Necesse Incursions — Complete Endgame Guide
Incursions are Necesse's post-game endgame content: one-time temporary zones opened with Gateway Tablets at a Fallen Altar. Complete the objective, beat the boss, and collect Essences — the currency for the strongest gear in the game.
All mechanics verified against necessewiki.com/Incursions. Game version: Necesse 1.3 (Rust & Romance).
Incursion Boss Gallery
1. Mother Slime
2. Night Swarm
3. Spider Empress
4. Moonlight Dancer
5. Sunlight Champion
6. Crystal Dragon
7. Gateway Tablet
How to Unlock Incursions
- Defeat the Fallen Wizard — the final main boss, found on the second floor of the Deep Desert Temple. He drops your first Gateway Tablet (100% drop).
- Craft a Fallen Altar at a Tungsten Workstation: 10 Tungsten Bar + 10 Glacial Bar + 10 Mycelium Bar + 10 Ancient Fossil Bar. You must already own a Gateway Tablet.
- Place the tablet in the Fallen Altar to open a portal to that tablet's incursion.
Each Gateway Tablet is one-time use and bound to one specific incursion. Hover a tablet to see its Incursion Tier, objective, biome, modifiers, and rewards.
Getting more tablets: enemies inside incursions have an uncommon chance to drop them, incursion bosses have a 100% chance to drop one as a Special Reward, and Tier 1 tablets can be crafted at the Fallen Workstation (e.g. Forest tablet = 10 Tungsten Bar + 10 Ectoplasm). Tier 2+ tablets can only be obtained as drops/rewards.
Upgrading tablets: at an Upgrade Station, a tablet gains +1 Tier and rerolls its special rewards and modifiers (biome and objective stay). Cost: current Tier × 25 Upgrade Shards.
Objectives: Hunt, Extraction, Trial
| Objective | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt | Kill 100 enemies | Tier 2+ enemies only drop their unique mob drops inside Hunt incursions |
| Extraction | Mine 100 of a specific ore | Enemies spawn progressively as you mine |
| Trial | Boss fight immediately | Only in Sun Arena and Moon Arena biomes |
Before the boss fight starts, you can leave (teleport or die) and return with no penalty. Once the boss fight begins, if every player dies or leaves, that attempt fails and you lose the boss's Essence drops for it. After killing the boss you get its Essences; when all attempts are used the incursion is marked complete. Clicking "Complete Incursion" at the Fallen Altar deletes anything left inside (Banners and Banner Stands are returned to you).
Tiers, Biomes & Modifiers
Higher tier = stronger enemy modifiers + better rewards. Each biome has a minimum tier:
| Min Tier | Biome | Boss Essence | Hunt Reward | Extraction Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest Deep Cave | Shadow Essence | Ectoplasm | Tungsten Ore |
| 1 | Snow Deep Cave | Cryo Essence | Glacial Shard | Glacial Ore |
| 1 | Swamp Deep Cave | Bio Essence | Silk | Mycelium Ore |
| 1 | Desert Deep Cave | Primordial Essence | Worm Carapace | Ancient Fossil Ore |
| 2 | Slime Cave | Slime Essence | Slime Matter | Slimeum |
| 3 | Graveyard | Blood Essence | Phantom Dust | Nightsteel Ore |
| 4 | Spider Castle | Spider Essence | Spider Venom | Spiderite Ore |
| 5 | Moon Arena | Dusk armor pieces | — (Trial) | — |
| 6 | Sun Arena | Dawn armor pieces | — (Trial) | — |
| 7 | Crystal Hollow | Crystal Essence | Omni-Crystal | Pearlescent Diamond |
| 8 | Scrapyard (new in 1.3) | Radiated Essence | Pristine Gear | Fuel Skull |
Tier 4–7 tablets roll 2 Incursion Modifiers; Tier 8+ roll 3:
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| Alchemical Interference | Potion buff duration -50% |
| Crawlmageddon | Every enemy is accompanied by a crawling zombie |
| Explosive | Enemies explode ~1.5s after death (no terrain damage) |
| Flameling Infested | A Flameling spawns every 10s and fires 18 fireballs in a ring |
| Frenzy | Enemies below 40% health gain +50% attack and move speed |
| Storming | 3 lightning strikes near you every 10s (ground markers show ~3s early) |
| Tremors | Every 25s your movement speed is halved for 5s |
Other rules worth knowing: boss summon items cannot be used inside incursions, Banner of War cannot be placed unless the Fallen Altar perk "War never changes" is unlocked, and deep cave bosses/mobs have separately balanced stats inside incursions.
All Incursion Bosses & Attack Patterns
Incursion-Exclusive Bosses
1. Mother Slime (Slime Cave, 18,000–45,000 HP by difficulty) Jumps to crush you; landing spawns ring-shaped spike walls with gaps (about 3 in a row); charges up a slam that summons Warrior Slimes. She moves faster the lower her health. Community verdict: do NOT melee her — use a bow in a pre-mined arena.
2. Night Swarm (Graveyard, ~150,000 HP total across the bat swarm) The swarm shifts formations: two circles, a triangle that collapses inward, grid sweeps, and a ring that fires bats at you one by one (you can bat them back). Speeds up at low health. Summons and homing weapons shine here — save your main weapon for the moments the swarm clumps.
3. Spider Empress (Spider Castle, 32,500 HP) Claw strikes telegraphed by gray lines that turn red; silk-glob volleys followed by a charge; poison balls that leave damage pools. At low health she enrages (head on fire): more claw lines in three waves, longer silk throws, and poison volleys ×2 rounds.
4. Moonlight Dancer (Moon Arena Trial, 61,250 HP) Slow ranged duel with a large slow-homing crescent projectile always in play. Periodically becomes immune to all damage, teleports, and bombards you while a Crushing Darkness debuff ticks toward a one-shot — pick up the 4 shields that spawn (25% damage reduction each) to survive.
5. Sunlight Champion (Sun Arena Trial, 70,000 HP) Fast brawler whose two fists orbit you independently (shared health pool). Fires delayed-explosion flares. His killer move: a short windup into a massive lethal explosion centered on himself — sprint away the moment he charges it. Fists get faster at low health.
6. Crystal Dragon (Crystal Hollow, 100,000 HP — same at every difficulty) Flying serpent that circles and body-slams; crystal shots that burst into shard spreads; a rotating laser sweep beam is his deadliest attack. Occasionally summons Crystal Golems (sniper lasers — kill them first).
7. Mutant Hydra (Scrapyard, Tier 8+, new in 1.3) Waits in an arena at the top of the map. Attack patterns not yet documented on the official wiki — new content. Drops Radiated Essence and, per the 1.3 update, has a chance at Bumper Car mounts (6 variants).
8. Ascended Wizard (Tier 10 Ascended Incursion — the true final boss) Craft the Tier 10 Ascended Incursion Tablet at the Fallen Workstation from 5 Ascended Shards (dropped by Tier 8+ incursion bosses, and only after unlocking the Tier 10 perk "The Beginning of The End"). A 3-phase fight (90,000–165,000 total HP by difficulty) where he revives into stronger forms. Detailed phase attacks are not yet on the official wiki. Killing him rolls the credits.
Deep Cave Bosses Reused in Tier 1 Incursions
| Boss | Biome | Essence | Quick Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reaper | Forest | Shadow | Dodges 4 chain-charges, summons Reaper Spirits, throws a boomerang scythe. Below 50% HP: faster charges, dual portals, teleports while throwing |
| Cryo Queen | Snow | Cryo | Ice spikes (line & spiral layouts, blue mist telegraphs), scattering shards, vertical ice waves. Below 50%: faster, waves split both ways |
| Pest Warden | Swamp | Bio | Slow surround-charges and a constricting wrap (hardened damage reduction while wrapping). Resists fire/poison/ice. Gets faster the more it's hurt |
| Sage and Grit | Desert | Primordial | Twin dragons: circle → alternating charges → twin head-flame lines. Killing one enrages the other — try to kill both nearly simultaneously |
Rewards: Essences, Gear & the Perk Tree
- Essences (20–25 per boss kill) — Shadow/Cryo/Bio/Primordial (Tier 1), Slime/Blood/Spider (Tier 2), Crystal & Radiated (Tier 3). Crafted at the Fallen Anvil / Fallen Workstation into endgame gear; also spent at the Upgrade Station. The Fallen Anvil itself is a Tungsten Anvil upgraded with 10 Tier 1 Essences + 10 Upgrade Shards.
- Special Rewards (orange items on the tablet): upgraded weapons/armor or a tablet of the same or higher tier — 100% gateway tablet from every boss.
- Exclusive incursion armor sets: Slime, Nightsteel (3s untargetable on V), Spiderite (poison web on V), Dusk (mage/summoner, night buffs + glow), Dawn (melee/ranged, daytime fire), Crystal (4 helmet branches), Makeshift (Scrapyard, Quick Tinker), Battle Chef's (+1 food buff slot), Ravenlord's (fastest movespeed, tracking feathers while moving), Arcanic (mage, Overcharged lightning).
- Exclusive weapons & items: The Raven's Nest, Ravenwing Greatsword, Ravenbeak Spear, Chef's Special, Kinetic Boots (final dash boots), Raven Feather, Electrified Mana.
- Every completion also drops Alchemy Shards / Upgrade Shards, and upgraded tools are in the pool.
Fallen Altar Perk Tree
Each Fallen Wizard kill drops 60 Altar Dust. The perk tree currently has 54 perks (up to 49 unlockable, 26,710 dust total; respec costs 1,000 coins per point). Key gates: "More dust!" (enemies can drop dust), "The Beginning of The End" (unlocks Tier 10 / Ascended Shards), "Feeling Hopeful" (settlers rescued from incursions come with more personalities — new in 1.3).
Community Tips (Verified from r/Necesse)
- Mobility beats blocking — take dash trinkets like Ghost Boots over shield trinkets; Sturdy (+4 armor) beats Tough on the trinket enchant side.
- Hire Guards from the Mission Board (1–3), hand them your old gear, and bring 4–5 ranged/magic settlers to fights. Add a Miner for Extraction incursions.
- Night Swarm: clear the swarm with summons + homing weapons; main weapon only when they clump.
- Mother Slime: never melee — bow, big pre-mined arena, full potion buffs, and a teleport trinket to escape slam combos.
- Skip bosses you can't beat (e.g. Sage and Grit). Incursion progress doesn't require them — push tier through other biomes.
- Don't chase tablet Special Rewards — the pool is random. Clear incursions, then craft your gear from essences. Craft only 2 armor pieces; buy the 3rd from the Pawnbroker (cheaper with 3+ settlements).
- Swamp's Grasp (slowing weapon) makes Graveyard and Spider Castle bosses much easier. Build a Hunter's outfit + bow specifically for Hunt incursions.
- Graveyard is the gold farm — every tombstone gives coins or elixirs; a single run can yield ~20,000 gold. Scrapyard (1.3) is currently the fastest level farm.
FAQ
Is there a time limit in incursions? Not documented on the official wiki — no timer mechanic is described. Boss attempts are limited per incursion (exact count not officially documented).
Can I re-fight an incursion boss? Only by opening a new incursion (new tablet). When attempts run out, the incursion is complete.
What are Ascended Shards for? Tier 8+ boss drops (after unlocking the Tier 10 perk). 5 of them craft the Tier 10 Ascended Incursion Tablet — the true final boss. Also used to upgrade weapons/tools at the Upgrade Station.
I just beat the Fallen Wizard. Where do I start? Craft the Fallen Altar, run the four Tier 1 deep-cave incursions, and use Tier 1 essences to upgrade your Tungsten Anvil into a Fallen Anvil.
Data sources: necessewiki.com — Incursions, Incursion Biomes, Gateway Tablet, Incursion Perk Tree, Essences, individual boss pages, and veteran threads on r/Necesse. Game version: Necesse 1.3.
Looking for the full boss list? See our Necesse Bosses in Order guide. For the gear you'll craft with essences, check the Armor Guide and Weapons Guide.