Ashes of Creation Bard vs Cleric Guide
Picking between Bard and Cleric comes down to how you like to help your team. Both are support-focused archetypes, but they handle it in very different ways. One keeps everyone alive, the other makes everyone stronger.
Bard vs Cleric Overview
The Cleric is your pure healer. They focus on restoring health, removing debuffs, and keeping the group alive through heavy fights. The Bard supports through buffs, stat boosts, and battlefield control, helping the team deal more damage and survive longer without direct heals.
Bard Playstyle Breakdown
The Bard is the group amplifier. They use music, rhythm, and timing to empower allies or weaken enemies. Instead of healing directly, they give buffs that increase damage, defense, or resource regeneration.
Buffs nearby allies through songs and auras
Weakens enemies with debuffs tied to performance skills
Works best in coordinated groups that can stack benefits
Can mix with Fighter or Mage to become more offensive
Bards reward awareness and timing. You’ll be watching cooldowns, energy levels, and positioning so your buffs hit the right players. In long fights, a Bard makes every other class shine brighter.
Cleric Playstyle Breakdown
The Cleric is big on restoration. They heal, cleanse, and protect through divine magic. Clerics can take a few hits too, using wards and shields to survive burst damage.
Restores HP and removes harmful effects
Uses barrier spells and healing zones for sustained support
Can hybridize into offensive sub-classes like Oracle or Templar
Focuses on resource management during longer battles
Clerics are the safety net of the group, but it is important to note that it cannot remove Burbs in combat. When things go bad, they turn a wipe into a recovery. If you prefer stability and saving your team from the brink, this is your archetype.
Which is Better
If you want to keep your team alive through heavy dungeon runs and world bosses, go Cleric. If you prefer to boost your team’s power, damage, and survivability without direct healing, go Bard.
Bard dominates in coordinated group PvP and raids
Cleric dominates in PvE and small-group survival
Both stack well together, since buffs and heals multiply team success
Final Blurb
Bard and Cleric are two sides of the same coin in Ashes of Creation. One keeps everyone healed, the other makes them unstoppable. Pick Cleric if you love clutch saves and holy light. Pick Bard if you like tactical buffs, big energy, and helping your team melt bosses faster.
FAQ
Which is easier to play
Cleric is simpler early on, Bard takes more timing and positioning to master.
Which helps more in PvP
Bard, since buffs and crowd control give huge advantages in large battles.
Can Bards heal at all
Not directly, though some augment paths may add minor healing effects later.
Can Clerics deal damage
Yes, but only moderate. They can use secondary archetypes like Fighter or Mage to add offensive options.
Which scales better for endgame
Both do, but Clerics remain mandatory for sustained groups, while Bards shine in raid-wide buff rotations.
More Ashes of Creation
