This guide will walk you through the essential steps to master Necromancy in RuneScape 3 (RS 3), covering everything from your first basic rituals, leveling up, to gear upgrade. You’ll learn how to balance combat training for talent points with non-combat rituals to harvest souls, ensuring a smooth path as you unlock powerful conjures like the Conjure Vengeful Ghost and Conjure Putrid Zombie.
The Necromancy! Quest: From Level 1 to 5
The Necromancy! Quest is the official entry point for the skill, functioning as a narrative introduction to the City of Um and its primary antagonist, Rasial, the First Necromancer.
The quest provides 200 Necromancy experience, which is exactly what is needed to advance from level 1 to level 5. This progress is achieved through two main training segments:
- The First Ritual: You learn the fundamentals of the ritual site by performing a makeshift communion ritual to summon your first spirits.
- Initial Combat: You are given your first tier 10 weapon and must defeat two ghost trolls. This action earns you your first Talent Point, which is used at the Well of Souls to unlock the ability to Conjure a Skeleton Warrior.
Key Rewards and Unlocks
Beyond the level increase, the quest unlocks the foundational tools for the skill:
- Starter Gear: You receive a Tier 10
Death Guard (main-hand weapon) and 
Skull Lantern (off-hand conduit). - Post-Quest Robes: After completion, you can claim a free set of Tier 10 Deathwarden robes from Sostratus at Buried Bargains.
- Ability Access: Grants access to basic Necromancy abilities and the first conjure.
- Materials: You are given 25 ectoplasm, the essential resource for summoning your undead allies.
- Progression Path: Completion is a direct requirement for subsequent quests like Rune Mythos and Kili Row, which are necessary for upgrading gear and crafting runes.
Necromancy Progression From level 5 to 20
Combat Training
From level 5, your progression focuses on balancing combat to earn talent points and rituals to harvest souls for the Well of Souls. You will primarily alternate between these two methods to unlock new abilities and upgrade your gear every 10 levels.
At this stage, you should focus on low-level enemies to gain experience and your first few talent points.
- Ghostly Trolls: Located in the City of Um troll Cave south of the graveyard. These are the standard starting mobs and drop bones for early rituals.
- Goblins: Reliable, low-effort targets for the first few levels if the troll cave is crowded.
Ritual Progression
Rituals are essential for gathering souls, which are a secondary “currency” needed to unlock tiers in the talent tree.
- Lesser Communion Rituals: Perform these using fragile mementos or bones to reach 50 souls, which is the first major milestone for early talent unlocks.
- Lesser Necroplasm Rituals: Perform at least three of these to produce the regular ghostly ink needed for your level 20 gear upgrades.
Gear
Always keep your equipment current to maintain your damage and accuracy.
- Level 10 Upgrade: You can immediately claim your tier 10 Deathwarden robes from Sostratus in the City of Um if you haven’t already.
- Level 20 Milestone: Reach level 20
Necromancy to unlock the Kili Row Quest, which is required to upgrade your weapons and armor to tier 20.
Progression From level 20 to 40
From level 20, your focus shifts to unlocking runecrafting, upgrading your gear, and performing more advanced rituals to gather souls. This stage introduces the Kili Row and Rune Mythos quests, which are essential for long-term progression.
Kili Row Quest
This is the most important milestone. Speaking to Kili in the northeast of the City of Um unlocks the ability to upgrade your weapons and armor.
- Task: You must fill a soul urn by either killing 5 chickens or performing one Lesser Communion ritual.
- Reward: Access to tier 20 gear upgrades and the soul forge.
Rune Mythos Quest
You should keep training on Ghostly Trolls or Goblins until you reach Necromancy level 24, which is the requirement to start the Rune Mythos quest.
Rune Mythos is the second quest in the First Necromancer series and acts as the gatekeeper for 
Runecrafting and 
Incantations. Completing it is a non-negotiable step in your progression because it provides the only way to obtain the runes needed for your spells.
Key Progression Unlocks
- Impure Essence Rituals: You learn how to convert Pure Essence into Impure Essence, the specialized material required for all necrotic runes.
- The Rune Temple: You unlock the Necromantic Rune Temple (located through the dark portal in northeast Um), where you can craft Spirit, Bone, Flesh, and Miasma runes.
- First Incantations: Completion immediately grants access to two vital spells:
- City of Um Teleport: A free, unlimited teleport to the center of your training hub.
- Lesser Bone Shield: A toggleable ability that allows you to use defensive shield abilities (like Resonance or Reflect) while wielding your dual-wield Necromancy weapons.
Combat Training
Once you reach level 24 and complete Rune Mythos, your combat efficiency increases significantly because you can now use Incantations and better Runes. At level 30, remember to visit Kili again to upgrade your gear to Tier 30.
| Target | Location | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Ghostly Trolls | City of Um troll Cave | 24–30 | Drop bones for early rituals |
 Ghouls | North of Canifis | 30–40 | High density and aggressive, making them great for multi-target training. |
At level 40, return to Kili in the northeast City of Um to start the Tier 40 Gear Upgrade.
Ritual and Talents Progression
Level 40 is a massive power spike for Necromancy, as it unlocks the Tier 3 Talent Tree, allowing you to summon multiple conjures at once and access powerful area-of-effect (AoE) abilities.
If you haven’t reached 400 souls yet, perform Lesser Communion Rituals using Fragile Mementos. Use Multiply I alteration glyphs (unlocked at level 30 Necromancy) to reach your soul target faster.
- Tier 3 Talent Tree: Requires level 40 Necromancy and 400 souls in the Well of Souls.
Conjure Vengeful Ghost: Your primary single-target damage and healing support.
Conjure Putrid Zombie: A powerful AoE conjure that deals poison damage to surrounding enemies.
Blood Siphon: Unlocked at level 36, this becomes your primary source of AoE damage and healing.
From level 40 to 60
After level 40, the progression becomes more structured as you prepare for mid-game bossing. You will focus on reaching level 60, which is a major milestone for weapon special attacks and the Tier 4 talent tree.
Combat Training
At this stage, you want enemies with enough health to survive your full rotation so you can generate Talent Points efficiently.
| Target | Location | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ankous | Stronghold of Security (Floor 4) | 40–60 | Still the best XP/hour; use a  Salve Amulet (e) for a 20% damage boost. |
Ritual & Talent Progression
To unlock the Tier 4 Talent Tree at level 60, you need to reach the 2,000 souls milestone in the Well of Souls.
- Greater Communion Rituals: Unlocked at level 60 Necromancy. Switch to using Spirit Mementos as your focus to gain 24 base souls per ritual.
- Multiply I Glyphs:Use these on every available alteration spot to increase your soul output by 20% per ritual.
Gear Upgrade
You must complete Kili’s Knowledge III & IV at level 50 and 60 to unlock your next gear tiers.
- Level 50 Upgrade: Requires an Death guard (tier 40), and 3x Lesser ensouled bar for main hand.
Skull lantern (tier 40), and 3x Lesser ensouled bar for off-hand. for Deathwarden robe upgrade you need 7x Lesser ensouled cloth, x5 Lesser ensouled thread, and 100x Spirit runes. - Level 60 Upgrade: Requires an Death guard (tier 50), 3x ensouled bar, and 25x Bone rune for main hand.
Skull lantern (tier 50), 3x ensouled bar, and 25x Bone rune for off-hand. for Deathwarden robe upgrade, you need 7x Ensouled cloth, x5 Ensouled thread, and 125x Spirit runes.
Final Thoughts
You now have access to your weapon’s Special Attack and the ability to command multiple conjures, which fundamentally changes how the skill feels in active combat. This level marks the end of the “early game” and positions you perfectly to begin the more challenging gear tasks that involve bossing and higher-tier rituals.
The road ahead from level 60 is where the skill truly shines, especially as you approach the level 70 armor split. This choice between the high-sustain Tank (Deathwarden) path and the high-damage Power (Deathdealer) path will define your playstyle for the rest of your journey. Remember that your progress is no longer just about experience; it’s about balancing your combat training with Commune rituals to hit that massive 35,000-soul milestone required for the final tier of the talent tree.