Beginners Guide to Cleric in Ashes of Creation
Greetings glorious adventurer! Welcome to our guide on the Cleric archetype in Ashes of Creation!
This guide explores their abilities, synergies with other archetypes, and strategies to maximize your role in PvE and PvP.
Skills
Single target healing
Deliverance – charging skill. Once the upgrade Redemptive Deliverance is taken, a full charge may become massive overheal. As there is no way(at the moment) to turn the overheal into anything else but wasted mana and charging time, it’s best to deliver the heal right away.
Flash Cure – extremely useful skill as it can be used while charging Deliverance.
Defiant Light – a life saver skill. However, the mana cost is not to be underestimated – 2-3 times higher than other skills.
Judgment – Long cooldown. Use for healing, if the other 3 skills are not available.
Purify – can remove debuffs which are reducing the healing on target. Extremely useful against zombies.
AOE healing
Resplendent Beam – a chain heal ability if charged. Consider taking it early if you are in a group which consist mainly of melee players.
Divine Flare – placing large circle on the ground, which will heal after delay. It can be upgraded to provide additional magic mitigation – Divine Protection or AOE damage – Divine Retribution.
Consecrating Wave – this skill can become an AOE heal with the upgrade Restorative Consecrating Wave. When the skill damages enemies it will apply Volatile debuff. Consider this ability if you are in a group with mages, regularly.
Communal Restoration – It will heal everyone in your party as long as they are in range. Convenient but expensive AOE heal. This skill has the shorted cooldown from all AOE heals.
Offensive capabilities
Judgment + Smite + Condemn will stun your target.
Divine Retribution + Consecrating Wave will remove a buff from the targets hit.
If you are not aiming to dispel buffs, use Consecrating Wave as opener to do more damage with your skills.
Use Bountiful Blessed Weapon to solve some of the mana challenges in your party.
If you have a Fighter in your group and have acquired the Chains of Restraint skill, communicate to combine their Battle Cry with your ability for 4 seconds root.
Stamina Skill Tree
As you level up, you will find yourself using spring very often. Getting points, early on, can help you get to places quicker and recuperate stamina faster.
Rolling away will be your way to get out of trouble, both in PVE and PVP scenarios.
Blocking without a shield is not recommended.
Melee Weapon
First choice – Deadly Finisher: Bleed. Overall, more damage.
Second choice – Refreshing Followthrough. Helps restore mana while attacking with your weapon.
Third choice – Deadly Finisher: Wound. Reducing the healing against some mobs in PVE is needed in order to make the fight easier.
Weapon Training: Critical Damage and Weapon Training: Penetration – both of them are important. Critical damage will provide more output against light armored targets. Penetration will be beneficial against heavy armored targets. One point in each should provide a balanced build.
Compared to damage dealing archetypes, on Cleric we should focus on proc rates and proc duration.
Use whichever weapon will provide the most magical power increase.
Range Weapon
Shortbows are good for Clerics because of their attack speed. You are interested in Finisher and Deadly Finisher effects rather than the damage output. More frequent attacks, more chances for Finishers.
Compared to damage dealing archetypes, on Cleric we should focus on proc rates and proc duration.
Use whichever weapon will provide the most magical power increase until you get your hands on the highest magical power weapon, for level 20 and above – Blood Cursed Spellbook in Tower of Carphin.
Equipment
Disclaimer: The process is slow! All items which are displayed below are obtainable. Armor and weapons mainly drop in various POIs. Recipes are dropping as well, therefor you can obtain higher rarity if you get high enough crafting skill and have the necessary materials.
The chosen equipment is full heavy. The main reason behind is that Tanks, Fighters and Rangers are doing physical damage and they are most likely to focus down on healers. The other options for healers is to wear medium gear – Rosethorn Tunic. You will have to share this set with the bards.
1 Magic power increase provides the same amount of healing as it would 1 Healing power. However, Healing power is not boosting the Magic damage.
Stats
What kind of stats should you be looking for if you are a Fighter and you want to perform well?
- Mentality – increases magical resis, magical critical avoidance rating, max mana
- Intelligence – increases magical power rating(equally adds to the healing as well), magical accuracy rating, magical penetration rating
- Wisdom – increases magical critical chance rating, magical casting speed, magical evasion rating
- Constitution – increases the maximum health points, armor, physical critical avoidance rating
Side note: Dexterity provides Physical Evasion Rating. However, the current stats and values are too low and it is hard to tell if Evasion (for both Physical and Magical damage) can be considered as a viable defense option.
In situations where you an get an upgrade with higher level or rarity item, focus on these stats, preferably in that order:
- Intelligence and Wisdom will improve your damage and healing output.
- Constitution will help you against physical damage and will increase your health pool.
- Mentality will help you with the mana pool and will reduce the incoming magical damage from PVE and PVP.
Final Thoughts
It would not be an overstatement if it is said that the Cleric archetype in Ashes of Creation is the cornerstone of survival and support. As you experiment with builds and synergies, remember that adaptability is key—tailor your skills to complement your team’s strengths and counter the challenges ahead. And to the players with other archetypes – be nice to the Clerics! You may get to live longer!
