confusion abt builds

Kareenz - Heavens Tear

I have lvl 48 wizard..
Today I have made a cleric.. I am confused of which build to follow..
Some saying pure mag is best.. Some other saying hybrid(with vit) is best.. Some others saying LA is best..

I have seen the power of high level clerics.. They seems to be stronger than mages.. They really rocks..

I m not looking for a build which i need at lvl 80+..

Which is the best build to start with?? Later I can restat to some other build if i want to...

I have seen that most clerics of lvl 20, 30,40,etc having hard time in solo.. When they try to kill 1 monster their hp and mp will be completely drained out and at end they flee for their life..

Some might say Cleric is only for support not soloing.. What is the use of cleric on low levels other than bluffs.. All other classes can solo easily and they don't need a cleric in their party just to heal..(I am not talking about FBs or bosses)

Clerics have to solo in order to finish quests and level up.. Sometimes I feel pity when I see them playing and I allow them to party with me..

I don't want to end up in beggar class asking other players to help in killing monsters of my level...

In low levels most monsters attack are physical.. So physical defense will be nice.. I have noticed that in low levels the equipments matters more than attributes..

I dont bother about low damage and heal.. Only thing I want is to kill monsters without dying..

What build should I follow in low level and do I need to restat in high levels?

Faustinna - Heavens Tear

Hi, welcome to the light side b:chuckle

I have never struggled with any quest or grinding in 57 levels on my cleric. I even told my friend yesterday that it's actually all been easy. I see other clerics around me, doing the same quests, and they struggle. I see them in FB's and TT's and they struggle. And i pretty much see why.

First off, stats. Don't put all MAG. As nice as the extra damage is, and that extra damage doesnt even equal 1 extra spell, you're giving up too much hp. Archer mobs will tear you up if your hp is low. Pull two at once and i see clerics dead. So far i've done 3:1 ratio Mag-Vit build. At 57 i have 240mag and 80 Vit, with 2600hp (gear included). I still 4 shot lvl 60 mobs, and when i do get hit it's never a problem because i have the hp to take it.

Gear is equally important. I see too many not upgrade there armor and only concentrate on weapons. Armor is very important, invest some money into it. Make it all +1, it's only 30k per piece, and the armor pieces will all give you an extra 16hp. Make sure it has sockets, slot citrine in there for more hp.

Read what you're attacking. I want to cry when i see clerics spamming plume shot on Defense increased mobs, or wield thunder and cyclone on Magic resistant mobs. You cut your damage by 1/4 doing that and you will get hit and waste mp. Attack the monsters weakness, we have the ability to do both kinds of damage for a reason. Metal monsters will take less damage from your cyclone/wield thunder. Spark + 3 plume shot and it's over.

Use sparks, theres no reason to just save them so use them when up and tear up those sac assault or increaseed str or increased life mobs in no time.

Use HP/MP charms. A bronze HP charm lasts me days, because i rarely need it, but when things go wrong it gives me enough time to fly away or run around. MP charms are just too important. I know it's expensive, but without the fear of running out of mana you can do anything.

Only time i've needed a team was for FB's or big bosses. Just have to play smart and be aware of your surroundings and you'll find cleric very easy to play. b:bye

Kareenz - Heavens Tear

thanks for reply.. it is nice info..

my confusion is shld i got for LA or vit hybrid.. LA can reduce physical damage we get.. Vit can increase hp but in low rate..
Any one have exp in both builds??

Nelae - Heavens Tear

For PvE dont go LA, just folow the tip from Faustinna.

You will find clerics to be a class that dosent beg, actually ppl beg for you.
You will easy stay ground vs 2 or more psy mobs with cleric, cause when you pull aggro just stak 3 irons hearts, kill one, stak 3 again kill one.

About, MP charms, i personally dont use it. I find making jade powder and focus powder (and after lv45 new regens) cheaper for grinding and FBing.
For TT having a MP charm is kinda a must if you will be the primary healer.
About HP charms, again as Faustinna said, you wont need them, but having them sure helps in sticky situations

Yuriko - Lost City

Ah the question I struggle with to this day =p I have done both builds, my main is an 82 light armor cleric but I also played a full vit build up to 50. Personally, I recommend light armor but that may seem a bit biased.

Reasons being: higher physical defense, higher damage output vs pure vit build (due to crit rate), the magic defense you lose is about 5-6% the physical defense you gain is closer to 30-35% people often forget that if you think you're taking too much damage from a magic mob you can still wear a robe set. (I carry 2 sets of armor in my inventory, my robe set is rank 5 reputation gear in the off chance I see a mage coming at me to pk me)

LA is good for pvp and pve if you're crazy like me, and/or spend a bit upgrading your gear. I can easily tank fb 51 which is heavy physical damage while still being able to tank fb 59 which is heavy magic damage, however as light armor is considered primarily a pvp/pk build and you're not on lost city you should be fine rolling vit, which is often the cheaper path as light armor requires refinement to make up for low hp pool

I never had a problem soloing with either build, though light armor ends up making things very easy in the beginning since most mobs are physical.

As far as hp/mp charms go, my hp charm rarely ticks and if it does I was being lazy, however my mp charm gets eaten (vit clerics have a similar problem) this is unfortunately something that gets worse the higher you get over 60

Faustinna - Heavens Tear

My take on LA is that for PvE i don't see the bonuses being equal to the negatives. For PvP i cannot say as i haven't done much of it. Already you should be 4 shotting mobs before you take a single hit, so armors a moot point. For dungeons, having high hp with mag makes your heals that much better and you wont be one shotted.

As for soloing FB's, i find it a waste of time honestly. By the time we solo an FB we have 20+ lvls on it, i've never had any molds drop, and it takes time. Would be a lot quicker just to bring a Barb or BM with you to do it. Taking LA so you can solo FB's at the 1% chance (if that at the lvl difference) that something will drop is just not productive in my view.

I like my 3 to 1 MAG to VIT build. Never had any problems. In my pvp experience i use plume shell, but i have heard higher lvl TW LA is better. Meaning when everyone focuses on you like you owe them money you'll die in 2 seconds instead of 1. b:chuckle

Nelae - Heavens Tear

Well for the Fb soloing part, you dont need LA...and is it worth it, well i do it for my fraction, tho i only got low lved mold still i got lots of other drops that were useful to other ^^