life points. If there are no enemies nearby it will bounce to the caster dealing no damage.
Death Skulls			28	-60%	Launch a flurry of skulls at the target. - [number]-[number] (225-275%) Necromancy damage per hit. - Bounces between enemies within 6 tiles of each other up to 6 times (disabled in PvP) Prioritises enemies with higher maximum life points. If there are no enemies nearby it will bounce to the caster dealing no damage.
Finger of Death			8	-0-60%	Inflict searing pain on the target. - [number]-[number] (270%-330%) Necromancy damage. - Adrenaline cost is reduced by 10% for each Necrosis stack. - Consumes up to 6 Necrosis stacks.
Volley of Souls			66	0%	Send a volley of residual souls towards the target. - [number]-[number] (135%-165%) Necromancy damage for each Residual Soul stack.
Conjure Skeleton Warrior			2	0%	Conjure a Skeleton Warrior from the Underworld. - [number]-[number] (22%-28%) Necromancy Spirit damage every 3s. - [number]s duration. - Spirit. Skeleton Warrior Filled with uncontrollable anger. - Generates 1 Rage stack with each attack. - Damage is increased by 3% for each Rage stack.
Soul Sap			54	9%	Sap the target's soul. - [number]-[number] (90%-110%) Necromancy damage. - Generates 1 Residual Soul stack with each hit. - Generates 9% Adrenaline.
Soul Strike			54	0%	Strike the target with a residual soul. - [number]-[number] (135%-165%) Necromancy damage. - Stuns and Binds the target for 3s. - [number]-[number] (90%-110%) Necromancy damage to up to 9 enemies within 1 tile of the target.
Touch of Death			13	9%	Touch the target with a hand of Death. - [number]-[number] (90%-110%) Necromancy damage. - Generates 4 Necrosis stacks. - Generates 9% Adrenaline.
Blood Siphon			36	0%	Siphon blood from enemies before releasing a powerful attack on your target. - [number]-[number] (22%-28%) Necromancy damage per hit every 1.2s to up to 25 enemies within 2 tiles of you. - 4 hits. - Channeled[sic]. - Heals you for 70% of the damage dealt. - Completing the channel deals [number]-[number] (117%-143%) Necromancy damage to the target plus 100% of the total heal value.
Bloat			48	-20%	Bloat the target, causing them to take damage over time. - [number]-[number] (135%-165%) Necromancy damage. - Applies Bloated to the target for 10 hits. Bloated Swollen from the inside. - 25% of initial damage per hit every 1.8s. - Damage over time. - On-death: Applies Bloated to up to 9 enemies within 1 tile for 4 hits.
Conjure Putrid Zombie			40	0%	Conjure a Putrid Zombie from the Underworld. - [number]-[number] (18%-22%) Necromancy Spirit damage every 3.6s. - [number]s duration. - Spirit. Putrid Zombie Emits a fetid stench. - [number]-[number] (8-12%) Poison damage every 1.8s to enemies within 1 tile.
Living Death			76	-100%	Master your instincts and transcend into a Death form. - Basic Attack: Generates 2 Necrosis stacks. - Touch of Death: Generates an additional 6% Adrenaline. - Finger of Death: Deals 1.5x damage. - Death Skulls: Cooldown reduced to 12s. - 30s duration. - On-cast: Resets the cooldown of Touch of Death and Death Skulls.
Spectral Scythe			62	-10%	Swipe a spectral scythe in front of you. - [number]-[number] (72%-88%) Necromancy damage to the target and up to 9 additional enemies in a cone in the attack direction. - 25% chance to generate 1 Residual Soul stack. - Can be recast within 15s of the previous cast. Second Cast: Spin around wildly with a spectral scythe. Third Cast: Strike from above, shattering spectral energy around you.
Spectral Scythe			62[a 1]	-20%	Spin around wildy with a spectral scythe. - [number]-[number] (180%-220%) Necromancy damage to the target and up to 25 additional enemies within 2 tiles of you. - On-hit: 25% chance to generate 1 Residual Soul stack.
Spectral Scythe			62[a 2]	-30%	Strike from above, shattering spectral energy around you. - [number]-[number] (225%-275%) Necromancy damage to the target and up to 25 additional enemies within 2 tiles of you. - Damage is increased by 0%-100% based on enemy's missing life points.
Conjure Vengeful Ghost			40	0%	Conjure a Vengeful Ghost from the Underworld. - [number]-[number] (18%-22%) Necromancy Spirit damage every 4.2s. - [number]s duration. - Spirit. Vengeful Ghost Drains the vigour of enemies. - Heals you for 140% of the damage dealt.
Command Putrid Zombie			60	0%	Command the Putrid Zombie to explode. - [number]-[number] (360%-440%) Necromancy Spirit damage to enemies within 2 tiles.
Command Skeleton Warrior			20	0%	Command the Skeleton Warrior to unleash its inner rage. - [number]-[number] (22%-28%) Necromancy Spirit damage per hit every 1.2s. - 2 hits. - 6s duration.
Command Vengeful Ghost			60	0%	Command the Vengeful Ghost to haunt your enemies. - Applies Haunted to the target with each attack for 4.8s. Haunted - Takes up to 10% bonus damage from all attacks, capped at [number] (20%) Necromancy damage.
Conjure Undead Army			99	0%	Conjure an Undead Army from the Underworld. - Casts up to 4 conjure abilities. - Consumes 2x Ectoplasm for each ability.

Conjuration[edit | edit source]

Players can conjure several types of undead to fight on their side. The conjured allies remain active for a limited amount of time, with the player being able to extend their duration and enhance their capabilities through the use of abilities. Conjuring requires an off-hand conduit, such as a skull lantern. It is possible to have both a Summoning familiar active and an ally that has been conjured.

Prayers[edit | edit source]

Unlike other combat styles, prayers and Ancient Curses do not immediately unlock upon obtaining the prerequisite levels. Upon obtaining the Prayer and Necromancy levels, the player must then visit Selene, a Priestess of the Grey in the City of Um's chapel, who will unlock the appropriate prayers and curses. The only exceptions are Protect from Necromancy and Deflect Necromancy, which only have Prayer requirements and don't require unlocking.

Incantations[edit | edit source]

Incantations are new spells enhancing Necromancy, utilising the four necrotic runes, crafted with the Runecrafting skill in the Necromantic Rune Temple. The necrotic runes consist of spirit, bone, flesh, and miasma runes, which require an impure essence created from pure essence through the rituals. The necrotic runes are tradeable, and can be purchased on the Grand Exchange.

There are eight incantations that are available in Necromancy. Some incantations, such as City of Um Teleport, provide utility to the player. Others like Life Transfer are situational and can result in the player's death if not used at an appropriate time.

As with Necromancy abilities, having Necromancy level drained below the requirement to unlock the incantation still allows the player to activate it as long as the incantation has been unlocked.

Spell		Level	Runes required	Description
Life Transfer		76	10521	Sacrifice part of your life to extend your link to spirits from the Underworld. - [number] (50% Base Life Points) damage to self. - Extends the duration of each active spirit by 21s.
Greater Bone Shield		73	10105	Surround yourself with a whirlwind of bones. - Applies a level [number] (50% ) Bone Shield to self. - Togglable. Bone Shield - Allows the use of non-offensive abilities that require a shield, at the cost of necromancy runes.
Lesser Bone Shield		25	55	Surround yourself with a whirlwind of bones. - Applies a level [number] (25% ) Bone Shield to self. - Togglable. Bone Shield - Allows the use of non-offensive abilities that require a shield, at the cost of necromancy runes.
Invoke Death		80	5221	Call on Death for additional power. - Your next necromancy attack applies Death Mark to the target. - 12s duration Death mark - Necromancy attacks will execute the mark for fatal damage if life points drop below 20%. Life points cap: 30,000.
Darkness		86	4020105	Shroud yourself in darkness. - Applies Darkness to self. - 12m duration. Aspect of Evasion: You may only have one aspect active at once. Darkness - 20% chance to dodge incoming attacks.
Threads of Fate		44	521	Link multiple enemies to share the same fate. - Single-target necromancy attacks will also be cast on up to 4 additional enemies within 4 tiles of the target. - 6.6s duration.
City of Um Teleport		24	5	Teleport to the City of Um.
Split Soul		92	10521	Unleash a dark power within. - 400% of the life points you would have gained from the Soul Split curse is instead dealt to your target. - 20.4s duration.
Invoke Lord of Bones		78	8621	Call on the Lord of Bones for additional power. - Skeletal spirit attacks apply Shattering bones to the target. - 1m duration. Shattering bones - Reduces armour rating for every stack. Maximum stacks: 200.
Ungael Teleport		75	5	Teleport to Ungael's ritual site.

Equipment[edit | edit source]

Like any combat skill, Necromancy features a range of equipment. The main armour and dual-wield weapons (a main-hand siphon and off-hand conduit) used in the skill are upgradable by completing quests and challenges and come in two types, the level 10 through 90 tank armour Deathwarden robes and the level 70 through 90 power armour Deathdealer robes. They can be upgraded up to tier 90, with tier 95 equipment only being obtainable as a drop from Rasial, the First Necromancer boss encounter.

Equipment is augmentable from tier 70. The tier 95 equipment can be dyed.

Nexuses are items used in Necromancy that can store ectoplasm and necrotic runes. They can be worn in the ammunition slot. Deathguard nexus and Zemouregal's nexus are currently available nexuses.

Rituals[edit | edit source]

Rituals are a non-combat training method that allow the players to gain experience and obtain materials needed for combat, upgrading equipment, and creating the necrotic runes. Rituals require the player to draw glyphs, place light sources, and use a focus object at the ritual site in Um. During the ritual the player channels necromantic energy. Random events (ritual disturbances) can occur, which provide extra experience boosts for players who are interested in performing more active training.

Rituals can be performed at the Um ritual site to attract spirits to the city and release them into the Well of Souls, which in turn is required for unlocking new tiers of the talents. The Ungael ritual site is unlocked after completing the Requiem for a Dragon quest. This site gives lower experience rates but is a more AFK training method.

Talents[edit | edit source]

Talents are a system that allows players to unlock and upgrade abilities and incantations by spending talent points once tiers in the tree are unlocked. Talent points can only be acquired from earning combat experience, and cannot be earned by solely performing rituals. There are 18 different talents to unlock on the tree, each requiring a talent point.

To unlock higher tiers, players must complete rituals to attract more spirits to the City of Um, and complete Necromancy-themed quests. After unlocking talents, players are not able to change their mind. However, they will eventually reach the point of being able to acquire every upgrade on the tree using talent points once acquiring enough combat experience.

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Tier	Level	Unlocks				Requirements
						Souls	Quest
1	1	Conjure Skeleton Warrior (with 2 )				1	Necromancy!
2	20	Command Skeleton Warrior[n 1]				50	None
3	40	Conjure Vengeful Ghost	Threads of Fate (with 44 )	Conjure Putrid Zombie		400	Rune Mythos[n 2]
4	60	Command Vengeful Ghost[n 1]	Spectral Scythe (with 62 )	Spirit Pact I	Command Putrid Zombie[n 1]	2,000	None
5	70	Greater Bone Shield (with 73 )	Spectral Scythe Upgrade 1[n 1]	Spirit Pact II[n 1]	Life Transfer (with 76 )	4,500	Tomes of the Warlock[n 3]
6	80	Darkness (with 86 )	Spectral Scythe Upgrade 2[n 1]	Spirit Pact III[n 1]	Invoke Death	8,500	Tomes of the Warlock[n 3]
7	90	Split Soul (with 92 )		Conjure Undead Army (with 99 )		35,000	The Temple at Senntisten[n 4]

Experience[edit | edit source]

Originally, Necromancy was announced to have an experience rate reductions tied to levels. At level 1, experience would be earned at a reduced percentage, incrementally increasing at certain level milestones, reaching regular rates at level 120. Soon after, it instead was announced on 27 July 2023 that the entire RuneScape combat system would receive an overhaul, changing the experience given and several stats (such as hitpoints) for many monsters.

Constitution, Defence, and Slayer experience is awarded during combat the same way as other combat styles.

The Necromancy embargo period on using lamps, bonus experience, clan avatar, and other forms of experience boosts ended on the update on 22 January 2024; 24 weeks or 5.5 months since release date of 7 August 2023.

Prior to that, the following experience boosts functioned with Necromancy:

• Inspire Awe relic power
• Torstol incense sticks
• Wise perk
• Scripture of Bik

Narrative and quests[edit | edit source]

The skill is interwoven with a new storyline focusing on Rasial, the First Necromancer and the City of Um. Nine quests (7 First Necromancer and 2 City of Um) accompany Necromancy at release, guiding the players through the skill. Two quests culminate in the boss encounters with Hermod, the Spirit of War and the First Necromancer himself.

The overarching story involves the First Necromancer, an elusive figure dating back to the First Age, enslaving the undead of Um and seeking to end the cycle of death by ending all life on Gielinor. Rather than enslaving the undead themselves, the players will work with them as allies through Necromancy, gradually repopulating the city.

Bosses[edit | edit source]

Hermod, the Spirit of War and Rasial, the First Necromancer can be fought as repeatable bosses after completing their relevant quests. Both bosses can only be defeated with Necromancy, and cannot be fought using any other combat style. They can be fought solo, with one of them also featuring a group mode. Tier 95 equipment is available as a unique drop from Rasial, and is the only way to obtain it.

Temporary boosts[edit | edit source]

Some items grant temporary boosts to the Necromancy skill. Items that offer a necromancy strength bonus also increase a player's damage.

Visible[edit | edit source]

Visible boosts are indicated in the stats interface by showing a level increase from the base level.

They allow players to draw and repair glyphs (but not with Necromancy cape perk), mix ghostly ink, place focuses, and start rituals above their base level. Rituals can be continued and glyph effects still apply even if you fall below their level requirement.

However, they do not work for unlocking higher tiers of the ritual site, gaining more experience from ritual disturbances, allowing you to use abilities you do not have the base level requirement for, or unlocking level-based Critical Strike Damage percentage increases.

It is unknown whether this affects incantations.

Potions[edit | edit source]

Potion		P2P	Boost	Range	Level	Notes
	Necromancy potion		1 + 8%	1–10	11
	Super necromancy		2 + 12%	2–16	79
	Super Zamorak brew		2 + 12%	2–16	93	Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged and Magic. Drains Defence by 2 + 8% and lowers life points by 20 + 8%.
	Extreme necromancy		3 + 15%	3–21	93
	Overload		3 + 15%[n 1]	3–21	96	Untradeable. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence, lasting 6 minutes.
	Supreme overload potion		4 + 16%[n 1]	4–23	98	Untradeable. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence, lasting 6 minutes. Requires Plague's End.
	Elder overload potion		5 + 17%[n 1]	5–25	106	Untradeable. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence, lasting 6 minutes. Requires Plague's End.

Other[edit | edit source]

Item		P2P	Boost	Requirements	Notes
	Necromancy cape		+1	99
	The Alms of Death		+1–3[clarification needed]	N/A	Also reduces Magic.
	Braindeath 'rum'		1 + 3%	Access to Mos Le'Harmless	Also reduces Attack, Defence, Magic, Herblore, Agility and raises Strength and Mining.
	God banner		+5[n 1]	55 , 55 , or 55	Untradeable. Usable once per day for 30 minutes. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence.
	Advanced pulse core		+4–7	N/A	Received boost category is random, but multiple can be received. In crowded training areas, you can benefit from other's pulse cores.
	Dominion marker (stage 1)		+4[n 1] +9	100 Dominion Tower boss kills	Untradeable. Decaying boost only activates when hit by a monster at base level. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence.
	Dominion marker (stage 2)		+6[n 1] +11	200 Dominion Tower boss kills	Untradeable. Decaying boost only activates when hit by a monster at base level. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence.
	Dominion marker (stage 3)		+8[n 1] +13	300 Dominion Tower boss kills	Untradeable. Decaying boost only activates when hit by a monster at base level. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence.
	Dominion marker (stage 4)		+10[n 1] +15	All Dominion Tower achievements	Untradeable. Decaying boost only activates when hit by a monster at base level. Also boosts Attack, Strength, Ranged, Magic, and Defence.

Invisible[edit | edit source]

Invisible boosts are not indicated in the stats interface, but they are applied in combat calculations nevertheless.

Prayers and Ancient Curses[edit | edit source]

Book	Name		P2P	Boost		Level
				Level	Damage
Prayers		Hand of Judgement		+2	N/A	10	N/A
		Decay		N/A	+2%
		Hand of Fate		+4	N/A	28	N/A
		Hastened Decay		N/A	+4%
		Hand of Doom		+6	N/A	46	N/A
		Accelerated Decay		N/A	+6%
		Sanctity		+8	+8%	70 70	60
Ancient Curses		Leech Necromancy Attack		+2 → +8[n 1]	N/A	83	70
		Leech Necromancy Strength		N/A	+2% → +8%[n 1]	85
		Sorrow		+10	+10%	95	90
		Ruination		+12	+12%	99	95

Other content used by Necromancy[edit | edit source]

Skills and quests[edit | edit source]

While Necromancy is available from the start of the game, without needing any other skill levels, there are several recommendations of pre-requisites to obtain before engaging with Necromancy content.^[1]

Items[edit | edit source]

The following items are used within the Necromancy skill:

Cape of Accomplishment[edit | edit source]

The Necromancy cape can be bought from The Spirit of Accomplishment by players with at least level 99 Necromancy. The Necromancy master cape can be bought from The Spirit of Mastery for 120,000 coins. The cape's perk provides the effect of an alteration glyph during rituals. The glyph can be changed at will, but boosts cannot be used to select a glyph above your base level. The glyph cannot be changed during a ritual. The master cape inherits the perk of the base cape and gives a 10% chance not to drain runes when using Lesser or Greater Bone Shield.

Skilling pet (Omen)[edit | edit source]

Main article: Omen

Like all skills, there is a skilling pet obtainable from training this skill. The pet for the Necromancy skill is called Omen.

Quests with a Necromancy requirement[edit | edit source]

• 20 - Kili Row
• 24 - Rune Mythos
• 32 - That Old Black Magic
• 46 - Vessel of the Harbinger
• 50 - Ancient Awakening
• 54 - Housing of Parliament
• 60 - Battle of Forinthry
• 65 - The Spirit of War
• 70 - Osseous Rex
• 75 - Tomes of the Warlock
• 85 - Remains of the Necrolord
• 95 - Alpha vs Omega

Quests for Necromancy experience[edit | edit source]

Quest	Members	XP reward	Necromancy requirement	Other requirements
Necromancy!		200
Rune Mythos		1,500	24
That Old Black Magic		45,000	32	Full completion requires: 65 Necromancy 51 Archaeology [B]
Vessel of the Harbinger		10,000	46	40 Prayer
Ancient Awakening		15,000	50
Housing of Parliament		20,000	54
Battle of Forinthry		30,000	60
The Spirit of War		45,000	65	3,000 City of Um vessel souls
Tomes of the Warlock		60,000	75	66 Magic 86 Archaeology
Requiem for a Dragon		100,000	75	86 Archaeology
Remains of the Necrolord		100,000	85	77 Dungeoneering
Alpha vs Omega		150,000	95	30,000 City of Um vessel souls
Total		576,700

Achievements[edit | edit source]

Necromancy has an achievements subcategory that is part of the Skills category, as well as a set of Area Tasks related to the City of Um.

Pre-release[edit | edit source]

The release of Necromancy was preceded by an in-game event called Rasial's Arrival. It featured Rasial, the First Necromancer speaking directly to the player after they performed numerous different activities, such as entering a specific area.

Development history[edit | edit source]

When RuneScape's 28th skill was first commissioned in January 2018,^[4] a shortlist of six skill ideas was put together which included Archaeology, the skill that was eventually chosen, and Necromancy.^[5][6] Necromancy was the top choice within the group responsible for the new skill, but it was ultimately decided against for sitting too close to Summoning, Prayer, or Magic.^[6][7] The idea of integrating those three skills into Necromancy as an elite skill was also dismissed because Jagex did not want the 28th skill to be an elite skill.^[7] Necromancy was later chosen to follow Archaeology.

The 29th skill was first mentioned on 20 September 2022 in a Development Update by Mod Keeper. The name of the skill was revealed in a teaser at the end of a 2022 End of Year Livestream on 13 December 2022, which also announced the skill is coming in 2023. On 28 April 2023 it was announced that the first look at the skill and its gameplay will be presented in a video released on 30 May. It was also revealed that the skill will come with its own new story season.^[8] On 27 May an image of the updated skills panel showcasing Necromancy's icon was published.^[9] A first-look YouTube video (including gameplay) was released on 30 May 2023 at 16:00 game time. A Q&A Twitch livestream was broadcast on 31 May at 16:00 game time.

Necromancy release date was revealed on 29 June 2023 along with a new trailer of the skill. The release was preceded by a series of weekly "Insights" blog posts that revealed aspects of the skill; throughout July, blogs were posted showcasing rituals, story, the City of Um, and combat.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

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  Logo

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  Logo vector

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  2D logo

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  Necromancy teaser and 3D logo

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  Transparent logo

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  Wallpaper

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  Wallpaper

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  Wallpaper

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  Wallpaper

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  Wallpaper

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  Skills panel with the Necromancy icon

Concept art[edit | edit source]

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  Early gameplay ideas

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  Death guards concept art

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  Skull lanterns concept art

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  Unreleased T92 conduit concept art

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  Unreleased T92 conduit alternative designs

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  Unreleased T92 conduit dagger designs

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  Unreleased T92 siphon concept art

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  Unreleased T92 siphon alternative designs

Transcript[edit | edit source]

This article has an associated transcript page.
Click here for the transcript.

Credits[edit | edit source]

Update history[edit | edit source]

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Trivia[edit | edit source]

• In RuneScape Classic, players had the ability to choose their class. One of the choices was to become a Necromancer, which gave players a higher starting level in EvilMagic. Later when the class system was removed, EvilMagic was reworked into the Magic skill.
• The Necromancy teaser trailer was created by Surface Digital.^[10]
• Before the release of the Necromancy skill, there were several references to Necromancy in RuneScape:
  • Several non-player characters who can be described as necromancers previously featured in quests or were otherwise mentioned in lore.
  • After completion of Swan Song, players can obtain bone seeds from the necromancer Malignius Mortifer. When the pot of bone seeds is opened, a Skeleton Mage will appear.
  • Black stone has a strong association with necromancy.
  • During The Death of Chivalry the player encounters the Wand of Resurrection, an item which has the power to return the dead to life. Fern used this wand in an attempt to resurrect the centaurs but was deemed unworthy, and the centaurs were raised as undead.^[11] Sir Owen describes the undead centaurs, "necrotaurs", as being invulnerable to normal weapons^[12] and being capable of capturing souls of those they killed to sustain them and increase their power.^[13] The wand was also used by the witch Lensig to command the bones of long-dead Saradominist warriors in the Tomb of the Fallen.
  • During Succession, Necromancy is mentioned many times throughout the quest as part of a plan by Bilrach to gain more power and influence over Gielinor.
• The first player to achieve level 99 Necromancy, Balletje, did so in 25 hours, making it the second fastest skill mastery after release. The fastest is Invention at 20 hours.
• The first player to achieve level 120 Necromancy, Its Dave, did so in 71 hours and 21 minutes.
• The first Ironman to achieve 99 Necromancy was Gecu.
• The first Ironman to achieve 120 Necromancy was Aj.

See also[edit | edit source]

• Necromancer
• Necromancy/Level up table
• RuneScape:Grand Exchange Market Watch/Necromancy

References[edit | edit source]