Quick question regarding necro race

[Baler]

But being super skilled and knowledgeable at the game is different than gaining an advantage in an RPG. So that solo artist challenge is kind of mute on most topics. Is it required to be a certain race to kill some crazy stuff.. well no,. but it does nothing but help in some way. Whether it's regen or frontal stun.

Regen is a big Advantage for necromancers. Choose to take that advantage or not. Just don't complain when ur level 50+ and you regret not picking iksar for a necro. I've spoken with a lot of non-iksar monks and necros. Nearly every one of them said they wish they'd gone iksar. Excluding the ones who are super raid twinked.

[Vexenu]

Iksars should never have been allowed to be Necros. Regen is too powerful. Makes the other Necro races obsolete for the most part.

Although interestingly there is one exception: if you were making a Necro on a Kunark-era PvP server, you'd be better off with an Erudite. Iksar low INT is a huge liability when you're forced to wear resist gear, and regen isn't a factor in most PvP fights because they tend to be decided quickly one way or the other. Better to have significantly more mana to lifetap/nuke with rather than regen in that case.

See the Erudite with 500+ more mana wearing nearly-identical gear:

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

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

[Doctor Jeff]

Originally Posted by Vexenu [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

regen isn't a factor in most PvP fights because they tend to be decided quickly one way or the other.

You clearly have never pvp'd with any form of skill.

[Pezy]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You clearly have never pvp'd with any form of skill.

Everquest has PVP?

[Vexenu]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You clearly have never pvp'd with any form of skill.

Perhaps I should have clarified that regen specifically for a Necromancer isn't a huge deal in PvP. Regen is obviously enormous for melees who have no other way of sustaining themselves in a fight. But Necros don't need regen to sustain, they have lifetaps for that. And the Erudite mana advantage in Kunark/low end Velious gear allows them multiple extra casts of Deflux or an entire extra cast of Vexing Mordania. If you do the math, a fight has to last something like 15 minutes in order for the Iksar regen to overcome the Erudite mana advantage. Needless to say, the vast majority of PvP encounters do not last anywhere close to 15 minutes (and the exceptions are big group fights where entirely different tactics apply anyway).

The main point to keep in mind is that Iksar INT is really, really abysmal while wearing resist gear until you get into high-end Velious stuff. Regen in no way compensates for this glaring mana disparity in PvP fights that are usually decided in under 5 minutes. It's not a question of skill or tactics in this case, it's just math. Iksar are bad PvP Necros for the same reason they're good PvE Necros: they sacrifice INT for regen. On a PvE timeline this is a good bargain: regen comes out ahead in the long run. But the opposite holds true in PvP: if you're a cloth wearer, it's all about burst damage, and you need all the INT/mana you can get to ensure you have a deep enough mana pool to burst people down. Regen doesn't win PvP fights for casting classes; having enough mana to kill the other guy quickly while keeping yourself alive does.

[Mordyth]

Wow so many answers! Thanks to everyone for your input, made my choice even harder ;p
I believe I'll do it the old fashioned way and run 2 different races to 20 and see which one I like the best!

[nevilshute]

Originally Posted by Mordyth [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Wow so many answers! Thanks to everyone for your input, made my choice even harder ;p
I believe I'll do it the old fashioned way and run 2 different races to 20 and see which one I like the best!

Not to annoy you but that likely won't be a very good test. At 20 the regen from iksar will be very weak. It's not until much later in your necro life that it really starts to shine. All you will accomplish is likely to be annoyed that it takes longer to get your iksar to 20 due to exp penalty

[Mordyth]

Originally Posted by nevilshute [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Not to annoy you but that likely won't be a very good test. At 20 the regen from iksar will be very weak. It's not until much later in your necro life that it really starts to shine. All you will accomplish is likely to be annoyed that it takes longer to get your iksar to 20 due to exp penalty

Fair enough. What kind of test would you suggest?

[nevilshute]

Originally Posted by Mordyth [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Fair enough. What kind of test would you suggest?

I'm afraid there is no test other than to try a level 55-60 iksar necro and then a DE (or other) of similar level. And unless you can borrow accounts to try that you will have to assess, ahead of time, if you believe that the iksar regen is enough of a difference maker. Look at the wiki page for necromancers, there is the complete breakdown of what an iksar vs non-iksar regens at different levels.

Look, as others have pointed out, it's not like you will be able to solo kill Trakanon as an iksar. You can solo the exact same mobs regardless of your race. But as an iksar you will have an extra, innate 8 regen standing, 11 regen sitting per tick. When you consider that the Coldain 10th ring gives 10 regen and that Zlandicar's Heart gives 5 regen and that both of these items are insanely desireable for a necromancer then it should give you pause to think. This extra regen will make for smoother soloing. It will make you have to spend mana on healing yourself (through Vexing Mordinia) at longer intervals and as such you will be more effecient with your mana and will be able to solo faster. Exactly HOW much faster I won't commit to saying because I've not tested it. It might not, at the end of the day, be by a lot. But that it makes you more effecient is undeniable.

[loramin]

Originally Posted by Mordyth [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Fair enough. What kind of test would you suggest?

I'd suggest just playing a Necro, of any race. As I broke down in my post, the Iksar racial amounts to one extra cast of the highest level of your Darkness line (about) every 5 minutes at level 60. If you look at the math in my post, you can easily change that to any other spell on a slightly different interval.

Once you've actually played a necro (maybe not to 20, but at least into the high teens so you have most spell lines) you can start to appreciate how valuable (or not) that extra spell every 5 (or whatever number of) minutes is. It still won't be the same as playing a level 60, but it will give you an idea.

Then you can determine which will be more valuable to you: having a Dark Elf (and not be yet another Iksar) necromancer like everyone else, or having that extra spell every N minutes.