Erudite SK, Various Questions

[MegamanXZOBMV]

Hello everyone!

So I'm going to make an Eru SK. Not necessarily right this second, but in the near future. I have a Mage and Necro I'm working on who will probably be able to twink the SK out a bit. Since I've never really had a twinked character (ever, even on Live) I figured this would be a good place to try it out. That said, there's a few things I'd like to know, and would appreciate any input/answers from anyone.

1. Is an Erudite SK of Cazic-Thule accepted within the Bloodsabers? Meaning, will I not be KOS and can I bank, shop, and train within the Qeynos Aqueducts?

2. Is there (currently or with the Velious release) any way of raising faction with the three Erudite caster guilds, without harming Heretics faction?

3. I'm thinking about leveling up this Shadowknight on Odus for as long as I can. Back in Live, I neglected the Odus continent and never really experienced all it had to offer (as little as that may be), is there anything in particular I should take note of? Are there any level ranges I won't be able to successfully progress through as a Shadowknight, that I may need to move off-continent for?

4. I've seen the suggested character creation stat allocations on the P99 wiki. Does anyone else have any alternative allocations they want to add, and why should I go with your particular path as opposed to others?

5. Any tips on being an Erudite SK (faction, equipment, stat, etc related... all welcome) ?


Thank you all for your time and opinions, they are greatly appreciated and I hope to see you on the server!

[Nirgon]

If you raid that character pretty hardcore in Velious, he will be very strong. Avatar doesn't boost INT mind you and I think SK gets drain soul in Velious (right?).

[pharmakos]

i've played a couple erudite SKs over the years, i don't have all the answers though =p

1. yes, you will be accepted by the bloodsabers

4. definitely put a bunch of points into STA. the wiki's reasoning for adding 5 to AGI makes sense, but also i think that bumping STR up to 75 will increase your damage output about the same amount so it might be 6 of 1 half dozen of the other idk :)

5. erudite SKs are one of the easier SK races as far as faction is concerned. you'll be dubious rather than KOS to a lot of people. the main issue you'll face is that it might be tough to get off of Odus, since SKs don't get invis til much later in life. i think, though, that if you level on kobolds your faction will be good enough that you can make it to the boat in Erudin if you're careful.

good luck :)

[Danth]

You can use the Qeynos underground, yes.

Definitely put 5 points into agility. While you can gain 5 agility from items, it's not worth having to worry about those 5 points for the entirety of your character's existence.

For the remaining 15 points, the importance of stamina vs strength depends on how far you intend to level the character, how much you intend to raid, and on what kind of twink gear, if any, you plan to equip it with. As a rule, strength is most useful to lower-level and worse-geared players (though it maintains some benefit all the way to 60 for non-raiding players), while stamina is useless at low levels but becomes fairly important at higher levels (especially 50+). Make your allotment with those considerations in mind. Your character will have fairly low melee stats for most of its leveling period regardless of what you pick.

Find sufficient STR gear for your character, even before haste. You won't like your character much if he's encumbered all the time.

Danth

[Extunarian]

I just want to know how the hell trolls start with 5 more agi than erudites.

As for your question about factioning for Erudite Casters guilds, the inert potion quest is the only one I can think of that *might* not lower heretics, but you do lose Erudite guards. Also you would probably have to mess up your faction with heretics just to get good enough Craftkeeper faction to even do the quest.

[Raavak]

On p1999 I started an Erudite wizard, seeking to do something totally different than I had ever done on Live. Never had a wizard, never had an Erudite.

I quickly learned that Odus is a very lonely (albeit quiet) place.

Good luck to you. What you are planning sounds like fun.

[Woobi]

3. Once you get to level 12 or so, head over to Erud's crossing. Killing willowhisps there is great money.

[MegamanXZOBMV]

Thanks for the responses everyone! :)

I think I'll definitely drop those 5 points for AGI. You incur a penalty for having less than 75, do you not (Is that only agility, or do all stats have some kind of penalty like that)? With the responses so far, I'm thinking of putting the rest as either 10str/5sta or 5str/10sta. Does that sound reasonable? I know STR gear is pretty easy to find, but what about STA gear? My uneducated guess is that it should be just as easy to get as strength-stuff.

I don't really plan on doing a whole bunch of extreme raiding with this character. At least, that's only what I intend. I was thinking something simpler, like just basic grouping and maybe, maybe, some lower-end raid material... if I enjoy it enough. Never really been the Raid type, to be honest. Plus I might drink too much to be part of a well-coordinated force <.<

I did make a scratch EruSK, to see if I could get off of Odus without a hitch. The guards aren't a problem. I can get about to where the teleport pads for Erudin Palace and the docks are.. but then some sort of a caster (or Deepwater Knight? His name starts with a V) catches me every single time.. and nukes me. Even when I reach the teleport pad to head to the dock.. somehow his spell still reaches me and I get one-shotted. I don't want to wait until SK invis to leave, but at the same time I don't want to -have- to get someone to port or invis me out. If thats how its gotta be though, then I guess I'll have no choice.

Another quick question: Do useful SKs pretty much exclusively use 2H Slashing weapons? I hear a lot of talk about how 2HS is the way to go, any particular reason for that or do the 2HS choices just rock way more than the others? As well, at any point (and for any reason) should I attempt to use a shield for bashing, or should I just skip over that and focus on 2HS?

[Danth]

2-hand weapons offer the best cost effectiveness. You can buy 2-handers with surprisingly good damage ratios for a mere couple hundred platinum. Some of them are even fast enough to be useful at low levels. If you want to use 1H weapons, SK's have several good 1H options available. However, you'll be paying thousands instead of hundreds if you want a good 1-hander.

The stat allocations you describe both sound good. You're right, there's a distinct AC penalty for having less than 75 agility. I don't think the other stats have a significant penalty for having under 75.

Strength is more common on gear than stamina, but it isn't an enormous difference. Stamina gear is out there if you look for it. The larger difference is in buffs--STR buffs tend to be better than STA buffs. An Erudite will have mediocre starting STR and STA (relative to something like an Ogre) regardless of point expenditure, so my own suggestion is to try to allocate points in the manner that'll most improve your quality of life.

I suggest invis-ing through Erudin or finding a port out.

Note that unlike a Paladin, an Erudite Shadowknight isn't all bad. That higher intelligence will really help when you're soloing and get a string of unlucky resists. It's also handy if you wind up in end-game Velious and find your melee stats all maxed.

Danth

[MegamanXZOBMV]

Alright. Thanks, two-handed it is! Especially if they're cheap. :)

One last question, specifically about gear: What's important gear-wise for an SK? I know getting those stats up is important, obviously, but what about haste and resists? Should I be looking into good haste and resist items? I know haste can be useful no matter what, but are resists more for the raid-minded people, or are they good for regular grouping?