Basic game input about gear/genies/pets

phicksur

I am new to the game (as in I started playing three days ago). This is, oddly enough, the first MMO I have ever played despite all my friends trying to get me into WOW for the longest time. I did a bit of research on PWI and decided to go attack/support cleric with maximized magic. I am, at present, dumping everything from levels into magic. I do not mind playing support and, not knowing anyone, playing a cleric seemed the most likely way to be semi-important to have around and maybe get invited into groups.

At the lower levels (lower than 30) I plan to focusing on the attack spells to go up in level reasonably fast (I am presently 9) as a solo. The only spell I am not raising is the 1st level healing one that everyone agrees is not worth raising. My physical feather spell is level 2, my whirlwind is 2, and my 6th level healing is 1. I haven't trained since level 7 so I'll probably have more skills soon. I will hold off on the flying speed, although I think I'll keep my starter wings throughout the game because I think they're nifty.

I am able to two-or-three shot any equal-level monster I have found thus far, and even a few a couple levels higher. I attack from maximum distance and generally only get hit once before the monster is dead. Only when something aggros on me while I am already attacking something else do I take any significant damage, but thus far I haven't gone below half my HP once (close, though, when two cactus things attacked me while I was busy with a logger).

What I am noticing is that I am making a glass cannon. It hasn't really been a problem yet but I recognize I need something to keep monsters off me while I do my thing. I usually solo, because of my random play schedule, so I was thinking about genies and pets.

My questions:
Equipment: What do I need? I expect +HP items to help me stay alive, and am not really worried about resistances or that as I only tend to get hit once (twice versus ranged). Where and how do I get these? Right now I have been focusing on the quests.
Genies: I have one, Discipline, but other than flying a bit faster it doesn't seem terribly helpful. I will probably trade it in (as I have been EXP sharing with it to keep it up to my level) and see about a different one. What should I focus on? I need something to keep baddies away and keep my health up.
Pets: I think the wolf stats help my style more, so how would people suggest I stat up the pet? How the hell do I use one?

Any input would be helpful. Thank you for your time.

Ihazacute - Sanctuary

Equipment: for a long time--probably into your 60s--you will just grab equipment you find laying around or from quests. At level 30, i suggest buying the rank I military gear, but you can address that when you get there.

Pets: only venos can use pets. Not you.

Also, you said you are putting all your stats into magic. Make sure at least one point every 2 levels goes into strength. You need that (and no more than that) to wear armor and weapons of your current level.

As far as attack/support goes, clerics are faced with some of the tightest skill point requirements in the early/mid levels. Even if you solo, plume shot (physical arrow) and whirlwind are likely all you'll need for a while. Keep ironheart (your heal over time) up to date; your call on how much to put into other support skills tho as a solo'er I would seriously consider spirit gift (mag attack increase) over some of the others.

Vitenka - Dreamweaver

Ok - first: you will want to have a str of at least half your level, to be able to equip arcane armour. That's as 'pure' a magic build as most people are willing to risk.

And you're right about clerics getting squads.

Check the cleric forum for a cleric-skill guide. But the heal that you need is "Ironheart blessing".
The others have special uses (the party-heal ones special use is obvious, the other one has a faster cast time which is very occasioanlly good in an emergancy) - but ironheart, stacked repeatedly on the tank, is your bread and butter.

The two attack skills - plumeshot and... whirlwind? Are indeed worth your levelling up early on, since otherwise you have pretty much no way to kill things alone.

Your description of levellin gup a cleric suggests to me that you're a lot better at it than I was.

Your description as glass cannon is apt - though later on in the game you're more of a glass waterpistol.
You will find "Plume shell" a great aid in not being so fragile - and, of course, you can (and should) heal yourself. A couple of IHB stacked on yourself, then shoot the monster, add another IHB, attack the monster... you can solo pretty much anything that way.

Your top equipment is "-channel" gear, to let you cast faster.
Early on, you'll find mana regen gear to be useful too.
Increased hitpoints never hurts - I'd personally choose physical defence in preference though. Ignore evasion and accuracy and +str/+dex gear.

Resistances don't matter early on, and as an arcane armour wearer you end up with lots later on anyway.

quests are good, random monster drops are good. Other places ar ethe catshops and the auction house. Don't worry about equipment TOO much early on - you'll quickly outlevel it anyway.

Ignore the genie early on.

Heck, almost completely ignore it later on, too.

However - to keep baddies away, look at the skills 'earthquake' and 'holy paths' and to heal yourself look at 'second wind'. Your genie will probably need a lot of levelling up to get those though.

Uh - no. Venomancers use pets. Clerics don't. you CAN get some 'baby' pets - but those are just for fashion. You cannot use a pet as a cleric.

phicksur

The problem I've noticed thus far with equipment is that most appears to require both Dex and Str (maxing at 9 each right now). Nothing I've found thus far requires only Strength, or Strength and Magic. That is one of the reasons I haven't boosted Strength at all: nothing to use with it.

SupaRoyalty - Lost City

dex is only for ilght armor / heavy armor.... so don't worry about that! If you examine the Arcane armor it only requires str

(i learned this out the hard way)

phicksur

The best arcane armor I can find in the database has STR requirements 34-40. Some list no STR requirements. Other bits of arcane armor-type gear go from None to 105. 40 seems to be the max STR I should go to. The things above that don't really offer anything better for the added cost.

Vitenka - Dreamweaver

phicksur wrote: »

The best arcane armor I can find in the database has STR requirements 34-40. Some list no STR requirements. Other bits of arcane armor-type gear go from None to 105. 40 seems to be the max STR I should go to. The things above that don't really offer anything better for the added cost.

There's a few that go as high as 48-50. So yes, you're basically right and that's what we're saying - you want about half your level in strength, which gives you 50 when you hit level 100.

You could probably stop a bit sooner, but some of the really high arcane gear has some really nice +magic / -channel stats.

And yes, it's murphy's law that arcane classes only ever seem to see light/heavy drops and heavy classes only ever see arcane drops.

It's really just luck. At early levels your quest stuff is fine.

phicksur

Would it be feasible to use STR boosting items to raise up stats to the necessary levels if I had stopped at 30? What about 40?

Ihazacute - Sanctuary

yes, but only if you find something you plan on keeping for a long time with that +str. For example, there was an amulet that gave +2str and +1% xp i kept for a long time.

However, it forces you to always look for gear with +str rather than truley useful bonuses. The edge you get from that extra 1 mag every two levels, in my opinion, is not even close to worth it.