Talismans Overview

Necromancers summon shadow creatures through use of a talisman. These mystical objects are crafted at the Necromancer Workbench and are bound to the necromancer’s will.

There are three major types of talismans, each representing a different bond of control:

• Friendly (Teal) – Companions bound by trust and necrotic essence. They serve loyally but do not drop loot when defeated.
• Animal (Yellow) – Shades of beasts twisted by necromancy. These summons fight fiercely and will drop resources or trophies when they fall. They can be tamed as usual if you desire.
• Wild (Red) – Chaotic manifestations of raw necrotic power. They are often orders of magnitude more dangerous, unpredictable, and destructive than their usual kin. Like Animal summons, they drop loot—a lot of loot—when slain.

Only the Animal and Wild summons will produce drops, allowing the necromancer to gather resources through their spectral minions.

Talisman Types

Friendly (Teal)	Animal (Yellow)	Wild (Red)
Loyal companions bound to the necromancer’s spirit. Used mainly for support and utility.	Twisted echoes of natural beasts. Useful for combat and resource gathering.	Chaotic entities forged from raw necroplasm. Highly aggressive and unpredictable.

Usage Notes

• Talismans are not consumed when summoning a shadow creature.
• The health of skeleton summons depends on the necromancer’s Necromancy skill level.
• Talismans can be stored in The Chest of Forgotten Souls to be equipped when needed without cluttering your main inventory space.
• Talismans are not stackable therefore placing them in Spectral Chests will cause them to be claimed by the underworld.
• Higher-tier talismans require rarer ingredients, encouraging necromancers to progress deeper into Valheim’s biomes.

Summoning Position

Necromancers can adjust where their summons appear relative to their position. Press Alt + P (Position) to cycle through the following options:

Darkbound will attempt to put a visible ghostly placeholder at the point where the summons will appear. Due to Valheim's characters sometimes having a lot of animation and particle emissions, this sometimes looks odd. However, you will have a rough idea of where the summoning position will be.

When you go to a tower with enemies on upper layers, you can summon your shadows up, then climb a level and summon more shadows for higher levels. You can also summon a flying shadow summons like a wraith, drake, deathsquito, seeker, or volture.

An example of changing the summoning position.

Night and Day System 🌒☀️

Necromantic power is deeply tied to the cycle of night and day. When the sun sets, the necromancer’s bond with the underworld strengthens, and their summons become infused with dark vigor.

Notes:

• The effect triggers automatically as day transitions to night and vice versa.
• Summons already active will gain or lose health accordingly — no need to resummon.
• The change is purely multiplicative; base stats, equipment bonuses, and other effects remain intact.
• This system rewards necromancers who thrive in the cover of darkness, aligning with the ancient traditions of the Entombed.

⚠️ Important Notes

• Skeleton summons are the only ones guaranteed to always be loyal and friendly.

  • All other teal-colored talismans have a chance of producing a wild (red) summon instead.
  • The higher the summon’s level compared to your Necromancy skill level, the greater the chance of failure or a wild outcome.

• Summon limits:

  • Only skeleton summons can exist in multiple numbers at once.
  • All special summons (from unique talismans) are restricted to one active at a time.
  • The total maximum across all summons is 6.
    • Example: You may control 6 skeletons, or 5 skeletons + 1 special summon.

An example of five Rancid Remains skeletons and one Special summons—in this case a Fenring Fire Cultist.