Priest

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The priest. Healer, helper, warper, and Exorcist Specialist. It is one of the two classes that an Acolyte character can choose to become (the other being a Monk). The priest specializes in support skills and spells of the Holy element, and is a great asset to have in any party thanks to their ability to keep everyone alive and resurrect them if they happen to die. Despite their scrawny bodies, priests can become powerful killing machines that can pack quite a punch, and that fact alone makes a blood-thirsty predator think twice before randomly attacking a priest.

Changing into a Priest

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Requirements

In order for an Acolyte to ascend to the ranks of the Priest, he or she must have at least a minimum of job level 40. It is recommended, especially for Acolytes, to change jobs at job level 50 in order to take advantage of the amount of skill points available, despite the fact that it is possible for a person to change jobs at job level 40. It is up to the player because training to get the extra 10 job levels would be hard and tedious, but 9 out of 10 people who changed at job level 50 remarked that they do not regret training to job level 50.

Becoming a Priest

There are two different methods of changing into a Priest. There is the test taken at the Prontera Church, and there is the Job Change Girl NPC in Prontera.

The Test

All aspects of the test, except for the first part take place within the Prontera Church itself.

In order to start the road to priesthood, the Acolyte must talk with Bishop Tomas in the room opposite of the room where Novices go to in order to become Acolytes.
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The first challenge, a pilgrimage, tests the Acolyte's discipline and will to serve God. Acolytes who have achieved job level 50 are exempt from this pilgrimage because they have proved their discipline and their mettle by reaching job level 50. It is recommended for Acolytes to change jobs at job level 50 because the extra 10 skill points would be extremely helpful to a priest throughout his or her entire lifetime.

The second part of the test is exorcism, where the Acolyte is tested on his or her ability to banish Demons and exorcise the Undead.

The Acolyte is given five minutes to pass three rooms.

The first room is a corridor containing several Zombies that the Acolyte must exorcise.
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The second room is a long hallway where the lords of the dark side of the realm attempt to intimidate or bribe the tested Acolyte. Despite the many tempations or threats that these diabolical fiends throw out such as:

Mistress Cards
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offers to start over as a Novice
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and <insert threat here>,
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the Acolyte must be firm in his or her will and be able to banish all doubt from the heart. That is what is being tested in this room.

At the end of the room, a portal takes the Acolyte into a third room, similar to the first, where a bunch of Mummy monsters are lying in wait. After exorcising the piles of bandages, the Acolyte emerges back into the church in front of Bishop Tomas.

The third part of the test is an oath, where a nun listens and accepts the oath of faith from the Acolyte, and if the Acolyte answers accordingly to the will of the church, he or she will pass this test.

After going through all three trials, the Acolyte is granted priesthood and is also given a 2s. Bible∞ if you went to job level 50 before completing the quest, or a 3s. Book∞ if you didn't quite reach job level 50 before completing the quest, as proof of officially attaining the rank of Priest. The 2s. Bible and not having to do the pilgrimage are the only changes if you go to job 50, that and the extra skill points.

The Job Change Girl NPC

The Job Change Girl NPC is available for any person who is at job level 50 to change into any available job from the first class to the second. She is located in the SW building in Prontera Square, South-West from the central fountain. Inside the building, there are two female NPCs. The one behind the counter is the NPC that one talks with in order to make a Ph.D. Hat, and the one beside the door is the one that you want to talk to. After making sure you are job level 50, and that you have 100,000 zeny in your possession, talk to the NPC and after a brief dialog, you are able to choose the class you want. Choose Priest and you are now officially a lazy Priest!!

Priest Builds

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There are four categories of Priest builds available/known in Ragnarok. They are: Turn Undead (TU), Full-Support (FS), Magnus Exorcismus (ME), and Battle Priest (BP). The first specialize in their natural gift of magical prowess, while the last one, given the right stats and equipment, can be a force to be reckoned with. It is advisable not to anger any Priest if possible because a Priest can be a
vengeful class as many have learned the hard way.

Turn Undead Priest

First on the list is the Turn Undead Priest. This type of Priest is a type of Priest that has taken Heal-Bombing to the next level. Using the skill Turn Undead, a TU Priest has the capability to single-handedly wipe out an entire army of Undead monsters.

The way Turn Undead works is very straightforward. The Priest casts the skill, and if it succeeds, then it deals Holy damage to the Undead monster equal to the monster's remaining HP (It may seem like double because of the damage multiplier between Holy attacks and Undead monsters). This skill can only be casted on an Undead enemy, and it can be used on a player wearing Undead armor (Evil Druid Card). This has been tested.
Also Resurrection can do the same thing to any Undead property target, the downside to this is that it does costs gems but in the heat of a Guild War you have the ability to do instant casts.

The equation calculating the success of Turn Undead goes as follows:

[ (Skill Level * 20) + LUK + INT + BaseLevel + (1 - TargetHP/TargetMaxHP) * 200] / 10 % (Given that it is not an MVP. This skills fails 100% when used against an MVP.)
(There is also a cap at 70%, meaning the highest chance of success is at 70%)

The success is affected by the Skill Level, LUK, INT, Base Level (from the caster), and the percentage of HP the target has left. In order to dole out the most successes, the TU priest build would have to maximize whatever it can. Skill Level can easily be maximized by getting level 10 Turn Undead. Base Level of the caster can be maximized by leveling, and the INT and LUK of the caster can be raised to full potential.

So, the stat build of a dedicated Turn Undead priest would look this at level 99.


At level 10 Turn Undead, and at base level 99 without any special equipment or bonuses, the Priest can dish out [ (10 * 20) + 99 + 99 + 99 + 0 * 200 ] / 10 % or 49.7% which means nearly 1 in 2 times, a Priest can take out any Undead monster with full HP, including Wraith Deads and Ancient Mummies.

As appealing as this may sound, training to level 99 in this build is very difficult even if one has a dedicated tank taking the hit from all monsters while the Priest tries to take out a monster. So, a lot of TU Priests choose to not get any LUK at all because even with only 99 INT and 1 LUK, the chance of success comes out to [ (10 * 20) + 1 + 99 + 65 + 0 * 200 ] / 10 % or 36.5%, which is a little over 1 in 3 times of success. Because of the low difference in success rates, many TU Priests choose the TU+ME or TUMMY build where they combine the TU and ME builds into one.

The reason it is possible is because of low requirements of a TU skill build:


This leaves a Priest with 30 leftover skill points to spend. Because a ME skill build proves to be more convenient when training from the 80s to 99, TU Priests choose take the TUMMY route. They could choose a build that is more oriented towards support, but a ME build tends to require a lot of support skills anyways.

So, a TUMMY Priest's skill build would look more like this:


This skill build takes up 43 skill points (46 if Resurrection is maxed out), which leaves the TUMMY Priest to use 7 skill points (or 4) on anything he or she wishes. It is suggested that the Priest invests some skill points into Kyrie Eleison and Magnificat if possible because those skills are in high demand.

Also, the stat build of a TUMMY Priest would look something like this:


The 99 INT is for the Turn Undead skill (as already discussed), and the 99 DEX is for the casting of the Magnus Exorcismus. The base casting time of Magnus Exorcismus is 15 seconds, so having a lot of DEX is recommended. It is not mandatory, but 10 DEX shaves off another second in the casting time, and when facing mobs of Undead or Demon monsters, it does not hurt to have to jump up and down in your seat for a second less than you already do.

Where to level a TU or TUMMY Priest

From priesthood to past level 80, the best and most stable place to train in is Glast Heim Churchyard (GHC). If one can kill three monsters a minute, that is (4973 base exp * 3) = 14,919 exp a minute on average (4243 * 3 = 12,729 exp a minute if one factors in the Ghouls)!!! Then the experience per hour rate would become 895,140 exp an hour, or 763,740 exp an hour!!! That would mean that a day of hard training can get you a level everyday up to base level 85, where it starts to take more than 5 hours to level up.

Now, after level 85, a TU Priest could move elsewhere if he or she pleases. The other training location is the Morroc Pyramids. On moc_pyrd06 (Lowest level in Pyramids), there are 20 Ancient Mummies running around the map. If you can get a high flee tank who would tank you for free or for half the experience, you can go get the Ancient Mummies. Just make sure the tank gets the hoards of Mimics and Arclouses. Each Ancient Mummy gives 16,080 base exp each, so if you can kill one Ancient Mummy per minute, then you can get 964,800 exp an hour, or half that if you're sharing. The rate is not much different from training in GHC, and the actual rate is much lower because it takes time to find an Ancient Mummy and time to get through the Mimics and Arclouses, not to mention an occasional ambush from Amon Ra.

A final place a TU Priest can level in is the Guild Dungeon Britoniah, otherwise known as Geffen GD. Every monster in that dungeon except for Ghostring and Dark Lord are susceptible to the Turn Undead skill, so one can go crazy in here if he or she has access. If one can kill two monsters a minute in this dungeon, the rate is 17,642 exp * 2 = 35,284 exp a minute, or 2,117,040 exp an hour. 50 hours of training at that rate can get a person from level 98 to level 99!!! Though, this is just an estimate and not definite fact, so one should expect a lower rate when trying any of these dungeons out.

A TUMMY Priest has more choice in training locations. Deep underground, underneath the dreaded Geffen Dungeon situated underneath Geffen Tower, there lies an ancient city; a city buried away and lost through time, while the inhabitants roam unable to rest in peace. That city is called...Geffenheim. This city has almost everything a city on the overworld has: Teleporters, Kafras, Shop NPCs, and more!! Unfortunately, to access these services, one must know the ancient language of the Undead. On a note, the Teleporter NPC is unable to provide full Heals or Teleportation services even if you know the language.

In the center of the town, there are two small buildings, or huts. These huts are where most of the monsters of the area spawn from when they die. But the great thing about the huts is the fact that a priest with Magnus Exorcismus can sit outside and spawn kill all of the monsters at timed intervals. The monsters that come out are just groups of Zombies and Ghouls along with a Wraith or two if one is lucky. At first, one would think "Pssh. Only Zombies and Ghouls? I want to train my 8x priest, not a 6x newbie." but there is something special about these Zombies and Ghouls. Each Zombie and Ghoul gives the same experience as any other Zombie or Ghoul in Rune-Midgard, but the numbers that can be killed in one sweep is enormous. So enormous in fact, that one mob from one hut gave a lv 86 priest approximately 0.3% to 0.4% each. And these mobs spawn from the huts at approximately one minute after they've been killed. Given that, if a TUMMY priest can efficiently kill a mob in one minute, he or she would be able to obtain 18.0% to 24.0% an hour, and that is much faster than Ancient Mummies or GHC, though it is impossible to kill 60 mobs in an hour (50 at most maybe). If you bring along a high DEF tank or a high Perfect Dodge assassin, you can use the assassin as bait while you can cast Magnus Exorcismus without needing a Phen Clip, or running around trying to collect the mobs AND keep it away from you. Having lv 4 Resurrection in this case would prove to be very helpful.
A common practice for TUMMY and ME priests in Geffen Heim is to wander around the desolate map prior to mobbing to kill any stray monsters, especially the elusive wraiths, so that they will respawn with the rest of the undead in the two aforementioned huts. But be forewarned that mimics, hunter flies, whispers, gajomarts and horongs also share the map with the undead.

Full-Support Priest

Magnus Exorcismus Priest

Magnus Exorcismus priests (or abbreviated ME for short, which is used further into the guide) is perhaps the best choice for training in between levels 75~99. It is the fastest way to level, and probably most profitable as well. However, if you wish to level quickly through this build, then you must find a mobber (namely, a Physically Immune or PI monk). It is near impossible to mob by yourself in decent EXP locations.

Typical ME Build:

80~99 INT
80~99 DEX
10~40 VIT

Then again, your build is ultimately your decision. ME priests generally have a good balance of INT and DEX (perhaps tipping more the DEX side), and a little bit of VIT to take on a few hits. However, there are priests who choose to lower DEX in sacrifice for INT and VIT points, who in turn make up for it with a Phen or Blood Butterfly clip which prevent spell interruption.

Primary Skills:

Magnus Exorcismus lvl 10
- Turn Undead lvl 3

• Resurrection lvl 1
• Lex Divina lvl 3

- Lex Aeterna lvl 1

• Lex Divina lvl 5

- Safety Wall lvl 1 (10)

• Sanctuary lvl 3
• Aspersio lvl 4

The majority of ME priests choose to have lvl 10 Safety Wall to ensure the full casting ME, thus the (10) beside Safety Wall. The skills listed above are just the required in order to achieve a basic ME build. Note that Magnificat or Kyrie Eleison, which are common skills to have, are not inluded. Your build should ultimately be adjusted to fix your own personal preference.

Popular leveling locations would include GHC (for lower levels), Geffen tower level 3, Geffenheim, Ayothaya dungeon level 2 (ancient shrine), and Geffen guild dungeon to those who have access to it.

Battle Priest

4th on the list for possile Priest builds is Battle Priest the rarest type of build out off all four. The main reason behind this is that most people know little about how to create a succesful build that can tackle most monsters and can are very expensive to build. Battle Priest are more based on Physical attack rather then magic attacks. Instead of being a fulltime support priest, a Battle Priest can take the fight to the enemy making them a surprise for an unexpecting enemy, all while playing the Priest role of supporting other classes. Battle Priests can also make a very good tanker and a support at the same time much like a Crusader tanking a mob without the need for another Priest.

It is recomended that this build is not used to get to level 99 as it is unable to mob great amounts of enemies. Battle Priest is the best build for level starting at 75/80 till 90/95 as it begins to get slower. (Personally stopped at level 94 as it became all too slow compared to ME priest builds) Battle Priest builds can be the fastest build to level up with from levels 75 to 90 based on individual efforts. To achieve fast level ups I recommend leveling with a Blacksmith in GHP as they can easly get your attack damage up to 7xx with an attack speed of 184. Glast Heim Underground Prison 1st floor is ideal because it is easy and convient for the Blacksmith and yourself. Or Magma Dun 2 with a ME Priest, killing Nightmare Terror has never been easier.
While soloing Battle Priests they excel the most killing Undead and Demon monsters. Training spots are mostly Glast Heim Underground Prison 1st floor, Glast Heim Chivailry 1st/2nd floor, Glast Heim Indoors and Morroc Pyramid Dungeon B2 floor. Other places of leveling are avaliable depending on the level of the character and their vast arsenal of equipment.

The last way to level up a Battle Priest like any other Priest build is to just play as support and leech off another class.

The way Battle Priests work is very complex build and may require a lot of calculating to achieve a successful and efficient build. Depending on what the user may want to specialize in, a Battle Priest can be Str/Dex, Agi/Luk, or Agi/Dex based states. Each of the sub builds has there Pro's and Con's:

• Str/Dex - are able to do maximum damage to an enemy while sacrificing agility to dodge and faster attacks. All Battle Priest builds are weak against magic, meaning that having a slow attack but rather strong attack may not guarantee survival if an enemy has a fast cast. For a succesful Str/Dex Battle Priest build you want to max your Dex rather than your Str because one cannot do damage on another if it cannot be hit. An advantage for having maxed Dex is that the Priest can still do quick casts allowing the user to cast Kyrie Eleison fast in the absence of Agi.

Battle Priest Str/Dex build stats based on level 99:
Str - 60
Agi - 40
Vit - 35
Int - 40
Dex - 99
Luk - 1

Primary Skills:
lv 5 Aspersio
lv 5 Impositio Manus
lv 10 Kyrie Eleison or mix with Safety Wall
lv 10 Mace Mastery

Secondary Skills:
lv 1-10 Lex Divina
lv 1-3 Magnificat
lv 5 Gloria (if level 3 Magnificat is applicable, not much use for Str/Dex build)
lv 1-4 Resurrection (recommended level 4; requires an additional 5 Skill points to achieve)
lv 4-10 Sanctuary (due to a Battle Priests weaker heal, Sanctuary may be your solution to that problem)
lv 1 Status Recovery

• Agi/Luk - are able to dodge most attacks from enemies, they may not dodge as good as Assassin and Rogues but they are able to meet most people standards with of a max of about 230 flee. On top of that with this build is its Luk which adds to the flee rate with the perfect dodge, especially effective with the skill Gloria. The amazing thing about this type of build is its ability to almost mimic an Assassin with its flee and high critical attacks. This is more effective than Dex because it allows the Priest to hit even the highest flee of characters. Although it may not do as much damage as Str/Dex build in normal hits, it makes up for that lost damage through Critical hits and a faster attack. This build is most effective in tanking other classes because the user has the ability to dodge, strike, support, and cast Kyrie Eleison at an exceptable speed to keep yourself and the other party members alive.

Battle Priest Agi/Luk build based on level 99:
Str - 40
Agi - 99
Vit - 30
Int - 35
Dex - 40
Luk - 47

Primary Skills:
lv 5 Aspersio
lv 5 Impositio Manus
lv 10 Kyrie Eleison
lv 10 Mace Mastery
lv 5 Gloria

Secondary Skills:
lv 3 Magnificant (minimum)
lv 1 Status Recovery
lv 4 Resurrection (optional but recommended for a good tanker; requires an additional 5 Skill points to achieve)
or
lv 5+ Lex Divina or lv 5+ Sanctuary

• Agi/Dex - This build is least recommended due to the inability to do great amouts of damage. The problem with this build is if you have full 99 Agi and Dex, it will eat up many points that could be used for other areas such as VIT and STR. The advantage of this build is the sacrafice of damage over speed, giving this build about the same attack speed or more than the Agi/Luk build.

Battle Priest Agi/Dex build based on level 99:
Str - 24
Agi - 90
Vit - 24
Int - 30
Dex - 90
Luk - 1

Primary Skills:
lv 5 Aspersio
lv 5 Impositio Manus
lv 10 Kyrie Eleison or mix with Safety Wall
lv 10 Mace Mastery

Secondary Skills:
lv 6-10 Sanctuary (This build will leave you with too few points to have a significant lv Heal)
lv 1-10 Lex Divina (May be your only defense against Magic attacks)

Equipment Recommendations

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Turn Undead Priest

Full-Support Priest

Headgear: AoA, Race reduction hat (sunflower, flower, poo-poo, etc)
any
any
Armor : Pupa coat, or others that add VIT or HP and SP
Weapon: Quad Vital Rod
Guard:
Shoes: Sohee shoes, Verit shoes.
Garment: immune muffler
Accessory: Safety Ring, Gloves, Phen clip, others (hide clips can come in handy)

Magnus Exorcismus Priest

Battle Priest

Headgear: burning blood bandana. + 2 str
angel/devil ear. + 1 str
Weapon: Triple bloody/critical chain, elemental stunners, any specialized weapon for a specific monster.
Armor: hard saint robe (pupa card), saint robe of champion (roda frog card)
Garment: immune/mocking/devilling muffer
Shoes: sohee/matyr/verit shoes
Accessory: ancient muscle ring, ancient rosary of counter

Miscellaneous Info

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Priest in PvP and WoE

See Also

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Priest Skill Page∞
Priest FAQ on Forums∞

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CategoryCharacter