Bare Bones Cleric Guide

I don't see the point in leveling up str to be able to use the lv99 weapon at lv49. I'm pretty no one would be stupid enough to "forget" to add into strength as they level up

I'd have to agree with the majority of the posters here that being able to use lvl 99 items as lvl 49 is a little... pointless.

Personally, before I figured out what I wanted to do, I added 6 mag and 1 str every 2 levels and just banked the rest. I'd recommend doing that if you're unsure about what build you want to have.

I understand what you're saying with the guide. I also think that since this guide is designed so that newbs don't feel they've wasted their stat points, the fact that they'll have so much str may make them feel that they've wasted their stat points.

Also keep in mind that not everyone is going to play long enough to get to the point where they need those stats.

Just explain to me, who will wait to lv 49 to see which way to go.

Let me say what "newbies" will do.
Go LA or full vit build. Why? Cause of the psy mobs, then comes a long period 60-80 where full int or slight vit build would be more useful.

Laying such a guide where things are left unsaid, gimping your character is NOT something for new players.

If you want to write a guide, write a full guide not "gimp your character" guide.

seemingly, he only listens to people from sanctuary. again, i say seemingly. upon study, i've yet to see him agree with anybody from another server, but those who are from sanctuary, he praises the ground they walk on. don't let it bother you.

Forp - Heavens Tear wrote: »

write a cleric guide? ok. though there's a very good one already stickied.

Interesting. While i've read the "stickied" guide and found it useful, for a LA build it wasn't quite what I was after. Being new to the game, and trying to come up with a viable build strat to make things fun for myself, and my 9yr old, it just wasn't what I was looking for.
This one on the other hand actually makes sense for a LA build ( of course i'm in my 40's, and own a calculator), it allows for flexibility if you need to tweak something down the road.
Your 1st 20 lvls, your taking primarily phys dam anyway. With your def spells and a higher mag attribute, your taking less dam from phys attacks than from the other build. Since most players are younger anyway, they're usually getting frustrated from dying a lot ( 9yr old again, it's good to be the dad). Just to prove this, I ran 2 clerics for a LA build thru to lvl 19. The higher mag attribute definetly helped "soak" the physical damage being dealt by the baddies (love plume shell, great spell).
In addition, I didn't have to use as many mana pots as I did for the 1st build, or healing for that matter. Something which I personally found interesting. So by all means, you folks continually bash this gentleman. But I really recommend you at least run a test or two before you trash it, it's only fair. I on the other hand, will PM him, this build has excellent potential for a LA build, and possibly some nice nasty surprises for mid-rng pk's.
So, kudos Sir (tips hat), nice job. I'll pm you when time permits to run a few scenarios past you for this build.

Light armor before 60? Nonsense. The massive amount of damage loss before then will make you level unbelievably slow. Get your arbor at 60, then restat. Light armor generally last until 89, then you move onto your hh90 armors. There is no need for the big loss in damage at that time, and if you want the crit, there's a nice selection of rings for it down the road.

I want to shed some light on the value of this guide.

One key argument made, early on, was that this guide was lacking pertinent details. While I understood the challengers argument, He demonstrated a clear misunderstanding of the point. The Author on the other hand, neglected to stress this point as he, understandably, was compelled to address the onslaught of abuse.

The point I alluded to was that this guide "did not" go into details for a reason. It was intended as a road map only, not a tour guide as so many other "guides" attempt to be.

Frankly, the other guides tend to be overwhelming to a new player, so much new terminology and acronyms to learn and interpret. I'm speaking from personal experience here.

At LVL 43 Cleric, I am still struggling to learn beneficial options and techniques to overcome mistakes made in my stat point allocation in first 20 lvl's - and improve on what I do have.

Frankly, I'm getting pretty frustrated at the rate of death I experience in the game. In an effort to overcome incorrect point allocation I have been dumping all stat points into MAG for 15 LVL's and then a few points here and there to VIT. I still have far too much in DEX which I would love to have in VIT.

It is not unusual for me to die 3 - 4 times on challenges against mobs my own LVL. I shudder at the thought that I lost the equivalent of about 2 or 3 LVL's worth of EXP from dying so often.

The stat point distribution is not much deviation from other guides I read, but I personally would be distributing the "saved" points between MAG and VIT. This is due to my own experience and hindsight.

I would actually like to see a couple, separate guides covering separate issues. Each guide done similar to this one. Keep this guide, then compliment it with a separate guide on the best ways to enhance equipment and weapons based on the role one has chosen, such as preference for HP or PHYS enhancements. And another guide focusing on Manufacturing or purchasing.

Guides that try to cover all of these tend to be overwhelming to newcomers. It is too much information to take in. I don't want to spend countless hours reading, I want to learn a bit, apply it, get comfortable and go back for more as I need it!

So, to sum up.... This is a great guide for the intent behind it.

And one final note, the debate and conflict of opinions made the discussion even more valuable as it hashed out some interesting perspectives for all to consider. So, although 2 individuals did not see eye to eye, the Guide and this thread have proved themselves beneficial to the community.