Making a Necro

nocookiesforme · #1 09-10-2011, 10:25 AM

Hi again all. I'm about to make a Necro, and he'll be the first evil char I've ever played. Being evil, I kinda like the idea of being able to level killing NPCs that are off-limits for neutral/good chars because of faction hits. Accordingly, I have some questions about what to expect faction-wise with the different races I'm considering.

My first choice was a DE Necro, 'cause I know exactly where I'd stand with him. I'd be welcome in the somewhat centrally located Neriak, and able to buy my spells there; I'd also be welcome in the Ogre and Troll cities, right? If I killed bards or guards somewhere like Misty Thicket, where else would I be welcome? Could I go to Freeport if I killed a bunch of Orcs? Would I ever want to?

My next choice was either a Gnome or an Erudite. My understanding is that Gnomes are a "good" race. Accordingly, where would I be welcome as a Gnome Necro? Would I be able to buy my spells anywhere other than the Gnome city? Would I be able to go to Neriak? I assume they'd just try to eat me in Oggok or Grobb. And would I be welcome in Freeport/Qeynos, or only in the hidden parts? What if I killed Bards/Guards?

As an Erudite Necro, how hard is it to get off the Island without a port? Would I be KOS in Erud? And once on the main continent, would I be able to walk into Qeynos or Freeport without getting 1-shotted by a guard? Or would I again be relegated to the Sewers? How would Bard/Guard killing factor in here? And how hard is life really for a toon who's relegated to the Sewers? Lastly, would I be welcome in any evil cities?

The reason I was considering a Gnome or Erudite at all is mostly that I feel like DE Necros are a dime-a-dozen, and I'd like to feel at least a tiny bit original [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]. I know there's a TON of questions up there and they're not particularly well organized, but I'm at work right now (on a Saturday, please kill me) so I don't really have time to try to format this better. Thank you in advance for your help, guys!

vageta31 · #2 09-10-2011, 10:52 AM

Fully embrace evil, play an Iksar Necro and be hated by all. They're superior to the other necros and if you chose CT as your deity you can still use Ogre vendors in Feerrott which comes in handy if you're killing the specs. I assume RP is not an issue or else you'd have just chosen a race and be done with it. Since you're looking for advice I will say it again. Go Iksar and if anyone tells you otherwise they're doing you a big disservice.

druziil · #3 09-10-2011, 11:12 AM

I think a low race/class combo would be Human Necro.

nocookiesforme · #4 09-10-2011, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by druziil [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think a low race/class combo would be Human Necro.

I'm sure that's true, haha, but it doesn't particularly appeal to me. As for an iksar, the XP Penalty scares me. I don't have all that much time to play... would the regen bonus make up for the additional experience needed, time-wise? Also, would I be able to buy Necro spells / research ingredients anywhere other than Cabillis? I'm more concerned about that and banking than much else, vendor-wise. And while I think I might actually enjoy grinding faction if I had more time to play, I'd rather avoid it since I don't.

Thanks again!

vageta31 · #5 09-10-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nocookiesforme [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm sure that's true, haha, but it doesn't particularly appeal to me. As for an iksar, the XP Penalty scares me. I don't have all that much time to play... would the regen bonus make up for the additional experience needed, time-wise? Also, would I be able to buy Necro spells / research ingredients anywhere other than Cabillis? I'm more concerned about that and banking than much else, vendor-wise. And while I think I might actually enjoy grinding faction if I had more time to play, I'd rather avoid it since I don't.

Thanks again!

The regen definitely makes up for the exp penalty, which in reality isn't all that bad. Your downtime will be far less so you'll be killing more mobs to make up for it. So in the end you will have to kill more mobs to gain levels than the other races, but you'll still do it in shorter time.

Faction wise you're screwed basically. Banking and training won't be easy, but then how much does it matter? Unless you're twinked you'll be spending all your money on spells until your 20's to 30's anyways. With my ikky necro I basically just destroyed all copper and when my silver got too heavy, I simply went to a vendor and bought food/water to eat the silver away.

If you just want the best faction than I think human is your best bet, but if you're willing to play an evil guy to kill guards and such then faction shouldn't be of a concern anyways. Just deal with the minor inconvencience to gain the major convenience of killing whoever it is you want without worry. Being evil will set you free.

Sickle · #6 09-10-2011, 12:33 PM

Be whatever race you wanna be. To be honest with life tap I don't see the regen bonus being that great to make you have to choose a iksar. If going for a monk its a no brainer...but as a necro being able to lifetap whenever you are low on HP. I just dont see that as being a much bigger drawing point over the 20% xp penalty.

vageta31 · #7 09-10-2011, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sickle [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Be whatever race you wanna be. To be honest with life tap I don't see the regen bonus being that great to make you have to choose a iksar. If going for a monk its a no brainer...but as a necro being able to lifetap whenever you are low on HP. I just dont see that as being a much bigger drawing point over the 20% xp penalty.

Because lifetaps aren't mana efficient and the iksar regen balances out the hp loss on the lich line. So basically for an iksar you have fulltime clarity at no hp cost, whereas non iksar will constantly lose hps and be forced to lifetap and burn more mana.

Iksar = Lich line on at all times with no negatives. Lifetap is only needed if you actually take damage during a fight meaning you not only have more mana from the constant lich, but you also don't need to burn any for lifetap unless it's an emergency.

Yes he should play what race he likes, but if that was his ultimate answer then he'd not have posted asking for advice. Unless you've actually played an iksar necro it's kind of hard to understand how great they really are. The 20% exp bonus is a non issue. Think of it this way, you'll level faster anyways and have more plat due to the extra mobs you will have to kill.

Bubbles · #8 09-10-2011, 02:27 PM

As a non-twink, Human and Erudite have the big bonus of being able to wear the Flayed Skin Armor out of Karnors, which is generally high in AC and hps, has solid stats, and can be gotten fairly cheaply in EC/BeggingOutsideOfKarnors.

Erudite gives you the best of all worlds if you are going for a non-traditional gameplay.

Starting Zone in the Boondocks? check.
Incredible Starting Stats? check.
Solid Kunark Armor nobody else wants? check.
Will i look unlike all the inkies, gnomes, and lizards? check.

Really the only items you're going to need besides the flayed skin is going to be a pair of 5ac/55hp rings, which will run you about 450pp. Send me a /tell in game i'll hook you up with the money for that,

Happy Hunting. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

wickedirish · #9 09-10-2011, 03:00 PM

I agree with Bubbles; Erudites are my personal favorite for necros. They have great starting stats, some awesome newbie quests with sweet rewards, and are, in my opinion, the most interesting kind of evil. They aren't outright hated everywhere and you can get around fairly well, but they are hated enough by specific groups to keep you on your toes. And there aren't that many of them.

If you do go Iksar, the XP penalty isn't really that bad, Necro's lvl up so fast soloing that you probably won't really notice it. I believe it's only 20% or so compared to 40% for hybrids.

Faction is fairly easy to change, too. After a couple hours in BB my Human SK of Innoruk went from dubious in Halas to amiable.

phobus · #10 09-10-2011, 05:07 PM

I'm playing an Erudite Necromancer. No regrets with my choice at all. Here's what I've found, as far as faction:

You won't start off KOS in Erudin. You'll be dubious to at least the guards and most merchants. Maybe you'll be KOS to the Paladins or Clerics, but I've never bothered to check, and I've never had a problem traveling through the city to the docks.

You won't be KOS to most of Qeynos, with the exception of the caster guild. There are a few wandering NPCs on this faction that make it dangerous to wander around South Qeynos without invis. Some people seem to have good luck in avoiding them, but my personal experience involved dying before I saw my aggressor. I stuck to the sewers since then.

You won't be KOS to most of Freeport. I'm KOS to the Warrior guild in the West (easily avoided), and various mobs in the tavern at the docks in the East (also easily avoided). I'm not sure if you start off KOS to the North Freeport guards, since by the time I got to the city I'd already killed enough bards to ruin that particular faction. However, it should be noted that even if you're KOS to the guards, you can still use the bank. Just run invis into the back of the bank, stand in the corner furthest from the guard, and you'll be fine. Don't attempt to use the merchant.

You'll be tolerated by some of the dark elves, although the Necromancer guild will be KOS. I can use the bank and merchants in Neriak after doing some faction work, but I haven't found an easy way to bring up faction with the Necromancer/SK guild.

Curiously, I was adored in Halas and Rivervale, although that hasn't stopped me from hunting both races extensively.

The biggest problem, in my opinion, with the Erudite Necromancer is that you're generally evil enough to be hated by at least some residents in the good cities, yet you're too human to be welcomed in the "evil" cities like Neriak, Grobb, and Oggok. I'm KOS to at least some factions in each of those cities. But faction isn't all that important to a Necromancer, and I can always find a vendor when I need to.

So, make whatever character you like! If you do end up as Erudite, make sure you get this before you leave the island.