Clerics are so boring... is anything else planned for them?

[Desdemona]

Of all the healing classes, clerics are by far the most boring to play... and the smallest in skillsets. Are there any plans to give them something else? What ever happened to have them picking Gods and the like?

[Galvin]

I actually love playing my Cleric. After many classes played in beta... I finally found one that I enjoy with no complaints. Course, I actually like throwing heals.

Although, picking a god to follow would be pretty cool. I wouldn't give up on them just yet... the game was just released and Sigil's main focus was gameplay. I'm sure content will flow like a river once they get their feet on the ground.

[Isobel]

Of all the healing classes, clerics are by far the most boring to play... and the smallest in skillsets. Are there any plans to give them something else? What ever happened to have them picking Gods and the like?

I think allowing clerics to pick gods is in the works. Look on the cleric bords, they have info on it. If someone plays a cleric well and to its limits they can have a lot of fun. Just ask Piety.

[Desdemona]

I think allowing clerics to pick gods is in the works. Look on the cleric bords, they have info on it. If someone plays a cleric well and to its limits they can have a lot of fun. Just ask Piety.

Honestly, clerics seem to play exactly like paladins in WoW.

I enter combat and autoattack. Every 6 seconds I use a special attack. I keep my HoT on myself and maybe throw in a weak nuke every now and then if I don't risk wasting mana... and then I just sit there and wait for the mob to die.

It's just so... boring... if you're grouped sure, you can toss some heals on other people when they need it.


I don't know, the more I play my cleric the more I think Sigil really didn't put much thought into it at all.. or they did and just never implemented any of the fun stuff.

Blood mages have better heals and are more proactive in combat, disciples healing is in question, but they can do stuff besides just sit back and heal, shaman from what I've seen are active in combat aside from just healing..

And then you have the cleric, who's really just able to heal.

[Dragon-RD]

I dont like Clerics myself. Still use it though as my guild needs a healer. But it's not the most fun class in the world. Not sure if Sigil have anything lined up for em in the future. Really I should have rolled Blood Mage but nooo I needed to use plate armor >_<

[AsheMan]

I've never liked playing a healing class in any other MMO. I took a chance and tried the cleric in vanguard and have fallen in love with it. I really like that I'm in the fray of battle and not just sitting back healing.

[visceral monkey]

I love my cleric, he wades into combat and beats the crap out of anything that gets in his way. I get carried away quite a lot, and die, but man do I have fun doing it. Best version of the Cleric in any MMORPG yet imho.

[Desdemona]

Have any of you who like clerics tried the other healing classes by chance?

[gimpusmons]

I started with the cleric, got to 10 and moved to the disciple. The disciple WAS better for DPS output and as a result was generally fun to play since it was easy to solo or group with as either a DPS or main healer. But since the nerf (which was needed to some extent), it's now just as boring to play as the cleric. The difference is that you use more endurance than energy. But Sigil "accidently" over-nerfed the disciple so you may want to try it after they fix it in a future patch.

Disciples are stuck with medium armor and have a number of solid attacks so the idea seems to be that they are offensive healers while clerics are defensive healers. I have no idea which class will be more interesting to play down the road. I keep getting told that the good stuff come later. I'm stuck at 14 with my disciple and am getting pretty bored with it right now. Maybe its just a matter of getting over a hump or that I'm not finding enough quality groups, but at this point I don't want to renew my subscription until the classes are sorted out and the worst of the bugs are fixed.

[EonBlue]

I can honestly say I hate teh vanguard cleric compared to other games healing classes. I feel more like an eq bard then a healer. Every 2 seconds I press a button. Every 2 seconds I CAN press a button and not go oom/out of end.

The vanguard cleric got infinitly better at soloing, but I believe i am one of the few who enjoyed the eq cleric where healing was a full time job (the tss ooc regen was nice too). Why don't I just play eq you ask? It's dieing =( vanguard is eating all its players and they wont server merge. It's not uncommon to have lfg up the whole night and not get a tell.

Back to vanguard clerics. I feel more like a dps class then a healer. I am fairly dissapointed by the lack of defensive skills we get when we are called a "defensive" fighter. I am dissapointed at the speed and lack of thought involved in battle. I am dissapointed by the interface. I am dissapointed we are not a complete class yet (as in our "special ability" isnt implemented). I'm dissapointed that you have to press a key every 2 seconds to be at peak efficiency. I'm dissapointed by the item choices for clerics as we have a choice between decent stats or ac while medium armor users get to decide between caster stats or melee stats.

Im dissapointed most by this game being released while its still in a very (very) beta stage...
/end vent

That being said I'll stick around till I get to experience raiding.

[Carni]

Back to vanguard clerics. ... I am fairly dissapointed by the lack of defensive skills we get when we are called a "defensive" fighter.

ummm....whaaaaaaa?

[Sedek]

ummm....whaaaaaaa?


ROFL love the sig!

[Danth]

My wifey is extremely happy with her Cleric. It's her favorite implementation of the class in any RPG she's yet played.

Clerics might seem a little 'boring', but that fits with the nature of the class--they're holy servants, not glory-seekers or performance artists. They're pragmatic and do what needs to be done, nothing more, nothing less. They may well be Vanguard vanilla, but remember that lots of people like vanilla.


The wifey has tried every healer class and her alternate character is a Disciple. She still likes the Cleric best.


Danth

[EonBlue]

Heh with the whole fighter thing I am a bit confused myself, as the cleric description says we are defensive casters yet 70% of the time the skills im using are melee (skills used: offensive hot->smithing->divinity->censure or replenishing->heal altered as the situation needs) I know I've read somewhere were defensive something (and it wasnt casters) and it had to do with fighting I just can't remember the buzzword so to speak. /human

My point is were supposed to be "defensive" but the only thing we contribute to defense is our buffs. Then again I suppose theres not many other things we could do to feel more defensive other then wards or things of the like.

[Desdemona]

Heh with the whole fighter thing I am a bit confused myself, as the cleric description says we are defensive casters yet 70% of the time the skills im using are melee (skills used: offensive hot->smithing->divinity->censure or replenishing->heal altered as the situation needs) I know I've read somewhere were defensive something (and it wasnt casters) and it had to do with fighting I just can't remember the buzzword so to speak. /human

My point is were supposed to be "defensive" but the only thing we contribute to defense is our buffs. Then again I suppose theres not many other things we could do to feel more defensive other then wards or things of the like.

Clerics have one skill that negates the next 2 (and later 3) hits against you and another one that gives you complete and total immunity for a short while... Just like Divine Shield in WoW on a paladin! - If that isn't defensive I don't know what is.

[Piety]

Anyone who has read my posts on the healing boards is going to know where I am coming from.
I love the VG cleric.
But then I love the healling class in general.

Different archtypes tend to attract different types of players. And a player who routinely plays and enjoys a main healer generally does so because they enjoy the pressure and responsiblity, as well as the occasional glory.

It's a dirty job but someones got to do it.

Most groups don't like to operate without a healer, (unless they tear through mobs so fast no one gets relly hurt) so unless healers are as thick on the ground as VG's are atm, a healing class often has a fairly easy time getting a group. They play an important part of that group too, when the main healer is out of mana, afk, or not ready to move on then pulls are generally held until the healer is ready to go.

However, often their effort goes unnoticed until extreme situations happen. If the situation degrades and the healer manages to pull everyone's fat out of the fire by the skin of their teeth then the healer gains a level of glory and acclaim. However if everyone dies, or even some die, then it's the healers responsibility because they let the group down.

Most of the time the Healer tries to keep themselves entertained by throwing in their own DPS and watching the groups health. In a good group, long periods of time will go by with the Healer only throwing the occasional heal. It's only when things go wrong does the Healer have to really step up their game. A healer cannot let themselves to get to distracted by the monotany of a good group. Because if they are not paying attention when things go wrong, then there may not be a recovery from that.

ANY class can degenerate into a series of routine button mashing.
What generally raises the style of play above a boring routine, or allows the player to enjoy the routine, is enjoyment of the class, or class archtype in general. Essentially, you have to like the concept first.

If your groups do not offer you enough challenge, then challenge yourself and push your own abilities and your class abilities to the very limit. If you are running out of Endurance or Mana early on, then change what you are doing.

If you enjoy playing a support class and want to help people, but do not find the cleric enjoyable; then a utility class may be more up your alley.

but I believe i am one of the few who enjoyed the eq cleric where healing was a full time job (the tss ooc regen was nice too). ...
I'm dissapointed that you have to press a key every 2 seconds to be at peak efficiency.

This confuses me.
May I present for your consideration Yaulp (http://www.everquest-online.com/spells/yaulp-vi-id3186.php)?
Low level and Mid level clerics spent most of their time medding.
High end Clerics were good DPS, and it was the high end weapons procs, abilities and Yaulp that really made them a DPS class. But that required Frequent button clicking.

[Danth]

Clerics are healers. Being a healer doesn't mean your class can only be designed to stand in the background at all times. You certainly have that option as a Cleric, but the class also has the option of being a fairly capable melee participant; in particular a properly-geared Cleric is quite capable of serving as a competent offtank if he isn't the main healer for the group (and sometimes if he is).


The WoW Paladin makes for a good comparison because the Paladin of Warcraft lore is essentially what most other fantasy worlds would call a Cleric.

Danth

[Piety]

Clerics have one skill that negates the next 2 (and later 3) hits against you and another one that gives you complete and total immunity for a short while... Just like Divine Shield in WoW on a paladin! - If that isn't defensive I don't know what is.

Don't forget about our ability to Wear plate.
And our ability to draw agro from a groupmate and onto ourselves and cast small amount of damage absorption on that groupmate.

[Karandor]

Don't forget about our ability to Wear plate.
And our ability to draw agro from a groupmate and onto ourselves and cast small amount of damage absorption on that groupmate.

Clerics actually tank very well in small group situations. With heal aggro and our ability to burst some damage you can hold aggro very well.

This is my favourite healing class I've played in any game. Nothing is so fun as running around and laying the smackdown with a nice greatmaul.

I fear nerfs in our future, however, as our soloing ability is a bit insane in some cases.

[Quinalla]

First, all classes are boring to solo. Once you find the "best" buttons to press, you very rarely will have an interesting solo moment, that's just the way it goes because solo is one character vs. one or more mobs and you don't have any of the interplay you have in groups.

Second, I would love to see deities added, but I think they have far more important things to fix first, so I am not worried about it being in for awhile.

[Vidrak]

First, all classes are boring to solo. Once you find the "best" buttons to press, you very rarely will have an interesting solo moment, that's just the way it goes because solo is one character vs. one or more mobs and you don't have any of the interplay you have in groups.

Second, I would love to see deities added, but I think they have far more important things to fix first, so I am not worried about it being in for awhile.
I can agree with this. This game's solo content is boring and dull. Group content and dungeons are what is fun and rewarding. And right now, I think healers are well balanced for groups. Yes, we are extremely OP'd for solo, but I don't think this should be a determining factor for nerfing a class. This is a PVE Group based game. Not a WoW solo-fest game.

So 1) You take our DPS away (I am talking all healers) and we are reduced to heal bot, boring ass back of the line healer mode again (for the 50th MMO in a row).

Or 2) You make them fun, like they are currently, spice them up a little and maybe tone down some things a little bit. The key is to make healers fun, not a heal bot.

I would definitely vote for 2, for sure. I would like a little more for the CLR as far as flavor, but I can wait. Mostly, I think increasing mob DMG by an order of 1.5x to 2x would make this game a lot more in line with grouping. There are not many classes that CAN'T solo a 3-dot mob, "small group mobs" ... please. Solo content should be based off 2-dots, not if you can solo a 3 or 4-dot mob. Then again, soloing 3 and 4-dots is horrible inefficient, you are 10 times better off in a group. So I don't think this should be a real gauge in large changes to any healing class.

[Sailormoontw]

I would definitely vote for 2, for sure. I would like a little more for the CLR as far as flavor, but I can wait. Mostly, I think increasing mob DMG by an order of 1.5x to 2x would make this game a lot more in line with grouping. There are not many classes that CAN'T solo a 3-dot mob, "small group mobs" ... please. Solo content should be based off 2-dots, not if you can solo a 3 or 4-dot mob. Then again, soloing 3 and 4-dots is horrible inefficient, you are 10 times better off in a group. So I don't think this should be a real gauge in large changes to any healing class.

Increasing mob DMG would only result in making non-healer harder to solo, while healers still solo well. My Idea is to reduce healers' damage output to 50%, but their damage increase when your group becomes larger, and 100% when you are in a full group.

[sephira]

Isnt it good like it is now ?

Whats about soloing a 3dot ? Nothing. If you can kill one fine, if not fine too. There is no special reward. Even xp isnt better. If you grind 3dots for an hour you wont get more loot or xp then grinding 2dots for an hour. You probably get more out of killing 2dots. And by the way, no everyone is grinding in vanguard. So what this all about ? Problems being a male ? Cant be the best and fastest ? Thats your problem mr. grinder, not mine !!

Another story would be if any class would be able to farm even con bosses. But nobody talked about such yet and i dont think any class can solo even con bosses. If so the player has a lot of knowledge/skill and deserves it.

Why you guys want to ruin the healers ? Ever looked at a necro reverse kiting any mob he wants ?

I want my shaman to be like he is. Hes perfect and i love to play him. I even wished we could use a bow and dualwield. I want all the freedom Sigil is mentioning.

[Vidrak]

Increasing mob DMG would only result in making non-healer harder to solo, while healers still solo well. My Idea is to reduce healers' damage output to 50%, but their damage increase when your group becomes larger, and 100% when you are in a full group.
Have you actually played a healer? Do you have any clue about how slow killing 3-dots solo is? I would like to know what class you play, seriously.

As a CLR, I was meleeing dark blue and white 3-dots down at lvl 18ish. MELEEING! I was not healing, not nuking, not doing anything except using my 2 or 3 weak melee attacks. If you play a tank, or a DPS class, and you can't do this, your gears sucks and you don't know how to play. I need to test this again soon, next time, auto-attack only. Seriously, it amazes me to see people complaing about this stuff.

Even if we could kill 3-dots and you can't. The EXP is horrendous. You are WAY better off grouping and rolling through 3-5-dot mobs quickly and actually playing your class how it is meant to be played, a GROUP healer.

If you doubt me, and you play on Woefeather, I will freaking show you how wrong you are. Go solo 3-dots for an hour and then go group for an hour ... and see how much more EXP you get in the group. In 20 minutes of grouping I can get the same exp I would in an hour of soloing 2 and 3-dot mobs, this is OP'd? Seriously, this IS NOT A SOLO GAME. Go somewhere else if that is what you are looking for, or join one of the PVP servers so you can play with your kind there. Leave the PVE game alone.

[Tion]

I've been having a lot of fun playing a cleric and duo'ing with a pally. Of course I'm only casually playing this game, as I still raid 5-6 nights a week in eq2, but so far I'm liking clerics. Of course, healer classes aren't for everyone, but coming from playing a templar main in eq2, it's more exciting being able to get in there and dish out some damage too, while being a solid healer as well.