Hey there :]

The idea to make this guide actually came from two other players .WheresLupers and Aes. Both have fabulous guides, detailing everything you’ll ever need to know about fighters and archer/mage, respectively. After contemplating the idea and how much effort and work that would need to be put into a guide such as this, I decided to make a guide also, except this one for the priests of Shaiya!

I currently have two priests, both HM, at level 54 and level 15. Over the course of my leveling, I have voraciously sought out all info pertaining to the priest class and now have compiled it all in one neat little package for all who want to or do play this class.
Quick little note on my word use: Battle is short for Battle Priest and Healer is short for Healing Priest.

As I have only minimally played on the Fury side, this guide is mainly for the Light Side, though most of the skills and also builds should work for both sides.

Note: Originally posted prior to Ep4's release, I have updated it to include new details. I believe I have added everything in. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I’m missing something :]

Thanks in advance for reading and I hope this answers any questions you have about the priest class. ^^ Please don’t hesitate to leave questions, comments, concerns or suggestions.

*NOTE: If you use my pictures, PLEASE CREDIT. It took a long time for me to collect them all, so if you would like to use them, just give me a shout before and credit me wherever you post them. Thanks!

Thanks a bunch to: KataraOfWater, -Charm-, Avyn and Sil3nt_healer
Without your SS or info, I'd be missing a bunch of things x.x

Lots and lots of thanks to: Aes
Your guides inspired me to make one and also I was able to get some much needed info from you :]

A big THANK YOU to:Kat-
Without your tireless help and information, this guide would be moldering on my hard drive :]

Finally BIG BIG "omg thank youuuuuu SO much" to: [GS]WheresLupers
Not only did he give me the idea for this, the format and a lot of the info came from him <3

Other Guides you may find interesting:
Archer - Aes
Fighter - [GS]WheresLupers
Mage - Madam.Sin

Changes Log
-03/05/09 - Originally posted; Edited grammer content; Added cape SS; switched mount structure; weapon location drops added
-03/06/09 - weapon location drops edited; map info edited; skill descriptions edited; minor grammatical edits; edited thank you section
-03/07/09 - Edited Cons list
-03/09/09 - Added more weapons; changed a few SS; added links to first section
-03/14/09 - Edited relic requirements for Karis Maps
-03/28/09 - Edited Weapon drop info
-03/29/09 - Edited minor grammatical errors
-04/18/09 - Edited Armor/Weapon drop info; UM res info; Added Ep4 Skills; Edited Skill descriptions; Edited Pros list
-04/19/09 - Edited Skill descriptions
-04/25/09 - Fixed grammatical errors; edited Skill descriptions
-04/29/09 - Fixed grammatical errors; Added pertinent Ep 4 Info
-05/12/09 - Edited Mode info
-05/31/09 - Added/Edited Ep 4 info
-06/05/09 - Edited Map Info
-08/09/09 - Added and edited armor information
-09/14/09 - Edited Weapon Descriptions; Added Weapon; Edited Armor Drop; Added Stat Builds
-06/02/10 - Added Armor SS

Table of Contents
I. Why a Priest – Reasons why you should or should not play this fabulous class

II. The Modes – NM and HM and UM, oh my!

III. Builds – This is the way we build a priest, build a priest…

IV. Skills – Can’t look this cool by mere posing

V. Mobs – Wheee! Time to kill me some monsters!

VI. Elements – Pretty colors, dangerous mobs

VII. Grinding – How to properly level up and which parties are best

VIII. PvP – How to effectively kill those tricky Furies

IX. Armor – Pretty clothes…functional too!

X. Weapons – To staff or to dagger? That is the question

XI. Capes – Does this make my butt look fat?

XII. Mounts – Sit tall and proud on your mount of choice

XIII. Maps – A true priesty never gets lost



Why a Priest

Although Lady is not my first priest, she is the one I’ve spent the most time on. While priest may not be the BEST class to start off on, they still have their undeniable merits.


Pros:
-The Priest class is the ONLY class that can heal and resurrect dead players. Enough said.
-A priest is the most versatile class. She (or he) can duo with all other classes or join in bigger parties, keeping them healed and safe.
-A priest is also one of the fastest leveling classes. Not only can they party with any class, they can also be several levels below other members (as long as under 7 levels*) while still being able to successfully keep the party alive.
-A priest is always needed. No matter the class of the other player, a priest will always be needed to keep that player or players alive during PvE or PvP.
-Can either be a Battle or Healer. Since priests also have AOE spells, they can choose to be a supporter or an attacker and can play both roles effectively. In reference to a Battle, you can also become a REC priest, tanking and using Hail Storm as your "taunt".

Cons:
-Unless you are a Battle priest, you will need a party to level. Most priests have a high Wis count, allowing them for support rather than damage.
-Priests are generally one of the squishiest classes in the game. As the most common build contains a high content of wis, this lowers your defense greatly. This makes them ideal targets in PvP maps and are usually the first to be taken out in an ambush.

*In Ep 4, the level cap between players was removed, so now players in their 50s can easily party with players in their 30s. However, the level cap on the mobs (colors) still holds, so powerleveling is easier, but regular partying with a high level and a low level while still come with mob experience penalties

The Modes

In Shaiya, in addition to having six different classes, there are also 4 different modes at which to play. When you first begin, two modes are available, while the other two remain locked until you reach level 40 on the prior mode. For example, Hard Mode can be unlocked when a Normal Mode character reaches level 40. The highest mode you can achieve is Ultimate mode. All modes end at level 60, excepting Easy Mode.
*Note, new information has been released about levels. In an update patch around episode 4.5, the level cap will be raised to 70. However, this is not due to happen for at least another year or so.

-Easy Mode: Only allows player to reach level 30 and special skills are unattainable in this mode. It does not unlock anything as it merely a tutorial mode. You can safely skip this.

-Normal Mode: This is the mode that everyone normally starts at. When you first begin, it is the highest mode you are allowed to play until you are able to unlock the next mode. In this mode, each level up, you receive 5 stat points and 3 skill points. Since the skill point amount is limited, a thorough perusal of the skills will show you the skills you most need and the ones you can safely bypass. Most NM players want to get to HM as fast as possible and so skim through this class with nary a glance. With the right build, lapis and knowledge, a NM player can be as strong as a HM player. This class can wear armor and wield weapons up the Dread level.

-Hard Mode: This is the second mode and the first to be unlocked. In this mode, each level up, you receive 7 stat points and 4 skill points. You can experiment more freely with your build in this mode. Many players stop at this mode, as they are stronger than NM, but do not have the death penalty like UM. While stronger than NM, this mode requires more experience for each level. At the low levels, you need about 2.5x more exp; this amount grows to approximately 5x more exp at the higher levels. Also, with unlocking HM, you also unlock a few more skills and can also equip Legend armor and weapons.

-Ultimate Mode: Upon reaching level 40 in HM, you have successfully unlocked the highest mode of the game. This mode allows for the strongest characters, aside from one fatal flaw: ONCE YOU DIE, YOU HAVE 180 SECONDS TO BE RESSED OR THAT TOON IS DELETED.
This is not always the case though. There are 4 ways to prevent the deletion of your toon.* For this mode, you receive 9 stat points and 5 skill points each time you level. Certain skills will now become unlocked, such as the coveted level 60 UM skill. A player with this mode can now don Goddess armor and use Goddess weapons.

*They are: Regular Res Rune, Continuous Res Rune, Target Res Rune, or Level 31+ priest with Resurrection level 2. The regular res runes will activate upon your death and will be used up after you are ressed. Conti res runes can be equipped and last a certain amount of time, such as 3 hours or 7/15/30 days. Target res runes are items that a party member can use to resurrect you. A priest with level 2 res (level 31) can resurrect you, but I advise not relying on them as you have a very short time to be ressed.
*Recently, the ability to resurrect a dead UM has opened. A promo will be run where you can buy a UM Res for 7500 AP ($75). It was rare in the past, but now seems to be opening up in the more recent past.


Builds

One of the best things about this game is the ability of its players to choose and use different stat builds successfully. There are different builds for either priest path and there are different builds for each mode. Below are the 6 stats and how they affect a player.

-Stats-

Strength: [STR] Physical damage and shooting attacking power increases
For a priest, either healing or battle, strength is not good. Skip it.

Rec: [REC] Physical defense power, shooting defense power and HP increase
Having a little rec in a build is a good thing. It adds HP and defense, allowing you to withstand hits better. If you choose a healing priest, depending on your build, you may not need this at all. As for a battle priest, rec is a definite factor in your build

Intelligence: [INT] Magic attack power increases
For a battle priest, Int is a must. It adds magical attack power, which strengthens your battle spells.

Wisdom: [WIS] Magic defense power, magic accuracy, and MP increase
This is the most important for a priesty. This is what gives you your magical defense and also increases your MP. The more you have of Wis, the better and longer you can heal.

Dexterity: [DEX] Physical, shooting attack-power increases slightly. Its rate of evasion, success increase and so does SP.
Just like with strength, Dex isn’t really needed for healing nor battling. Dex may add to your evasion rate, but at the rate of evasion given, it really isn’t worth it. Skip it.

Luck: [LUC] Shooting attack power, critical hit rate, critical damage, critical evasion rate increase slightly
Every five points increases your critical hit % by 1%. While there have been some priests to try a Luc build, as of yet, there are no documented successes. It may add to your hit rate as a battle priest, but for the amount needed, it really isn’t worth it. Skip it.

*Note, for leveling – (P) = requires a party, (NP) = does not require a party

For Normal Mode:
Since you are just beginning the game, this is NOT a time to experiment with builds. You’ll be able to do in later modes. You get 5 stat points per level. I recommend the Full Wis build.

-Full Wis (5) – This is the most common NM build and the safest. It allows you to heal the most and the more you heal, the faster your party can kill and allow you to level. (P)
-Wis/Rec (3/2) – This is a possible build, though not highly recommended as it lowers your healing amount. You’ll be able to withstand hits better, allowing for soloing, albeit slowly. (P)
-Full Int (5) – This is the rarest of the NM builds. As a Battle, you’ll be able to solo constantly, but your healing will greatly suffer. (NP)

For Hard Mode:
In this mode, your options open up a bit more, allow for some experimenting. You can explore your options, testing these builds without the possible death penalty from UM. You get 7 stat points per level. I recommend the full wis or wis/rec build.

-Full Wis (7) – The most common of the HM builds. This allows you to heal the most, but also leaves your without high defense or able to defend yourself effectively. (P)
-Wis/Int (5/2) – This build combines the full healing of a NM with a bit of magic attack. This would be a good build in PvP, allowing you to act as a normal Healer, but still defend yourself should something attack. You also can solo, but it would be extremely slow. (P)
-Wis/Rec (5/2) – This build is also viable for PvP, as it allows you to heal competently while also being able to withstand hits better than your full wis counterpart. This build allows for possibly soloing, but like wis/int, it would be very slow. (P)
-Full Int (7) – This build allows for extensive soloing. While your magic attack is great, your healing is non-existent. (NP)


For Ultimate Mode:
Finally! A chance to experiment with all possible builds, allowing you to find the one that suits your best. Be wary though, you have the death penalty to think about when trying these builds. You get 9 stat points per level. I recommend the full wis or wis/rec build.

-Full Wis (9) – One of the two most common UM builds. This build allows you to heal the greatest, but also forces you to rely on others for your protection. (P)
-Wis/Int (6/3) – This build combines good healing with semi-good magic attack. This could be a good PvP Healer build, though wis/rec is more recommended. Soloing is possible, but would be slow. (P)
-Wis/Rec (6/3)/(5/4) – This build is the second of the two most common UM builds. You can heal sufficiently while having a good amount of defense. This is the most common PvP Healer build. Soloing is possible, but slow. (P)
-Rec/Wis (7/2)/(6/3) - TBA.
-Int/Rec (7/2) – This build is the most rare of the UM builds. As a Battle, you would have HM magic attack, while still leaving the chance for your defense to grow. This is the second of the PvP Battle builds. (NP)
-Full Int (9) – The most common PvP Battle build. You may not have great defense, but your magic attack is rivaled by only a few. (NP)
-Full Rec (9) - TBA.

Remember, these are just suggestions to help you get you on your way as a Priesty. Some of these are tried and true builds, while others are still being tweaked. Just remember to watch your health, especially if UM, whenever you try out new builds. Most importantly, have fun!