In today’s strategy guide, we’re going to dive deep into playing the Cleric, specifically focusing on the powerful combination of Divine Protection and Smite. This build revolves around maximizing survivability while dishing out damage, making it a great choice for both solo play and PvP. Whether you’re running dungeons or battling it out with other players, the Cleric can be an absolute powerhouse when played right. If you're looking to enhance your experience further, you might want to buy Dark and Darker Gold to boost your gear and progress. Let’s break down the core aspects of this build, the perks, skills, and the thought process behind choosing Divine Protection and Smite over other options.
Understanding the Perks and Skills
The Cleric in this build utilizes a combination of defensive and offensive skills. The two main components of this setup are Divine Protection and Smite, complemented by a few key perks. Let’s explore these abilities in detail.
Divine Protection
Divine Protection is arguably the core of this build. It grants 30% physical damage reduction (PDR), and while this may seem modest at first glance, the skill’s effectiveness lies in its longevity and synergy with armor rating. When you activate Divine Protection, the skill not only applies the 30% PDR but also boosts your armor rating. This makes it incredibly difficult for enemies, especially melee attackers, to deal significant damage to you.
The beauty of Divine Protection lies in how it interacts with your armor. After the 30% PDR is applied, the damage reduction is further enhanced by your armor rating, making you extremely tanky. If a rogue tries to jump you while you're under the effects of Divine Protection, they won’t be able to pierce through your defenses easily, especially if they’re using Weak Point, which can be countered by the Divine Protection’s armor buff. Even if the rogue uses skills like Cutthroat, which bypasses PDR, activating Divine Protection early can still offer significant damage reduction before the rogue can deal a fatal blow.
Smite
Next up is Smite, a skill that might seem like an afterthought compared to Divine Protection, but it’s a key tool in your arsenal. Smite deals magical damage and scales with your magical power. Although the damage output isn’t as high as a dedicated DPS class, Smite’s real strength lies in its duration and utility. When paired with Divine Protection, Smite can act as a consistent damage source, keeping pressure on enemies while you maintain your defensive stance.
One of the most powerful aspects of Smite is its buff duration. With Divine Protection enhancing your survivability, Smite can be used strategically to wear down enemies, especially in prolonged engagements. This makes the Cleric very effective in fights where you need to balance defense and offense simultaneously.
Key Perks
The perks you choose to complement Divine Protection and Smite are crucial to maximizing your effectiveness. Here are the perks that are essential for this build:
Protection from Evil or Holy Arrow – These perks give you free armor rating, which is extremely valuable since your armor will be your primary line of defense. If you don’t plan to use ale or want to save gold, this perk is a solid alternative, providing passive armor bonuses that stack with your Divine Protection and make you even tankier.
Brew Master – Although not essential for everyone, Brew Master allows you to use ale to boost your physical damage reduction further. However, as the player in the video mentioned, Brew Master may not always be necessary, especially if you’re already relying on Divine Protection for defense.
Judgment – If you decide to swap out Brew Master for something more offensive, Judgment is a great choice. This perk applies damage boosts, making it synergize well with Smite, allowing you to increase your overall damage output.
Protection from Evil (Alternative) – If you don’t want to use ale at all, this perk gives you a nice, consistent armor buff, further bolstering your defenses without relying on consumables.
Stat Distribution
The stat distribution for this build is focused on enhancing your tankiness and damage mitigation. You’ll want to prioritize PDR (Physical Damage Reduction), armor, and magical power. The Cleric can excel at soaking damage, but the key to maximizing effectiveness is balancing defensive stats with enough damage to pressure your opponents.
Physical Damage Reduction (PDR) – Since Divine Protection provides a solid base of PDR, you don’t necessarily need to overcommit to it. However, aiming for around 40% PDR without Divine Protection is a good baseline to ensure you’re tough enough to withstand enemy hits.
Armor Rating – The more armor you have, the more your PDR is enhanced. This synergizes perfectly with Divine Protection, which makes stacking armor very effective.
Magical Power – While not as important as other stats, having some magical power will make Smite more potent, especially if you use it consistently in battles to apply pressure to your enemies.
Gameplay Strategy
In combat, the Cleric is a tanky support character who excels in both sustained fights and quick skirmishes. The key to mastering this build is knowing when to use your defensive skills and when to turn the tide with your Smite. Here’s the general approach to playing this build effectively:
Pre-Buf: Before engaging in combat, activate Divine Protection to ensure you’re as tanky as possible. This will give you that crucial 30% PDR that you need to survive initial bursts of damage.
Use Smite: Once you’ve activated Divine Protection, you can safely spam Smite to chip away at your enemy’s health. Even though Smite’s damage may not be as high as other classes, its long duration and buffed damage from your magical power make it a persistent threat.
React o Enemy Attacks: Keep an eye on your enemies and be prepared to use your armor rating and PDR to mitigate incoming damage. If you see a rogue trying to sneak up on you or a barbarian charging in, make sure your Divine Protection is active and your armor is stacked.
Tactica Retreats: If things aren’t going your way and you’re outnumbered or overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to fall back. Divine Protection lasts long enough to allow you to kite enemies and outlast their burst damage. You can simply wait for them to burn through their cooldowns and pots, and then re-engage when you’re ready.
Use Perks for Flexibility: You don’t need to be tied to just one setup. If you find that Brew Master is more useful to your playstyle, you can swap it in for additional PDR. However, Protection from Evil and Holy Arrow are also solid options for consistent, free armor boosts.
Maintin Mobility: With a focus on defensive stats and PDR, it’s easy to overlook mobility. While you’re a tank, you still need to move around effectively to avoid traps or other players looking to focus you down. Use movement speed boosts and situational perks to keep pace with the action.
Why This Build Works
This build works exceptionally well in both PvE and PvP settings due to its sustainability and damage mitigation. The combination of Divine Protection and Smite allows the Cleric to absorb a tremendous amount of damage while dealing consistent pressure with Smite. In PvP, especially against burst-damage classes like rogues or barbarians, the Cleric excels at shrugging off damage and staying in the fight long enough to turn things around.
The fact that Divine Protection lasts for such a long time—sometimes close to 8 seconds—makes this build particularly good for situations where you need to outlast an enemy. The damage reduction it provides allows you to tank hits that would normally overwhelm other classes, especially if your enemies lack the tools to break through your defenses.
Conclusion
In summary, the Cleric build centered around Divine Protection and Smite offers a unique and powerful way to tank damage and deal consistent magical pressure. By focusing on key perks, PDR, and armor rating, you can make the most of this defensive setup while still contributing damage to your team or enemies. Whether you're tackling tough bosses in PvE or engaging in heated PvP battles, this build offers a versatile and effective approach that can handle a variety of situations. If you’re looking to maximize your resources for this build, don’t forget to buy Darker Gold and Dark and Darker Items from MMOEXP to ensure you have the right gear and upgrades to become a true powerhouse. So if you want to feel like an unmovable force on the battlefield, give this Cleric build a try and let me know how it works for you. Happy adventuring!
MMOexp Dark and Darker Team