Sk vs Necro

I'm thinking about rolling one of these two on the new server but I can't quite pick, i like aspects of both melee/tank and casters but I'm not real sure what these classes are like in pop and beyond. With the new server going all the way I want to pick something I'll like long term.

If anyone knowledgable about both could break down the pros and cons throughout the expacs I'd really appreciate it. Are necro's dots broken? Do SK's become real tanks? PoP+ which is better at soloing named?

With the current state of the game, Shadowknights are among the most powerful, if not the most powerful class throughout the whole span of expansions. The only couple of cons about Shadowknights is that a lot of people will be rolling that class - so competition for a spot in a raiding guild will be hard. Which leads to the next Con, they are pretty Gear dependant to really shine through - not as dependant as Warriors, but still.

But Shadowknight is probably the best long-term class you can pick of any when it comes to versatility, fun-factor in both group and raid situations.

Necro Class is in a pretty limbo state atm. They really have a hard time fitting into the accelerated pace of TLP group - and raid content. They do still excell on very long fights, but that will mostly only be limited to Velious and Luclin. They do make probably the best pullers for group content and locking down soloable named camps that are hard to get to fast for other players. Later on, Necromancers are one of the few classes that can do mission content solo with a merc, that otherwise would require a lot more manpower - but then we talking lv 80+ stuff.

Necro is fun dps with some utility in res, summon corpse, feign death, and think of your pet not as a pet...but as a really nice DoT. You can dps, and your dot spells wont even get close to going off on a lot of fights until PoP era. Every raid has a couple, most groups can take one, they even became quasi-tanky post Luclin. Tons of stuff you can solo/farm.
SK is mediocre tank with low dps, except for the burst of harm touch. They have snare, feign death, and are the squishy of the 3 plate tanks. After about 65 or so SK really takes off, but at these lower levels they just aren't so impressive. You will be a good group tank, but most raids run like 1 sk or none haha, wars and pally are so far superior, with war discs being obscene and pally being the best aggro magnet tank, who also happen to have group heals, huge heals, buffs, res, divine aura, and huge huge burst aggro that makes them better ramp tank.
After PoP and lvl 70+ the sk really becomes much stronger, its a simple question of do you wanna be a sub-par dps or a sub-par tank?

Necros are better than stated earlier here. They bring pet damage for sustained DPS. In some popular dungeons, charm undead sets the necro DPS up with the enchanter. For fast killing groups, the necro's mana regen (with Lich and lower versions) allows him to cast more DD spells (lifetap) than other casters.

That said, SK's great group tanks and a lot of fun too.

Is the 50% malus on experience always active on live if pets does 50% of the damage on a monster?

Necros are valuable group members on TLP. Anybody that tells you different just doesn't understand the class completely.

In the 50 below game, Necros can mez and charm. People don't think of Necromancers as crowd control because their mez spell stops working in the post 50 game. Also, necromancers can only mez 1 mob at a time, but a necro can snare an addition add, and root it away from the group.

Also, necromancers get slows and nukes for undead mobs. Considering that Lower Guk is one of the most popular zones in the below 50 game, that means a lot.

As for the comment of necromancers being only good dps for sustained damage, that is another indication that the person saying that does not know the class that well. The necromancer life tap line is a powerful nuke that has a very low resist rate. For the sub-50 game, you can use those life taps the same way that mages and wizards use their nukes. When you get high enough level to use your poison line, you will get a fast dot that does extremely good damage. Cast that dot one time, and then life tap. The mob will be dead in no time.

Now, on top of all of that, you have a pet that adds dps, and can off tank an add for a short while.

TL;DR... Necromancers are way more powerful and group-friendly in classic EQ than people realize.

As for power, necromancer is one of the most capable classes in the game for solo kills for many, many expansions. I can't even begin to understand why anybody would think otherwise. They are Godly.

As for raid power, the necromancer drops off some in the very, very late expansions. I'm talking like 20+ expansions from now. But, they are always a powerhouse. Necromancers are never a weak class even in the current expansion on Live. They just aren't top DPS in raids, but if you are wanting to play a necromancer, I can't imagine that being top DPS on raid is your priority.

..... as for SK ....
SK's are awesome fun from day 1 to current day. Just don't expect to be raid tank for 99% of the content. That role falls to warrior. There are some fights where SK can be an effective main raid tank, but honestly, there is no reason not to put a warrior in that role anytime there is one available. If you don't care about not being the raid main tank, then SK is (in my opinion) the most fun and versatile tank you can play in Everquest.

So.... It all boils down to if you want to be a caster or a melee.


Pros

1. Both can solo
2. Both can group
3. Both are valuable to groups
4. Necro solo's easier with less gear dependence
5. SK gets a cool looking weapons and plate mail

The Netflix Stat

1. SK requires more attention when grouping, and will wipe the group if you are watching Netflix lol
2. Necro can be an affective group member while watching Netflix, but will be a much more valuable group member if paying attention

You don't get undead slow until luclin. You can also mez more than one target as a necro, can easily lock down 3.

A well played necro absolutely should be the puller. Its the only class that doesn't have to be in camp to do damage.If you want to be known as a drag on the group play a necro that doesn't pull.

I always pull on my necro and I can do it faster than any other class and still contribute meaningful damage whether charming or not.

If you are a lazy player, be a mage.