Turning my Shadowknight into a "mage"

[IcterusGalbula]

<p>I have a level 15 shadowknight with 12 AA on Nag.  It is my first shadowknight and I created it last summer when I still knew very little about the game.</p><p>His AA is going into healing and INT.</p><p>So far I have put most of his stats into STR, STA, and INT, with little in AGI and WIS.</p><p>However, I recently have started thinking a shadowknight doesn't need much STR.  SK get lots of abilities that use desease damage.  As far as melee-type damage, there isn't a whole lot.  He has a one-handed weapon, Kick, (and maybe painful swing does some?).</p><p>With lots of spells or combat arts that use desease I've started thinking I should be focusing on INT, WIS and STA.</p><p>There is level 16 plate armor with WIS and INT stats.  It has good resists (and might have good mitigation?)</p><p>It just seems a little odd to have a fighter with little STR, but that is what I'm starting to consider doing.</p><p>I wonder if it is normal to have SK with lots of INT, WIS, and STA and little STR.  Maybe so, but it just crossed my mind.</p>

[seamus]

<cite>IcterusGalbula wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I have a level 15 shadowknight with 12 AA on Nag.  It is my first shadowknight and I created it last summer when I still knew very little about the game.</p><p>His AA is going into healing and INT.</p><p>So far I have put most of his stats into STR, STA, and INT, with little in AGI and WIS.</p><p>However, I recently have started thinking a shadowknight doesn't need much STR.  SK get lots of abilities that use desease damage.  As far as melee-type damage, there isn't a whole lot.  He has a one-handed weapon, Kick, (and maybe painful swing does some?).</p><p>With lots of spells or combat arts that use desease I've started thinking I should be focusing on INT, WIS and STA.</p><p>There is level 16 plate armor with WIS and INT stats.  It has good resists (and might have good mitigation?)</p><p>It just seems a little odd to have a fighter with little STR, but that is what I'm starting to consider doing.</p><p>I wonder if it is normal to have SK with lots of INT, WIS, and STA and little STR.  Maybe so, but it just crossed my mind.</p></blockquote><p>STR is a very important stat for SK's. We get power from both STR and INT but STR provides more power. You can confirm this by getting an Int charm and an equal Str charm and swap them. Melee provides more then half our dps. STR is a key factor in melee damage.</p><p>WIS does not give an SK anything other then improved resists, it's the most 'disposable' stat an SK has. Do not get the INT AA that improves heal crit, it has no effect on our taps at all. This is why SK's rarely do more then 4-4-8 in INT, though some may go 4-6-8 or 4-8-8 to boost the nuke since the symbol requirement has been dropped.</p><p>AGI helps with avoidance and should be/is a key stat for SK's. Unfortuanately with itemization the way it is, SK's have to sacrifice AGI to maximize STR, INT, and STA.</p><p>If you are looking at using crafted gear, you may want to look at Devout plate armor which has STR, STA and INT.</p>

[Soefje]

Don't try to turn your SK into a mage!  You will only be more disappointed.  We are fighters, should stand in the thick of battle dishing out damage with a sword (weapon) and spells.This is what is so frustrating right now about this class, we are lowest tier fighters, and have no chance of competing with mages.  So we really have nothing to offer.  Now people are going to come in here an tell you that if you have a certain group set up in your raid you can out DPS a mage.  Fine.  But if you don't raid or don't have the luxuary of a coercer, dirge, or whatever to group with all the time, then you will not out DPS a competent mage in your group.If you want DPS and some tanking, roll a brigand.  If you want pure DPS, roll a wizard.  If you want pure tank roll a guardian (that is what I did).

[Tiberuis]

<p>/agree</p><p>IMHO, there is really not much point to turning your SK into a "Mage."  You will never do as much DPS as a mage class.  </p><p>If you really want a plate wearing DPS toon, roll a Guardian, or a Bezerker.  SK's cannot touch those classes DPS.</p><p>If you want a toon that can really DPS, and tank a bit, roll a Brigand.</p><p>The SK makes a decent group instance tank through most zones in the game, if you work really hard at it, and do a good job with your AA's, equipment, and master spell upgrades.</p><p>But unfortunately with the SK, once you hit level 80, if you want to play the ROK end game content, there is really nothing that you can offer to your fellow gamers.  Other plate classes will tank, and DPS, way better in end-game content than the SK.</p><p>The EQ2 end game content is definately some of the best entertainment in the MMO world.  Worth considering.</p>

[DMIstar]

<p>Don't Look at it as a mage point of view....</p><p> You look at it as an overal DPS point of view... Major Factors on our DPS is STR... INT.. Melee Weapon.. Spell Dmg.. Haste... </p><p>Secondary will Be Double attack. Melee Crit.. DPS.. </p><p>Your STR and INT have to be balanced.. Normally You will see your INT about 100 above STR. You DO NOT want to be lopsided on a stat... Your DPS will Suffer for this. </p><p>Your Weapon needs to be good. with adeqaute Haste... /weapon Should show 2.5 - 3.0 delay after haste. Keep that there. get highest dmg as possible on it. then start creating a casting order. Your weapon itself should being doing around 35-40% of your dmg, any lower and your missing swings and missing DPS.</p><p> No Lie, You have a long way to go. But just saying, if you make yourself a mage and ignore STR and melee, your DPS will litteraly suck, due to our spells do not have enough dmg on them to make it our only DPS. </p>

[Nole]

<p>I find from experience that at least 66%-75% of my damage comes from spells. At least at mid levels, you'll get much better returns from int, especially if you're doing any sort of AoE damage. Str is useful because it helps some of your attacks and boosts your power by a lot, but I've long wished for a set of agi/int gear.</p><p>Really the results may be skewed by the availability of +spell damage adornments at lower tiers, but I suspect even so those adornments would be more effective than +CA damage ones.</p>

[IcterusGalbula]

<p>Thanks for the replies.  I did not really expect that most would say that focusing on INT at the cost of STR is a bad idea.  I kind of expected people to say, "SK always focus on INT.  Why'd it take you so long to figure that out?"</p><p>I'll continue to think things over and explore around.  My SK is only level 15, so he has plenty of time to do that.</p><p>Yesterday I finally realized the true potential of the various quests in Timorous Deep with a different toon.  So my SK might try to do a bunch of those quests now.  He's only done a few of them.</p><p>P.S. </p><p>In looking over the SK board in the last 2 days I'm shocked to see all the posts complaining about how bad SK are.  I've spent very little time on this board.  I often check the PVP board and there is one poster there who is always talking about how great SK are.  So to see all the complaints here has been an eye opener.</p><p>I actually have two SK.  One is lower in level and I thought I'd let him take advantage of whatever the higher-level SK learned.  But now I'm starting to think maybe I should reroll my lower level SK into something else after reading all the complaints here!  LOL!</p>

[Nor]

<p>SK's aren't "bad".</p><p> They just aren't "needed".</p><p>They aren't as good as anything else, but do decent as an all around guy.</p><p>And, if you're looking to solo...go no further.</p><p>But, like the other posters said...if you ever want to see "end-game" or raid at all, be prepared for dissapointment, unless you're the "token" sk in a casual guild.</p>

[BMonkeeus]

I'll echo Noruh, if you enjoy this toon by all means stick with it. The vast majority of the complaints you are seeing are folks that want valid end game raid spot for SKs.

[IcterusGalbula]

<p>I realize I'm changing the focus of this thread now, and this post might not be very popular here... ...but if SK are a good all-around class to solo, and I believe they are... ...doesn't it make sense that they would not really be needed in groups.</p><p>By that I mean: jack-of-all-trades = expert in none.</p><p>If the SK really is kind of a jack-of-all-trades, it makes sense that anything he can do, some other class can do better... ...some other class that specializes in one thing I mean.</p><p>Suppose: </p><p>guardians are better tanks,</p><p>mages are better at damage,</p><p>druids are better at heals.</p><p>A three-toon group (for the sake of argument, the number of toons doesn't matter) of one guardian, one mage, and one druid would probably be better than a group of 3 SKs.  Maybe not.  But I suspect so. </p><p>That just seems to be the price you pay for being a good solo toon.</p><p>Hopefully I won't be ridden out of town on a rail for posting this!  LOL</p><p>P.S.</p><p>In general I can see how a specialist would always be taken in a group over a generalist.  In other words, to use the example above, I think one guardian, one mage, and one druid might be better than:</p><p>one guardian, one mage and one SK</p><p>one SK, one mage, and one druid or</p><p>one guardian, one SK, and one druid.</p>

[Nole]

<p>For all the doom and gloom on these boards, the SK is really awesome at mid-levels solo or otherwise. I suspect much of the end game whining comes from a lack of multi-mob encounters or bad scaling up of our damage in T8 or something. Or maybe it comes from environments where being 2% worse than someone else means you suck (I've come to realize that limiting raid size has this effect. In older MMOs where you could bring an infinite number of people, it didn't matter if one person was a bit worse than another).</p><p>That being said, gear and skill still makes a bigger difference until you get to a level where everyone is well-geared and good at their class. I've tanked in groups where I've outhealed the healer <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Tiberuis]

<p>Most of the "doom and gloom" on these SK threads are from players that have hit 80, and realize in the ROK environment that they are not balanced with the other plate tanks.  </p><p>If you like your SK toon, and think it does an adequate job of tanking, and you are having fun, that is great.  No need to re-roll if you are enjoying the game, right?</p><p>Once you hit 80, however, you may notice over time in ROK that your SK is not as good at tanking or DPS as the other plate tank classes.  </p><p>The class tanking and DPS abilities/AA lines, and the equipment design are all lacking compared to the other plate tanks.  It is a simple fact of life for a modern ROK Shadowknight.</p>