No, actually, I stack Str if I have a choice, as far as secondary stats, I would value Power > Crit > Surge > Accuracy.

Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more with most of the posts here. Get her a full set of orange gear, balance out her endurance, while keeping strength just a slight bit higher and make sure you either make her blue mods/Armor mods and let the DPS fly. I'm not healing specked so maybe that is why I can utilize her so easily. Put a static shield on her, send her in, lightning storm, add another shield to her, use your chain lightening proc and bam, it's over.

 

This worked from the moment I got her to lv50, although with some adjustments to my rotation, (hadn't aquired lightening storm yet, at least i don't think i had) and we can take on anything. I have trouble with 2 silver strongs, but that has nothing to do with Ashara, they destroy Khem all the same; so I just cc one, turn off Ashara's AOE, burn one down and then the other.

 

Ashara for me is a great tank, with awesome DPS; especially after you get her the hilts from belsavis dailies. Does she lose aggro? Absolutely, but I have my static shield up, and enough HP to handle the mobs till their dead. If that isn't an option, I bubble, knock back, cloud mind and let her beat on them longer.

 

The only time I can actually say that I've died with Ashara is when a group of unexpected adds has shown up. Other than that I'm soloing all +2 heroics, and happy. Try out the tips I gave you, I think you will be suprised. Making your own armor mods is nice, but not necessary. Buy her good armor mods with commendations; you can try the GTN, but usually anything useful on there is so overpriced that I refuse to buy it.

 

Anyway, just my two cents. I leveled all the way to 50 using only Ashara once she was available, and it's been smooth sailing.

This is more about playstyle than which companion is better.

 

From a madness sorc's perspective:

 

Ashara can't hold aggro but does awesome single target dps. This lends to a playstyle that focuses on cc's and fast kills, one target at a time.

 

Khem holds aggro extremely well and will get the mobs all bunched for aoe. Throw a bubble on him and cleave the living **** out of packs.

 

Both options work, just pick the one you personally like best.

 

I prefer Khem myself, together we have a tank/dps/healer all rolled into a well oiled death machine. I just like the synergy.

I use her as my main companion. But I play Assassin, tank role and I don't want her to have aggro.

 

Her dps is quite good, though she has no sense about where to stand and just insists on moving to in front of the mob and eating conal aoe.

I have a 41 Sorc, I geared Ashara up with leftover comms from Taris and Hoth, she puts out a ton of dps. Anytime I get useless customizable gear I strip the pieces that will improve her and slap em in where they are an improvement. I figure I can keep her up to speed and very useful doin it this way.

I used Ashara exclusively from when I got her to about mid way through Corelia (when I brought Xalek out for a change). I levelled as a Madness specced sorcerer and Ashara was perfect. She's not a tank though, so you have to adjust your play style accordingly, which means against strongs and elites, you send her in first to grab the initial aggro. With bubbles on yourself and Ashara, outside the tough fights you shouldn't need to dish out much healing, just focus on single target dps and renewing her bubble.

 

When I hit 50, I found myself using Xalek more, mainly because he was very easy to gear up with my hand me downs, and he made Section X dailies a bit safer. Now I've got HK-51, so Ashara probably won't see much action.

 

I dislike levelling with a tank, as it's just too slow, and using a healer companion when I'm a sorcerer would be pointless.

Well, reading this thread i've come a bit worried about how I've used and geared Ashara. My SI is an assasin tank and i've always used Andronikos, he's really a death machine, at least in my case, but Ashara has been disappointing ever since i got her. Seein what most of you say of her dps, there must be something i've been doing wrong. Do you think I should have foccused on gearing her up, the moment i got her?, I tried at the beginning, but Andronokos was so overwhelmingly superior i just gave up.

Well, reading this thread i've come a bit worried about how I've used and geared Ashara. My SI is an assasin tank and i've always used Andronikos, he's really a death machine, at least in my case, but Ashara has been disappointing ever since i got her. Seein what most of you say of her dps, there must be something i've been doing wrong. Do you think I should have foccused on gearing her up, the moment i got her?, I tried at the beginning, but Andronokos was so overwhelmingly superior i just gave up.

 

use what works for you. Heck, I'm a tank assassin and still like running with Khem. I have to do most of the work, but he takes most of the damage. I'll change out if needed, but rarely see the need...

I have lvl 38 Sorc/healer and I like Ashara more then Khem. Never used Andronikus, he sucks for me. Khem makes things easier, he supplements my squishy healer in almost perfect way. I can do all 2+ and lot of H4 alone with him.

 

BUT Ashara makes the game more fun as with Khem it's just boring clicking on the DoT over and over again with bubble and some heal in the meantime. Ashara with her lousy endurance (I just got her, still need to pump her up) and zero ability to hold aggro forces me to think at least a little during combat. She makes game harder, but faster and more fun.

Ashara is the best companion for a sorc, dps or healer. She puts out the same dps as Andronikos but has the advantage of being melee -- at least advantageous for a sorc.

 

This is especially good for the OWPvP encounters. As a sorc, it is not that great to have another ranged helper, it only makes you an easier target to pick. As a ranged class you would want a partner that is in the opponents face, slowing them, doing awesome damage and distracting from targeting you at range -- she does this job perfectly.

 

Also, most of the time you will be standing right next to a ranged companion, which means drawing aggro from mobs is them simply turning around. If you lose aggro to Ashara, the mobs have 30m of distance to walk towards you. That gives you time to slow, root, heal, bubble, whatever.

 

She will not hold aggro as great as the tank pets it you're talking PvE, but once you get her geared out she takes damage quite well and most mobs are dead before they have a chance to change target to you. My Ashara is now sitting at over 22k health, about 900 bonus force damage, high crit, decent accuracy and she just obliterates things. Highly recommended companion, been using her since launch... only used Khem in beta, he always seemed broken.

 

As a deception assassin I use Talos. I'm always on full health and all the dps I need is my own.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Monterone

i'm a Madness sin who likes being paired with Force users, and got sick of Khem's gurgling speech, but there's an annoying bug in the game where her sabers are sheathed but not withdrawn, and the buzzing noise is just incessant. and the points i'm accumulating during cutscenes are not adding up. could it be because i'm Dark 2?