Following our exclusive in-depth look at TERA's priest class, we sat down with Associate Producer Stefan Ramirez to find out more about this versatile healer.

On Tuesday, En Masse Entertainment gave us an exclusive in-depth look at TERA's priest, a class that is capable of both healing allies and smiting enemies. We wanted even more information on the priest, so we sat down with Associate Producer Stefan Ramirez to get some additional details about this versatile healer.

Check out our exclusive interview with Ramirez after the jump to find out what he had to say about the priest. And in case you missed them, take a look at our priest screenshots and video to see the class in action!

ZAM: What are the biggest benefits to having a priest in your group as opposed to a mystic, both in PvE and PvP?

Stefan Ramirez: Priests and mystics are both support classes, and I’m sure you could argue for one or the other being the better healer. The priest can buff party members before battle, use the Arise spell to pick up players who have been knocked down, and choose from an assortment of heals including area of effect, direct target and healing over time. Also, don't forget their ability to resurrect on the battlefield and summon the party together. These skills benefit parties both in PvE and PvP environments.

ZAM: Could you describe how the Arise ability works in further detail?

Ramirez: Arise is an AoE skill that benefits party members when they are knocked down. It doesn’t heal or resurrect, but is geared toward getting the players back on their feet and into the fight quickly. Once a party member has been lifted up with the Arise skill, the priest can heal the player as needed with other skills.

ZAM: You mentioned priests can resurrect on the battlefield. Will priests be able to revive fallen allies in combat?

Ramirez: YES! Hopefully a good healer will rarely need to use this skill, but if allies do happen to die in combat, a priest can resurrect them on the battlefield.

ZAM: Are priests capable of soloing efficiently and effectively for leveling purposes?

Ramirez: Oh yeah—the priest has several skills that deal damage. You can use many of them in combinations to increase your speed, effectiveness and damage dealing. Searing Spray is especially useful. As you gain levels and use glyphs, you can fine tune some spells for damage instead of healing benefits. This is just one way to make your priest more effective at soloing.

ZAM: Will priests be able to stack stats, enhancements, glyphs or gear to give them a viable true DPS role?

Ramirez: Viable DPS is more of a challenge because other classes like the sorcerer will always deal more damage. Viable soloing is easily accomplished by using glyphs, gear, and crystals to increase your priest's damage output. It’s really up to you to choose how to spec your character; I tend to keep my options open when playing a priest by keeping different gear and crystals in my bag.

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