Necromancer Healer
The damage-support healer. Glacial Colossus puts Major Vulnerability on the boss for about 18 seconds, and corpse heals work without corpses.
Update 52 (PTS) version
This page is the Update 52 version of this healer build. Update 52 is on the PTS until January 19, 2027, so numbers can still move. Skill and set tooltips still show the live Update 51 text; hover one that changes to see what's new. For what works in game today, switch to Update 51 in the version picker (top right, or in the menu on phones). The full list is in the Update 52 patch notes.
Overview
The Necromancer healer brings the longest Major Vulnerability in the game. 
Glacial Colossus applies it to everything it hits for 12 seconds since Update 52, and 
Veil's Forfeit makes your Major Vulnerability last 50% longer: about 18 seconds per Colossus, which is 10% more damage taken for the boss.
Necromancer heals usually need corpses. 
Malevolent Promise marks the nearest enemy so you can consume it like a corpse, which keeps 
Braided Tether and 
Renewing Undeath working on single bosses. Braided Tether is a free, big heal over time that also adds 3% healing while slotted, and Renewing Undeath cleanses up to three negative effects.
Remote Totem gives the group Minor Protection and puts Major Cowardice on enemies, and 
Unnerving Boneyard adds Major Breach and Minor Vulnerability, with a Grave Robber synergy heal. Curative Curse and 
Near-Death Experience make your heals stronger and crit more on wounded allies.
Strengths
- Major Vulnerability for about 18 seconds per Colossus.
- Group Minor Protection, and Major Breach and Major Cowardice on enemies.
- Free, strong heals that work without corpses.
Weaknesses
- Glacial Colossus replaces Horn, so someone else should bring Major Force.
- Most heals are ground or corpse-targeted, so aim matters.
- Tanks wearing Archdruid Devyric already cover some of the Vulnerability.
Buffs and debuffs you bring in trials
Your group gets
Enemies get
Class Mastery
Pure-class characters with all three class lines at rank 50 can slot two Class Mastery passives (added in Update 50).
Your Major Vulnerability lasts 50% longer: about 18 seconds from each Glacial Colossus.
Marks the nearest enemy so corpse skills work without corpses, and consuming the mark gives you Ultimate.
What changes in Update 52
Update 52 is on the PTS (patch 12.2.0, from 26 October 2026) and goes live on 19 January 2027. This version follows the first PTS week, so numbers can still move. Skill and set tooltips on this page still show the live Update 51 text.
Class. Glacial Colossus goes back to 175 Ultimate (Update 51 had cut it to 150), deals about 12% less base damage, and hits 75% harder on monsters that already have Major Vulnerability. Its Major Vulnerability drops to 12 seconds (from 17), about 18 with Veil's Forfeit, so you cast it a little less often and it covers less of the fight.
Traits. Decisive rises to 68% on two-handed weapons (from 55%), so the Decisive front staff gives noticeably more Ultimate. Infused armour goes up to 40% (from 25%), which makes the Infused chest and legs a bigger Magicka glyph. The gear table stays as written until PTS numbers settle.
Skill Setups
Most healer builds have a Trial and a Dungeon setup. Trials stack 12 players, so ground heals reach everyone; in a 4-player dungeon the Dungeon setup leans on heals that follow people and puts 
Banner Bearer on both bars.
Written for 12-player trials, where the group stacks: ground heals like 
Illustrious Healing reach everyone at once. Only one healer in the raid needs 
Overflowing Altar, so agree with the other healer who brings it. On trial trash, pre-cast your heals over time and shields before the pull.
What this setup brings
Front bar
Restoration Staff · Grand Rejuvenation
12
345
RBack bar
Lightning staff · Powerful Assault
12
3
45R| Slot | Skill |
|---|---|
| Front 1 | Radiating Regeneration Restoration Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 10 secondsCost: 2,700 Magicka Sticky heal over time on the three lowest allies. Your main heal in dungeons, and what you cast between everything else. |
| Front 2 | Braided Tether Living Death Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 12 secondsCost: Free Free: consumes a corpse (or Malevolent Promise's mark) to heal you and everyone around and in front of you over 12 seconds. 3% more healing while slotted. |
| Front 3 | Combat Prayer Restoration Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 10 secondsCost: 4,590 Magicka Burst heal in front of you, plus Minor Berserk and Minor Resolve for everyone it hits. The panic button. |
| Front 4 | Renewing Undeath Living Death Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresCost: 3,510 Magicka Ground heal; consuming a corpse also removes up to three negative effects and keeps healing. |
| Front 5 | Illustrious Healing Restoration Staff Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 15 secondsCost: 3,510 Magicka Ground heal for a stacked group. Recast it every 6 seconds to keep the Master's Restoration Staff's resource restore going. |
| Front R | Reviving Barrier Support Cast time: InstantDuration: 30 secondsCost: 250 Ultimate Group shield and heal over time for 30 seconds. Cast it before big damage, not after. |
| Back 1 | Overflowing Altar Undaunted Cast time: InstantDuration: 30 secondsCost: 4,050 Health Trials, one healer only: Minor Lifesteal on the boss, and a Blood Feast synergy that heals for 65% of Max Health. |
| Back 2 | Remote Totem Bone Tyrant Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 11 secondsCost: 3,240 Magicka Group Minor Protection and Major Cowardice on enemies in the area, then fears them. |
| Back 3 | Elemental Blockade Destruction Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 15 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka Area Concussion and Off Balance on the boss for the damage dealers. Cast it every third or fourth rotation. |
| Back 4 | Echoing Vigor Assault Cast time: InstantDuration: 16 secondsCost: 2,984 Stamina Big group heal over time for 16 seconds, and the Assault skill that triggers Powerful Assault. Recast it as it ends. |
| Back 5 | Unnerving Boneyard Grave Lord Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 10 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka Major Breach and Minor Vulnerability on the boss, and a Grave Robber synergy that heals the ally who takes it. |
| Back R | Glacial Colossus Grave Lord Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 3 secondsCost: 150 Ultimate Major Vulnerability on everything it hits, about 18 seconds with Veil's Forfeit. Cast it right before the burn. |
Open the Trial setup in the Build Editor to change skills, gear and stats.
In a 4-player group nobody stands still, so sticky heals that follow people (Radiating Regeneration, Echoing Vigor) do the work. Banner Bearer takes Illustrious Healing's slot and Unnerving Boneyard's: the banner only stays up while it's on both bars. 
Trample takes Overflowing Altar's slot: three status effects on the pack, and Major Heroism so your Ultimate comes back faster.
What this setup brings
Front bar
Restoration Staff · Spell Power Cure
12345RBack bar
Lightning staff · Powerful Assault
12345R| Slot | Skill |
|---|---|
| Front 1 | Radiating Regeneration Restoration Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 10 secondsCost: 2,700 Magicka Sticky heal over time on the three lowest allies. Your main heal in dungeons, and what you cast between everything else. |
| Front 2 | Braided Tether Living Death Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 12 secondsCost: Free Free: consumes a corpse (or Malevolent Promise's mark) to heal you and everyone around and in front of you over 12 seconds. 3% more healing while slotted. |
| Front 3 | Combat Prayer Restoration Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 10 secondsCost: 4,590 Magicka Burst heal in front of you, plus Minor Berserk and Minor Resolve for everyone it hits. The panic button. |
| Front 4 | Renewing Undeath Living Death Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresCost: 3,510 Magicka Ground heal; consuming a corpse also removes up to three negative effects and keeps healing. |
| Front 5 | Banner Bearer Scribed as Shocking Banner Cast time: InstantCost: 459 Magicka and 459 Stamina every two seconds Dungeons: scribed group buff banner. It only stays up while it's on both bars, so it takes slot 5 on each. |
| Front R | Reviving Barrier Support Cast time: InstantDuration: 30 secondsCost: 250 Ultimate Group shield and heal over time for 30 seconds. Cast it before big damage, not after. |
| Back 1 | Trample Scribed as Magical Trample Cast time: 1.5 secondsDuration: 2 secondsCost: 3,046 Magicka Dungeons: scribed AoE that applies three status effects and gives you Major Heroism, so Reviving Barrier comes back faster. |
| Back 2 | Remote Totem Bone Tyrant Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 11 secondsCost: 3,240 Magicka Group Minor Protection and Major Cowardice on enemies in the area, then fears them. |
| Back 3 | Elemental Blockade Destruction Staff Cast time: InstantDuration: 15 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka Area Concussion and Off Balance on the boss for the damage dealers. Cast it every third or fourth rotation. |
| Back 4 | Echoing Vigor Assault Cast time: InstantDuration: 16 secondsCost: 2,984 Stamina Big group heal over time for 16 seconds, and the Assault skill that triggers Powerful Assault. Recast it as it ends. |
| Back 5 | Banner Bearer Scribed as Shocking Banner Cast time: InstantCost: 459 Magicka and 459 Stamina every two seconds Dungeons: scribed group buff banner. It only stays up while it's on both bars, so it takes slot 5 on each. |
| Back R | Glacial Colossus Grave Lord Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 3 secondsCost: 150 Ultimate Major Vulnerability on everything it hits, about 18 seconds with Veil's Forfeit. Cast it right before the burn. |
Scribing
Scribed skill
Shocking Banner
Banner Bearer · Shock Damage / Druid's Resurgence / Courage
- Cast time
- Instant
- Radius
- 8 metres
- Cost
- 459 Magicka and 459 Stamina every two seconds
Shock DamageFocus script: Increases damage done with direct damage by 6%.
Druid's ResurgenceSignature script: Increases Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery of other group members by 139.
CourageAffix script: Grants Minor Courage, increasing Weapon and Spell Damage by 215.
Shocking Banner: 6% more direct damage and recovery for the group, plus Minor Courage (215 Weapon and Spell Damage).
Scribed skill
Magical Trample
Trample · Magic Damage / Assassin's Misery / Heroism
- Cast time
- 1.5 seconds
- Target
- Area
- Radius
- 5 metres
- Duration
- 2 seconds
- Cost
- 3,046 Magicka
Magic DamageFocus script: Deals 6,233 Magic Damage to all enemies.
Assassin's MiserySignature script: Afflicts enemies with the Concussion, Sundered, and Hemorrhaging status effects.
HeroismAffix script: Grants you Major Heroism for 10 seconds, generating 3 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds.
Magical Trample: Concussion, Sundered and Hemorrhaging on the pack for Exploiter and status-effect sets, and Major Heroism for your own Ultimate.
Open the Dungeon setup in the Build Editor to change skills, gear and stats.
Flex skills
Swap these in when the fight or your group calls for it.
A spirit that heals the lowest ally near you for 8 seconds and leaves a corpse.
Back-bar Ultimate when a tank already covers Major Vulnerability.
Ground heal that restores your Magicka for each ally it touches, if you don't wear the Master's staff.
Passives
The passives that shape this build. They come with the skill lines, so there's nothing to slot.
12% more healing while you have a negative effect on you, which in trials is most of the time.
Up to 12% more crit chance on heals, the more wounded the target.
10 Ultimate when you consume a corpse, every 16 seconds.
3% more healing taken for you with Remote Totem slotted.
5% more healing from Restoration Staff skills while it's equipped.
A fully charged Heavy Attack with the staff gives you Major Mending for 4 seconds.
32% more Magicka Recovery and 16% cheaper Magicka skills from 8 Light pieces. Why every healer here wears Light.
Gear
The first trial healer. 
Pillager's Profit turns every Ultimate you cast into Ultimate for up to 11 others. 
Powerful Assault on the jewellery and back staff gives the group Weapon and Spell Damage each time you cast Echoing Vigor. 
Ozezan the Inferno gives Minor Vitality with every heal, and the Master's Restoration Staff (
Grand Rejuvenation) restores Magicka and Stamina to everyone your Illustrious Healing touches. All 7 pieces are Light for the most Magicka Recovery; the back staff carries Weakening so the boss hits a little softer.
Pick a set for each block. The build's recommended gear is selected to start with.
Buffs and debuffs with this gear
Gold entries come from your gear; the rest come from your skills and passives.
Slots
| Slot | Set | Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Ozezan the Inferno Light (monster) | Divines / Infused |
| Shoulders | Ozezan the Inferno Light (monster) | Divines |
| Chest | Pillager's Profit Light | Divines / Infused |
| Hands | Pillager's Profit Light | Divines |
| Waist | Pillager's Profit Light | Divines |
| Legs | Pillager's Profit Light | Divines / Infused |
| Feet | Pillager's Profit Light | Divines |
| Neck | Powerful Assault Jewellery | Infused |
| Ring 1 | Powerful Assault Jewellery | Infused |
| Ring 2 | Powerful Assault Jewellery | Infused |
| Front: main hand | Grand Rejuvenation Restoration staff (two-handed) | Decisive |
| Back bar | Powerful Assault Lightning staff (two-handed) | Infused |
Sturdy and Divines are interchangeable on armour. Tri-Stat glyphs on jewellery are a fine swap if you need more resources.
What the sets do
2 pieces · Scrivener's Hall (veteran) + Undaunted chest
- (1 item)Adds 129 Magicka Recovery.
- (2 items)Overhealing yourself or an ally grants them 4272 Armor for 1.1 seconds. Healing yourself or an ally grants them Minor Vitality for 1.1 seconds, increasing their healing received and damage shield strength by 6%.
5 pieces · Dreadsail Reef
- (2 items)Adds 4% Healing Done.
- (3 items)Gain Minor Aegis, reducing damage taken from monsters by 5%.
- (4 items)Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka.
- (5 items)Casting an Ultimate ability while in combat grants 2% of Ultimate spent as Ultimate to up to 11 other group members within 12 meters every 2 seconds over 10 seconds. Group members can only be affected by this set once every 45 seconds.
3 front / 5 back · Imperial City Tel Var merchants
Full bonus on the back bar only.
- (2 items)Adds 1206 Max Health.
- (3 items)Adds 1096 Max Stamina.
- (4 items)Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage.
- (5 items)When you cast an Assault ability in combat, you and up to 5 group members within 12m gain 307 Weapon and Spell Damage for 15 seconds.
2 pieces · front bar · Dragonstar Arena (veteran)
- (2 items)The initial heal of Grand Healing invigorates you and group members affected for 6 seconds, restoring 224 Magicka and Stamina every 2 seconds.
The defensive dungeon healer. 
Spell Power Cure on four pieces and the resto staff gives Major Courage to anyone you overheal, and sticky heals keep it on the whole group. Powerful Assault moves to a Medium chest, two jewellery pieces and the back staff, and 
Death Dealer's Fete on the last ring adds Max Health, Magicka and Stamina so a 4-player group's healer survives what a trial healer never sees.
Pick a set for each block. The build's recommended gear is selected to start with.
Buffs and debuffs with this gear
Gold entries come from your gear; the rest come from your skills and passives.
Slots
| Slot | Set | Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Ozezan the Inferno Light (monster) | Divines / Infused |
| Shoulders | Ozezan the Inferno Light (monster) | Divines |
| Chest | Powerful Assault Medium | Divines / Infused |
| Hands | Spell Power Cure Light | Divines |
| Waist | Spell Power Cure Light | Divines |
| Legs | Spell Power Cure Light | Divines / Infused |
| Feet | Spell Power Cure Light | Divines |
| Neck | Powerful Assault Jewellery | Infused |
| Ring 1 | Powerful Assault Jewellery | Infused |
| Ring 2 | Death Dealer's Fete Jewellery | Infused |
| Front: main hand | Spell Power Cure Restoration staff (two-handed) | Decisive |
| Back bar | Powerful Assault Lightning staff (two-handed) | Infused |
Sturdy and Divines are interchangeable on armour. Tri-Stat glyphs on jewellery are a fine swap if you need more resources.
What the sets do
2 pieces · Scrivener's Hall (veteran) + Undaunted chest
- (1 item)Adds 129 Magicka Recovery.
- (2 items)Overhealing yourself or an ally grants them 4272 Armor for 1.1 seconds. Healing yourself or an ally grants them Minor Vitality for 1.1 seconds, increasing their healing received and damage shield strength by 6%.
3 front / 5 back · Imperial City Tel Var merchants
Full bonus on the back bar only.
- (2 items)Adds 1206 Max Health.
- (3 items)Adds 1096 Max Stamina.
- (4 items)Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage.
- (5 items)When you cast an Assault ability in combat, you and up to 5 group members within 12m gain 307 Weapon and Spell Damage for 15 seconds.
6 front / 4 back · White-Gold Tower
Full bonus on the front bar only.
- (2 items)Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka.
- (3 items)Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka.
- (4 items)Adds 129 Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
- (5 items)When you overheal yourself or an ally, you give the target Major Courage for 5 seconds which increases their Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 430.
1 piece · Antiquities: Blackwood
- (1 item)Gain a stack of Escalating Fete every 2 seconds in combat, up to 30. Each stack adds 88 Maximum Health, Magicka and Stamina. You lose a stack every 4 seconds out of combat.
Alternative sets
Monster swap: each Colossus also stretches every debuff on the boss.
Trials with a second healer on Pillager's: Major Slayer for five allies whenever you cast an Ultimate.
Body swap: 40% longer buffs and shields.
Champion Points
Slottable stars only. Spend passive points in each tree along the path to these stars.
- Soothing Tide
Stronger area heals. Almost every heal you cast is one.
- Swift Renewal
Stronger heals over time: Radiating Regeneration, Echoing Vigor and the class HoTs.
- Enlivening Overflow
Overheals give allies Health, Magicka and Stamina Recovery. Healers overheal all the time.
- From the Brink
A shield on anyone you heal below 25% Health. It saves people from the next hit.
- Bastion
Stronger shields from Reviving Barrier, Ozezan and class shields.
- Rejuvenation
Recovery for all three resources.
- Shield Master
Cheaper damage shields.
- Boundless Vitality
Max Health, so one-shot mechanics don't kill you.
- Steed's Blessing
Run between pulls faster.
- Gifted Rider
Faster mount.
Good swaps
More Weapon and Spell Damage for heals. Swap it for From the Brink once your group stops dropping low.
Minor Heroism on allies you heal below 50%. Swap it in when nobody else gives the group Heroism.
Armor, in place of Bastion when you don't slot Reviving Barrier or another big shield.
Movement speed for fights with a lot of running. Swaps for Shield Master.
Race
Max Magicka, Weapon and Spell Damage, and casting restores your lowest resource.
- Ultimate
NordUltimate when you take damage, and a sturdier healer in progression.
- sustain
BretonMore Magicka Recovery and cheaper Magicka skills, if you run dry.
- also good
Dark ElfMax Magicka and Stamina, if you already have one of the others.
Mundus
8% more healing done. Divines on the armour makes it bigger.
- sustain
The AtronachMagicka Recovery, if you still run out.
- crits
The ThiefMore Critical Chance, so more heals crit.
- movement
The SteedSpeed and Health Recovery, for fights with a lot of running.
Attributes
Every heal and shield you cast scales from Max Magicka. Food and Boundless Vitality give you enough Health.
Food
Max Health and Max Magicka. Your heals scale from Magicka, and the Health keeps you alive.
- sustain
Ghastly Eye BowlMax Health and Magicka Recovery, if you run out of Magicka.
- Stamina
Bewitched Sugar SkullsMax Health, Magicka and Stamina, if you block or dodge a lot.
- also good
Clockwork Citrus FiletMax Health and Magicka with Health and Magicka Recovery.
Potions
Restores Magicka and gives Major Brutality and Major Savagery: stronger heals and more crits.
- Ultimate
Heroism potionMinor Heroism for more Ultimate, so Reviving Barrier comes back sooner.
- defence
Armor potionMajor Resolve, for fights where you keep getting caught.
Gameplay
- 1Cast Glacial Colossus right before the group burns the boss, and call it out.
- 2Cast Braided Tether on a corpse or the Malevolent Promise mark whenever it's off cooldown: it's free.
- 3Keep Remote Totem and Unnerving Boneyard on the boss.
- 4Keep Radiating Regeneration and Echoing Vigor rolling, and recast Illustrious Healing every 6 seconds for the Master's staff.
- 5Use Renewing Undeath on a corpse to cleanse the group, and drop Overflowing Altar if you're the trial's Altar healer.
FAQ
What does the Necromancer healer bring to the group?
In trials it gives the group 6 buffs. The full list is under Overview.
What's the difference between the Trial and Dungeon setups?
Trials have 12 players who stack, so the Trial setup uses ground heals and Overflowing Altar. In 4-player dungeons people move more, so the Dungeon setup leans on sticky heals, slots Banner Bearer on both bars, and swaps Pillager's Profit for Spell Power Cure.
When should I cast Glacial Colossus?
Right before the group burns the boss, and call it out. With Veil's Forfeit its Major Vulnerability lasts 50% longer.