One of the more common enemies people have trouble with, at least the first time, is the Black Liche. Sadly, the *only* solution I ever see for him is, of course, Mirror Image. Last night someone mixed it up and added in Wither, but Mirrors were still the initial suggestion. This is completely unnecessary, and it makes me sad to see that there are otherwise intelligent people that can't figure other methods of dealing with these creatures. Mirrors are *not* required to beat the BL. Intelligence and knowing your Necromancy is.
I use two different methods for dealing with this jerk.
Solo Method
This is the most dangerous method because the BL will be focused on you. However, this doesn't make him anymore dangerous than Terragon Dragons or Balrons either. Firstly, he *will* Flamestrike you. A lot. At 70 resist, it does around 60~70 damage to me, so be ready to heal often and quickly. Lots of FC/R and a one-button hotkey for your heal are your best friends here. Secondly, he *will* use Blood Oath on you at some point. If you're not paying attention, you will kill yourself. Watch your health closely, and if you see a sudden drop from something that isn't a Flamestrike, *stop* casting. He'll also hit you with Mind Rot from time to time, so you'll have to keep an eye on your mana if your regen isn't great.
Those are your biggest concerns, Flame Strike and Blood Oath. You're a mage, so I don't think I need to tell you to stay out of melee; otherwise, he'll turn you into a Skeleton. I'm not certain the exact effects of this on us, but it's unkind either way. If this does happen, you can break it with a quick Polymorph (the namesake spell or a Necro Form are best, but not Reaper form because it's too slow).
Corpse Skin + Fireballs is the way to finish him off. Take your time with it, don't get too spam happy; at 4/8 FC/R, I've been able to have two fireballs sailing when he Blood Oathed me and wound up eating the damage from both. You'll have to figure out the proper casting routine for yourself, but trust me; it's there and it's easy.
What about his spawns, you ask? Ignore them. As long as you keep moving, it's entirely possible that you'll be out of their range before they even think to aggro. If they do, a Fireball is generally enough to take them out. It's ultimately a non-issue for us. Though do be a responsible hunter and take them out *after* you kill the BL if they don't disappear.
Pets Method
Taking out the BL with pets is even easier. You will have to accept that they're going to be turned into Skeletons, but that's not really a big deal. You'll be partially on healing duty for this, but you do have a few key things that need to be done.
Namely, his spawn. This time it is an issue, as your pet will be tanking and keeping the battle stationary. Wraiths are not that big of a threat alone, but letting the BL summon too many can end a fight quick. There are two ways of dealing with them. Firstly, you can drop a quick Meteor Swarm each time they spawn. If you're quick enough, you can get them all in one shot and deal some damage to the BL at the same time. Alternatively, you can liter the area around the BL with Fire Fields. With the BL as the center, generally two in front and two behind make a big enough box that anything that spawns will immediately be caught in it. Even if not, should the Wraiths target your pet, they'll move into the field and burn up quick enough.
Depending on your pet, you may have plenty of leeway to nuke between heals. Cu Sidhe are rockstar for this (they rarely aren't rockstar, honestly). The Cu is a caster as well, so you can somewhat count on him to take care of himself; unless he gets Lethal poisoned or the creature he's dealing with poisons on hit, you can generally leave curing to him. Having two Cu Sidhe (if you can tame a Cu, you can use the Taming Potion for 7 Slots; a Cu takes three. Do the math) is a good way to take down just about anything in short order.
Mercs are also good against the BL, with high resist gear on hand. Fire resist is a great idea to dull down those Flamestrikes. Tutivillus might also be a solid tank, but be careful with him. I wouldn't take a Stage 3 Tordit or Stage 2 puppy against the BL; their resists and health are a bit too low for my liking and you may burn out all of your mana just trying to keep them alive. At higher stages, however, these also could be strong pets for a BL due to the sheer damage they can do even at low stages, along with Mortal Strike. I haven't played with my Evo dragon in a while, so I can't really say how he would work against the BL; I would err on the same side as the Tordit/Puppy in the Dragon's early stages, though.
If your Merc/pet can deal Fire or Poison damage, then Corpse Skin is still in the 'definite' column. If they use mostly Energy, you can still go for it. Pure Physical or Cold damage, however, you'd best leave it alone. You'll still most likely want to Fireball when you have the chance, but Lightning is also fast and powerful so you might consider it as well. Healing and Curing is your first priority, however; you don't want the Pet Method to turn into the Solo Method on *his* terms.
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