Operative / Scoundrel Healing Guide

 

http://watchmen.activeboard.com/t50300204/sawbones-pvp-heal-guide/

 

This guide is for my fellow Swtor healers that think they may feel a calling for Sawbones Healing. It is a very rewarding class. It also is a very challenging class to gain maximum rewards. I will do my best to keep this guide clean and a easy read so you can be on your way to healer greatness.

- Morehots, Scoundrel of The Watchmen

 

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

- Must Haves Before Even Trying Sawbones

- Talent and Skill Points

- Stats

- Healing Gameplay Commentary

- Survivability Overview

- Tactics

- Conclusion and Theorycrafting

 

 

 

In conclusion just remember we are Sawbones. We do our best healing when everyone is about dead. Its a high paced, fast reacting, really fun spec to play. You just got to keep your wits and stay focused.

 

Thats it for now folks.

~Morehots.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Xinika

Nice that you put a guide together. I found that your suggestions of stats are off.

 

IMHO.

Cunning > power (always) [cunning does not have diminishing returns (cept in crit chance) and benefits from skill and sorc buff]

Surge has a fast roll off after 200. I would target to be in range of 200-300 personally.

20k buffed endurance is too high (I have a full augmented WH set and i am 18-19k buffed health). I dont try for endurance, just is what it is.

 

Not really able to comment on rest of it. I play IA and its written for smug (dont know the ability names).

Nice that you put a guide together. I found that your suggestions of stats are off.

 

IMHO.

Cunning > power (always) [cunning does not have diminishing returns (cept in crit chance) and benefits from skill and sorc buff]

Surge has a fast roll off after 200. I would target to be in range of 200-300 personally.

20k buffed endurance is too high (I have a full augmented WH set and i am 18-19k buffed health). I dont try for endurance, just is what it is.

 

Not really able to comment on rest of it. I play IA and its written for smug (dont know the ability names).

 

The part about cunning is in the guide. Don't know if you read it. When you're getting diminishing returns on your crit chance from cunning, power becomes a higher priority. I mean I guess if you want to waste points then go for it.

 

Do you play rateds? What rating? 20k is a pretty solid number to shoot for. 19k is almost the exact same number. Anything less and you're worm food.

The part about cunning is in the guide. Don't know if you read it. When you're getting diminishing returns on your crit chance from cunning, power becomes a higher priority. I mean I guess if you want to waste points then go for it.

 

Do you play rateds? What rating? 20k is a pretty solid number to shoot for. 19k is almost the exact same number. Anything less and you're worm food.

 

To be fair, the stats in the guide are off in a few places, and the most obvious is the Cunning recommendation. As Zhothon mentioned, with buffs and talents it is virtually identical to Power in healing output, but more importantly (for me) it lets you replace more crit rating with power on Mods / Enhancements while maintaining an "acceptable" crit % (won't go into the definition of acceptable since that's really very subjective).

 

Other than Augments, it is not possible to swap Cunning for Power on anything other than Mods (where it is not a 1 - 1 ratio which is why the Power mods are better), but it is possible to swap Crit for Power. So the more crit you have from Cunning, the more crit rating you can swap out for power (here the ratio is 1 - 1). I personally have 36.8% crit, but only ~240 crit rating on my gear with the other ~100 rating the guide recommends going towards Power. If I swapped out all my Cunning augments for Power, I would also need to swap out at least 2 Power enhancements for Crit enhancements, and I believe the net result would be a very small loss ... well I haven't math'd out the exact figures, but from memory I'm fairly sure that's the case.

 

Another mistake is the suggestion that you can "seek surge" instead of crit, and conversely that once you hit 425 - 450 surge rating (a number which is already too high imo) that "Power is better". Surge can never be swapped for crit or power (at least not in PVP as far as I'm aware). As an Operative Healer you are always swapping:

• Endurance <-> Cunning
  
• Crit <-> Power
  
• Surge<-> Alacrity (<-> Accuracy I suppose if you Rifle Shot a lot)
  

 

So Alacrity is your only real decision point when it comes to Surge, and in PVP Alacrity is actually a great stat to have because it makes those rare-but-essential "big" heals land a few fractions of a second faster, making interrupts more difficult and helping us to stay more mobile.

 

Outside of that it's a pretty solid guide. Personally I would include a section on the use of cover because it's just so good.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Ryemfoh

The part about cunning is in the guide. Don't know if you read it. When you're getting diminishing returns on your crit chance from cunning, power becomes a higher priority. I mean I guess if you want to waste points then go for it.

Ryemfoh has the gist of it and makes excellent points about actual gear choices.

 

There are no diminishing returns on the boost to heals or damage from cunning (same as power). However, cunning gives you the boost at a slower rate than power. So if we were looking at power/healing boost only, that would mean power > cunning?

 

Answer = wrong for 2 reasons. 1st, operatives can choose a skill that gives them 9% increase to cunning. 2nd, sorc buffs gives 5% boost to cunning (and other stats). Thats a total of 14% increase. So if you compared 100 power vs 100 cunning (on a set of equipment), you are really comparing 100 power vs 114 cunning. The difference in heal boost or damage boost between those two numbers is nearly identical. Which means power = cunning?

 

Answer = wrong. Cunning will also give you a boost to crit chance. So all things being equal, cunning gives you more for the same price when compared to power. Therefore, cunning > power (always).

 

Do you play rateds? What rating? 20k is a pretty solid number to shoot for. 19k is almost the exact same number. Anything less and you're worm food.

I do play plenty of PvP (include rated). I am used to being heavy focused, and I know its good to have endurance.

 

The point to my original stament (maybe not worded well) was that you get plenty of endurance with WH gear (and any PvP gear). I have not, will not, and don't recommend trying to get endurance, it is what it is (because it will be acceptable). If you start taking stats away to get more endurance, you will be taking away your potential to heal. I would rather have a higher healing rate (esp on surge probe) than higher endurance.

 

And PvE you really dont need to worry about endurance. Tanks will pull agro.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Zhothon

Ryemfoh has the gist of it and makes excellent points about actual gear choices.

 

There are no diminishing returns on the boost to heals or damage from cunning (same as power). However, cunning gives you the boost at a slower rate than power. So if we were looking at power/healing boost only, that would mean power > cunning?

 

Answer = wrong for 2 reasons. 1st, operatives can choose a skill that gives them 9% increase to cunning. 2nd, sorc buffs gives 5% boost to cunning (and other stats). Thats a total of 14% increase. So if you compared 100 power vs 100 cunning (on a set of equipment), you are really comparing 100 power vs 114 cunning. The difference in heal boost or damage boost between those two numbers is nearly identical. Which means power = cunning?

 

Answer = wrong. Cunning will also give you a boost to crit chance. So all things being equal, cunning gives you more for the same price when compared to power. Therefore, cunning > power (always).

 

I do play plenty of PvP (include rated). I am used to being heavy focused, and I know its good to have endurance.

 

The point to my original stament (maybe not worded well) was that you get plenty of endurance with WH gear (and any PvP gear). I have not, will not, and don't recommend trying to get endurance, it is what it is (because it will be acceptable). If you start taking stats away to get more endurance, you will be taking away your potential to heal. I would rather have a higher healing rate (esp on surge probe) than higher endurance.

 

And PvE you really dont need to worry about endurance. Tanks will pull agro.

 

Even with the 9% cunning boost, you will reach a point where cunning gives you too much diminishing returns on crit. When that point is reached, power is the better stat. Because even with the cunning boost, power still gives greater returns to heals. The only reason to take cunning at all is the crit. Once diminishing returns are in full effect, the smart move is to stack power.

 

As far as endurance is concerned it's a matter of personal taste. Competent teams will mark you and focus you down the moment you arrive on the scene. Having a few more hp to survive can make all the difference. IMO being a "glass heal cannon" isn't very effective. Having a couple hundred more heal points is not nearly as useful as surviving long enough to cast another couple of heal spells.

Even with the 9% cunning boost, you will reach a point where cunning gives you too much diminishing returns on crit. When that point is reached, power is the better stat. Because even with the cunning boost, power still gives greater returns to heals. The only reason to take cunning at all is the crit. Once diminishing returns are in full effect, the smart move is to stack power.

Incorrect. Look at the charts/equations. There is only a super gradual roll off to crit boost from cunning. You will not hit a soft cap. Also, 14% should be used, not 9% (unless you never plan on leveling an alt to get sorc buff). And as I mentioned, it is pretty negligible difference between cunning and power when taking in effect of the buffs. Difference to healing boost is about 6% between power and buffed cunning (100 pwr would give 17 bonus heal, 100 cunning would give 16 bonus heal when buffed).

 

As far as endurance is concerned it's a matter of personal taste. Competent teams will mark you and focus you down the moment you arrive on the scene. Having a few more hp to survive can make all the difference. IMO being a "glass heal cannon" isn't very effective. Having a couple hundred more heal points is not nearly as useful as surviving long enough to cast another couple of heal spells.

Glass healer? Glass heal cannon would throw away expertise for more healing power. If you use actual PvP gear, my point is you dont need to worry about endurance because you will have enough (near 19k health buffed in augmented WH). Perhaps you pull mods/armoring so you can have higher defense and more health (at the sacrifice of healing output)? I dont......to each his own I guess. With a good teammates, most IA can survive quite well (esp with tank and cross heals). Edited August 8, 2012 by Zhothon

Yay for healer discussion!

Outside of that it's a pretty solid guide. Personally I would include a section on the use of cover because it's just so good.

 

do you mean using cover to break LOS or are you talking about operative's 'take cover' ability? if you're talking about the ability to take cover, can you please expound on this because I rarely use take cover except to drop explosive probe on someone

do you mean using cover to break LOS or are you talking about operative's 'take cover' ability? if you're talking about the ability to take cover, can you please expound on this because I rarely use take cover except to drop explosive probe on someone

 

Both now that you mention it, but specifically our Crouch / Take Cover abilities. I use them a heck of a lot in PVP because they prevents pulls and charges. This is extremely useful at helping you stay "behind the lines" during pitched battles, and is also great while capping nodes. A lot of Jugg/Mara players get confused when they can't charge you, and that extra second can sometimes be enough to get the cap. I also use it quite a bit in Huttball to prevent being pulled into the pit / fire while in a receiving position. Finally it makes a great ghetto-escape when people jump on you - the range is something like 10 - 15m, which can really help.

Both now that you mention it, but specifically our Crouch / Take Cover abilities. I use them a heck of a lot in PVP because they prevents pulls and charges. This is extremely useful at helping you stay "behind the lines" during pitched battles, and is also great while capping nodes. A lot of Jugg/Mara players get confused when they can't charge you, and that extra second can sometimes be enough to get the cap. I also use it quite a bit in Huttball to prevent being pulled into the pit / fire while in a receiving position. Finally it makes a great ghetto-escape when people jump on you - the range is something like 10 - 15m, which can really help.

I never thought about using it to stop charge and pull. As a healer, I wouldnt use it often (always on the move), but there are times in Huttball where it could be useful.

 

As far as capping nodes, you can do that crouched?

wow thanks for the insights! crouch while capping = mind blown

Finally it makes a great ghetto-escape when people jump on you - the range is something like 10 - 15m, which can really help.

 

here you are referring to using the 'green man' to actually roll into cover? I took that off my hotbar, and I've just been using take cover in place. i guess i should look into using the green man for escaping. but honestly I have never seen anyone rolling into cover while in WZ's! or maybe i just haven't noticed

As far as capping nodes, you can do that crouched?

 

Yes you can crouch while capping. As a healer I use it probably more than I do as a DPS ... every time I know I'm going to be casting > 1 KInj I'll drop to cover. I only start the running game when someone decides to focus on me, and if I'm behind our lines they can't just charge straight at me which buys a second or two to get moving.

 

here you are referring to using the 'green man' to actually roll into cover? I took that off my hotbar, and I've just been using take cover in place. i guess i should look into using the green man for escaping. but honestly I have never seen anyone rolling into cover while in WZ's! or maybe i just haven't noticed

 

Yes I was referring to the little green man. It's often annoying, so I predominantly use Crouch as well, but the roll can be really great when a team is trying to focus you down. I'd suggest mapping it to the button next to your usual Crouch (I use "F" for Crouch and "G" for Roll), and use it inside normal WZ's. When 2+ people jump at you, and you know you're close enough to a roll target, just mash that button and you should get a couple yards on them. Combine with Cleanse to remove slows if possible.

here you are referring to using the 'green man' to actually roll into cover? I took that off my hotbar, and I've just been using take cover in place. i guess i should look into using the green man for escaping. but honestly I have never seen anyone rolling into cover while in WZ's! or maybe i just haven't noticed

I'm using [roll into cover] a lot and it's very effective especially in Novare Coast - at the South emplacement you can easily do a long-distance roll and crouch at the sides or near the middle and it's useful for getting a little distance between you and that pesky sentinel. My other favourite Cover spot is the upper level in Civil War mid, it just makes me giggle inside watching those knights and warriors look at me in confusion before slowly running up the ramp to me, only to get a Debilitate in the face.

 

Only place I've actually found green-man-cover problematic is the upper levels around the center in Huttball - if you're targeting an enemy who's downstairs on the level behind the acid pool, you often end up rolling down there and losing your higher-ground advantage.

Only place I've actually found green-man-cover problematic is the upper levels around the center in Huttball - if you're targeting an enemy who's downstairs on the level behind the acid pool, you often end up rolling down there and losing your higher-ground advantage.

 

Hehe - that's happened to me once or twice as well ... it's great if you're trying to get distance on someone, but really annoying if you do it by accident (i.e. most of the time). I tend to use Crouch on the Huttball catwalks around mid anyway though - I've had some weirdness with heal targets being out of LoS while crouched behind those sandbags up top - even when they're standing right in the middle of mid

 

I favour the side platforms rather than the catwalks for healing (and on my Sniper as well) .. you get a better field of view, and have access to better kiting routes. It's also a great position for receiving passes in a heavily contested match where your ball grabber can't live long enough to get the forward pass off - and by using crouch you can't be pulled back into the melee .. people either have to run around the platform or take their chances with the jump-booster randomness.

 

I should probably add that some people are learning to counter cover - Inquisitor's / Bounty Hunter's / Sniper's can use their ranged stun to knock you out of cover - but I think this is a fair trade-off since it makes them blow a fairly long CD on you, and also gives a load of resolve. Also, Obliterate still works on targets under cover, but I think the range is only 10-15m.

Regarding counters to Cover; there used to be a few Snipers on my server who kept using Diversion (smoke canister, pops target out of cover) on us healing operatives. Made me giggle every time (and mock them mercilessly on /1). OMG noes, I can't use cover for a few seconds, nooooooo I'm doooooomed.

Yes you can crouch while capping. As a healer I use it probably more than I do as a DPS ... every time I know I'm going to be casting > 1 KInj I'll drop to cover. I only start the running game when someone decides to focus on me, and if I'm behind our lines they can't just charge straight at me which buys a second or two to get moving.

Ok, question then. When in cover, you stand up when casting your KI. I just assumed that you are no longer in cover when casting, So when you are casting (and standing up), can you still get charged?

Ok, question then. When in cover, you stand up when casting your KI. I just assumed that you are no longer in cover when casting, So when you are casting (and standing up), can you still get charged?

 

No, you can't get charged, but I think you lose the damage reduction bonus if you're behind natural cover (don't quote me on this)

Am I silly? I only ever use the cover button. If I'm near something to take green-man cover in, it rolls me towards it, if not, it just crouches me in place. I guess I don't see the need in using the crouch button when cover does the same thing, doesn't it?

Am I silly? I only ever use the cover button. If I'm near something to take green-man cover in, it rolls me towards it, if not, it just crouches me in place. I guess I don't see the need in using the crouch button when cover does the same thing, doesn't it?

 

The roll isn't instant - so you can lose a second or so ... also, sometimes the little green man is out of my field of view and I roll when I don't intend to.