Starting as an Iksar - Bad Idea?

[Jalir]

Hey all, I'm a long time EQ player, but new to P99. I've decided to start my first toon as an Iksar Shaman .. but it's been so long that I don't remember if faction issues were a huge problem for me back when I played an Iksar during Kunark era.

I'd think most of the popular early-mid level grouping spots (which I assume is important to the rate and ease of levelling for a low level shaman) are on the main continents due to ease of getting there for most races. My question is would I have problems getting/binding near these areas as an iksar to level with others? Or would I pretty much have to stick to Kunark zones for a while in order to not get ganked by any wandering guards?

And while I'm at it, any useful, shaman friendly tips, or quests to do, etc would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any advice on the subject.
P.S - If you see me in-game, feel free to send me a tell saying hi! :3

[Dravingar]

It's very easy to bind in zones but can be a bit of a pain selling/banking/getting spells and all that.

[Zenlina]

Iksar shaman's cant wear planar gear or kunark Jaundiced set (No nuking bracer for joo).. till like next expansion, so imo i would suggest not playing that race to start off. Better to maybe play ogre since you wont get hit stun from the front and have a bigger Sta/HP pool to canni off plus that race is on the main land where other people lvl up there toons at.

[Jalir]

Hmm, not being able to use Jaundiced is definately something I overlooked .. problem is I really am not fond of the other races that can be a shaman lol. May need to think about whether I value looks/lore over gear/efficiency heh. Are there really -any- benefits of being an iksar shm over the other races that can be a shaman?

[Edrick]

Hmm, not being able to use Jaundiced is definately something I overlooked .. problem is I really am not fond of the other races that can be a shaman lol. May need to think about whether I value looks/lore over gear/efficiency heh. Are there really -any- benefits of being an iksar shm over the other races that can be a shaman?

Ogres are the most charming race in Norrath. I simply can not fathom why you wouldn't want to be an ogre shaman. I can't fathom why everyone on project 1999 isn't an ogre.

[Jalir]

Ogres are the most charming race in Norrath. I simply can not fathom why you wouldn't want to be an ogre shaman. I can't fathom why everyone on project 1999 isn't an ogre.

Well if I hadn't fallen in love with Iksars since they came out, my next choice would have been an ogre you see ... it's just been a while since I've played an iksar when all that was out was kunark. ;) Though I might just go for ogre as it is. Stun immunity sounds great for soloing.

[Mardur]

Hmm, not being able to use Jaundiced is definately something I overlooked .. problem is I really am not fond of the other races that can be a shaman lol. May need to think about whether I value looks/lore over gear/efficiency heh. Are there really -any- benefits of being an iksar shm over the other races that can be a shaman?

Not really, no. Iksar is possibly the worst race choice for a shaman.

[Skekekke]

Ogres are the most charming race in Norrath. I simply can not fathom why you wouldn't want to be an ogre shaman. I can't fathom why everyone on project 1999 isn't an ogre.

I'd be willing to RMT a kidney for an ogre monk. Just sayin'

[Lulz Sect]

yes

[Skekekke]

Binding shouldn't be too much of a worry, level 12 isn't that hard to achieve. As for JBB, meh... 8 second cast time for a 263dmg nuke /woo *twirl finger*

Iksars are bamf and I'm a sucker for AC and regen.

However, keep in mind exp penalties if you're just starting out, do you really want to be hindered by exp penalties?

Depends on what you plan on doing end game, raiding or soloing or grouping.

[falkun]

Not really, no. Iksar is possibly the worst race choice for a shaman.

Honestly, iksar are a great race with their swimming, foraging, innate AC and regen, but for the shaman class, and probably ONLY the shaman class, this fact is arguably true. Troll have the same innate regen and get slam, as do the other large races, and Ogres have frontal stun immunity as well.

On the other hand, I can't understand why you would make anything other than an iksar necromancer, the regen really helps the class a lot.

[Darian]

As for JBB, meh... 8 second cast time for a 263dmg nuke that doesn't cost mana


ftfy

[Zenlina]

Everyone also overlooked the massive XP pen that iksar get, so if u want to be left out of group alot too cos' you giving everyone else a xp drop too then go iksar by all means... :p

[funhorroryes]

why do people keep making these posts

[Jalir]

why do people keep making these posts

Point me in the direction of a page of people's opinions similar to what I was asking for, so maybe others won't have to. If you can't, that's cool too, though you could refrain from being a dick. (or maybe not, judging by the majority of your posts.)

To everyone else, thanks for the help.

[mwatt]

The inability to bank is a pain. The exp penalty also might bother you. The banking thing is eased if you go Troll instead of Iksar, and you still get innate regen.

[Wudan]

Not really, no. Iksar is possibly the worst race choice for a shaman.

DOH! Im afraid you dont know anythign about shaman class...

[Messianic]

DOH! Im afraid you dont know anythign about shaman class...

Lol, i'm afraid you don't know anything about him.

[FoxxHound]

Iksar is my favorite race too, and I have a sham.
Though I wouldn't suggest it. Leveling is slow + most don't want you in their group!

[Wudan]

Lol, i'm afraid you don't know anything about him.

dude, i have played shaman on live to 70lvl 12k mana, 10k hp, I know pretty much everything about the class.

....if everyone thought the way you do, then the server would only see the best possible combos of race/class which would be pretty boring! Its not just about starting stats and abilites!

I really really hate this "math geek" approach to picking the race/class tha many people hold. Iksar is awsome race with one of the best starting areas and armor quests. Screw starting stats, cause they dont matter in long run. Screw faction and banking, it only makes the game more interesting when it is more difficult. I dont wanna be able to bank on every corner.

Being an Iksar means picking the hard way, which is more rewarding and not for pussies.

[Wudan]

Iksar is my favorite race too, and I have a sham.
Though I wouldn't suggest it. Leveling is slow + most don't want you in their group!

It does not matter. Why do people even care about this? Where exactly are you rushing when the next and last expansion is not even on the horizon?

I recommend making Iksar Shaman and focusing on scaled mystic armor quest line and shaman skull quests line.

[Messianic]

dude, i have played shaman on live to 70lvl 12k mana, 10k hp, I know pretty much everything about the class.

....if everyone thought the way you do, then the server would only see the best possible combos of race/class which would be pretty boring! Its not just about starting stats and abilites!

I really really hate this "math geek" approach to picking the race/class tha many people hold. Iksar is awsome race with one of the best starting areas and armor quests. Screw starting stats, cause they dont matter in long run. Screw faction and banking, it only makes the game more interesting when it is more difficult. I dont wanna be able to bank on every corner.

Being an Iksar means picking the hard way, which is more rewarding and not for pussies.

I didn't mention how much you know about the class - because I was honest and don't know. I pointed out that you obviously don't know how much Mardur knows. And nothing you said indicates that you do.

So you're assuming he knows nothing because he believes that mathematically, Iksar are the worst shaman race. And then you went on to say that picking the Iksar is the hard way and that you hate the mathematical approach to picking characters, basically admitting that at least *arguably*, he's right.

[Tuffpuppy]

Being that nobody knows how long it will be till Velious will be released, I would have to agree that Iksars are the worst race for the Shaman class. I made my Shaman an Ogre and loving all my HP and partial stun immunity, not to mention not having that severe exp penalty is nice.

[FoxxHound]

It does not matter. Why do people even care about this? Where exactly are you rushing when the next and last expansion is not even on the horizon?

I recommend making Iksar Shaman and focusing on scaled mystic armor quest line and shaman skull quests line.

Why does it matter?
Well if they are new to the game or just returning, and don't have people who came with them. It could be somewhat of a nuisance. I don't play much anymore due to rarely finding a group.

[Wudan]

Why does it matter?
Well if they are new to the game or just returning, and don't have people who came with them. It could be somewhat of a nuisance. I don't play much anymore due to rarely finding a group.

I started 1 month ago and knew nobody. Im now approaching lvl 30, have full set of scaled mystic quested gear, many good friends I met along the way to grp with and Im member of cool guild of mid lvl players which makes things even easier when you need to find grp or help for questing.

[Fazlazen]

iksar and troll are superior grouping and raiding shamans. They have more hp regen, which allows more canni. Torpor reduces the impact of hp regen to a certain degree, but it remains important nonetheless. Iksars/trolls with regrowth and fungi tunic will be regening at over 45 a tick, thats alot. In those settings, no shaman should be using jbb as there is better stuff you can do with your mana/time.

Ogre, troll and barbs all have the edge when it comes down to soloing because they have access to the jbb. With the insane amount of bashes that we get on this server, I'd say that if you want to be a tanking torporing shaman who solos alot at the high end, you should really go Ogre. They fixed (broke) bash on this server that now you pretty much get chain bashed if you have 2 mobs on you.

In top end gear, jbb can be replaced to some extent by dots and a bit more canniing/torporing, so iksar might have a bit more work to do and have a bit less choice in the way you damage mobs, but you'll be fine regardless.

[Wudan]

Being that nobody knows how long it will be till Velious will be released, I would have to agree that Iksars are the worst race for the Shaman class. I made my Shaman an Ogre and loving all my HP and partial stun immunity, not to mention not having that severe exp penalty is nice.

Stun - its such a minor advantage for shaman that Im always surprised ppl even mention it. Big lol

Exp penalty... picking race based on exp penalty is imho weak, very weak!

Being big, fat and ugly and starting in Innothule is why I could never play Ogre plus they just look like shit ...

[Hitchens]

Ogres start in the Feerott.

[Fazlazen]

You know... if the devs wanted to fix the lack of content for iksar mail/plate classes they could just introduce iksar planar armor ahead of the timeline since its on par with planar/kunark class armor... but hey... if they stuck to the timeline it will be introduced at when people can easily farm better plate quest armor in Vellious, which kinda defeats the purpose of putting it in...

This makes sense, especially since the iksar planar gear came out about 11 months after kunark came out, so we'd still be respecting the timeline.

[webrunner5]

Play what you want. This I don't want them in a group is just not happening mid to low level groups on here. There are not that many groups so if you find someone LFG you will get them no matter what race or class penality.

Although 5 Iksar SK's and me as a Halfling Cleric in one group would sort of suck lol.

[Pierth]

OP I was in the same situation as you not long ago. The only thing I can really add is that for starting areas, Cabilis is hands down the best I've encountered in game. My Iksar is my only lowbie (I have no toons higher than the teens at this point) that I've had no issues whatsoever having plenty of money for spells and items.

They also have some good quests to help you get started, like the curscale and cudgel quests.

[Turp]

Im playing an Iksar Shaman now, i stayed in the pit/kurns tower until 19-20 than went to EC tunnel, you can bind there than just port to exp spots! and if you die, this server has such very nice / generous people, that you can get a port for corpse run normally free of charge. It does suck to bank if you do not know your way from DL to FM to Lake to Cab but if you do know that path than its not to much of a pain. And in the endgame the regen an AC worth it imo if you plan on grouping/raiding over solo play

[mwatt]

The wine quest in Neriak should allow you to bank. You need to buy a buttload of red wine, invis to the library in 3rd gate, and hand in the wine 4 at a time (some say 1 at a time) to the right NPC there. I forget the name, you can look it up. It will take 2 or 3 backpacks full of stacks of wine to to get where you want to get. You can get to good faction with Merchants, Bankers and outer Neriak Guards. There are some NPCs who will remain KOS, so you must still be careful.

[Turp]

The wine quest in Neriak should allow you to bank. You need to buy a buttload of red wine, invis to the library in 3rd gate, and hand in the wine 4 at a time (some say 1 at a time) to the right NPC there. I forget the name, you can look it up. It will take 2 or 3 backpacks full of stacks of wine to to get where you want to get. You can get to good faction with Merchants, Bankers and outer Neriak Guards. There are some NPCs who will remain KOS, so you must still be careful.

Great tip , i know iksar shaman cannot turn them in without invising, can we wait till 29 then give 4 wines and invis ourselves before we hit give, or are you not able to cast when trading them, if so you will need to bring someone with you to invis you or have cloudy potion at least until able to hand them in.
Does not accept wine at apprehensive.
Did accept at indifferent.
10 stacks--maxed ally with Dark Bargainers, threatening to Dreadguard Outer and Inner
34 stacks--dubious with Dreadguard Outer and Inner
51 stacks--amiable with Dreadguard Outer and Inner
68 stacks--same as above
85 stacks--warmly with Dreadguard Outer and Inner
100 stacks--maxed ally with Dreadguard Outer and Inner

[Galelor]

Stun - its such a minor advantage for shaman that Im always surprised ppl even mention it. Big lol

Exp penalty... picking race based on exp penalty is imho weak, very weak!

Being big, fat and ugly and starting in Innothule is why I could never play Ogre plus they just look like shit ...

I love bash when XPing and fighting casters. It is very useful, and I wouldn't marginalize it.

[Ikonoclastia]

Race is probably not worth arguing about in terms of capability. In groups no one would notice any difference if you were iksar / ogre / troll or barb.

Solo stun immunity would be okay but having a big ass in a cramped dungeon might get you killed too.

Only thing I can really think of that would make a huge difference would be stun immunity soloing lodizal when velious comes out... lol

[webrunner5]

Only thing I can really think of that would make a huge difference would be stun immunity soloing lodizal when velious comes out... lol

Yeah he has been known to summon lol.

[edgrubermn]

Not really, no. Iksar is possibly the worst race choice for a shaman.

Have to disagree... but then again, things are much much different when you're talking about only Kunark. Iksar make great shaman (their stats lean more for caster type than tanker types), but the advice about the ogre is actually pretty good... since mobs are mis characterized on this server and everything under the sun stuns after level 5 or so, it's actually a huge advantage to not get stunned if you're soloing.

If you plan on spending a lot of time in Kunark/Velious (when released) then faction isn't really an issue. Velious made things much easier for iksar since the factions there were all pretty much the same for everyone.

Not being able to use the current high teir shaman armor might be a deal breaker for you though. Iksar do get a set, but it's level 25ish, so not nearly on par with Jaundiced at all.

[Broot]

Play what you want to play and what sounds cool to play. I made a troll SK off the bat, haven't regretted it despite the challenges.

[Plyssken]

I'm playing an Iksar necro.

Field of Bone is one of the best starting zones in the games for necros in particular hands down! It makes Misty Thicket seem just ok, and that's saying something.

I mean it has a 5th level mini-dungeon in it that you can farm spiderling silk in. And Kurns tower is great xps when you hit teens! You can pull from the pit without having to sit on zone walls as you have to do in other zones.


Faction is a minor issue if you care. I (regrettably) went to the mainland at 16th. I turned in some bone chips as soon as I got there in the tunnels of Freeport and can buy, sell & train there with no issue.

There is usually a at least one vendor in every non-dungeon zone you can still buy & sell at. (Shady, gypsies, Rathmana in So Ro, centaurs, etc) only issue is banking. You can do this buy buying something worth plat at the gypsies like Pearls & selling back. You take some loss but it's not that big a deal IMHO.

As far as being accepted in the Old World by whole cities that does take work but it doesn't seem that important in the overall game.

Now not sure which trainer you would use as a shaman though since I didn't have to deal with that aspect.

[Asher]

Stun - its such a minor advantage for shaman that Im always surprised ppl even mention it. Big lol

Exp penalty... picking race based on exp penalty is imho weak, very weak!

Being big, fat and ugly and starting in Innothule is why I could never play Ogre plus they just look like shit ...

Please comment on JBB. I am sure it is useless right?

Reroll a Troll and get a Regent Symbol of Innoruuk. You will not regret it. One day they will fix snare on this server.

Asher

[Within99]

Real men play Iksar.

[Joroz]

if you like the role-playing aspect of the game and want some originality, iksar is a pretty good choice since they are pretty rare compared to other races. if your on a quest to be the best of that class and have maximum stats you can roll a recommended race and be clone of everyone else that had that same idea.

[Wudan]

Please comment on JBB. I am sure it is useless right?

Reroll a Troll and get a Regent Symbol of Innoruuk. You will not regret it. One day they will fix snare on this server.

Asher

dude I hate Trolls and Ogres, would NEVER play one even if you payed me. Big ugly mofos. The only other shaman race I would be willing to play is Barbarian, but Iksars are just too cool not to play one :) the rest does not matter to me...