Froska is right that taking the Necromancer at the beginning, as antonag07 suggests, is pointless because, firstly, it's difficult, secondly, there are more useful skills that increase necromancy, such as developed/skilled necromancy, and thirdly, an additional 5% skeletons won't make a difference; it's easier to build Desecrated Tombs. In general, it's only useful in certain cases – either there's nowhere to spend the talent points (as in the case of mentorship), or there are too few neutral creatures, or it's a single-adventure scenario (SA). However, we've strayed a bit from the topic. Are there any more suggestions regarding skill builds and artifacts for the Necromancer against the Academy? Let's take Zoltan, as he's the most suitable hero for this purpose. I'm considering taking the Light skill.