Guides:Acolyte Boss Solo Build
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Build Overview
editAs a support class with Holy Magic, Acolytes have one of the most diverse skill kits in the game, and nothing shows this off better than an Acolyte who can solo the game's various bosses. This guide will provide an in-depth look at a proven method for the targeted extermination of bosses.
Core Mechanics & Requirements
editSkills
edit- Primary Skill(s):
- Exorcism - allows for a constant source of damage on the ground, and should always be used when off cooldown.
- Sanctuary - should also be used off cooldown as this provides a constant supply of healing overtime.
- Arcanum Ward - provides a strong counter to a bosses' single target attacks, which can do great damage.
- Holy Light - This is our filler skill when we have no other abilities to use.
- Secondary/Support Skill(s):
- Sacred Aegis gives us some breathing room against melee attacks, and can provide some cover for melee-heavy bosses.
- Heal and Mass Heal are used to quickly gain health back from large hits.
- Haste and Benediction provide some much needed buffs to both keep ourselves alive and provide additional offensive damage.
- Key Passives/Talents:
- Faith is useful for the few bosses that are either Undead or Shadow.
- Absolution can be used to strip bosses of any buffs that they might have, such as Berserk.
Equipment & Cards
editWeapons
While almost any of the best Acolyte weapons can be used for bosses, it's highly recommended to use Codex Vitae as it provides a new skill called Vitality Aura, which when used applies a permanent buff that increases your Max HP by 10% when used. This is also a unique in that it cannot be dispelled by bosses.
However, any weapon can be used as long as it has the following stats:
- +3 INT
- MATK with a high percentage, up to 5%.
- Damage Magic, which can be found up to 10%.
- Cards: Skeleton Card
Shields
The best shield to use for most content will be the Sun Emblem due to it's health increase and Heal when hit.
However, at the highest levels of boss combat it is recommended to consider one of the elemental protection shields, as Elemental Resist they provide can far outweigh the Sun Emblems's heal and HP increase one they are upgraded. You can then use one of the elemental resist cards as well, which can fit nicely to increase your resistance by an additional 25%.
- Wind - Emerald Guard
- Holy - Holy Aegis
- Fire - Molten Core Buckler
- Water - Raider's Painted Shield
- Shadow - Shadowsteel Guard
For shield stats you will want to aim for survivability:
- +3 INT or +3 VIT can be choosen, which will help you survive attacks, or deal more damage.
- Finding a high HP%, up to 10%, will massively help out with padding the health bar.
- MDEF at a higher percent, up to 5%, is one of the choices that will provide you with the greatest chance of survival against bosses.
- Damage from Magic, which can be found up to 10%, also reduces the amount of damage taken from magical sources.
- Full List of Elemental Resistance card for shield
- Other cards: Sun Blosom Card Treant Forest Evergreen Card
Armor
There are multiple choices for armor, depending on both development and preference.
- The Weaver set is a fantastic set to have, as it provides two card slots for the Chest, Legwear, and Shoes slot, allowing an additional three cards to be applied.
- The Sanctified set provides both a conversion to Holy, and also has the most HP out of any piece of gear.
The choice in armor will greatly depend on your need for cast time reduction, survivability in the form of HP, and damage output. Feel free to experiment with different sets for the best outcome.
Unlike weapons, we can use two different attributes:
- Both +3 INT and +3 VIT are useful in all slots, and will depend on how well you can survive a boss.
- Chests
- Finding a high HP%, up to 10%, will massively help out with padding the health bar.
- MDEF at a higher percent, up to 5%, is one of the choices that will provide you with the greatest chance of survival against bosses.
- Damage from Magic, which can be found up to 10%, also reduces the amount of damage taken from magical sources.
- Cards: Boss Cards, Treant Tree Evergreen Card, Cyclops Minion Card
- Legwear
- Healing Received, up to 10%, will allow your heals to hit harder, including Sanctuary.
- HP Regeneration, up to 25%, is a fantastic passive increase to your health every 2 seconds, which will let you regain health faster.
- Cards: Resistance Cards, Eyeball Mage Green Card, Treant Minion Evergreen Card
- Shoes
- Cast Speed
- Move Speed
- Cards: Rabbit Card, Spook Card
Other Equipment Slots
The main goal of filling out the remaining slots will be to compensate for one of three things: Cast Time, Health, or Damage.
An important callout is that it's highly recommended to always use the Goblin Mage Trooper Card in your headset at all times, as it grants Free Cast Lvl 5. This greatly improves your ability to get out of the more dangerous skills without having to stop your casting.
If needing to reduce your cast time:
- Utility - Mechanical Core
- Face - Resonant Headphones
- Headgear - Harlequin's Hood
- Accessories - Cloud Loop
- Cards - Cast Speed Cards
If needing to increase your survivability:
- Utility - Ventilator Mask
- Face - Snowbun Earmuffs, Curse Tag
- Headgear - Wildroot Veil
- Accessories - Bronze Crescent, Iron Ankh
- Cards - Healing Cards, MDEF Cards
If needing to increase your damage output:
- Utility - Iron Halo
- Face - Scholar's Glasses
- Headgear - Sapphire Crown
- Accessories - Azure Prism
- Cards - Holy Cards, Magic Cards
Where are the Bronze Plugs, Starfire Artifacts, etc? |
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Any item which has a detrimental effect on HP should be approached cautiously. Enemies such as Imp Devil have attacks that even with full defensive options can hit for 15,000 to 17,000 damage. This also doesn't include being hit by additional enemies that spawn in. If you are not able to survive a boss fight these items should be removed before taking any further steps to fix your survivability. |
Stat Priorities & Breakpoints
editMaps & Use Cases
editBossing is the primary purpose of this build; survivability and high sustained damage/healing allow Acolytes to solo most bosses. In party play, the build shifts to heavy support while still offering consistent DPS against Undead/Shadow-aligned bosses.
Party vs. Solo Notes
editSolo emphasizes self-sustain and careful gear swapping (resist shields, healing received, regeneration). Party play allows for heavier focus on buffs and utility while spreading survivability across allies.