In PvE, you're useless on your own, but unless your team did one massive woopsie, you've pretty much made them an unstoppable force. And they'll find it extremely easy, too! So, for that you must be wary of where the mobs are, where the invaders are and where your friends are. However, it is more than just following them around, for the second you start healing, you're screaming out your importance, and a smart invader will take you out first. If you have a group, you are more than likely going to help gank poor invaders, keeping your allies alive whenever they take damage, thus allowing them to push the attack. Curl in a ball and pray for the end to be swift. In PvP, you best hope you've got a group with you, because if you haven't, you're dead.
If you're running out of heals, your allies are dying too fast. You will also get 350 FP, and with the Crown Dusk Ring, Soothing Sunlight will cost 60fp, allowing you to cast it Five times before needing to Estus up, if you don't account for regen. However, when you cast a heal spell, your usefulness is shown.
Or, if you're like me, you leave it on for the sesne of style and P U R I T Y which is also pretty neat. If you remove the hood of the maiden set, you will get below 30% on your equipment load, thus allowing you to fast roll away from trouble. It is up to your allies to make sure you do not die, and it is up to you to make sure they do not die either. It may sound absolutely useless, being a one shot with no damage to throw out, but it really just puts the emphasis on co-op. However, if you're having trouble with people staying close, or you're getting the range of your heal spell wrong, the Sacred Chime of Filianore extends that range, and with soothing sunlight, you really cannot go wrong, For a difference of 46, that can be a few hundred in health. My +10 Yorshka's Chime (To now be referenced as YC) has a spellbuff of 251, whilst my +10 Sacred Chime of Filianore (To now be referenced as CoF) has 205. There, it will depend on what you want more of: Healing, or range. Go for whatever gives you the highest spell buff, until you get Yorshka's or the Sacred Chime of Filianore. The choice of chimes rely depends on your luck and what's available. The Priestess Ring is for that extra faith bonus, giving you a total of 70 Faith to account into healing. Before I aquired it, I had failed to save a few hosts, due to the cast time. The Sage Ring is for the critical moments where you need to get your spell off, and fast. However, at higher, or most levels in general, the mobs will be able to one shot you, even without this ring, thus, it isn't much of a sacrifice. The Dusk Crown ring also helps with this, reducing FP consumption at the price of reducing your health to half.
Though slow, the two of them can provide a decent amount, and if you ration it and communicate with your summoner, you would be able to clear through an entire level with more than enough to keep everyone alive during the boss battle. However, it is the simple daggers that should make your primary FP regeneration. Going purely for Ashen Estus, and with the Ashen Estus Ring, allows you to put a whole lot more heals down on the table. The massive amounts of attunement and faith, means you will be able to heal people quite often and for a lot of it, too. She is focused on healing and nothing else, and shouldn't ever be expected to fight. The Saint of the Sun is my current build for my Saint Irenia, who is purely a healer. In Dark Souls it was no different, and I recall rushing for the miracles that could heal others constantly.
I've always been a fan of healers, and quite agree that a medic is your best friend. Rings: Dusk Crown Ring, Sage Ring, Ashen Estus Ring, Priestess RingĬhimes: Yorshka's Chime or Sacred Chime of FilianoreĪrmour/Attire: Maiden Set (Remove hood for <30% equip load) Miracles: Soothing Sunlight, Bountiful Sunlight, Sacred Oath, Tears of Denial, Force "With the world so set on tearing itself apart doesnt seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together" Pure Co-Op build, mostly for PvE and at a stretch, group PvP.