View source for Undercon's Shadow Knight Guide

== Overview of the Class ==

Welcome to the Shadow Knight, a heavily armored, hated and penalized class. As one of three hybrids you will have to endure an experience penalty, that is, until the release of the Velious expansion. This penalty serves as a deterrent, as seen in the relatively low number of hybrids on the server, and it sometimes will also reduce your chances of getting groups, albeit rarely. The desirability of this particular class stems from a few failsafe spells that practically guarantee the well-being of your groupmates. What sets you apart from the others is your ability steal HP, AC, STR, and, most importantly, AGGRO. These are your strong suits and the reason you will be sought after for groups. However, no amount of twinking is going to turn you into the DPS machines that Monks and Rogues are. It's a sad reality but it's a reality nonetheless. Your job as a Shadow Knight is to take damage, not dish it out. One part Necromancer and three parts Warrior, the Shadow Knight is not a damage dealer but, over time and with a bit of finagling, it is a class that can solo decently. Early on in raid situations you will be asked to fear/snare when needed and let the Enchanter steal from your mana pool with Theft of Thought. Accept their duel and /wave goodbye to your mana. You may also be expected to tank/off-tank during raids, but generally speaking the Warrior will be doing the heavy lifting.

It might sound simple enough but hybrid tanking isn't all about hitting auto-attack and spamming the same spells over and over mindlessly. Positioning of the mob is just as important as taking into account how much push your group has. You want the other group members, especially the rogues, to have access to the backside of the mob until it's dead. And you're going to be backed into a corner if you aren't vigilant and in third person perspective. Be ready to identify specific spells by their color and then bash interrupt them at the last second so the mob has less time to recast. This is especially true with heal spells because towards the end of a mob's life it will cast and recast heals. If you can interrupt it even momentarily, one or two extra seconds can be enough for the DPS to finish the mob off. There are many other situational abilities of the class which will be discussed at length in future edits.

Information was compiled from various forums and Allakhazam posts, as well as personal experiences. Edits are welcome.

== Strategies ==

'''Fear-Kiting'''

This is the most reliable means to gaining experience for Shadow Knights and is generally restricted to outdoor zones. Two-handed weapons are generally better suited for fear-kiting. Given the fact that a feared mob can turn suddenly and move out of range thereby causing you to lose out on chances to swing at the mob -- the faster the weapon the more this is likely to occur. The tactic is straightforward. Cast snare and fear the mob, reapply both when necessary. Have a pet summoned and use various DOTs to speed up the process. Turn auto-attack on/off as you keep pace with the mob until you get the hang of things.

'''Decreasing Downtime'''

In many zones, even at high levels, there will be low level green con mobs in the vicinity. Open your spell book and load up Vampiric Embrace and your newest Lifetap. Also, if you have a weapon with the proc Soul Bond than wield it. Steal as much HP as possible. Once you're out of mana, sit and med up. It's such an obvious option but many SKs, including ones without innate regen, do not take advantage of it.

'''Pulling''' 

The simplest and earliest method of pulling requires you to make use of Numb the Dead, your first undead lull spell, beginning at level 15 which will allow you to minimize adds -- ideal for zones like Befallen and Unrest. Simply cast Numb the Dead on each potential add and then aggro the mob(s) you want. Pull to a safe distance and kill. Most every undead will not flee when they are low on health but remember that lull merely decreases the range of a mob's aggro, so keep your distance.

Once you reach level 30 you will receive Feign Death. This spell opens up a lot of possibilities, allowing you to avoid trains and dungeon crawl hassle-free. It also allows you to pull semi-effectively. Two-spawn locations like the West Commonland's Tollbooth and North Karana Guard Tower are great places to practice split pulling. 

In full groups split pulling will often be left to other, more capable classes. With as many Monks and Bards as there are on this server, each group is bound to have at least one present and accounted for, both of which have better skills to get the job done and quicker. But if the Monk needs to go AFK or the Bard's fingers cramp up, that's when you step in. Zone knowledge is crucial. If you don't know the layout, speak up. Likely someone in group can indicate which mobs and where to pull from/what to avoid. Remember to use your {{:Circlet of Shadow}} and/or Invis vs. Undead with Undead Lull spells whenever necessary. These are the few advantages/safeguards you have when pulling, put them to use and die less often as a result.

The difficulty of pulling increases two-fold for each caster mob involved in the pull because of the delay involved with Shadow Knight's Feign Death. Trying to get a two-pull out of five clustered mobs is very doable if the mobs are all non-casters, but trying to split up multiple casters requires patience, making use of line of sight with high MR and good FD timing. With its 1.5 second cast time and 15 second recast, the window for success is very small. Thankfully, on the PVE (Blue) server, you can duck to interrupt your spells including Feign Death. Wait and then recast, watching for NPC cast animations/messages. Also, regardless of whether your FD is successful or not, if there are any pathing mobs involved you will most likely have to /q out (/quit) in order to lose that aggro, otherwise automatically assume that any nearby pathers will be part of the pull. Pathers take considerably longer to return to their spawn point or "reset". This is particularly true in outdoor zones. A pather can/will make a beeline for you from the other side of the zone (bringing friends along) even if you've been FD for 10-15 minutes. Never assume you've lost aggro. When in doubt, /q out.

When scouting out areas beforehand make use of all camera angles. This is extra helpful for pulling, when feign deathed, as the mobs are pathing back to their spawn location. Also, if the mobs are all pathing back at the same time, use your darkness and FD again. Once you have a few stragglers, wait until the other mobs have returned to their spawn point, then stand up and cast on one of the stragglers. Do a quick headcount and start strafing back to your group, if need be, to avoid being hit or stunned from behind. How many you can bring to group depends on the size and makeup of your group. With the average group generally two or three mobs per pull is ideal. Just have an incoming message hotkeyed so your group mates are prepared for what's on the way.

If you have a bad pull and FD fails, die far enough away from the rest of the group unless told otherwise. Training your group is a good way to end the xp session. When in doubt just die, consent the rogue and look for a res. You will know when Feign Death is unsuccessful when you read the message "You have fallen to the ground". This is the worst message to see and it will almost definitely mean that you're as good as dead because the recast timer on FD is 15 seconds, more than enough time for a train of mobs to kill you. Shadow Knights do get an upgrade to FD in the Velious expansion called Death Peace which decreases the recast time to only 4 seconds but it is a level 60 spell. 

Resist gear starts becoming important around mid-30s and is crucial at raid levels. Magic is the most important of all resists, but no resist is better than levels. If you don't have the levels for a zone or encounter than you are going to die horribly, regardless of your resists or armor count. 

'''Harm Touch'''

With a 72 minute timer it's important to always keep Harm Touch on reserve. It's not as amazing as Paladin's Lay on Hands ability but it still has its uses. However, just like Lay on Hands, Harm Touch does have a range limit. Basically you need to be within arm's reach of the target in order to use it. Be creative with Harm Touch. If a dying group member has aggro that you can't steal back, use HT. Even if it gets resisted you should be able to get aggro, thus saving the group member. And while it isn't as visually pleasing as LoH, you'll still have the satisfaction knowing that you saved a party member. Unlike LoH, HT can be resisted completely or partially. Single digit Harm Touches have been known to happen. 

Only in one instance is Harm Touch better than Lay on Hands and that is when camping a named mob simply because if another player attempts to steal your camp you have some burst damage available. All that's needed is to dish out more than 50% of the damage and the loot is yours. You are still vulnerable to kill steals but you stand a better chance than your extended family, the Warrior and the Necromancer. 

'''Pets'''

The first thing you'll notice is your skeleton pet will be lacking in more places than one. This is painfully obvious from levels 35-48 but it does get better, eventually.  Until eventually happens you will have to make do though, which isn't all that hard because the pet's weaknesses do have a silver-lining. For example, before engaging a Shadow Knight mob send your pet into battle so it takes the Harm Touch instead of you. By doing so all you lose are two bonechips and a flimsy but loyal companion. This tactic is useful against Lizard Crusaders when farming decayed armor for the Darkforge Quest. Even though NPC Harm Touch is significantly weaker than that of a player character it still takes its toll.

Other than that, think of your pet as an additional DoT, one that can at any time aggro other nearby mobs due to it being much lower in level than you. Early on buy/loot Rusty 2H Weapons and give them to your skeleton pet for added damage. After level 30 switch to Deadwood Staves, especially once your pet has the ability to dual wield them, stealing 45 HP per proc which hardly ever gets resisted. As an added bonus death sticks weigh next to nothing so you can carry as many as you want, unlike those Rusty Halberds you lugged around before.

It should be mentioned that your level 39 pet, Animate Dead, is virtually useless. With a negligible increase in HP and Attack, it might not even be worth purchasing the spell at all. Summon him only for the occasional bash stun and very minimal damage output.

== Class-defining Spells ==
Though Shadow Knights receive a variety of buffs, lifetaps and summoned pets, the spells mentioned below are ultimately what define the class.

'''Disease Cloud and Shadow Vortex: Maintaining Aggro'''

When grouping you will undoubtedly get more mileage out of these two spells than any of the others available to you. Disease Cloud is a staple of the class and a liability at the same time. Be ready to commit to whatever mob you cast DC on unless a group member roots it because the mob is now basically 100% mez-resistant, that is, every time the DoT ticks mez will break. Have plat ready to help pay for the Enchanter's res. The good news is we get a spell equal in power to Disease Cloud without all of the risk risk.

Though Shadow Vortex is a late addition to your spell book, you'll eventually find yourself using it in tandem with Disease Cloud so as to maintain aggro versus recast timers. The convenience of SV really should not be overlooked because while it may have a higher mana cost than DC it's actually the more superior spell, providing you will a fail-safe way to generate aggro (something DC cannot do because it is a DoT). Whether a mob is mezzed or bouncing between group mates, one cast of SV will likely put you at the top of the hate list. As a precaution, if the mob has been mezzed, it is best to cast SV first, taunt and then follow up with DC before attacking. And since SV does not break mez you may want to cycle through whatever mobs are mezzed in camp, after you've established aggro with the current target, and then proceed to SV the upcoming target. Do not neglect either of these spells, they the bread and butter of generating aggro.

'''Darkness and Fear: Soloing Effectively'''

When soloing any form of Darkness and Fear are a must. It is because of these two spells that you are able to solo better than Paladins and Rangers. It's very straightforward, though the tactic of fear-kiting itself will have you running in sporadic circles. Because of this fear-kiting is only recommended in outdoor zones where
you have room to avoid other mobs. Lead off by casting snare, in this case we'll say Engulfing Darkness as it is around this spell level that fear-kiting comes into its own. Once the mob is snared back away and begin casting fear. After the mob is feared move into melee range and attack. To maximize damage output always have
a pet summoned and cast whatever dots you have available. You will need to reapply fear and/or darkness, so make sure you manage your mana bar accordingly.

Your darkness spells are also useful in groups, needed not only to generate hate but also to prevent runners. To do so, once the mob is at or around half health, you'll want to cast darkness on it. This is especially true in dungeons when your lacking another snarer and are getting resisted. It's important to note that your darkness line of spells does not stack with Druid/Ranger snare. If either of these classes offers to snare runners than let them but still keep some form of darkness slotted just in case. If you are on snaring duty than you'll want to give yourself enough time to recast darkness in case of resists, otherwise the mob will flee at full speed and you'll have adds and an angry enchanter. Ensuring that your group doesn't wipe is worth more than the mana used up.

'''Feign Death'''

The spell's name says it all. Remember to use duck to interrupt the cast if needed and be prepared for survivor's guilt.

== Getting Geared ==

'''Armor'''
After you've gotten a standard suit of banded armor and a few levels under your belt, you'll want to start saving up for gear that adds HP without sacrificing AC. {{:Tattered Mantle}} {{:Glowing Bone Collar}} {{:Diamondine Earring}} and {{:Platinum Fire Wedding Ring}} will increase your survivability and give your healer more room for error.

'''Resists'''
Gear with added resists will take on a more important role as you level up, so start collecting resist pieces when you see them. {{:Runed Bone Fork}} {{:White Gold Necklace}} {{:Sarnak Emblazened Tabard}} are fairly cheap/easy to obtain examples.

'''1H Blunt'''
{{:Ebonwood Cudgel}} is a good investment as it is a magic weapon which you'll need to farm willowisps for Greater Lightstones. {{:Mace of the Shadowed Soul}} is one of the first weapons to save up for. Perfect for races lacking innate INT. {{:Ebon Mace}} is an upgrade from the MoSS. Many min-maxers swear by it but it's much more expensive and only slightly superior to the Noct Blade. Keep in mind that the Velious expansion has a number of very respectable 1HB weapons. Also known as "the ice cream cone of doom", the {{:Eye of the Rigtorgn}} doesn't look very intimidating but you probably won't care when you're doling out that much damage. Bad for role-playing, good for ass-kicking, probably unattainable by most, but reason enough not to neglect your 1HB skill.

'''1H Slashing'''
{{:Sword of Skyfire}} is cheap, ugly but useful until its AoE begins to proc. Whereas {{:Sarnak Skullsplitter}} has a distinct look, being slower and more ideal for casting in between swings. {{:Noctivagant Blade}} is the standard issue sword for SKs in Kunark. Looks cool and has stats to back it up. As for Velious, the {{:Sword of Pain}} and the {{:Primal Velium Knight's Sword}} are something to look forward to.

'''Piercing'''
Given the limited number of piercers available to Shadow Knights in Kunark, it's easy to neglect this skill and focus on the heavy hitters. But if you're thinking for the long-term than seriously consider maxing out the skill, as a good many piercing weapons become available in Velious. For now, start off with a {{:Spine Piercer}} and wield it while grouped. No one should complain about the lack of damage output, you're not DPS anyway. Later you'll want to pick up a {{:Blood Fork}} as it does decent enough damage while your earning those skill points. After Velious is released to the masses, Warriors will probably have first dibs on {{:Tantor's Tusk}} but you can always dream. It looks like a bard instrument though. There will be other options as well, including {{:Lance of Thunder}}, {{:Narandi's Lance}}, and {{:Primal Velium War Lance}}.

'''2H Blunt'''
The {{:Deathbringer's Rod}} is a standard go-to weapon for Shadow Knights on a budget. While the {{:Soul Binder}} is one of the most stylish weapons in game, black with a crescent-shaped sickle on either end. Its Soul Bond proc steals approx 100 hit points over time. For max effectiveness, switch out to a heavy hitter after each proc. Once the duration ends, switch back. Used often by raid SKs trying to put out extra damage, the {{:Granite Face Grinder}} is your go-to weapon when someone else is Main Assist. And despite having negative stats, being large race only and no longer dropping, the {{:Brokenskull Club}} is also a fine weapon but you'll probably never see one for sale. The {{:Rod of Mourning}} is another weapon that no longer drops. As the pre-nerf predecessor of {{:Rod of Lamentation}} it is mostly considered to be a novelty item but, of all the classes that can wield it, the stun proc makes it most useful for Shadow Knights.

'''2H Slashing'''
{{:A Weighted Axe}} is a very cheap, large race only weapon. Used primarily in PvP jousting, though similar tactics can be applied to NPCs. For decent starter try the {{:Nathsar Greatsword}}. One step up from that is the {{:Green Jade Halberd}} which has great stats and, due to it being SK-only, the average asking price is relatively low. Underrated and somewhat underprice, the {{:Mithril Two-Handed Sword}} is great all-around if you can't afford a haste belt. {{:Axe of Lost Souls}} is another very decent weapon with positive stats that outweigh the negatives, should able to afford one by the time you're level 40ish. {{:Zealot's Incarnadine Sword}} is a follow-up to the Soul Binder with a later proc level. Soul Bond is useful for soloing or if you're lacking sufficient heals when duoing. However, the aggro generated from it is hardly noticeable and should not be relied on in place of actual spells. {{:Jade Inlaid Crescent Axe}} is expensive but will have random passersby inspecting you. With stats tacked onto it, this is one of the better weapons from Kunark but not worth the price unless all other equipment slots are satisfactory for your level. {{:Khyldorn the Blood Drinker}} makes a very decent alternative to the SK epic. However, obtaining an Efreeti War Axe to complete the quest is going to cost a lot. The Shadow Knight Epic, {{:Innoruuk's Curse}}, looks like something straight out of Final Fantasy and, just like the Paladin Epic, allows characters the ability to bash while wielding. It's worth noting that the SK Epic Quest becomes significantly easier after Velious. And even though Inny's Curse won't be as "epic" by then, comparatively speaking, it will still be useful especially when breaking into the Velious content for upgrades.

'''Situational Weapons'''
{{:Polished Obsidian Great Axe}} is mostly used by soloing Warriors but also works for solo SKs wanting to conserve mana. The {{:Gravebinder}} is an overpriced toy. This shovel swings like a 2H slasher and is rarely seen in auction and even rarer in combat, for good reason. It's damage/delay ratio is deplorable. However, having the ability to root undead can help conserve mana by making use of proximity aggro, a tactic you will only have to resort to if you are lacking even the weakest form of mana regen. That said, unless you intend to grind XP in Lower Guk and Kaesora, save your platinum and wait until Velious to get yourself a {{:Herbalist's Spade}} which has a stronger root proc for all mobs, living and undead alike. Also consider getting a {{:Stave of Shielding}} for extra Magic Resists, even though the HP does not add up as a heal per proc. Mainly a Monk offhand weapon, the SoS is still useful to SKs and more so than to Paladins as Major Shielding doesn't stack with Yaulp. The last situational weapon is the {{:Soul Defiler}}, a Velious sword that procs a hp/mana conversion spell. When swapped out with Epic, Blood Drinker or Zealot's Inc Sword you can maintain HP and regain mana faster with the added bonus of skeleton illusion.

'''Shields'''
{{:Cracked Darkwood Shield}} is a good starter shield for weaker races, especially Dark Elves who need all the extra carrying capacity possible. The {{:Imbued Shield of Paineel}} looks like a rib-cage when equipped and is cheaper alternative to most other Enduring Breath items. If you're into role-playing that's probably you're best choice other than the {{:Crested Mistmoore Shield}} which has excellent resists for how easy it is to obtain. {{:Clay Guardian Shield}} can best be seen as a middle-of-the-road board because it is lacking resists/attribute stats. However, if you're patient, it is possible to obtain looting rights for a much better shield in Kithicor as General V`Ghera, who drops the {{:Ashenbone Shield}}, is killed somewhat regularly on this server. Ask whatever parties are involved and wait until daylight hours to loot, usually players will let you loot it for free. The next shield you will want is the {{:Atramentous Shield}} which is the standard shield of most high level SKs and, until Velious, it is Best in Slot for the price, unless you have enough of a raid force to obtain one of the dragon shields.

'''Clickies'''
One of if not the best item available to Shadow Knights, the {{:Circlet of Shadow}} gives unlimited instant invisibility from your inventory. The value of this item far exceeds its cost. Purchase one as soon as you're level 20 and never look back. While not necessary, {{:Journeyman's Boots}} can save your life when out of mana and running for the zoneline -- strafing isn't always enough to get out of range of casters.  Alternatively, {{:Wooly Spider Silk Net}} costs approx 20 plat each to recharge which is much better than spending 10x that for a res because feign death failed. Root the bastards and make for the zoneline with or without JBoots. Or if your HP and mana are too low than use your {{:Leatherfoot Raider Skullcap}} which is a good backup option, but cost approx 100 platinum each to recharge. 

As for class-specific Kunark armor SKs don't get the best clickable effects. Still, you can get use out of most of the armor pieces, even ones like {{:Blood Ember Boots}} which have a painfully long cast time. To do so involves a bit of legwork but it's worth trying if you solo a lot. After snaring a mob, move to max casting range and right-click your boots ASAP otherwise you will be attacked and probably interrupted before casting completes. The boots work well enough with {{:Blood Ember Gauntlets}}, especially when duoing with a DPS class. It's a big mana saver if you can handle the extended cast times. For the price though, {{:Blood Ember Vambraces}} are the most useful piece of the Kunark set.

Lastly, consider getting a {{:Shrunken Goblin Skull Earring}} and/or {{:Bracer of the Hidden}} if you plan to raid as they are standard junk buff items.