Best cleric race + starting gear?

[pijan]

Howdy. Coming backe to p99 after about a year away. Want to start a new character to begin the adventure over. I have about 6k to gear out a cleric. Can anyone give some advice on what is the best race to pick, and what type of starting gear I can grab for around 5-6k?

[DinoTriz]

Dwarf.

That's my unbiased opinion.

[Ravager]

In my opinion, Dark Elf, cuz hide, halfling mask and snare necklace (though it's usefulness is very, very limited). Dwarves get the cool beer summoning necklace and baller cultural armor. High Elves can get a clicky root necklace, but they look like dorks.


As for gear, I'd get HP rings, either 5/55 or 6/65 depending on how thrifty you want to be, and wis/mana everything else. Don't worry about weapons too much since you'll be sitting on your butt 99.9% of the time.

[loramin]

I actually revamped the Cleric race selection part of the wiki recently to better answer this exact question. It now covers not only the stats and abilities of each race, but also what their respective religions offer in terms of gear. Also I made the stat table sortable and added an extra column to give a (very) rough sense of each race's overall stats (it values Strength/Stamina/Charisma at half the value of Wisdom).

Check out http://wiki.project1999.com/Cleric#Picking_the_Right_Race if you're interested, but my takeaway after doing it was that all of the following are decent choices (and all the rest aren't). Basically you have the top Wis race, then the next three all tie for second-place and are viable in their own way, and finally you have Halflings which are unique because of Sneak and the XP bonus:


High Elves: Highest starting wisdom (but bad other stats), good symbol, and a nice Tunare-only raid item
Dark Elf: Tied for second highest Wisdom AND they get Hide, plus they get a good symbol, but of course Dark Elves have faction issues
Dwarf: Also tied for second place on starting Wisdom, but Dwarves have the best overall stats (IMHO); their clickie is fun but useless
Erudite: Also tied for second best Wis, and if you pick the right god you get access to some interesting items, but even so Erudites are kind of the dark horse option
Halfling: Hide AND Sneak AND 5% XP bonus, but bad starting Wisdom and no good diety gear

[planarity]

I got a dwarf to 60 with epic and VP gear, but then rerolled halfling because sneak is too OP. It's saved raids and lets me go to places and do quests that other race clerics just can't.

[pijan]

I actually revamped the Cleric race selection part of the wiki recently to better answer this exact question. It now covers not only the stats and abilities of each race, but also what their respective religions offer in terms of gear. Also I made the stat table sortable and added an extra column to give a (very) rough sense of each race's overall stats (it values Strength/Stamina/Charisma at half the value of Wisdom).

Check out http://wiki.project1999.com/Cleric#Picking_the_Right_Race if you're interested, but my takeaway after doing it was that all of the following are decent choices (and all the rest aren't). Basically you have the top Wis race, then the next three all tie for second-place and are viable in their own way, and finally you have Halflings which are unique because of Sneak and the XP bonus:


High Elves: Highest starting wisdom (but bad other stats), good symbol, and a nice Tunare-only raid item
Dark Elf: Tied for second highest Wisdom AND they get Hide, plus they get a good symbol, but of course Dark Elves have faction issues
Dwarf: Also tied for second place on starting Wisdom, but Dwarves have the best overall stats (IMHO); their clickie is fun but useless
Erudite: Also tied for second best Wis, and if you pick the right god you get access to some interesting items, but even so Erudites are kind of the dark horse option
Halfling: Hide AND Sneak AND 5% XP bonus, but bad starting Wisdom and no good diety gear


Awesome! This was very helpful. Any idea on specific items to look for at start?

[loramin]

Well, I just started my Cleric, so I'm far from an expert, but I would think:

A) a halfway decent weapon (just to get you through the early levels); it should be magic if you want to take on ghouls, will o wisps, etc., and you could probably get something like this for free by politely begging in the East Commons; especially if you let people know you're a new player, because people like welcoming n00bs to the server

B) some decent (bronze, banded, etc.) armor; you might get some by begging in EC, but really wearing whatever crap you loot should work fine until you've saved up enough plat to buy a suit of some kind of armor

C) your deity's symbol (if they have a symbol quest)

Honestly I would think that just that would be enough to get you all the way to 50 if you wanted. Clerics are not a very gear-dependent class: if things are going right you shouldn't be getting hit, and while better Wisdom/Mana gear will improve your mana pool size (and thus how many heals you can do in a row without resting), you don't need a huge man pool to be a good Cleric*

*as far as I can tell

[enjchanter]

Erudite by far

Prexus for true BIS diety

[Nagoya]

Humans and Erudites get to use these:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Fright_Forged_Helm and;
http://wiki.project1999.com/Terror_Forged_Mask

Item Suggestions:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Runed_Morning_Star (2000pp)
http://wiki.project1999.com/Crystal_Chitin_Shield (1300pp)
http://wiki.project1999.com/Forest_Loop x2 (600pp)
http://wiki.project1999.com/Velium_Fire_Wedding_Ring x2 (900pp)
Any armor Banded and up.

[Tuurin]

2k is a little steep for a cleric weapon.
Unless you really need the SvM, I'd probably just buy a https://wiki.project1999.com/Cone_of_the_Mystics for when you're grouped/healing and a https://wiki.project1999.com/Smoldering_Brand to swap in when you wanna solo or get a few wacks in.

Use the cash to get a few cultural pieces, etc. Maybe buy a few bags full of crushbone belts and get a head start? IDK leveling a low-level cleric is terribly boring and/or frustrating. You really don't stand out as a healer until mid-30s, and melee-soloing is really slow imo.

[deadlycupcakez]

I am definitely biased - but dark elf. The racials are nice, but the fashionquest, lore and roleplay potential is just so much better.

Also, I sprung for a springwood club, a charred guardian shield, some hp rings and the dark elf cultural. If the cultural is too pricey (idk what the going rate is), then quest that armor of the priest!

IMO the armor and your ac is important bc you will want to solo undead sometimes (or all the way to 52 if you are a psycho like me), and you will always want your defense skill maxed.

It is an inescapable truth that you will take a beating in group situations on your way to 60; max defense and high AC saved my cleric during the 52+ levels countless times.

[bigjeff100]

I always like to see those races and classes paired up that you don't often see.. In this case, my vote goes to Erudite Cleric. Not only that, but having spent no significant time on Odus, leveling there intrigues me! And would be refreshing to place a race/class i've never played on a continent i never spent time in.. And getting to chose an evil or good route! Oh man, got a feeling i'll be adding a erudite cleric to my choice of characters today! Hyped now!

[Ravager]

I like it!

[DinoTriz]

Humans and Erudites get to use these:
http://wiki.project1999.com/Terror_Forged_Mask


Call of Bones used to be the clicky on those? Cleric with CoB? Sounds awesome.

[Xaeophi]

Dark elf master race.

[Jimjam]

Human of innoruk gets access to the snare necklace and pain eel quest items.

[Diogene]

Yep humans of innoruuk get those cool clickies and the sexiest cultural armor. That being said erudites of prexus get the calm clickies. I wish I had one of these. Calm is great. 4sec cast is good. And their cultural armor is so hype.

[Gumbo]

Weapon for a cleric... Dark Ember

It sells for about 400-500p and decent stats...

Skill: 1H Blunt Atk Delay: 32
DMG: 13
STR: +2 WIS: +5 HP: +20 MANA: +20
SV FIRE: +7

http://wiki.project1999.com/Dark_Ember

[Quizlop]

Though Dwarves have good starting stats and Halfings have useful racials, both of them are unable to wear most robes including Robe of the Azure Sky (http://wiki.project1999.com/Robe_of_the_Azure_Sky) and Sal'Varae's Robe of Darkness (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sal%60Varae%60s_Robe_of_Darkness).

[Bummey]

^^^ don't base your character choice on end-game raid gear you'll never get

assling. sneak, hide, jumjum bellies, minute statue, xray vision, feet

[Jimjam]

Though Dwarves have good starting stats and Halfings have useful racials, both of them are unable to wear most robes including Robe of the Azure Sky (http://wiki.project1999.com/Robe_of_the_Azure_Sky) and Sal'Varae's Robe of Darkness (http://wiki.project1999.com/Sal%60Varae%60s_Robe_of_Darkness).

Erudites get a Mr boost (at loss of other stats though). They also get robes, paineel items (even the good deities ones; just faction in warrens).

Even in non-robes they have sone pretty priestly vestments. I rate them number 4 choice after dark elf, human innorruuk and halfling. About level pegging with dwarfs (better stats, barrel roll, no robes).

[DinoTriz]

Wait wait wait....Innoruuk Human Clerics can get both:

http://wiki.project1999.com/Regent_Symbol_of_Innoruuk

http://wiki.project1999.com/Terror_Forged_Mask

Does that mean....nearly mana free fear kite soloing?

I know Cleric DDs suck, but is this possible?

[Jimjam]

I helped level a dark elf cleric, and we fear kited spectres. A free fear wouldn't have been completely useless (but obviously we managed to cope with the panic undead line).

Also, having fear on a clicky saves a spell slot. It's not a terrible CC outdoors.

[Pint]

I got a dwarf to 60 with epic and VP gear, but then rerolled halfling because sneak is too OP. It's saved raids and lets me go to places and do quests that other race clerics just can't.

disgusting race traitor, if we ever see you in kaladim again we will shave your beard clean

[Raavak]

Dwarfs roll when they jump. What else would one want?

[Diogene]

Wait wait wait....Innoruuk Human Clerics can get both:

http://wiki.project1999.com/Regent_Symbol_of_Innoruuk

http://wiki.project1999.com/Terror_Forged_Mask

Does that mean....nearly mana free fear kite soloing?

I know Cleric DDs suck, but is this possible?

Snare neck is 6sec cast for 36sec duration and fear mask is 6sec cast for 18sec duration.
It can really only works when duoing with a rogue in open spaces (with two rogues it works even better)

Other than that, enchanter with rogue pet, stuff like that.

But it works

So very situational (and super boring gameplay)

[Naxy]

I went the opposite way. Pick something inefficient, a human cleric of Karana! :p

[Glasken]

I went the opposite way. Pick something inefficient, a human cleric of Karana! :p

Gnomish Cleric of Bert.

[mcoy]

Mith Marr all the way!

-Mcoy

[Renlin]

Erudite all the way... they win at fashion quest compared to all the other cleric races.