Warrior or Shadow Knight. Help please.

[99Light]

Background, i played on live for a few years but never during these expansions. Ive been on P99 about 5 weeks. Leveled an iksar monk in Kunark to 35 and a dwarf paladin to 25 in BB/Unrest.

I keep waffling between rolling up an SK or Warr. I like tanking or dps in groups, not a silk caster or healer. With my limited game knowledge to make pp ive banked 5 pieces of crusty, 2 5/55 rings, schw. I have just under 1kp left to sort out weapons. My playtimes are 3-6 several days during week and can do a bit more on weekends. Ill group when able but need to be able to solo at least something to keep exp moving.

Have no idea when or if ill hit 60 or what id do once there. If there is some sort of casual raid guild that would be great but i assume im going to be solo/group camping for gear.

Race has me concerned. I was going to do ogre but when leveling a paladin in unrest i saw how hard of a time an ogre had in the house it has me concerned. Ive never been to the guks, hhk, seb, chardok and so on If i end up on an ogre sk am i screwed on shrinks?

Any sage advice for someone trugging along? Im on Green if that matters.

[Encroaching Death]

i saw how hard of a time an ogre had in the house it has me concerned.

lol

sorry.

Warrior will be more gear dependent, and you probably won't want to solo with them. And they're probably more boring to play. Warriors are key players in raid environments though.

Shadow Knights might play a role in Raids here and there, but not as much as a Warrior. Some people see that as a positive though.

Shadow Knights have benefits that Warriors don't get naturally, like Feign Death, invisibility, long lasting levitate. Feign Death is especially awesome.

SKs can also solo...kind of. At least for a melee. You can fear kite with clickies, but admittedly, I don't know how effective it is.

Also SKs and Paladins tend to be the favored tanks while leveling up as they can hold aggro typically better than a leveling Warrior.

My suggestion (overall and in general) is Shadow Knight.

If you're completely set on being an active leader in a raid scenario, then Warrior.

[Philistine]

It's a decision only you can make, but imho it's going to be a matter of what role you want to play on raids and how much pain you're willing to endure to fill that role.

SKs are better group tanks (IMHO) but are mostly limited to Kunark bosses and Velious trash when raiding. Warriors can be frustrating in groups (again, IMHO) but when geared out can be MTs for velious raids.

Some things I feel like some don't consider when starting a warrior: being 60 alone isn't good enough to MT - you'll also need to grind out good weapons and gear, and that will take time. Also, you only normally need 1-3 warriors (normally 1, sometimes 2, occasionally 3) for a raid target, so every other warrior there will be redundant. Also, you're going to be compared to warriors who have spent years gearing, so even when you do have good enough gear to tank, you may get passed over . Last but not least, LOTS of people play warriors, so competition for gear is fierce

To be clear, I stopped leveling my pally to level a warrior and the payoff has been worth it. Just have to know what you want and what you're getting into with each!

Race shouldn't matter a ton in the end; they can all get it done. That said, you'll feel thr benefit of ogre until you have very high end gear. I went iksar and love it, but I'll be honest, that forever lack of infinite charge invis and shrink clickies hurts a little.

[Toxigen]

If you're not interested in the extreme end game play a SK.

If you're in it for the long haul and want to be the strongest tank possible, go war.

You sound pretty casual. Prob wanna go SK. I recommend troll (good base stats and regen).

[eqravenprince]

I did hate the whole ducking thing with ogres and trolls. If you like DPS like I do, Warrior is appealing with the crits and crippling blows. It's more challenging, but I feel like it's more rewarding. Shadow Knights solo better, hold aggro better in groups, have feign death, invis, invis vs undead, pet for tracking is handy. I've played a Human SK and Dwarf Warrior to 50+ and loved both equally.

[99Light]

Thanks for the replies. I think i will go SK for now. Maybe if i ever make it to the end game i can decide if i want and can make time to raid invest a warr as well.

With only about 900 pp left for weapons can anyone suggest what to tunnel quest for to get him started?

[Jibartik]

Nice, may the hate consume you.

https://i.imgur.com/Zrgfmxq.gif

[Philistine]

Thanks for the replies. I think i will go SK for now. Maybe if i ever make it to the end game i can decide if i want and can make time to raid invest a warr as well.

With only about 900 pp left for weapons can anyone suggest what to tunnel quest for to get him started?

Disclosure: I've never played an SK.

I feel like Poison Wind Censer, Deathbringer's Rod, Axe of Lost Souls, or Green Jade Halberd would be good gets?

I'm sure others have better suggestions.

[Jibartik]

https://wiki.project1999.com/Mace_of_the_Shadowed_Soul

https://wiki.project1999.com/Noctivagant_Blade

https://wiki.project1999.com/Runed_Velium_Claidhmore

are some ok ones in that price range

[wagorf]

for a casual leveling player with limited wealth due to being new, go sk or paladin

[sajbert]

War is very weak without heavy twinking which u cannot afford.

SK has some strong items but ultimately you’ll want beads which u’ll never afford as a casual and the epic is hard too.

Go paladin instead, not much use for elder beads, easiest epic out of the three, equal if not better soloer than SK and cheaper to gear overall. You can split with calm (start with all pounts into charisma and don’t go dwarf), root, tank easily and just have fun!

[Snaggles]

Any of the three tanks can solo ok, the weakest being the warrior. As a group tank it’s still a terrific class especially at 60. As a geared raid tank it’s just a marvel to behold.

I went SK on live and a pally here. I had no desire to raid again but gave it a shot. I found out knights tank a LOT of content even with raiding. Let alone small group stuff and can for most epic quest fights.

I think on a budget a paladin would solo a bit better if you pick the right targets. HP recovery is just a PITA for a sk (no 400pp DW helm) and if you fight easy blues you don’t have to fear as much. Still for SK’s, mobility is nice and you can find a spot to fear most npcs.

Really do whatever you want and know you probably won’t feel “powerful” for a while. Between root and LoH or FD either knight is less likely to end up being overwhelmed by an extra npc and looking for a rez. You can rely on cheaper gear and persistence winning the day.

[Jimjam]

War is very weak without heavy twinking which u cannot afford.

Cock of the poppiest variety.

A couple of 1:2 weapons and/or a 3:4 2 hander will take you up to raiding levels just fine and for under 100pp if not free. A suit of banded similarly effective similar price. Schw for haste at 600pp possibly free if you loot rot. Can get away without haste for quite some time. 110/130 hp from rings when you have another 400 or so pp to spare.

46-50 you can get all sorts of upgrades just playing the game to carry you to 60.

Sure it won’t be as easy as starting lvl 5 ntov geared, of course it won’t, but it is not ‘very weak’.

[Snaggles]

I still remember my buddy painfully soloing to 50 on greater kobolds in full crafted with 2 Ykesha's.

So yea...it isnt "WoW Speed" but it's doable. If you want a warrior, play a warrior. Same goes for a knight or really any class. It's a slog to 60 but you will get what you want in the end.

[99Light]

Cock of the poppiest variety.

A couple of 1:2 weapons and/or a 3:4 2 hander will take you up to raiding levels just fine and for under 100pp if not free. A suit of banded similarly effective similar price. Schw for haste at 600pp possibly free if you loot rot. Can get away without haste for quite some time. 110/130 hp from rings when you have another 400 or so pp to spare.

46-50 you can get all sorts of upgrades just playing the game to carry you to 60.

Sure it won’t be as easy as starting lvl 5 ntov geared, of course it won’t, but it is not ‘very weak’.


Well on green schw are not 600pp, they are 1500 and that took the majority of what plat i had. I got 2 5/55 hp rings, Crusty arms/legs/bp/boots/shield and jagged sword of morning. Someone gave me Argent defender but it feels like i can watch a 30 min tv show between skill ups so im just using 1h/shield for now.

I went SK for mobility. I have seen like 5 zones from this era and none of the dungeons besides Kurns and Unrest. I really want to see the world and as many of the dungeons as i can and i think the SK will help me bumble around better.

If anyone on green has any hand me downs or some inexpensive stuff rotting in the Bank Rotgutz would be happy to put it to use.

[Andyman1022]

Are you on blue or green?

[99Light]

Are you on blue or green?


Green

[Trelaboon]

As others have mentioned, it really depends on what your end goals are. I don’t play an SK, but I do have a 60 Paladin, which is similar in terms of end game potential. I also have a 60 Warrior. Warrior is an amazing raid tank, and people sleep on their DPS. Even if you’re not tanking, you can hang with anyone except Rogues in DPS. I’d argue they’re technically the second best DPS in the game, if you’re able to pop Precision. The problem with Warrior, is if you don’t plan to raid and gear to the highest potential, they can feel a little underwhelming.

Paladins and Shadowknights on the other hand, feel borderline useless in raid content. They do have some roles to play, but their DPS is horrible and with no real tank discs like Warriors, they’re relegated to much smaller mobs when tanking.

As far as soloing, I solod both of mine to 60, but they were twinked, so honestly I can’t give a good estimation of what that might be like on a toon wearing lower tier gear.

I think if you plan to play fairly casually, or you enjoy group content much more than raid content, go SK. If you want to be a top notch raid tank, go Warrior. Just really depends on your desires in game.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

As others have mentioned, it really depends on what your end goals are. I don’t play an SK, but I do have a 60 Paladin, which is similar in terms of end game potential. I also have a 60 Warrior. Warrior is an amazing raid tank, and people sleep on their DPS. Even if you’re not tanking, you can hang with anyone except Rogues in DPS. I’d argue they’re technically the second best DPS in the game, if you’re able to pop Precision. The problem with Warrior, is if you don’t plan to raid and gear to the highest potential, they can feel a little underwhelming.

Paladins and Shadowknights on the other hand, feel borderline useless in raid content. They do have some roles to play, but their DPS is horrible and with no real tank discs like Warriors, they’re relegated to much smaller mobs when tanking.

As far as soloing, I solod both of mine to 60, but they were twinked, so honestly I can’t give a good estimation of what that might be like on a toon wearing lower tier gear.

I think if you plan to play fairly casually, or you enjoy group content much more than raid content, go SK. If you want to be a top notch raid tank, go Warrior. Just really depends on your desires in game.

Agreed. Warriors have the best raid/endgame potential, but are typically not as desired in groups. They cannot generate or hold agro as well as an SK/Paladin. They typically aren't great solo either, unless you are well geared and know the game well.

SKs/Paladins are much better when soloing and grouping. The only real exception to this are some mobs for epic quests that are killable with a group. They may need a Warrior to disc because they do hit fairly hard. But unfortunately are not very useful in raids.

Go Warrior if you want to be useful in raids, go Sk/Paladin if you mostly want to solo/group, and get some cheap raid gear if you choose to do so.

[Allishia]

Just wanted to add paladin is essential for raiding. Soulfires save engages and +200 hp buff helps a ton too...sorry sk sucks on raid aside from maybe doing train outs with pet...can tank VP ok for snap agro.

[Ripqozko]

Just wanted to add paladin is essential for raiding. Soulfires save engages and +200 hp buff helps a ton too...sorry sk sucks on raid aside from maybe doing train outs with pet...can tank VP ok for snap agro.

Literally anyone can tank vp, my ranger has. Hope that helps.

[Lampolo]

These war vs sk threads never get old. All I have to say is nobody ever does a /who all for sk or pally before they do one for a war. If they do its just cause of dumb misguided threads like these. Everyon3 vouching for sk here is a parrot or they have an sk and they are bias.

[Crede]

These war vs sk threads never get old. All I have to say is nobody ever does a /who all for sk or pally before they do one for a war. If they do its just cause of dumb misguided threads like these. Everyon3 vouching for sk here is a parrot or they have an sk and they are bias.

Lol, these threads also always have a “war or bust” person as well with no reasoning behind it. I have all 3 classes, I can say with confidence that my war contributed little to nothing in most groups over an sk/pal besides some niche disc pulling. war dps ain’t shit with aggro weapons either.

If I’m forming a deep dungeon group I’m looking for pallies first unless it’s some niche scenario where fd is needed than sk. War is for one grouping epic mobs as DSM mentioned. Most content is so easy technically ranger tank is prob best for DS dps now that flame lick was fixed.

[Encroaching Death]

You sound pretty casual.

https://media.tenor.com/e1mZzfy4hDYAAAAC/that-hurts-ouch.gif

[Snaggles]

Yea nobody wants a mid 50's knight when you can get a mid 50's warrior for a PUG situation. Who doesnt love healing everyone but the tank? jk

In the end it doesnt really matter; play whatever tank you want and slug it out to 60. Most group content is horribly easy. As its been mentioned a ranger with a swarmcaller can snooze most of it. So can a bard. Or just let the shaman tank in The Hole.

If people arent dull as a q-tip just fill the roles and get on with your day. If the randos you invite truly do suck it will just make you a better player having to clean up their mess.

[Jimjam]

War is best cos it can tank an almost infinite number of velks spiders at once with evasive running, making it best puller for bard aoe groups.

Does bard aoe still generate enough aggro to be viable group strat after nerfs?

[Gobgob frum Grobb]

WAR/SK/PAL

Up to you - all require gear, SK/PAL prolly easier to casually solo.
Knights do have some aggro advantages in group dungeon crawling.

Either way, very early on make sure you grab the longest range bow you can and learn how to fletch class 2 wood point arrows (long range and cheap) - great stuff for pulling and saves a lot of chasing targets.

[Allishia]

Literally anyone can tank vp, my ranger has. Hope that helps.

Omg I'm trying to help them out a little :p

They should make reaper SK only so they at least have a mini soulfires... rofl

[Andyman1022]

After this last patch, SK's lost the one cool thing they had...

[Keebz]

SK is super fun for all sorts of reasons—3 fds, instant invis, on demand aggro, pet, fear, snare, etc. In general for small group, hybrids are more useful unless you really need disc (not really a small group thing) or your warrior has lots of toys. At the high end, they play significantly different though. As an SK, the pulling and tagging element becomes a lot more of the focus, so if you're not into that and just want to tank get thee to a warrior.

As for race, don't over think it. Ogre is good for a raiding warrior, but pretty meh for SK. Warriors need to move raid mobs around and getting stunned makes that harder. SKs just tag shit and run around or tank easy trash in camp—frontal stun isn't a concern. For war, if you're just casually grouping, I prefer a more utility race like Halfling as sneak and hide are super handy when you have no other abilities.

Just remember there's no wrong answer and enjoy the journey.

[Naethyn]

Go warrior if you can get a haste item.