Light Armor Clerics

XiaTian - Lost City
XiaTian - Lost City Posts: 2 Arc User
edited January 2010 in Cleric
Hi. I'm semi new to the game and the Cleric class and I was wondering how well Light Armored Clerics work. I'm a pretty low leveled cleric spec'd full int at the moment and have kind of stopped adding points.

I've asked a few people in game and it seems that they support hybrid arcane builds with 8 int, 1str, 1 vit or thereabout so I was wondering how a LA cleric would hold up against others.

If I had to go 3 int 1str 1 dex every level, (after fixing my stats) it wouldn't have as much hp as the hybrid cleric, so I guess people would add +HP stones to equipment and not as much +Pdef stones because light armor already has more pdef. Also the LA would do less damage than the hybrid cleric.

So basically I'm just asking should I go arcane robe or light armor really haha
Post edited by XiaTian - Lost City on
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Comments

  • __Hysteria__ - Lost City
    __Hysteria__ - Lost City Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    i unno really i think its personal preference on knowing how skilled you are, id say vit arcane or pure arcane, but at the same time ive seen great LA too, so again id say it just comes down to the player, but if u do go LA you may want to reset to arcane at 8x or 9x
  • Aydamn - Lost City
    Aydamn - Lost City Posts: 112 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I'd highly advise against rolling an LA cleric: compared to a hybrid or vit or whatever arcane build you lose a lot of matk, mres and often a bit of hp at the sake of slightly increased pdef and crit rate. However, despite this I have seen some LA clerics do a decent job so I guess I'm with Hysteria really: it's got a fair amount to do with the player.
  • XiaTian - Lost City
    XiaTian - Lost City Posts: 2 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Hmm thanks for the input. I think my goal in the end is to just be able to help out in TW if possible and not really PK anyone so I guess any (decent) build as long as I'm good enough would suffice?
  • Hitumura - Lost City
    Hitumura - Lost City Posts: 53 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I second Aydamn. I also advise against using a LA cleric. Yes it may be useful for pve, but only in early levels. With the damage you would get for adding to mag, you should be able to dispatch of monsters before they can do any more to you.
  • Camerlengo - Dreamweaver
    Camerlengo - Dreamweaver Posts: 228 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I was LA my first 15 levels, after that the protection just wasn't good enough to compensate for the damage lost. A lot of people do a capped vit build. ie: 1str 1vit 3mag per level until you get a certain amount of vit points (I stopped at 30, some go up to 50). It gives you added protection, and the amount of damage lost is barely noticeable if you have good gear/skills.
    Full power to the Vagiroscope!
  • Rillien - Heavens Tear
    Rillien - Heavens Tear Posts: 569 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    As LA,

    You will enjoy:
    -Having much better pdef at early levels
    -Surviving physical AOEs easier than your arcane counterparts
    -extra HP from refining, plus good cheap mold armour with hp adds
    -Better tanking ability, [able to tank most quest bosses, save for a few obvious exceptions, makes for good solo play]

    You will NOT enjoy:
    -weaker magic attack that becomes more noticeable at higher levels
    honestly though, doesn't matter much until 60-70. then it really does.
    -Lower magic resists in high levels when the mobs have magic attacks
    -Less mana
    -Having to buy a restat note [at the latest, level 90]

    By 90+ arcane clerics can easily match the pdef of LA as well as have more health due to ability to add vit. Arcane is CLEARLY the better choice at this point.

    Earlier it is a matter of personal preference.
  • _Roxas_ - Raging Tide
    _Roxas_ - Raging Tide Posts: 25 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Trust me when i say, a robe build is alot better. I noticed at lv 23 that i need to re roll as a Robe build, as my La build wasnt holding up as i though it would
    The New server is FTW. Good bye DreamWeaver b:bye
    My old Now Retired Chars, Top 3.......
    Aurin-lv 17 Cleric
    Ciary-Lv7 Cleric (Fail)
    The_Xion-Lv 6 Archer blademaster mix (Tryed mixing Archer with a blademaster weapon, Epic Fail b:surrender)
  • Mrvate - Heavens Tear
    Mrvate - Heavens Tear Posts: 406 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    For most magic classes LA is an ok alternative to AA for survivability. But not so much for a cleric, for Wizzy's, Psy, and venos since they are mainly DD classes crit. rate helps make up for there lower mag. but since clerics don't get critical heals I wouldn't recommend LA cleric, except I will say LA can be really nice on pvp servers, most classes that you need to worry about do melee dmg and when they see you are a cleric they hunt you down thinking your an easy kill. when they don't 2-3 hit you like they would if you were arcane. They can be in for a surprise, and LA can really help on that. But by 70-80 you'll want to restat because LA comes short on the healing power needed for most runs. I'd personally recommend Vit AA.
  • CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    b:shocked I'm an LA Cleric....I've been doing fairly well and haven't died yet (I'm level 22 so far)....but I *am* afraid of later levels now...and I don't have the money to buy any reset notes....(and I really don't want to make another cleric...that would be my fourth one already...>.>;; )

    Can anyone give me any ideas on what I should do?

    Here are my attributes so far:
    Vit: 7
    Mag: 73
    Str: 26
    Dex: 28

    I also have weapons/armor that I try to add HP shards to....some of them I can't.... :

    Charging Helmet (White name; 1*; 1 socket)
    ---HP+35

    Swift Shadow Armor (Purple name; 1*; 1 socket)
    ---Evasion +18
    (I've been looking for a shard to add to it for HP...)

    Ring Kneepads (Purple name; 1*)
    ---Dexterity +1

    Ring Boots (White name; 1*)
    (nothing special about this one....)

    Dignified Cape (White name; 1*)
    ---Evasion +36

    Swift Shadow Bracers (Purple name; 1*; 1 socket)
    ---Dex +1
    (looking for an HP shard for this)

    Green Thread Necklace (Purple name; 1*)
    (elemental necklace, all are +32)
    ---Metal +29

    Orchid Field Belt (Purple name; 1*)
    ---Phys. Res. +39
    ---Vitality +2

    Fine Steel Ring (Purple name; 1*)
    ---Physical Atk +3
    ---Physs. Atk. +6

    Perfect Insignia (Purple name; 1*)
    ---Phys. Atk. +17
    ---Mag. Atk. +17
    ---HP +30
    ---Phys. Atk. +11
    ---Mag. Atk. +11

    Trial Wand (Light Purple name; 3*; 2 sockets)
    ---Max. Mag. Atk. +17
    ---Mag. +5
    ---MP +60
    ---Max HP +20 (common citrine shard)

    Sorry for listing all of this....I'm just afraid I might have to start over....can someone please tell me if I'm ok with the way I'm going or if I'm not too late to switch to Arcane? b:surrender Or am I going to have to restart? (Make a new cleric)

    Should I also add sapphire shards for magic atk/def? I can try to buy more armor from the auction that already have sockets on them...(or might already have shards on them)
  • CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I'm sorry I'm so stupid...b:sad I'll delete her...again..and try again...for the fourth time....
  • MystiMonk - Sanctuary
    MystiMonk - Sanctuary Posts: 4,286 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Don't listen to him nothing wrong with being LA if that is what you choose.
    Looking for a decent casual understanding Faction.
  • __Hysteria__ - Lost City
    __Hysteria__ - Lost City Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    LA can work, but id suggest restatting at 8x or 9x, by then you should be able to afford the reset notes unless your horrendous at money making on pwi =/.
  • MystiMonk - Sanctuary
    MystiMonk - Sanctuary Posts: 4,286 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    __Hysteria__ - Lost City wrote: »
    LA can work, but id suggest restatting at 8x or 9x, by then you should be able to afford the reset notes unless your horrendous at money making on pwi =/.

    Why restat at all if the player is happy with their LA build then why go AA?You can stay La from lvl 1 to 105 if you want it is entirely up to the player.
    Looking for a decent casual understanding Faction.
  • __Hysteria__ - Lost City
    __Hysteria__ - Lost City Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    well jus depends how often shes gonna be doing instances and **** endgame, higher mp means less charm ****, not to mention endgame arcane catches LA for survivability, so why not reach your full attack potential and heal potential as well? ijs
  • Mrvate - Heavens Tear
    Mrvate - Heavens Tear Posts: 406 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    MystiMonk - Sanctuary wrote: »
    Why restat at all if the player is happy with their LA build then why go AA?You can stay La from lvl 1 to 105 if you want it is entirely up to the player.

    Part of it is that at endgame lvl. the LA sucks for the most part. and by that I mean that you will have higher defences and hp from properly sharded similar lvl armor as Vit AA then you will have as LA. Also towards end lvls, you get alot more magic mobs and far fewer physical mobs. not to mention that the physical mobs really don't hit that hard.
  • Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear
    Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear Posts: 4,864 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    threepointone wrote: »
    I hate LA clerics.

    L2Plumeshell.

    Nice signature you got there mr.hypocrite.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • Bowlinbob - Lost City
    Bowlinbob - Lost City Posts: 3,446 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Nowitsawn - Heavens Tear wrote: »
    Nice signature you got there mr.hypocrite.

    wizards =/= clerics. Dont compare LA wiz's to LA clerics
  • CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I'm pretty good at saving up money with a cleric...so I might be able to afford a reset stone...I forgot how much gold they are, but I know that I'm close to affording 1 gold now (I have almost 300k, just need 100k or so).

    Thank you everyone for the help. I'll switch to AA right away and start building HP and continue on with magic....maybe +2 HP and +3 mag every odd level and +5 mag every even level? Would that help?

    I have an AA veno at level 65....and I know that I always had the hardest times with her (especially in the beginning) and I just figured that if I went LA, then everything would be balanced....(my veno was my very first character, so she's a little messed up on a few things...)

    I'll try to be more careful about what I choose to do from now on. Thank you all for the kind responses...I really appreciate it. b:cute
  • Ugla - Harshlands
    Ugla - Harshlands Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    If you keep saving up for it, you will 100% be able to afford a reset note by lvl 90 [which is the absolute latest necessary time for restat, according to most]. Think of it as a retirement fund--just keep putting some coins into your reset note fund, maybe send the money to an alt character so you don't mess with it, and you'll have enough.

    Many people on these boards will say go arcane all the way, but LA is perfectly fine until endgame. Really. Don't panic too much; just focus on using your skills effectively and I guarantee you nobody will ever say "she sucks she's LA".

    Good luck b:victory

    Edit: Okay if you're 100% sure you want to switch to arcane right now then do 1 of these three builds: 7 mag, 2 vit, 1 str per 2 levels, 8 mag, 1 vit, 1 str per 2 levels, or 9 mag 1 str per 2 levels.

    But if you're going to restat yourself might as well stay LA while your enemies are mostly physical. I guaranteeee you won't die as much.
  • CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Well...I think I'll go ahead and switch to AA...I'll just save up the money instead for HP charms and such.

    Thank you for the help! :)

    I took notes on what attributes I should alocate every level.

    You said +7 Mag, +2 Vit, and +1 Str every two levels....so that would be +4 Mag and +1 Vit every odd level and +3 Mag, +1 Vit, and +1 Str every even level, right? (I get confused easily when someone says "every two levels", so I went and figured it out on paper to help me out...^^; )
  • Deceptistar - Sanctuary
    Deceptistar - Sanctuary Posts: 10,454 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear wrote: »
    Well...I think I'll go ahead and switch to AA...I'll just save up the money instead for HP charms and such.

    Thank you for the help! :)

    I took notes on what attributes I should alocate every level.

    You said +7 Mag, +2 Vit, and +1 Str every two levels....so that would be +4 Mag and +1 Vit every odd level and +3 Mag, +1 Vit, and +1 Str every even level, right? (I get confused easily when someone says "every two levels", so I went and figured it out on paper to help me out...^^; )
    mmm.. .might not want to jump to it too soon. The only prob you have atm is the whopping dex you have. Atm you can still wear arcane without restating anything. You can always wait to restat till last minute, you dont know what sort of gear youll get in the future
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]lagunal8.deviantart.com
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  • Seiowan - Harshlands
    Seiowan - Harshlands Posts: 193 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    I think LA has gotten a bit of a bad rep, at least in this thread. I don't feel it's nearly as bad as some people make it out to be and I currently play as a Light Armor Cleric myself. My magic attack is comparable to others of my level (Currently level 50), my HP often far exceeds that of my peers (2200hp) and my survivability went up tenfold since making the switch from Arcane. I always keep a set of arcane gear in case of magical bosses, but on the whole I find I do perfectly well even without it. Since I place no value in VIT, I shard my armor with +HP to make up the deficit.

    It can be done if you take care in your equipment choices, and done well. It's disheartening to hear so many player dislike the idea of Light Armor when for me it's the clear winner. Plume Shell might well absorb a fair amount of damage, but it does so at the cost of MP. MP which is used to keep yourself and your team alive! With Light Armor, I can reduce the strain on Plume Shell, thus reduce MP and HP damage both, making it an even more powerful tool than usual.

    I'm not advocating one over the other, just pointing out that it's not all doom and gloom for LA clerics. We do have some considerable benefits too!
  • BananaMartyr - Raging Tide
    BananaMartyr - Raging Tide Posts: 26 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Light armor makes you more well rounded but you'll always sacrafice damage, mana, mana regen and magic defense against a full arcane with equally awesome gear... Of course it's possible to do around the same damage as an average full arcane with a lot of time spent on your equipment...But I like being above average :3

    Really either build you go, you have to spend time making up a deficit from not using the other choice...And Hp and P Def are a lot easier to make up then damage to my knowledge. I'm full arcane and with skill and the right pots (PvE server)...I don't die and the extra damage helps A LOT with that as well. I'd recommend Light armor only for pvp servers and vit only as much as you absolutely need to survive...any more is a complete waste in my opinion.

    I've level both a vit Cleric and a full arcane one and I actually died a lot less with the full arcane because I kill in one attack less usually and sometimes that's enough to negate 2 enemy hits. I'm really happy I remade him as full arcane ^.^

    I mentioned vit because light armor takes away your damage in the same way for some survivability. Questing is vastly different...Smaller mana pool and regen and it takes more attacks to kill mobs...Full arcane will cut down your questing time by at least 25%...(Geez I remember my 5-6 spell attack macro x.x)
  • CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear
    CloudedEyes - Heavens Tear Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Makes sense...

    I'll leave my Dex alone now, continue raising magic, and raise my HP just enough so I don't die...

    I'll also be keeping a lookout for shards that drop from mobs (I've found a few) so I can combine them. I know I'll need HP shards and Phys. Def. shards...

    Thank you all for your kind responses. b:cute I'll be much more careful now...especially since I've already switched to arcane....^^;

    For the first time with this character...I died while helping someone kill the Darkbreed wolfkins near the Den of Rabid wolves (we were looking for a heart)...I'm still at level 22, so I haven't had a chance to locate new attribute points yet..I'm also going to be grinding more to save up for gold for a bronze HP charm (the one that's 80 silver, I think that's it's name....) so it'll save me until I can get balanced again. ^^
  • Kimbley - Harshlands
    Kimbley - Harshlands Posts: 274 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Just the other day i partied with a level 70 Heavy armor cleric......... She wore level heavy armor her level....

    The scary part was that she wore Arcane armor of her level as well.... and wielded a weapon her level...
  • Rophe - Heavens Tear
    Rophe - Heavens Tear Posts: 73 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    The big argument is...

    AA (Arcane Armor) allows for more magic, so magic attack, so you kill things before they kill you.

    LA (Light Armor) does not allow for more magic, so less magic attack, but you can take a few more hits.

    The things I have seen with LA clerics is that it is very dependent on refines and +MAGIC ornaments. You are going to have weaker attacks and weaker heals. You will be a bit less squishy... but in my opinion the sacrifice is too great.

    As a AA cleric, I have 8k phy def, 11k mag def, and 8k HP, all while maintaining a magic attack of around 9,000. LA clerics have significantly less mag atk (unless they are +8 or higher due to having less magic) and their defense is not much better, if at all better.

    You can make either work, but I think AA clerics are more flexible and make you a bit more useful to a party/faction/TW squad.
  • Impetus - Lost City
    Impetus - Lost City Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    tbh LA is only an option if you're pvp-oriented. it really has no use outside of that >.> more pdef and crit isnt going to make a noticeable change in grinding, especially in higher lvls when mobs hit magical. the spike damage from crit is pretty nice but it really only is useful during pvp. critting a mob twice in a row isn't nearly as satisfying as critting a player twice in a row.

    being an LA cleric myself, i can tell you all that it's very fun (surviving phys aoe is probably the only reason i would recommend switching to LA for pve; it's healthy for e-peen growth) especially being able to actually survive an archer crit to attack back. but my pve life is pretty **** and i long for the days pre-LA when i used to 4 or even 3shot mobs (CONSISTENTLY)...

    btw once you hit/are 90, you should be arcane simply due to the fact that at that lvl you can pretty much match the pdef and hp of LA. crit is nice but there are no crit heals, and for the benefit of your peers (you chose the cleric class to help right? and NOT to be a FAC?) you need high magatk.

    one more thing... @ the ppl that dismiss LA because of lower MANA- i LOL at you.
  • __Hysteria__ - Lost City
    __Hysteria__ - Lost City Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Impetus - Lost City wrote: »
    tbh LA is only an option if you're pvp-oriented. it really has no use outside of that >.> more pdef and crit isnt going to make a noticeable change in grinding, especially in higher lvls when mobs hit magical. the spike damage from crit is pretty nice but it really only is useful during pvp. critting a mob twice in a row isn't nearly as satisfying as critting a player twice in a row.

    being an LA cleric myself, i can tell you all that it's very fun (surviving phys aoe is probably the only reason i would recommend switching to LA for pve; it's healthy for e-peen growth) especially being able to actually survive an archer crit to attack back. but my pve life is pretty **** and i long for the days pre-LA when i used to 4 or even 3shot mobs (CONSISTENTLY)...

    btw once you hit/are 90, you should be arcane simply due to the fact that at that lvl you can pretty much match the pdef and hp of LA. crit is nice but there are no crit heals, and for the benefit of your peers (you chose the cleric class to help right? and NOT to be a FAC?) you need high magatk.

    one more thing... @ the ppl that dismiss LA because of lower MANA- i LOL at you.

    exactly, as for LA bein bad, thats not what i was implying, im pure arcane myself, but LA is a fine choice to 9x i said that, but as Impetus says, 9x you should switch to Arcane for the fact that endgame arcane gear catches up to LA but with the extra magic attack your heals will take a noticable big jump. As for hating on LA or saying its bad, no its not and thats not what i was implying.
  • Rillien - Heavens Tear
    Rillien - Heavens Tear Posts: 569 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    Rophe - Heavens Tear wrote: »
    The big argument is...

    AA (Arcane Armor) allows for more magic, so magic attack, so you kill things before they kill you.

    LA (Light Armor) does not allow for more magic, so less magic attack, but you can take a few more hits.

    The things I have seen with LA clerics is that it is very dependent on refines and +MAGIC ornaments. You are going to have weaker attacks and weaker heals. You will be a bit less squishy... but in my opinion the sacrifice is too great.

    As a AA cleric, I have 8k phy def, 11k mag def, and 8k HP, all while maintaining a magic attack of around 9,000. LA clerics have significantly less mag atk (unless they are +8 or higher due to having less magic) and their defense is not much better, if at all better.

    You can make either work, but I think AA clerics are more flexible and make you a bit more useful to a party/faction/TW squad.

    So I definitely agree with you, but OP is in her 20s....your stats are what you can do with high refines + endgame equips, NOT realistic for the average low-mid level player. At low levels, the pdef does make a difference, and I believe everyone said to restat to arcane for endgame. Basically the matk really becomes critical at high levels, I'll say 80+. Before then pretty much all instances to your level are very solo-healable, even your fb69 [good purifies!]. Frost, Lunar and higher TTs/fbs are where you get the PvE heals problem.

    LA= nice alternative, some pretty balanced tradeoffs, but BY FAR not the best for 90+.
  • Seiowan - Harshlands
    Seiowan - Harshlands Posts: 193 Arc User
    edited January 2010
    btw once you hit/are 90, you should be arcane simply due to the fact that at that lvl you can pretty much match the pdef and hp of LA. crit is nice but there are no crit heals, and for the benefit of your peers (you chose the cleric class to help right? and NOT to be a FAC?) you need high magatk.
    Hmm... im curious about this actually. Most of the high level arcane gear I've seen has had very weak pdef bonuses on them (high for arcane, but still generally very low). How is it that you can 'match' the pdef of Light Armor, when even the very best shards still often come up second place? I find slotting anything above Flawless is a hugely expensive endeavour, and getting a full set of high level Arcane with the highest level gems is an endgame accomplishment all of its own. Even mere level 9 gems cost well into the millions!

    And then there's HP. Going full magic is one thing, but you'll sacrifice VIT. Without slotting for HP you'll need massive amounts of refinement, and you're still going to be low on HP unless you can get all your gear well over +5.

    Not trying to poke holes in the idea, just trying to understand how high level players work their equipment so they don't sacrifice their own survivability just for a slight cure boost at a level where most cures should be strong enough to hold their own anyway.

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