Quote Originally Posted by Kriz
I used to use the Staff Belt to reach Staff WS 5 levels early

Always wondered though, if I could have started the WSNM quest at base skill + gear skill, but I never got to do that cause I leveled base skill over the requirement before starting it
No, you need to have base skill for WSNM quests. Gear and even merits don't let you start early. I learned that one for myself with black halo.