I've had to really re-think how I'm socketing my gear as a Cleric. When I'm in a full group, I generally don't have a problem with mana, but when I'm soloing or playing along side my favorite tank (hello, baby) then I seem to burn mana pretty quick with dps-ing and healing. So I started stacking some MP. (Noob Confession #1: I really thought I needed more MP. Even though my mana pool was plenty and I should've known that being squishy is not going to get better with MP stones. Surviving is more important than running low on mana. Pots are a better strategy for those situations.)
What I'm discovering after listening to the Cleric Channel (
you guys were really captured the spirit of the LFG channel last night LOL) and a few forum posts, is that socketing for HP is still a good thing to do and getting Magical Accuracy is something I've been ignoring. Magical Accuracy helps with spell resists. (Noob Confession #2: I did not know that!) Lately, I've noticed that many of my spells were being resisted. Especially as I neared level 26 and was fighting mobs at levels above me.
Back to the whole mace/shield vs. staff dilemma: I understand why people say mace/shield for grouping. It' all those durn sockets on the shield. *Smacks herself in the head, DOH! I was thinking I needed something with stats. The staff has more damage and concentration, good for soloing. The shield is like a big manastone trinket and stacking with the mace usually have equally beneficial stats and I can disregard the attack damage. Like my soup ladle, it gives me more MB over the staff. Plus if I do get too close I can block a little damage till I can lose some aggro. So there ya go.... my dilemma is done! (You may not agree, but that's what I'm thinking right now. We'll see at level 40.)
First Experiences into the Abyss
Ah, the Abyss. I went into the Abyss quickly to grab quests and do the 'messenger' quests. You know how those lazy NPCs send you hither and yon and all over the universe to deliver a message or ask about some wine. (Wine? How can they just keep passing that same bottle around to 7 different NPCs!) Then I actually tried flying to some of the outer reach over to the Eastern Shard. Naturally I landed on a rock in between to earn some more flying time and ooo, look! A monster to kill and gain some XP while I wait. Smite, Hallowed Strike, launch the Holy Servant. The Abyss is so much fun! WHAM! WHAM! BOOM! Wot?! I'm dead? Then I see an Elyos creep over my corpse as I fold my wings over my head. Dang! How'd did I forget I am in a PvP zone? (Noob Confession #3: I'm so bad at PvP. I am too easy to gank.) So I rezzed in Morheim and called it a night. But then last night I went with my favorite tank (
hello, baby) and I learned that 1) I could've teleported there (Oh man!) 2) Those rings with pretty sparkles help me stay flying longer and give a little speed boost. 3) It's so much better when you don't solo in there.
We actually started questing out by the Steel Graveyard and the XP is epic. Of course, we did end up both getting ganked by an Assassin who was about 15 levels higher. No shame in that though. He basically owned a bunch of us Asmodians who were questing over there. Sins are vicious! He critted me on the first two hits in a row! So we're back to stacking HP for sure.... What I do like is the fact that I can get Abyss Points for questing there. I haven't gone on a siege yet, but I'm actually thinking that will be ok. I'm not a PvPer and sometimes I get frustrated that the game is structured so you don't have a choice. But the good thing is there's no XP penalty when you do get ganked and someday I should actually be able to fight back or at least survive long enough to run away!
RUN, AZU, RUN!! My first impressions on the Abyss after sleeping on it, is that it's not so bad. I just have to remember there are people who really enjoy pouncing on other players even if they're 20 levels lower. (I wonder if they even get points for that?)
