I'm currently unsure if I should choose to go with Sage/Sorcerer, the other choice I'm going with are Commando/Mercenary. I'm aware Sage/Sorc are really good as healers but from a pvp dps stand point they lack the survivability. Please tell me they are not as bad as it may seem? Edited July 20, 2014 by RocketeerRaccoon

They're absolutely not too squishy to play....They get automatic self healing if they spec for Balance DPS, Force Armor, Force speed for quick reposition, Force Wave for pushing melee opponents back, and at level 51 you get a shield that makes you invincible while you channel, this lets your DoTs tick slowly while you heal back up (using your DoTs) or wait for someone else to heal you up. If you go full balance you get a 2 second root on a 9 second cooldown which helps you kite melee, and the list probably goes on...

 

In short, they are NOT easy kills at level 55. At level 10 when you go into PVP you will obviously explode in like two hits, but at 55 it's a completely different story due to your defensive abilities.

 

But honestly if you want to be a healer in PVP...it's probably better to go commando/merc healer now, or even better, go scoundrel/operative. Sages are better at ranged DPSing than ranged healing (at least pvp wise).

Edited July 20, 2014 by FinalArbiter

That's fine, I'm not really into healing although I usually prefer Telekinetics. Edited July 20, 2014 by RocketeerRaccoon

Honestly, its easier to kill a sage/sorc healer than a sage/sorc dps. The healers generally operate under the delusion that they can stand there and take it or that they can afford to heal someone other than themselves. Then they die.

 

Also, dont underestimate the power of force slow, either. Its a great kiting tool, especially combo'd with a punt and force speed in the opposite direction. Then you TKT/Force Lightning their face till they die. Or you get mobbed by knights or warriors. Either one.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Dras_Keto

If you get focused you will die faster than any other class unless you bubble. Then you'll last as staggering 20 seconds.

Your purpose in an arena is so melee dps have someone to jump to. Enjoy.

Your purpose in an arena is so melee dps have someone to jump to. Enjoy.

That used to be the Commando's distinct role before they introduced a few fixes to increase mobility and facilitate kiting. In addition to being squishy, the Sage advanced class feels downright clunky when pinned down by melee. This isn't helped by quirks like lag/animation delays + the truncated and direction-limited knock-back (which combined with melee snares becomes worse than useless). Granted, a well-supported Sage can perform well in PvP, but absent that support all three specs under-perform. Sages are the new Commandos in this respect. Not an actual turret class, and not an effective kiting class (absent solid team support).

Squishy? Yes. You're going to get obliterated if you try to sit there and facetank everything like a champ.

 

Solution: don't facetank stuff. Sages have some pretty good kiting tools. And, if you roll Balance, you'll be able to pretty much kite indefinitely and win the majority of 1v1s. Here's the toolset for 7/3/36 Balance PvP:

 

1. Force Armor for additional toughness.

2. You can also spec for 30% reduced damage taken during stuns. Basically if you eat a stun you can just sit it out since you will take a great deal less damage. Another toughness addition.

3. Sever Force as a 2s root. This is on a hilariously low 9s cooldown.

4. Force Slow as a snare

5. Knockback.

6. Hard stun

7. 2s stun if you spec into it (which you should for PvP)

8. Egress (which you absolutely should spec into for PvP) cleanses snares/roots off of you and makes you immune to any they try to place on you during Force Speed.

9. Small but reasonably noticeable self-heals via DoTs and FiB, which helps you sustain.

Edited August 15, 2014 by ezrafetch

I agree sage balance is not squishy at all. Unless you have to channel tk throw never stop moving.

Never give the melee a chance to lock you up.

Severe force 2 sec root is a god send when it comes to 1v1 melee. As well as force wave.

Always stay at max range if you can and dont make yourself a target by standing in the middle of the zone.

Takes some time but imo the sage will live twice as long as a mando in pvp right now.

With so many balance shadows and sages playing right now the dots kill mandos super quick.

Till they decide to allow clensing in pvp again the mando needs a pocket healer just to do good dps consistently in pvp. I do have a fully geared mando and I hate it compared to my sage.

With so many balance shadows and sages playing right now the dots kill mandos super quick. Till they decide to allow clensing in pvp again the mando needs a pocket healer just to do good dps consistently in pvp.

Or some mitigation (either passive or a defensive cool down). DoTs melt my commando pretty fast, and I observe it from the other end when I'm on my Sage. Keep moving (that goes for both) - there's only one real turret class in this game, and neither Sages nor Commandos are it.

My main is a Pyro Merc, but I just got a sage to 55... Squishy, yes, but much better at kiting.

Most people dont kite or cant kite at all. Before i started my sage i thought the class sucked because all sorcs/sages i've faced always got owned. Then i started one myself and bam, they are pretty darn good if you dont facetank everything.

Your purpose in an arena is so melee dps have someone to jump to. Enjoy.

 

That's quite it. Perfectly worded.

 

Until the opposite side is relatively newbie-ish and clueless, that is. I actually won an Arena with 2 Sages in my grou recently (me being one of both, level 25), both DPS. You cannot measure my astonishment.

Edited September 29, 2014 by AlrikFassbauer