💀 Necropolis Faction Guide
The undead legions of Shadowspire — Master attrition warfare with Necromancy, debuffs, and endless skeleton armies.
Why is Necropolis S-tier?
Necropolis earns its S-tier ranking primarily through the Necromancy skill, which raises fallen enemies as skeletons after every battle. This creates an unmatched snowball effect: your army grows with every engagement while your opponent's resources are permanently diminished. Combined with powerful life-drain and curse mechanics, Necropolis becomes nearly unstoppable in the late game.
How does Necromancy work in Olden Era?
When a Necropolis hero with the Necromancy skill wins a battle, a percentage of enemy casualties are raised as skeletons added to your army. The Advanced Necromancy skill (from heroes like Tarius) significantly increases this conversion rate. Skeletons are tier 1 units but benefit from number stacking — large skeleton stacks deal devastating damage. Necromancy does not work against other undead or mechanical units.
What counters Necropolis?
Temple is Necropolis's natural predator — holy and light magic deals bonus damage to undead units. Prevent Necropolis from snowballing by engaging early before their skeleton stacks grow too large. Target their Vampires and Liches first in battle, as these units provide the life-drain and ranged damage that sustain Necropolis armies. Schism's spell denial can also limit Necromancy effectiveness.
Faction Overview
Ruled by Necromancers and Vampires, Shadowspire's undead rise after each battle and often sap strength from their foes with every strike. Necropolis excels at attrition warfare.
Necropolis is ruled by the Head of Necromancers' Guild, a council of the most powerful necromancers and vampire lords on Jadame. The faction's core identity revolves around death as a resource. Every fallen enemy becomes a potential recruit, every curse weakens the opponent, and every life-drain strike heals your own forces. Necropolis embodies the principle that time is its greatest ally — the longer a game goes, the more overwhelming the undead horde becomes.
Undead armies that resurrect after battles. Heavy focus on debuffs, curses, and life-drain mechanics. Necropolis grinds opponents down through sustained attrition.
Strengths
- Necromancy — raise fallen enemies as skeletons
- Powerful debuffs and curses
- Life-drain on multiple units
- Excellent late-game with large skeleton stacks
Weaknesses
- Undead units cannot benefit from morale boosts
- Vulnerable to Light/Holy magic
- Slow movement on most units
- Expensive building requirements for top-tier units
Key Units
Necropolis's unit roster is designed for sustained attrition. The Skeleton, while individually weak, becomes devastating in large numbers generated by Necromancy — a full stack of skeletons can one-shot most tier 4-5 units. Wights add life-drain and curse effects that weaken enemies while healing themselves. Vampires are the premier sustain unit, combining high damage output with self-healing. Liches provide powerful ranged damage and area-effect death magic. At the top, Dread Knights deliver catastrophic single-target damage with a chance to instant-kill.
Necropolis Heroes
Necropolis fields Death Knights (Might) and Necromancers (Magic). Death Knights combine martial prowess with Necromancy for a balanced approach, while Necromancers focus on debilitating curses and death magic. Tarius stands alone as the S-tier hero with his Advanced Necromancy specialty, generating significantly more skeletons per battle than any other hero.
| Name | Type | Class | Specialty | Specialty Description | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulwark | Might | Death Knight | Built Different | Passive damage reduction for all units | A |
| King-of-Kings | Might | Death Knight | Charismatic | Diplomacy bonus, retain army on retreat | B |
| Onkos | Might | Death Knight | Perfect Puppets | Bonus to Skeleton units | B |
| Kel'Ghul | Might | Death Knight | Dreadful War | Bonus to Dread Knight units | A |
| Natalida | Might | Death Knight | Part of a Pack | Bonus to Undead Pet units | C |
| Artorius Veritas | Might | Death Knight | Drive 'em Crazy | Enhanced Berserk spell | B |
| Marl | Might | Death Knight | Languid Soil | Enhanced Web spell | C |
| Tarius | Might | Death Knight | Undead Legion | Enhanced Necromancy skill — more skeletons raised | S |
| Zam | Might | Death Knight | Alchemist | Extra mercury income | C |
| Mag | Magic | Necromancer | Arcane Dominion | Bonus to Arcane Magic spells | A |
| Adahn | Magic | Necromancer | Amnesiac | Bonus to Wight units | B |
| Ethric | Magic | Necromancer | Tomb-bound Will | Bonus to Lich units | A |
| Guildmaster Klastor | Magic | Necromancer | Bones Guild | Bonus to Graverobber units | C |
| Shadespinner Oona | Magic | Necromancer | Shadowmastery | Bonus to Nightshade Magic spells | B |
| Laura | Magic | Necromancer | Moldering | Enhanced Despair spell | B |
| Lord Rufus | Magic | Necromancer | Wistful Nostalgia | Enhanced Rewind Life spell | C |
| Funerella | Magic | Necromancer | Undead Legion | Enhanced Necromancy for stronger summons | B |
| Milossa the Golden | Magic | Necromancer | Wealthy | Extra gold income | B |
Strategy Tips
Necromancy Snowball Strategy
Tarius is the cornerstone of any competitive Necropolis strategy. His Advanced Necromancy specialty generates roughly 30-40% more skeletons per battle compared to standard Necromancy. Prioritize battles against neutral creature stacks in the early game to build up skeleton numbers. By mid-game, field 2-3 full skeleton stacks alongside your core units for overwhelming numerical advantage. Never disband skeletons — each one represents a permanent resource gain.
Early Game Build Order
Rush the Graveyard building to unlock Wights as early as possible. Upgrade Skeletons in week 2 — the improved stats make a significant difference when fielding large stacks. Vampires should be your mid-game priority, as their life-drain dramatically improves your army's sustainability. Save Dread Knights for late game when you can afford the building prerequisites.
Battle Tactics
Lead with curses — cast Despair, Weakness, and Slow on enemy priority targets before engaging. Position skeletons as a frontline buffer, allowing Vampires and Dread Knights to flank. Wights should target enemy spellcasters to apply their stacking curse effects. Against Temple, avoid clustering units to minimize Light/Holy area damage. Undead units are immune to morale, so don't waste skill points on Leadership.
Matchup Analysis
Temple is your hardest counter — engage early before their buff synergy scales. Grove is a favorable matchup; their fragile units generate large skeleton counts. Against Hive, their rush can overwhelm you if you're not prepared; build early Wights for defensive sustainability. Schism is a skill matchup — their spell denial can limit your curses, but your numerical advantage from Necromancy often prevails in late game. Against mirror Necropolis, prioritize eliminating the enemy Vampires first.
Tier Placement: S-Tier
Necromancy provides unmatched snowball potential. Undead armies grow with every battle, making Necropolis the strongest late-game faction.