Healers and tanks dont really need to reply. So, for those of you playing dps classes, why? I have a level 50 sage healer and 33 vanguard tank that I've mostly soloed. Companions help out quite a bit, and I'm curious as to why there are not more tanks and healers when the companion system makes them easier to level than in other MMO's.

 

Not putting anyone on the spot, I dont want any flaming. I am merely curious, as there is probably an issue somewhere that BW can resolve to make our game balanced, and easier to find groups.

 

So, whats keeping you guys from running tank or heals?

I find my DPS (Sent) a lot more fun to play than either my Sage/Scoundrel or Vanguard.

 

It's a lot harder, though in most cases.

DPS is much more fun. I leveled my assassin as darkness until 50. It was pretty easy but now I respecced dps. DPSing is much more engaging.

 

Although I do kind of wish I rolled as sorcerer. It seems like people love healers more than tanks and dps.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Magnijung

alot of people just dont want the responsibility of keeping groups alive and would just rather be that guy in the back attacking stuff. as dps all you have to do is stay out of stuff and pew pew and look at big numbers. I tanked for the last 10 or so years and had dps alts. With this game Im heals with dps alts. Needed a change.

I always played tank classes in the other MMORPGs I subscribed to; I wanted to do something different with SW:TOR.

Endgame you only need 1 tank. The Ops aren't that difficult. Honestly if you can beat a heroic 5 man in WoW, then you can beat the Ops in this game in Nightmare mode.

My first character is a smuggler healer. However, I'm running into problems in the second chapter with him not being able to deal enough damage, even with my companion's semi-help. My second character is a bounty hunter, and he's just more fun. And his companion is a pretty decent healer already so he rarely needs to worry about his health.

 

So I play my smuggler when I want a challenge, but my bounty hunter when I want to just blow things up. My smuggler is a great healer, and has been known to not allow anyone to die in group quests, but unfortunately, I prefer playing solo, so he doesn't use his healing as much as he could.

 

Dual-spec'ing is hard, I think. With the number of points available, you pretty much have to focus on one skill tree if you want to get the top-most skill, then spend the other 15 or so points in the first couple of rows of another tree, or spread even more thinly between the other two trees.

Some people enjoy the responibility of being really good DPS. Making sure you are doing as much damage as possible without pulling aggro, hitting your interrupts every time needed, not attacking CC'd targets, CCing targets if you can, and keeping yourself alive and easier to heal by using your own abilities and awareness.

Er.. generally dps classes are more simple and quicker to level. Stick a healer companion with them and go ape ****.

 

Once you get to max level just spec something more group orientated

Seems to be plenty of tanks/healers on my server in proportion to DPS.

 

It's an interesting change of pace for me since I used to be a healer in raiding for WoW.

 

No need to lock down one choice anyway. I've finished up all three class storylines of each archetype (merc, vanguard, marauder).

two reasons i went with a full dps class on this game:

 

1 - played a shaman forever and a freakin day till the day i quit wow , then i played a cleric in rift, im honestly tired of playing " hybrids" or healers or quasi support classes

 

2 - IA snipers are just too friggin cool to pass up, a whole different playstyle for me im enjoying it very much

I have a level 35 tank and level 23 healer (my main is DPS with level 45)

 

I like tank when playing flashpoints or in a group as it's a challenge to maintain aggro, know when to stop, when to protect, taunt, etc.

 

don't really like healer as what u do (and expected) is just to heal heal heal heal

 

Why i love the dps is well..like everyone else..more fun when you are solo-ing, quicker, and the satisfaction when u kill someone

Im a tank but i admit , i will never be as cool as a sith/jedi with 2 sabers...

Cause i can and who are you to tell me otherwise?

The perceived shortage of healers and tanks in any game based on the trinity is inherent. No game design will ever change that. BW could hand out free lvl 50 healers and tanks and it wouldn't help, They could give every class a free, always available, spec independent tank and healer tree and it still wouldn't help.

 

As long as the basic encounter mechanic is trinity-based and requires a designated tank and a designated healer, people will shy away from those roles in anonymous groups for community/social reasons, not mechanical ones. (And I stress the anon bit.. there are plenty of people willing to tank and heal for friends and guildies but not for random pugs, which is really the crux of the social issue).

 

The best you can do with game design is to not artificially limit players by adding unneeded barriers for someone who would otherwise be willing to take on these roles. And BW for the most part has done decently with that. But no game design will ever change the inherent scarcity of people willing to perform these tasks for abusive strangers.

Because I don't care so much about the role the class can play as much as I care about the class itself. I didn't choose a sniper because its a DPS class, I chose it because I liked it. Granted I play solo mostly, but even if I didn't the classes potential roles do not bother me.

 

Unless the class had only healing trees (doesn't exist in this game, just saying), in which case I would avoid it like the plague. God I hate healing.

Edited February 17, 2012 by archifikoss

I usually play tanks or healers but tanking in this game is terrible and I really couldn't be bothered with the responsibility those two roles bring. Let someone else herd the cats in a PUG.

DPS is easier for me to quantify, and therefore easier to recognize how well I'm doing, and where I can improve. Healing may also be easily quantifiable, but I find it too passive. Tanking is too dependent on instance design and encounter mechanics for my taste.

I tried healing I don't enjoy it I'm actually a really good tank but meh it bores me and I don't like the responsibility.

I actually switched from guardian to my gunslinger because I felt they were underrepresented and I like to excel with underrepresented classes. It didn't have anything to do with pure dps, though it's a role I've come to accept as it brings a different set of challenges.

 

It's fun though, that's what keeps me from going back. When I am top damage after a Huttball and the next closest is 100k behind me it keeps me from going back. Halfway through a PvP match when 4 people begin to go after me as a primary target, well, that's the warm fuzzies.

After playing a tank for many years in "that other MMO", I wanted to play DPS. Honestly, when I play DPS, I feel like I'm playing a game. When I'm tanking, there is just too much responsibility on my shoulders and it's almost like I'm more babysitting then playing a game. I rolled a Sentinel just so I could DPS and never have to worry about having to tank or heal.

The perceived shortage of healers and tanks in any game based on the trinity is inherent. No game design will ever change that. BW could hand out free lvl 50 healers and tanks and it wouldn't help, They could give every class a free, always available, spec independent tank and healer tree and it still wouldn't help.

 

As long as the basic encounter mechanic is trinity-based and requires a designated tank and a designated healer, people will shy away from those roles in anonymous groups for community/social reasons, not mechanical ones. (And I stress the anon bit.. there are plenty of people willing to tank and heal for friends and guildies but not for random pugs, which is really the crux of the social issue).

 

The best you can do with game design is to not artificially limit players by adding unneeded barriers for someone who would otherwise be willing to take on these roles. And BW for the most part has done decently with that. But no game design will ever change the inherent scarcity of people willing to perform these tasks for abusive strangers.

 

This is a great point. Tanking and healing has a lot more responsibility and is generally considered "harder". Not only that, but your mistakes are more obvious and detrimental. If a DPS screws up, it usually only means he dies. If a tank or healer screw up, it is likely a wipe. Many people simply do not want that on their shoulders, no matter what the reward is.

Healers and tanks dont really need to reply. So, for those of you playing dps classes, why? I have a level 50 sage healer and 33 vanguard tank that I've mostly soloed. Companions help out quite a bit, and I'm curious as to why there are not more tanks and healers when the companion system makes them easier to level than in other MMO's.

 

Not putting anyone on the spot, I dont want any flaming. I am merely curious, as there is probably an issue somewhere that BW can resolve to make our game balanced, and easier to find groups.

 

So, whats keeping you guys from running tank or heals?

 

I for one would love to see more people play tanks.

 

Trying to find a tank on this game is like searching for the Holy Grail. It's impossible sometimes. But to be fair this is a problem on almost every MMORPG I've played.

 

It's nice to see future MMORPGs like Guild Wars 2 moving away from this old and very flawed system of making groups overly-dependent on certain specs. So I hope that's a trend that continues and replaces this current model. I'm sick of having to spend hours finding a tank everytime I want to run something.

I stopped leveling my healer when I found out you never get a good instant heal. You never have an obvious "save the day" moment.

Exceptional tanking of an enraged boss, kiting an enraged boss and tanking when not a tank class all give major kudos. SWTOR healers don't have that chance, they are steady, long term, not flash and awe.

I think this is why WoW put some full health team heals in and many instants. Healers can make incredible saves.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I just don't see that in SWTOR and that may be one reason we see so many DPS.

Its just my cup of tea personally. I find healing to be boring and tanking isn't bad but not as fun as a role as dpsing. I like to see big numbers as well