Aion 2 Cleric Guide: complete PvE build (skills, stigmas, gear)
Aion 2 Cleric PvE guide: specializations for every skill, heals, passives, stigma builds, stats, gear, Arcanas, Genus Insight, Daevanion and macro.
by IruminatiIntroduction: the Cleric playstyle
Want to play Cleric in Aion 2 and be the best player in your group?
This Aion 2 Cleric guide gathers the whole build, step by step: playstyle, specialization of every skill, heals, passives, stigma builds, target stats, gear, Arcanas, Genus Insight, Daevanion and macro.
This guide is 100% PvE. The Cleric PvP build is coming soon to the site.
The Cleric is the healer of Aion 2. Its heals go off instantly, and it keeps good damage between two heals.
- +Instant heals, no cast time
- +Huge source of PvE Damage Tolerance for the group
- +Good damage for a healer
- +Complete kit: resurrection, immunity, shield
- −Very dependent on Critical Hit
- −Sensitive to latency
- −Mana management in long fights
Good to know before you start:
- The Cleric is a critical-hit class. Condemnation, Bolt and its two main passives rely on it. Details are in the crit section.
- Some thresholds are mandatory. Several skills only become truly effective at a specific level. Details are in each card below.
Why the Cleric needs crit
4 parts of the kit rely on critical hits:
- Condemnation: its cooldown (3 s) is reset on every critical hit. Aim for 100% crit on this skill.
- Bolt: its red line gives it a guaranteed crit.
- Earth’s Grace: increases your Critical Damage Boost. A priority passive on gear.
- Empyrean Lord’s Grace: increases your Critical Hit and Double Chance, and deals bonus damage (once per second). It makes up about 8% of your damage.
Understanding specializations
Each skill has 5 specialization lines, identified by a color: green, blue, yellow, orange and red. They unlock with the skill level.
- Level 8: lines 1 to 3, 1 specialization
- Level 12: 4th line, 2 specializations
- Level 16: 5th line unlocked
- Level 20: 3 specializations
How do you get a main skill to level 20? You add up 4 sources:
| Source | Levels gained |
|---|---|
| Base level | 10 |
| Daevanion | +4 |
| Arcanas | +4 |
| Gear (rings) | +2 |
| Total | 20 |
Remember this rule: 4 points in Daevanion, 4 points in Arcanas, 2 points on gear. It applies to the 2 main skills: Condemnation and Radiant Recovery.
Two other skills also go to level 20: Divine Aura and Healing Light.
Active skills
Skills follow the order of the in-game skill window. For each one, here are the specializations to enable depending on its level. The color dot shows the matching line in the game.
Earth’s Retribution
Earth’s RetributionYour left click. It has two uses: recovering mana and reducing Bolt’s cooldown. Level 12 is enough.
+20% Discharge trigger+20% Discharge trigger
-7 s Bolt CD (on Discharge)Each Discharge reduces Bolt’s cooldown (45 s base). In 3 or 4 Discharges, the reduction adds up fast.
Judgment ThunderImportant
Judgment ThunderThe early game priority. Get it to level 16 as fast as possible, from your first dungeons.
+12% damage (few targets)+12% damage (few targets)?Your choice
Divine Punishment ×2+12% damage (few targets)The red line triggers Divine Punishment, the chained hit, a 2nd time. The damage lands twice with no extra animation: close to +50% DPS on this combo.
Debilitating Mark
Debilitating MarkA DoT (damage over time) to keep on the target at all times. If it is available, cast it: put it in the macro.
-15% enemy Defense-15% enemy Defense?Your choice-15% enemy DefenseIgnores block and evasion- Never skip the blue line: its effect on the target is huge.
- Level 12 is enough in late game: the skill then makes up less than 2% of your damage.
Divine Aura
Divine AuraA stationary aura that hits the target for 8 s. Take it to level 20 eventually, after Judgment Thunder and Condemnation.
+50% attack speed+3 s duration+50% attack speed-10 s CD+3 s duration-10 s CD+3 s duration+50% attack speedOn paper, attack speed does not increase total damage. In combat, the aura can be destroyed: the faster it hits, the more hits it lands before it falls.
Chain of Torment
Chain of TormentThe skill that opens Condemnation. Level 12 is enough.
+3 s DoT+3 s DoT-10% enemy PvE Damage ToleranceThe blue line extends the effect on the target: Condemnation stays available longer.
CondemnationMain skill
CondemnationYour number 1 damage skill. It can only be cast on a target hit by Chain of Torment. Take it to level 20.
+12% damage (few targets)Reset on crit+12% damage (few targets)Reset on crit+12% damage (few targets)Multi-HitThe orange line is the most important one in the whole kit: every crit makes the skill available again. Multi-Hit comes last, its gain is moderate.
Bolt
BoltA big charged skill (3 charge levels). Level 16 is enough.
+30% Skill Speed+30% Skill Speed+20% damage (few targets)The yellow line is essential: if an ally takes damage during the charge, you switch back to healing faster.
Defiance
DefianceIt removes crowd control and makes you immune to it for 5 s. No need to level it in PvE: avoid giving it Arcana levels.
Chains into Blessing of Regeneration+10% HP on activationOn to the healing skills. Outside of stigmas, the Cleric only has 3. All of them go off instantly: heals come out extremely fast with this class.
Light of Regeneration
Light of RegenerationA heal over time (30 s) for the whole group. Simple rule: if it is available, cast it. Take it to level 16.
+5% Defense+5% Defense+5% movement speed+5% Defense+5% PvE Damage Tolerance+5% Defense+5% PvE Damage Tolerance+5% movement speedLevel 20 is a viable choice, but level 16 makes very little difference.
Healing Light
Healing LightThe kit’s targeted heal. It heals the ally with the lowest HP. Level 12 is enough, level 20 is possible.
+2 charges+2 charges+2% HP restored+2 charges+2% HP restored-2 s CDBoth lines combine: 3 charges of a very short heal to spam on an isolated ally. Put it on an easy-to-reach key (A by default).
Radiant RecoveryMain skill
Radiant RecoveryThe Cleric’s most important skill. It heals the whole group within 40 m, with no target to select, and removes 1 debuff. Get it to level 16 from your first dungeons, then to level 20.
+1 charge+1 charge-3 s CD+1 charge+5% HP restored+1 charge+5% HP restored-3 s CD- The red line is crucial. It restores an extra 5% of the target’s HP, boosted by your Heal Boost: about 9% around 2,600 Gear Score. It is what keeps your heals relevant as the group’s HP grows.
- The 3 lines reinforce each other: the extra charge and the shorter cooldown let you recast the skill very often.
- Ignore in PvE: the orange line (+10% incoming heal) and the green line (debuffs removed).
PvE Damage Tolerance
The Cleric is the group’s main source of PvE Damage Tolerance. This stat directly reduces incoming damage.
Each point gained has more effect than the previous one. According to the patch notes, it would be capped at 80%.
Example: you start at 36.8%. With Light of Protection (+20%), Light of Regeneration (+5%) then Yustiel’s Power, you go past the cap.
Passives
Two passives dominate everything else: they are also the 2 passives to look for on gear and in Arcanas.
| Tier | Passive | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| 0 |  Earth’s Grace | Critical Damage Boost and Accuracy. Priority on gear. |
| 0 |  Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Critical Hit, Double Chance and bonus damage on each attack (once per second) |
| 1 |  Healing Enhancement | Heal Boost, based on your Attack |
| 1 |  Immortal Veil | More Defense |
| 3 |  Warm Benediction | More max HP |
- Earth’s Grace and Empyrean Lord’s Grace should go as high as possible.
- The rest: spread your remaining points.
Stigmas
Stigmas are special skills that boost your character. At launch, you will only have 4 slots. Each stigma gains a line every 5 levels (5, 10, 15 and 20).
For the Cleric, almost every stigma is situational: you swap them depending on the content and your group. The options by role come right after the cards.
Yustiel’s Power
Yustiel’s PowerThe defensive option. +20% PvE Damage Tolerance for the group for 10 s. Cast it when you know the fight and can anticipate big damage. Take it to level 5: the gain is significant.
Light of Protection
Light of ProtectionA group aura: PvE Damage Boost, PvE Damage Tolerance, incoming heals and more. Essential without a Chanter in the group. Aim for level 15 for your first Ludra.
The +10% HP at level 15 makes the difference. A fragile class with 19,000 HP goes up to nearly 21,000 HP: enough to survive an attack that would have killed it.
Prayer of Amplification
Prayer of AmplificationKeep it in almost every build. +35% Attack for 20 s, and your 2 Grace passives boosted. Since Heal Boost depends on Attack, it also boosts your heals.
Absolution
AbsolutionA group heal that removes debuffs. It only really takes off at level 15. Aim for at least level 5: at level 1, take it off your bar.
Summon Resurrection
Summon ResurrectionFor a group that dies often and wants to save its resurrection stones. Aim for level 5: without it, the 1 s cast discourages players, who use their stone without waiting.
Noble Aura
Noble AuraAn offensive aura that follows the Cleric and attacks its target. Play it at level 1 or 5, or straight at level 20: in between, the gain is small. Points to spare? Put them into Prayer of Amplification instead.
Earth Punishment
Earth PunishmentA DoT that guarantees Condemnation crits on the target, plus an Attack and Double Chance buff for the group. Its effect stays limited before levels 10 and 15. Put it in the macro.
Salvation
SalvationYour immunity: 3 s with no damage and no effects. It blocks most big hits, but not attacks meant to kill in one hit (bosses’ instant-death mechanics).
It is a crutch: take it only on content whose strategies you have not mastered yet.
Benevolence
BenevolenceThe cleanse option: it removes 1 debuff every 5 s. It becomes excellent at level 15: before that, its heals stay weak.
Stigma builds
About ten stigmas work well with the Cleric. The choice mostly depends on the group composition.
A Chanter in the group? Earth Punishment and Light of Protection can be dropped, depending on the Chanter’s stigmas.
Then pick based on what the group needs:
| Option | Stigma |
|---|---|
| Defensive | Yustiel’s Power |
| Healing | Absolution |
| Cleanse | Benevolence |
| Damage | Noble Aura |
| Comfort | Summon Resurrection |
| Invulnerability | Salvation |
Adapt your build to each situation. Two examples:
- Offensive build: Prayer of Amplification, Noble Aura, Earth Punishment and Light of Protection.
- Defensive build with a Chanter: Noble Aura, Yustiel’s Power, Absolution and Prayer of Amplification.
Target stats
As with almost every class, Attack comes first. Look for plenty of Might: this stat increases your Attack by a percentage (Attack Increase). For the Cleric, Attack also increases your heals.
Then, 4 divine stats make the difference:
- Destruction [Zikel]: increases Attack.
- Wisdom [Lumiel]: increases Double Chance.
- Time [Siel]: increases Combat Speed.
- Illusion [Kaisinel]: reduces cooldowns, your buffs come back more often.
Where to find them? On Pantheon artworks and on abyssal bracelets.
Finally, keep an eye on your Critical Hit: the goal is to crit on almost every Condemnation.
Late game gear
The target gear is the Splendent Ebony Dragon Lord crafted set, the most expensive in the game. Every piece is upgraded to the max enhancement level (+20) with max potential.
The golden rule of Soul Binding
Each piece has random stats: Soul Binding. On armor and jewelry, 2 passives always come back: Earth’s Grace and Empyrean Lord’s Grace.
In the table, passives are in purple and active skills in blue.
Soul Binding by gear piece
| Piece | Mandatory lines | Your choice | Philosopher’s Stone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mace (weapon) | Might, Precision, Combat Speed, Weapon Damage Boost, Damage Boost | – | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Guard (off-hand) | Might, Precision, Combat Speed, Weapon Damage Boost, Damage Boost | – | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Helmet | Double Chance, Attack Increase, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Incoming Heal, Critical Hit or Attack | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Pauldrons | Critical Damage Boost, Double Chance, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Defense Increase, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Chest | Damage Boost, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Defense Increase, Perfect Chance, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Legs | Attack Increase, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Damage Tolerance, Perfect Chance, Critical Hit or Attack | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Gloves | Combat Speed, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Defense Increase, Perfect Chance, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Cloak | Double Chance, Attack Increase, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Boots | Movement Speed, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Defense Increase, Perfect Chance, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Earrings (×2) | Might, Movement Speed, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Precision, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Necklace | Might, Combat Speed, Earth’s Grace, Empyrean Lord’s Grace | Precision, Attack or Critical Hit | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Rings (×2) | Might | The skills your build is missing | Any useful line, depending on your other choices |
| Abyssal bracelets (×2) | Illusion [Kaisinel], Time [Siel], Wisdom [Lumiel], Destruction [Zikel] | – | Death [Triniel] (Critical Hit) or Freedom [Vaizel] (Accuracy) |
- Rings: the most flexible part of your gear. First get your Arcanas to +5, then use the rings to fill in the missing skill levels.
- Amulet and belt: not important.
See every possible Soul Binding stat by gear piece (image)
Manastones
On Superior Manastones, aim for the Ultimate tier:
- Damage Boost +100
- Weapon Damage Boost +100
- Critical Damage Boost +100
- Back Attack Damage Boost +100, one step below the others
No Ultimate line? The best alternative is Attack +10.
Theostones
The differences between Theostones are small. The best option: any Theostone with a 1% chance to deal big damage.
Example: Traufnir’s Courage, 1% chance to deal 10,000 fire damage.
Arcanas
Arcanas give a divine stat and skill or passive levels. The goal: +4 on your 4 level 20 skills (Condemnation, Radiant Recovery, Divine Aura, Healing Light) and as much as possible on your 2 Grace passives. All cards are at +5.
Optimization example
The end result is what matters. You can spread your points however you like between cards.
| Card | Divine stat | Sub-skills |
|---|---|---|
| Chalice of Vigor (Grail) | Time [Siel] | Radiant Recovery 1, Healing Light 2, Earth’s Grace 3, Empyrean Lord’s Grace 3 |
| Parchment of Vigor | Life [Yustiel] | Condemnation 4, Radiant Recovery 3, Chain of Torment 1, 1 skill of your choice |
| Compass of Magic | Death [Triniel] | Divine Aura 4, Healing Light 2, then Lightning Strike Scattershot and Judgment Thunder (the rest at random) |
| Bell of Magic | Destruction [Zikel] | Empyrean Lord’s Grace +4, then Immortal Veil, Warm Benediction, Survival Willpower |
| Mirror of Magic | Wisdom [Lumiel] | Earth’s Grace +4, then Healing Enhancement, Radiant Benediction, Heal Block |
- Result: +4 on Condemnation, Radiant Recovery, Divine Aura and Healing Light. +7 on Earth’s Grace and Empyrean Lord’s Grace.
- Compass: avoid levels on Defiance, they would be wasted.
- Set bonuses: they have very little impact. Pick your cards for the divine stat they give.
Wings
Three choices, depending on your goal:
| Wings | Main effect (equipped) |
|---|---|
| Forest Spirit Wings | Boss Damage Boost and Boss Attack |
| Dark Veil Wings | Damage Boost and Attack Bonus |
| Talisra | Cooldown Reduction |
Genus Insight
Genus Insight is filled family by family (Cogni, Fera, Natura, Varian and Special). Each family has 9 slots, with the same pattern (except slot 4, specific to each family):
| Slot | Stat to take |
|---|---|
| 1 | Attack Bonus (otherwise Critical Attack or PvE Attack) |
| 2 | HP increase |
| 3 | Critical Hit (Accuracy if you lack it) |
| 4 | Depends on the family: Cogni Critical Damage Boost, Fera Weapon Damage Boost, Natura Perfect Chance or Multi-hit Chance, Varian Back Attack Damage Boost, Special Double Chance |
| 5 | Attack Bonus (otherwise Critical Attack or PvE Attack) |
| 6 | Critical Hit |
| 7 | Critical Hit |
| 8 | HP increase |
| 9 | Critical Hit (Accuracy if you lack it) |
Pantheon
For artworks, always aim for the same 4 stats: Wisdom, Destruction, Time and Illusion. Life and the other stats are not a priority.
For statues, use what you have. The Kromede and Zikel statues are a priority for the stats they give.
Daevanion
Daevanion adds skill levels. Take all the golden nodes: they are the +4 on main skills and key passives.
The rule is simple: take every skill and every passive.
| Skill | Daevanion bonus to aim for |
|---|---|
| All active skills | +4 |
| All passives | +4 |
Rotation and macro
The skill chain
The macro handles your damage. Place your skills in 2 rows. The order matters.
- Row 1: Prayer of Amplification, Chain of Torment, Light of Regeneration, then Condemnation.
- Row 2: Debilitating Mark, Earth Punishment, Divine Aura, then Judgment Thunder.
- Outside the macro: Lightning Strike Scattershot with Noble Aura above it, Bolt and Earth’s Retribution.
The game casts the first available skill of each row. The first skills of each row go off again as soon as their cooldown ends. The rest of the time, the macro spams Condemnation and Judgment Thunder.
The in-game macro
The in-game macro holds the head of each row: Prayer of Amplification then Debilitating Mark, with a 10 ms delay.
Do not forget to bind a key to the macro in the game options.
How to play
- Hold the macro key: this is what deals the most damage.
- Cast Noble Aura manually: it stays active for 5 minutes.
- Bolt and heals manually: Bolt, Radiant Recovery and Healing Light are cast while the macro runs.
- Long fight and mana running low? Also hold left click (Earth’s Retribution). It slots in between skills (« weaving ») and restores mana, at the cost of a little damage.
Bonus option: the mouse macro
Do you have a Logitech mouse, or any mouse with macro software? Create a macro that holds the in-game macro and the basic attack. Example with G Hub:
- Macro type: repeat while held.
- Keys: the in-game macro key (here =), then the basic attack secondary key (here ^).
- Standard delays off: delete every delay and release, so both keys stay pressed.
- Save, then bind the macro to right click (or the button of your choice).
In game, set ^ as the secondary key of the basic attack (Quick Slot menu). You then just hold right click: the macro and the basic attack run together. Bolt and your heals are still cast manually.
More details on macros in the Aion 2 Bible.
Conclusion
The Cleric heals fast, protects the group and keeps good damage thanks to crit.
Key points to remember:
- Judgment Thunder at level 16 from the start, then Condemnation, Radiant Recovery, Divine Aura and Healing Light at level 20.
- Earth’s Grace and Empyrean Lord’s Grace first on gear, Arcanas and passives.
- Aim for 100% crit on Condemnation, then switch to Earth’s Grace.
- Stigmas adapted to the group composition, with Prayer of Amplification almost always.
- Might, Destruction, Wisdom, Time and Illusion as target stats.
FAQ
What are the Cleric’s main skills in Aion 2?
Condemnation and Radiant Recovery, to take to level 20, like Divine Aura and Healing Light. Judgment Thunder at level 16 is the early game priority.
Which stigmas should the Cleric take in PvE?
It all depends on the group composition. Prayer of Amplification is almost always there. Then add the option your group lacks: Yustiel’s Power (defense), Absolution (healing), Benevolence (cleanse), Noble Aura (damage), Summon Resurrection (comfort) or Salvation (invulnerability).
Why does the Cleric need crit?
Every crit resets the cooldown of Condemnation, its best damage skill. Its two main passives, Earth’s Grace and Empyrean Lord’s Grace, are also tied to crit.
How do you get a skill to level 20?
Start from base level 10. Add +4 from Daevanion, +4 from Arcanas and +2 from rings.
