Int cap in Kunark
 

I'm having trouble comparing various items well and its clear that I don't have a good handle on Int cap and how much mana added Int is bringing me. Can anyone enlighten me a bit? I think I am at 248 Int or so at level 60 if that helps for reference.

Problem came up when I started looking at upgrading my Runescale Cloak (3 Int) to either a Mystic Cloak (5 Int) or Onyx Drakescale Cloak (35 mana).

200 is the soft cap for int. Since you are well over, I suggest taking off a piece of equipment that only has int on it, and seeing how much mana you get per point of INT over 200. Then judge based on that.

I've been wondering the same sort of thing, but with about Wis. Can someone explain what the soft cap is/means?

Soft cap is the point of diminishing returns. Prior to 200, you get a set amount of mana per point of int/wis. After 200, that amount goes down.

Soft cap for WIS and INT is 200. Hard cap I believe is 255?

http://thedruidsgrove.org/archive/eq/t-3817.html

A soft-cap is a point where the amount of gain for a given stat decreases relative to the stat gain. For 0-199 WIS, you obtain a given ratio of mana (quoted as (WIS+10)*LEVEL/5), for 200-255 WIS, you obtain fewer mana per point of WIS. This same formula should be true for INT as well I believe. I apologize for not being able to find a more true-to-classic-time ('99-'01) source.

For the visual learners, I've attached a graph based on the quoted formulas for mana pools (without +Mana items) of a L60 character. You'll notice that at the 200 stat mark, INT and WIS become far less influential on the mana pool than prior to the 200 mark.

After 200 wis/int you don't recieve as much mana per point of wis/int..So you want to start to look at replacing items with just wis/int on them for items that add raw mana and the like. Say you have a 3 wis cloak and you're at 220 wis and you notice you're only getting say 3-4 mana per wis above 200, you'd want to look for a cloak that adds raw mana that equals out to be more than the mana added from the wisdom you're replacing. Just keep in mind you want to maintain at least 200 wis/int.

Awesome, thanks for the plethora of info guys.

Someone wanna check my work?

Say I am lvl 60, have 245 Int, and ignore +mana on other items.

Benchmark-no item: 0 Int, +0 Mana, 245 Total Int, 2730 Mana
Runescale Cloak: 3 Int, +0 Mana, 248 Total Int, 2744 Mana
Mystic Cloak: 5 Int, +0 Mana, 250 Total Int, 2753 Mana
Onyx Drakescale Cloak: 0 Int, +35 Mana, 245 Total Int, 2765 Mana
Heiro Cloak: 4 Int, +75 Mana, 249 Total Int, 2823 Mana

Did you actually try on those items to get the new totals, or are you using the formulas provided?

The best way to tell is to take off your Runescale cloak and see how much you drop. According to this, you should drop ~15. If that is true, then each point of INT is worth 5 mana. So mystic is 5*5=25. Onyx drakescale is 35. Clear winner.

Nah, I'm actually trying to figure out what to get to upgrade. I'm saving up for a heiro but its not im my budget yet. Onyx or Mystic I can camp.