Necromancer FAQ with pet pictures! (Old version with Feb. feedback!)

OK...that's what I thought but sometimes I miss important aspects

Feathers are forgotten so frequently that it might just end up making or breaking an expedition. (I was on an unsuccessful 3-group raid yesterday and we had some bad luck...everybody didn't DIE, but for some reason the priests all had to revive and run back.)

I'll probably add the training spells before too long... it's really hard to make recommendations on which training spells to take since there are really two lists, training as you go and /respec'ing at 40:
Leveling as you go:
10) Static pulse upgrade
20) Hero pet
30) Grim Corruptor (swarm of spiders is really good, too; just depends on your playstyle)
40) Dark Heart upgrade
/respec
10) Static pulse upgrade
20) Essence shift upgrade
30) Swarm of spiders
40) Dark heart
Those are just my pics... training choices can be very subjective.

Good list! Now do racials!! (Seriously, does anyone know of a list of racial traits/traditions?)

I haven't really seen any game breaking or gimping racials. They give you like 5 ac or 5 str or some resists. I think its really up to you.
The actual racial abilities all pretty much suck. Summon a loaf of bread anyone? Yaay! The only thing I'd suggest NOT taking is the out-of-combat str+regen ability which is deceptively described and is activated only ...has some crazy recast time. (this may have been fixed, I haven't respec'd yet)
Generally I'd say go with abilities that give your class something it doesn't naturally have. IE hate reduction or stationary hide. Even then I find I hardly use them because of the long casting and recast time.
Or maybe a racial tradeskill bonus if you're into tradeskilling

Bah, that's a toughy thisMoriMori... I can give you the basic rundown of what I took as a Ratonga, the idea should hold true for most races though.
1) Pitiful Plea... quite possibly the best racial trait for a necro imo... think gnomes get something like it. Hate reducer.
2) Anything that increased int. (we're mages, gotta do it)
3) Increased max power. (we regen alot already... you'll note that the increased regen trait is a straight number, increased power is a percentage)
4) Increased disease resistance (as opposed to increased agility/dodge etc. When reviewing the traits I noticed that the dodge type stuff are strait numbers, disease resist was another percentage increase).
http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/pplayer.vm?characterId=134172106 Check that disease resist, all thanks to a percentage increase trait... an extra five to dodge can't equal that resist. Basically, when looking at your traits my opinion is to avoid the strait numbers bonuses if you have a choice... the percentages will work much better the higher you go.

Looking for more input.

http://eq2.primagames.com/pdfs/traits.pdf

Notice in that guide they don't even mention frogloks... another sign that they are not "undiscovered" but rather "unfinished."

Aside from that, that list is helpful to give you a general idea of what to expect (I believe some of those descriptions are not totally accurate).

I chose hp regeneration x 2, so i've got 10hp regen a tick....wonder if it'll help with Lich much :smileyindifferent:

Pretty sure I read this around here, but can someone confirm that the pet buffs don't increase the warlock pet's DPS? With the new higher power drain, this would be useful info to have in the FAQ when people get the spellbinder.

Thanks, Seeko. Now I feel special as one of the really really bad caster races

Actually, I feel that race (int, to be precise) hasn't made much of a difference to me. As long as int only affects powerpool and I'm always the last one left with power, I'd be willing to go with the idea that race has very very little affect on necromancer performance. (If the game turns out to be more complicated in terms of stats, then maybe I'll feel gimpy.)


Someone somewhere was hoping we could have the info on wher to start the lvl 20 AQ quests in the FAQ. Probably a good idea as it's not just a horrible painful generic quest, but more a horrible painful rite of passage for everyone.

I won't say the pet buffs don't increase the warlocks damage because technically they can... it's just not appreciable because the increase is going to come from clawing of the soul which is a proc. Since the caster doesn't really hit anything when it goes melee (hence the melee DPS increase is meaningless) the proc is the only benefit I can see from using the pet buff on the caster. The heal portion is inefficient when compared to just casting soothe servant/mend bones etc. on a correctly positioned grim.
Having said all that, I only cast pet buffs on the zombie pets... the cost/benefit of using buffs on the casters are just so out of line that I wouldn't recommend using them. I'll add something about buffing and pet positioning in a little bit, thanks for the idea Chandigar.
Added the AQ, thisMoriMori. I wasn't gonna add quests but may as well include this one since everyone wants to know about it.

Updated the pet stuff a bit.

Just saw someone complain about lack of necro DPS on another thread so thought I'd check here for more info on DPS as well as sustained vs burst damage etc... but it looks like it was left out. Add something about sustained vs burst? DPS seems to be a major concern.

I'll throw it in in the next few days Chandigar. You're right, it should be included in the FAQ, with caviats.

Edit: I was grouchy last night, this little rant had no place in the FAQ.
Message Edited by El Chupacabras on 04-06-2005 08:13 AM

Added sustained/burst and a small correction.

Added links to form pics. Makes ya wish you'd rolled a Ratonga don't they?

Nice work El Chupacabra.
Just a side note, the app1 Grim Spellbinder is an Orc skeleton. Kind of interesting. I wish they let you pick the model, if you have adept versions.
Oh, and FYI, you said:
"Our fun spells are: Nylph's Bone form (lvl 20), turns you into a skeleton (looks like a cackling cadaver); "
But Cackling Cadavers are zombies.
Message Edited by Treelurker on 04-19-2005 02:52 PM

Thanks Tree... I never bothered to include the app 1 spellbinder since there are sooooo many copies of the sorcerer and predator pets that most get them upgraded in no time flat. Guess I can add that the Shadowy Stalker app1 is a bluish smokey shape with no defining lines of demarcation.
Pretty sure the cackling cadavers in Nektulous are skeletons, I'll probably modify the fun spell Q. since I've added all the pictures. No need to describe them since a picture's worth a thousand words :smileywink:.