>.>

 

So, I'll go ahead and admit that I haven't finished the instance-- not for lack of trying but for lack of opportunity (everyone on my server seems to have cold feet).

 

My question is, are there any tips for a merc healer in LI HM? Specifically, I am having some trouble keeping up with the second boss (Sav-Rak). His mechanics are not difficult by any stretch of the imagination; however, I cannot seem to keep up with the damage he is putting out. I'm in more-or-less full Rakata gear (missing an implant and earpiece) and find myself overheating (oom) pretty much right after phase 2 ends. I want to say that it's the group splitting up to toggle the buttons and not being able to throw down my area heal that is really killing me. I'm doing pretty much everything I can think of and it just never seems to be enough. I mean, I'm not a bad player (and I'm not the best either), but the damage being produced out paces me beyond phase 2.

 

Anyways, any and all help (real information, not opinions) with each boss would be awesome and much appreciated.

Undoubtedly some people will stop in here to tell you that it's super easy and you should L2P, or that it's the easiest boss in the instance, blah, blah, blah.

 

Sav-Rak is very tough on healers, end of story. Sages/sorcs definitely have an upper hand here, and ironically enough it's because of resources. The fight, on the whole, doesn't really last long enough for resource depletion to be a major issue, so a Sage/Sorc can basically throw caution to the wind and abuse the initial size of their resource pool to heal through.

 

All you can really do is make sure that your party does what they can to avoid unnecessary damage. When Sav-Rak jumps back down from the pipe phase, get everyone to stay spread out until the tank picks him back up, or you all risk eating a cleave that applies a bleed DOT. If you have ranged DPS, get the group to stay well spread; this stops Voracious Rot from bouncing around the group and will ease the healing burden.

 

He may also do the cleave that applies a DOT after everyone comes down from smash; if you're near the tank you can CC break to get back on your feet instantly and get away (although that's a one-time trick, effectively).

Edited May 27, 2012 by Aurojiin

Something you MIGHT consider doing is popping a buffed up aoe heal on the group just before the air phase. It won't make a huge ginormous difference, but it SHOULD help alleviate some of the dmg you have coming in during that phase. It IS a lot of dmg. As far as resources are concerned, I would focus on optimizing your cooldown management & heat efficiency--a lot of times it SEEMS like there's a lot more dmg going out than there is and so you throw efficiency to the wind. Try seeing if there are more efficient ways for you to get the job done. Sometimes even just keeping in mind that it's better to have a bar at 90% than overheal it to 120% when you're talking efficiency is enough.

Edit: Wrong boss.

 

Have the group stack on top of the boss for the entirety of the fight. Keep Kolto Shell on the tank and just use Kolto Missile on the group (while using RS on the tank). More than enough for everyone to stay at full HP.

 

As a healer, YOU don't click one of the terms. Just watch whoever he is hitting. If they get a bit low, its ok, b/c you are going to be AoE healing (KM) as you stack back up on top of the boss when he lands.

 

Easy day.

Edited May 27, 2012 by snwmnx

I'm pretty sure we're talking about different fights While I'm sure your advice for LR-5 is fantastic, the OP originally asked about Sav-Rak (the pipe boss).

 

As somebody with experience healing on a merc in that instance, do you have any particular strategies that might help there? I know I personally have some experience healing on a merc, but never in Lost Island

 

Edit: Nevermind, you caught yourself lol Your original information was really useful for people looking through for information though.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Inzi

Undoubtedly some people will stop in here to tell you that it's super easy and you should L2P, or that it's the easiest boss in the instance, blah, blah, blah.

Just like any heal-intensive fight, people that say it's "easy" have never healed it before. If healer is doing their job, no one notices since no one is dead.

 

However, there are a lot of things players can do to make things easier on the healer, I've noticed that a lot of times people ignore mechanics on this fight thinking they can just tank and spank it and the healer will do all the work for them. Make sure players aren't passing around the Voracious Rot, make sure players aren't standing in the cleave (Which can be really easy to do considering he can cleave after his stomp), and finally and most importantly, make sure all three other players are getting to the panel ASAP and hitting it at the same time immediately, NOT just whichever one Savrak is on.

Edit: Wrong boss.

 

Have the group stack on top of the boss for the entirety of the fight. Keep Kolto Shell on the tank and just use Kolto Missile on the group (while using RS on the tank). More than enough for everyone to stay at full HP.

 

As a healer, YOU don't click one of the terms. Just watch whoever he is hitting. If they get a bit low, its ok, b/c you are going to be AoE healing (KM) as you stack back up on top of the boss when he lands.

 

Easy day.

 

This might seem to be a good strategy, but that jumping DOT that he throws out gets to be a bit much. Also, since no other guide out there wants to focus on this kind of stuff-- Which debuffs are able to be cleansed? I don't have much in the way of spare heat to toss around-- but a prompt Cure can save on damage later on.

 

P.S. Bioware-- please make debuffs easier to see! Tiny debuff icons in the raid frame just aren't cutting the cheese. Maybe being able to turn buffs off in the raid frame so that you can make debuffs bigger? Also, anyone else having trouble with this?

This might seem to be a good strategy, but that jumping DOT that he throws out gets to be a bit much. Also, since no other guide out there wants to focus on this kind of stuff-- Which debuffs are able to be cleansed? I don't have much in the way of spare heat to toss around-- but a prompt Cure can save on damage later on.

 

P.S. Bioware-- please make debuffs easier to see! Tiny debuff icons in the raid frame just aren't cutting the cheese. Maybe being able to turn buffs off in the raid frame so that you can make debuffs bigger? Also, anyone else having trouble with this?

The incinerate debuff on the droid and the poison stacks on the Doctor need to be cleansed. It can be difficult to see but you get used to it. You'll notice it in the upper right hand corner of the health bar (Buffs appear on the left IIRC). After a while you get the hang of seeing what it is that needs to be cleansed. The poison stacks you can wait since the damage is negligible until they get multiple stacks, but incinerate needs to be cleansed as soon as you see it.

 

Players should NOT be stacking on the boss at all times - not only because of the Rot but because if they're even slightly off with positioning they'll get hit by cleave. And honestly, how difficult is it to move in whenever you see big red letters flashing on your screen?

Edited May 27, 2012 by hulkweazel

I know it seems like a no brainer but also make sure your dps/tank are using certain cooldowns to help. I usually use my Kolto overload HoT on myself for the first jump and then Energy Shield on the 2nd, and whatever else I have (Adrenal etc)

 

Likewise if one of the dps are already <75% before he jumps up, have them use a medpac if needed. Them managing their personal cooldowns for each pipe phase cna make your life a bit easier. Best of luck

I know it seems like a no brainer but also make sure your dps/tank are using certain cooldowns to help. I usually use my Kolto overload HoT on myself for the first jump and then Energy Shield on the 2nd, and whatever else I have (Adrenal etc)

 

Some tanking Juggernauts don't use Enraged Defense because they're afraid of the deaggro, but after Sav-rak jumps onto the pipe is the perfect time for it.

All you can really do is make sure that your party does what they can to avoid unnecessary damage. When Sav-Rak jumps back down from the pipe phase, get everyone to stay spread out until the tank picks him back up, or you all risk eating a cleave that applies a bleed DOT. If you have ranged DPS, get the group to stay well spread; this stops Voracious Rot from bouncing around the group and will ease the healing burden.

 

This is the best advice for this fight. If the dps or I take much damage during the other phases, I almost always fall behind during the pipe spitting phase. Make sure your group is aware he does a frontal cone and the dot that spreads if people are too close. A lot of people seem to think if it's not an operation, they don't need to pay much attention to what the boss is doing cause we'll just heal them.

Just like any heal-intensive fight, people that say it's "easy" have never healed it before. If healer is doing their job, no one notices since no one is dead.

 

I've healed it and, honestly, I found it much less intense than either LR-5 or the DPS race at the end of Lorrick. Then again, I also found the bonus boss very comfortable. With an Infiltration Shadow as DPS and a Columi-geared tank, no less. I'm trying to think what advice I could give but it is quite straight forward for a healer. Stand towards the middle in the quadrant without a console and heal. Don't overheal, wait until people have lost more than your crit heal amount before healing them - there aren't any damage spikes that do 10k+ so you can afford to let people take a bit of damage first. Make sure your rotation is resource-efficient. Really, the biggest thing is 'don't get thrown into the lava.'

I've healed it and, honestly, I found it much less intense than either LR-5 or the DPS race at the end of Lorrick.

Sav-Rak has a certain baseline requirement for healing throughput that the other bosses don't necessarily have depending upon how well your party members execute.

 

I've said this before, and I stand by it: the healing burden on LR-5 is a joke if your group executes the mechanics intelligently. He hits the tank for much less than the opening miniboss, experimental cannon isn't remotely a threat, the adds all hit for about 80 (lol) and the lava grates only cause serious damage if you persistently stand in them. When executed correctly, this fight is nothing more than a casual exercise in topping up health bars. If this requires more of you than Sav-Rak, in all honesty you must have idiot party members.

 

The DPS race at the end of Lorrick is just as dependent on your DPS output (by definition) as your own healing. When I first cleared this instance it was down to the wire. These days I DPS Lorrick as well out of boredom. Sav-Rak still requires effort.

Edited May 28, 2012 by Aurojiin

Definitely, the first boss is a joke if you execute the right strategy for your group. In my case we had a Jugg tank, two sorc dps, and myself as merc healer. We just let the tank post up in the middle, slow-dancing with the boss, while the dps and I stayed together so we could control where the Energy Coils landed (we used a simple grid system with four predetermined spots that we'd rotate through). The only snag we had was that towards the end of the encounter the Coils would drop more frequently, so one or two ended up clipping the tank (no real problem since our tank-- my guild's raid team's main tank no less-- has great field vision and awareness).

 

So, to keep things moving along... What about Doc Lorrick? I understand the need to cleanse the poison debuffs and have everyone more-or-less topped off once phase 2 starts (no point starting a dps race with broken ankles), but are there any other things that I should be wary of or give special consideration to?

 

Oh yeah, a little more wishful thinking on my behalf-- anyone think it'd be sexy if Supercharged Gas removed the CD from Cure? I don't think it'd be especially game-breaking, and could retain its heat cost so that things stay balanced. Or, if one wanted it to be game-breaking, make Cure an AOE cleanse during Supercharged Gas and make some percentage of all the merc's heals come back as self-healing (I'm just a poor ex-priest missing Mass Dispel and Binding Heal).

So, to keep things moving along... What about Doc Lorrick? I understand the need to cleanse the poison debuffs and have everyone more-or-less topped off once phase 2 starts (no point starting a dps race with broken ankles), but are there any other things that I should be wary of or give special consideration to?

Phase 3 is the true DPS race. Use phase 2 to get positioned with your backs against the door you came in so that you can avoid knockbacks. Your own knockbacks will deal with the adds until you burn Lorrick to 10% to start phase 3.

 

Tell your DPS to interrupt Flurry of Bolts in the first phase and Ravage in the second phase (the latter being much more important).

This might seem to be a good strategy, but that jumping DOT that he throws out gets to be a bit much. Also, since no other guide out there wants to focus on this kind of stuff-- Which debuffs are able to be cleansed? I don't have much in the way of spare heat to toss around-- but a prompt Cure can save on damage later on.

 

P.S. Bioware-- please make debuffs easier to see! Tiny debuff icons in the raid frame just aren't cutting the cheese. Maybe being able to turn buffs off in the raid frame so that you can make debuffs bigger? Also, anyone else having trouble with this?

 

It doesn't "seem" like a good strategy, it *IS* a good strat. I *HAVE* healed this. I *DO* think it is among the easiest fights in that Flashpoint. That strategy *DOES* work.

 

I do not understand what particular part of the fight you are having trouble with to be honest...

Well, snwmnx, as I explained earlier-- my troubles with Sav-Rak are that I find myself overheating after the first go of the second phase. Game mechanics such that they are right now, mercs have a very rigid window within which only certain heals can fit (no less how restricted our AOE is).

 

Anyways, I'd like to hear your stacking up strategy. How are you getting big enough heals out of your Kolto Missile (I'm usually seeing 1.5-2.7 heals out if in full rakata)? Since that debuff is going to more-or-less be on everyone constantly, how are you managing the heat costs of spamming Rapid Scan?

 

Aurojin, is there any limitations that should be placed on those interrupts? For example, in the LR-5 encounter, Incinerate is usually left to the tank while Plasma Arc is best left to the dps. Also, that would be my mistake in calling Phase 2 the dps race-- not having done that fight yet I completely forgot the Burning Rakghouls phase.

Aurojin, is there any limitations that should be placed on those interrupts? For example, in the LR-5 encounter, Incinerate is usually left to the tank while Plasma Arc is best left to the dps. Also, that would be my mistake in calling Phase 2 the dps race-- not having done that fight yet I completely forgot the Burning Rakghouls phase.

In a word, no. Interrupting Flurry of Bolts in the first phase is just a quality of life measure; it's not something you can't heal through, it just relieves a bit of pressure.

 

Interrupting Ravage in the second phase is fairly important. It's about a 6 second cast, and will immobilize a player and do heavy damage (problematic if you, the healer, are the victim). Between the tank and two sorc DPS it should be covered. You can CC break to get free, although (iirc) you will keep taking damage until it is interrupted.

Edited May 28, 2012 by Aurojiin

Well, snwmnx, as I explained earlier-- my troubles with Sav-Rak are that I find myself overheating after the first go of the second phase. Game mechanics such that they are right now, mercs have a very rigid window within which only certain heals can fit (no less how restricted our AOE is).

...

 

*Keeping Kolto Shell on the tank at all times*

 

DPS Phase

*Group Stacked On Boss

*This should keep your group at or near max HP while leaving you at or near zero resource going into the next phase.

1.) Kolto Missile

2a.) Tank < 80% HP = Healing Scan

2b.) Tank > 80% HP = Rapid Shot

3.) Rapid Shot

4.) Rapid Shot

5.) Repeat

 

Button Phase

*You in center with group pressing buttons

*Use single target heals and, if you are in real trouble, hit Super Charged Gas.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

I'm not currently spec'd bodyguard so I can't compare my Kolto Missile hits / crits, but my Rapid Scan crits for ~6500 and my Rapid Shots crit for ~450 per tick (higher if the target has talents to increase healing received).

 

Maybe the misunderstanding is the fact that both Rapid Shots and Rapid Scan can be abbreviated to RS and you took me to mean the later that costs loads of heat and is impossible to spam.

 

Kolto Shell + Kolto Missile + Rapid Shots does more than I think most really think it does. I can keep the tank at full health (as long as he interrupts incinerate) on the droid boss in LI with ONLY those three skills. Easily. At least until the boss' last 10% HP (his soft enrage).

 

Honestly, the biggest problem with Sav'Rak (IMO) is server sync issues - someone will see themselves at one position and the server sees them in another which knocks them off when they really should not be.

Kolto Shell + Kolto Missile + Rapid Shots does more than I think most really think it does. I can keep the tank at full health (as long as he interrupts incinerate) on the droid boss in LI with ONLY those three skills. Easily. At least until the boss' last 10% HP (his soft enrage).

Ahhhh. I finally understand why you perceive Sav-Rak to be a relatively easy fight in LI.

 

LR-5's enrage is time-based, not percentage based. I never see it, ergo my perception that healing LR-5 is such a joke compared to Sav-Rak.

I've never done this fight on my healer (a commando), but I've tanked it many times with both a scoundrel and a sage healer. The scoundrel normally puts up numbers competitive with the sage in nightmare modes, even including Salvation, so he's no slouch. Even he has trouble keeping up in the button pressing phase of Sav-Rak.

 

According to him though, the trick is to simply allow yourself to burn out of energy. You have to heal faster than you can regen in that phase. It sucks, but there's no other choice. The good news is that the healing is fairly light throughout the rest of the fight, provided your tank is doing a good job, so you can use that time to catch up on regen even without popping a cooldown. Sages and scoundrels have a leg up here because of their superior AoE, but I can still absolutely see a commando/merc healer being able to get through this fight.

Edited May 29, 2012 by KeyboardNinja

According to him though, the trick is to simply allow yourself to burn out of energy. You have to heal faster than you can regen in that phase. It sucks, but there's no other choice. The good news is that the healing is fairly light throughout the rest of the fight, provided your tank is doing a good job, so you can use that time to catch up on regen even without popping a cooldown. Sages and scoundrels have a leg up here because of their superior AoE, but I can still absolutely see a commando/merc healer being able to get through this fight.

I don't think your scoundrel would have enjoyed the last group I ran with Our DPS pushed Sav-Rak so hard he did back-to-back pipe phases; literally, the moment he returned to the platform he leapt straight back up and repeated.

 

Your scoundrel's comments basically agree with what I said earlier: Sages have the advantage not just because of their AOE but because the fight is short enough that despite their less-than-forgiving regen mechanics they can abuse the initial size of their resource pool with impunity.

90% of the damage that gets taken in this fight is because people don't understand how the debuff works.

 

Every time that he casts his debuff he puts it on one person. It looks like a pile of poo for lack of better description. This debuff is "contagious" meaning it can spread to other members of your team IF you do not handle it properly. The debuff has a 15 meter "jump" range. so as long as you keep your people spread out at least 15 meters from each other only one person will be taking the damage from the dot. IF you have a melee in there with your tank that will probably be just fine. as it is still only 2 people.

 

For the pipes phase you should have your tank run to the middle pillar and dps take the other two so you can keep healing while he is doing his king kong routine.

 

other than that make sure you stand right on top of him for his pounces and it is rinse repeat.

 

Ask for any more info if you need it. but the biggest thign is handling the dot well. if it is not handle right then it will just keep spreading around and you will never lose it meaning you ahve a 2k dot on everyone for the whole fight.

my biggest problem is the pipe phase where pretty much everyone drops to around 20% health. the contaguious dot or whatever neve occured to me since i like to keep people stacked for aoe heals anyway.

I think the contagion dot was what was really killing me too, plus playing the Nervous Mother Hen role-- "no, no one takes any damage and we all stay topped off." Bad triage healing on my part.

 

Anyways, I've got my weekly LI run coming tomorrow and I plan to kick Sav-Rak's butt. Any other tips for Dr. Lorrick, or is it still just stack up near the entrance door for the burning rakghouls phase and interrupt ravage?