What am I doing wrong?

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

I'm having a serious problem that I can't find resolution on my own...PLS HELP!!

I'm a LVL 23 Cleric.
I spend a good deal of time helping others, responding to squad requests etc.
All of this at great expense to my character and character wealth.

As a Cleric I try to stay back, support and revive my squad members, burning up my MP like crazy, and coming under attack by Mob's that are LVL's above me that kick my **** b4 I have time to react.

Constantly draining my MP and HP, I have to keep buying MP and HP which burns up all my coin.

When participating in squads I miss out on "all" valuable items, settling for meager coin and potion grabs.

I've committed full days of game play to help others, only to see them drop from squad after they get what they want.

At LVL 23 I have pathetic "nothing" in coin balance, all meager sales of worthless items is spent buying MP and HP, nothing left to buy better equipment.

PLEASE... Help me see what and where I am doing wrong and help me turn this money situation around?

What is the fastest way to "dramatically" increase my currency balance and not burn it away on HP and MP?

I realize the proper protections(Strength, Magic, Health etc) in my armor and other equipment would be beneficial, but either I have made poor choices when upgrading equipment or Somethings wrong and I am not getting upgrade options equivalent to others in my class and/or LVL.

In a nut shell, based on what I've described above, how can I start "enjoying" the benefits of LVL upgrades and coin accumulation that others seem to have?

Cooki - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Well First off.
People are using you, then you simply use them.
Only get on teams when its a quest you feel you cannot complete alone.
Dont concentrate solely on them. yes a heal here and there for them is fine.
but they can buy pots themselves. only thing you should be concerned about is reviving them if they die and buffing them. thats it.

as for money.
You dont need to buy HP pots thats a waste of money right there.
Buy a couple of Mana pots. or just Meditate that can save you alot of money in general.

As a lvl 47 Cleric I'm not the highest but
I don't team up unless It's for a FB
Boss or sometimes If im grinding and someone needs the mobs I am killing ill team them until they get it then leave.
But To team while doing ur lvl 20 quests isnt necessary really you kill everything so fast anyways.

OMGLAZERZ - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Solo grind

You get all the drops including anything valuable that drops.

Or play with people who aren't jackasses.

justachickk · March 2009

I think you need to go out and solo a bit as well. It'll help you learn your strengths and weaknesses, as well as help you with your money situation

Make sure your squad is on one mob. It wastes MP if everyone in your squad is going after different mobs, especially if they're squishy and can't handle the mob they're after. A lot of young players are pretty gung ho and will go after everything. It's a disaster in the making lol Train them right! b:pleased Of course if your party members can handle the mobs they can go after multiple mobs.

If your party isn't protecting you, warn them you'll leave. No use staying and losing exp in the long run.

At 7x, I was always a cash poor cleric. Everytime I built up a good stash of coins, I was off buying more skills b:sad

HP and MP pots are good, but also use pharmacy, the pharmacist should be your best friend (I forgot what he's called in PWI, the guy that makes the powders etc. Apothocary?)

Stand up for yourself and say no sometimes. You're not their slave b:victory

And as I've been typing I noticed Cooki said some of what I wanted to say already haha b:chuckle

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Thanks!
I agree that people are using me, I thought I was "playing my role," in an effort to be a desirable and effective Cleric when I got into the higher, harder LVL's.

You say not to buy HP Pots... I'd love that but I am getting killed very frequently as it is when I use the HP.

I use my magic weapons to recover HP but it is "never" enough when fighting Mob's in my LVL range. This is what leads me to believe that I may be making the wrong "equipment" choices?

Any recommendations for specific magic to focus on, and or, Character skills to focus my increases on?

When I LVL up and get 5 points to distribute I try to distribute as evenly as possible between the 4, admittedly I have neglected "Vitality" based on a post I read here when I first started. Good "seriously" low Vitality (comparably speaking) be the root of my survival(health) problems?

Cooki - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Well First off.
People are using you, then you simply use them.
Only get on teams when its a quest you feel you cannot complete alone.
Dont concentrate solely on them. yes a heal here and there for them is fine.
but they can buy pots themselves. only thing you should be concerned about is reviving them if they die and buffing them. thats it.

as for money.
You dont need to buy HP pots thats a waste of money right there.
Buy a couple of Mana pots. or just Meditate that can save you alot of money in general.

As a lvl 47 Cleric I'm not the highest but
I don't team up unless It's for a FB
Boss or sometimes If im grinding and someone needs the mobs I am killing ill team them until they get it then leave.
But To team while doing ur lvl 20 quests isnt necessary really you kill everything so fast anyways.

Cooki - Heavens Tear · March 2009

WELLL.
every 2 levels I put 9 on mag and 1 on str.
Yes my Vit is very low but I don't die unless I alt Tab to read forums n such.
I cast Ironheart blessing on myself every so often and im fine.

Even tho I dont have this Build
I would say every 2 levels to put 7mag 2 vit and 1 str
and you will be good (=

if you find yourself dying alot maybe you should invest in level 1 or 2 plumeshell.
thats all you will really need it will reduce the damage they do to u at the cost of losing mana. But i wouldnt recomend it.

justachickk · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Thanks!
I agree that people are using me, I thought I was "playing my role," in an effort to be a desirable and effective Cleric when I got into the higher, harder LVL's.

You say not to buy HP Pots... I'd love that but I am getting killed very frequently as it is when I use the HP.

I use my magic weapons to recover HP but it is "never" enough when fighting Mob's in my LVL range. This is what leads me to believe that I may be making the wrong "equipment" choices?

Any recommendations for specific magic to focus on, and or, Character skills to focus my increases on?

When I LVL up and get 5 points to distribute I try to distribute as evenly as possible between the 4, admittedly I have neglected "Vitality" based on a post I read here when I first started. Good "seriously" low Vitality (comparably speaking) be the root of my survival(health) problems?

In the lower levels, I've always liked 7 Int, 2 Vit, 1 Str (2 levels). In higher levels, I then move most of my vit into int.

Bobncut - Sanctuary · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

When I LVL up and get 5 points to distribute I try to distribute as evenly as possible between the 4, admittedly I have neglected "Vitality" based on a post I read here when I first started. Good "seriously" low Vitality (comparably speaking) be the root of my survival(health) problems?

There is your problem. You are taking damage because you did not make your skill allocation UN-balanced enough. You have to do more damage to mobs before they get to you to avoid taking the hits.

Cooki - Heavens Tear · March 2009

oh yes bob thank you for pointing that out i most have over looked that
nothing ever goes into DEX at a Cleric.
And only only need 1 str per 2 levels. everything else should be in mag maybe Vit

Imuretay - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Thanks!
I agree that people are using me, I thought I was "playing my role," in an effort to be a desirable and effective Cleric when I got into the higher, harder LVL's.

You say not to buy HP Pots... I'd love that but I am getting killed very frequently as it is when I use the HP.

I use my magic weapons to recover HP but it is "never" enough when fighting Mob's in my LVL range. This is what leads me to believe that I may be making the wrong "equipment" choices?

Any recommendations for specific magic to focus on, and or, Character skills to focus my increases on?

When I LVL up and get 5 points to distribute I try to distribute as evenly as possible between the 4, admittedly I have neglected "Vitality" based on a post I read here when I first started. Good "seriously" low Vitality (comparably speaking) be the root of my survival(health) problems?

Ahhh... now that could be part of the problem. To really maximize your magic skills you need to avoid anything except MAG and STR now. DEX does VERY little (or nothing, really) to help you. Many ppl play cleric as 9 MAG, 1 STR every 2 levels. But again, that is more a "rule of thumb" than anything else... the idea being to ensure that your strength is enough to handle the next lvl weapon that you choose. By now, you can probably safely ONLY put pts on MAG for a while to increase your damage potential AND increase the effectiveness of your buffs/heals. That will help immensely in keeping yourself alive longer since you will kill things faster and heal yourself better.

Also... make sure that Ironheart Blessing is leveled as high as you can get it at all times. It is stackable so if you cast it twice, it does twice the amount of healing. Cast it a 3rd time and it is 3x the healing. Wash, rinse, repeat... but I think it only goes to 5? Someone else can comment on that, I don't typically have to go more than 2 or 3 on myself or 3-4 on someone else just to "be sure." So far, in these low levels, this has been sufficient to keep me alive unless I do something dumb or don't react fast enough when I get hit from behind by a wandering mob (or both!). Don't get me wrong, a cleric WILL die sometimes. But it sounds like maybe you're dying too easily right now. It might take some time to change that, but I think you probably can.

At lvl38 I still don't have much cash. I am not doing the best I can at conserving it (I do teleport as I'm typically in a hurry) and skills are expensive! But I've never really had to "go without" regarding equipment either. I think you need to do more solo questing/grinding to make sure you get drops. There is a guide in the beginner's forums about making money... you should read that. It will help.

Look me up when you're on. If I'm on, I can follow you around and help keep you alive if I'm not helping a guild-mate or something... if we don't squad, you'll get full Exp and so long as I keep you in sight, I can keep you alive long enough to get some drops to sell.

Hope this helps!

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

B4 I go any further I want to shout out THANKS to everyone for their input and insight.

The friendly nature of most people I run across in PWI is the most attractive aspect of this game, I'm always hoping I can find and lock onto those kind of people as friends, for future "mutual" game interaction.

I realize some of the things you guys are telling me may seem overly obvious and basic. Some of it I have been practicing daily and others I will use to redirect my focus on as I progress.

And, like some things in life that "are" obvious, sometimes we need a little nudge or thump in the head to make us acknowledge and act on.

So, for all struggling players everywhere, including myself, thanks to everyone for "all" input.

MistresShade - Sanctuary · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

The friendly nature of most people I run across in PWI is the most attractive aspect of this game, I'm always hoping I can find and lock onto those kind of people as friends, for future "mutual" game interaction.

Just wait until your 50+, people become far more calloused and rude, and care less about others and more about themselves.

But yeah, stacking Ironhearts on yourself can go a long way, and plume shell can save your butt so much, especially at higher levels (drains less mana per damage at higher levels and offers greater protection).

As for clerics being poor, well yeah alot of clerics are poor because the shear number of skills and frequency of upgrades. IIRC, your buffs upgrade every three levels, whereas most skills upgrade every 5, thus spending more on skills. As stated, solo whenever possible, it'll actually become easier at 60+ because then all mobs do magic damage at range, so if you are pure mag you won't take too much.

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Thanks for the specifics, and to Cooki and Bobncut, as they touched on it also...

I do use Ironheart blessing "a lot" and I have been careful to upgrade that as often as it is possible "but" I didn't realize using it was stackable! This may be a crucial fact that changes things more to my favor!

Also, the points allocation.... It makes too much sense now, I questioned the appropriate balance for Mag, Vit etc. but the wisdom espoused here is not lost on me, now, I won't get points fast enough for me to make the appropriate adjustments so I can start enjoying the benefits.

You guys are awesome!!b:thanks b:thanks b:thanks

I can't wait to get everything incorporated and see the results!

I'll be looking for all of you in PWI....
If some stranger comes up and embraces you... It will likely be me!b:chuckle

Imuretay - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Ahhh... now that could be part of the problem. To really maximize your magic skills you need to avoid anything except MAG and STR now. DEX does VERY little (or nothing, really) to help you. Many ppl play cleric as 9 MAG, 1 STR every 2 levels. But again, that is more a "rule of thumb" than anything else... the idea being to ensure that your strength is enough to handle the next lvl weapon that you choose. By now, you can probably safely ONLY put pts on MAG for a while to increase your damage potential AND increase the effectiveness of your buffs/heals. That will help immensely in keeping yourself alive longer since you will kill things faster and heal yourself better.

Also... make sure that Ironheart Blessing is leveled as high as you can get it at all times. It is stackable so if you cast it twice, it does twice the amount of healing. Cast it a 3rd time and it is 3x the healing. Wash, rinse, repeat... but I think it only goes to 5? Someone else can comment on that, I don't typically have to go more than 2 or 3 on myself or 3-4 on someone else just to "be sure." So far, in these low levels, this has been sufficient to keep me alive unless I do something dumb or don't react fast enough when I get hit from behind by a wandering mob (or both!). Don't get me wrong, a cleric WILL die sometimes. But it sounds like maybe you're dying too easily right now. It might take some time to change that, but I think you probably can.

At lvl38 I still don't have much cash. I am not doing the best I can at conserving it (I do teleport as I'm typically in a hurry) and skills are expensive! But I've never really had to "go without" regarding equipment either. I think you need to do more solo questing/grinding to make sure you get drops. There is a guide in the beginner's forums about making money... you should read that. It will help.

Look me up when you're on. If I'm on, I can follow you around and help keep you alive if I'm not helping a guild-mate or something... if we don't squad, you'll get full Exp and so long as I keep you in sight, I can keep you alive long enough to get some drops to sell.

Hope this helps!

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

I noticed those in the LVL 40 range seem more responsive in game.

They always refuse friend requests, but I always took that as a sign(understandably) that they can't be tied down with slower, reckless players. They seem willing to help in a limited crisis which is really all that a lower LVL player needs anyway.

What does "IIRC, your buffs upgrade every three levels" mean?

What is IIRC? and what are the "Buff" upgrades? are those my Ironheart etc?

MistresShade - Sanctuary wrote: »

Just wait until your 50+, people become far more calloused and rude, and care less about others and more about themselves.

But yeah, stacking Ironhearts on yourself can go a long way, and plume shell can save your butt so much, especially at higher levels (drains less mana per damage at higher levels and offers greater protection).

As for clerics being poor, well yeah alot of clerics are poor because the shear number of skills and frequency of upgrades. IIRC, your buffs upgrade every three levels, whereas most skills upgrade every 5, thus spending more on skills. As stated, solo whenever possible, it'll actually become easier at 60+ because then all mobs do magic damage at range, so if you are pure mag you won't take too much.

MistresShade - Sanctuary · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I noticed those in the LVL 40 range seem more responsive in game.

They always refuse friend requests, but I always took that as a sign(understandably) that they can't be tied down with slower, reckless players. They seem willing to help in a limited crisis which is really all that a lower LVL player needs anyway.

What does "IIRC, your buffs upgrade every three levels" mean?

What is IIRC? and what are the "Buff" upgrades? are those my Ironheart etc?

iirc=if i recall correctly, and by buffs I mean like your def, mag def, regen, and mag damage buffs.

Cooki - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Highestelf - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I noticed those in the LVL 40 range seem more responsive in game.

They always refuse friend requests, but I always took that as a sign(understandably) that they can't be tied down with slower, reckless players. They seem willing to help in a limited crisis which is really all that a lower LVL player needs anyway.

What does "IIRC, your buffs upgrade every three levels" mean?

What is IIRC? and what are the "Buff" upgrades? are those my Ironheart etc?

Eh I always accept Friend requests. Well only if I talked to the person before the Friend request and had a mutually liking to them.
Usually once people get to level 70 or so. they like to think they were never low level and they just started off as being lvl 70. But everyone else I bump into has been really cool. but on occasions you do get the rude players. grr thats when I wish it was a PVP server. :P

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Ok....Thanks!
Believe it or not, I've been on the Internet since 94' or 95' (back when AOL was just starting out) B4 that I ran my own home based BBS. After all that online history I'm still an idiot when it comes to abbreviations and acronyms.

It takes me several min's to type out what others do in sec's. - That's really irritating to everyone concerned when I am chatting during the game... I keep getting "are you still there" and "hello..HELLO?" b4 I can respond.b:laugh

In fact, as I write in this forum, I've had several responses in the time it takes me to reply to a single one.

MistresShade - Sanctuary wrote: »

iirc=if i recall correctly, and by buffs I mean like your def, mag def, regen, and mag damage buffs.

Notbad - Heavens Tear · March 2009

I know a good way to make money xD when you become 40, that is to finish the rebirth order quests and get the frags to make a tome then sell them xD

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

I didn't mean to suggest "everyone," It's clear to me that you would be an awsome "and" responsive person to bump into in the game. Just a generalization based on my observations. Honestly I haven't had the opportunity to work with many higher LVL players. In hindsight my comparable inexperience may disqualify me from making a meaningful opinion anyway.

Cooki - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Eh I always accept Friend requests. Well only if I talked to the person before the Friend request and had a mutually liking to them.
Usually once people get to level 70 or so. they like to think they were never low level and they just started off as being lvl 70. But everyone else I bump into has been really cool. but on occasions you do get the rude players. grr thats when I wish it was a PVP server. :P

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Thanks for the tip...
I can never remember where I put my keys...b:laugh
Hope I can remember this tip when I get to LVL 40 b:laugh

Notbad - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I know a good way to make money xD when you become 40, that is to finish the rebirth order quests and get the frags to make a tome then sell them xD

somedudeother · March 2009

The most constant and best way to get money in this game is to level up till you're in your 40s when you have to start grinding to level you grind on monsters that drop dq items then you sell them.

Cyanea - Lost City · March 2009

First off, I think you should be squadding and healing your squad mates, and meditating for a few seconds between heals. You can make your life dramatically easier using this approach. I think you should save your damage skills for emergencies, because when you enter combat you cut your regeneration rates radically until several several seconds after you stop fighting.

Alternatively, you can meditate between combats, but this requires patience. Your regeneration rates will be awful until your portrait and chi bar stop flashing red.

I would also recommend you get your free apothecary skill and start making life powders. Once you have made 10 batches of level 1 remedies and have reached level 30, you can make focus powder. Meanwhile, life powders will cut down on your need to heal yourself. (One batch of life powder will use 15 nectars and 10 golden herbs and will make five powders.)

Focus powder will add 50mp/second to your recovery rate for 10 minutes, and you get your full recovery rate if you state out of combat. (One batch of focus powder will use 15 crane herbs and 10 salvias and will make five powders.)

150 nectars may sound like a lot, and you will have problems finding them because other people need them too, but you get 2..3 of them every time you harvest so you "only" need 70 or so nectar harvests and 50 or so golden herb harvests to qualify for level 2 apothecary skills. (And you can gather other herbs and make other things too if you have enough inventory space and are impatient. But since you can not use focus powder until level 30 I would not feel too impatient.)

(Finally, be careful when you first try using apothecary remedies, because they all share a common 2-minute cooldown. Once you use one you can not use any of them for two minutes.) Also, celestial seal will replace any benefit you get from life or focus powder (and powders will replace your benefit from celestial seal). And of course, celestial seal can help some, when you do not use powders.

Highestelf - Heavens Tear · March 2009

Wow...
Lot's of good info. It will take some effort to absorb all of this.

I do meditate alot on battle field - even if I use pots - so I can regenerate at faster rate.

I see Apothecary "often" as well as Cleric and Elder - looking for every opp to upgrade my skills and add to my arsenal.

Your info will prove beneficial in my future selections.

Thanks

Cyanea - Lost City wrote: »

First off, I think you should be squadding and healing your squad mates, and meditating for a few seconds between heals. You can make your life dramatically easier using this approach. I think you should save your damage skills for emergencies, because when you enter combat you cut your regeneration rates radically until several several seconds after you stop fighting.

Alternatively, you can meditate between combats, but this requires patience. Your regeneration rates will be awful until your portrait and chi bar stop flashing red.

I would also recommend you get your free apothecary skill and start making life powders. Once you have made 10 batches of level 1 remedies and have reached level 30, you can make focus powder. Meanwhile, life powders will cut down on your need to heal yourself. (One batch of life powder will use 15 nectars and 10 golden herbs and will make five powders.)

Focus powder will add 50mp/second to your recovery rate for 10 minutes, and you get your full recovery rate if you state out of combat. (One batch of focus powder will use 15 crane herbs and 10 salvias and will make five powders.)

150 nectars may sound like a lot, and you will have problems finding them because other people need them too, but you get 2..3 of them every time you harvest so you "only" need 70 or so nectar harvests and 50 or so golden herb harvests to qualify for level 2 apothecary skills. (And you can gather other herbs and make other things too if you have enough inventory space and are impatient. But since you can not use focus powder until level 30 I would not feel too impatient.)

(Finally, be careful when you first try using apothecary remedies, because they all share a common 2-minute cooldown. Once you use one you can not use any of them for two minutes.) Also, celestial seal will replace any benefit you get from life or focus powder (and powders will replace your benefit from celestial seal). And of course, celestial seal can help some, when you do not use powders.

What am I doing wrong?

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