Hi everyone, we don’t need a botched Halloween tie-in this year, we have the real deal! Let’s continue our journey into the dark arts by having a look at the first Necromancer Skills:

Whispers of the Fallen

This global sustained spell allows the Necromancer to listen out for the spirits of the recently fallen to see details of battles which would normally not be visible. Any battle that takes place within a certain distance of the necromancers cities or fortresses can be seen by the player. The player can watch a replay of the battle, and the hexes where the battle took place are explored on the map. Great sustained low level reconnaissance / early warning spell.

Corpus Furia

The return of an Age of Wonders favorite, now with improved particle and sound effects. Causes the corpses of dead units to explode violently on the battlefield. Each corpse deals physical and blight damage to all units in the vicinity. Careful tradeoffs must be made, as the Necromancer has many other uses for bodies.

Dark Ritual

This spell sacrifices population on the target friendly city in order to spawn an undead unit. Available Undead include the lower tier Necromancer units, but more powerful creatures such as wraiths will sometimes appear. This spell is great for last ditch defenses

Animate Ruins

Instantly rebuilds a target razed city and transforms its population to undead, so all the units produced in the city become undead Ghouls. An Evil Necromancer can purposefully deploy a scorched earth strategy to gain undead populations in this manner. For more on Ghouls see the Cities of the Dead Development Journal

Undead Plague

Infected rats infest the target enemy town. Every turn a few hundred people will die in the town, while at the same the nearest undead city you own will gain the same amount of population. Since undead cities gain population much more slowly than living cities, this spell is an important part of the necromancer’s economic strategy.

Don’t mind the Lost Souls tonight and see you next time with more on the Necromancer and other cool features for the upcoming DLC!