[Ennewi]

https://web.archive.org/web/20010911...EW.ASP?ID=5645

PLAYER STRATEGY - SHADOWKNIGHT
INTELLIGENT SHADOWKNIGHTS - Daelin, Xev
The key to attaining the full range of power associated with the shadowknight class is simple. Intelligence. Ogres, Trolls, and to a lesser degree Iksar make lousey SKs. Why? Simple, they're stupid. If you're just going to run up and hit the attack button I suggest making a warrior. Now that we've got that nonsense out of the way let's clear up another misconception or two. Strength, worthless. Ignore it once you've got enough to wear your armor without being encumbered. At 36 I have 110 strength and I'm quite content to keep it there. Before level 20 use a 1h weapon with a shield, I recommend a polished granite tomahawk, the proc on this weapon is a shieldskin effect. Extremely useful. Why switch at 20 to 2h instead of keeping 1h and bash? Simple, 1h weapons offer rather small fast damage, this is greater than 2h damage over time really, but there's a reason to want the slower weapons. Recently Verant changed shadowknights so that we can cast between swings without adding to the delay, this means that slower weapons allow us to utilize our mana reserves without penalizing our melee damage. Remember! You're not a warrior, don't just run up and beat things up unless you're out of mana. You're a caster, act like one, meditate between pulls if you're not the puller. When you're soloing use fear kiting, very effective and saves a ton of damage to yourself, using your mana wisely you can keep an opponent snared and lifetap it often enough to keep yourself healthy even soloing at higher levels. Your superior intelligence will allow you to regenerate faster than the vaunted trolls could ever achieve. How? Simple, when soloing do so next to a group, when you're hurt just lifetap a little off their pulls, they won't mind as long as you don't KS from them, which is very unlikely. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Pets Pets are extremely useful at lower levels (9-15)and higher levels (52+) though admittedly right now mine is of limited use because it misses so much, however at upper levels the pet becomes quite an ally, get used to handling it. Always use /pet no taunt, keep yourself as the main target. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Grouping Your job in a group is simple, make yourself the single most hated opponent the mob has. Very easy for us, infact we have some spells that help. Disease cloud, level 9 dot, keep it memorized! one cast of this little puppy and a single use of the taunt skill will make you the single most hated enemy a mob has. Warriors are likely to be jealous of your superior taunting abilities, you can even outtaunt rangers if you really try. Another good taunt spell is Heart Flutter, which we recieve at 39. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Harm Touch Quite a dilemma is when you use this, save it for when you're about to be slaughtered or burn it the second it pops up. Well I offer this advice, if you're soloing save it because you might need it (especially before level 30), if you're in a group that can handle everything being pulled, burn it when it recharges (assuming the mob isn't nearly dead of course, that'd be a waste). Different shadowknights employ this differently. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Weapons I've already stated I prefer 2h weapons, and I've said why. Now for the delay, you'll want a weapon with a decently long delay, 3-5 seconds, no longer or it'll be too slow to be useful. Personally I use an Argent Defender, which has a delay of 4.9 seconds. I can cast my lifetap between swings quite nicely and keep myself healthy wether grouped or alone. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Skills Some guides on this very site advocate the insane, pushing all your training points into something the moment you get it. Only the stupid need to do this, ogres, trolls, iksar. If you're intelligent enough, which you undoubtedly are due to the benefits, you can simply put one point in to learn the basics and watch it fly up. The one skill I had a problem with was Riposte, the only problem was I had to keep myself highest on the hate list, but by grouping I capped this skill before I hit the next level. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Prefered Races Erudites and Dark Elves make the best shadowknights. Dark elves have superior vision, better starting location (much closer to the center of things). Downside is they have horrid faction, and slightly lower intelligence. Erudites have the highest intelligence of any SK race, they also have very good faction for a shadow knight, unfortunatly that's all they have going for them. Lousey starting area (it's a great zone, but in a bad position), no night vision. Trolls ogres, and to a lesser degree iksar, don't bother, be a warrior instead if you're going to pick one of these. They would take a huge amount of intelligence items to make them close to the starting point of the two best races. Don't waste your time and platinum. Humans are middle of the road, not really strong, not particularly bright, but using your starting points wisely you can be strong enough to wear your armor and bright enough to be useful. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Armor Bronze is decent, but it's ugly as sin, It's good enough up until you can get darkforge, or better yet Sentient. If you're an erudite you can get cold iron from Warrens, adds to magic resistance and has a very cool look, otherwise identical to bronze. Sentient is lighter than bronze, but expensive, it adds to intelligence very nicely. Definatly the armor you should wear if you have a choice between it and Darkforge. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Enjoy your new shadowknight with the intelligence to use your power correctly. A well played shadowknight can make a warrior seeth with envy. Enjoy doing it.

Strategy Submitted on: Monday, May 28, 2001