Hero necro builds

[theGrimm]

I have Olias set up as a MM, and with my necro on physical damage hexes (especially barbs and MoP), I have him focus on fiends. With vamps or shambles fpr body block. The long rechage on vamps or shambles allows for many more fiends. (vamps generally result in more fiends)

Olias: (Death 12+4, SR 9+1, Blood 3, Healing Prayers: Everything else)
Dark Bond, AVM or Shambles, Summon Bone Fiend, BotM, Heal Area

For equipment, he carries a +15/-1 and a collectors death focus

-I'm still stuck on an elite (he doesn't NEED one), but Virulence is okay, as is Reapers Mark, but I feel as if I'm just putting them there for show.
- I'm not sure about a secondary class. He seems less effective without Heal Area (especially between battles), but maybe that's my imagination.
- And finally, for areas with fewer corpses, does anyone have any thoughts about a minion bomber build?

[FoxBat]

Some good death elites that the AI actually knows how to use are hidden away in nightfall, like jagged bones and discord. The AI will put jagged bones on minions near death, and will only use discord on hex+conditioned enemies, with you as a curses necro and say bleeding on shambling horrors, this should happen fairly often. Flesh Golem from factions is OKish but the AI is a bit wasteful resummoning them on recharge. Icy Veins is good in theory but in practice is rarely used. Tainted Flesh is a nice elite that the AI can use well on a party, but I fear it may waste its energy casting it on minons too.

The AI tends to use Heal Area when anyone surrounding them is down even 10 or 20 health, I.E. vastly over-use it. I would just forget about it, there are enough corpses to go around. If you really want some minion health, the ritualist spirits recuperation and life are fairly good, and they give soul reaping bonus when they die. The AI is fairly good at picking out low-health minions and putting a death nova on them before they get killed, so I would definitely recommend that spell.

An interesting thing to try is put verta's sacrifice on yourself with a moderate death investment: you don't have any minions so the skill recharges instantly, but olias' minons will benefit from it.

[Lurker Wyrm]

The AI will use Death Nova on any green dot on the compass that gets below 50% health, so it's pretty good about using the skill on minions.

As for your elite, Jagged Bones is still fairly useful although it's nowhere near as overpowered as it used to be. Flesh Golem is a good choice too, even though the AI doesn't really know how to use it (just disable the skill and force-activate it when you're without one).

[KingOfPain]

I like my multi purpose MM Olais.

Bone Horror, Shambling Horror, Death Nova

(I rarely use Blood of the Master on Olais. You don't really need or want it during battle, especially when you are using Death Nova). The monks seem able to keep a couple of minions alive without taxing their energy travelling from mob to mob, or just idling.

Res Signet - did you forget that? ;p

Well of Blood - Help to keep ALLIES alive taking pressure off the monks. The Ai is ok, tho it could use some improvement, deciding when to raise a minion, or to cast a well, or to blow things up.

Dark Bond - Ever noticed the necro (human and AI alike) is almost always the first to die? Got to love a necro who can somewhat tank. Your monks will thank you.

I always choose Mez as secondary on heroes without a real need for a certain secondary skill. Epidemic and Hypochondria, with no att points needed is too good not to bring along a copy or 2.

The one Elite slot is where it see the most changes depending on situations

Tainted Flesh - Probably the most under-rated useful elite (as opposed to totally useless elite ). I have been ruunning condition heavy builds so the more conditions to pile on a foe before it's spread the better. It is especially useful in areas such as Assult on Beknur Harbor and other Disease infested places. It keeps the party clean and a lot of pressure off the monks. As a matter of fact this skill alone enable my survivors to take on Assult on Beknur Harbor comfortably as soon as it becomes available.

Virulence - is one of my favorite being both offensive and defensive at the same time. Pair it with Epidemic and or Fevered Dream (from other player/AI). It is one of the Key skills in my 1+3 FoW team that I am STILL working on.

Other Elites I sometimes put on Olais is from the Mez line too.
Fevered Dream - if I can't find another heroes to throw it on. It is useful enough with just left over att points, say at 15ish seconds. The target foe is most likely dead seconds before it ends.

Power Block - not the best choice to fit on a necro but when I am tight on hero selections and still want to shut down spell casters (Ruby Djinn, for example) it does a better job than Broad Head Arrow (tho BHA has the advantage of being a condition and can be spread).

KoP