Divinity: Original Sin 2 has been out for several months now, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is can be rather difficult early on, this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover theCrystalline Cleric. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Crystalline Cleric – Warrior/Mage Build
The Crystalline Cleric is a hybrid Warrior/Mage Build that leans a lot more to the Mage side of things in the offensive department, only with the defensive capabilities of a Warrior. The Crystalline Cleric does a mix of Water and Physical Damage to its enemies and is especially deadly against Undead (as a Cleric would be). They use tons of Armour buffs to prevent damage, and hound their targets with relentless fury.
Crystalline Clerics might be the “tankiest” Build in the game as they have access to every heal in the game and nearly every Armour buff. They crank their Hydrosophist Ability to the max and make excellent use of their heals to support their party and to damage opponents. Because Undead take Physical Damage from healing, Clerics are especially deadly vs. this enemy type. Healing costs almost no AP when you are standing in water or on ice, which you almost constantly are. Crystalline Clerics also use Hydrosophist Skills to Chill, Freeze and kill, depending on what type of Armour they are facing. In short, this Build is extremely versatile and durable.
Crystalline Cleric Attributes and Equipment
Crystalline Clericsfocus onIntelligenceto increase the damage of their Necromancer andHydrosophist Skills.Crystalline Clericsshould start putting points intoWitsonce Intelligence is nearly maxed to help increase theirCritical Chance. Critical Chance is extremely useful to this Build because Critically “Hitting” is one of the few ways you can increase your damage with healing. Crystalline Clerics will also want enough points into Strength in order to use Strength-based Armour, and enough points into Constitution in order to use a good Shield.
Crystalline Clerics will use a mix or Armour types, giving them a good balance of both Physical and Magic Armour, slightly favoring Physical if possible. This is because they will have more Magic Armour buffs, and more effective ones, so they will be able to replace it more rapidly. Crystalline Clerics should look for Armour with Hydrosophist, Warfare, Intelligence, Wits and Critical Chance in that order for best results. Points into Scoundrel will also help, but they are just a bonus if you can get them.
On the Weapons front, Crystalline Clerics can use either a Water Wand or any One-Handed Weapon. The upside to using the Wand is that you will have an extra ranged attack, which you will most likely need in the first half of the game while your skill selection is more limited. It also provides an Intelligence bonus, which is a plus. One-Handed Weapons will allow you to make Attacks of Opportunity if you take the Opportunist Talent, which don’t particularly hit that hard as a Cleric because of the lack of Strength. However, you will need to be close to your opponents anyway to be able to use Decaying Touch, and many of the short-range heals you have, so it will provide you some extra damage. Players can choose either if they wish, but I would recommend the Wand early on.
Crystalline Cleric Talents and Abilities
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aCleric.
Crystalline Clerics have one of the simplest ability distributions in the whole game, however, it can be varied a bit here and there to personal taste. In Act I, players will get Hydrosophist to 2, Necromancer to 2 and then Warfare to 2. Then players should place points into Hydrosophist and Warfare as they see fit. I like to drop in them in a 3:2 ratio until Hydrosophist is maxed and then continue placing points into Warfare. Players can also put 1 more point into Necromancer if they wish to use Blood Storm and Grasp of the Starved, which are both extremely good, but not required. 1 point into Huntsman for First Aid is also good, and 2 points if you want Tactical Retreat, which is very useful to any Build.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Elemental Affinity– ThisTalentworks extremely well with thisBuildbecause you can castRainfor 1 AP immediately, or use Raining Blood for 2 AP, or use Flesh Sacrifice for 0 AP. Fun fact, standing on Frozen blood actually confers this bonus to both Necromancer and Hydrosophist Skills! Winning!
Savage Sortelige– ThisTalentis a must for anyMage Buildand will allow yourSkillstoCritically Hit. Healing Skills cannot Critically Strike your opponents without this, so it is an absolute must in Act 2 when you start getting some decent Critical Chance.
Hothead– ThisTalentis really good with thisBuildbecause it will increase theCritical Chanceof Necromancer and Hydrosophist Skills, including healing. You should never be below max health, and it’s easy enough for you to restore it should any be missing.
The Pawn– The Pawn will allow you to get where you need to go, and you need to be in melee range as often as you can later on in the game. This requires a point in Scoundrel though, so keep that in mind.
Living Armour – Since you have extremely powerful heals with this Build, this can work really well to help restore Magic Armour. It isn’t required, but it’s definitely a solid choice.
Crystalline Cleric Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Crystalline Clericswill use a mix of Hyrdosophist Skills, Necromancer Skills and a few Warfare Skills to deal damage and buff/heal their teammates. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Hydrosophist Skills
Armour of Frost– The best way to buff your Magic Armourand also removes a variety ofStatus Effects. This will be extremely powerful in this Build because of high Hydrosophist Ability.
Rain– Use this skillto create wet surfaces to freeze withGlobal Coolingand to getElemental Affinity. Alternate between Raining Blood to keep Elemental Affinity at all times.
Restoration– A good early game heal that can remove a couple ofStatus Effects. Can also be used onUndeadto mess them up pretty good (deals damage to theirPhysical Armour). Only costs 1 AP!
Cleanse Wounds– A very good heal with an extremely short range. Only costs 1 AP and can take out Decaying or Undead rather quickly if you are in melee range. Also clears Status Effects.
Cryotherapy– An excellent way to regain Magic Armour quickly since you’ll be on Ice often. If you decide to take this Build to Lone Wolf it will get much, much more use.
Global Cooling– This skill doesn’t do a whole lot of damage no matter what, however it can freeze multiple enemies that have no Magic Armour. Can also Freeze blood which reduces the cost of both Necromancer and Hydrosophist Skills.
Healing Ritual– A good group heal with some range, that also will hit Undead and Decaying targets for damage if they are nearby as well. You won’t use this one often, but you will use it.
Winter Blast– Deals really good damage for 2 AP in an AoE that ignores teammates and alsoChillsenemies. Good for freezing small sections of the battlefield you can use for Ice Breaker or Chrotherapy.
Mass Cleanse Wounds– A great AoE heal that removes a ton ofStatus Effectsand heals for a good amount. Can be acquired by dropping a Source Orb into your Armour.
Ice Breaker– This skill doesn’t gain any benefit fromIntelligenceorStrength, onlyHydrosophistseems to increase its (non-critical) damage. Works well when paired withGlobal Cooling.
Necromancer Skills
Blood Sucker– This is a great pick up early on as it’s a good cheap heal for 1AP. Can also damageDecayingenemies. Combine it withRaining Bloodto deal good damage or get a good heal.
Mosquito Swarm– Deals decent damage and sets theBleeding Status Effect. Has very good range (13 meters) which is nice. Also heals you for a decent amount of Vitality, which is nice.
Decaying Touch– This skill has very limited range but can deal good damage and set decaying, which allows you to damage enemies with healing. A non negotiable Skill for this Build.
Raining Blood– A great way to help get use ofElemental Affinityif you need and also helps to ratchet up the damage ofGrasp of the Starved. Can be Frozen with Global Cooling, which has tons of uses.
Shackles of Pain– This skill is an excellent way of controlling the battlefield, as the AI in the game doesn’t like to hit you if you have this on one of them. Learn how to use this and predict enemy behavior when applied.
Bone Cage– A great skill for buffing up yourArmourand the more dead bodies around the better. Between this andArmour of Frostyou should rarely take any damage.
Grasp of the Starved– This skill when properly used deals insane damage and will all but 1 shot most enemies in its AoE. Be sure to use in areas with lots of Blood to maximize damage.
Blood Storm– Might be the single deadliest skill in the game. For 4 AP and 3 SP you get a skill that deals insane damage to all targets in a huge AoE, setsDiseasedandDecaying, then does it again for 2 more rounds.
Warfare Skills
Bouncing Shield– This skill works really well with thisBuildbecause it doesn’t scale off ofStrength, onlyWarfare, which you will have a lot of. You can also increase the damage by upgrading your Shield.
Deflective Barrier– A great skill for buffing yourPhysical Armourand also dealing some damage to enemies. I like to use this turn 1 or 2 of any engagement to get the best results.
Phoenix Dive – This skill is useful for closing the gap to enemies. You won’t need it if you took Tactical Retreat, but you’ll want at least one of these for sure. Will put you in range to use Decaying Touch and Cleanse Wounds.
Challenge–As of February 1st, 2018 this Skill now only costs 1 AP, making it viable for nearly every Warfare oriented Build. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 15% for 1 turn.
Final Tips
Healing deals Physical Damage to Undead and Decaying targets and it doesn’t scale off of any Attribute, only Hydrosophist and Character Level. Because of this, the only other way to increase the damage of it is to increase your Critical Modifier (Warfare does not increase the damage although it is Physical). In order for healing to Critical Strike you must have the Savage Sortilege Talent, so be sure to get this in Act 2 to boost your damage. If Warfare ever effects “healing damage” in a later patch this Build will become godly…
Be sure to combine theBootsyou are wearing withNailsto prevent yourself from slipping onIce. It’s also a good idea to do the same for any other melee type characters that may need to move through theIceto attack as well.
This Build does very good damage with Water-based Skills due to the high Intelligence and high Hydrosophist, so feel free to slot more of these if you find they are helping you (especially early on when you can’t get all the Skills listed above). Ice Fan and Hale Strike can work well here.
If you find the enemy using Cursed Fire on the battlefield often and mucking up your style of play, slot theBlessskill once you get it. It only costs 1 AP and will allow you to return to business as usual. Be sure to alternate between Rain and Raining Blood to keep the battlefield covered in a freezable surface and to keep up your Elemental Affinity Talent. Don’t be afraid to use a “leap” skill to move and “start over” if where you are standing is too much of a disaster to be saved. You want to fight on Ice ALL the time if you can.
Always attack the Armour type that is weakest if you can, and Freeze enemies if their Magic Armour is low, instead of trying to “heal them to death”. This Build is very versatile and you can deal a mix of Water or Physical Damage with fairly good results. Crystalline Clerics are probably one of the best, if not the best Support characters in the game because of this and their ability to heal.
Lastly, this Build is just a powerhouse in Lone Wolf, as many Builds are. You can defeat entire encounters solo without this Talent, so when you add this it just become unfair. If you’re up for a really cheesy time be sure to try it out.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
