[Uteunayr]

Okay, I restate this often, but here we go:

Faction problems are temporary. It can be repaired.

Where you level is a temporary problem. You can travel.

Access to vendors is tied to the above. It is temporary.

You know what isn't temporary? Regeneration.

Regeneration is so damn good. It really is. No, it doesn't just matter when leveling, it is so damn good in raiding. Do you know how nice it is to sit in Demi Lich and lose *nothing* because of Regrowth? Talk about mana efficiency. You get to dump a sick amount of mana independent of any healing, life tapping, or anything else that would drain the mana of a class with a heal. That lets them put the heals on other targets. Your regen helps deal with that first tick lost to a Shadowbond when you are patch healing in a raid in addition to mana dumping. When you're charming and take damage from a break, you'll recover faster without making the healers heal you specifically. Raiding as a necromancer is so much more than just mana dumping, and everything about a necromancer flows through your ability to easily and efficiently handle your health pool. Regen is the tits.

Necromancers are a FD class. As a FD class, generally, you're going to get out of tight situations a good bit of the time, whether it be at a raid, or in a solo, or in a group. During such a point, think back to when you FDed at 1%, and knew you couldn't stand due to see invis mobs, and low HP aggro? Imagine how long you'd have to sit there, FDed, to get your health back. I remember those moments on Uteunayr (my DE). I started to just cap out of them and waste 200pp and someone's time each time. With Sesser (Iksar)? I can control the situation so much easier.

Then realize that Iksar wait a lot shorter a time than you would, and would get out before many respawns. Most monks I have met carry around a Fungi tunic for that, and many other, situations. Iksar Necromancers are always wearing a Fungi.

Seriously, XP penalties are temporary. Faction issues are temporary. Regeneration is forever.

This is EverQuest. There's no reason to rush. This game is about the journey. Working around the faction is about as core to the journey of a necromancer as you get.

Want to level in Qeynos? Good to know: Qeynos Evil Guild loves Iksar (Amiable). They even have a bank in the evil guild itself.

Want to level near Freeport? Do the Bone Chips (Freeport) quest once, and you'll be able to vendor there, buy spells there, and all sorts of stuff..

Gypsies, druids... Oh, you're level 16 and want to bank? Invis up to a banker, and FD. You can bank anywhere while Feign Deathed.

The difficulty of being an Iksar in Antonica is way overblown. A little know how of the continent and the spots, and you can easily level in Antonica. I did, and have numerous times. It is not the trial by fire many like to make it out to be. If you want to get to where the entire continent is open to you, yes, it's a lot of faction work. But just base, fresh out of Cabilis, you can do a lot as an Iksar in Antonica if, like me, you hate Kunark until later levels.

There are ways around the problems of faction. There's no way around a lack of regen until Velious, and even then, the total regen you can gain from the items (17) isn't the 32 from Demi Lich when health regen would start to wane in value.

Plus, Iksar have lower base Int, their stats are more equally distributed, so you wont have as much wasted intelligence with Velious gear.

Honestly, go Iksar. Learn from my mistake. I rolled a Dark Elf, got to 60, realized how shitty it was in solo, groups, and in raids, and I rerolled to an Iksar. Then again, I value my output more than replicating my classic character (a DE Necro). If you put a lot of value on sentimental attachment to your classic toon, make your classic toon. But if you care about your efficiency, and getting the most out of your class, there is no reason to not go Iksar. The only argument I have ever heard that seems reasonable that isn't based on sentimental attachment to a race is that Gnomes get to tinker Stalking Probes which they can life tap to get back HP. Come Velious, just camp yourself some Holgresh Elder Beads, and now you have an unlimited source of stalking probes. However, nothing will replace looking through walls... So, Regen is forever, but so is being a voyeur. Lol.

/rant. By the way, this exact thing is the backdrop of my signature. I find this amusing.