Returning cleric.

[BeardBeard]

Hey y'all. I just got back from a very long break in DDO to find a large amount has changed.

I have a 20 (Was max level when I stopped) dwarf cleric that I don't know how to spec or how to gear. What are items every cleric should be shooting for end game and what else is a cleric supposed to do other than heal and buff during quests/raids? What quests/adventure packs do I need? I've read on here that apparently being just a healbot is out of style or am I getting the wrong impression?

[SirValentine]

What are items every cleric should be shooting for end game

End game died when they raised the level cap. But there's lots of new named items around, and, just as importantly, random loot is often now as good or better than equivalent named items.

Try taking a look on the wiki. For example, you could start here: http://ddowiki.com/page/Update_17_named_items

and what else is a cleric supposed to do other than heal and buff during quests/raids?

Help kill stuff, of course. Same as ever other character is probably doing.

There's several possible paths to accomplish that: melee, ranged, nuking (often Light-based), DC casting. The melee route might be the easiest to spec and gear up for. There's specific builds and gear plans around in the forum here.

What quests/adventure packs do I need?

You need Epic Destinies. They're included with the "Menace of the Underdark" expansion pack, I believe, or purchasable separately. A level 28 without Epic Destinies is less powerful than a level 20 with. The highest-level 6-man quests are from another expansion pack, "The Shadowfell Conspiracy". The closest thing to an end-game raid is in Gianthold, which you may well already have.

I've read on here that apparently being just a healbot is out of style or am I getting the wrong impression?

Was it ever in style? But I'm sure you'd be able to find lots of players happy to have a healbot if you really wanted to go that route. And others who would view you as a piker.

[firemedium_jt]

Epic Destinies are where the power is. You do not need to max min your heroic stuff but you want the preqf or the destinies you like and also want to twist.

XP is easy to get now. Quest xp is on a 18 hour timer to reset. Jungle of Kyper run twice a day is easy xp on EN or EH. It is tben maxed xp in 18 hours if run only twice a day.

Many items that were awesome are easy to get at AH. Fortification, seeker, accuracy, deadly, spell school focus, spell lores.

ie. The Bloodstone is no big deal now.
the min lvl needs to incr on this AH gear so players are motivated to run the old raids again like TOD.

Clerics have some nice and cheap SLAs in heroic almost like mages. The meta feats are free on these in mana costs.

Clerics are back in now and more powerful.. Lots of build advice on the forums. Saving throws are huge now for epic especially EE. And if you want to melee some. Even Favs might splash PAL2 for survivability. Sorcs too. Clerics are the s!*=€#&!!!! Enjoy.

The first expansion Menace is important and a great deal for under $20. If you buy the latest expansion you get.the old Menace cheap or wait for sale... but I would not wait. It has Carnival included that has the EAGA... the best weapon for grind time in the game. You might have a Raid box to get CITW weapons for free in your inventory like Cleaver.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Cleaver...r_of_Suffering
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Antique_Greataxe

[firemedium_jt]

http://ddowiki.com/page/Epic_Destinies

Some good ED twists and other combos here and there.

Cocoon - no line of sight required and long range. Many melee's even twist this if they have some mana. I like it better than Renewal even though Renewal is slightly cheaper. Both are cheap in mana. I cast Cocoon through doors

Adrenaline in Fury of the Wild then damage boost Human or other with Momentum Swing 5W twisted with EAGA is how I melee for about 2500 damage and 3500 on a 19-20 with Overwhelming Critical. Adrenaline increasing critical range means axes rock. You control the criticals
Some like to try to keep up the Legendary Dreadnought Blitz going. More criticals, but more random. If you can keep the Blitz going it is better, but it is hard to do on a Cleric.

Unyielding Sentinel with Paladin levels. US is a great way to survive Epic Elite as a Pure Cleric too. Many use this Destiny for healing. Lots of survivability with hitpoints, saves, and fortification plus synergy with Pal2.
Brace for impact
Unearthly reactions - reflex saves are needed for pure builds and lightly splashed builds.
Draconic Energy burst rocks and Draconic a bonus to mana total. An easy 2000 damage give or take. Long cool down. Synergy with Charisma.
Exalted Angel can be good too. More mana.
Shiradi Champion seems good for the Spell Penetration builds and Energy Drain.
Magister for SR and SF

Sense weakness

If you take Spell penetration feats you can splash a FTR lvl and still take Epic Spell penetration. Most are all in for Spell Pen and stay pure. Spell focus all you need is the first feat for epic destinies. There is so much focus with gear and heroic enhancements and epic destinies.

Clerics get some nice spells and SLAs from the Divine Disciple Heroic tree. Light is more damage, but more stuff with saves. Negative is less damage, but less stuff with saves.

I run mostly 2hdr Clerics. CLR17 is all you need to heal. CLR17 and Pal2/FTR1 or Mnk2/FTR1 or Mnk3 seem popular. CLR17/PAL2/FTR1 is lots of survivability, and an easy build 2hdr. Pure for caster.



http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Com...n_reward_items
Commendation gear is a good start. Many already have it or have moved on. To get commendations quick you can ask others in the party to transfer their commendations to you in the chest of these quests. This is the fastest way to get them. They have multiple buffs and work well together and mixed. A +7 stat, an insightful +2 stat, a buff, and a set buff is a lot.

PDK = Battle for Eveningstar = for melee. The healing amp on the gloves rock
Lost Thread = Wizwar = for mana if you don't have greensteel mana. Also 10% savings of all mana for spells.
Unquiet Graves = Cleric comms. 10% savings of mana for spells.
Villager = Bracers with +4 parry are nice

Speed items with FTR haste stack
Goat boots are the best.

Divine Power items. I rarely use the spell. I just swap into these and click then swap back to the better item.

My melee cleric used all of these, but lately just PDK and Wizwar. Stuff I always wear is the Cleric ring for Healing lore, PDK gloves for healing amp, and the Villager Bracers with Parry are swaped into quickly after I burn some mana on buffs.

Holy symbol of lolth is nice to fit in spell power
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Holy_Symbol_of_Lolth
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Shamanic_Fetish_(Level_25)


There are Diamonds and Rubys etc. to slot stuff on gear.
I have Devotion Ruby slotted on my EAGA in the red slot.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Augment_Slot
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Antique_Greataxe

If you want to melee a lot in EE you need PRR, Dodge, Ghostly, Blur, Displacement.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Physical_Resistance_Rating


For casting....................
Staffs only have one lore. Scepters in each hand means 2 lores upto 20%, and more slots for spell power. Spell lore is for all, but half as much max. And things with sharp edges are even better, but less common.



XP quests to zerg twice a day

Jungle of Kyber - long but fun and a lot of xp
Impossible Demands - 2 minutes or less
House of Rusted Blades - about 5 minutes

Other quick xp. VON quests like VON3, and VON5 and 6 raid
Unquiet Graves, but a long run to it. It is only a 5 minute or less quest.
Lost Thread is a long run too, but easy zerg xp with a medium time to complete, and fun.

Menace of the Underdark if you buy it and you should for EDs anyway has a long flagging tree for Caught in the Web.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Menace_of_th...rk_(story_arc)


Toughness is gimp and not worth a feat or Epic feat, but you can take it as a Epic Destiny feat. http://ddowiki.com/page/Epic_Destiny_Feats
Extend is a waste


*** Most Clerics take Aura in Heroic enhancements even if they are a melee cleric. It is that good. Some of the others are not bad and you can roll that way, but Aura is just that good. ***


Just some highlights. Lots of info and flavor builds on the forums now.





Post your goals and your build.

[unbongwah]

Welcome back, OP.

Apart from epic lvls and EDs which others have mentioned, the other major change was the Enhancement overhaul in Update 19. For clerics, Turbine added two new PrEs: Warpriest (melee-focused) and Divine Disciple (DPS caster-focused on either light or Necro spells). I don't think anyone's put out a post-U19 build guide for clerics yet, but there are some interesting threads to check out, inc. Ellis's necro cleric and sirgog's Radiant Titan as examples of what can be done.

In terms of content, my first recommendation would be MotU (first expansion), either the SE if you're F2P/Premium and don't own the bonus content; or the base if you're VIP. You'll open up a big chunk of new content as well as EDs. Gianthold is also a must-have if you don't own it already; it got epic-fied in U17.

[BeardBeard]

Thanks for all the help guys. I definitely have an idea of what I am going to do/be doing/be getting now.