[CLASS BUILD] Fire Priest (ranged sup-offdps)

Checking the aggregated list of character builds, I've noticed there are unexpectedly no ranged priests. So, I've made one.
[Difficulty: PotD; Solo: Untested]

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This build is focused on buffs, healing and is also capable of some serious damage when necessity comes.
It also comes in 3 flavours; bound by the same idea, but using different races, deity and equipment:

The Godhammer- Boreal Dwarf - sturdy fellow which prefers arquebuses and Abydon's Hammer. Follower of Magran.
Mecwyn, the Slave Queen - Wood Elf. Makes great use of Ine Gyrd sceptre. An evasive follower of Scaen.
The Falling Moon (aka Moonfire) - Moon Godlike. An altruistic priestess of Eothas.

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STATS:
- Godhammer: 20/7/17/12/19/3
- Mecwyn: 18/6/19/13/19/3
- Moonfire: 18/7/17/13/20/3 or 18/7/19/11/20/3

STATS REASONING:
- The idea is to buff for as long duration as possible. To heal for as high amount as possible. To deal high damage with spells over time. And to do all this stuff as fast as possible.

ROLE IN THE GROUP:
- This pretty much derives from the previous paragraph. But while it is obvious how well a priest can buff and debuff, I will briefly elaborate on his potential to deal damage. Thus:

DPS:
Priest has quite a few damaging fire spells. The first one to attract attention probably is his Shinning Beacon: 80 base damage over 9s, in a 2.5m AoE. Factor in 36 Might, 31 Int, and it becomes 254 damage over 18.5s, in a 5.6m AoE. And yeap, it also stacks with itself.
The following spell is Cleansing Flame. It has 80 base damage as well, which ends up in 236 over 10.3s. But the cool thing about it is that it speeds up the tick rate of all other dots, basically doubling their damage in that 10s interval.
Four beacons have potential to deal 1000 FoE burning damage, and that amount being doubled if not tripled on three cleansed targets. All in less than a minute.
And than there are symbols, storm of holy fire, envenomed strike, scrolls and spell-binded items, to keep your priest's steady dps output.

Of course if it's the only priest in the party he will probably have to contribute with the buffs first (and high DEX/INT really help at that), but once the buffing phase is over, it's FIRE time! Cose really.. why not?

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TALENTS AND ABILITIES:
- Interdiction (!)
- Painful Interdiction (!)
- Inspiring Radiance ®
- Inspired Flame (Godhammer) / Prey on the Weak (Mecwyn) / Aggrandizing Radiance (Moonfire/Anyone)
- Scion of Flame ®
- Envenomed Strike
- Weapon Focus Soldier (Godhammer) / Noble (Mecwyn) / Adventurer (Moonfire) | or Bonus 4th Level Spell ®
- Deep Pockets or Galant's Focus or Would Binding or Field Triage or Interrupting Blows or Beast Slayer or whatever

SKILLS:
- athletics: 4-5
- survival: 4 or 10
- lore: 8 or 10 | Recommended scrolls: Wall of Flame, Moonwell, Fireball, Valor, Boiling Water. If solo: Mass Confusion.

MASTERY:
1. Barbs of Condemnation or Blessing
2. Divine Mark or Suppress Affliction
3. Pillar of Faith or Dire Blessing
4. Shinning Beacon or Devotions for the Faithful
 

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EQUIPMENT (COMMON):
Rings: Gwyn's Band of Union; Ring of Thorns; Ring of Changing Heart; Pensiavi mes Rèi
Head: Maegfolc Skull or Garodh's Chorus (3mig, preserve) or nothing in case of Moonfire (but will need to get that 3 might via other items)
Gloves: Celebrant's Gloves/Gloves of Quickness
Cape: Swaddling Sheet; Cape of the Master Mystic (invis); Shimmering Cloak; Shroud of Mourning
Amulet: Necklace of Fireballs; Nîdhen's Finger(+3con); Marked Amulet(+3con); St. Borragia's Tears(+15% healing); Engwithan Adra Ban Amulet(+3 mig);
Belt: Belt of Chimes; Sentinel's Girdle (+3 mig); Girdle of Maegfolc Might (+3 mig); Belt of the Stelgaer (+3 con); Girdle of Mortal Protection (-27% from crit)
Boots: Patchwork Boots; Shod in Faith

EQUIPMENT (GODHAMMER):
Weapons: Pliambo per Casitàs, Abydon's Hammer (when in 'caster' mode)
Armor: Wayfarer's Hide
Reasoning: Extra defenses against status effects are always nice. Especially +15 against paralyzed. And ofc Nature's Vigor spellbind. Also it has sort of synergy with arquebus, which being a reloading weapon won't suffer from a bit of extra recovery.

EQUIPMENT (MECWYN):
Weapons: Gyrd Háewanes Sténes, Abydon's Hammer (when in 'caster' mode)
Armor: Raiment of Wael's Eyes
Reasoning: this robe, coupled with Gyrd sceptre, will give a nice +40 def / + 20 ref bonus on being crit.

EQUIPMENT (MOONFIRE):
Weapons: Curoc's Brand or Cgadob's Hazel, Abydon's Hammer (when in 'caster' mode)
Armor: Starlit Garb or Angio's Gambeson
Reasoning: extra athletics will increase the base value of Second Wind heal. And either +10 to defences against spells or DAoM will also prove useful.

EQUIPMENT (ALTERNATIVE):
Weapons: Persistance
Reasoning: this build was thought for an NPC companion; but if you are going to solo with it, and stumble upon an fire-immune enemy, wounding will help to get past this limitation. Especially with such high Might as this build has. (because wounding dot benefits from this stat twice; first on main hit damage calculation and then on dot appliance)

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Some numbers from a priest with 36 Mig and 31 Int (just gear + Minor Avatar)
Ring of Ancient Forge: 20.5s stun in 9m AoE
Abydon's Labor: 80-107 crush dmg
Nature's Vigor (Wayfare's Hide): 131 endurance over 24.6s; + 15% max endurance
Exalted Hands (Patchwork Boots): 432 endurance over 10s; or 10s stun against enemy
Fireball (Necklace): 45-62
Divine Mark: 71-89
Shining Beacon: 254 over 18.5s | 5.65m AoE radius
Cleansing Flames: 236 over 10.3s
Storm of Holy Fire: 43-53 every 3s for 18.5s | 11.3m AoE radius
Symbol of Magran: 27-45 every 3s for 41.5s | 5.65m AoE radius
Hand of Weal and Woe: 44.5 dmg/endurance per second
Holy Radiance: 217 dmg over 6.2s | +71 endurance | 11.3m AoE radius
Envenomed Strike: 150.2 raw damage over 18.5s
Pillar of Faith: 53-70 crush dmg; prone for 20.5s | 2.83 AoE radius

But that's ^ theory.
And here is a dps test vs Alpine Dragon in practice: link to video
In-combat time: 95s (including pauses and buffing)
 
And one more test: solo naked vs Alpine Dragon: link to video
In-combat time: 3m 30s (including pauses and buffing) Edited June 1, 2016 by MaxQuest

If you're taking Interdiction you should take Empowered Interdiction.

 

Also don't think it's worth taking a weapon focus on a Priest unless you're doing the Skaen Stiletto thing.

 

I would take Weapon and Shield Style somewhere in there. While casting it's best to just have a Hatchet and Small Shield equipped for best defenses w/out accuracy penalty.

 

I'd think Wael + Rod of Pale Shades would be the best way to go for a ranged Priest if you really want to go that route though.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Odd Hermit

Does anybody know how Holy Randiance's scaling is like when you're NOT the main character? If you are the MC and feed the correct reputations it becomes very powerful (healing and damage to vessels reaches very high numbers).

Did OBS did a similar thing with it like with the paladin's FaC or how does it scale on a hireling or Durance?

 

Edit: does Empowered Interdiction still only affects Interdiction and NOT Painful Interdiction? In the past, the +10 ACC didn't apply to the weakening attack. Still the case?

Edited April 29, 2016 by Boeroer

Also don't think it's worth taking a weapon focus on a Priest unless you're doing the Skaen Stiletto thing.

Weapon focus is completely optional As are the majority of those talents, except for Interdiction and Painful Interdiction themselves.

The bonus provided by focus might be useful through, if you are going to let your priest hit paralyzed Eyeless with the hammer. (For example in my current party I have no one else to give that weapon).

But you can indeed take Empowered Interdiction instead of it. Although it was many times reported that it provides the acc bonus only to the first, dazing effect.

 

I would take Weapon and Shield Style somewhere in there. While casting it's best to just have a Hatchet and Small Shield equipped for best defenses w/out accuracy penalty.

That's a matter of your party composition. Playing with moon godlike priest and 2 other squishies, I am actually happy when enemies do go for her. And I let them hit her just so much as needed, with cc effects ready.

 

Also worth noting that the Gyrd scepter spellholding effect provides 20 def and 20 reflex. Enough to compensate for the shield + W&S talent. Or once the priest gets the hammer, he could just stun everyone. And than there is Defensive Mindweb if you have at least one cipher. Last two options kind of solving the defenses problem

 

I'd think Wael + Rod of Pale Shades would be the best way to go for a ranged Priest if you really want to go that route though.

That's also an option. Although I have a feeling that rod's full potential won't be achieved like it would on a wizard.

 

Does anybody know how Holy Randiance's scaling is like when you're NOT the main character? If you are the MC and feed the correct reputations it becomes very powerful (healing and damage to vessels reaches very high numbers).

On gamepedia it's written to scale with character level.

When I was checking the numbers, I had a lvl 12 party and a companion priest leveled via console to lvl 16.

Reverse engineering the final damage back: 217/1.78/2.05 ~= 60 base damage.

This corresponds to lvl 12 from that table.

Interesting.. will it change if I'll lvlup the MC too?

 

Edit: does Empowered Interdiction still only affects Interdiction and NOT Painful Interdiction? In the past, the +10 ACC didn't apply to the weakening attack. Still the case?

Haven't checked this since 2.03. Will be able to test it in the evening.

Does anybody know how Holy Randiance's scaling is like when you're NOT the main character?

Just checked it ingame.

If you'll mouseover the damage value from the tooltip, it will display: 30 base +5 every 3 levels after 1.

That's not quite true. I've checked the values on each level (at 10 MIG / 10 INT):

lvl 1: 30

lvl 2: 30

lvl 3: 30

lvl 4: 40

lvl 7: 50

lvl 10: 60

lvl 13: 70

lvl 16: 80

 

It's actually +10

 

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And here are some enemies hp (on potd) taken from bestiary, for reference:

- Unstable Construct: 165

- Rotting Flesh Construct: 627

- Fampyr: 480

- Battery Shieldwall/Defender: 142

- Animated Weapon: 206

- Adra Animat: 220

 

Edit: does Empowered Interdiction still only affects Interdiction and NOT Painful Interdiction? In the past, the +10 ACC didn't apply to the weakening attack. Still the case?

It is still so.

The Dazed effect from Interdiction gets +25 acc bonus.

The Weakened effect from Painfull Interdiction gets only +15 acc bonus.

Without Empowered Interdiction both have +15.

Edited April 29, 2016 by MaxQuest

Empowered Interdiction: It is as I suspected. That's the reason I never take it.  Thanks for testing!

I take back my recommendation for Empowered Interdiction then.

 

Sorry if I am blind.  But what deity do you recommend with this build?   Thanks

He has three options: Magran, Skaen and Eothas. See the colored names in the starting post.

Thank you.   When I did a word search I just used "deity".  

^ You probably haven't found it, because I wrote "deities" in plural. I will rephrase it

 

I have selected those deities mostly from a RPish point of view. Feel free to select any deity that fits well into your own playstyle / party composition.

 

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Decided to make a test of this build's dps capability and arranged a quick fight vs Alpine Dragon: link to video. That was quick )

 

On a second thought that encounter could probably be solo'ed with some experience... (but would require a cape of cheat/major mystic to reposition, and perhaps a few scrolls of paralysis to be able to self-buff uninterrupted)

Edited May 18, 2016 by MaxQuest

  Have tried with this build to meet the following challenge: 

- Solo

- Naked

- Encounter: Alpine Dragon

- Difficulty: PotD

- Combat time limit: 5 min

- No more than 5 cc or damaging scrolls

 

Result:

- Time spent in combat (including pauses): 3m 30s

- Scrolls used: 3 confusion, 1 valor

-

 

It doesn't get embedded properly, so just the link it is.

Edited May 18, 2016 by MaxQuest

  Have tried with this build to meet the following challenge: 

- Solo

- Naked

- Encounter: Alpine Dragon

- Difficulty: PotD

- Combat time limit: 5 min

- No more than 5 cc or damaging scrolls

 

Result:

- Time spent in combat (including pauses): 3m 30s

- Scrolls used: 3 confusion, 1 valor

-

 

It doesn't get embedded properly, so just the link it is.

Great build and thanks for both videos. I actually posted the same question on the vid, but I might as well ask here too. I see that Shining Beacon stacks with itself. Do most dot damage spells/abilities stack with themselves? Or is Shining Beacon pretty unique there.

^ I haven't arrived to any rule of thumb. Beacon, wounding and dragon thrashed dots do stack with themselves. While Deep wounds don't.

 

Btw Cleansing Flames is awesome) It indeed doubles the tick rate of other dots as in description.

Edited May 18, 2016 by MaxQuest

I think that spell damage usually stacks; ogre's plague of insects stack has wrecked me before. I believe that in the case of chants as Dragon thrashed, it seems that from one source they will continue to hit but it will not begin to take effect until the earlier effect wears off, so one dragon DoT at a time. However, multiple sources I believe do stack over one another concurrently but I haven't tested that in the recent patches so it may have changed.

^ In various games you can stumble upon different types of DoT stacking with itself. Here are some of them: (when applied by the same character)

- v1. DoTs completely stack, and you see two icons (with their respective durations) when mouseover'ing an enemy.

- v2. DoTs completely stack, and you see only one icon (with the most recent duration) when mouseover'ing an enemy.

- v3. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance prolongs (i.e. adds to) the duration of previous DoT.

- v4. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance refreshes the duration of the previous DoT. (if it's longer)

- v5. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance overrides the duration of the previous DoT. (e.g. you could have 15s remaining from previous crit; but the new graze has overridden and actually even shortened the duration)

 

Dragon-thrashed chant stacks like in v2. Same thing with the Beacon.

Second appliance doesn't wait for the first to finish. During the period of time they are overlapping both dots do tick damage.

 

Iirc I was testing this chant and posted some results here.

Edited May 19, 2016 by MaxQuest

Excellent build, tryed it today and slayed alpine dragon without any scroll. Defenetly worth a playtrough

 

I like High "firepower" priest

Edited May 19, 2016 by Dr <3

^ In various games you can stumble upon different types of DoT stacking with itself. Here are some of them: (when applied by the same character)

- v1. DoTs completely stack, and you see two icons (with their respective durations) when mouseover'ing an enemy.

- v2. DoTs completely stack, and you see only one icon (with the most recent duration) when mouseover'ing an enemy.

- v3. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance prolongs (i.e. adds to) the duration of previous DoT.

- v4. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance refreshes the duration of the previous DoT. (if it's longer)

- v5. DoTs do not stack. But new appliance overrides the duration of the previous DoT. (e.g. you could have 15s remaining from previous crit; but the new graze has overridden and actually even shortened the duration)

 

Dragon-thrashed chant stacks like in v2. Same thing with the Beacon.

Second appliance doesn't wait for the first to finish. During the period of time they are overlapping both dots do tick damage.

 

Iirc I was testing this chant and posted some results here.

 

I like this game but it is so confusing sometimes

Edited May 19, 2016 by nem0

Excellent build, tryed it today and slayed alpine dragon without any scroll. Defenetly worth a playtrough

Thanks)

 

Btw, the funny thing is that he potentially could solo even Adra Dragon... despite her immunity to burning damage.

3 x Envenomed Strike sped up by Cleansing Flames have potential to do up-to 900 single-target raw damage.

And if it's not enough... Minor Avatar + Persistence + Symbol of Scaen (for Mecwyn variant) should seal the deal.

 

I like this game but it is so confusing sometimes

It's definitely is Edited May 19, 2016 by MaxQuest

Imho a berath variant is stronger than the skaenite One. Or at least berath sigil does corrode DMG and weakened, wich is strong. Really the only problem of this build could be fire immune monster, the non-fire spell (lighting sigil, pillar of fate, little more ) of the Priest pale in confront of the fire based ones. But you are right when you say that envenomed strike can save the day sometimes.

Or at least berath sigil does corrode DMG and weakened, wich is strong.

For the sake of completeness:

Symbols do 15-25 base damage in 2.5m base radius, every 3s, for 2s base duration.

 

Symbol of Berath: deals corrode damage vs fortitude. And weakens.

Symbol of Magran: deals burn damage vs will. And blinds.

Symbol of Scaen : deals pierce damage vs deflection. And hobbles.

Symbol of Eothas: deals burn damage vs reflex. And grants +20 to defenses.

Symbol of Wael  : deals freeze damage vs fortitude. And grants +30 defense against charm, domination, confuse.

 

So yeah, Berath variant is indeed good. Even if it targets fortitude, subsequent ticks might benefit from the -20 from weakened.

But it also has a con. Three out of five high dragons are immune to the corrode damage type (Sky, Turi and Gafo).

While Adra dragon specifically, has the same DR against corrode and deflection.

 

 

Btw, is it possible to slow a dragon?

The default run speed is 4. Adra Dragon is also known for being slow, so it probably has movement speed of up to 3.

And hobbled slows by 3 units.

 

-- edit --

Just tested. Hobbled Adra dragon is basically pin pointed to place for the duration.

And can be decimated from distance.

Edited May 19, 2016 by MaxQuest

Ohh! Always nice to see a way around immunities if a build is focused on one element. So the envenomed strike idea sounds supergreat. Do we know if envenomed strike stacks from the same character?

Do we know if envenomed strike stacks from the same character?

Have tested it. It doesn't stack.

Envenomed Strike remaining duration (rem_dr) gets refreshed and set to the duration of second appliance (if that one is greater than rem_dr). (that would be v4 type of stacking)

And same thing happens for multiple characters.

 

At least it properly gets the double tick-rate from the Cleansing Flames.

 

P.S. Actually every dot I have tested so far gets the double tick rate from the CF.

Including Wounding.

Including even Cleansing Flames itself.

In the log it might display, CF: deals 153 dmg over 15s. But when you count the ticks, instead of 6 (for 25.5 dmg) there are 11.

Edited May 21, 2016 by MaxQuest

Envenomed Strike used to stack - but they patched it long time ago because of blunderbusses.

I decided to give this build a try in a solo PoTD play playthrough. I have to say it's a lot of fun!
Its perfectly viable for solo if you can get past the beginning. Once you get the level 4 spells it's just a matter of pulling the spells of without dying.
Just a question, why interdiction? Dazed and Weakened are great debuffs, but isn't it better just knocking everything prone with Pillar of Faith and then killing everyone with shining beacon (after you buffed yourself of course), i did that agains Cail the Silent at least, worked pretty well, even after I messed up with the Adra Beetle and ended up with the drake at my face.
Also, I was really tempted to take the Secrets of Rime talent just to spam Iconic Projection, such a great spell.
Last, instead of the weapon focus wouldn't be better to take Galant Focus since it also applies to spells?

(Sorry about my bad English, rs)