Vision of Death
Assault the minds of surrounding enemies with images of their own death, causing the weak-hearted to flee in horror, and more resolute foes to fight less effectively. Available at Mastery Level 4.
Skill level 1/6
14 seconds Recharge
55 Energy Cost
3.0 meter radius
3% Reduced Damage for 3 seconds
66% chance to fumble attacks for 3 seconds
66% chance of impaired aim for 3 seconds
3 seconds of Fear
Skill level 6/6
14 seconds Recharge
80 Energy Cost
3.0 meter radius
13% Reduced Damage for 3 seconds
66% chance to fumble attacks for 3 seconds
66% chance of impaired aim for 3 seconds
5.9 seconds of Fear
Skill level 10/6
14 seconds Recharge
100 Energy Cost
3.0 meter radius
18% Reduced Damage for 3 seconds
66% chance to fumble attacks for 3 seconds
66% chance of impaired aim for 3 seconds
8.1 seconds of Fear
A lacklustre spell, I’m afraid. The Fear effect can significantly slow how quickly you can devour mob groups for melee Theurgists, but it does allow you to massively reduce incoming damage and focus on the stronger foes first. The aim impairment makes it like a weaker version of Squall for archer mobs, although with a heavily-handicapped radius, and the reduced damage will help weaken foes out of range from Deathchill. It’s fine, but there is almost always a better option for whatever you need it for. A good 1 pointer that can help deal with ranged mobs though, but on the whole this is the worst hex our school has to offer.
2/5 for mages/casters, 1/5 for melee users
—-
Spirit Ward
Casts a protective ward that will reduce the damage of undead attacks on the player and nearby allies. Available at Mastery Level 4.
Skill level 1/8
2 Active Energy Cost per second
6.0 meter radius
+3 Damage to Undead
+15% less Damage from Undead
Skill level 8/8
3.6 Active Energy Cost per second
6.0 meter radius
+7 Damage to Undead
+45% less Damage from Undead
Skill level 12/8
3.8 Active Energy Cost per second
6.0 meter radius
+25 Damage to Undead
+62% less Damage from Undead
Undead completely resist Vitality, Life Leech, % Reduction to Enemy Health and Bleeding damage among others, which, as it turns out, are the insidious damage techniques a Theurgist will specialise in. This covers for this annoying Achilles Heel, and is worth taking with almost any build.
Spirit Bane
Adds damage against undead to the attacks of those under the effect of Spirit Ward. Available at Mastery Level 10.
Skill level 1/6
1 Active Energy Cost per second
+20% Damage to Undead
+9 Damage to Undead
Skill level 6/6
1.6 Active Energy Cost per second
+65% Damage to Undead
+29 Damage to Undead
Skill level 10/6
1.9 Active Energy Cost per second
+119% Damage to Undead
+45 Damage to Undead
The weak chink is now truly covered. While your dark codex of Spirit spells may still be useless against the dead, your basic attacks, and any other non-Vitality/Bleed attacks are not. You are now a machine in tombs, sending the raised dead back to the eternal slumber from whence they dared to come.
I would recommend putting one point into Spirit Ward, then developing the mastery to reach Spirit Bane, then maxing Spirit Bane as a priority. Come back to complete Spirit Ward later.
4/5. Useful for almost any build as Undead are a pain, but not as necessary if your second Mastery option deals elemental/physical damage for you, providing another way around. Absolute 5/5 necessity for Warlocks, though
—-
Dark Covenant
Mysterious otherworldly entities offer great power to Spirit Masters who can commune with them. The cost, however, is measured in life. Available at Mastery Level 10.
Skill level 1/6
80 second recharge
15 Active Health Cost per second
10 second duration
15 meter radius
+6 Energy Regeneration per second
+10% Total Speed
Skill level 6/6
80 second recharge
35 Active Health Cost per second
21 second duration
15 meter radius
+21 Energy Regeneration per second
+10% Total Speed
Skill level 10/6
80 second recharge
39 Active Health Cost per second
30 second duration
15 meter radius
+30 Energy Regeneration per second
+10% Total Speed
Dark Covenant. Even the name is just so utterly, delightfully evil. The effects even more so. Commune with eldritch beings to trade your own life force for even more power. What could be more necromantic. I’ll cover the upgrade skill before discussing the both together.
Unearthly Power
Draw upon even greater otherworldly powers to augment yourself and allies in battle, but be wary of the cost exacted from your own vitality. Available at Mastery Level 24.
Skill level 1/8
10 Active Health Cost per second
+8% Physical Damage
+6% Bleeding Damage
+6% Elemental Damage
+8% Vitality Damage
Skill level 8/8
13 Active Health Cost per second
+50% Physical Damage
+34% Bleeding Damage
+34% Elemental Damage
+50% Vitality Damage
Skill level 12/8
15 Active Health Cost per second
+75% Physical Damage
+50% Bleeding Damage
+50% Elemental Damage
+75% Vitality Damage
The eldritch masters give even greater gifts, but demand even greater blood. When maxed out, both skills will siphon 54 health per second, which, while it may sound like a potential disaster, is actually little issue, as by the end-game you should have enough base health, passive health recovery or life stealing skills via the plethora of dark spells at a Theurgist’s disposal to more than cover for it. Apples of Idun alone can completely remove the health cost, if you don’t.
The base skill affects the duration of the spell, while the upgrade affects damage output. Early game, I would recommend one point in the base skill, and then focusing on Unearthly Power. 1 point in Dark Covenant will still give you the +10% speed boost, as well. 1 and 8 will turn Dark Covenant into a potent boss killing tool, without too big a risk to the user. End game max both, as it is essentially free damage and mana - delightful.
A deliciously thematic and powerful hex, every self-respecting Theurgist should have it in their arsenal.
4/5 for most characters, 5/5 for anyone with good health regen/life leeching
—-
Summon Liche King
In ages past, powerful sorcerers learned how to cheat Hades and persist as undead liches long after death had robbed their bodies of life. A dangerous practice of Theurgists is to bind the souls of these ancient liches to their will, thus acquiring their powers. Available at Mastery Level 10.
Skill level 1/16
60 seconds Recharge
250 Energy Cost
Liche King - Enslaved Soul attributes:
- 370 Health
- 307 Energy
Liche King - Enslaved Soul abilities:
Spectral Bolt
35 Elemental Damage
6% Reduction to Enemy Health
41 Vitality Damage
15% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 16/16
60 seconds Recharge
370 Energy Cost
Liche King - Enslaved Soul attributes:
- 670 Health
- 562 Energy
Liche King - Enslaved Soul abilities:
Spectral Bolt
130 Elemental Damage
15% Reduction to Enemy Health
96 Vitality Damage
15% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Soul Blight
53 Energy Cost
6 meter radius
33% Reduction to Enemy Health
33% of Attack Damage converted to Health
82% Reduced Resistances for 8 seconds
Skill level 20/16
60 seconds Recharge
402 Energy Cost
Liche King - Enslaved Soul attributes:
- 751 Health
- 630 Energy
Liche King - Enslaved Soul abilities:
Spectral Bolt
171 Elemental Damage
17% Reduction to Enemy Health
107 Vitality Damage
15% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Soul Blight
53 Energy Cost
6 meter radius
33% Reduction to Enemy Health
33% of Attack Damage converted to Health
90% Reduced Resistances for 8 seconds
Ahhh, the treasured Liche King. The perfect companion for every budding necromancer… it once was. Once the most powerful pet in the game and a reason to choose Spirit as a mastery alone, it no longer holds the clout it once had that gave it a mention in the mastery’s flavour text. When % Reduction to Enemy Health was nerfed, Liche King was forgotten and rotted with it. Soul Blight is great, but the troublesome Liche cannot be commanded to cast it often enough to be relied upon.
A more in-depth evaluation of the Liche as a pet in the modern game will be provided after all of the follow-up skills have been examined.
Death Nova
Emits a wave of death that will deplete life from any living being it contacts. Available at Mastery Level 16.
Skill level 1/12
60 Energy Cost
6 meter radius
11% Reduction to Enemy Health
33 Vitality Damage
50% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 12/12
80 Energy Cost
6 meter radius
44% Reduction to Enemy Health
158 Vitality Damage
50% of Attack Damage converted to Health
Skill level 16/12
88 Energy Cost
6 meter radius
56% Reduction to Enemy Health
214 Vitality Damage
50% of Attack Damage converted to Health
A new spell is unlocked for the enslaved Liche. A truly devastating and powerful spell… that costs 12 perk points to be effective against only half the enemies in the game, and useless against the other half.
Wraith Shell
Allows the Liche King to diminish its corporeal presence, making it less vulnerable to all types of damage. Available at Mastery Level 24.
Skill level 1/12
50 Energy Cost
1.5 Active Energy Cost per second
18% Damage Absorption
30% Physical Resistance
Skill level 12/12
50 Energy Cost
1.5 Active Energy Cost per second
63% Damage Absorption
30% Physical Resistance
Skill level 16/12
50 Energy Cost
1.5 Active Energy Cost per second
72% Damage Absorption
30% Physical Resistance
The Wraith Shell makes the Liche King almost impossible to kill. Being Undead itself, it is already immune to Bleeding, Vitality and Poison itself, and this makes it almost completely immune to Physical Damage, and very resistant to Elemental damage.
Arcane Blast
Drawing upon ancient arcane craft, the Liche King forms deadly bolts of elemental energy and launches them at enemies. Available at Mastery Level 32.
Skill level 1/16
10.6 Energy Cost
2 Projectiles
51 Elemental Damage
15 Vitality Damage
1 Second of Stun
15% Slowed for 1.5 seconds
Skill level 16/16
18.8 Energy Cost
5 Projectiles
133 Elemental Damage
72 Vitality Damage
1 Second of Stun
15% Slowed for 1.5 seconds
Skill level 20/16
20.5 Energy Cost
6 Projectiles
164 Elemental Damage
94 Vitality Damage
1 Second of Stun
15% Slowed for 1.5 seconds
So, with all the skills examined, let us analyse the utility of sharing our plane with another Liche. Firstly, the Liche’s power is fine. It will absolutely demolish living enemies, but will encounter the same issues that we Theurgists encounter - dealing with Traps and other Undead. Investing heavily into the Liche for it only to be partially effective against half the foes we find in the world is… troubling.
Death Nova, despite its inspiring name, is a complete waste of time.
Wraith Shell is the best skill in the Liche’s arsenal, turning the Liche into a Storm Wisp - an excellent focus of enemy aggression, allowing the Theurgist time to attack from safety.
Arcane Blast is fine, and gives the Liche access to more Elemental Damage that will make it more useful against said Traps and Undead.
The verdict? The Liche is a literal shade of its former glory, not deserving the crown of ‘King’ it carries. If you really want a pet heavy play, then going 5/1/12/16 (5 Summon Liche King is when the King gains access to Soul Blight) is fine, but a heavy, heavy perk investment for a pet that will only help against half of the games enemies. If it is supported by, say, Wolves, Nymphs or Core Dwellers, then it will have a place and purpose, and backed by gear that gives it additional Elemental Damage, it will regain some of its lost powers, but even then, it is not a priority skill. Most builds I run will have 1/1/12 with +4 Skills, turning it into a linebacker pet that will hold enemy aggro away from me, while I deal damage.
The one unique benefit of the Liche King, however, is that it is Undead. It is therefore unaffected itself by the resistances that dare oppose our own spells. This makes it a potent tank against certain boss enemies such as Typhon, that heavily use Vitality, Leech and Bleeding attacks.
All of that being said, this aging warlock will always have a soft spot in my ice cold heart for the Liche King. If you have a perfect petmaster gears (+6, and +Elemental Damage for pets), then the Liche King can be the worthy thrall it ought to be.
2.5/5, 3.5/5 if supported by other pets and gear
—-
Enslave Spirit
Slip through the barriers of you enemies’ consciousness and dominate their mind, binding them to your will. While enslaved, the enemy will be forced to obey your commands, but they will eventually regain control of their mind and turn against you. Available at Mastery Level 16.
Skill level 1/12
180 seconds Recharge
90 Energy Cost
36-48 seconds of Mind Control
Skill level 12/12
81 seconds Recharge
112 Energy Cost
69-92 seconds of Mind Control
Skill level 16/12
45 seconds Recharge
120 Energy Cost
81-108 seconds of Mind Control
I humbly admit that I am unsure on this skill. Enslaving a foe is fine for some crowd control, if you have no other option, but you will need to retreat a little to give the rest of the mob a chance to stop chasing you and to change the source of their rage to their new adversary. It has a whopping 40+ seconds to wait before you can recast it, so it can’t be relied upon for every mob group without significant -Recharge%. I’ve found the best use of this to be for melee characters to approach ranged mobs without sustaining heavy fire on the way there. It helps a lot if you have a way to get back in the fray after retreating quickly, before your new ally is disintegrated - Take Down, War Wind, Lightning Dash all achieve this.
What annoys me beyond belief with Enslaving is that if you wipe up the mob before they slay your thrall, you can’t manually end the mind dominion, so it will just follow you as an ally before turning on you, often at the most frustrating of times.
2/5 for most characters, 2.5/5 for melee toons
—-
Circle of Power
Summons a totem that holds a powerful spirit, infusing you and all allies with great mental energy while standing close to it. Available at Mastery Level 24.
Skill level 1/12
60 seconds Recharge
64 Energy Cost
12 second duration
200 Totem Health
6 meter radius
+100% Bleeding Damage
+100% Vitality Damage
+100% Life Leech
+33% Casting Speed
-33% Recharge
-33% Energy Cost
Skill level 12/12
60 seconds Recharge
112 Energy Cost
12 second duration
475 Totem Health
6 meter radius
+100% Bleeding Damage
+100% Vitality Damage
+100% Life Leech
+60% Casting Speed
-60% Recharge
-60% Energy Cost
Skill level 16/12
60 seconds Recharge
124 Energy Cost
12 second duration
575 Totem Health
6 meter radius
+100% Bleeding Damage
+100% Vitality Damage
+100% Life Leech
+60% Casting Speed
-60% Recharge
-60% Energy Cost
An absolutely monstrous skill for dark casters and mages, a mere point in this Circle will double outgoing Vitality, Bleed and Life Leech damage. More points increase the effects on cooldown and energy cost, essentially allowing mages to channel dark powers and spam cast their spells. Strangely, this benefit caps at level 10 (at 60%), so there is zero reason to take the last two skill point levels. Fantastic for casters and mages, not great for warriors, as boss monsters (when this skill is at its malevolent best) tend to move around a lot, often dragging you outside the 6 meter radius.
4/5 for ranged casters, 1/5 for melee users - I barely touched it on my melee Warlock
—-
Death Ward
Places a magical ward on the player that protects them from death by granting additional life when their life gets dangerously low. Available at Mastery Level 32.
Skill level 1/8
300 seconds Recharge
Activates when heath drops below 15%
3 second duration
330 Health restored
13% Damage Absorption
Skill level 8/8
300 seconds Recharge
Activates when heath drops below 15%
3 second duration
680 Health restored
77% Damage Absorption
Skill level 12/8
300 seconds Recharge
Activates when heath drops below 15%
3 second duration
990 Health restored
94% Damage Absorption
Although our powers will persist beyond the clutches of death, that does not mean a Theurgist will allow death to come on another’s terms. This spell is essential to stop any would-be slayer triumphing over our dark defences. One point is an absolue must immediately upon reaching the required mastery level, further investment is advised as your necromantic skills blossom further.
5/5. This skill came in clutch once in Legendary on my deathless Warlock, saving the entire game. Put one point in immediately, then i’d recommend putting in more when you have other essential skills crossed off
—-
Summon Outsider
Calls forth a powerful extra-dimensional entity from beyond the aether. The link can only be maintained for a short time. Available at Mastery Level 32.
Skill level 1/16
360 second Recharge
286 Energy Cost
30 seconds Ether Lord duration
Ether Lord attributes:
- 1065 Health
- 518 Energy
Ether Lord abilities:
Ether Strike
39 Energy Cost
200 Arc of Attack
3 Target maximum
126-171 Elemental Damage
36% Reduction to Enemy Health
Skill level 16/16
360 second Recharge
376 Energy Cost
30 seconds Ether Lord duration
Ether Lord attributes:
- 2040 Health
- 788 Energy
Ether Lord abilities:
Ether Strike
65 Energy Cost
200 Arc of Attack
3 Target maximum
289-343 Elemental Damage
49% Reduction to Enemy Health
Storm Surge
6 seconds Recharge
15% chance of activating
5 meter radius
80 Cold Damage
63-121 Lightning Damage
1.5 seconds of Stun
150 Energy Reserved
Skill level 20/16
360 second Recharge
400 Energy Cost
30 seconds Ether Lord duration
Ether Lord attributes:
- 2300 Health
- 860 Energy
Ether Lord abilities:
Ether Strike
65 Energy Cost
200 Arc of Attack
3 Target maximum
289-343 Elemental Damage
49% Reduction to Enemy Health
Storm Surge
6 seconds Recharge
15% chance of activating
5 meter radius
97 Cold Damage
77-134 Lightning Damage
1.5 seconds of Stun
150 Energy Reserved
The boss devourer is here. For 30 seconds, take control of a beast of unimaginable power. It needs no supporting items, no sidekick pets, it just is. Take with every build.
5/5. Take one point immediately, flesh out as you go on
CONTINUED IN REPLY
