Question: Iksar Necromancer Starting Faction w/Outpost

[Waffles_McGregor]

Hi All,

My Necro is now at a point where HS would be perfect for leveling and I'm excited to try it. My concern is this character is a factionqust character working on getting very high faction (ally in most cases) with all starting and in some cases secondary cities like Outpost.

Does anyone know roughly where in the 950 point scowls range Iksar Necromancers start with VS/Outpost? If I'm basically max scowls, it doesn't matter and I'll proceed to Howling Stones. If I'm only 100 points from threatening, that is a significant time commitment to repair when the time comes.

Appreciate if anyone has scienced this out! :confused:

One additional tidbit, I'm pretty sure I'm not Max Scowls as skeleton form pushes me to apprehensive, usually it pushes me to threatening when I'm max scowls. However, I don't truly know the impact of that illusion, its possible its larger than usual and It's throwing me off.

[kjs86z2]

I would not worry about 1 faction if it meant not experiencing HS as a necro.

Its damn near pinnacle classic p99. From helping others with CRs to the pop-up duo/trios that can happen...its just too good to pass on even if you are concerned with faction.

[sammoHung]

The faction hits in Howling Stones are severe enough that one play session there will send you from apprehensive to threatening. Not worth fighting a single mob in there if you plan on keeping faction, and also don't plan on raiding VP.

Karnor's castle drovlargs, a few named undead are also on VS faction. The basement is almost 100% faction neutral - but if you decide to leave your VS faction alone, you'll also miss out on a large chunk of KC to hunt.

This can all be remedied if you choose to raid VP with one of the few guilds that do it. A few faction tags in there will set you right again with VS.

TL;DR: Doesn't take many kills to ruin VS faction. Buy your spells from the vendor and then burn the faction - it's worth the exp. If you feel like repairing it - get a VP key and get some faction tags in there.

[loramin]

and also don't plan on raiding VP.

Yeah, really you have the following options:


if you're evil/non-Iksar you can avoid 1/2 of the good Kunark dungeons and keep your starting faction
anyone can kill tons of Sarnak Berserkers to get faction, and then can avoid the dungeons to keep it
anyone can go to those dungeons, and just avoid OT (relying on a puppet strings to get their OT Hammer)


But in my opinion, the pro move is to get the benefits of the dungeons AND the benefits of using OT, by simply going on VP raids from time to time. A single raid can take your faction from KoS to Ally.

[Crede]

Yeah, really you have the following options:


if you're evil/non-Iksar you can avoid 1/2 of the good Kunark dungeons and keep your starting faction
anyone can kill tons of Sarnak Berserkers to get faction, and then can avoid the dungeons to keep it
anyone can go to those dungeons, and just avoid OT (relying on a puppet strings to get their OT Hammer)


But in my opinion, the pro move is to get the benefits of the dungeons AND the benefits of using OT, by simply going on VP raids from time to time. A single raid can take your faction from KoS to Ally.

He's a necro, no need for strings.

OP just enjoy HS & bank through wall in Outpost if desired, not worth the trouble (OT outpost is all greedy vendors anyway).

[loramin]

He's a necro, no need for strings.

OP just enjoy HS & bank through wall in Outpost if desired, not worth the trouble (OT outpost is all greedy vendors anyway).

Oh yeah, this is the correct answer (until VP, when you get full access to the city).

[cd288]

He's a necro, no need for strings.

OP just enjoy HS & bank through wall in Outpost if desired, not worth the trouble (OT outpost is all greedy vendors anyway).

It sounds like he's set a personal goal of completing faction quest though, not that he's worried about convenience.

But I agree with other commenters, I would just exclude outpost from faction quest as HS is worth it as a necro

[Ibex]

My Iksar Necro lived in HS basement from 54-60. I am Scowling to the OT outpost. However, when I use the Lich line of spells I go to Apprehensive and happily vendor all my lazy Droga loot and bank with the Outpost. No need for FD at the wall to bank nor an invis needed to stroll around.

[Crede]

My Iksar Necro lived in HS basement from 54-60. I am Scowling to the OT outpost. However, when I use the Lich line of spells I go to Apprehensive and happily vendor all my lazy Droga loot and bank with the Outpost. No need for FD at the wall to bank nor an invis needed to stroll around.

o snap, even better.

/thread

[kjs86z2]

the only shame there is staying in basement until 60

[Waffles_McGregor]

My Iksar Necro lived in HS basement from 54-60. I am Scowling to the OT outpost. However, when I use the Lich line of spells I go to Apprehensive and happily vendor all my lazy Droga loot and bank with the Outpost. No need for FD at the wall to bank nor an invis needed to stroll around.

Thanks, this is pretty helpful. If you're max scowls and skelly form makes you apprehensive this is a pretty clear indication that I'm closer to max scowls than threatening. Apprehensive is a 400 point window, so it could still be a couple hundred points, but this really narrows it down.

I will likely just pull the trigger, I need to get a clear read on how much faction hit per kill and I'll just count it out for science.

As indicated above, this isn't about getting a hammer (I have one of those), this is really just about fixing all factions to ally as a personal challenge. I have ABSOLUTELY done worse, I killed frostbite 1 point per kill to ally from max scowls, but my patience for these brutal months long grinds is wearing thin as I approach the end of my project.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

[zelld52]

ok now that OP's question has been answered and they've moved on: let's turn this into every other p99 thread with 60 pages of arguing over small details OP isn't interested in...


see yall on page 50

[kjs86z2]

we just need to summon DSM

[Ibex]

the only shame there is staying in basement until 60

It was so fast and easy I could not resist. Zero effort or competition to do both wings and the center. No danger, no deaths. Just steamrolled to 60. Zero money to be had but it was the same character who spent 20~ levels doing Paineel guards so I was ok with that.

[loramin]

It was so fast and easy I could not resist. Zero effort or competition to do both wings and the center. No danger, no deaths. Just steamrolled to 60. Zero money to be had but it was the same character who spent 20~ levels doing Paineel guards so I was ok with that.

I got my Shaman to 60 down there, and he could only do 1/3-1/4th of what a Necro/Enchanter could do. Great XP camp.

[cd288]

It was so fast and easy I could not resist. Zero effort or competition to do both wings and the center. No danger, no deaths. Just steamrolled to 60. Zero money to be had but it was the same character who spent 20~ levels doing Paineel guards so I was ok with that.

What level did you start at? Did you keep track of total hours?

Always interested to hear peoples' experiences for leveling timing

[loramin]

What level did you start at? Did you keep track of total hours?

Always interested to hear peoples' experiences for leveling timing

I've got it as a 53-59 camp in the wiki: https://wiki.project1999.com/Charasis_Basement

Might be able to start sooner as a Necro/Enchanter though (I made that page based on Loramin's experience there).

[sammoHung]

I've got it as a 53-59 camp in the wiki: https://wiki.project1999.com/Charasis_Basement

Might be able to start sooner as a Necro/Enchanter though (I made that page based on Loramin's experience there).

Don't really want to start earlier, because you'll get resists and charm breaks.

But the mobs start to green out in basement around level 57. Way easier corpse run than North though. Spent a few mornings naked at entrance of an empty HS killing the pathers hoping for a feaster to spawn just so I could go recover my corpse in North

[Ibex]

What level did you start at? Did you keep track of total hours?

Always interested to hear peoples' experiences for leveling timing

I'll have to check my screenshots to give you the finer details. I'll check them out tonight after work if time allows. It was almost a year ago so the minutiae escapes me but I can rather confidently say that I spent no more than two weeks there and started at 54 and ended at 60. There were some days I would get a whole level worth of exp which felt rather surprising considering the nature of 55+ grinding.


But the mobs start to green out in basement around level 57.

Perhaps my recollection is failing me but this was not my experience at all.

[loramin]

But the mobs start to green out in basement around level 57.

Perhaps my recollection is failing me but this was not my experience at all.

I actually can support sammoHung on his recollection, as I remember looking for better spots around 57 or so, because I started seeing the occasional light blue.

However, for me as a Shaman there really wasn't a better place to level (I think this might have been back before Blue got Velious), so I stuck with it all the way to 60. It's been years, but as I remember it, there weren't that many light blues, so I still got pretty good XP.

[loramin]

P.S. Has anyone done basement as a Cleric? I'm looking for somewhere to solo my 55 Cleric, but HS is so unforgiving ... it'd be nice to hear if others have tried it first.

[Ibex]

If I remember right the lowest level mob in basement was one of the skellies, I'm forgetting the name, but that was the first to go green and remained the only green for a level or two. To reiterate, I can definitely be remembering wrong. But knowing my habits I would have left the camp if even a 1/4 of the mobs turned green.

[Waffles_McGregor]

My Iksar Necro lived in HS basement from 54-60. I am Scowling to the OT outpost. However, when I use the Lich line of spells I go to Apprehensive and happily vendor all my lazy Droga loot and bank with the Outpost. No need for FD at the wall to bank nor an invis needed to stroll around.

Just an update, something is not smelling right here. I did go in tonight and kill, I'm still not bottomed out with Venril Sathir and I am dubious, so relying on this information was sub-optimal. At the end of the day I'm committed now, but this did throw me off with my decision making. :(

So for those following up on this and wondering, no, max scowls for an Iksar necromancer is NOT apprehensive. At best its dubious, and potentially threatening at worst. I'll update when I eventually bottom out because I'm stuck at this point.


I wish I could edit my mid-thread response on this subject as it sort've carries forward inaccurate information which I know is now false after verifying. Is there any way to delte/edit an old message? Edit button seems to be gone.

[Ibex]

Just an update, something is not smelling right here. I did go in tonight and kill, I'm still not bottomed out with Venril Sathir and I am dubious, so relying on this information was sub-optimal. At the end of the day I'm committed now, but this did throw me off with my decision making. :(

So for those following up on this and wondering, no, max scowls for an Iksar necromancer is NOT apprehensive. At best its dubious, and potentially threatening at worst. I'll update when I eventually bottom out because I'm stuck at this point.


I wish I could edit my mid-thread response on this subject as it sort've carries forward inaccurate information which I know is now false after verifying. Is there any way to delte/edit an old message? Edit button seems to be gone.

https://i.postimg.cc/y6XVQq88/EQ000374.pnghttps://i.postimg.cc/25szJrWR/EQ000377.png



These are my factions after plenty of leveling in HS and, as far as I know, no concerted effort to faction for OT outpost. Scowling before Lich, Apprehensive with Lich.

[Waffles_McGregor]

Your pictures I think account for the issue, you're using Arch Lich and I'm just using Lich. I don't have Arch Lich yes so its very possible that has a more beneficial faction multiplier vs Lich.

Ultimately if this is the case, this messes up my math and I Was closer to threatening than max scowls.

But I had fun down there so it is what it is, I'm committed!

[Ibex]

Demi Lich also gets me to Apprehensive. But I suppose it is true I have only tried Arch Lich and Demi Lich. I'll test others after work today.

[kjs86z2]

P.S. Has anyone done basement as a Cleric? I'm looking for somewhere to solo my 55 Cleric, but HS is so unforgiving ... it'd be nice to hear if others have tried it first.

im sure its been done but why? its crap for a cleric

better off in KC basement if you really are keen on solo

safe spot for med/afk, all undead, no harm touch

[Waffles_McGregor]

Demi Lich also gets me to Apprehensive. But I suppose it is true I have only tried Arch Lich and Demi Lich. I'll test others after work today.


Yeah, let me know!

I suppose I've learned something (pending your confirmation), specters and skeletons apparently offer different faction modifiers. Once we confirm this is another interesting tool for necro factionquesters.

(It's got me curious if I can get enough faction to hit amiable with bards in Kelethin for example, although I'm 99.9% sure not.)

[Ibex]

Yeah, let me know!

I suppose I've learned something (pending your confirmation), specters and skeletons apparently offer different faction modifiers. Once we confirm this is another interesting tool for necro factionquesters.

(It's got me curious if I can get enough faction to hit amiable with bards in Kelethin for example, although I'm 99.9% sure not.)

My apologies, I just perused my logs going way back and I was getting Venril Sathir faction from VP raids far more often than I imagined. I guess all those DA engages were paying dividends beyond being the token Necro at the raid...

For what it is worth, I checked faction with Lich and it was also bringing me to Apprehensive. I suppose if you feel like subjecting yourself to Pained Soul and Rotting Skeleton, this is certainly a unique reason to do so.

[sammoHung]

I am bottomed out Scowls with my Necro, and in Lich form I am scowls.

[Waffles_McGregor]

My apologies, I just perused my logs going way back and I was getting Venril Sathir faction from VP raids far more often than I imagined. I guess all those DA engages were paying dividends beyond being the token Necro at the raid...

For what it is worth, I checked faction with Lich and it was also bringing me to Apprehensive. I suppose if you feel like subjecting yourself to Pained Soul and Rotting Skeleton, this is certainly a unique reason to do so.



Well that explains it then, thanks for checking. For anyone finding this later, I believe an Iksar Necromancer does start fairly close to threatening, NOT close to Max Scowls. I'm not even bottomed out yet and I'm threatening in skelly form as of last night.

[Waffles_McGregor]

Just to close the loop on this if any Iksars ever go rooting around, at Max Scowls in lich (skelly form) I am indeed scowls. This means I cleared through all of dubious (250 points), all of threatening (350 points) and at least some of apprehensive, which I'm estimating at about 200 points.

As max scowls to threatening is 950 points, this puts an Iksar Necromancers starting faction with Outpost at about 800 points in Scowls, or about 150ish points away from threatening.

Thanks all!

[Wakanda]

oops wrong server