Cayeon's Guide on Full Attack Clerics

I have noticed that since a few people came to this forum and spread some rumors about Full Attack Clerics, almost every topic has turned into pure arguing about how bad this build is. Now this topic looks like it's digressing more and more as well.

Although some points that were made are certainly valid (for example, a Pure MAG build tends to die more often), as an experienced Full Attack Cleric I can assure you that most statements were pulled out of thin air. High level players generally do have more knowledge of the game, but this does absolutely not give them the right to discredit lower levels or distort the facts to suit their hate for Full Attack Clerics.

Moving on. Let me try to dispel some of these rumors.

Yukiko, although I appreciate your input, it appears that you have not fully understood the concept of a Full Attack Cleric. From your post, I got the impression that you implied that Pure MAG is the only way to go for Full Attack. I am not sure how this misunderstanding came to be; in no way does my guide state that everything other than Pure MAG is impossible. Although I strongly recommend Pure MAG to maximize your damage output, I give people the freedom to choose the build they like best. For those who wish to play more defensively, high VIT or light armor is definitely an option.

To clear up this rumor once and for all: Full Attack is only about the mindset. Your mindset determines everything: your build, your skills, your playing style. Full Attack just means drawing away all the focus from healing and emphasizing damage instead. That is all. The rest is up to you.

Higher levels, you will have rendered yourself utterly useless.

I hear this a lot. But well, I am the living proof that in higher levels, Full Attack Clerics are not useless in parties at all. In fact, apart from a few people who did not fully understand my real role, most people really appreciated me, and would choose me over a wizard anytime.

I assume the misconception that my build is useless comes from the sheer fact that it totally diverts from its original supporter role, but then I have to ask myself: what really is the definition of ''useful''? Everyone seems to have very different opinions on this. If a damage dealer such as the Full Attack Cleric is ''utterly useless'', how come another damage dealer such as the blademaster is not useless at all? If healing equals helping, why make an ''useless'' damage dealer as your character? Please ask yourselves these questions.

You will be 1 shot by other players, and you'll eventually find PvE just isnt what it used to be.

Even though I am Pure INT, I had 3.2k HP at level 83 with my HP equip. Mind you, my equipment was only 2-3 stars and not upgraded at that time at all. Any player willing to spend some money on equipment will have no survivability problems at all.

PvE is fantastic at the higher levels as a Full Attack Cleric. You kill mobs in no time due to the ever increasing effect of MAG. Although zhen AoE, one of the fastest ways of leveling, is not an option for if you are truly Full Attack, most people cannot afford to do zhen for a prolonged time anyway, because of the inflation of the economy. This puts them in exactly the same situation as Full Attack Clerics, and there are plenty other ways to level. For example, at level 8x, you can join a butterfly or fish party (butterflies near Dream Weaver Port and fish at the Sea of Isolation), or solo AoE on the poison mobs east of Thousand Streams.

AND YOU SUPPORT.

Not really in the sense of a cleric. Refer to section 5 in my guide for more information. As I stated before, the difference between Full Attack and Support is the difference in mindset, which affects your whole character.

If you wanted to do mass damage, roll a mage.

If you look at the raw damage of the mage's and the cleric's best spell used under ideal conditions (furied, debuffed, etc), then yes, a mage does slightly higher damage than a cleric, assuming they are both the same build. Under normal fighting conditions and everyday PvE/PvP however, this difference in damage is close to nonexistent. Plus, not every mage is Pure MAG, which makes Pure MAG clerics outdamage them.

The reason people choose Full Attack Clerics is not necessarily to deal the highest damage in the game. It is to live a role different from the normal cleric, and be useful in their own way as a damage dealer. Just like a blademaster does not get dismissed for lower damage than an archer, please do not dismiss a Full Attack Cleric for the rare cases where wizards can outdamage them.

Staying with my example of the blademaster: they can do so much more than just deal plain damage, and this is the reason why people like them; just like a Full Attack Cleric has capabilities beyond damage that a wizard has not. And this is why they will always be special and never replaced by the simplicity of a wizard.

Lastly, let me once again thank you all for reading my guide and contributing to many interesting discussions about this build. I am very happy that it got so popular with over 30.000 views - more than I ever expected. However, since the discussion in this topic has digressed so much from its original purpose to give feedback and discuss questions about my guide, I feel it might be better to close this topic to avoid any further nonfactual Anti-Full Attack postings at least temporarily until these arguments have settled.

To Yukiko or anyone who opposes Full Attack Clerics: you are more than welcome to PM me, but this topic is not the place for it.