Announcement

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:20 PM

-PvE builds-

As of T5, there is essentially only one core build for Saints now, with variations depending on how to use leftover SP. The difference in builds regarding that leftover SP would be more about player preference rather than being statistically any better.

This is my personal build that I will use for Awakening. There are other variations I've come up with as well.
(Maximum survivability)
(Pure Raid)

Cleric Tree:

- Righteous Bolt: In the early days, this was a very good skill to invest in, if only because it did far more damage than the majority of skills Priests had access to. After awakening though, our SP becomes so tight and the skill is now so weak that this shouldn't even be considered anymore.

- Divine Combo: Lv. 6 at the most, if you choose to level this skill at all. The only reason I'm mentioning this here is because it's a default skill that all Clerics have, and can be used (regardless of Lv. 6 or not) to push obstacles in certain mechanics around. One notable one is the totems in Red Dragon Nest, where using Divine Combo's left click attack can throw the totems out of explosion wipe range - though Holy Kick Lv. 6 is probably better for that.

- Holy Kick: A candidate for leftover SP, although speaking as someone that tried a maxed Holy Kick build in PvE - it's not very strong, and it's mainly for the utility more than anything else. Level 6+ turns it into a ranged skill, useful for handling mechanics that require you to kick things out of the way, as Priests in general are very bad at such things otherwise. (You can choose to drop this skill entirely if you have an understanding with your raid team that you won't be sent to do such things.)

- Block: In the early days, using this skill was a double edged sword. One must note that once you use Block, the blocking animation upon being hit afterwards will cancel anything you're doing. It now costs a steep 10 SP, but blocks a HUGE number of attacks (up to 18) for the next 20 seconds, and will actually allow Clerics to survive mechanics that would normally kill most other classes (such as Red Dragon Nest's spirit explosion if you fail to kill them all in the correct order in time). Since post-awakening Saint is no longer forced to commit by remaining still for roughly 5 seconds to launch our main damage rotation, we can safely use Block more often with less fear of being interrupted, but you still need to be careful.

- Dive Kick: Okay, I admit this skill is anything but 'standard'. I just have it here because it does grant a bit of extra mobility in tight situations. If you need the SP for something else, drop this.

- Paralyze Bolt: Most enemies in the later levels are immune to the binding effects of this skill. It does respectable damage now, but considering how tight Priest SP becomes after Awakening, it's really no longer worth investing in.

- Aura of Healing: A fairly weak healing skill, but it only costs 3 SP. Might as well pick it up, although it'd probably be acceptable to drop this too.

- Aerial Evasion: Your standard aerial escape. No reason not to pick this up.

- Toughness: This provides passive damage reduction against physical and magic attacks. SP cost has become an incredibly steep 10 SP as of T5. A Saint could probably pick this up, but at the same time, Saints now have absurd healing after awakening (not to mention First Aid being a requirement for Awakened Holy Shield), so this may not even be necessary.

- Health Bolster: Max. Who can say no to HP boosts?

- Mental Fortitude/Attuned Mind: Saints naturally recover MP through Healing Relics and the Class Mastery II bonus to Holy Shield, but it's always good to have more.

- Redemption Aura: Increases healing amount by 20% and increases party max HP by +10%. It's a free skill, it costs no SP to obtain, so always pick it up (and remember that it exists!).

Redemption Aura's bonus healing is a multiplier, not additive. So let's say Aura of Healing heals 20% of max HP. Redemption Aura would add 20% of that 20% to heal 24% of max HP (20% x 1.2), NOT add a flat 20% to total 40%.

Priest Tree:

- Lightning Bolt: The base skill's area of effect leaves a lot to be desired. Note that if you see an enemy about to launch an attack while you're casting this, you can cancel Lightning Bolt early and dodge through Sliding Step. A post-awakening build could drop this and Chain Lightning, but all Priests have played with both skills throughout the entire history of the game. To me, it feels off to drop them.

- Mind Snapper: Seldom used in PvE. It can stun, but late game enemies come with constant Super Armor that Mind Snapper isn't strong enough to break. The developers recently turned this into an active skill and moved it out of the lightning tree so that it's no longer a pre-requisite for Chain Lightning. That said, not worth picking up as a Saint.

- Chain Lightning: A bread and butter skill. The listed damage is per hit, and in a 1v1 environment, it can hit up to 3 times (unless enemy breaks your SA/you are forced to sliding step cancel the skill early). Hit count may increase or decrease depending on the amount of enemies there are (along with other factors such as enemy positioning relative to where you are). A post-Awakening build likely won't level it any further than Lv. 6.

Note that, again, you have the ability to cancel Chain Lightning early with a Sliding Step if you see an enemy about to launch a brutal attack on you. Never forget this!

- Detonate: High Super Armor break, and T5 boosted the skill to the point where it is now your most damaging attack in the Priest tree. Historically, this skill was used to glitch mechanics (breaking the SA of boss mechanics with precise timing that couldn't otherwise be interrupted). This is actually abusable against one boss in Red Dragon Nest, against fifth boss Tacticus (his Dark Room and suction slam). After Awakening though, you're likely to end up dropping the skill entirely.

- Wand Mastery: A major passive increase to Magic Damage. It also upgrades the wand left click attack, although that detail isn't something that's important for PvE.

- Blessing of Light/Protection Shell/Blessing of Strikes: The holy trinity of Priest buffs. The first upgrades Light Attack and Light Resist, the second reduces damage taken, and the third increases Physical and Magic Damage. ALWAYS pick up all three as a Saint. All three skills cost 10 SP, which may make leveling a new Saint complicated. Note that Protection Shell has a 20 second duration/60 second cooldown, compared to the other two having a 180 second duration/10 second cooldown. Protection Shell is also a party buff compared to the other two being self-buffs.

- Grand Cross: A very slow casting high-risk skill that offers little reward to Saints in a PvE environment besides offering high Super Armor. Inquisitors make far better use of this skill for reasons that should be covered in Aelphaeis' Inquisitor guide. After Awakening though, it's required to max Grand Cross as a Saint, as its awakening unlocks the Saint meter system.

- Holy Burst: A wide AoE attack that strikes everything around you. High Super Armor. Required to be maxed for the Awakening version.

- Vengeance Blast: Personal preference. This is one of the very few skills Priests have that comes with invulnerability frames. However, you must be hit by an attack that doesn't result in automatic knockdown first. Vengeance Blast can ensure you remain on your feet, but it can also save you from follow up attacks from bosses (for example, triple stomps and ranged attacks that pull you within range of a melee swing), provided you have a plan on what to do next.

- First Aid: The skill used to provide damage reduction in T4. In T5, it now costs 10 SP for a massive self-heal every 15 seconds if you get hit. Required to get Awakened Holy Shield.

- Lightning Relic: The standard offensive relic. The damage isn't all too noticeable even if it can really add up if enemies hug it, but late game enemies are more mobile. When the Awakening patch happened, the developers buffed Lightning Relic's damage by 3x, along with the Awakening version of the skill boosting it even further. Read the Awakening section for more details.

- Healing Relic: The second of a Saint's three healing skills. It used to be a Priest's primary healing skill, but that role has been shifted to the Saint's Holy Shield. Now it mainly exists for the EX, which triples field duration and allows it to restore MP. In order for the healing to be any noticeable, a Saint basically has to drop a Healing Relic every time the skill comes off cooldown. Note that the skill now costs a steep 10 SP, which may make leveling a new Saint complicated, and that after Awakening, the healing range is reduced to ** radius.

- Cure Relic: An invaluable relic that cures a single debuff per pulse. The EX version allows it to give the party +15% movement speed for 17 seconds (refreshing per pulse).

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:20 PM

Priest Tree continued:

- Bind Relic: A relic that binds all enemies in range. Late game enemies are immune to the binding effects. This skill is maxed in order to increase duration and reduce cooldown with regards to the EX version, which adds a further +20% damage amplification buff that bosses are NOT immune to.

Further investment in each level increases relic duration by 3 seconds, dropping to 2 per level at Lv. 6 and onward. Cooldown is also initially decreased by 5 seconds per level, later dropping to 1 per level at Lv. 6 and onward. Note that Bind Relic pulses at specific intervals - there is really no difference between Lv. 6 and Lv. 8 Bind Relic besides the relic staying on the field for an additional 4 seconds and the 2 seconds of CD reduction.

Relic pulses occur at the following frequency, assuming enemies remain in range for the entire duration of the relic. This is counting when the pulse animation ENDS (as in, a successful bind), not begins.

- 3 seconds
- 8 seconds
- 13 seconds (Pulse animation here begins at 12 seconds, resulting in an unsuccessful bind for the PvP version of Bind Relic, as Bind Relic remains on the field for 12 seconds at all levels over there)
- 18 seconds (Lv. 5)
- 23 seconds (Lv. 6)
- 28 seconds (Pulse animation begins at 27 seconds, but a Lv. 8 relic will expire before the pulse animation is completed, resulting in an unsuccessful bind.)

If enemies leave the pulse range and then come back afterwards, going above Lv. 6 Bind Relic to Lv. 8 Bind Relic might be useful, but it depends on how much you value the extra 4 seconds of field duration/2 second CD reduction.

So really, optimal Bind Relic levels are 5 (where the CD reduction per level invested drops from 5 seconds to 1), 6 (maximum binds without techs), and 9 (Lv. 8 with a technique accessory).

Lv. 8 assumes you're going to make the most out of the skill by either using a technique necklace to bring it to Lv. 9 (thus resulting in another pulse), and/or you are going to crest it for cooldown. A -20% CD crest would drop a Lv. 9 Bind Relic's CD from 36 -> 28 seconds.

- Grand Sigil: The Saint ultimate. It attacks nearby enemies, provides party members in range with a 20 second buff that reduces damage taken by 30%, and cures all debuffs. The buff and cure refreshes with each pulse, and since Grand Sigil remains on the field for about 12 seconds, the true duration of the damage reduction buff is really about 32 seconds, assuming you remain in range of Grand Sigil during its last pulse.

Once again, be aware that Sigil's damage reduction buff and Protection Shell overwrites each other! Do not cast one when the other is still active!

If you read this guide earlier, you may have noticed there was something here about Grand Sigil being majorly bugged to do FAR more damage than the tooltip described. This has since been fixed in all versions of the game.

Saint Tree:

- Holy Shield: In the days of T4, it used to heal based on your magic attack after each hit taken by an enemy. Now, in T5, it's a flat 30% heal. After Awakening, the skill gains vertical range (meaning Lunar Knights won't be MBD'ing above it anymore), but overall range is reduced to ** radius.

- Relic Reaction: The most damaging skill Saints have once you learn the EX. Setting it up is a pain, but it's so satisfying to blow up an enemy trapped in a forest of relics.

Despite what it sounds like, this does not sacrifice your relics, it just uses them as a conduit to attack. The 5m range listed is the range you need to be from your relics in order for the attack to be launched, it is not the range of the actual attack itself. The actual attack range from each relic is more like 2.5m. But with the mini relics from Lightning Relic, this turns into one of the highest burst damage skills in the entire game, doing roughly 9600% per Lightning Relic (and 19,200% with 2, and so on).

- Class Mastery I: Our passive skill, used to be referred to as 'Divine Dash' in T4. It grants us a 5 second speed boost after casting a relic skill, but that includes the delay from the relic summoning animation. In reality, it's really just a 3 second speed boost. Quite disappointing compared to the passives other classes get, but it can be useful. If you tab your weapon after summoning a relic, you can walk just as fast as a dashing Warrior for the remaining 3 seconds that the buff is active, although that depends on whether or not you're wearing any wings too. Post-awakening, it also grants a +50% Intellect buff.

Post-awakening, it loses the ability to modify Blessing of Strikes to summon mini-relics around each Lightning Relic, as Awakened Lightning Relic now auto-summons them regardless. However, a consequence of this is that Saints will now lose A LOT of damage during the level 65-90 phase.

- Lightning Relic EX: Lightning Relic somehow grows twice as big and emits an additional shock field every few seconds. Summon HP increased from 30% of max HP -> 70%.

- Healing Relic EX: Healing Relic's field duration is increased from 10 -> 30 seconds. Healing Relic's pulses also restore some MP per pulse. And the relic also grows 3 times in size, so that even blind people would be able to see it. Or something. Although it'd be hard to miss FOUR bright red relics in the corner of the map. Summon HP increased from 30% -> 70%.

- Cure Relic EX: Cure Relic's pulse range is upgraded to 10m. It also grants the party +15% movement speed, essentially permanent as long as Cure Relic is maintained. Saints can now also cast the skill while being affected by an immobility debuff, removing all debuffs from themselves and also emitting a shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies. The relic also triples in size. Honestly, it also really obstructs players' line of sight, especially if you walk under it. Please shrink it, devs. Summon HP increased from 30% -> 70%.

- Bind Relic EX: Bind Relic's pulse range is slightly upgraded to **. It also inflicts an additional 7 second debuff that causes enemies in range to take an additional 20% damage from all attacks, refreshing per pulse. It doesn't matter if the enemy is immune to the binding effect, they're still going to be affected by the damage amplification debuff. Also, for once, the relic doesn't really increase in size all that much. Summon HP increased from 30% -> 70%. Be aware that Bind Relic's debuff does not stack with other similar debuffs from other classes, which means Saints can opt to leave Bind Relic at Lv. 1 if all they do is raid.

- Relic Reaction EX: As of Awakening, the EX doubles Relic Reaction's hit count. Pre-awakening, it used to be 3 hits, but it was reduced post-awakening for very obvious reasons.

- Class Mastery II: Provides a passive +10% Magic Damage boost. Additionally upgrades Holy Shield to restore MP for the next 10 seconds. Note that it's YOUR MP only, it doesn't extend to the party. It is, for the most part, the worst Mastery II of all classes, but the skill costs no SP, so no reason not to pick it up.

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:24 PM

-The Awakened Saint-

First though, a video demonstration.

Now with that out of the way...

Lightning Relic Awakening (Pre-requisite - Maxed Lightning Relic)

Holy crap. This thing basically redefines Saint by itself. Let's list everything it does, to make it clear just how much the awakening improves the skill AND leads to a massive quality of life boost for Saints.

- It now auto-summons mini-relics, at about a 3 second delay from when the relic is initially summoned to all three mini relics hitting the ground. (Relic Reaction however can be used as soon as you see the relic 'flash' to summon the mini relics, but all three relics must be physically on the ground for Holy Burst awakening.)
- Each LR summoning mini relics means that the skill's damage is further boosted from ALL relics having mini relic impact damage, as opposed to Blessing of Strikes activation only being used every 20-30 seconds.
- Mini relics now last as long as the main relic, meaning you are no longer pressured into using RR as soon as the mini relics are summoned. You are free to move or use other skills before casting RR, whereas before we'd be forced to spend 4 seconds standing still with little to no SA.
- All Lightning Relics regardless of distance will have their own mini-relics now, whereas you had to be within a certain distance from each relic with BoS activation before. This means you can do things like drop a Lightning Relic on one side of the map, run to the other side, drop another LR, and then nuke both sides with RR, as demonstrated towards the start of the video.
- Mini relics now generate their own electrical field, drastically boosting hit rate.

Some cDN Saints created a research thread purely dedicated to Lightning Relic Awakening. It's worth a look even if you don't understand Chinese. http://bbs.duowan.com/thread-44889696-1-1.html

A few of you may ask, what's the total board damage of Awakened Lightning Relic? The thing about that is that it uses about four different damage calculations at once, and no one has been able to pinpoint the exact number yet as a result. It's at least 10,000% at the very minimum assuming maximum amount of hits, though.

Considering how much more freedom LR Awakening gives Saints (along with all the other offensive boosts through other Awakening skills), it's no wonder the devs decided to nerf Relic Reaction EX from 3 hits to 2 hits. But take my word for it, the nerf isn't noticeable at all, aside from short-term awkwardness of hearing two explosions instead of three. However, since Lightning Relic Awakening is a thing now, the devs removed mini relic activation from Blessing of Strikes for obvious redundancy reasons. That also has the side effect of making Saint leveling absolute hell from 65-90, because you lose your mini relics for those levels.

Grand Cross Awakening (Pre-requisite - Maxed Grand Cross)

Adds an explosion at the end. Explosion appears to be 50% of total board damage. However, in my experience, the skill bugs out a lot (frequently flying through enemies/not inflicting any damage after the initial hit.) It's still very weak, but its main function is building up Saint meter (at 1 per hit). You have to learn this skill in order to unlock the entire Saint meter system, so don't get any ideas of ignoring this and leaving Grand Cross at Lv. 1 in your build.

Holy Burst Awakening (Pre-requisite - Maxed Holy Burst)

This Awakening skill comes with a tradeoff. You exchange personal utility for higher potential burst damage. Once you learn Holy Burst Awakening, the skill will only be centered around relics, losing the personal AoE around yourself. You do keep the SA, though. It's important to note that the AoE around each relic does not match the original attack. In fact, I'd say the AoE is about the same or even less than Relic Reaction.

If you want to use Relic Reaction and Holy Burst together when there are two Lightning Relics on the field, take note of the below:
- You REQUIRE Lightning Relic CD plate. I'm not sure why you wouldn't already have one, but this is the only way for you to have enough time to cast both before one of the lightning relics disappear.
- Note that for awakened Holy Burst, the mini relics have to be physically on the ground before they count.
- Awakened Holy Burst additionally gives you a +20% Light Attack buff for 10 seconds after use, meaning it should be used BEFORE Relic Reaction if possible. Fitting both into a double Lightning Relic rotation may be tricky though.

Holy Shield Awakening (Pre-requisite: First Aid)

Holy Shield now grants a buff that heals 100% of the Saint's maximum magic damage per tick, of which there are 5 ticks. Because of this alone, Saints should probably switch back to Mystical gems. This doesn't have anything to do with the Saint meter too.

And yes, Aura of Healing is still as worthless as ever. Part of me says that Holy Shieled Awakened should have really been Aura of Healing Awakened instead, but the devs probably didn't want to give Saints two powerful heals.

Antiphonary: A new spammable attack. The Saint throws out an orb that sort of behaves like Mystic's Gravity Ball, inflicting 10 hits total. The attack doesn't really have much SA break and can't knock down enemies though. There's almost no casting SA as well. Antiphonary also has a fixed distance and remains glued to the ground no matter how you aim it, but the distance can be shortened by casting it into a wall/slope/obstacle. It does a surprising amount of damage, to the point where it's a new core attacking skill for Saints. Antiphonary does more total damage than a Relic Reaction from a single Lightning Relic and doesn't require any setup to use.

The attack has a 15 second CD. It has two types of hitboxes as well, a wide AoE explosion and a 'touching' damage component for enemies inside the orb. There are 5 hits for each type and both do equal damage. Each hit builds Saint meter by 1.

With a fully charged Saint meter, you can throw out 3 orbs instead of 1, fully consuming the meter in the process. Considering how slowly the meter charges however, you may only see this about once or twice per dungeon run, and perhaps not at all for 1v1 situations in nests and raids.

Blessed Sign: Very pretty, but its very use is highly debatable, to the point where some Saints have argued to not learn the skill at all. It's essentially a high damaging replacement of the original Holy Burst, with comparable SA, AoE, and also has 25 second CD. Unlike Holy Burst, it is capable of knocking down enemies by itself, but the cast delay is about 4-5 seconds. It also has high total damage, higher than single orb Antiphonary.

Be aware that the 4-5 second casting delay means you can't use anything else while using the skill. Of course, that's a very obvious concept, but the thing is that EVERYTHING ELSE in the Saint tree contributes towards something else, whether it be setting up Relic Reaction/Holy Burst Awakening or building up Saint meter. Blessed Sign is just a random filler skill in comparison. However, you CAN cancel it early through dodging.

My suggestion to the developers is to let this skill build Saint meter as well, because as it currently stands, there's zero reason to use this skill in a 1v1 raid environment except for the SA. The attack in my experience also glitches out frequently, to the point where it stops inflicting damage halfway through the attack. When it works properly though, it's a total mob wrecker in dungeons, great when considering everything else in terms of Saint offense requires precision due to less AoE..

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:25 PM

-The Saint Meter-

I don't call this a 'bubble' system because only two skills build the meter, and the meter is charged by the skills successfully hitting enemies, not upon casting like most other bubble systems. The Saint meter uses a value of 0-100, and is charged by 1 per hit from Antiphonary and Awakened Grand Cross. Unlocking the meter requires you to learn Awakened Grand Cross.

In a 1v1 environment, Antiphonary can charge the meter by 10 (assuming all hits, which is rare), and Awakened Grand Cross can charge the meter by 7. With multiple enemies, of course the meter charges faster, but then you also run into the corundum of whether you should nuke everything in sight immediately, or keep everything alive to build meter because the boss happens to be in the next area.

Two skills consume the Saint meter.
- Enhanced Healing Relic consumes a full 100% meter to power it up, by allowing each pulse to heal an additional 20% of the Saint's Magic Attack.
- Triple Antiphonary consumes a full 100% meter to launch two additional orbs. The two orbs inflict the same damage as the original, making it a burst nuke skill that can potentially inflict around 28,000% damage total. Triple Antiphonary can also recharge the meter by 30, assuming all hits land.

Because Healing Relic is such an integral part of Saint support (ESPECIALLY for the MP recovery), I would say that perhaps the developers do not intend Triple Antiphonary to be used in raids at all, especially considering how slowly the meter builds in 1v1. It'd be foolish to not summon Healing Relics at all when the meter reaches the 50-100 point just to avoid consuming it for Triple Antiphonary.

The meter also has a timer, retaining charge for 60 seconds if not refreshed by a successful hit from Antiphonary/Awakened Grand Cross before it fades back to 0. In raids, bosses may die before Saints get a fully charged meter, and we'll probably lose all progress in most cases moving from one stage to the next.

-Saint PvP after Awakening-

As you can probably already tell, Lightning Relic Awakening makes Saints FAR more effective at zoning than ever before. Many classes will be unable to touch Saints behind one without a skill to kill the relic outright. Be aware, however, that the mini relics have collision detection, which can be as detrimental to you as it is for the opponent, so take care to not trap yourself behind your own relic should you need to escape.

Also Antiphonary and Blessed Sign both inflict absolutely nuclear-tier damage in PvP, each doing 50-70% damage assuming full hits. Absolutely scary.

Here's some demonstration videos from two Saints using completely different PvP builds. The first decided not to learn Grand Cross and Holy Burst Awakening, while the other has.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vh66bNwwHc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75-QIs999M

-PvE Skill Accessories and Skill Crests-

Tech accessories are fairly straightforward. Most Saints will go with the following after Awakening:

- Necklace: Bind Relic (assuming Lv. 9) or Lightning Relic (assuming you're going for Lv. 21 and not using a +1 LR costume weapon instead)
- Earring: Not really anything worth using here, to be honest.
- Rings: Relic Reaction

As for PvE skill crests...

- Lightning Relic CD: Drops Lightning Relic CD from 10 -> 8 seconds, particularly important if you want to get two Lightning Relics out on the field as soon as possible. Considering mini-relic set up time, this crest will offer you slightly more room for error if you're going for a 2 relic reaction setup instead of 1.
- Cure Relic CD: CD is reduced from 25 -> 20 seconds. A must have to more easily maintain the permanent speed buff and to provide constant curing, hugely important in Red Dragon Nest.
- Relic Reaction DMG: Self-explanatory.

The above three are considered mandatory. The remaining 1 (or 4 if using crest expansion) from the list below should be chosen based on preference.

- Healing Relic CD: CD is reduced from 10 -> 8 seconds. This allows a Saint to maintain 4 Healing Relics on the field as opposed to 3.
- Bind Relic CD: Assuming the skill is at Lv. 8+, a CD crest will allow you to maintain the relic on the field almost permanently.
- Grand Sigil CD: Drops CD from 150 -> 120 seconds. With CD reduction unified skill, it goes down to 105 seconds, but you'd have to be one of the few people whose total character levels break 900.
- Protection Shell Buff Duration: Increases buff duration from 20 -> 24 seconds, while the skill itself has a 60 second CD. May be worth it, party damage reduction is hard to come by in this game as of T5.

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:28 PM

Another reserved post because I really really dislike this 10k character limit. :/

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:31 PM

NOTE: THIS SECTION HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE T4. I AM ONLY LEAVING THIS HERE IN CASE THE GENERAL ADVICE WITHIN IS ANY HELPFUL. Indeed, Saint skill mechanics in PvP have not actually changed since T3.

-PvP builds, Skill Accessories, and Skill Crests-

Now, before we begin discussing PvP builds, I must ask, what kind of PvP do you wish to focus on? There are three main types of PvP: Group, Standard 1v1 (as in equalized softban), and Ladder.

Each require wildly different builds, usually revolving around exactly how much healing you should focus on without sacrificing too much offense. For example, much of the community demands that for Standard 1v1, healing skills are not to be used at all, so investing in any of the heals would be a waste.

Before I list the builds, let's go over what all the skills do in a PvP environment, to provide a background for the reasoning behind each skill being leveled higher or lower in each build.

Cleric Tree:

- Struck By Lightning: The skill lifts the enemy into the air and then strikes them down with a lightning bolt. It has very low Super Armor Break, so very risky to use in most situations. Leveling it to 11 results in three bolts of lightning instead of 1, but there's not much difference in utility. Leave it to 1.

- Shield Blow: A surprisingly versatile skill that inflicts stumbling if it successfully breaks enemy SA, leaving them open for a knockdown. A well timed Shield Blow can interrupt most skills in the game with its moderate Super Armor break, but it has very low Super Armor itself. Leveling it to 11 supposedly results in 3 hits, but considering the lack of Clerics experimenting with it, I'm inclined to think there's no real difference in utility. Leave it at 1.

- Divine Combo: This skill has low Super Armor, but high Super Armor break with the final hit. It truly shines when you get it to Lv. 6, as you'll be able to cancel the skill early into two different high SA break attacks. Left clicking results in a sudden frontal range high SA break knockback. Right clicking results in a 360 degree moderate SA break ground pound that launches enemies into the air. Doing neither has the skill default into a low SA break multi-hit combo that will launch enemies without SA.

- Righteous Bolt: No difference from PvE to PvP. Low to moderate SA, slow casting and requiring point blank range to land all hits makes it hard to use. Its electrocution rate isn't any reliable either. Most of the time if you're trying to melee combo as a Priest, using this skill effectively ends your combo, unless you're using this against a bound enemy. Some Priests do max this skill for damage though, as enemies do get bound pretty often between Paralyze Bolt and Bind Relic.

- Paralyze Bolt: A bread and butter skill of Cleric PvP in general. Low to moderate SA, the skill's bind duration depends on what level the skill is, maxing out with 2.5 seconds at Lv. 16. This skill also has the hilarious distinction of having a higher % damage value in PvP compared to PvE, so it also hits like a truck here. Do note that Paralyze Bolt cannot hit grounded enemies.

Since Paralyze Bolt inflicts an immobility debuff, landing it overrides all forms of SA. However, it is fairly slow casting, so using it randomly will fail in most cases. I'll elaborate on proper usage of Paralyze Bolt when combined with other skills throughout the rest of the guide.

- Angelic Kick: Priests are one of the few classes with access to a skill that can stun in PvP, and actually have a use for a stun attack skill. However, Angelic Kick isn't that good. It inflicts two hits before launching enemies, and the earlier two hits will allow opponents that have a Power Tumble or a Crisis skill (Vengeance Blast, Time Dodge, Crisis Howl, etc.) to escape and punish you. The only reason you'd want this is if you're comfortable with melee combat or for style points, as Priests typically have better things to do against stunned enemies.

(I did have Angelic Kick during 50 cap. The reactions I got were PRICELESS.)

- Dive Kick: Fancy and useful. If you use an attack that leaves an enemy stumbling, such as Detonate and Holy Burst, but they're too far away for your left or right clicks to reach them, you can use Dive Kick to close the gap and knock them down. Provided they're close enough, at least. Dive Kick can also be used for extra mobility to get out of range of an attack, although this is an advanced tactic.

If you mistime a Paralyze Bolt against a grounded enemy, you can quickly Dive Kick them so that they'd at least be bound by the 2nd hit of Paralyze Bolt, but that requires precise timing.

- Roundhouse Kick/Holy Kick: The staple skills of a Priest in melee combat. If you level Holy Kick to Lv. 6, the range is massively increased to a 5m frontal range, about the same distance as a summoned Lightning Relic or Bind Relic. Holy Kick has low SA break, and can cause enemies to stumble. Well timed Holy Kick spam can even keep Tinkerers locked in the stumbling animation. It might be possible against other classes, but Tinkerers recover the slowest.

Remember that Holy Kick animation can be canceled by activation of another skill, such as relic summoning or Paralyze Bolt. Holy Kick can stumble an enemy and provide 100% accuracy for a Paralyze Bolt that is cast early enough, provided the enemy isn't too far away and they don't have a power tumble or crisis skill to escape.

- Stomp Kick: Another staple skill of a Priest in melee combat. There are numerous applications for this skill (usually allowing perfect accuracy for a follow-up Struck by Lightning, full hit Divine Combo, and Paralyze Bolt if you Stomp Kick a certain way), but they are all fairly advanced techniques and would require an action speed plate for Stomp Kick. The overall usefulness of this skill has deteriorated as the servers have. Use it if you're confident or want to practice melee range combat.

- Sliding Knee Kick: One of the few knockdown skills Priests have access to, but it has almost no SA and low SA break. There are very few skills this is effective against as a counter (most notably predicting a crisis skill by tumbling through it and using Sliding Knee Kick, or tumbling through a wake-up attack and knocking them down again). It's more of a combo extender than anything these days (such as nailing someone who has had their SA broken by Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning in melee range).

Lv. 6 Sliding Knee kick adds an extra kick, but it also extends animation time. In an age where the majority of classes now have power tumbles (on top of the lag problems), most Clerics no longer recommend getting Lv. 6 anymore.

- Block: I personally don't like having this skill in PvP, but maybe I need to re-evaluate that. Block can keep you on your feet against the massive AoE lifts that many classes have now, but Priests don't have any i-framed counters that can be used compared to Paladins. If you use Block, you'd better have a clear idea on what you're going to do for the next few seconds, as getting hit WILL interrupt anything you're doing in exchange for remaining on your feet.

- Vengeance Strike: The Cleric wake-up attack. Also one of the easiest to punish for poor timing due to its extremely obvious animation and delay. Exercise caution when using this, especially against other Clerics. In most cases, it's better to simply roll away, as the roll grants you an i-frame towards the end and you'll put some breathing distance between yourself and the enemy.

- Toughness: A passive damage reduction skill that only works against physical attacks. This is ineffective against magic attacks, but you'll be much harder to kill against physical classes.

- Aerial Evasion/Sliding Step/Health Bolster: Your standard dodges and HP boosts. Always max.

- Mental Fortitude/Attuned Mind: In equalized PvP, MP isn't an issue unless you're doing FFA or Respawn, as you have more than enough base MP to do anything you want. In Ladder, the amount of MP you have is drastically reduced, but the devs recently buffed MP regeneration there, so maxing them is no longer required.

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:32 PM

Priest Tree:

- Lightning Bolt: A frontal attack with low to moderate SA and almost no SA break. The EX version makes the skill much better, but Saints don't have that. This skill doesn't get to be used very often due to how easy it is to punish, combined with its low combo utility. But do note that you can cancel this skill early with a Sliding Step, so if an enemy is flinching from Lightning Bolt, you can cancel it early into a Mind Snapper for guaranteed stun or Sliding Knee Kick for knockdown, provided they are close enough.

- Mind Snapper: If used successfully, this skill guarantees stun. However, the stun effect only works against enemies with little to no Super Armor. It's most effectively used after a successful melee range Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning. Do note that this skill has no i-frames, and it requires using a Sliding Step to activate, so randomly using it leaves you wide open to an attack.

- Chain Lightning: A homing skill with low to moderate SA, with moderate SA break split across all three hits. Landing this is essential to Priest PvP, and this is pretty much the only reliable electrocution skill that Saints have. Time it well, because entire fights as a Saint tend to be determined by how often this skill is successfully used. This skill has VERY poor damage growth in PvP compared to PvE though. Most Priests that specialize in 1v1 leave this skill at a low level.

- Detonate: In PvP, Detonate is a bread and butter damage skill with max SA break. Fast-casting, but it requires the enemy to be electrocuted before use, and the attack consists of a single damage frame that is easy for enemies to i-frame through. Find a way to make your enemy waste their tumble, bind them, or wait for them to use a skill before casting Detonate.

It's become significantly harder for Saints to use Detonate due to the recent electrocution duration nerfs in PvP (while Inquisitors are largely unaffected due to a longer range Lightning Bolt EX along with Mind Snapper EX being able to electrocute), but it is still an essential skill.

- Wand Mastery: This skill changes the Priest left click wand rotation, adding an extra hit that has surprising frontal range and knocks down enemies with low SA. The magic damage boosts that this skill grants is also a big factor to the massive burst damage that Priests are capable of. Always max.

- Blessing of Light/Protection Shell/Blessing of Strikes: The holy trinity of Priest buffs are just as useful in PvP as they are in PvE. Enemies in ladder know this, which is why you may find yourself getting rushed by faster classes before you get to cast all three. In a group setting, Blessing of Light and Blessing of Strikes have halved effect on party members, but the effect remains the same on yourself. Max all three, all three combined contribute a lot of offensive and defensive power.

- Grand Cross: This skill is a double-edged sword. It has some of the highest SA of any skill in PvP, high enough to tank wake-up attacks. But its slow casting makes it easy for some classes to counter, either by casting an immobility debuff on you or by using a faster max SA break attack. But used properly with the knowledge that there's nothing an enemy to do to break it, you can use this as a counterattacking skill that can potentially tank most skills and interrupt anything enemies do in melee range. This skill is actually my secret weapon against Bringers in ladder, which I'll talk more about in -Saint PvP Tips VS Specific Classes-.

Grand Cross can also inflict a lot of damage if used properly. If you nail an enemy with a Bind Relic bind or a Paralyze Bolt, you have just enough time to safely cast Grand Cross on them. The Cross travels faster than it pushes the enemy backwards, so there are a few tricks to keep forcing enemies inside. One is to Holy Kick them. Another is to use Divine Combo's default attack or left click launch. Dive Kick would offer a slight pushback. Lightning Bolt may work, and so on.

- Holy Burst: This skill is just as crucial as Chain Lightning when it comes to determining whether you win or lose. Holy Burst has been constantly buffed in regards to utility over the past year, when it went from being a moderate SA skill with hardly any SA break, to what is now essentially a wider AoE Fire Wall. Holy Burst now has high SA like Grand Cross, and also very high SA break.

Enemies know how much this skill hurts, so opponents of some classes will likely save a skill purely to break Holy Burst. Take care when using Holy Burst, because having this interrupted can really set you back.

- Vengeance Blast: This is the Priest's Crisis counter skill. You cannot PvP without this skill, period. This skill's utility varies depending what class you're fighting, as it can't be used while you're knocked down.

Do be aware that if you're using this against a class that has a crisis skill of their own, they may choose to use their against you if they haven't baited it out already. You might have enough time to tumble through their crisis and punish with a Sliding Knee Kick (unless they're an Alchemist because their crisis sends them backwards), but more experienced opponents would be expecting it and activate their crisis before the game allows you to dodge.

- First Aid: The damage reduction effect is the same as PvE, except the cooldown of this skill is doubled to 30 seconds. Still invaluable to have at least Lv. 1. Further investment only increases healing amount, and while the heals can add up over time, you may be too tight on SP to consider maxing this.

- Lightning Relic: The most spammable relic. The relic doesn't have much HP and the electrocution rate isn't reliable, but the lightning bolts fired from it can often interrupt lower SA enemy attacks.

The landing of any relic causes moderate to high SA break, along with sending enemies into a rolling knockback. The knockback behavior is unique in that opponents are not allowed to evade out of it unless they have a Power Tumble (and even then, Archers cannot use their Power Tumble against a roll back). That means depending on the positioning of your opponent relative to where the relic lands, enemies may fly in any direction, perhaps even towards you. That sets up an easy melee skill, Paralyze Bolt, and Mind Snapper.

Lightning and Bind Relic are normally summoned at a 5m distance from you. However, if you are standing close to a wall, you can aim the relic into the wall and have it land beside you instead, potentially knocking back melee attackers. This is crucial knowledge for 1v1.

- Healing Relic: There isn't much to say about this, really. Healing Relic was the only relic (besides Grand Sigil) that didn't get its HP dropped to the 10-15% level in PvP. This skill is prone to being interrupted, as all relic skills are. Don't panic and cast this right as you're being attacked.

Healing and Cure Relic are summoned in front of you, rather than at a 5m distance like Lightning and Bind Relic. You likely won't use them offensively, unless you intend to use Relic Reaction and get Cure Relic EX.

- Cure Relic: This skill has a 40 second CD in PvP. Leveling this skill in PvP has an entirely different effect from PvE, because the PvE effect changed about a year ago. In PvP, leveling this skill does not reduce CD, instead it increases Light Attack by about +3% per point invested. Ironically, that means this skill provides one of the most potent offensive buffs in PvP, along with it potentially curing major debuffs from other classes.

At the time that this guide was written, a Light Bringer's Sunshine Spark is the only debuff in the entire history of the game that Cure Relic is unable to cure in PvP. And we all know that is such a bull[censored] bug.

The EX version can be a lifesaver against classes with immobility debuffs, but it's only usable if you're debuffed in a standing position. Thankfully, freeze and bind resets your position to standing. Alchemist's bubble and Time Stop, unfortunately, does not. It also does not provide any i-frames. The knockback from the EX may be fast, but it's not fast enough to interrupt whatever an enemy does in between hits of a multi-hit attack.

The relic is also quite fragile. Take care when using it in group when you notice large AoE classes such as enemy Priests and Sorceresses coming.

- Bind Relic: One of the most annoying skills a Priest can have. Some consider this softbanned if you're an Inquisitor, but usually those expectations don't extend to Saints. Maybe because at the time that I'm writing this, only like five of us exist and our EX are among the worst in PvP besides Guardians, but anyway...

Unlike PvE, the PvP version if Bind Relic has a maximum duration of 12 seconds, or 3 binds. The CD is shared between both versions, though. If you land the relic on someone and it results in a successful knockback, the enemy would be forced to use a power tumble to evade the incoming bind, if they have one.

Bind Relic is the core behind some of the most damaging Priest combos, because in favorable conditions, a Priest can keep an enemy bound for up to 6 seconds while most opponents can do nothing but watch. Using Paralyze Bolt against an enemy bound by Bind Relic extends bind time long enough for Bind Relic to extend it again. Same for using Mind Snapper, although Mind Snapper requires a bit more timing and assumes the enemy is in a standing position.

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:33 PM

Saint Tree:

- Holy Shield: This skill is capable of healing a surprising amount, potentially upwards of 40-80k from what I've seen, but you have to be hit first. With a duration of 10 seconds, taking advantage of the skill either requires an enemy to throw out a skill with lingering AoE, or for you to take a risk in casting it right before an enemy launches a multi-hit attack.

Most opponents won't bother attacking you with multi-hit skills once they see Holy Shield go up, preferring to poke at you with high damage single hit skills instead. Note that the AoE of this skill is very small in a group setting, I'd say it's something like 4m radius. It also doesn't have vertical AoE, it won't reach someone launched by a Swordsman's Cyclone for instance.

- Relic Reaction: The hardest 50 to land in PvP. This skill's utility is tied to that of what you manage to do with your relics. A falling relic will actually knock standing opponents out of range of Relic Reaction. The casting of this skill has no Super Armor, although the attack itself has high SA break. It doesn't even electrocute or cause stumbling. With the relic PvP HP nerfs, landing this skill has become even harder than before.

There are ways to deal with this, although it's much easier in a 1v1 setting than a group setting. If an enemy is knocked back by a relic towards you, you could simply Holy Kick them back towards the relic and then blow them up with Relic Reaction. If you used a Bind Relic to do that, you have plenty of time to set up a Lightning Relic before you kick your opponent into both relics. If the enemy is against the wall, Holy Kick or Shield Blow to force them into a stumble before summoning a relic (especially Cure Relic EX) to knock them down instead, because the knockback from relics could potentially force a standing enemy out of range.

- Divine Dash: Divine Dash has a 3 second duration in PvP compared to PvE. Its use is fairly limited in PvP, although extra mobility is always welcome, as positioning is everything to a Saint. It could let you run up to enemies and Mind Snapper or Sliding Knee Kick at a distance that Inquisitors wouldn't be able to reach. Lightning and Bind Relic cast faster, allowing 2 spare seconds of the buff compared to Healing and Cure Relic's 1 second.

- Relic Reaction EX: The EX turns Relic Reaction into one of the deadliest skills in PvP. Relics can only erupt 2 times in PvP compared to 3 times in PvE. It doesn't make Relic Reaction any easier to set up, but at least enemies can't tumble through it anymore.

I won't go over the other EX skills, as there's not much else to say about them that hasn't already been explained elsewhere in the guide.

Group PvP/2v2 Ladder build:

This build is to maximize support while maintaining your important burst damage skills. The reason Detonate is not maxed is because typically in a group setting, you won't want to deto immediately. You probably won't get many opportunities to use it effectively either. There's simply not enough SP to go around in order to max Detonate, unless you decide to drop Chain Lightning a few levels. Don't worry about losing damage from Chain Lightning, the only point of leveling Chain Lightning in PvP is for the number of jumps between multiple opponents, as the PvP damage growth is simply bad. Note that there's 3 SP left over to play around with as well.

In a group setting, you probably won't need Toughness as much, as most of the skills you'll be worrying about would be the wide AoE skills from magic classes such as Lunar Knights, Alchemists, other Priests, and Sorceresses. Lv. 1 First Aid would be sufficient enough for your damage reduction needs. Holy Kick and Dive Kick are not necessary in a group setting, but I'd argue Lv. 6 Divine Combo is essential for all forms of PvP.

The major downside to this build is that you won't have any MP recovery passives for 2 VS 2 Ladder and FFA/Respawn PvP. Matches will most likely end in 2 VS 2 ladder before MP becomes an issue though.

With a build like this, you'd probably want to tech Healing Relic and Holy Shield.

Recommended Crests:
- Healing Relic CD (in Protect mode, this lets you cast it 4 times in a single round instead of 3)
- Aura of Healing CD (in Protect mode, this lets you cast it 4 times in a single round instead of 3)

The last 2 (or 5 crests) could be a choice between any of the below:
- Holy Burst DMG
- Relic Reaction DMG
- Detonate DMG
- Bind Relic CD
- Cure Relic CD
- Lightning Relic CD (for annoying ranged SA break purposes, usually people don't recommend this crest anymore, but the 8 second CD was useful when I used it back at 40 cap)

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:34 PM

Standard 1v1 build:

I left this build open, for the most part. 9 extra SP to throw around. Standard 1v1 assumes a softban environment, so heals are kept at the very minimum. This build is similar to what most pure 1v1 Priests roll with, maxing the core offense and picking up all the defensive skills.

You can drop Grand Sigil, Holy Shield, Relic Reaction, and Relic Reaction EX (I only suggest those in case you run into someone who decides to use softbanned skills on you) to free up an additional 11 SP, meaning a total of 20 SP to place wherever you please.

With this build, it is assumed that you will tech Paralyze Bolt and Detonate. The difference between Lv. 16 Paralyze Bolt and Lv. 26 is about a 30-40% increase in damage inflicted, while the difference between Lv. 1 Grand Cross and Lv. 16 is about doubled or tripled damage per hit. I don't recommend maxing Lightning Bolt as a Saint, the range and utility of the base skill is bad. Cure Relic is also maxed for the huge boost in Light Attack. You can never have too much offense.

Bind Relic left at Lv. 5 more as a precaution than anything else. You can easily max it with the leftover SP, but note that investing any more points into it only reduces CD by 1 second per level (the difference between Lv. 5 and Lv. 8 is a 3 second decrease in CD).

Some Priests roll with maxed Righteous Bolt. While it hits for a lot of damage, its overall utility is quite low, only really usable against a bound enemy. It also eats a lot of SP. Divine Combo has greater utility, but chances are you'd only use it as a recatch skill rather than actual damage. I'd prefer Grand Cross over both. Max + tech Holy Kick is capable of high poke damage too, you can try that if you so wish.

Some Clerics also get Sliding Knee Kick Lv. 6. However, the skill in general has become more and more situational with each cap raise (on top of the lag issues), as the extra kick actually extends the casting time. Enemies with a power tumble can get out after the first hit and punish you before you get a chance to react.

You can probably max First Aid as enemies can't exactly tell you to softban a passive (otherwise I would be rampaging through the PvP section complaining about Assassins with Feint), but the main point of the skill is the damage reduction buff, which doesn't increase if you invest more points into First Aid.

In equalized 1v1, there is no need for MP passives. You'd only really be in danger of running out of MP during the last 10-20 seconds of a 3 minute round if no one has died by then. Or if you maxed Holy Kick and spam it unsuccessfully.

Recommended Crests:
- Holy Burst DMG (although I wonder how much of a difference a CD crest would make, this skill has great utility on top of damage)
- Roundhouse Kick AS

Your last crest (or 4) can be any of the below:
- Detonate DMG
- Grand Cross DMG
- Holy Kick AS (used to be needed, but now not as much since you can skill cancel it now)
- Stomp Kick AS (only if you're comfortable with melee comboing, not as reliable anymore thanks to the server lag)
- Divine Combo CD (15 -> 12 seconds is a huge difference against Elementalists and other Priests in particular.)
- Paralyze Bolt CD Reset (If this thing procs like 3 times in a row, you basically just won the match. But a lot of people would probably think you're an ass if you use this.)
- Lightning Relic CD
- Cure Relic CD (mandatory VS Sorcs, and a fast knockback if you have the EX)
- Bind Relic CD

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:34 PM

1v1 Ladder build:

This build focuses more on offense than heals. I've found that your offense suffers too much if you maximize your heals. A full heals build is largely ineffective against Assassins, especially the likes of Light Fury, who has better heals, summons that can harass you, and can nuke you from across the map. Your only hope is to outright kill them, or to bide your time until late in the fight, nuking their HP down to a level where they won't be able to recover enough to win by HP.

Against every other class, a full heals build is excessive too. Most of your enemies will run out of MP before your HP ever becomes an issue, so you'd be better served by nuking them outright.

Block is useful, as while you probably won't be able to attack while Block is active, you'll remain on your feet if the opponent wastes a lift skill on you. I drop Detonate to 11 because in ladder, enemies tend to run from you more than anything else. Chain Lightning only has a 7 second electrocution duration as well. Detonate can do tons of damage, but not to the point where I'd consider maxing it a priority for ladder.

I prioritize Healing Relic over Aura of Healing because Aura of Healing's heal amount is now so low in PvP that Healing Relic will heal more over time. Aura of Healing may cast faster, but a Saint's Healing Relic EX comes with a 20% damage reduction buff, so if you end up being attacked while the relic is out on the field, you'll take far less damage than usual. Healing Relic EX also has massive range, so potentially being forced out of it won't be an issue.

Note that there's 6 SP left over to play with. Either use them to pick up Heavenly Judgment, max Healing Relic, or max Bind Relic for the reduced CD. It's all up to you. Alternatively, you can drop Paralyze Bolt to 16 in order to max Detonate.

Recommended Crests:
Anything goes here. Just combine the crests from the previous two builds and figure out which ones you like the most. But I'd consider Bind Relic CD and Cure Relic CD to be mandatory, as most players in Ladder are more inclined to hit and run due to the MP issues. There are also a lot of Bringers and Sorceresses these days.

Hybrid PvP build?

Builds get complicated if you want to jump between different types of PvP. We only have one build (two with the Dual Build Scroll), after all. My personal build that allows me to do all forms of PvP is below, but note that it is heavily suited to my own playing style. It has served me well thus far, but I am offensively minded when it comes to PvP. I do not recommend following it, in all honesty. Everyone has their own style, find yours first.

http://dnss.herokuapp.com/job/saint-...--0--00---0---

This build is pretty much identical to my 1 VS 1 ladder build, and is actually built exactly for that. However, I can still do some amount of equalized group PvP and 1v1. I chose to pick up Heavenly Judgment and max Bind Relic from that 6 SP left over from my 1v1 ladder build.

I won't heal nearly as much as Priests with group builds in Protect. I tend to tag along with teammates that attack the enemy captain rather than defending my own. My specialty is harassing the defenders with everything I have, along with using Healing Relic EX/Holy Shield to give the other attackers extra time. I am also fully capable of defending myself if need be, but I likely won't be able to heal myself up quickly.

In ladder, I just nuke the enemy before they can nuke me, using Holy Shield as an emergency heal. Healing Relic also heals a hefty amount, and Block is so that I remain on my feet if I can time it well against crucial skills like an Acrobat's Eagle Dive.

**SaitoHikari** · 09-23-2016, 03:35 PM

~~~~~~~~~~

-Saint PvP tips VS specific classes-

Saint PvP is basically 15% knowing what you can do with your very limited skill set, and 85% knowing what other classes are capable of. We have a very steep learning curve in order to contend with some of the best players out there. Do not expect to win most of your fights, fighting as a Saint can be rough, and it takes extreme dedication.

VS Sorceresses:

- Elementalist: A fight against an Elementalist is a game of extreme patience, because one mistake likely means you'll lose so much HP that you won't be able to recover, especially if she's an Ice Witch. Do not bother trying to start the fight with melee skills other than Divine Combo, for her skills come out faster with higher SA break, and almost all of them have multiple attack frames as well.

Elementalists generally have two primary initiation skills: Flame Spark and Icy Gust. One is a ranged projectile with surprising AoE, the other is a melee range slow that comes out pretty much instantly. They will be able to interrupt most of your initiation skills, and both force you into stumbling, usually followed by a left click for knockdown or Toxic Spray. Be aware that if an Elementalist uses Flame Spark or Icy Gust, that means their tumble (or power tumble) is on cooldown, since they need to tumble in order to cast them.

Predicting use of Icy Gust in particular is crucial, for most serious PvP Elementalists have the skill maxed. It debuffs action speed by -50%, which obviously comes with huge offensive and defensive utility for the Elementalist, as they leave the already slow Saint even slower when it comes to recovering and attacking. Some skills will let you tank Icy Gust while remaining out on top while the Elementalist will be unable to do anything to stop you. Chain Lightning, Paralyze Bolt, and Divine Combo are the most readily available skills to use as counters, although all three can get countered by Icy Shards, Frozen Spikes, or even Fire Wall if mistimed.

I would suggest saving your Vengeance Blast for stumbles caused by Flame Spark, while saving your skill counters for Icy Gust if you can. Icy Gust's slow makes it so that you typically can't do anything fast enough to turn the tide against an Elementalist after a Vengeance Blast. Use Aerial Evasion to get away rather than to counterattack, as Elementalists will likely use their maximum SA/max SA break Fire Wall to recatch you.

Be aware that most Sorceresses will save Shock Wave to interrupt Chain Lightning or Holy Burst. Some will even save Glacial Freeze for them as well, although at least this will allow you to counter with a Cure Relic EX. Elementalists will usually throw a Flame Spark at you afterwards, knowing that you can't evade it while being knocked back. Shock Wave's CD is the same as Chain Lightning. If they move into melee range, assume that they plan to use it.

If all else fails, retreat and throw Lightning and Bind Relics down if you have to. Wall reflect them if you know an Icy Gust is coming but your skill counters are on cooldown. Being simply slowed is a lot better than being floored.

Here is a video of myself fighting Doggonefool, who is coincidentally writing the guide for Ice Witch PvP in the Sorceress section. It isn't the best demonstration out there, as you can clearly see my mistakes and I ultimately lose, but you can get a feel for how fighting them is like.

(Under construction)

~~~~~~~~~~

-Special Thanks-

Aelphaeis, for all his Priest mechanics knowledge
Integration/LEJAC, our resident Korean translator
Wilboy, for insisting I even write this
iPowerful, the only other active 1v1 PvP Saint
NerdyAspects/principle, a group PvP Saint
Castorre, Cadence, Iote, Marcello, Yenny, and SainteDante
Various SEA Priests for moral support over there - Priestdom is a global thing, after all
And all the wonderful people of the PvP section and the Cleric's Cathedral for their support...

**Tortellini** · 09-23-2016, 03:47 PM

Great guide! Very thorough and informative.

**MoneyOverAll** · 09-23-2016, 05:05 PM

Amazing guide! I was going to main a saint for 93 cap for pve and now i have a thorough guide just for that. <3 Thank you .

**Udokotela** · 09-24-2016, 03:01 PM

QUESTION! Doesn't awaken holy burst give a light% buff? I was told and I'm not sure if it's true or not. If it is it might be worth using Holy burst before the mini relics of the second lighting relic fall, then using relic reaction. I'm wondering if the buffed RR (assuming that holy burst does give a light % buff) does enough damage to justify using HB before all the mini relics land :thinking:

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