Mega gaming portal gPotato has recently brought another massive PvP
game to our shores. Aika
Online features 1000 vs. 100 battles, 100's of
quests and 6 unique classes. Ten Ton Hammer sat down with Christina
Kelly, Community Manager from Gala-Net, Inc., to discuss those classes
in a six part interview series. The second installment of this series
focuses on the games primary healer, the Cleric. While Clerics are
locked into a female only gender configuration they are by no means
dainty or or timid, these girls pack a punch and can hold their own.
Join us this week as we get the scoop on this powerhouse of healing and
damage.
Ten Ton Hammer: Can you
give us a brief overview of the Cleric?
Christina Kelly: The
Cleric may be small, but she packs a powerful
punch. This class
casts spells which
boost offensive and/or defensive stats, absorb massive amounts of
damage, and
which even raise allies from the dead.
Her other skills include erasing buffs from enemies and
debuffing them
if they try to cast spells themselves.
The Cleric wears enchanted dresses and wields wands which
grow more
intricate and powerful as she levels up.
Her spunky charm cloaks a will of steel and particularly
deadly attacks
against demons and Undead. Clerics
exist
at the intersection of religious devotion and patriotism, as all
Clerics are
trained from an early age to be priestesses of style="font-style: italic;">Aika. style="">
The Cleric is an expert in holy magic and
channels it skillfully to target herself and others.
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style="font-style: italic;">Though they may be dimunitive,
the Cleric is certainly no pushover.
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Ten Ton Hammer:
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style="font-weight: bold;"> Is the Cleric the only healer in
the game?
Christina:
Not necessarily. The Paladin also has targeted heal skills,
but there are fewer of them and they tend to be less efficient than the
Clerics. However, Aikas
character skill progression system
is such that you could potentially learn and upgrade the Paladins
healing spells to have her fill a healer or buffer-type role.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Will Clerics need to hire bodyguards, or can they take up for
themselves when the opposing faction is hunting them down
Christina:
The Clerics main focus in the PvP realm is on supporting more
attack-oriented classes. The spells which the Cleric utilizes
tend to have a more defensive flavor to them, but that doesnt mean
theyre less powerful or significant than offensive skills.
This class may need a helping hand at a lower level, but once they
reach higher levels they can definitely handle themselves well in
PvP. Their healing capabilities will be more than enough to
get them out of danger if need be, and their enemies might be left
thinking, Man, that little girl is tough!
As the Cleric progresses, she is able to learn additional spells which
deal a healthy amount of damage. The skills at later levels
not only increase her offensive capabilities, but can also debuff
enemies while lowering their HP. The Cleric is an essential
part of any party and can definitely give one side an advantage in any
battle, and as she attains higher levels she also becomes a force to
reckon with on her own.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Clerics are locked in as female characters only, was this a
subconscious nod to the notion that most female gamers play a healer?
Christina:
style="font-style: italic;">Aika
features 6 classes, half of which are male and half of
which are
female, and I believe the gender distribution of the classes was chosen
based on what would appeal to players and what makes sense in an MMORPG
context. The Cleric might be a female-locked character
because the developer believed players are more comfortable with female
healers as opposed to male healers. However, it may also be
because the supportive role the Cleric tends to play offsets the
strengths of the other female classes: the tanking defensiveness of the
Paladin and the rapid-fire aggressive attacks of the Dual
Gunner. There are several ways to analyze the choice of
gender for the Cleric class, but it boils down to having a fun, dynamic
character who adds to the variety and depth of the player experience.
Ten Ton Hammer:
How solo friendly is the class in the PvE leveling process?
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style="font-style: italic;">The Cleric, while the games
primary healer, also packs quite a punch.
Christina:
style="font-style: italic;">Aika is built so
that your character can
progress smoothly and efficiently from the beginning of the game with
regards to level and developing skills. For the Cleric, this
means that players are able to better those essential healing abilities
while still being able to complete quests to level up. Going
solo with the Cleric in PVE isnt significantly more of a hassle than
with other classesplayers can enjoy the quests and storylines without
the bother of constantly re-spawning. Although solo leveling
with the Cleric isnt much more difficult compared to other classes,
its worth noting that Clerics are always in high demand for parties
looking to go dungeon crawling.
Ten Ton Hammer:
Do Prans work differently for each class? For example is a
Cleric's Pran more offensive, or threat minded, than say a Warriors
Pran would be?
Christina: The
Pran does not work differently for different classes. The
offensive or defensive nature of a Prans powers depends on its element
typethe fire Pran is more attack-oriented, the water Pran is more
defense-oriented, and the air Prans abilities boost battle endurance
(HP, MP, etc.).
Ten Ton Hammer:
Due to the limited number of classes in the game, will all
Clerics be expected to be full time healers in a group?
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style="font-style: italic;">With great power comes great
responsibility
Christina:
Not necessarily. If a Paladin has focused on developing
targeted healing abilities, she can take the pressure to fulfill a
full-time healing role off of the Cleric. Additionally, where
undead monsters are concerned, the Cleric can be very useful in an
offensive role. Weve seen parties in undead-filled areas
with two Clerics one for offensive AoE attacks and one for
healing. Clerics may often be expected to be a partys main
healer, but arent necessarily forced into a full-time healing gig.
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We would like to once again thank Christina for taking time
from her hectic schedule to sit down with us and discuss the
classes that make up Aika. Be
sure to check back next week as we look at the third and final "female"
class in the game, the Dual Gunner.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Aika Game Page.
