I'm gonna go all the way with this character, I really like the story for Imperial Agent and I have just finished hutta with all quests done but one trivial one. I am about to choose my advanced class, and I want final advice on what I should choose. Operative or Sniper? I had originally chosen to be an operative before I got to this point, but what will benefit me the most in the long run at 50? I think I'd rather do PvE with raids n such, but I'm new to MMO's. What class will be most useful to groups, and so on?

Well if you want to ALWAYS be wanted by groups become an operative and go the healing route. I personally like Sniper's more so that's what I went.

How tough is it to heal for a newbie like me?

How tough is it to heal for a newbie like me?

 

No idea, how good of a player are you?

 

That's really an impossible question to answer. If you are a good player than you will be a good healer. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but your question cannot really be answered.

This is my first MMO, I'm willing to learn though, I can understand most everything talked about on here, it's just a bit of a learning curve. I've been an avid FPS gamer and some RTS so I should be fine I think....I've gotten a BH to 17, a JK to 14 and now my IA is 11.

Generally Snipers are a lot more wanted for raids than DPS Operatives.

 

While leveling and running dungeons healers are in huge demand so if you go healer you'll never be in shortage of groups but in raiding it's hard to compare demand. Operative healers are pretty much the rarest type in the game so there won't be that much competition.

This is my first MMO, I'm willing to learn though, I can understand most everything talked about on here, it's just a bit of a learning curve. I've been an avid FPS gamer and some RTS so I should be fine I think....I've gotten a BH to 17, a JK to 14 and now my IA is 11.

 

My word of advice to you is, QUESTION. If you are serious about being a good healer, do your homework, make sure you understand the mechanics and nuances of the class. Talk to other Operative healers and pick their brains. I play a Sniper, and I'm constantly talking to other DPS, and reading the Sniper forums just looking for new insight on how to become a better player.

 

Most bad players are bad because they either A. don't realize they're bad (I feel bad for them) or B. don't care enough to try and learn.

 

 

 

 

Operative healers are pretty much the rarest type in the game so there won't be that much competition.

 

Operative DPS is much rarer. Snipers + Operative DPS are the rarest agents. Almost all of the Ops I see are heals. Though I guess it might depend on server...

Edited February 20, 2012 by Xizari

Pick sniper. Operative would get you more groups as you level up (whether you need to do flashpoints as you level up is another discussion) but at end game you'll see snipers are really rare and wanted. Operative healing in raids is problematic and generally not preferred whereas sniper DPS is much coveted.

Going Medic Operative isn't that bad. I've a 40 medic/operative and I handle things just fine. It's not like it's impossible to do a medic right. It just comes down to energy management and understanding how the heals work off each other. And once you get surgical probe it becomes fairly simple to keep people alive. It's not that complicated once you get the hang of TA and how to trigger it.

 

It's about energy management, energy management, energy management.

 

Also, be prepared not to be dealing damage during FPs or Heroics. you let others do that and you keep them alive. It's fun, actually, at least for me.

If your focus is PvE and you don't want to feel sub-par at best or a burden on the group at worst, go Sniper.

 

As far as PvE is concerned, everything the current* Operative can do (be it DPS or healing) can be done better by another class.

 

*Note: There are supposedly improvements, at least for healing, on the way for the March content update.

 

The same goes for PvP with the exception of burst opening from stealth. However, at endgame that burst opener is not strong enough to kill anyone that isn't already low or currently being attacked by someone else. In other words, you're good at assisting in kills, but every other class with better sustained damage and better survivability/mobility is just as good if not better at it. They just don't all have stealth.

Going Medic Operative isn't that bad. I've a 40 medic/operative and I handle things just fine. It's not like it's impossible to do a medic right. It just comes down to energy management and understanding how the heals work off each other. And once you get surgical probe it becomes fairly simple to keep people alive. It's not that complicated once you get the hang of TA and how to trigger it.

 

It's about energy management, energy management, energy management.

 

Also, be prepared not to be dealing damage during FPs or Heroics. you let others do that and you keep them alive. It's fun, actually, at least for me.

 

Don't listen to this guy... don't listen to anyone who isn't max level talking about how great Operative, or about the keys to successful healing. Operative has significant difficulty healing endgame. There will be times when you will feel really good about your heals, and then there will be times where you wonder if the other healer in the Op is just picking up your slack.

 

It's when the fights become toughest that you will really see the cracks in Op healing. Yeah, if you're good enough and you've got a good enough group you should be able to pull through, but not before seeing how stretched then you are when compared to your co-healer. This is especially obvious in parts where the whole raid is taking damage, like the descent on Soa. You'll be frantically trying to keep everyone as healed as possible while keeping your energy, "managed."

 

On a positive note, it is one of the things I like about Op healing. Even though it's due to our comparative weakness as a class, I do tend to enjoy the frantic pace when I'm trying desperately to keep the group up. It's definitely more challenging, and perhaps even more rewarding, despite the fact that I'm the only one in the raid who realizes it.