Clerics: Virtuous v Faithful

jaolez

I posted the below in the cleric class forum. Would also be v.interested to hear other player's views on this, i,e. which do you prefer in your groups?


Hi all

I have a (new) 70 cleric, was running with one of the well tried and tested buff/debuff specs out there (soloed heavily up to 70). I don't enjoy the game so much as a buffer though (even if that is what we're supposed to best for) and prefer to play the role of a (mostly) healer with the occasional buff/debuff. I tend to do mostly PuGs and from experience, these seem to need healing more than buffs/debuffs (and have rarely been in the same party as a Healadin).

So - going to respec. Was thinking Virtuous but am confused about Shield of the Divine. The description implies I don't have to do anything other than literally stand there (within 30 NW feet I think) and it procs when someone is hit. Is that it? Does it repeatedly proc or is capped / timebound? Presumably must be some restrictions on it. I'm a bit unsure about it transforming all my heals to HoTs though, i.e. would be caught short if in desperate need of a clutch heal etc.

So quick couple of questions:
1. How does Shield of the Divine trigger? Do I need to do anything?
2. How often is it used?
3. What do players generally think is more valuable - the Virtuous or the Faithful path? (please don't say Righteous, I know that is supposed to be our best, but I don't enjoy it. Want to go one of these two, even if it makes me a bit naff. It is a game afterall ..)

Many thanks for any advice/tips given

Keep the Peace
Ninial

hustin1

My DC is an AC virtuous build: she's been one from the beginning.

Shield of the Divine is completely passive: you don't have to do anything. I don't play my DC all that often anymore, but when I do I'm always nagging people to stay close to me

I don't know if the proc rate is throttled, but from what I see it's pretty much constant. I would expect something like a 1-proc-per-second limit to prevent server lag.

I don't know which type other players think is more "valuable" (Virtuous or Faithful), but to me Virtuous makes being a DC more manageable: having some passive heals always going out makes things a little less hectic. I always couple that feat with Light of Divinity so that heals are always going out even if others are not taking hits. That way I can concentrate on protecting with Astral Shield, panic-healing with Bastion of Health, and topping players off with Sunburst (and keeping AA in reserve for emergencies, like Orcus's roar right before the death spheres).

And, of course, I Astral Seal everything in sight. That's another source of semi-passive heals.

mebengalsfan

The healing feat path are pretty clear. One is burst heals that convert your HoT into a tick on the player that will go off if needed. The other is HoT path and turns burst heals into strong HoT heals.

I tried both out when I hit level 70 early on and simply can state this as a buffer/debuffer DC.

Neither healing path really improves a DC as a healer and that is because the best healing ability in the DC tray is Astral Seal At-Will. Using just that in Tiamat and Demo I can keep up with most Pally healer and also out heal them.

I recommend forgoing pure on healing and focus more on buffing and debuffing the group.

If you have enough PP you can do both and modify your build as needed. With around 90 PP I can go on full healer, buffer/debuffer or combo between that.

IMO the VIRTUOUS V FAITHFUL feat paths need some rework to be more useful at end game.

instynctive

I have a Virt DO. She does a pretty terrific job healing. The HoTs are a great addition, and lets me focus on keeping the tank alive... instead of watching individuals' hit points. While yeah, they nerfed AP gain, absolutely everything my DC does, heal-wise, is HoT and procs the AP gain... I can usually refill AP in 20 - 30 seconds, more the buffs I'm tossing around add to characters' damage (and AP gain).

My partner runs an AC Virt, and it's the same thing. Rapid AC gain, good buffs, and I never worry about my HP. She will use AA as opposed to my DC who uses Hallowed Ground.

I guess, in short, I've never had an issue while running, or running with, a Virtuous cleric. I've never had an issue running with a Faithful cleric. I think it all comes down to how the player plays the character.

dupeks

I think Instynctive summed it up pretty well.

I main an AC DC virt + righteous for the weps of light. I used to run DO faithful + virt, and before then DO faithful + righteous.

Healing potential isn't dramatically different. AC can do stacked power sharing which can help with heal strength compared to DO. Virt can be great for content that does group stuns, as the HoTs keep going when folks are stunned (and SoD capstone can trigger even if you're stunned). Faith can be better for PVP, since there is no delay to the heals and the clutch heal Gift of Faith does better against burst damage than HoTs.

My consideration is really about what utility I want to offer. I think that Weapons of Light is major, so I'm spending 15 points in Righteous. Since I also like Gift of Haste (even after nerf it can provide 20-30% of my AP regeneration) I opt for virt. For those who don't focus on daily spam, Faithful is great especially since Gift of the Gods is one of the few ways to increase divinity generation.

jaolez

thanks all, I've been running Virtuous (main) / Righteous (partial, for Blessing of Battle enhancement) for a while now and think this works pretty well for me. Instynctive is spot on, it seems it does come down to the player. I've been grinding Demo at the moment to get the Drow gear and am finding the HoT approach much better for keeping people alive (as long as I stay near them to proc Shield of the Divine etc). Have been first or second on the heal charts each time so far, so guess this is working.
Thanks for advice all!