Eden Eternal Support Classes Guide

Eden Eternal Support Classes Guide by HeromanX

Contents

• Introduction………………………………A1
• Types of Heals…………………………A2
• Types of Buffs…………………………..A3
• Types of Debuffs………………………A4
• Support Strategies Overview……A5
• Lazy/Field Healing……………………A6
• Pro/Instance Healing……………….A7
• Conclusion………………………………A8

-To skip to a specific section, use Ctrl + F and input the alphanumeric combination beside that section’s title.

Introduction (A1)

Many players struggle when it comes to playing a support class. It seems simple on the outset, but when people get down to it, they find it’s far more complex than they care to get into, or that it’s just a real chore.

This guide is for those people that want to learn how to be a support player in Eden Eternal and do it well. It will seem simple in mere text, but in practice it can be a whole different story. Keep this in mind and always look for opportunities to practice. Dueling someone who’s able to kill you, but will take a little while to do so would be a great way to practice. Just make sure they’re not too strong or you won’t even get a chance to practice.

Types of Heals (A2)

First and foremost, learn and understand the differences between a Heal Over Time (hereafter “HoT” or “HPS” ) and a standard Heal. HoTs usually heal over the duration of their buff period, which is about 10 ~ 12 seconds depending upon the buff and the associated Knowledge Skills you’ve picked up for that skill. In general, HoTs in Eden Eternal will heal less overall damage than a standard Cure, but the benefit is that the regen buff is constantly healing the target, allowing you to heal while you cast Cure (now would be a GREAT time for an Xzibit joke, but I digress). It supplements the ability of the healer and allows it to better manage heals and conserve valuable MP. Tanks will also go a lot further when the combination is used since some of those big nasties at the higher levels can take up 25% or more of a tank’s HP in a single, non-critical hit. Using a combination of HPS and Cure will be vital at these later stages.

Types of Buffs (A3)

Next, buffs and debuffs. Clerics and Bards both have extremely good buff skills. Clerics have three of them up to Lv. 40 – one to raise Max HP/MP, one to raise Intelligence and Wisdom, and one to raise Light and Nature resistances along with some Luck. All three of them last for 15 minutes and then need to be recast. They are also very strong. It would be very wise to invest class points into them, but be wary that you are limited in what all you can invest in. Be sure of your build and play style before taking up these skills since a solo Cleric will find little use for the HP/MP one, and might find the other two taking back seat to other skills like Life Cure and Sanction’s Light. If you’ll be in a constant party, you might want to consider investing in the following priority: Int/Wis, Res/Luck, HP/MP. The reasoning behind that order is that Wisdom not only lets you heal better, but it allows others to receive better heals. It supplements your healing power tremendously, and also gives a great boost to MATK for both yourself and any M-DPS in the group. Likewise, Resistances and Luck respectively help out tanks and damage dealers by improving elemental defense and allowing critical attacks and heals to hit more frequently and more accurately. That leaves Max HP/MP for last. It’s not super-amazing, since the +HP isn’t good, but +10% HP/MP is a good boost for the party. Bard is a little easier since its two attack buffs are kinda weak, leaving only a pair of other buffs to really consider – Song of Illusion and Song of Life. Song of Life is required, being that it’s the Bard’s HPS. Song of Illusion is a great defense and evasion buff and is one of the Bard’s best skills overall.

Types of Debuffs (A4)

Debuff-wise, Clerics get Sanction’s Light for some decent magic damage and a drop in the target’s Light and Nature resistances (empowering its own skills). They also get an AoE stun skill at Lv. 40 that is quite powerful and very useful in many situations. Bards, though, get a much more useful AoE debuff called Burning Metal that not only drops the targets’ defense, but also levies a small amount of damage over time (or “DoT” – the opposite of HoT/HPS). If you thought that was cool, consider that you can stack it up to three times. This is a must-get skill for them, especially for Solo Bards (which is ridiculous in practice, but some masochists may be into that sort of thing).

Support Strategies Overview (A5)

Now for actual strategy. Explaining what things are and how and why they’re useful is generally the boring part, but if you skipped up to this point, you do need to go back and read. Understanding your class is a part of mastering it, so unless you feel you already have a firm grasp on the subjects thus far, please don’t go further until after you have read everything in order.

First part of strategy is prioritizing. While buffing everyone before battle is a good idea, if the tank is a typical Leeroy Jenkins or your group is just dying from impatience, you need to know your critical party members. If your party has more than one potential tank, make sure to order them from primary to secondary and so on. This will give you a way to stay organized in case things get out of control and your group starts losing it. Make sure your party is well aware of this order so there are no surprises and the tanks can do their jobs appropriately.

Next, have your hotkey bar in order. You know what’s comfortable for you, but a good rule of thumb is to keep all your healing skills in close proximity to each other. Having your Cure on 1, HPS on Ctrl + 1, and Prevention on Alt + 1 is a simple and easy layout, but again it’s about what you’re comfortable with.

And finally, it’s go time! You’re set to get into battle and start healing! This is the fun, boring, crazy, and tame part of playing support classes. There are a couple ways you can help depending upon the situation the party is in: pro heal and lazy heal.

Lazy/Field Healing (A6)

Lazy heal is obviously the easiest and generally more boring of the two methods. Your party isn’t in any real imminent danger and may need a heal only every now and then. There is a little more risk of someone dying since it’s very casual and you may not notice if someone is dying and they’re not able to communicate with you until after they’re dead, but generally people should be able to get around without too much intensive healing. What you can do to support in these kinds of situations is damage support. Even if you aren’t built for damage, a little bit of damage or extra mob slaying will still help. Battle Clerics are particularly well-suited for these kinds of groups since they offer the most damage support in between heals. If you find yourself in these kinds of groups often, try switching to a more damage-focused build using dual-wield Maces.

Pro/Instance Healing (A7)

Pro heal requires a much greater focus on actual healing. Most people can handle a lazy heal party just fine, but only those who take it to the next level can effectively support a party who’s constantly in danger of dying. It requires a great deal of focus and micromanagement since you’ll need to be on top of all your timing and heal effectiveness. This is probably why you’re reading this guide, so I’ll get straight to the meat & potatoes. One thing you always need to keep in mind is healing priorities. Think of it as like an internal Gambit system from Final Fantasy XII where if certain conditions are met, immediately take X action. It depends on the situation as to what the exact conditions are, but if you need a general guideline to go by, always Cure if HP<50%, otherwise HPS maintenance comes first since that is healing your tank while you’re casting Cure. Prevention for debuff removal is highest priority if HP>70% and HPS isn’t flashing indicating a recast is needed. Some situations may require that you shift Prevention to highest priority, but that’s usually in the mid-level dungeons (23+) where the debuffs can hurt more than you can heal – particularly debuffs that deal damage to the attacker when they attack and those that heal monsters on attack. DoTs are of pretty high priority too, but some may not be stronger than your HPS and you shouldn’t worry about those too much.

If you need to spam Cure for any reason, Life Cure with its Knowledge Skill boost can fit in three to four Cures before a recast is needed, and two to three Cures if Prevention is used once. This is important to know since you’ll have to be on top of Life Cure frequently. I didn’t get to test with Bard’s Song of Life, but I think it’s about the same duration, except it does have a cast time so you’ll have to keep that in mind too. Avoid spamming any skills unless you need to since healing is a very mana-intensive venture and you don’t want to needlessly waste valuable MP or MP Pots. If your tank is evading a lot just keep up Life Cure (and Prevention if you have it leveled, for its solid damage reduction) and Cure once HP<80%.

You can cancel a skill simply by moving (W or S are recommended for skill cancellations). It is important to know this since in some situations (such as Saw-Tooth Dragons at Ulta Hall) keeping your tank at full health at all times is necessary and you need to time your heals so it goes off after the tank’s been hit. Take the time to study the mobs’ fighting patterns as you’re healing and you’ll have an idea of when to start casting Cure so that it goes off just after the attack. Cancelling will also come in handy when you realize you need to recast Life Cure fast.

Some situations may find that your party is taking damage too. Many of the bosses have AoE skills that affect a large area. Bard supports only really have Song of Life, which is an AoE HPS. Clerics have a slight advantage here in that they have Healing Radiance and Purifying Wind. The former is a standard heal much like Cure, except it covers a wide area, whereas the latter is an AoE debuff remover much like Prevention while also improving healing effects for a short duration. These tools are indispensible later on as AoE skills and status effects can bring the party down fast.

Conclusion (A8)

With this knowledge at hand, you are now ready to be a pro healer. It will take practice, so don’t expect to be able to do a great job right off the bat, but don’t get discouraged and remember to reference this guide if you feel you’ve forgotten something.

Guide by: HeromanX (StarBlaze)