Getting Started in Rift: Matrix of Cleric Souls

I’d like to provide some basic information for players who are considering the Cleric calling in Rift: Planes of Telara. Choosing combinations can feel a bit overwhelming in the beginning, especially since very little information is available while the game is still in beta.  Between now and release I’m hoping to put out a Cleric Primer and general game overview.  While many things in Rift are similar to other MMOs, there’s more than enough that is different.

I really enjoy the Cleric calling.  I’ve acquired all 8 class souls, have leveled 4 characters to 20 and have experimented with various combinations along the way. I’m NOT an output min/max player.  I build my character to be effective by using appropriate stats and spell rotations.  However, my primary focus when choosing a class is what feels “right” for my play style and making sure that I’m going to enjoy playing what I’ve built.  

There are no bad Cleric combinations.  Less effective ones will exist for a particular situation or purpose. Nevertheless, changing them out is so easy, there’s no need to burst your brain over making your first selection.   Keep telling yourself this is only a game and have fun.  I know, who am I to talk when I've spent the time to build out a matrix. It was just easier to make a matrix than continuing to explain it to friends and family with hand gestures and scribbles on pieces of paper.

As simple as it is to change around your souls, I know people prefer to be heading in the right direction as early as possible.  I’ve only played to level 20 and will not ruin seeing instanced content before release so take my suggestions with that in mind. Consider this a more educated jumping off point – something better than having only tooltips to help you pick your initial souls.

 

3 Easy Souls

In Rift, a CALLING is analogous to a CLASS.  A ROLE is similar to a class SPEC OR BUILD in which you can combine 1 to 3 souls.  You don't have to spend your points in all 3. Where you spend your points and how many you allocate, has to do with which skills you're trying to unlock within each soul.  

By level 5 you will have 3 souls positioned into the default first role you’re given. At level 13, you can begin doing the Calling-specific quests to obtain additional souls. You will find the soul specific NPCs in various locations inside Meridian.  You can reset your role at any time by visiting your calling trainer. Resetting will clear all the points you spent in each of the soul tress in that role, as well as allow you to switch out those souls for others you’ve acquired.  The first reset is free.  Subsequent resets currently cost approximately 5 gold.

By simply resetting your souls, you can play all the various combinations without purchasing additional roles.  The downside to this method is that you must rebuild your talent trees and reposition the skills on your action bars.  Even though that can be tedious it’s a cheap and easy way to experiment and since this is beta, you should be experimenting.

Why you Want Roles

Having specific combinations and configurations of souls sitting in specific roles avoids the bother of constantly reconfiguring builds.  A role retains the souls, the associated talent selections and skill placements on your action bars.  This allows you to swap roles on the fly as long as you’re out of combat.  There is no penalty or resource consumption cost for swapping roles.

To purchase your second role costs around 23 gold.  This will give you the ability to configure a second combination of souls. You should have this by level 15 unless purchasing bigger bags was a higher priority.  The third role costs a whopping 4.95 plat which will take effort to accumulate and compete with having the 2+ plat for your first mount at level 20.

 

Personal Bias

I solo quest content.  I am not above grinding mobs when I’m in the mood.  My play style favors high survivability, regardless of the class I choose.  My preferred role in groups is straight damage or support.  I only tank instanced content for myself (multi-boxing).  Keep all of this in mind, as it obviously slants my preferences when building a class.  I don’t ever need to be top DPS or healing.  I need to have fun, be independent and perform as expected in groups

 

1+2=3 or 2+1=3 Combinations

I’m going to heal in all group situations in Rift.  Exceptions will be if there are already enough healers.  I’ve acted as the primary tank in rifts when there’s no alternative or when I solo them.  There are rifts that can be done alone and some footholds are solo-friendly.

If you’ve decided you want to be a Cleric, I suggest deciding if you want to do more damage or healing output from levels 1 to 20.  There is NO REASON to be a full healer build before level 20 in my mind.  PVP might be the exception but I’d do that in a second role, not the one I’m trying to level using.  The first instance isn’t until level 20 minimum and you can heal the bejesus out of people with just two healing souls, if they’re the “right” ones for that job.  *Smile*

With that question in mind, I suggest you choose 1 damage + 2 heal or 2 damage + 1 heal. Three damage souls make no sense to me as a cleric for PVE. Neither does 1 + 1+ 1 but there’s nothing stopping you from making whatever combination suits your fancy. Later in the game or PVP might change my perception but for leveling I'd start with 1+2 or 2+1.

 

Cleric Soul Train Tour

I’ve played every single Cleric soul.  I’ve combined them as range DPS + healer and melee DPS + healer.  No, I haven’t done very single permutation.  Regardless, I do believe that I’ve done enough variations to know how the souls will “feel” in combat. I’ve done 1+2 and 2+1. My overwhelming preference is 1+2 ranged DPS. But I have to tell ya that 2+1 melee DPS was pretty damn hawt!  In subsequent posts, probably not until the Cleric Primer, I will go into greater detail about the play style of various cleric soul combinations.

 

Matrix of Cleric Souls w/Healing Ability Types

Based on the soul spells and talents as of beta 5, here’s a breakdown of the Cleric souls by healing and support classifications. Nothing about damage output is noted other than the combat style – ranged versus melee.  

The numbers listed are for ALL AVAILABLE SPELLS/SKILLS.  You don’t get all of these by default, that's determined by how many points you spend in each soul and where.  Consider this the healing and support capabilities / opportunities for each soul.

I've colored the number of spells/talents each soul has for the categories I defined. I'm hoping this will aide in selecting the souls with the play style you prefer. For example, if you like healing on the move, you'd want to look for lots of bright and dark green in Heal Over Time Instant, Single Target Heal Instant and Group Heal Instant, and combine that with the DPS type you prefer such as ranged versus melee.

Like the game, consider this a beta version.  *Smile*  I tried my best to turn the options and combinations into something more consumable to give players a head-start on choosing souls.

Matrix represents the # of abilities
each soul has for each category

Click the image to view full-size
Use Ctrl +/- to scale browser

 

What will Saylah be Playing

My preference is ranged DPS and healing but I can readily switch to melee when necessary.  Having seen that melee is equally fun,  I'll be saving two sets of weapons as I level.  It’s great to know I’ll have options when I want a change of pace or need to pinch hit.

In order of preference, here are the combos I favored for my play style:

1. Inquisitor + Warden + Purifier (1 + 2)
2. Inquisitor + Warden + Sentinel (1 + 2)
3. Shaman + Justicar + Warden (1 + 2)
4. Shaman + Druid + Warden (2 + 1)
5. Inquisitor + Cabalist + Warden (2 + 1) - this was by far my least favorite of things I'd even consider playing.  However, sometimes it's beneficial to have casters doing AOE damage in order to complete rifts in time to spawn the bonus stages.

I’ve seen more content and quests than I wanted to before release.  I feel confident on the builds I’ll be using until level 20 and my first dungeon.  Now I’ll try out PVP and crafting.

Comments

[Ludo]

Great post - bookmarked!

FYI: there is a large group of CoWs that are playing Rift in beta and have pre-ordered. You should hop into vent and say hi sometime - we all miss ya! We haven't decided on server / faction for launch, however.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

*waves* Thanks.

Woot!! I was planning to check on COW. I will absolutely play with COW if there are folks rolling Defiant. I can't skip the technomagic (steampunk) side.

[Zygwen]

I like the matrix, makes it easier to figure out what type of cleric I'd like to try out. Cleric is the only calling that I haven't gotten the hang of so far.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

I think Rift's twist on Cleric and Rogue will take getting used to. They've created something atypical that will require adjustments in how we view those classes.

[Dave]

This is great. I am curious as to how speccked them, as to what points where. Could you update this and add a link to say a talent tree calculator such as the two i have here.

http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0z___

or

http://rift-planner.com

[Winged Nazgul]

Ludolf,

No love for your fellow Warrior Priest, Warrender? :(

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

Warrender!!! I still remember how younhealed and protected us lowbies running around alone trying to defend and we did it! LOL GOOD TIMES

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

I'm planning a more detailed post about particular combos but spec'g is going to be heavily dependent on what you're trying to accomplish and your play style even more so than other MMOs because there are so many options.

[Green Armadillo]

I'm curious whether you tried Shaman/Druid/Justicar. I'd heard that A) this was the way to go for melee and B) this is the preferred "tanking" option for clerics.

I'm also a bit curious about why you preferred the Warden over the other healing specs. Is it just kind of the versatile option?

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

Today I spent several hours comparing shaman+warden+Druid vs. shaman+warden+justicar. The problem with the Justicar vs. Warden is mulit-fold.

1. You can't count on being able to heal because it requires conviction and several of the skills that grant conviction have cool downs.

2. The default across the board GCD that 99.99% of skills trigger means that to heal requites two steps separated by a GDC. This is not pretty in a pinch or fast paced combat with multiple mobs that in and of themselves interrupt you AND there's something funky where a lot of mobs make instant cast a not instant - some sort of lG delay.

3. Other than the low point group heal the other pre level 25 ish heals are all self only healing.

Druid vs. Warden
1. Lowbie heal is instant but on 15 sec cool down

2. Can't easily control who the fairy is healing when actively engaged in combat.

3. In the healing dept thats about all it's got.

Warden with one of these is fine depending on need and preference but for solo questing and wanting to be able to readily heal if needed, neither of them suit me. In the case of a real tank that is expecting someone else to heal them either or both are fine.

I have a post coming tomorrow on why the Druid doesn't work so well for me.