Rift – Cleric Tanking (Post Update 1.3)

I’ve been fairly silent for a bit now, and that’s due to the last two updates for Rift. 1.2 made all of the expert dungeons WAY easier. In fact, I giggle when I see someone tweet about how difficult a T1 boss is. Even after that though, I could look forward to raids. I was in the process of grinding out daily experts to earn my plaques for T2 gear.

And then came 1.3. I’m going to start out with this simple admission:

I DON’T LIKE CHANGE!

At least not drastic changes like what they did to cleric. It’s one thing for 1h/shield to be slightly more viable than 2h. It’s another for 2h to be practically worthless.

I spent at least an hour and a half trying to decide on how to do my soul tree after 1.3 hit. I eventually set up two builds (one for straight tanking, one more solo-friendly). I was so frustrated that I signed off for the night. I didn’t play for a couple days after that.

When I finally signed on again, I started going through my bank for the runes and gear I was saving for the 1h/shield switch for raids. I put my shield on. It’s not a very good one, but still a decent expert dungeon drop. Then it came time to put on a weapon. I didn’t have one in the bank, so I head over to the AH. VERY slim pickings, and the one weapon up was overpriced. It’s not like I can tank experts to get a new weapon.

I logged out, and haven’t logged back in since.

This has hit my passion for Rift hard. I’m stuck debating on making an alt my main. Maybe my warrior.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Post Update 1.2)

Wow, 1.2 really nerfed a lot. The trash in dungeons is laughable now. You have a chance of living if you accidentally pull two packs of mobs (either masses of non-elites or 3-packs of elites). You can run the dungeons with a single cleric healer. Chloros could do it as well, but it’s a tad more difficult at points. If your healer is decently geared, then they don’t even require an off-heal for bosses.

I ran a lot of dungeons over the weekend. The only ones to give us a problem were AP and RD. AP we couldn’t get past the first boss due to maelstrom attack that makes a player push away other players. This makes hiding from his attack more difficult. If we had kept trying, we probably would’ve cleared it, but I felt that we had wasted enough time on AP. RD we got to the final boss, and was having an issue with the ghosts. Again, a few more attempts and we probably would have had it. It was late, and I was frustrated. Otherwise the dungeons are pretty easy, and plaque farming is nothing but a mindless grind now.

The upgraded stats on the plaque gear is pretty nice. I took a look at the full sets on Alpha, and the resulting stats were impressive.

Otherwise, nothing has really changed for tanking, except that it is easier. I’m looking forward to raids and actually having a challenge again.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Expert FC)

Foul Cascade is one of the easiest T1 experts. I ran it again last night, and it was just as easy as I remembered. It was so easy the first time, I didn’t remember anything about the bosses.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Expert LH)

I think LH is the most forgiving expert dungeon when it comes to gear. Most of the fights are simply mechanics.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Part 6)

Alright, so I still get a few questions from time to time. Since I haven’t made a post in a couple weeks, now would be a good time to do so. Keep in mind these are all my opinions. I respect yours, so respect mine.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Expert IT)

I FINALLY was able to clear IT this weekend. It wasn’t fun. Three Kings have been the thorn in my side for several days now. With some advice from the Rift forums, I went in once again.

Rift – 1.1 Patch Notes

Below are the patch notes for the 1.1 update.

Rift – Exploration Achievements

I have decided to add a section to my website dedicated to Rift achievements and other information. There just isn’t a single good source out there that covers everything I’ve needed. Sometimes I can’t even find the answer via Google.

Edit: The link above now goes to the new page I created. It’s still under construction, but it should help you with all your coord needs for the exploration achievement.

Rift – Cleric Tanking (Intermission)

Expert dungeons suck. That is all.

(No, really. They make me want to break things.)

Rift – Alpha 1.1 Update Notes

Recently, Trion Worlds has announced a major patch dubbed Update 1.1. Below are the current alpha patch notes. I believe this update is currently scheduled for March 30th.