Necromancers are a popular tanking option for trial content, especially as Off Tanks, introduced in The Elder Scrolls Online with the Elsweyr chapter in 2019.

This class has experienced various ups and downs. Initially overlooked for their tanking prowess, Necromancers eventually became widely used for their Colossus Ultimate, exceptional Ultimate regeneration, and damage mitigation, particularly against damage-over-time (DoT) effects.

Necromancers are often perceived as more challenging to play than many other classes due to their self-heal requiring melee hits and a lack of robust sustain passives. Although sustain has improved with more options available, managing it remains trickier compared to other classes.

Necromancer Tanks excel at generating Ultimate quickly by utilizing and absorbing corpses. You’ll often see Necro Tanks in trials as Off Tanks, not for their group buffs, but for their excellent DoT mitigation. This is crucial in recent content that features extensive DoTs, which can be challenging for Tanks during Hardmode trials. Necromancers handle these situations comfortably.

The Necro Colossus Ultimate, initially a unique group benefit, has largely been replaced by various gear sets over time. However, some groups still prefer using the Colossus Ultimate combined with the Saxhleel Champion set for specific scenarios. Unfortunately, Necromancers lack in providing a wide range of group buffs and benefits. Their skills and passives offer fewer Major and Minor named buffs compared to other classes.

If you intend to progress through the hardest trial content in ESO, having a Necromancer Tank available is always beneficial. Their unique strengths make them a valuable addition to any group tackling challenging encounters.

• Provides a powerful DPS buff if the group isn’t using Major Vulnerability sets
• Guardian skill and Disdain Passive offer strong damage-over-time mitigation
• Necrotic Potency enhances Ultimate regeneration significantly
• Reanimate allows for rapid recovery in fights if group members die

• No exclusive group buffs supplied solely by a Necromancer
• Maintaining Stamina can be challenging, especially for beginners
• Self-healing can be difficult during transitional fights
• Provide almost no named buffs and are notably lacking in comparison to Arcanists

• Colossus – Major Vulnerability
• Empowering Grasp – Empower
• Agony Totem – AoE Minor Vulnerability, Minor Protection & Group Synergy
• Unnerving Boneyard – AoE Major Breach & Group Synergy
• Ruinous Scythe – Off Balance
• Reanimate – Resurrect 3 allies

Nord

The Atronach

64 Health

Orzorga’s Red Frothgar

Minor Heroism Potions

• • Grave Lord: Reusable Parts
  • Bone Tyrant: Death Gleaning, Disdain Harm, Health Avarice, Last Grasp
  • Living Death: Curative Curse, Near-Death Experience, Corpse Consumption, Undead Confederate
  • One Hand and Shield: Fortress, Sword and Board, Deadly Bash, Deflect Bolts, Battlefield Mobility
  • Destruction Staff: Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert
  • Light Armor: Light Armor Bonuses, Light Armor Penalties
    Grace, Evocation, Spell Warding
  • Medium Armor: Medium Armor Bonuses
    Dexterity, Wind Walker, Athletics
  • Heavy Armor: Heavy Armor Bonuses, Heavy Armor Penalties
    Resolve, Constitution, Juggernaut, Revitalize, Rapid Mending.
  • Fighters Guild: Intimidating Presence
  • Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller
  • Undaunted: Banish the Wicked, Undaunted Mettle
  • Support: Magicka Aid
  • Racial: All
  • Alchemy: Medicinal Use

Necromancer Tanks can gain substantial benefits from the Scribing system, significantly enhancing their tanking capabilities. Some of the most useful scribing benefits come from Wield Soul and Soul Burst, which can be customized with scripts to address gaps in the Necromancer’s toolkit.

The class script available to Necros allows you to increase your max stats based on corpses. However, this isn’t particularly useful for a Necro Tank, as you’ll want to absorb the corpses for Ultimate.

Wield Soul can be turned into a Magicka-costing chain ability, eliminating the need for Silver Leash for fast chaining. This skill allows a Necro to gain 1000 Magicka and Stamina, effectively regaining Stamina while blocking, similar to how DKs use Igneous Shield to proc the Helping Hands passive. Additionally, a major buff or debuff can be added to enhance its effectiveness.

Soul Burst can fill the gap in crowd control, as Necromancers lack a useful CC skill that immobilizes enemies. This is crucial when pulling or chaining enemies, as they can then be immobilized or snared, unlike the Necro’s Fear ability, which doesn’t work on chained enemies. Setting this up with an immobilize script, combined with a snare and Minor Breach, is a good approach, though other options can also be beneficial.

By leveraging these scribing benefits, Necromancer Tanks can significantly improve their effectiveness and versatility in various encounters.

Signature Script: Class Mastery
Once every 3 seconds, increase your Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 2% for 10 seconds for each corpse within 12 meters, up to 10 times. If no corpses are nearby, create a corpse.

Focus Script: Pull
Deals ? Magic Damage to an enemy, pulls them to you, and taunts them for 15 seconds if they are not already taunted.

Signature Script: Druid’s Resurgence
Restores 1000 Magicka and 1000 Stamina.

Affix Script: Vitality
Grants Major Vitality for 10 seconds, increasing healing received and damage shield strength by 12%.

Focus Script: Immobilize
Immobilizes enemies for 3 seconds.

Signature Script: Hunter’s Snare
Reduces the Movement Speed of enemies by 30% for 6 seconds.

Affix Script: Minor Resolve
Grants Minor Resolve for 20 seconds, increasing Physical and Spell Resistance by 2974.

• Ironclad
• Duelist’s Rebuff
• Bulwark 
• Enduring Resolve (DoT damage fights)
• Unassailable (AoE damage fights)

• Boundless Vitality 
  
• Fortified
• Rejuvenation
• Bracing Anchor (Bosses)
• Celerity (Adds)

The main objective of the Souleater build is to farm Ultimate from corpses and gear sets, then use your Ultimate as frequently as possible.

• Pre-Fight:
  • Always buff up with Summoner’s Armor and Spirit Guardian before engaging.
• Add Pulls:
  • Cast Elemental Blockade to establish control.
  • Position yourself and cast Power Slam to pull everything in with Void Bash.
  • Drop your Colossus and keep adds taunted with Pierce Armor or Frost Clench.
  • Bash to proc Drake’s Rush and drink a potion to proc Arkasis’s Genius.
  • Spam cast Elemental Susceptibility for free Ultimate.
  • When enemies die, use Necrotic Potency to absorb the corpses for Ultimate.
• Boss Fights:
  • Pre-buff with Summoner’s Armor and Spirit Guardian.
  • Initiate combat with Frost Clench and cast Elemental Susceptibility and Blastbones.
  • Once the boss is positioned, place Elemental Blockade and proc your gear sets.
  • Continuously spam Elemental Susceptibility for Ultimate, and use Blastbones and Necrotic Potency.
  • Recast Summoner’s Armor when it reaches 10 seconds remaining and Spirit Guardian at 8 seconds remaining to create a corpse for Necrotic Potency.
• Ongoing Strategy:
  • Maintain your buffs and continue using your Ultimate.
  • Encourage your group to coordinate for maximum gear procs.
• Trials and Optimized Dungeons:
  • Adapt your strategy to focus less on pure Ultimate generation and more on overall group dynamics and objectives.