Description
A Cleric is a dedicated follower of a deity, drawing power from faith and prayer to heal their companions and smite their enemies. Clerics follow a number of deities, varying in beliefs and ideals. In order to draw power from their God all Clerics need a great deal of faith and rarely question the teachings of their temple; the majority are aligned with the forces of good but it is not uncommon for Clerics to worship evil deities. While it is Paladins and Shadow Knights who are trained in the more offensive powers of their deity it is considered unwise to deal with a Cleric who has opposite beliefs to your own, as they can be very dangerous opponents when angered.
The healing power of a Cleric is unrivalled, with other professions never coming close to their ability to keep others alive and resurrect them when they fall. Clerics are usually wise and greatly experienced, having accumulated more knowledge and skills than their companions while in the service of their deity. When a party ventures into an unexplored or hazardous area a Cleric is almost always among them as they don't only heal and protect with spells, their faith and experience provide a reliable and steadying presence when resolves might otherwise weaken.
The abilities of a Cleric aren't just limited to healing, they are capable of increasing overall health and toughness of any who are open to their enchantments. In addition they can summon food and drink, cast powerful offensive spells on single or multiple targets, increase a groups magical resistance and even cast shields which damage an enemy every time it harms the Cleric. They also have specific spells for fighting the undead, which are capable of causing very severe magical damage or forcing them to flee in terror. Except for healing, none of a Clerics complementary abilities are as effective as a class dedicated to their casting but all are a useful and welcome addition to their powers, that in some circumstances allow them to adventure alone where they otherwise could not.
Cleric Races
Dark Elf, Drakkin, Dwarf, Erudite, Froglok, Gnome, Halfling, High Elf, Human
Stats
Clerics rely on their mana pool to sustain them when they are the only healer in prolonged combat and its size is directly determined by their wisdom, making obtaining items that increase this statistic a sound first priority with the 'combat' stats a minor consideration later on.
Clerics don't tend to engage in melee combat intentionally but frequently find themselves on the end of an angry lunge as even the stupidest monsters is capable of realising the threat a Cleric poses to their survival. A high stamina allows a Cleric to sustain more blows and agility to avoid them.
Tips
- Wisdom is a Clerics key to healing efficiently, it will allow you to cast more effectively and for longer without needing to rest.
- Stamina is directly involved in the calculation of your total hit points, increasing it will help you to last longer when taking heavy damage.
- The fast regeneration of your mana is crucial when the rest time between fights is short (such as in a party), if you can locate items to increase this regeneration try hard to obtain them.
- Make use of the natural health regeneration characters are gifted with. Your heals are a limited resource so be careful not to waste them on unnecessary targets, if they are hurt but not taking damage they probably don't need your spells to heal (at least not straight away).
- You should always try to keep your hit points at their highest possible by casting your defensive spells on yourself and a decent set of armor is never a bad investment either.
Screenshots
With thanks to Tindayr (Dark Elf), Unodoc (Dwarf), Nidani (Erudite), Iilini (High Elf) and Leniris (High Elf) of The Rathe (Karana) server for being the Cleric screenshot models!
Sites
Casters Realm
http://eq.crgaming.com/menu/cleric.aspUseful information for Clerics, including an epic walkthrough and spell descriptions.
EQ Cleric Forum
http://www.eqclerics.org/An EverQuest cleric community forum.
EverQuest Clerics
http://www.eqcleric.comSite and forums for Clerics, with pretty much everything you need to know or will need to know on your way to becoming an Archon.