Rift Cleric Tank Build For Serious Gamers

By Author: chad siemer
Total Articles: 22
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If you must go for a Rift Cleric tank build simply because you hate the single-mindedness and monotony of the Warrior class, then I bid you "Welcome to the club." While the Warrior class continues to promise the best tanking options via the Paladin, Reaver or Void Knight souls, these Warrior souls are severely limited in other facets of the game hence you cannot use them for anything else other than what they are designed to be - tanks. There was a moment in World of Warcraft not too long ago when a Paladin can withstand the attack of a thousand angry monsters but would take almost forever to kill a monster itself. mind you, those days aren't completely gone yet and there are still plenty of cases when a Paladin primary tank is nothing more than a decoration in the midst of a bustling throng.

So we go to the Cleric class for a better chance at a versatile primary tank. Because the Cleric class only has one defensive soul in its stable, then we are left no choice but to go with this soul as the main for our Rift Cleric tank build. However, it's what you can do to the off-souls that provide considerable promise for those ...
... looking to patronize the Cleric calling. Just to quickly get it out, here are a few suggestions on what a Rift Cleric tank build might look like with the Justicar as a main:

1. Justicar (39) - Shaman (17) - Druid (10), Justicar (51) - Shaman (11) - Sentinel (4) for PvP tanking
2. Justicar (29) - Shaman (19) - Warden (18), Justicar (31) - Warden (17) - Sentinel (18) for a versatile Cleric tank
3. Justicar (44) - Shaman (12) - Druid (10), Justicar (51) - Shaman (8) - Purifier (7) for a primary tank option

In the case of a primary tank, load up on the Justicar as much as possible. The Shaman and Druid additions provide limited offensive capabilities which you can use for off moments when you want to unleash all your pent up emotions, otherwise they are good for nothing else. Your teammates are there to provide the damage and there is no purpose delaying that strategy. In a sense, this is the most Warrior-like Rift Cleric tank build possible solely focusing on defense and disregarding everything else. Substituting Druid for Purifier makes for an interesting effort at self-healing and in most cases this is essential when the primary healer is caught healing someone else.

For PvP tanking, more offensive power is necessary hence the Justicar allocation goes down to 39 from 51 and the Shaman and Druid souls are loaded up further. PvPs require that you also take out the enemy in the moments that you can so building a respectable offensive repertoire doesn't hurt. Besides, the Justicar doesn't lose much in the way of defense with a few allocation points knocked off of it so there is no worry in compromising the tank position by dong this Rift Cleric tank build. The main difference between a Warrior and a Cleric built this way is that both builds exhibit almost the same level of defense but the Cleric is faster and more mobile.

Lastly, more balanced tanking builds should put more points on healing abilities. What this build does is that it doesn't limit your character from being just a primary tank. Rather, you have the option to heal, tank, attack and fill in the gaps in the team. The Justicar is obviously for defense but the Shaman complements it with offense. The Warden and Sentinel selections provide much needed healing for yourself or the group. Obviously, the Warrior doesn't have this capability limiting it to attack and defense alone.

Give these Rift Cleric tank builds a chance to spice up your gameplay and discover how much more fun it can be to switch between roles as necessary for the group to succeed. The Cleric gives you the best chance to be everything you need to be without compromising on performance and reliability.
If your looking to press through the rift game without the problems and frustration, check out this video on what I consider the best rift leveling guide available. Level to 50 in just under 48 hours.