Acolyte and Cleric 101

Healers must be well rounded in their class to work efficiently. They must know how to work in duos, parties, AOE as well as have some knowledge of solo work. Often times though, I find healers who are only qualified in one area and thus when put in another situation, they lack the skills to properly work. So in turn, I've decided to post a sort of reference page for the healers in the guild.

Duo: This field is one where a large quantity of knowledge is needed. Since each class is different, specific knowledge of each class is needed. Though not commonly abused or neglected, the specifics of each class duo can be lost.

Squires/Knights: These are the most common classes to duo with as well as the easiest. Squires and Knights have high defense and offense which allows for leeway in the healer. Though things to remember include this:

-Always stay behind in the direction you came from moving as little as possible. This allows agros to hit your knight and minimize chances of you being caught in the cross fire. Though this seems sort of obvious, many times healers run ahead if a respawn is closer to them. The chances of a respawn being agro are much smaller then there being current agros no more then a few steps ahead.

-When agro'd, stun and run ONLY. Use spirit and move behind your duo partner, this should allow them enough time to throw in a hit and get the monster's attention on them, not you. Also, avoid using Ghost Steel. Spirit can not be used on a monster after this attack has been done on them and should be a last resort.

-Throw in a few hits. Duoing is meant for two people to fight and hitting the monster yourself actually increases the exp for both of you by .01 at the least. Use Illusion for the most part, though. Oblivion and Ghost Steel take up a lot of MP.


Neophytes/Rouges: These classes hit fast and have a high dodge rate if their stats are placed properly, but also have lower defense when they do get hit. Save for suggestions found under the Squire/Knight area, there are only a few further suggestions:

-ALWAYS have fist and bless on. Since they have a lower defense, they rely on your buffs to allow them into stronger areas. Repeat your buffs when there are about 10 seconds left in the buff or more.

-Stun additional monsters that are attacking . This is more of a courtesy, but also allows fewer rapid heals if the situation becomes too much for your partner.


Apprentices/Mages: Though I rarely find this pairing, this is great fun for the healers who enjoy occasional fighting. This class has really low defense and depend on Magic Shield for protection though. So if ago'd by more then 2 monsters, it's a very tricky situation. Here are some tips:

-Only use fist up as a buff unless in an area with ranged monsters. If there are any, then bless is a must.

-Keep meditation on hand and use as often as possible. Since Magic Shield allows a hit to be registered as MP loss, your partner burns through MP potions very quickly.

-Use Oblivion and Illusion together. When both are used, the monster is limited to 7 seconds of hardly any movement. This is very useful and especially nice when there is more then one monster attacking. Though this causes the monster to target you, it should allow the Apprentice or Mage to use Magic Ice or Frost to slow down all the agros.


Scouts/Archers: This is the most popular class but also similar to Apprentice/Mage duoing. Granted Scouts/Archers have a much higher defense, they still allow similar tactics. Follow procedure similar to Apprentice/Mage duoing save for a few tips:

-Keep moving backwards in the direction you came. Scout/Archer tactic is all about movement and to avoid being hit. Strike about 2 or 3 times before moving back and repeating.

-If your Scout uses Bramble Weed, be ready to run. Sometimes they decide that the current mob is too much and runs back to allow dispersal before trying again. If they decide to stay and fight, heal and stun ONLY. Do not attack if there are more then 3 monsters, your partner can attack with Renticle Trap and pick off with Wind Blow. They only need you to keep them alive until the Bramble Weed cool down is complete so they can back up again and start over on their attack.

Disciple/Templar This is the most unusual class to work with. They have a power build but can use buffs and a form of healing. I don't see much of this pairing at all since they do solo work for the most part. Follow procedure of Squire/Knight duoing for the most part but fight as you would with Apprentices/Mages save for more limited movements. I have no additional tips for a duo with this class.


Parties: Partying is one of the more standard positions Acolytes and Clerics take; but is also, in my personal opinion, the most fun. Partying though is based on the number of members in the group as well as how many tanks and rangers are in the group. Sub-groups include various situations:

Two or More Healers: This is the most rewarding since the work is distrubuted and less stressful on you then if you were alone in a party.

-Divide buffs between the healers so one does Bless and another does Fist Up

-If you have Major Heal, stay near the rim of the tanking group when working with 2 or more monsters.

-Do NOT throw in attacks. If you have more then one healer then chances are your party is large. Thus your attack is not needed and even if it were used, it would be only a minor contribution since your attack is the lowest of the classes. Also, save your MP! You never know when you'll need it the most. Your main job is healing and buffing with stunning occasionally.

-Stun and run when you are attacked! You can't expect someone to notice right away that you need help and just heal. With stunning, they'll notice your Spirit attack and come to your aid. Also, stun if your rangers are attacked (Apprentices, Scouts, etc). They need to have time to back up and limit the agro's movements as well so every second helps when there is a mob.

-Stay behind the group when moving to avoid agros.


One Healer: I go by a rule of thumb on this one. If there are 4 fighters, do not attack at all unless they are all rangers as well. If there are fewer then 4, then feel free to fight a bit as well since you'll be doing less 'babysitting' in the party. With 3 or fewer, follow more duoing tips. With 4 or more, stick to buffs, healing, and stunning ONLY.


All Ranged: This one is pretty easy to work in.

-Buff with fist only unless asked to use bless if the ranged monsters deal decent damage.

-Unless working with ranged monsters, feel free to fight. The ranged fighters should be able to avoid getting hit by short ranged monsters unless hit by a stray agro. If faced with ranged monsters, switch to healing mode.

-Stay behind the group when moving to avoid agros.


All Tanks: This is strictly healing and buffing only.

-Do NOT attack since they will be getting the brunt of each fight.

-Bless 10 seconds before the timer is up on buffs and use Fist Up if you can. Bless is crucial though so be sure to use that buff on all members before going back and using Fist Up if you can.

-Stun and RUN. The tanks will need a moment to get to the agro on you and you need to move out right away.

-Stay behind the group, never go ahead or follow very close behind to avoid agros.


AOE: This is the most abused way to level with healers and makes the worst of them in the long run. AOE from time to time, but don't rely on it at all for gaining a level.

-Stay behind the mob by about a half screen on your computer. Agros will hit your AOE'r and will limit any problems you will face.

-Stun and RUN. Often times the AOE'r follows the same concept and will run ahead. Use spirit if they are a bit further away to insure that they won't shake off their stun near enough to you that you get hit. Also, you can't rely on the AOE'r to come to your aid. They have a mob and are trying to shake off their own agros. Stunning and running is the best bet when you get hit.

-After buffing your AOE'r, immediatly put a Bless on yourself! You must have a timer to judge when to rebuff.

-Put a new Bless buff on your AOE'r only after the timer hits the half way mark. This is a safe way to make sure that they are protected. So if you take your eye off the timer for a moment and it runs out for you, they're still protected and you can rebuff fully. This is also nice if you get mobbed and it takes a while to get back to work.

-When it does come time to kill, stay near a wall or some sort of boundry to limit respawns near you. Be sure to be away from the mob though, a quarter of a screen is enough room.


Solo Work: I do not recomend soloing between level 30 up till you get Ghost Steel. You deal very little damage, have poor defense, and you can't limit the monster's movement with Illusion much. When you do get Ghost Steel, use it first, followed by Oblivion and Illusion till the Oblivion cool down is over. Oblivion and Illusion limit movement greatly when used together and are a necessity to get proper damage in. Be sure to heal yourself during the limited movement time of Oblivion and Illusion and Ghost Steel. If you get agro'd, be sure to stun and run away from the agro untill they are no longer visible on your screen at the least. Ditch your kill if you must, 7% exp loss is not worth one kill.

I hope this is ok and all our healers learn something! Thanks for reading!

~May the light of Jurah shine upon you! With love,
MiLou

to make this complete, omega, myself,and dur need to post something (lol). i'm inspired though...i'll be workin on knights/fighters 101 and dre's helpful hints and tips as well...beautiful though, simply beautiful.

Gah... I can't make a guide in comparison to MiL's... D:



Hehe, great job MiL... I'll try and come up with something during my free time for Disciples, but I'm not sure what to put in it, since all I can think of is how cool Burning Hands is... xD