=============================================================================== ----------\ Fat Princess /---------- ----------\ Priest Guide /---------- ----------\ Version 1.00 /---------- ----------\ Last Updated 09/01/12 /---------- ----------\ By: Hanzaemon_ /---------- =============================================================================== ******************* *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ******************* [A] General Information [B] Guide Version History [C] Introduction [D] Why Use Priest? [E] Priest's Moves [E.1] Healing [E.2] Dark Priest [E.3] About the Bubble [F] We Need a Medic! [G] Offense and Defense [G.1] Offense [G.2] Defense [H] Healing Priorities [H.1] Helping the Giant [H.2] Helping the Warrior [H.3] Helping the Mage [H.4] Helping the Worker [H.5] Helping the Priest [H.6] Helping the Ranger [H.7] Helping the Ninja [H.8] Helping the Pirate [H.9] Helping the Villager [H.10] Put Out the Fire! [I] Gladiate [J] A Note About Trophies [K] Conclusions =============================================================================== [A] ********************* *GENERAL INFORMATION* ********************* Title: Fat Princess Platform: Playstation 3 Developer: Titan Studios Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Release Date: July 30, 2009 (North America) =============================================================================== [B] *********************** *GUIDE VERSION HISTORY* *********************** Version 1.00 - 09/01/12 - Guide fully composed. =============================================================================== [C] ************** *INTRODUCTION* ************** This is a guide to the tactics, strategies, and the overall gameplay experience of the Priest class in the game "Fat Princess". In its composition, the intention of this guide is to provide gamers with a better understanding of the Priest class, and to offer coherent advice so that one may augment his/her effectiveness and productivity during play while using the Priest. In writing this guide, I have used the Priest class for a considerable amount of time, and all of the input provided below has come from personal experience. =============================================================================== [D] ***************** *WHY USE PRIEST?* ***************** Class selection in "Fat Princess" depends a bit on a gamer's personal preferences and style of play. However, the Priest class is certainly an intrinsic element of the game. As the Priest is the only true support class the game has to offer, a team's victory or defeat can often be determined by the productivity of its Priests. Here are some pros and cons to the Priest class which may offer better insight: ------ -PROS- ------ > The Priest has a fairly fast movement speed, and this speed is not reduced while charging for an area of effect heal. > The Priest is the only class is the game capable of healing others. > Once upgraded, the Dark Priest can inflict serious damage and absorb enemy health. > Once upgraded, the purpose and strategy of the Priest becomes malleable. > It is very easy to acquire points while playing as a Priest which makes leveling-up much faster. > The Priest can heal a teammate who is carrying the princess!!! > It always fulfills a much needed role in any game! ------ -CONS- ------ > Running speed is reduced while healing a single player, and is significantly reduced while attacking as the Dark Priest. > Target-healing can be tricky in large groups. > There will not be much opportunity for a Priest to deal much damage or earn many (if any) kills. =============================================================================== [E] **************** *PRIEST'S MOVES* **************** The Priest class has two distinct components: the standard Priest that allows one to heal teammates, and the Dark Priest which imbues the player with the ability to steadily drain an enemy's health, as well as absorb that drained health into his/her own health bar. The standard Priest with the ability to heal is the basic form of the class, and is the one with which a player will be offered upon the commencement of the game. The second version of the Priest class is the Dark Priest, to whom the player will have access once the Priest's hat machine has been upgraded. When this upgrade has been accomplished, the player may switch between these 2 versions by pressing the triangle button. Following is an in-depth description of each, as well as some tips towards the use: [E.1] --------- -HEALING- --------- The ability to heal teammates is the default quality of the Priest, and should be the attribute that is used the most. There are 2 ways in which the healing may be used: 1) Hold the L1 button to target a specific or desired teammate, then hold the square button to steadily rejuvenate that player's health bar until it inevitably returns back to full. Most classes will heal a little over 1 full heart of health per second by using this method. 2) Hold the square button without targeting any individual teammate to charge an area of effect (AoE) healing field. Release the button to heal any teammates within the effective radius of the healing field. The AoE is a visible ring engulfing the Priest in its core, and the amount of charge is determined by a smaller, patterned circle that manifests around the feet of the player. A full charge is indicated by the completion of this patterned circle, and when a 'ding' sound can be heard. The AoE heal can be delivered at any point during this charge, and the amount of time for which the button is charged will determine the amount of health all eligible recipients will receive. A fully charged AoE heal will refill roughly 3 hearts for all recipients, and will take roughly 7 seconds to charge. Speaking in a general sense, a Priest will want to heal members of his/her team individually, using the L1 button to target individuals who need health replenished immediately. This enables a Priest to prioritize attention to those classes more dependent on healing to be effective (such as Warriors or Giants) while still retaining the ability to attend to lesser priorities as the need presents itself. Avoid dependence on AoE healing as its lengthy charge time will seldom provide allies with the copious and timely pertinent healing they will require. Remain in the back lines and far from the front, and take as little damage as possible. When the option is viable, try to stay in the shadow of a teammate being healed; that is to say, try to keep a teammate's body between you and the enemy. After all, it is logical for your teammate to take this damage as you will replenish that which he/she has lost. When employing the AoE heal, it is advisable to remain slightly distanced from the battle site, and allow injured teammates to retreat to you. It is not advisable to attempt to move to the center of a battle and discharge an AoE heal. In many ways, the welfare of your teammates is related directly to the welfare of yourself. Catastrophe befalls an entire group when a Priest neglects his/her own interest. Utilize the AoE heal on small maps, small areas, or in abnormally large groups. Situated above the head of every teammate resides a small heart of varying colour. This serves as an indication to Priests to determine how every individual's health stands. Green reflects one of good health, yellow reflects those of roughly half health, while red suggests one near death. Clearly, those near death require more immediate assistance. Pay special consideration to this, and while healing allies individually, use it as a point of reference to establish priorities. Help those in dire straights. Use the individualized healing in large spaces, and AoE healing in spaces more condensed (as appropriate for the amount of allies present). [E.2] ------------- -DARK PRIEST- ------------- The abilities of the Dark Priest become available to the Priest class after the hat machine has been upgraded, but its value is far less significant than that of its default counterpart. The Dark Priest also has 2 methods of attack: 1) Hold the L1 button to target a specific enemy, and then hold the square button. Doing so will allow the Dark Priest to drain health away from the targeted enemy at a rate of roughly 1 heart per second. Furthermore, should the player be at less than 100% health upon using the drain attack, the health drained from the enemy will slowly be absorbed by the Dark Priest, and used to replenish his/her own vitality. In this way, draining life is at its core a form of self-healing. However, the movement speed of the Dark Priest is reduced exponentially while the drain is active, and is, in fact, the slowest movement in the game. So use caution when using this move. Look for elevated areas from which to drain, such as high castle walls, outposts, or simply remain at an appropriate distance from the enemy. Release the drain to create more space if need be. The drain by itself will not kill, and will always leave the enemy with a sliver of life. Therefore, when this point has been reached, the Dark Priest may run to the targeted enemy and tap the square button to swing the wand, and deliver the lethal blow. 2) Hold the square button to charge an area of effect (AoE) radius within which all enemies hit will become confused, and suffer from a period of temperamental controls. Of course, this will occur when the square button is released, and the charge is unleashed. The AoE is a visible circle around which the Dark Priest is the core, and a full charge indicated by the completion of a satanic star around the player's feet, and when a 'ding' sound can be heard. Enemies affected by a fully charged confuse aura will suffer its effects for roughly 10 seconds. A full charge will take roughly 8 seconds. The Dark Priest is of much lesser value than a Priest with the ability to heal, and therefore it should be used rarely and conservatively. The primary objective of the Priest class is to support teammates, and indeed the Dark Priest does little to serve that purpose. The Dark Priest--in large part--is most effective when confronted by 1 or more enemy combatants, and no other allies are near to offer assistance. The drain therefore is best suited for this purpose, as well as diminishing any enemy player who carries a princess. The confusion aura has very little value or tangible purpose indeed. If an enemy class is faster than that of a nearby ally, or if this ally struggles to hit the enemy, it is advisable to use the Dark Priest's drain to help deal damage to this elusive enemy. However, if the ally in question begins to take damage, quickly switch to the default Priest to heal. This applies particularly to allied Giant and Mage classes. Furthermore, exercise caution while in pursuit of Warriors or Giants on whom you employ the drain. These classes can quickly turn around and kill a Dark Priest instantly with minimal effort. [E.3] ------------------ -ABOUT THE BUBBLE- ------------------ One special ability of the Priest is to concoct a protective bubble around the bodies of allied participants. To forge this barrier, a Priest must simply continue to use the individual heal move discussed in section [E.1] on a teammate who is already in possession of 100% health. The length of time for this is very inconsistent (often between 3-5 seconds), but when an ally is "over-healed" in this way, eventually the protective bubble will manifest around them. This bubble will absorb partial damage from an enemy attack, and will protect the player entirely from explosions caused by the large bomb produced by the Worker's hat machine. Particularly when you have no prior obligations, a Priest certainly should imbue this bubble upon as many teammates as possible. If greater co-ordination is possible, award a bubble to team members who will embark on a mission to capture the enemy princess. =============================================================================== [F] ****************** *WE NEED A MEDIC!* ****************** In the section above, I allude to the much greater value of a healing Priest over a Dark Priest. This is such a significant point that I wish to dedicate this entire section to establish the argument's legitimacy. My intention is to persuade Priest users to heal more, and dissuade those same people from over-using the Dark Priest. In any game of the kind, it is fair to say that players enjoy to deal damage and earn numerous kills. For this reason, support classes such as the healing Priest are often largely neglected if not outright ignored. The truth of "Fat Princess" is that a team's success or failure extensively relies on the ability of its Priests to keep players alive. We often hear of quality and quantity as being 2 distinct and opposing entities. However, in the case of "Fat Princess" the 2 poles of this spectrum are one in the same. That is to say, quantity has a quality all of its own. Particularly while discussing an attacking raid, the group with the larger number will inevitably win. A group needs a Priest's healing to maintain its numbers; it needs the Priest to keep it alive as it approaches the enemy castle, it needs a Priest to keep its numbers strong as it enters the castle, and it needs the Priest's assistance to make it safely out of the opposing castle. In this very tangible and realistic way, the success of the Priest to maintain his/her group's numbers will determine the success of the entire group. "Fat Princess" is a game of numbers, where the faction who loses the least soldiers wins. The Priest is instrumental in this goal, and healing provides the team with an attribute it cannot otherwise provide for itself. Since dealing damage is fun for everyone, many users of the class spend a majority of time as the Dark Priest. Whereas those who use a healing Priest determine the success of their team, those using the Dark Priest usually solidify failure in turn. The Dark Priest deals damage, which is not a unique feature to the team. In fact, not only can every other class deal damage to opposing players, but every other class can do so significantly better than a Dark Priest. Your teammates do not need you to deal damage because they can do so themselves. However, what they cannot do is heal, and they need you as a Priest for that. So please for the good of productivity, the team, and the game overall, focus on healing with the Priest, and use the Dark Priest sparingly or situationally. To do otherwise is to neglect the purpose of the class entirely, and to provide the team with impending doom. =============================================================================== [G] ********************* *OFFENSE AND DEFENSE* ********************* This section is meant to address offensive and defensive strategies a Priest may employ in the "Rescue the Princess" and "Snatch n' Grab" game modes. I personally believe that the Priest is--by nature--better suited to perform offensive tasks, by which I imply helping to retrieve the princess from the opposing castle. Due to the fact that relatively small allied numbers will approach the hostile camp, the aid of a Priest is essential to heal those who take damage in this very perilous endeavour. Nonetheless, here are some guide lines for offensive tasks (capturing the princess) and defensive tasks (protecting the princess) as it pertains to the Priest class. [G.1] --------- -OFFENSE- --------- When attacking the enemy castle in a group of any size, and while outside the castle's perimeter, the Priest must remain at a distance from the doors, but still within sight and healing range of high-priority teammates. The Priest must protect and heal allied members attacking the doors (or building siege weapons), especially as they are engaged by enemy forces. The individualized healing is best for this situation, as area of effect (AoE) healing would place the Priest too close to the front lines, thereby jeopardizing his/her own life. Prioritize healing for those at the very front, and try to save as many allies as possible. However, should any ally stray too far from the group, do not move with him/her to offer support. Stay where the numbers are largest, and support those teammates who are more or especially productive. While inside an enemy castle with a small group, protecting everyone simultaneously will prove to be a difficult, if even viable option. As chaos ensues and the party fractures in different directions, stay with the faction moving towards the princess, and focus your efforts on protecting the teammate with the highest maximum vitality. Be sure to move constantly and jump often to stay elusive from enemy attacks. Always do your best to remain in the party with the most members, and move towards the goal. If part of a larger group or larger battle within the enemy's castle, a Priest should always remain on the outskirts of the battle, and should place a larger dependence on AoE healing, as targeting individuals will prove futile. Always move as you charge, and unleash the AoE heal on as many allies as possible. Once this has been performed, retreat to the outskirts immediately to repeat the process. In larger battles, specific individuals or classes cannot be prioritized for healing. Instead, the priority becomes doing the best for the greatest number--that is, saving as many teammates indiscriminately as possible. As it relates to capturing the princess and returning to the allied castle, it is imperative that a Priest allow another team member to lift the princess (unless 2 or more Priests are part of the group). Once the princess has been lifted, the only priority is to protect that individual. All other projects should be dropped instantly to support this 1 person. Use the individual heal to protect this person as soon as possible, but it is not always reasonable for a Priest to become part of an escort. Protect this carrier while protecting yourself in turn. This may mean running in front of the carrier and allowing him/her to absorb damage as you constantly heal. This may sound strange on the surface, but his/her health being replenished relies on the Priest staying alive. Therefore, allow him/her to carry, and concentrate on protecting this individual from pursuing enemies. [G.2] --------- -DEFENSE- --------- Should a Priest choose to take a defensive role, there is certainly a part to be played. Within the castle grounds, it is important for a Priest to award all other defending allies a protective bubble as often as possible, and should time permit, award bubbles to allies leaving the castle. As enemy attackers approach the castle, the Priest must remain within the castle walls at all times, but close enough to the walls to offer support. Should an especially large attacking force approach, a Priest should heal any teammates who leave the castle to engage through individual means, giving special attention to Giants and Warriors until the threat has been neutralized. Healing will prevent the defensive squad from becoming overwhelmed. Should a smaller force approach for attack, it may not be harmful to drain enemy health using the Dark Priest. However, do not neglect defending teammates, and switch to the Priest to heal any in need. In any of these scenarios, priority should always be given to enemies attacking the castle doors, or producing siege weapons. If enemies breach the castle in one way or another and make it inside the grounds, do not panic. Maintain a manageable distance from enemies within your own castle, and continue to heal allies as necessary. For smaller attacking parties, individual heals are best. For larger attacking parties, the AoE heal may take precedence. Continue to support your teammates, and allow other defenders to neutralize the threat. One should only resort to a Dark Priest if a member of the enemy team lifts the princess you are defending. If this is the case, attempt to target the individual carrying the princess, and drain his/her health away so damage-dealing allies may finish him/her off more easily. If this is not possible, the confusion aura may be a last resort option, as a successful hit will at least slow the enemy down as they carry your princess, allowing teammates a better opportunity to chase the opposing group. Regardless of the circumstance, when defending as a Priest and a threat has been neutralized, always heal allies and replace any bubbles that may have been lost. =============================================================================== [H] ******************** *HEALING PRIORITIES* ******************** As the Priest is a support class, its interactions with the other classes takes a unique approach to co-operation. Each class requires different co-operation strategies from the Priest, and have a different level of dependence on a Priest's healing to reach its maximum potential. Here, I intend to offer perspective on these issues. I have listed the classes in order of highest to lowest healing priority as my opinion perceives. [H.1] ------------------- -HELPING THE GIANT- ------------------- Of all the classes in the game, the Giant is the most reliant on healing from the Priest. As the Giant cannot stand idle to heal as every other class can, rejuvenation is always at a deficit. As well, being a melee class, the Giant will always be at the front, taking the most damage. It is imperative--particularly in offensive expeditions--that a Priest pay special attention to the Giants. Without the aid of a Priest, a Giant will face a quick demise. However, with a Priest by his/her side, a Giant can deliver unparalleled devastation. With all of these factors combined, remember that a Giant depends on you as a Priest, and is a very high priority. While the above is true, do not entertain a foolish Giant. Giant users have the unfortunate tendency to push too far forward, which attracts too much attention from too many enemies. While healing a Giant is important for a Priest, following a Giant indiscriminately in this way will merely get both players killed. Should a Giant advance outside his/her limitations, do not follow. This will be outside the Priest's limitations as well. Simply move to the next priority. [H.2] --------------------- -HELPING THE WARRIOR- --------------------- While the Giant is most dependent on the Priest, the Warrior shares a very symbiotic relationship with the Priest as well. While it's true that the Warrior has more defensive capabilities and is generally more self-reliant, it is also a fact that the class has less health. Like the Giant, the Warrior must attack at the very front, and will therefore absorb a lot of damage. For this reason, healing a Warrior is a high priority for the Priest. Like the Giant however, many Warriors fall victim to their own poor choices; pursuing enemies too far or engaging too many enemies at once are at the forefront. Should a Warrior exhibit behaviour of this kind, do not follow. A Priest cannot help when both players are surrounded. If a Warrior enters a situation teeming with peril, simply move to the next priority. It is not worth dying yourself. [H.3] ------------------ -HELPING THE MAGE- ------------------ The Mage is an interesting class as it relates to the responsibilities of the Priest. While the Mage seems like a distanced fighter on the surface, the effective nature of its area of effect (AoE) attack places it fairly close to the front lines of battle. A good Mage will enter a battle zone with an AoE charged, and will retreat to the rear of the zone when it has been unleashed. Pay close attention to the health of a Mage in retreat, as he/she is sure to have sustained damage in this assault. Be ready to heal this Mage so he/she may make another relatively safe assault. [H.4] -------------------- -HELPING THE WORKER- -------------------- In general, the Worker should be a fairly low healing priority. While its true that its 4 hearts of health does not make it particularly durable, a Worker should realistically never be close enough to the front lines to take significant damage all at once. The exception is when Workers build siege weapons. This action requires front-line exposure for the Worker, and his/her static position makes him/her very vulnerable. If an enemy engages a Worker in the process of building, support him/her with a heal if possible. However, do not get too close to danger yourself to do so, and only help in this way if there are no other immediate priorities in need of assistance. [H.5] -------------------- -HELPING THE PRIEST- -------------------- The Priest class will take damage just like any other, however, due to the enormous amount of the Priest's responsibilities to teammates, finding a free moment to stand idle and heal can be tough. Remember to help fellow Priests when possible, but also remember that they are not top priority as a good Priest should not take significant damage often. A Dark Priest's priority should fall even lower as it is simply not as productive as other classes. A different discussion however, revolves around the co-operation with other Priests. 2 Priests in a party is somewhat relieving as responsibilities can be split, and are less demanding on you specifically. However, to maximize productivity, it is important to observe how another Priest behaves. For example, if another Priest focuses mainly on individualized healing, try to focus more on AoE healing yourself to fill the void. The same principle applies if the reverse is true as well. In large battles where individual healing is not viable and all Priests adopt AoE healing methods, try to time your AoE heals in such a way as they do not overlap with any other. [H.6] -------------------- -HELPING THE RANGER- -------------------- The interactions between a Priest and Ranger should be limited to say the least. As the Ranger has 5 hearts of health, it is quite durable. Also, as the Ranger has the longest-ranged attacks in the game, it should rarely ever take enough damage to warrant a Priest's attention. The simple deduction is that the Ranger is a very low healing priority when compared to other classes. [H.7] ------------------- -HELPING THE NINJA- ------------------- Like the Ranger, the Ninja is a low priority for the Priest since the Ninja is quite capable of tending to its own needs. It certainly has the durability and speed to do so. However, one significant point about the Ninja is that it cannot be healed while in the stealth mode. So be aware of that fact in battle. [H.8] -------------------- -HELPING THE PIRATE- -------------------- It is my opinion that the Pirate is the lowest priority class in the game as it relates to necessity for healing from the Priest. Pirates have an abundance of health, attack at medium- to long range, and certainly have enough movement speed to elude danger. Unfortunately, many of the Pirate users in online games of "Fat Princess" are absolutely horrible, and sadly actually pose certain dangers and obstacles to the Priest class. To start, pay very, very close attention to the movement of nearby allied Pirates, and take specific notice of cannonball uses. Many Pirates will foolishly drop cannonballs on allies and enemies indiscriminately, and if a Priest is not careful, he/she could find him/herself caught in the targeted area--especially when the mind is pre-occupied with so many other thoughts and responsibilities. On a similar point, be prepared to heal damage inflicted on allies from friendly and enemy cannonballs alike. [H.9] ---------------------- -HELPING THE VILLAGER- ---------------------- Only heal a Villager if he/she is carrying a princess. Otherwise to that fact, do not waste your time. In fact, refuse to heal them, then laugh in their faces when they die on my behalf. [H.10] ------------------- -PUT OUT THE FIRE!- ------------------- Frequently enough in battles both large and small, teammates will be set ablaze by enemy Mages. In this matter, there is a unique attribute for a Priest to offer. Healing a flaming ally for any period of time and using any method of heal will discontinue that fire, as well as save the ally in question from the damage it would otherwise inflict. Therefore, when an ally is seen on fire, give that teammate a very quick individual heal to nullify the threat. Should many allies be set on fire simultaneously, try a very quick AoE heal to stop as many as possible. =============================================================================== [I] ********** *GLADIATE* ********** Most people view the Priest's gladiate as being the easiest of the bunch, and I would certainly agree that it is at least among the easier ones. This gladiate is unique in that the player is given his/her own squad with which to work consisting of 4 Warriors, 2 Rangers, and 1 Mage. It is important to note that the player cannot control any members of this squad, and it is imperative that the player take the time to award a protective bubble to all 7 members of the squad before entering the arena. While this step is not mandatory, it is very helpful, especially (with any luck) in the later stages. The strategy of the Priest's gladiate is fairly straight forward; keep as many allies alive as possible. This goal requires the player to observe all teammates, and offer healing to those that need it most. Generally speaking, the Warriors will require the most attention since they will engage the enemies directly. It is also significant to note that the player should take whatever opportunity he/she can in-between rounds to heal his/her allies, and award protective bubbles as time permits. More specifically, it is important to track the teammates that are being attacked directly as they will require the healing immediately. Allies who are attacked by multiple enemies will obviously require more immediate assistance than those attacked by only one. Moreover, it is important to observe the arena as a whole; not only to recognize where battles ensue and who is attacked, but also to anticipate the next skirmish, and to prepare accordingly. In all honesty, the only difficult round is the final round (12) because the player must face those large Warriors in the black armour. For much of this gladiate, the player's purpose is to provide healing and allow his/her allies to eliminate enemies. However, on round 12, the player must switch to the Dark Priest as soon as one of these large Warriors appears and drain its health. Failure to do so will undoubtedly result in the annihilation of the squad. Once these large Warriors have been slain, quickly switch back to the regular Priest and heal whomever needs it the most. Follow this strategy at the appearance of every large Warrior enemy and be rewarded with a victorious gladiate! =============================================================================== [J] *********************** *A NOTE ABOUT TROPHIES* *********************** One Priest related trophy that always seems to leave people perplexed is the one entitled 'The Dark Side' which requires the player to earn 200 kills using dark magic (from the Dark Priest). Many people question how this is possible considering the Dark Priest's drain is incapable of killing an enemy, so I will take the opportunity to clarify: In "Fat Princess", the player who deals the majority damage to a slain enemy is given credit for the kill, and awarded the resulting 10 points. As such, the individual who delivers the final blow to an enemy is irrelevant with respect to this trophy. Simply use the Dark Priest's health drain, and as long as this drain inflicts the majority of damage to the enemy in question, the player will earn the kill. Essentially, do this 200 times to earn the trophy. As well, a Dark Priest can approach an enemy with diminished health and tap the square button to swing his/her wand and deliver the lethal blow. This trophy can be earned while playing any game mode, but I find that it comes easiest while playing Team Deathmatch. =============================================================================== [K] ************* *CONCLUSIONS* ************* With so much of the Priest's complexities having now been acknowledged and discussed, this is the end of this Priest guide. It was definitely a pleasure to compose this guide, and I hope that above all else, it helps blossoming Priest users to experience their full potential. I hope these tactics and strategies are found to be useful, and I hope to see them employed by many more in future online games. Thank you for reading! ===============================================================================