I am interested in playing a healer but my style of play is mobility. I'm not a fan of standing still and pressing one button.

 

Which class, if any, offers heals that do not require standing still and channelling.

Don't play a Mercenary.

 

Both Sorc and Operative can offer a fair amount of mobility in their healing style. Sorcerer is hands down the better healer at the moment, but if mobility is your only concern, Operatives can be good as well.

 

Sorcerer: More spells that require you to stand still and cast, but they get other mobility tools. Force Speed, movement boost after bubbling, ranged CC, and strong insta-casts in Resurgence and Static Barrier

 

Operative: Better toolkit for staying mobile, not as much of a need to stop and cast. Kolto Probe, Recuperative Nanotech, Surgical Probe, and Tox Screen can all be used on the move. However, their burst is a lot weaker and they don't have nearly as much utility.

 

I'd recommend the Sorcerer overall. Almost as good as an Operative on the move, and far far better when they get the chance to stand still and free-cast.

Edited February 1, 2012 by raelimar

Don't play a Mercenary.

 

Both Sorc and Operative can offer a fair amount of mobility in their healing style. Sorcerer is hands down the better healer at the moment, but if mobility is your only concern, Operatives can be good as well.

 

Sorcerer: More spells that require you to stand still and cast, but they get other mobility tools. Force Speed, movement boost after bubbling, ranged CC, and strong insta-casts in Resurgence and Static Barrier

 

Operative: Better toolkit for staying mobile, not as much of a need to stop and cast. Kolto Probe, Recuperative Nanotech, Surgical Probe, and Tox Screen can all be used on the move. However, their burst is a lot weaker and they don't have nearly as much utility.

 

I'd recommend the Sorcerer overall. Almost as good as an Operative on the move, and far far better when they get the chance to stand still and free-cast.

 

Don't play sorceror if you want to be a mobile healer! We have just one minor heal that is instant cast. Everything else is channeled or activated.

 

I agree it's probably the best healing class, but the OP was looking to be mobile. Sorceror certainly isn't that whilst healing.

 

To address your exact points:

 

Movement boost after bubbling is wasted skill points - why on earth would you stick 4 points in it (the first two of those 4 being utterly useless) for a minor speed boost that lasts only 3 secs?

 

Force speed, you're right, it's a damn nice skill. The CD is too long to claim it makes our class mobile though.

 

Ranged CC - Sure. Just one of our two is instant though.

 

Strong instant abilities - Resurgance isn't strong... it's a buff used for future heals. You can't heal from that ability alone. Our two main heals, Dark Infusion and Innervate, both require you to stand still to cast. And static barrier... well yes. That rules lol.

 

Sorceror is probably the best healing profession, but if you want mobility it will have to be the agent. All our significant heals, bar the static barrier, require cast times.

Edited February 1, 2012 by piethief

Thanks guys. Very helpful.

 

I play republic so I will apply your points to the sage and scoundrel.

Don't play sorceror if you want to be a mobile healer! We have just one minor heal that is instant cast. Everything else is channeled or activated..

 

I play the flip side as a Sage and I agree. The Sorc/Sage has a lot of tools and some of those include instant cast heals but those are more for topping off on the move. They wont keep a group up in a tough mobile fight.

The most mobile healer is a scoundrel/operative if we're just talking about instants. They have their instant hot(2x stackable), aoe hot, and instant heal that uses upper hand.

 

That said, a sorc can get places on the map MUCH faster and overall has WAY more utility than the other two healers...so yeah, I'd roll a sorc regardless.

I agree with some of the above. If you want a mobile healer, IA/Smuggler is the way to go. I also agree that sorc is the best healer ATM. HOWEVER, this is an MMO. If you are planning on playing for a while, play the class you want, not the one thats currently best. With Nerf/buff cycles in MMOs, todays best is tomorrows worst. Unless you want to re-roll, or make one of each and play the currently OP one, then play what you want and make the best of it IMO.

Don't play a Mercenary.

 

Both Sorc and Operative can offer a fair amount of mobility in their healing style. Sorcerer is hands down the better healer at the moment, but if mobility is your only concern, Operatives can be good as well.

 

Sorcerer: More spells that require you to stand still and cast, but they get other mobility tools. Force Speed, movement boost after bubbling, ranged CC, and strong insta-casts in Resurgence and Static Barrier

 

Operative: Better toolkit for staying mobile, not as much of a need to stop and cast. Kolto Probe, Recuperative Nanotech, Surgical Probe, and Tox Screen can all be used on the move. However, their burst is a lot weaker and they don't have nearly as much utility.

 

I'd recommend the Sorcerer overall. Almost as good as an Operative on the move, and far far better when they get the chance to stand still and free-cast.

Ops need some love from devs, their utility when comparing with sorc are inferior, something need to be done with it, maybe they need better burst healing or maybe better shields, unique bufs ect. But now I hear some guilds didn't take OP healers in their ranks, maybe their recruitment policy is unfair, and their leaders are snobbish pigs, but this thing can't be possible if there were nothing wrong with OP healing. Edited February 1, 2012 by Urukkhan