A *different* guide to cleric builds…kinda…not really
 

Disclaimers:
1. Im only lvl51, so my opinions may change later but right now I dont see how.
2. I would define my game-play style as casual and completely void of caring about pvp.
3. If you use CS items, this is all moot as CS makes many things possible/different.

People are generally concerned with 4 styles of cleric builds:
1. A PvP build
2. The Soloing Cleric
3. The Cleric-tank (Clank)
4. The Party/Support Cleric

#1 – The PvP build
As I mentioned, I dont PVP (as I think its pointless in Fiesta) so if that is what *you* like to do, then read up on ppls opinions on what a good pvp build is:D

#2 - The soloing cleric
Question: "What is the best cleric build to solo?"
Answer: "There is none because cleric soloing is pointless."

Reasoning:
There are only 4 reasons I can think of for soloing as a cleric:
1. You like casting heal on yourself while *slowly* dealing *low* amounts of damage.
well...uhm...good job?...keep doing what youre doing I guess :D

2. You hate people
Why are you playing and mmorpg? Go buy a console and help reduce the lag on Fiesta's servers :)

3. People hate you
-> This only happens if u suck consistently as a cleric...and I mean in some legendary fashion. You have to be in a lot of parties and/or KQs and be *really* bad an awful lot before a cleric has a problem finding a party.
-> For info on how to suck as a cleric, search All the Rage for 'kq cleric' :D
-> Also, it's possible you might just be a jerk, in which case u may have the same problem in real life :p

4. You want all the exp from your kills
-> Basically as a cleric your damage dealt is horrendous compared to every. other. class. Even with Bash and Trip maxed you wont be able to do comparable damage over time.
-> With even a non-aoe fighter duo you can kill mobs more than twice as fast as u could solo. So while you dont get full exp for each kill, you will kill much faster over time, and therefore get more exp.
-> Of course, this means you have to be in an area where mob-spawn is conducive to this, and be in a pty with someone who doesnt just sit around and knows how to play their class.

#3 - The Cleric-tank (Clank)
Question: "What is the best cleric build for a cleric tank?"
Answer: "None. Clerics shouldnt tank unless a warrior-tank isnt around, in which case a support build will do well enough in a crunch."

Reasoning:
Im assuming you want to be a Clank because of one or more of the following:
1. You like tanking mobs
ok...there is this other class called "w a r r i o r". They are designed to have the best hp and def in the game. You like to tank? You should play as a warrior.

2. You think it's cheaper to tank as a cleric
-> Clerics have the second best hp/def in the game, plus they can heal themselves. This means that they *can* tank if they have to (kinda).
-> A *good* tank must be able to hold agro effectively and simply put, clerics just cant do that. So sure, it may be cheaper to run in and Bash mobs (slowly) and spam-heal yourself
-> Inevitably you will loose agro, then your squishees will become squished.

3. You like being the hero
If you are spam-healing yourself guess who you are *not* healing? Thats right...your party. It's not that heroic to just revive ppl when you let them die.

#4 - The Party/Support Cleric
Question: "What is the best build for a party/support cleric?"
Answer: There are two effective builds for support clerics:

Reasoning:
1. Full END
-> You get every drop of the blockrate free stat END bonus and you will have a good amount of HP.
-> You will lose the crit. rate bonus, which does come in handy when you do need it, and you only get the Divinity increase to you SP pool whereas some SPR boost to SP can be nice.

2. SPR/END hybrid (usually 25spr/rest end)
-> You get the crit. rate free stat SPR bonus & the blockrate free stat END bonus, plus an increase to both HP and SP
-> Some stop SPR at +25 because after that the rate of crit. rate bonus is halved (it would take 10 more points to gain an extra 1%). Also because of the Divinity SP boost, there is little reason to use build-points to increase SP pool instead of HP pool.
-> After +25 SPR, just dump the rest of the build points into END, therefore at a higher lvl you will be mostly an END build, with a 5% crit. rate bonus and a slight increase in your SP.
-> Another option is to continue to add points to SPR in addition to END at perhaps a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. It doesn’t really make sense to do this unless you are willing to commit 10 point chuncks to SPR in this fashion
-> Keep in mind that each point into SPR means that much less HP and blockrate bonus, and an alive cleric is a useful cleric whereas a cleric with 10zillion SP is no good lying face down on the ground :D

3. Full SPR (ineffective support build)
-> While this adds a lot of SP to your pool, you don’t need a full SPR boost to SP coz clerics have the passive skill Divinity that greatly increases SP.
-> Full SPR is a poor support build for 1 major reason. You can’t take a beating. By going *full* SPR you loose the awesome blockrate from the free stat END bonus, and you loose the increase to your HP pool.
-> If you are freaking out because you are about to die and you are to busy spamming HP stones and pots then you are likely to busy to heal your party members. (u should generally use HP pots/stones to heal yourself and cast heal on your party)

Other thoughts:
DEX is a useful stat for clerics who may want to occasionally hit something with their hammers. But you should just look for DEX on equipment for this, and not waste free stat points on DEX. Also Aim (power) scrolls help a lot, and are rather inexpensive, especially if you produce them yourself

Gear stats for END/SPR dont add to blockrate/crit. rate, just HP/SP pools.

Mace vs. Hammer? Well, I think if I did the math right, hammers win out for damage per second, even after lvl40, but yes, you need dex gear and aim scrolls. Again tho, you just don’t attack that much as a support cleric, so imo, it doesn’t really matter, but I guess it's better to have a hammer for when you do need it.

If you get bored:
If you find yourself with a support cleric and no one to party with (and #3 from “soloing cleric” does not apply), then you may become bored, or hate grinding after a while.
I recommend you find things to do when this happens like:
1. buff/heal/pty newbies (for mara, skel king, etc…)
2. start an alt with a new class (increase your in-game knowledge)
3. work on your production skills
4. farm herbs/mushrooms/wood/starfish/clams/etc…
5. dance…in a pvp area
6. do something besides play Fiesta (go outside, wash a hamster, play a different game, dry a hamster)

Regarding "clanks"
Clerics cannot tank efficiently, even in lower lvl parties and KQ ( like Mara KQ at lvl 17-25) because they cannot taunt/mock. Without taunt, they can't keep agro if partied with archers and mages that have higer DPS thus the archers/mages pull bosses and mobs and die. I've had first hand experience in KQ's where fighters don't taunt/mock and lose agro and the DPSers die. It would be the same with a cleric tank

If you want to tank, be a fighter. End of story.



Rest of it seemed good ( didn't read very much of it actually X.X)

You know you are bored out of your mind when you read every single word on Eru's long essays. :P

Overall nice guide. I can't believe I read it but it pretty much sums it up for a Cleric's "main" role. Now if only those wannabe-tank/DD Clerics would read this. >.>

Goood guide ;)


Though I'd have to disagree a bit with the solo-Cleric Stuff. I hate soloing myself but with Cash Shop enhanced equips, you can rake in all the xp and cash from kills you do yourself.

Well, CS allows you to do the impossible. :P

lol...I agree...infact I think I said that, but in many more words :p

in my defense, I *did* say only read if you were bored...I honestly cant believe anyone else read it either, much less replied:nahnah:

tks...:laugh: tho I guess I should have mentioned I also haven't yet used the CS for weps, armor, or anything temporary (or without lasting effects like an exp card) so i guess i dunno how that would impact my opinions :D

u type to much........

Short guides are often the ones that aren't informative enough. ;D



@Eru:

I haven't read the whole thing yet, but skimmed over it and looks pretty good.

One tip: try formatting your guide more, like, use bullet points/numbering system/more subheadings (break things into clear parts)/etc. It makes your guide easier and tempting to read. xD

you left out heal generates agro

EDIT: SPR/END hybrid is the main clank build

I know this is a joke thread.

OKAY!!!! :sunnies:

edited/updated...any better (layout, not content)?:blush:

lol...yes it does, but non enough to tank effectively.:sunnies:

I like how you think Eru :D

I agree with almost everything, especially the thing about how clerics shouldn't tank. :D Great guide.

Competent Clerics can tank even when there's a good Fighter in party or time aggrro in such a way as to assure that it's the Cleric that the mobs go to, not the DDs. May not sound like a good thing but so long as you time Rejuvenate on yourself/ pot / stone properly, a Cleric can do more than just heal the party and help relieve the Tank.


This isn't as vital anymore because they upped Mock strength but believe me, it used to be.

if mock str really has been improved, then good for them. relieves the burden off clanks and returns fighters to former glory.

"It'll be good to have that strength" Kroot Carnivore, DOW DC

OKAY!!!! :sunnies:

This needs to be size 7'ed.... XD

Could you elaborate? And at what level could this start? I know that at lvl60 clerics sometimes draw aggro with party heal. Does the cleric have to be healing/rejuving himself? Personally, I've yet to be able to keep aggro by just healing/rejuving a similarly leveled mage in an aoe-duo party.

lol Hess...i agree :D Tho, I think lrva's point about being able to draw aggro if needed is interesting.

I remember drawing aggro while GoC hunting so it can start as early as 40 I guess. You can even draw aggro from Mages because I know I used to in a full-Mage party killing Trumpys pre-cap raise. If you're forced to the point where you're shaving cast time just to keep someone alive, there's a good chance that the aggro will shift to you even if you don't want it to.


I remember saying before on this forum, something like 'I can keep you all alive but I'll end up the one dying.' That's the way it used to be.

will definitely draw agro, unless mock comes out immediately.

MOCKING HOO!!! :sunnies:

I never lost aggro as a mage when I am aoe duoing with eru or other cleric guild mates and they were spamming heals at me constantly since I pull a lot of mobs o_o..I didn't lose any aggro to heals from cleric. I don't think clerics aggro well.

Full STR remains as my only choice for clerics. :nahnah: Blue hammer hurt as much as blue axe at full STR. With 2.6k Defense a cleric can do just about anything. :uhoh: But yeah... if you want PVP don't bother making cleric, just go for axe fighters (they're simply way too rigged to be defeated on charms x3).

Because, as a monster, when facing cleric-mage party, who would you go after the one that heals the one killing you, or the one pumping fireballs up your behind?

I still say agro generated by heal can still bring monsters to the clank.

OKAY!!! :sunnies:

I disagree. I solo my cleric all the time. With a two-year-old, my playtime is sporadic and no one wants to party with someone who has to drop off all the time. Clerics(at least in my opinion), seem to be the most cost effective since they can heal/buff themselves, so I don't have to spend a lot of what little time I have to making a profit. So there IS a point to cleric soloing. As far as "Why play an MMORPG if you aren't going to party?". I do party sometimes and I enjoy the fellowship of others around me even when I'm not partying.

I'm currently using a hybrid END and STR build. I guess you could define it has soloing. I always have double the amount of STR as END. Is this good?

Sounds good to me. In my humble opinion, if you plan to solo a cleric but still party occasionally, the best builds are:
2:1 Str:End
1:1 Str:End (I don't really like this one, it's too "jack of all trades, master of none" for me)
1:2 Str:End

If you solo exclusively, you probably want to go with all STR. Some go all SPR for the increased critical rate and SP.
If you party mostly, you'll probably want to go pure END or maybe splash a bit of SPR.

ic...its not like I never solo my cleric, and when solo grinding you still kill mobs and you still get exp, so my term "pointless" was really just an OTT exaggeration :) of course there is still some benefit from it.
Also, not sure if people with sporadic gameplay is "normal" so you may just be in a special situation? Have you tried playing as a warrior? I'd agree clerics are cheaper, but I didnt find the difference so great that I couldnt get a warrior to level...especially now with quest exp.

STR in a cleric seems to be used for soloing or pvp...im guessing you can tell my opinion on both :) One note tho...some people go 25SPR (for crit/sp) 50END(blockrate/HP) then rest STR for damage or some END/STR ratio after 50END...the reason for the 50 into END is that's when the increase to the blockrate freestat bonus decreases by half.

if you play to solo, id say try playing each class to at least level20, 30 if you can take the extra time. If you like to, and can party, then do so.

*if* you still decide to build a solo cleric, there is definitely no reason *not* put 25 into SPR to get the crit bonus. i dont think loosing the 25 from STR will matter at higher levels. Also, get a +9 hammer, that should help a lot.

oh, and full SPR is definitely not a great solo build...its usually considered a support-only build, but I believed I addressed that too.

ok. So I have to disagree with this here...

1) You CAN PvP with a cleric effectively. Pure STR with a +9 and high STR gears will take your damage high enough...

PvP intense people are a little rediculous though. They +9 everything... and a lvl 79 mage I fought had more DEF than the 70 Cleric the other day... with all my stuff, I was only hitting like 50~60 on a mage with over 4k hp. If you want to PvP with a cleric, prepare to do so with people that don't +9 Max END every piece of gear they have.

I also solo nicely. Not because I want to, because no one has parties anymore. I can clank very effectively... run around, collect mobs, then Recover. AoE heal = cleric mock. I heal myself and that pulls more aggro. I also deal enough damage that I can hold the mob there, and kill it reasonably fast with my high STR.
^False. You get to lvl 79 on Teva, and tell me how few parties you can find because of the "I want an AoE pt with my guild//friends" mentality.

Because an average of 350 per hit is such low damage, and my 1038 DEF at the same time is so low I'll be healing constantly? Nö.

I hate people...?

They hate me...?

Of course I want all the Exp I can get... doesn't everyone?

Your guide is completely biased against me =/

sry...it was not intended to offend.
it was only a *guide*, not a gospel :D … and a rather tongue-in-cheek guide at that!

The bottom line is it is a game, so you should play to have fun. So play/build/do whatever that gives you the most enjoyment out of this form of entertainment.

Uhm…I never said clerics can’t pvp effectively. I said I don't do pvp so i dunno about pvp builds.


If a cleric can be an effective tank in a party of similarly leveled players then the game is unbalanced in my opinion.
This is not to say clerics cant/shouldn’t be able to draw agro away for a moment, but i think clerics shouldn’t easily be able to hold agro effectively over time, otherwise what is the point of the warrior class?

So no one parties at lvl 79, or just no one aoe parties? The whole game dynamic changes then? If so could this be because the game is unfinished? Could it be because there is little to do in any game once it’s “cap” has been reached?
Also, I believe I mentioned I was only lvl51 and my opinions may change later.

…because a DD cleric will deal less damage than any other class built for DD?
Also, I didn’t say you would be *constantly* healing, but you will be healing more often as a full/mostly STR cleric compared to an full/high END cleric.