How is it you don't have convenient access to an altar? Even stopping by an altar once in awhile to do a few extra rituals can do wonders for keep up with devotion loss, and it's sort of thematically important for the guild. As far as Meraud's duration, you're getting close to the point where the duration starts to increase, so as you progress Meraud's will last longer and longer.

You could also switch to an evil/undead creature to hunt which will provide a fairly constant stream of extra devotion your way, allowing you to do communes more often.

FGM Ricinus
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Magic, Sentients Team Member
Cleric Advocate

Part of it is not knowing the area I just moved to for training very well - it looks like Aesry has some, so I'll make use of them, but I was having a hard time keeping up with the drain when I had one right next door back in Theren.

I'll update if things improve. As with anything in DR, it's entirely possible that I'm just doing it wrong.

For reference, I just moved into first tier snow goblins.

My script uses last rites any time Meraud's is up and the cooldown is up. I believe it's about ten minutes on that.

I've found a handy list of altars including some in Aesry that should be easier to reach than the one I thought was here, and I'll experiment with sacrifice when I get the chance.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I picked up Merauds post 3.0 and the moment I got it until now I've been using Merauds always and staying in combat with no issue with devotion levels. This is using last rites, Pray god, and recite as soon as the cool downs are up. With these three I gain devotion while juggling Merauds, eluned and tamsine. You didn't mention recite, give it a shot.

Ill have to disagree, theres other ways that are "easier" and more efficient than sacrifice in both scripting ( nothing is wrong with scripting) and hunting efficiency.

<<I picked up Merauds post 3.0 and the moment I got it until now I've been using Merauds always and staying in combat with no issue with devotion levels.>>

Leaving aside my earlier observations, you really aren't giving a whole lot of info there.

Duration of the commune is based upon Theurgy ranks. From what I can tell, mine lasts 20-30 minutes per commune, but I haven't specifically timed it yet.

Conversely, devotion cost and devotion gains seem to be static. So I have less time to recover an equal amount of devotion relative to someone with higher ranks.

I imagine it'll be easier once it lasts longer. For now I am leaving combat regularly to visit an altar instead; it isn't ideal, but it works.

>Such as what? I can get back the Devotion lost from Meraud's Commune in a flat minute if I utilize Sacrifice.

Pretty much any other devotion gaining ritual is easier due to the fact that you have to assess the monster's health to make sure you land the killing blow with sacrifice or else you lose devotion. If you're appraising each monster before hand to confirm the sacrifice will land the killing blow you're wasting unnecessary roundtime which could be better spent training other skills and is less efficient than guaranteeing devotion gain by /recite/pray god/last rites.

Dancing is also inefficient due to the roundtime needed to gain the devotion.

>Dance/Recite/Pray "work" but I've never found them to restore all devotion before the commune learning timer is up unless a really good bead is thrown in as well, which I already mentioned.

I don't use dance, but I can tell you I've been using pray god/recite/last rites in conjunction with Merauds, Tamsine and Eluneds from about 200 Theurgy to 800+ and my devotion mostly stays between 13/16 to 15/16. Tamsine has been added around 600 or so Theurgy because Merauds and Eluned wasn't enough to keep my Scholarship moving at a pace I wanted. Even using all 3 devotion doesn't fall below 13/16.

>And I never said scripting was bad

>...Or people could just not script, but that concept seems all but dead nowadays.

You were implying scripting is detrimental, people have played this game for longer than a decade. Nobody wants to hand type feint goblin for the 100,000th time.

>it's rather difficult to find a way to balance Theurgy, Devotion, and Communes at my present level (32nd) and Theurgy (128)

I've recently been training up a Cleric at approximately that circle and skill. Now 34th circle and 150+ Theurgy (started at 31st and perhaps 116-120 ranks, but there was considerable backtraining before I could move along on the Primary Weapon requirement that holds up circling).

What I do, based on how my 70th Cleric performs (but I do a much more intricate script that weaves in Last Rites), is that I carve up a lot of prayer beads. This Cleric has a chain that holds 10, I like carrying spares. You'll burn a lot of beads, so for an extended trip, you'll need a lot. I like having minimum of 12-14. Also a lot of incense and holy water, Meraud's doesn't last terribly long. I figure roughly 1/3 the water and incense as beads.

Anyways, while in town, do rituals till you're full of devotion.

In combat, start off by firing Meraud's Commune, then Pray Immortal, Pray Badge, kneel and meditate bead till it detaches, then stand, wear the chain, and move along.

Every time you finish killing/skinning/looting, Commune Sense to see if you need to refresh Meraud (I just script match Meraud because there's 2 messages, one for MEraud in the area (long time), and one for when you can Meraud again (a shorter time), then Pray Immortal.

If you get RT when you pray, that means your timers are up and you can (probably not get devotion from) Pray Badge, and blow another bead. If not, you've still got ritual cooldown timers and can keep on fighting.

Yes, devotion goes down because you have to Meraud a lot, but I can easily stay hunting for a couple of hours. My own Cleric actually GAINS devotion solely from Pray Immortal, Pray Badge, and Bead Blowing. The hard part is that I go through prayer beads so fast and now spend so much time in combat I have trouble keeping enough prayer beads. Because I don't have to spend time out of combat aside from carving beads.

And I GUARANTEE YOU that you will be mindlocking Theurgy, and you will be locking it hard.

>>Ill have to disagree, theres other ways that are "easier" and more efficient than sacrifice in both scripting ( nothing is wrong with scripting) and hunting efficiency.
>Such as what? I can get back the Devotion lost from Meraud's Commune in a flat minute if I utilize Sacrifice.

Having the most devotion gain doesn't make it the best.

I bead because beads train Mech Lore. And unless something changes at like 500+ Mech, beads teach Mech Lore very well to both my Clerics.

>You were implying scripting is detrimental, people have played this game for longer than a decade. Nobody wants to hand type feint goblin for the 100,000th time.

Yeah, I'm now more than 11 full years since I started Dragonrealms. I would definitely have quit years ago if not for scripts. I'd say probably back in 2007 is when I probably would have been lost, that was about when I lost interest in my first main character and started branching out into multiple Guilds, and so my scripting had to start covering things I'd never had to cover before as an Empath, like combat, or Trader caravan running.

Kaeta Airtag

>>Actually an opinion cannot be changed or corrected. Nice try back of line.-VERATHOR
>>But it can be wrong.-Starlear

>That made me laugh

Don't know if that was sarcasm or not, but it's true.

Doing Meraud's every 30 minutes is about 24 mindstates. In 30 minutes or so you'll only drop 9.

Kaeta Airtag

>>Actually an opinion cannot be changed or corrected. Nice try back of line.-VERATHOR
>>But it can be wrong.-Starlear

>Having the most devotion gain doesn't make it the best.

>I bead because beads train Mech Lore. And unless something changes at like 500+ Mech, beads teach Mech Lore very well to both my Clerics.

Except you can use Beads and Sacrifice, unless you're hunting undead, you know? The 'safe' way of utilizing Sacrifice also teaches Appraisal, so it's not like appraising monsters is some time-wasting endeavor. (Granted, ones with weapons seem to teach Appraisal far better, but that's just splitting hairs.)

Mech Lore may be more useful, but Appraisal still has uses and it's not like anyone has to choose just one of them.