Raising the dead is one of Skyrim’s best power fantasies, and you don’t have to rush it. If you’ve wondered whether a necromancer build is any good, the community’s answer is a warm yes, especially on Legendary. One Redditor called Fevvy’s necromancer build the most fun they’d had since launch.
This guide walks you through a Breton necromancer, one step at a time. There’s no wrong way to do this, so take it at your own pace.
Necromancer Build Overview: What You’re Signing Up For
This build is a patient, layered journey. You start as a spellsword, grow into a full conjurer, and finish with an undead army and a dragon on call. Here’s your checklist of the basics:
- Checklist (Race): Breton. All six of its skill boosts get used, and its magic resistance helps before you have Spell Absorption.
- Checklist (Sex): Female. Most humanoids in Skyrim are male, so the 10% damage bonus against the opposite sex from Agent of Dibella gets more use.
- Checklist (Skills): Conjuration first, then Destruction (frost), Restoration, and Illusion (Frenzy and Fear).
- Checklist (Gear): A dagger, plus a mix of clothing and heavy armor as you progress.
- Checklist (DLC): Dawnguard, for the best undead-themed shouts.
- Checklist (Difficulty): Works well on Legendary, though mages start fragile there.
Lore Connection: One popular necromancer backstory centers on the Ritual Stone. In it, a grieving husband searches Skyrim for a way to bring back his wife and son. He touches the stone, and the darkness makes him forget why he came.
It’s a sad little tale, and it fits the Ritual Stone’s power to raise nearby corpses once a day. It’s a nice bit of roleplay to carry with you as you play.
Step-by-Step: Building Your Necromancer
Work through these in order, but don’t feel pressured. Every step is a chance to explore something you might have skipped before.
- Step 1: Create Your Character. Pick a female Breton. Your racial boosts and magic resistance will pay off right away, and you’ll feel it in your first few fights.
- Step 2: Grab the Lord Stone. It gives you 50 armor and 25% magic resistance. That cushion matters while your summons are still weak. (Pro tip: you’ll swap to the Atronach Stone later, so don’t get too attached.)
- Step 3: Learn Your Familiar. Early on, upgrade Conjure Familiar to a Flame Atronach. A tougher helper keeps you alive while you level.
- Step 4: Play Spellsword at First. Mages are not easy on Legendary. Use an Imperial Steel Sword for most of your early damage while Conjuration grows quietly in the background.
- Step 5: Upgrade Your Armor Gradually. Wear progressively better heavy armor as you advance Smithing and gather materials. You’re not racing anyone, so let your gear grow with your skills.
- Step 6: Summon Before You Fight. Raise the dead, or conjure minions from the Necromantic Grimoire (Creation Club), before combat starts. Getting your army out first is the easiest way to feel powerful.
- Step 7: Build Your Support Schools. Use Destruction for frost spells, Restoration for heals, and Illusion for Frenzy and Fear. Frenzy makes enemies fight each other, and Fear makes them run.
- Step 8: Push Conjuration to 90 and Beyond. Permanent undead minions come from Dead Thrall, a Master-level spell. You need 90 Conjuration to start the Conjuration ritual quest from Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold, which unlocks it. This is the long goal of the build, and it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
- Step 9: Finish Your Look. For the endgame, wear Blue Robes, Vokun, Daedric Gauntlets, and Ebony Boots. (Daedric Boots didn’t show under the robe in the original build.) Swap to a Daedric Dagger as your final weapon.
Take Your Time: The jump from summoner to full necromancer happens slowly, and that’s part of the fun. Enjoy each new minion tier as you unlock it.
Shouts for Your Necromancer
Dawnguard adds the most thematic shouts for this build. Here’s a tracker you can follow, and I checked every single one.
| Shout | Words | Where to Learn It | What It Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drain Vitality | Stamina – Magicka – Health | Arcwind Point, Dimhollow Crypt, Forgotten Vale | Damages more attributes the more words you use |
| Summon Durnehviir | Curse – Never – Dying | Durnehviir, in the Soul Cairn | Summons an undead dragon where you point, if there’s enough space |
| Soul Tear | Essence – Tear – Zombie | Summon Durnehviir three times | Third word deals 300 damage and soul traps the target so it reanimates if it dies |
| Whirlwind Sprint | Whirlwind – Fury – Tempest | Dead Men’s Respite, Volskygge, High Hrothgar | Closes distance quickly |
Missable! Not truly missable, but Soul Tear only unlocks if you keep summoning Durnehviir. Don’t skip this one, because it’s one of the best parts of the build.
Rewards and Benefits
Here’s what you get for sticking with the journey.
- Checklist (Army on Demand): Raise corpses or use grimoire summons to fill the battlefield before enemies reach you.
- Checklist (Permanent Minions): With Dead Thrall (Conjuration 90 plus the ritual quest), your undead allies stick around.
- Checklist (Crowd Control): Frenzy and Fear turn enemy groups into chaos.
- Checklist (Dragon Ally): Summon Durnehviir for a dramatic opener.
- Checklist (Resilience): The Lord Stone early and the Atronach Stone later, with the Necromage and Atronach perks, keep you sturdy.
- Checklist (Magicka Sustain): A Shrine of Akatosh gives 10% faster magicka regeneration.
Lore Connection: Soul Tear’s soul trap and Durnehviir’s home in the Soul Cairn both tie into Skyrim’s undead and soul magic themes. Your build isn’t just a bag of spells. It follows threads the game has been weaving all along.
Pro Tips
- Pre-Combat Habit: Make summoning part of your opening routine. Starting a fight with your army already out is much safer. (Pro tip: this matters even more on Legendary.)
- Spellsword First: Don’t be shy about swinging a sword early. Your mage identity can wait until your summons are strong enough.
- Atronach Stone Timing: The source build saves the Atronach Stone for after you become a vampire with both the Necromage and Atronach perks. Until then, the Lord Stone is the safer pick.
- Space for Durnehviir: He only appears if there’s enough room where you point. Aim at open ground, not narrow corridors.
- Gear Patience: Let your Smithing and materials set the pace. Better heavy armor will come as you progress.
- Illusion Targeting: Use Frenzy on groups and Fear on dangerous single targets. Both give your minions time to work.
One more thing before you move on: write down your Conjuration progress. Seeing the number climb toward 100 is a good motivator.
Why This Build Matters
A necromancer build isn’t about being the fastest or the flashiest. It’s about the satisfaction of building an army from nothing and growing from a fragile spellsword into someone who calls an undead dragon to your side.
It also rewards exploring. The shouts, standing stones, shrines, and gear are all spread across the map, which is a great excuse to talk to every NPC and visit every corner of Skyrim.
So take a deep breath and start your first summon. What’s your plan: stay a spellsword for a while, or go all-in on Conjuration from level one? Let me know in the comments, and happy raising!
