Guide:Solo Rat Cleric

Solo Rat Cleric (Alpha 3.0)

The Solo Rat Cleric play style applies for a solo Cleric focused on PvE, survival, and successful extraction. This play style is not focused on PvP and generally encourages stealth or evasion over combat. The recommendations here reflect this focus.

This play style does not include using Ale or the Brewmaster Perk.

Armor and Weapon

Starting gear is generally sufficient for this play style (but only includes Chest and Leg Armor).

If you'd like a step-up, purchase a basic grey or white Leather Cap or Chaperon at the Armorsmith or Leathersmith. Buy some leather Gloves (ideally Rawhide Gloves with +1 Knowledge and +1 Will), and some leather Boots. (Going barefoot is acceptable.) Replace your Chest and Leg Armor if desired.

Plate Armor, especially on the Feet, is not recommended.

Check the Weaponsmith for a cheap but better Flanged Mace, or a Morning Star, or even a War Maul, if you're feeling saucy.

For casting Spells, just keep your starter Staff.

Purchasing an extra Bandage and Health Potion or two is recommended. (Consider not storing Potions on your quick bar / belt -- they're quite visible from a distance in the dungeon.)

Perks

The recommended Perks for this play style are as follows, generally in the order they should be applied:

• Blunt Weapon Mastery -- Increases physical attack power by 5% when attacking with a blunt weapon.

• Undead Slaying -- Increase your physical damage bonus by 20% when attacking undead monsters.

• Perseverance -- Reduces all types of incoming damage by 3.

• Advanced Healer -- Increase your base magical heal by 5.

Skills

Given the PvE focus of this play style and the high percentage of Undead in the dungeon, it is recommended to use the following two Skills :

• Holy Purification -- Inflicts 100 base magical damage to all undead monsters within 7.5 meters.

• Spell Memory -- Allows you to memorize spells to use in the dungeon.

Spells

The following Spells are recommended for this play style:

• Lesser Heal -- Heals a target for 15 health. Casts to self if no target is found.

• Holy Light -- Heals an ally for 30 HP or does 100 base magical damage to an undead target.

• Bless -- Target gains +3 to Strength, Agility, and Will attributes for 30 seconds. Casts to self if no target is found.

• Divine Strike -- Increases weapon damage by 10 for 20 seconds.

• Protection -- Creates a shield that blocks 20 physical damage for 20 seconds.

(Resurrection is not needed for solo.)

Play Style

Solo Clerics should generally avoid encounters with other players. When it is possible to evade or avoid other parties -- by running, hiding, or ducking into the red-area malaise -- the Cleric should do so.

As with a Rat play style, the Cleric should avoid large rooms, major crossroads, and anywhere else players tend to congregate. Stick to the outer edges of the circle, and focus on smaller rooms, but don't rush to get into or stay in the circle. The red-area malaise does cause damage but it's slow over time. Utilize that area of the map as needed to avoid other parties. Use your Bandages and Health Potions as needed.

When clearing a room of Undead mobs as a solo Cleric, one can wake and kill each mob somewhat individually or kill them all en masse. The latter is, obviously, quicker.

Assuming one is near full health and there are only regular Undead in the room, enter the room with weapon put away, and run through the room waking up every mob. (A zigzag or ∞ pattern to the far side of the room and back to the middle usually works.)

Herd the 4-6 Undead into a clump of sorts so they're close together. Then, just a little further out of their melee range, stop, and quickly use the Holy Purification Skill (100 damage to nearby Undead). If you time and orient this right most if not all the Undead will immediately drop without you taking any damage. Worst case is a couple zombie slaps, delivered as you finished the action. (Skeleton Archers change the calculus a little: try to end your run near them, but expect an arrow or two.)

If all the mobs don't immediately drop -- and they were within range (7.5m) -- they're only one hit away. Finish them off and loot the room.

Bless, Divine Strike, and/or Protection are good Spells to cast on oneself prior to immediately clearing a room as above, or otherwise entering combat.

Lesser Heal only has four casts, so it's generally preferable to cast it later in the round, when Bandages and Health Potions are first exhausted. Use Lesser Heal when you need a sizable, relatively quick heal (20 HP with the Advanced Healer Perk), as when on the run near the end of the round looking for an exit portal.

Holy Light does 100 magical damage to a single Undead target, and is good to use on stronger Undead, or Undead at short-to-medium range, such as a Skeleton Mage or Skeleton Archer. (Expending all 4 Holy Light casts on a single target like a Wraith or Skeleton Champion gets you halfway to killing it but, obviously, this should be attempted with extreme caution and preparation.)

Avoid PvP with this play style. If forced to engage, Bless and Protection are good to cast on yourself before entering combat, if you have time. Keep in mind these spells last for 30 and 20 seconds respectively, so casting Protection second is better time management. Cast Bless first.

Divine Strike is an option over Protection if you're looking to maximize your damage output instead of survivability. Divine Strike lasts 20 seconds, like Protection.

(The Cleric's Bind Spell is not suitable for PvP.)