Necromancer items/stats

[Swish]

Hey guys, my alt is an iksar necro (50) and despite having immersed myself in the world of the undead, my gear is terrible.

I know necros don't need great items to get on with things, but its about time I did look at getting some proper stuff on him.

The question is, what do people go for? I know of people who gear HP/stamina... but is stamina worth it for a caster? Would a HP/INT combination be better? Just wondered what other necros are doing :)

[Bubbles]

Plat Fire Wedding Rings are the only real absolute, the rest is up to preference.

I always preferred Black Sapphire Earrings (whichever were 35hp/25 mana). Plat Sapph Necklace (7int 7str) was another cheap must-have killing two birds with one stone.

Some of the loam pieces (shoulders arms and legs especially) are nice options most of us didn't have in classic.

Nothing will ever be as important as hitpoints, but I always tried to get at least within spitting distance of 200 int just for appearances sake, although it was pretty slim pickings before i got blighted.

The biggest issue you will have is deciding main and offhand. Stein of Moggok is always a solid buy and it takes forever to replace it. Cryoshields were more of a pure caster toy, the Rokkyl's was always preferred in my book (50 hp/mana) as a booster. Depending on if you can find one, a Staff of the Water Walker is great hp/int/mana (even for being two handed), with the added graphic bonus of looking like a monk with a Tstaff.

I am a lifelong subscriber to the Thick Banded Belt Society (tm), as STR to carry loot is the only real issue a necro ever has : extended periods without banking or selling, all the while amassing more loot than those other inferior classes. :)

So yeah, HP is where it's at. Most Hitpoint gear has mana attached to it, too. So even if you are the 175 INT range you'll deceptively have a lot more mana than the baseline... And truth be told, necros have the worlds best mana regen rate and can med thru fear kiting and charm killing and the like. The only real time your max mana is ever going to matter much is if you are killing Allie the Dino in OOT at 50. It's a long boat ride to die and resists can be a bear plus the massive hit points of the mob. Or maybe if you're insane like me and taking on white con hill or sand giants at 35-36...

But yeah, its never really XP beneficial to be killing *anything* that takes your entire mana bar as a necro. We're anti-wizards, regen mana fast and kill slow: the only caster permanently chained to the keyboard non-afk. Which is a good thing, cuz the second you afk you'll die to lich or DMF wearing off over water in OOT. I swear half of my deaths on this server as a necro were due to afk. lol & gl. :)

[dhoushi]

Int at the higher levels will begin to outscale mana items (its already starting to do this for me at level 43), so imo focus on int and int/hp items.

[Bubbles]

Int at the higher levels will begin to outscale mana items (its already starting to do this for me at level 43), so imo focus on int and int/hp items.

The thing is, most HP gear has free +mana attached to it.

For example, race depending you can argue the merits between 35hp/25mana earrings x2 versus a single 35/25 + a Ivandyr Hoop (6hp, 6int, 6ac). In that instance you'll gain AC, lose 29 hitpoints, and gain a chunk of mana. And the trade is worthwhile more for the boost in AC than the gain in mana (max mana is just.. beyond pointless...).

On the same token, arguing the merits of a 7str 7int neck (yay more total mana and STR boost) vs. a Black Sapphire Neck (55hps/55mana), you'll gain hps at the loss of STR, with a small loss in total mana. Obviously the superior end game choice.

Some spots are easy. It's hard to beat a Polished Mithril Mask in the face slot (and they are, essentially free if you kill fire giants)...

Some spots are endlessly painful. Main and offhand are the worst. Stein of Moggok until a glowing black stone replaces it (9 int 10 sv magic)... can pair that with a Drachnid Thyxil (5 ac 5int 40mana 10sv magic) for a super sv magic setup.... Or enjoy the hps and ac from a rokkyl crystal offhand (10ac 50hp/50mana), int/hp boost of the Cryo Webshield (10ac 7dex 7 int 35hps)... pretend you are a wizard or something with the Ornate Rune Shield (15ac 8int 10mana 5sv all).... or blow tens of thousands of plat on the ultimate wizard item Hand of the Reaper (5ac -30cha 15int 20mana 10sv magic)... Its all in the eye of the beholder. Staff of the Water Walker is a cheap (if somewhat rare to find) cure all that gives free water breathing and decent stats... Orb of tishan is nice for proc'n tash on something (not terribly efficient, but still an option!).. Staff of Dreaded Gaze if you wanna sit there for an uncomfortably long time getting a free cast of Fear if fear-kiting somehow is kicking your mana in the arse...

etc. Can go on forever. I guess you can make a case for GBS and HOR being the ultimate setup, if you want 20sv magic and 24int. It's prohibitively costly compared to the GBS + no drop Drach Thyxil (which only loses you 9ish INT comparatively). And you could spend the saved cash on a fungi tunic for a twink (which would be a marketed improvement.

Necros don't mana-out on raid targets.. We mainly want saves and hps for 'raiding'. Unless you are the only necro in your guild and need to get 40 people DMF at once....

Maybe it's just the economist in me. We necros get far less return on investment for +mana and +int than wizards and mages (and clerics and healers too, for max mana), who really need the huge mana pool for big encounters. And even when they need that max mana pool the most, they are stuck wearing a bunch of resist gears and rocking like 2/3rds of their potential mana pool anyways. It's a cruel game, ain't it? ;)

[Ambrotos]

I always loved the Jeweled Skull if you want to go easy on the pockets, and unable to get the more rare stuff. It is pretty comparable to the harder stuff. It's like a level 20ish quest if I recall.

MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM
Slot: PRIMARY SECONDARY
INT: +5 HP: +20 MANA: +20
SV COLD: -5 SV MAGIC: +5
WT: 1.5 Size: MEDIUM

[dhoushi]

Higher mana provides higher burst potential, while many raid bosses this is unneeded when you are solo breaking up camps it can come in handy. Ideal items are int/health however certainly you have to weigh the itemization itself between higher base mana and higher base health each have a use.

[Sarius]

I think hp/mana is the way to go. The best thing to do is analyze each slot specifically and see what your largest +int slots can be. Usually prim/second/chest, etc. The check the total int from that slot versus the best dropable hp/mana booster. For example if the best foot slot yields +20hp +15 mana, I would equip GEB at +9 int. I would always make lists over and over again with different combination of gear and calculate the total of all stats and cost. A little bit time consuming, but worth it in the long run for sure. AC is pretty much a non-factor at high levels IMO because as a clothie you're gonna get the crap kicked out of you no matter what.

[Bubbles]

The entirety of 'necro raid boss burst potential' is spam pumping the only shaman who showed up two minutes before a pull with 20 afk melee sitting in front of him.

Well, I guess you could be chain poison-bolting the Spiroc Lord to make sure you are the first Death Touch.

Of course, this is after the patch that hard capped life tap at 6 levels above us. Before that we were Lure Wizards with Flowing Thought, and yeah, it was pretty glorious. :)

AC is as close to a non-factor as it gets without our cloth AC soft cap, which is why the only time i really pay attention on a caster is in a shield slot, since that circumvents the soft cap. I only really added it to give a full compare contrast on the items, just like how DEX is there mainly for show, it's not like we're relying on orb of tishan procs or seriously melee DPSing with a Draco Stick (tm).

And yeah, Sarius, Boots (GEBS) and hat (Runed Cowl/Blighted) are the obvious gimmes, as is Loam/Gator Arms, Polished Mithril Mask, and Impskin Gloves. And in the 30s you always want to ditch the Golden Jaded Bracelets for Golden Bracers (7 STR and INT!). It's the fingers and ears and neck and belt and legs and ranged that cause the most debate. And of course, nothing is as scattered as the primary and secondary options to wield.

I was always partial to an Idol of the Thorned over a Dagger of Manerk/Dustcryers, too. And the immortal Thick Banded Belt.. For most XP situations, the more FS and scythes you could carry far outweighed other stats, especially in RatheMtns, Feerot or OOT or Rivervale or anywhere far from a necro friendly bank 'n' vendor. :)

[koros]

Did they actually cap it at +6 levels? If so that's incorrect for higher levels. I can pull up proof if need be.