Back in December, Grim Dawn developer Crate Entertainment announced that two new classes would be coming to the game in an expansion scheduled for release later this year. The first, the Inquisitor, was revealed as part of the initial announcement, while the second was unveiled today as the dreaded Necromancer. 

"Following a period of steep decline, the rulers of Arkovia needed a scapegoat to distract the disgruntled populace from the corruption threatening to topple the once great empire. Necromancers proved to be a perfect target," Crate explained in the Necro-nouncement. "Already detested by most citizens, the Arkovian Oligarchs banned the practice of necromancy outright and condemned its practitioners to the prison known as the Steps of Torment. One of the last necromancers to be captured was the mysterious Uroboruuk. But he was unlike any other, for he could not be killed by any means employed by the Arkovian executioners." 

That bit of fiction was previously established as part of Grim Dawn's somewhat complicated backstory, in which the Uroboruuk-worshipping Order of Death's Vigil is generally regarded as bad news but also handy in a fight, and is therefore tolerated as a possible ally. (And a better choice that those Kymon's Chosen fanatics, if you ask me.) The Steps of Torment is also present as one of the game's "Challenge Dungeons." But with the release of the expansion, the Necromancer will become a fully playable class. 

The details are still being nailed down, but Crate said the class will excel at the use of Aether and Vitality magic. "Drain Essence" will allow necromancers to siphon the life force of enemies to restore their own, and of course they'll also be able to raise skeletons—and possibly more powerful minions at higher levels—to do their bidding. Despite their focus on magic, Necromancers will also be capable in physical confrontations, particularly when taking advantage of powers like Necrotic Edge, which makes every wound just a little bit more disgusting. 

Necromancers seem to be all the rage these days: Blizzard recently offered a closer look at the revamped Diablo 2 Necro that it's working to bring to Diablo 3. A release date for Grim Dawn's take on the class hasn't been announced, but Crate said more will be revealed (about the expansion, not necessarily the Necromancer) in the next developer update on April 3.   

It's the age-old bane of RPGers everywhere: You discover a new piece of armor that's incredibly powerful, perfect for your class—and ugly as sin. It's too good not to wear, but you hesitate anyway because, let's be honest, you look like an absolute clown in that thing. To help alleviate your sartorial shame in the action-RPG Grim Dawn, Crate Entertainment has announced that it will add a new "Service NPC" in the upcoming expansion who will, for a price, make your gear just as pretty as you want it. 

"Using proprietary Illusionist mind-meld technology, any item you discover will automatically have its appearance stored," Crate explained. "In fact, the first time you launch the expansion, every item you have in your inventory and stash will be automatically added to start your collection. That’s a lot of different looks!" 

Illusionists will be available at Devil's Crossing and Fort Ikon in the base game, and in other areas in the expansion, and will not be restricted by level. The usual item level requirements will apply to illusions, however, so first-level characters won't be able to make their gear look like level 75 legendaries. The cost of casting an illusion will scale with your character's level (reverting an item to its original appearance will be free) and transmogrified items can be shared between characters but not traded with other players, although removing the illusion restores their tradeability. And there are some restrictions: items can only be made to look like other equipment of the same class, so you can't make a one-handed sword look like a two-hander, for instance. 

Unfortunately, there's no indication as to when the Illusionist will join the Grim Dawn action, because there's still no word about when the expansion will be out aside from "this year"—hopefully in the first half. The expansion will include a "massive new chapter of Grim Dawn's ongoing tale," plus two new masteries—the Inquisitor was revealed last year, but the second remains a mystery—an increased level cap, and 14 new Constellations.