Necro: Proper Ratio between SM and RS skill levels

[Ferengi]

Somewhere back in the 1.09 patch daze, when necros had been reworked to provide viable skeletons, I read a post or article about the optimum skill point spending/allocation between SM and RS, which provided the most successful skeletons. Perhaps I read it at Amazon Basin, but I suspect it was here. I recall that the article had some spreadsheet breakdowns showin the optimum skill point spending plan.

It worked, I followed it whenever I made a new necro, and I never suffered total destruction of skeletons when facing an act boss. The rule was something like always keep SM X points behind RS.

I've come back to the game, it's been years away, and I have no idea for optimum building anymore, which Andariel was happy to prove to me tonight. Perhaps the act boss has been buffed up while I was away. I had adopted the plan of 'more is better' and had simply used a wand for 1 pt in SM, and had placed every other point on the way to lvl 17 into RS. It's easy to be lvl 17 if you just walk all the way, no waypoint shortcuts.

While act bosses do have bonuses against minions, I have previously waltzed right past Andy. Perhaps leaving out gumby, the clay golum was a problem. However the speed that the skeletons were disappearing (as in moments) indicated something seriously amiss.

So is this rule I faintly recall, always keep SM 2 points behind RS ?

[Ruvanal]

The ratio that I had used to help max the skelly life was to have the net RS level about double that of the net SM level while doing the early mid range leveling. After you get one of the up to 20 points invested in the skill, it just becomes a matter of doing what you can to raise both or either skill.

This might be one of the threads you were looking for:
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/...=371292&hl=

[Ferengi]

Well, it's pretty clear from that AB thread how clueless I have become. :lol
Imagine being corrected by my younger self.

I can see why the max RS approach is popular, you just roll through the game with so many skeletons. Since many party up for early act bosses, the drawbacks are hidden. With the new Den of Evil reset, I can easily correct this imbalance and try out a plan of 'add to RS to add a skellie' (3 pts) and then correct SM to optimum value.

Thanks for the info Ruvanal.