Necro Bone Knight - Upper Limit?

[zelld52]

I am doing a second necro, because necros are fun. My first necro, I drain-tanked with a Smoldering Brand (upgraded to Staff of Writhing around level 20) and a Tolapumj Robe.

It worked well up until around level 30-35. 30-35 I mostly fear-kited guards in WK / WC. Started charming at level 34, and flew to 60.

However - this time around - I want to try and drain-tank as long as possible. It's been 2 years, so I was able to give this Necro a bunch of STR, AC, DEX gear and a Velium Crystal Staff.

Close blues (1-3 levels lower) are rough. If I can't get a Lifetap off (CHANNELING SUCKS, THEY BROKE IT!!!): the fight gets a little hairy, and requires a bit of downtime to recover.

I wonder, because I never went too far past 30 tanking - How much further can I go? I know some necros got all the way to 50 in classic by drain-tanking. (Vampiric Embrace OP)

Anyone done that? Or even cooler, gotten to 60 drain-tanking?

[Toxigen]

sounds awful

[enjchanter]

Sounds awful

[DeathsSilkyMist]

You might be able to do this all the way to 60 on low blues or greens that still give XP. It would probably feel like soloing on a Rogue at higher levels. Lots of downtime after each fight.

Levels 1-40 are generally quite easy on any class, as mobs are considerably weaker. Mobs that are level 40+ get a significant boost to their stats and DPS.

Charming a pet and giving it Swarmcaller would help this build out a lot. Slowed mobs would deal significantly less damage, and you would get interrupted less often. But at that point the pet is doing most of the work hehe.

Honestly an Enchanter would probably be the best melee cloth caster if you want to do that. You can slow the mob, haste yourself, and use the Rune line of spells to reduce your HP recovery times. Plus you can pull mobs very well.

[Uteunayr]

I know of one person who got up to the mid 50s on a pure Bone Knight build. Mind you, they were twinked to hell and stacked with NToV loot once they hit 46. Not sure how efficient it would be for a less-twinked toon.

[Toxigen]

feshlak staff just ask unchainedfury

[PestilentCancer]

I have done it all the way to 60. Just tunnel gear with an AGI built Iksar Nec. Been playing a DEX build lately and have gotten that to 57 so far with no issues. I don’t kill just low blues. It’s actually kinda fun, and you can still always transition into traditional necro strats if you want. Footage for proof at YouTube.com/@kankersaur

[Sizar]

I have done it all the way to 60. Just tunnel gear with an AGI built Iksar Nec. Been playing a DEX build lately and have gotten that to 57 so far with no issues. I don’t kill just low blues. It’s actually kinda fun, and you can still always transition into traditional necro strats if you want. Footage for proof at YouTube.com/@kankersaur

AGI?? I know this is a point of contention but I think the majority of people believe that AGI does nothing on P99 over what I forget 75 or 80? Did you hamstring yourself on purpose going AGI?

[enjchanter]

He did yea

[Tnair]

higher agi also reduces slowdown and (displayed) ac loss from being encumbered

[PestilentCancer]

It was a total meme “avoidance” build, because of the common belief that AGI is crap above 75. AGI dump a cloth caster, because they get the least amount of benefit from it, if any. Iksar, because I had heard that AC bonus is Avoidance AC. Same shit you get from AGI. Not sure if that is true or not, just went with it. Avoidance was the schtick. Whether or not any of that made a difference, I don’t really know. I am convinced that you could solo level a tap tank necro without a schtick. I never felt hamstrung, though. Hell, I didn’t even intend to take it past 50, but it still felt good and wasn’t a headache death fest with a billion corpse runs. I was still able to solo farm some cool toys tap tanking post-60, like Tserrina’s Staff and Wurm Lord Shawl. Had a blast on ole Kankersaur. Playing the Boneknight version now.

[jolanar]

People solo rogues to 60.

[fortior]

If you want to actually melee you'll run into trouble grinding blues post 50 or so because they really do start hitting hard

But you can get to 4k health with a willsapper, fat resists, good ac, and melee down phinigel

[Pillow Armadillo]

About to hit 54 on my bone knight, Beakbeak. You have to manage your hitpoints a little more carefully while solo, since the mobs start to hit harder, especially around Kunark zones. I'd suggest finding one or two buddies to level with, because the build really shines in small groups.

One of the highlights of my leveling journey was joining another necromancer, cleric and enchanter for a 4-man charmed pet group in Howling Stones. The group lasted about an hour and we absolutely tore through the zone with everyone playing a different role. You could do that on a traditional necro, sure, but I think the build is a lot more fun than the fear kiting necro I shelved once I started playing Ivory' build.

Don't mind the haters, here's the gear I was rolling with - ToV gear sounds nice. I'm sure it'd only improve the gimmick.

https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Blue:Beakbeak

[PestilentCancer]

Hell yeah! I only messed around HS, solo, for a couple of sessions on the AGI toon. Mostly, in the basement. Was pulling stuff up to the wall at the safe ramp and tapping them down. I was the only one in zone, at the time, so no one was sitting there medding. I can imagine, that would have freaked someone out. I always like being able to put Staff of Undead Legions to work. That thing shreds.

AGI build: https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Blue:Kankersaur

DEX build: https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Blue:Spectersaur

[fortior]

Staff of Undead Legions is almost free in raiding guilds and if you put one on yourself/pet, you’ll plow thru undead zones. My 53 necro currently has 1600 life self buffed which isn’t a lot though. You gotta be careful

[enjchanter]

About to hit 54 on my bone knight, Beakbeak. You have to manage your hitpoints a little more carefully while solo, since the mobs start to hit harder, especially around Kunark zones. I'd suggest finding one or two buddies to level with, because the build really shines in small groups.

One of the highlights of my leveling journey was joining another necromancer, cleric and enchanter for a 4-man charmed pet group in Howling Stones. The group lasted about an hour and we absolutely tore through the zone with everyone playing a different role. You could do that on a traditional necro, sure, but I think the build is a lot more fun than the fear kiting necro I shelved once I started playing Ivory' build.

Don't mind the haters, here's the gear I was rolling with - ToV gear sounds nice. I'm sure it'd only improve the gimmick.

https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Blue:Beakbeak

So you have 3 charm pets and still made the necro tank
And didn't even give the pet your staff

[Pillow Armadillo]

So you have 2 charm pets and still made the necro tank
And didn't even give the pet your staff

I carry two in my bags but rarely give them to my charmed pets because I don't want to lose one. It was overkill even without the pet gear.

[enjchanter]

Why carry two then

[Pillow Armadillo]

Why carry two then

You're welcome play the gnome build for yourself and discover how you like to play it. I carry two because I found the second staff on a raid and it was in danger of rotting lol.

Bottom line - I can't speak for the max agility build (that's insane), but the bone knight is a fun, sturdy caster. I'd be interested in seeing a damage log parsed with that AC on the Iksar.

I'm trying to post in good faith here knowing that your Erudite Paladin afk power leveled from like 49-60 lol. Different strokes I guess?

[enjchanter]

and my rogue 52-60
and my wizard 44-60 (soon)
and my 2nd warrior 40-54 now

[Duik]

Top tier gameplay then? Like they said, play as you like.
NB: PL is legit style (when catching up to your static group) only. Otherwise you literally just suck (XP). :+P

[fortior]

It’s a gimmick build, it’s not actually good lol. But you can level with it in easy zones. I’d rather not be in melee range of a mob plus a hasted charm pet

[enjchanter]

I have fesh staff and buckler of insight on my enchanter, mayhe I should be playing the RuneKnight build

[DeathsSilkyMist]

I have fesh staff and buckler of insight on my enchanter, mayhe I should be playing the RuneKnight build

Yeah honestly an Enchanter is probably the best melee cloth caster. Rune + Haste + Slow would make you deal more damage while being decently difficult to kill. Can get single mobs easily too.

[enjchanter]

I don't think I could out dps being able to dot as much as a necro but obv I could have a charm pet

Since we are going for a gimmicky thing here I will assume I need to tank for my charm pet

[Toxigen]

y tho

[DeathsSilkyMist]

y tho

It's a 10+ year old server stuck in Velious, and people are bored of normal play. That's my guess.

[enjchanter]

Nothing about the runeknight or bone warrior playstyle sounds fun but I am nearly bis for the playstyle already

I actually think it's super cringe trying to make non tank classes into tanks for no reason

But kabull dying to kreizann was pretty funny ngl

[PestilentCancer]

Skyshrine AGI Build Necro Tanking Parse (https://youtu.be/fYz1PVFbpAw)

A small sample size of Gamparse tanking numbers while killing in Skyshrine at 60, for people who are interested. I had just acquired the elusive Wurm Lord Shawl, and wanted to see what the "miss rate" was with 182 AGI.

Mob levels range between 45-49. I just stacked Vexing Mordinia + Bond of Death, then tanked for hasted Spec pet. Only stepping out of melee to recast tap dot stack, and I only defluxed when I had to. The only other damage sources were Banshee Aura, Vampiric Embrace, and Velium Crystal Staff. I would also FD, at the end, to preserve faction.

[Snaggles]

Outside a meager AC bonus, ability is maybe the second worst necro stat next to Wisdom.

If your AC/HP/Stam/Mana thing has agility, cool. Don’t be wearing Serp bracers for the placebo though.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Outside a meager AC bonus, ability is maybe the second worst necro stat next to Wisdom.

If your AC/HP/Stam/Mana thing has agility, cool. Don’t be wearing Serp bracers for the placebo though.

Agreed. Sadly Agility doesn't really do much on P99 above 75. At least I haven't seen any data showing it has a noticeable benefit.

[PestilentCancer]

At least I haven't seen any data showing it has a noticeable benefit.

That was the whole point...data. I had a lot more of it, but I don't have kank's old logs anymore. I'm not saying Agility is good, or that you should play my build. Like I said, I mostly did it for a goof. Op did ask about boneknight stuff though, and I feel like the AGI build was boneknight adjacent enough to mention here, for those interested. I did play it to 60, and a real DEX boneknight to 57 so far, so I actually have some stuff I can show off. It's really not as bad as some of ya'll seem to think. If it's not something you are into, that's fine. Different strokes for different genitals. Also, why "boneknight"? I hate that name, but whatever.

[Snaggles]

While technically 3 npcs is parsed data it’s not very useful. Additionally there is no base agil control to determine how the higher agility helps. A shaman with a stack of emeralds can buff a max of 152 agility, imho I’d find a reliable target that never changes level and run a LOT of parses. At least if trying to present your build in challenge to the status quo. If you don’t care to win people over the parsing or effort isn’t needed…just do your thing and ignore the noise.

A lot of necros stand there getting hit and tapping. It’s just the least efficient way to kill something that doesn’t summon if you have plans A-D available. Any class where hps convert to mana means taking damage is losing mana. Even if not resulting in failure, it’s less efficient than avoiding taking damage. The ideal formula is the same for all classes…most blue kills per hour with least downtime. While fun and a nice alternative to have for niche situations, this isn’t efficient even with a DS stacking build.

[Toxigen]

Also, why "boneknight"? I hate that name, but whatever.

um because you turn yourself into a skeleton and play like a knight maybe?

[PestilentCancer]

While technically 3 npcs is parsed data it’s not very useful. Additionally there is no base agil control to determine how the higher agility helps. A shaman with a stack of emeralds can buff a max of 152 agility, imho I’d find a reliable target that never changes level and run a LOT of parses. At least if trying to present your build in challenge to the status quo. If you don’t care to win people over the parsing or effort isn’t needed…just do your thing and ignore the noise.

A lot of necros stand there getting hit and tapping. It’s just the least efficient way to kill something that doesn’t summon if you have plans A-D available. Any class where hps convert to mana means taking damage is losing mana. Even if not resulting in failure, it’s less efficient than avoiding taking damage. The ideal formula is the same for all classes…most blue kills per hour with least downtime. While fun and a nice alternative to have for niche situations, this isn’t efficient even with a DS stacking build.

4 mobs, but I agree, too small of a sample size to show anything definitive. Just looking at "miss" numbers while killing for drops. As far as I know, higher agility/avoidance ac should help by mobs missing you with attacks more often. While worn gear, and spell, ac determines how hard you get hit. I would have probably seen better numbers against lower level mobs but I wanted numbers against things that I would actually "want" to be fighting. I ran gamparse the whole time I played that character, 25-60+, for my own amusement. That vid, of which the footage is 2 years old now, is the only thing I have left of any of those numbers. I guess, if anything, it shows that even a less optimized boneknight is still very capable.

Tap tanking is, definitely, the least efficient necro strat. It's more about killing fast, something necros aren't, typically, known for. I was hoping that tanking would be where the avoidance gimmick came into play, or at least high general ac. If avoidance was doing anything, you should need fewer lifetap nukes, which eat up the most mana. It should also be easier to channel them through combat rounds. Lifetap dots, which are the most efficient, should have an easier time healing over the damage taken. Especially, when stacking two of them. These were the ideas in my head, at the time. Still hard to say if all the avoidance made a difference, even after seeing all the numbers. Even if it was, my actual factual boneknight character certainly hasn't had it any more difficult for not having as much AGI. Burst damage is better with more DEX weapon procs, so fights don't last as long. Which is, certainly, more efficient. I would recommend the DEX build over the AGI build for anyone wanting to try a tap tank focused necro, all day. To a new player, I would say to follow the guides, with the caveat of "make sure every gear piece has, at least, some AC on it". High mitigation AC is good on any class, imo.

um because you turn yourself into a skeleton and play like a knight maybe?

Be that as it may, it still sounds silly to me. I was just calling it "battle necro" or "taptank necro" before, which makes more sense. Boneknight it is, I suppose.

[Troxx]

um because you turn yourself into a skeleton and play like a knight maybe?

Or maybe this style of necro gaming gives the player a boner?

[enjchanter]

This playstyle only gives me brain damage unfortunately

[Duik]

This playstyle only gives me brain damage unfortunately

It shows.

[PestilentCancer]

Tap Tanking 50 to 60 (https://youtu.be/hJvvCI10otM)

[greatdane]

bone knight is the flat earth theory of EQ

[Insaiyan]

What weapons and weapons progression would you guys recommend for this style?
I won’t do it forever, but it is something pretty fun and entertaining to melee if you feel like it.

Currently I’m level 16 with a smoldering brand. I’m at around 650 hp 600 mana. Kitted out in budget hp gear with the royks channeling crystal offhand.

How far is that smoldering brand going to take me? When and what should I swap to?

[Toxigen]

you should swap to charming undead and get off this meme playstyle

[Insaiyan]

Well it’s actually pretty chill and easy thus far 1-17, Tox. I don’t plan to stick with it all the way through but I have to admit with my gear and the tol robes it shreds. It does enough damage at face value to out dps the pet too so it’s not soaking 50% exp

What level would you suggest swapping to charming, then?

Even still I’m curious how long this playstyle will last until it falls off. I see it being pretty easy 1-20. As in very minimal downtime and you just keep killing because you can life tap hp and keep dark pact running to susatain mana.

Still wondering what weapon to upgrade to. My gear is not built around a bone knight, it’s just HP gear. So I can easily pick up a main hand caster weapon and be good to go.

[Pillow Armadillo]

What weapons and weapons progression would you guys recommend for this style?
I won’t do it forever, but it is something pretty fun and entertaining to melee if you feel like it.

Currently I’m level 16 with a smoldering brand. I’m at around 650 hp 600 mana. Kitted out in budget hp gear with the royks channeling crystal offhand.

How far is that smoldering brand going to take me? When and what should I swap to?

One of my friends equipped a Velium Crystal Staff and was cleaning up for the first 30 levels.

The usual advice is to start with a Crookstinger
https://wiki.project1999.com/Stiletto_of_the_Bloodclaw procs at 18
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_writhing procs at 28
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_undead_legions at 46

[zelld52]

Well it’s actually pretty chill and easy thus far 1-17, Tox. I don’t plan to stick with it all the way through but I have to admit with my gear and the tol robes it shreds. It does enough damage at face value to out dps the pet too so it’s not soaking 50% exp

What level would you suggest swapping to charming, then?

Even still I’m curious how long this playstyle will last until it falls off. I see it being pretty easy 1-20. As in very minimal downtime and you just keep killing because you can life tap hp and keep dark pact running to susatain mana.

Still wondering what weapon to upgrade to. My gear is not built around a bone knight, it’s just HP gear. So I can easily pick up a main hand caster weapon and be good to go.


Op here- reporting back on this for ya.

I used a velium crystal staff, which is the ultimate proc wep for Necro. But, on my first necro I used a staff of writhing when it procced.

I was able to easily drain tank stuff until about level 40. I highly suggest undead, so you can use your undead nukes.

At 40, the fights got really hard in melee. I kept trying, but besides various guards (paineel, high keep) there wasn’t too much that was both Safe and efficient.

Switched to charm at 40, but then stopped playing this necro because I already have a 60 nec and 60 enc and have charm killed to 60 on both. I’m sure if you really went out of your way, you could bone knight solo to 60… but it’d be a slog.

[Pillow Armadillo]

I managed to solo mine to 54 so far.

After 52, I think the smart move would be to pair up with a Necro, cleric or shaman and duo. Class shines in small groups, too.

[zelld52]

I managed to solo mine to 54 so far.

After 52, I think the smart move would be to pair up with a Necro, cleric or shaman and duo. Class shines in small groups, too.

Forgot to mention how much fun Bone Knight was in groups. Little healing, lots of DPS, CC using aggro spells to move / root mobs was fun.

Also gotta say, really love fighting undead with Bone Knight. You get a nice weapon proc, a passive buff lifetap proc, a damage shield, and low-mana undead nukes. It's still so much fun

[Toxigen]

What level would you suggest swapping to charming, then?



34 - new spells, hit kaesora if you know what you're doing

i suppose you could bone knight the last little bit of HPs after you break charm

[Pillow Armadillo]

I did 34-39 in Mines of Nurga for an early headstart on Chardok faction. The exit tunnel is very safe and gnomes can climb the waterfall straight from the zoneline.

[PestilentCancer]

https://wiki.project1999.com/Sarnak_Liberator

Weird weapon but it’s a surprisingly good “live mob” dps proc for the plat. I used one on my first boneknight up into the mid 50s, then replaced it with a Velium Crystal Staff.

[Insaiyan]

Sweet!

For reference this is what I'm working with on my "Bone Knight" https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Green:Rygors

Granted, I didn't allot points to specialize in the playstyle (think I did full int + str at character creation) and I don't intend to play like that exclusively all the way to 60; just playing melee early since I'm still pre-30, level slow, and am fairly casual.

It's almost just another playstyle to add to the necromancer toolkit in my eyes, especially early where it feels effective. I look forward to trying to charm in my 30s. High-jacking this thread a bit; will the above gear be fine for charming? Am I good to go until my 40s+ and at this point I just save everything up for spells?

Btw I'm looking for some Loam Encrusted Gloves if anyone is selling them :D

[PestilentCancer]

Sweet!

For reference this is what I'm working with on my "Bone Knight" https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Green:Rygors

Granted, I didn't allot points to specialize in the playstyle (think I did full int + str at character creation) and I don't intend to play like that exclusively all the way to 60; just playing melee early since I'm still pre-30, level slow, and am fairly casual.

It's almost just another playstyle to add to the necromancer toolkit in my eyes, especially early where it feels effective. I look forward to trying to charm in my 30s. High-jacking this thread a bit; will the above gear be fine for charming? Am I good to go until my 40s+ and at this point I just save everything up for spells?

Btw I'm looking for some Loam Encrusted Gloves if anyone is selling them :D

Gear looks good to me. After weapon and glove upgrades, I don't see why it couldn't take you to 40+ regardless of play style. The AC should make charm breaks a little less threatening to control.

[Pillow Armadillo]

Sweet!

For reference this is what I'm working with on my "Bone Knight" https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Green:Rygors

Granted, I didn't allot points to specialize in the playstyle (think I did full int + str at character creation) and I don't intend to play like that exclusively all the way to 60; just playing melee early since I'm still pre-30, level slow, and am fairly casual.

It's almost just another playstyle to add to the necromancer toolkit in my eyes, especially early where it feels effective. I look forward to trying to charm in my 30s. High-jacking this thread a bit; will the above gear be fine for charming? Am I good to go until my 40s+ and at this point I just save everything up for spells?

Btw I'm looking for some Loam Encrusted Gloves if anyone is selling them :D

Oiled greaves are a nice AC boost for the leg slot. Cloaks of Shadows off of Guano is another dexterity piece on Back slot. I'd also recommend using a Targishin's bone mask in the face slot.

Silken Cat Fur Girdle also has a bunch of dexterity on it. I think I'm still using Gauntlets of Potence in the hand slot for some strength.

[hagglebaby]

How would Rod of Annihilation Figure into this? I have heard there is a weapon damage cap of 40 for casters, however on the wiki it says the caster's weapon damage cap is 20. If the damage cap is 40, then a 39/40 herbalists spade would be about the same as a 60/40 rod of annihilation right?

and if the damage cap is 20, then a 22/40 rune staff would be about the same as a 60/40 rod of Annihilation. They would both be 20/40 right?

So is Rod of Annihilation actually 100% useless now? This would be for a str build, not a dex build. not focusing on proccing weps just maxing melee dmg

[Snaggles]

I doubt a Rod would do as much damage as a SK with a velks 1hs. In fact, in most situations (2ppm average) I doubt a Fesh staff would either.

[hagglebaby]

I doubt a Rod would do as much damage as a SK with a velks 1hs. In fact, in most situations (2ppm average) I doubt a Fesh staff would either.

Are you talking about Shadowknights?

[Snaggles]

Are you talking about Shadowknights?

I just meant I doubt it would crack 20dps.

[hagglebaby]

Yea I don't expect to be able to make it to 60 with a Rod.

Turns out that yes Herbalist's Spade is very similar to Rod of Annihilation for the ratio. There is a 40 weapon damage cap on caster melee. it used to be 20. The game mechanics page on the wiki still says 20. However the RoA page says it's now 40.

So RoA is effectively a 40/40 one hander and Herbalists Spade is a 39/43 two hander. So Yes for min maxing this shitty str build, you would go RoA with something in the secondary slot that gives str.

[enjchanter]

For the low price of an unattainable legacy item you can do almost 20 dps as a melee necro

[hagglebaby]

For the low price of an unattainable legacy item you can do almost 20 dps as a melee necro

To be fair it’s still attainable on Green. On blue, no it rarely gets posted.

The nice thing about legacy items is they tend to hold their value so you can play with it for a while, then sell it to someone else who wants to play with it.

[Duik]

Just like a detachable penis!

https://youtu.be/byDiILrNbM4

[Insaiyan]

My build has 407 AC right now and at level 23 and the mobs still consistently hit me very hard and for max damage. So I find myself questioning the viability. Again, I didn't stack AC items and went more HP focused, but still! I'm definitely to the point where the smoldering brand should probably be replaced by something that hits a little harder. I find myself falling into the normal necro playstyle more often and only step up to melee to take a little pressure off the pet, melee lifetap to keep my HP high and if I'm bored. The smoldering brand feels at the point where it should be replaced.

[Pillow Armadillo]

Here are some parses. It's closer to 50-60dps against undead (Staff of Undead Legions) with pets.

https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368034

[jolanar]

My build has 407 AC right now and at level 23 and the mobs still consistently hit me very hard and for max damage. So I find myself questioning the viability. Again, I didn't stack AC items and went more HP focused, but still! I'm definitely to the point where the smoldering brand should probably be replaced by something that hits a little harder. I find myself falling into the normal necro playstyle more often and only step up to melee to take a little pressure off the pet, melee lifetap to keep my HP high and if I'm bored. The smoldering brand feels at the point where it should be replaced.

If you are melee you need to only ever fight mobs that are just barely dark blue, otherwise you will get hammered no matter what.

[Pillow Armadillo]

My build has 407 AC right now and at level 23 and the mobs still consistently hit me very hard and for max damage. So I find myself questioning the viability. Again, I didn't stack AC items and went more HP focused, but still! I'm definitely to the point where the smoldering brand should probably be replaced by something that hits a little harder. I find myself falling into the normal necro playstyle more often and only step up to melee to take a little pressure off the pet, melee lifetap to keep my HP high and if I'm bored. The smoldering brand feels at the point where it should be replaced.

Here's what I was rolling with at your level. 600 AC is a good target to aim for https://wiki.project1999.com/Magelo_Blue:Beakbeak

[hagglebaby]

Should we request to have this thread moved to the melee forum?

[jolanar]

Should we request to have this thread deleted?

Yes.

[hagglebaby]

Just like a detachable penis!

https://youtu.be/byDiILrNbM4

“I rent it out when I don’t need it”

Indeed

[hagglebaby]

I like to think the reason you don’t see RoA on blue anymore is because they are all being actively used by their owners. Repeatedly equipping it, vigorously. Perhaps standing next to Wella Fargin. Or by themselves in a remote hut

[sajbert]

Wouldn't a proc weapon be better than RoA anyway?
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_Undead_Legions
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_the_Silent_Star

Coupled with https://wiki.project1999.com/Willsapper

Put all points into dex, alternatively stamina?

[hagglebaby]

Wouldn't a proc weapon be better than RoA anyway?
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_Undead_Legions
https://wiki.project1999.com/Staff_of_the_Silent_Star

Coupled with https://wiki.project1999.com/Willsapper

Put all points into dex, alternatively stamina?

Yea pretty sure proc would be better than str but sometimes you just want to hit something

[Snaggles]

Max dex is about two procs per minute. With a Staff of the Falling Stars it’s 13 dps, for Undead Legions it’s 19’ish. With a Fesh staff and a very lucky 5ppm it’s 33dps. That’s basically just stacking your top darkness and fire dot.

If my caster had a Fesh club I’d use and enjoy the hell out of it. I just wouldn’t lose track of more important tasks it rely on it as my “build”.

[hagglebaby]

Max dex is about two procs per minute. With a Staff of the Falling Stars it’s 13 dps, for Undead Legions it’s 19’ish. With a Fesh staff and a very lucky 5ppm it’s 33dps. That’s basically just stacking your top darkness and fire dot.

If my caster had a Fesh club I’d use and enjoy the hell out of it. I just wouldn’t lose track of more important tasks it rely on it as my “build”.

What’s more important than beating the hell out of something as a caster?

[PestilentCancer]

Some level 58 boneknighting (https://youtu.be/gx4OMM2KL4g?si=ReFga_koJGdLLby4)

With a bit of fear kiting and root rotting for extra flavor.

[shovelquest]

Some level 58 boneknighting (https://youtu.be/gx4OMM2KL4g?si=ReFga_koJGdLLby4)

With a bit of fear kiting and root rotting for extra flavor.

This is an A+ YouTube video I hope you make a 1000 more videos!

[Whyt]

Awesome video - and also - what UI are you using? that is also awesome!

Some level 58 boneknighting (https://youtu.be/gx4OMM2KL4g?si=ReFga_koJGdLLby4)

With a bit of fear kiting and root rotting for extra flavor.

[Toxigen]

and to think you could be in HS getting way more xp

[PestilentCancer]

Awesome video - and also - what UI are you using? that is also awesome!

https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=404059 with some personal tweaks

and to think you could be in HS getting way more xp

and to think you could be doing anything else with your time besides trying to be the p99 forum equivalent to gnats on a camping trip, but here we are…

[Whyt]

Thanks!!!

https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=404059 with some personal tweaks



and to think you could be doing anything else with your time besides trying to be the p99 forum equivalent to gnats on a camping trip, but here we are…

[PestilentCancer]

some personal tweaks

I had to edit some of the .xml and .tga files in the UI. In the inventory, stat numbers for AGI and DEX were in the wrong places. Also, the colors for some things weren’t as vibrant as they should be. That’s all really. I have been using a private trilogy server as a reference to make everything look “correct”. Pretty good so far, I think.


Thanks!!!

No problem. Hope this helps.

[Snaggles]

After just getting my SK to 60 in the most annoying way possible it’s nice to know some Necro’s are feeling a similar amount of pain.

[PestilentCancer]

After just getting my SK to 60 in the most annoying way possible it’s nice to know some Necro’s are feeling a similar amount of pain.

You took it all the way to 60. Must not have been THAT annoying. Grats

[Cecco83]

Some level 58 boneknighting (https://youtu.be/gx4OMM2KL4g?si=ReFga_koJGdLLby4)

With a bit of fear kiting and root rotting for extra flavor.

I love all of your videos, they are so cool! keep it up!

As a necro you're my hero for soloing in Plane of Fear, I definitely want to try the same one day.. just afraid of losing my corpse up there

[enjchanter]

I love all of your videos, they are so cool! keep it up!

As a necro you're my hero for soloing in Plane of Fear, I definitely want to try the same one day.. just afraid of losing my corpse up there

You can just petition your corpse. Plus , you're just killing blue mobs, you can do it , I believe in you

[PestilentCancer]

I love all of your videos, they are so cool! keep it up!

As a necro you're my hero for soloing in Plane of Fear, I definitely want to try the same one day.. just afraid of losing my corpse up there

Aww thanks!

Of all my vids, I hate the “Fear” vid the most lol. Mostly, because I now know how to do things with much less headache. Corpse retrievals are, surprisingly, not that bad if you are prepared. Was able to get most of them with invis and /corpse but I would still corpse coffins just in case. Bring a pile of EEs. Breaking in is the worst part imo.

[PlainGuy]

Just curious, but are proc weapons necessary for this kind of play? Every guide mentions proc weapons, but until things like the Staff of Undead Legions, the damage from the proc seems negated by the awful weapon damage. I'm currently using a Di'Zok Sceptre of Authority and the 10/20 ratio and 10AC seem better than a mediocre proc at this point.

[Pillow Armadillo]

I think the original bone knight incorporated the Staff of Writhing as a bone-themed gimmick, but I grew fond of that janky staff during the leveling process. Proc staves are not necessary, but even the bad ones (like Staff of Writhing) can interrupt casters and find some use. I'm sure you could lean in further with a Velium Crystal Staff, but I think your choice of weapon is also valid.

You'll just miss out on procs, which would be a shame with all that dexterity gnomes can get. I think I'm rolling with 180 dexterity unbuffed on my 54 bone knight.

[PlainGuy]

That's fair. I'm sitting at 185 dex now, so I can certainly make use of procs, but I'm unsure if weapons that proc at my level (Stiletto of the Bloodclaw) are worth it over more consistent ratios. I'll definitely get in on the Staff of Undead Legions fun down the road.

Edit: Should note that while I can use Velium Crystal Staff, that's a little out of my price range. I do have a Smoldering Brand, though.

[Pillow Armadillo]

I did the Crookstinger -> Stiletto of the Bloodclaw @18 -> Staff of Writhing at 28/29 (cant remember when it procs).

Picked up a Staff of Undead Legions in my 40s for around 2k plat but Ive only ever used it in Lower Guk (amazing) and HS (rarely taking hits while I xp, doing more charming 52+)

I liked the piercers because it opens up some more variety later on, and maybe will be useful with like a Boneshear or something late game.

Embalmers skinning knife is nice too, I'd recommend bind wound occasionally in case you ever find yourself in a low mana/HP situation and want to save some downtime.

[PestilentCancer]

The big problem is, because of low weapon skills and such, necros have a hard time landing melee hits. Especially, as they get higher in levels. You can still proc on a miss, however. I used Sarnak Liberator from level 20 to the mid 50s, when I could afford a Velium Crystal Staff, and it hit for, literally, no melee damage. The proc did great between lifetaps, alongside vamp embrace.

[PlainGuy]

Sarnak Liberator looks like a good option for fashionquest alone. I'll keep an eye out for it.

[enjchanter]

Just curious, but are proc weapons necessary for this kind of play? Every guide mentions proc weapons, but until things like the Staff of Undead Legions, the damage from the proc seems negated by the awful weapon damage. I'm currently using a Di'Zok Sceptre of Authority and the 10/20 ratio and 10AC seem better than a mediocre proc at this point.


The entire meme of this build is face tanking (for no reason) and stacking dex to proc stuff (because of you're already auto attacking you may as well)

Outside of proccing some weapon there will never be a reason for you to auto attack as a necro. You will not do respectable damage with any weapon that is obtainable in this game

[Vertiggo]

I feel like making a de and wearing cultural chain would be a must for this

[zelld52]

I feel like making a de and wearing cultural chain would be a must for this

for fashions sake yes, but i think the standard template for the meme build is

GNM for high starting DEX
IKS for bonus AC

[zelld52]

Also, got the necro to 60 mostly traditionally with charming / root rotting. Picked up a Feshlak staff. Tried bone knight tanking and it wound up being so ridiculously inefficient, I realized I just created a second necro for really no reason

[kjs86z2]

Also, got the necro to 60 mostly traditionally with charming / root rotting. Picked up a Feshlak staff. Tried bone knight tanking and it wound up being so ridiculously inefficient, I realized I just created a second necro for really no reason

everquest in 2025

[fortior]

Necro doesn't get access to slow, so meleeing with a willsapper until you proc is actually pretty badass if you're charming down big mobs

[Botten]

Necro doesn't get access to slow, so meleeing with a willsapper until you proc is actually pretty badass if you're charming down big mobs

with Enslave Death
Technically in some zones where you can charm 51+ level undead (The Hole, Chardok, Old Sebilis and HS) you can do fun stuff with a Di`zok Oracle Shillelagh.

But still wouldn't tank anything as a necro at these high levels thou.

And technically Bone Knight is just drain tanking.

[Goregasmic]

Outside of proccing some weapon there will never be a reason for you to auto attack as a necro. You will not do respectable damage with any weapon that is obtainable in this game

On top of having shit mitigation and avoidance. In most situations, all that lost HP would be more useful if you converted it to mana.

[kjs86z2]

The only legit time to melee is with a Willsapper on a really tough mob that would otherwise kill your pet (charm or spectre). And then maybe with a feshlak staff on that same mob if you're trying desperately to keep pet alive towards the end. And let's face it, even if you're full BiS you're gonna get wrecked in a hurry.

Anything else is meme / role-play...which is totally fine...this is everquest in 2025 do what you want but don't be pretending its good.

[zelld52]

Necro doesn't get access to slow, so meleeing with a willsapper until you proc is actually pretty badass if you're charming down big mobs

Swarmcaller on a charm pet works well

[SmallBandaid]

Can you bone knight for the first 1-40 and then swap to being a more traditional nec? How would you distribute your points or there is plenty of equipment to compensate if you boosted dex at the beginning? Thanks.

[sajbert]

Can you bone knight for the first 1-40 and then swap to being a more traditional nec? How would you distribute your points or there is plenty of equipment to compensate if you boosted dex at the beginning? Thanks.
Stats don't mean much. In early Classic they were more impactful, in Velious with cheap stat-plenty gear everywhere? Not so much.

Is dex going to be optimal? Probably not. Is there an argument for dex even at the minmax full BIS-gear point of the game? Actually yeah.

Necromancers can get Willsapper and the slow effect can be instrumental to solo some of the toughest mobs in the game. High proc rate will help you here and quite likely more than 20 stamina will given the crappy returns for casters past 200 sta. It can also help you proc OT hammer and mobilize faster.

I'd say STR is a worse pick but even then it's sometimes nice to be able to carry a lot of coin.

[sajbert]

Also you can bone knight without putting points in dex or str. I'd personally put points in cha.

[Cecily]

Anyone ever try this with a SK? Probably work better.