Tactics: Support Classes Comparison Guide
Know you want to play a support class in TERA but need help deciding which?
Our final entry in the class skills features follows the same format as our previous one for melee classes. This one covers TERA's support classes: Mystic and Priest. What is each class like and how do they compare to each other? This overview will not only cover a bit about each class and the use of its skills, but also look at the pros and cons of each and see how both fit into different play-styles and roles.
Continue reading if you want to learn more about these two classes, to broaden your understanding.
Roles: Similarities and Differences
Similarities
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Low damage attacks.
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Direct heals.
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Heals over Time (HoTs).
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Buffs.
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Crowd Control (CC).
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Resurrects.
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Status cures.
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Peer Summoning (teleports party members to you).
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Wears cloth/robe armor.
So what's different?
Mystic
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Ability to drop healing balls for on-demand pickup and healing. An interesting form of healing able to be used with non-conventional healing tactics.
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Has skills which allow you to give MP to yourself and your party members.
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More total CC in the form of a super long range and large AoE stun which is practically impossible to miss and can even hit people out of their evasive movement skills and a long range mega snare which provides a 90% slowing effect for 6s.
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Can use Teleport as a movement skill for traveling, positioning or as a quick get-out or get-in.
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Unique buff which resurrects nearest party member while the effect is active.
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A variety of auras; two can be used simultaneously. Auras can provide powerful and constant in-combat support, assuming you can support the also constant MP drain. Without having to repeatedly stop to cast heals or buffs you can become less susceptible to pressure and interrupts.
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Can provide in-combat movement speed buff.
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Nature of total skill set allows for more freedom in movement around the battlefield.
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Lack of dependence on frontal ground placed AoEs can be considered to be more convenient by some people. Due to TERA's action combat system, it is often wise to spread out to reduce damage taken simultaneously by the team from various attacks which would increase the difficulty of making optimal use of said AoEs. However, some team builds may take this into account and be designed to not spread, making those AoEs more practical.
Priest
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Has more methods of healing, including big direct heals and full party heals.
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Can heal themselves easier and faster.
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More skills for HP upkeep.
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Party barrier buff provides for immense protection and is capable of buying valuable time.
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Party curing is possible.
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Capable of standing up knocked down party members within a long range.
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Long duration buffs to increase overall team efficiency and effectiveness.
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An additional close range AoE attack allows more offensive contribution via direct damage.
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Sleep, with a 10s duration, is very powerful for disabling.
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Lack of cool-downs on some of their heals means they can pump out heals repeatedly with enough MP in reserve.
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In addition to summoning party members, they can also teleport their party to camps.
Page 1: Roles: Similarities and Differences
Page 2: Attacks, MP Recovery, Knockdown Recovery and Movement
Page 3: Healing, Cures and Resurrects
Page 4: Buffs, Crowd Control and Utility