I'm currently a sniper, I love it. the empire is... interesting. I usually play the 'underdog' side in MMOs because I like to PVP and they always seem to have the most fun at it

 

I'm debating making the change to republic and have been eyeballing the Consular and going Sage.

 

I've played my sniper up through act 1, played a jug up to 20, assassin up to 23, and a BH Merc up to 17, going consular sage seems to be my best option for a 'different' playstyle than what I've already done.

 

I like the idea of playing a healer, I've done healers before but I really enjoy PVP and most of the consulars I see seem to be DPS spec and throwing rocks all over the place. I'd like to hear about the playstyle of a healer specced for PVP, see some tips and tricks, specs, etc.

 

Even if you just regale me with stories about how you play in a WZ, what a typical match includes for you, etc, that would be great. Or... if playing a healer speced sage is bad news in PVP and you should go DPS spec and just toss heals as you can, tell me why. I'm generally looking for any and all info i can find. (I'm reading a lot but most threads seem to be PVE healing or PVP DPS) Thanks in advance my potential future bros and sis's

My sage is only 35 so I don't know what things are like at 50, howeer I currently love my seer spec in warzones. My only comparison is the heal spec sorcerer I have that's 31. I should also note I'm specced more for pve healing so I imagine a pvp spec that improves self heals/survivability a bit more would be even better.

 

Played smart I seem to be pretty annoying. Damage I can put out is not bursty but the escape/mobility tools I have with CC allow me to dot and use terrain to heal/avoid incoming damage is fun and if nothing else can let me draw out fights if not win. I seem to be real good defending nodes with those methods able to hold off a cap from multiple peopes while waiting for backup to arrive unless the odds are just hopeless.

 

I can heal myself through most any persons incoming damage 1v1, but sometimes at the expense of anything but instant dots on them so it becomes a drawn out affair (which I don't mind). Sometimes it does get a bit frantic with a big incoming spike + stun, but I find using my crit cooldown for those occasions is a good fight reset for me to overcome in many of those situations.

 

Heal wise both sorc and sage play pretty similar. The main differences are probably just "feel" but I feel like the sith sorc plays squishier in my opinion (might be related to the difference in class buffs). And some people complain about project's damage being delayed due to animation but I prefer that as that damage can hit in time with a followed casted disturbance or mind crush to create the appearance of a bit more burst, just feels a bit more smooth as an opener than the distinct hits you get with the same opening from a sorc. They can be equaled by just reversing the cast time spell / instant combo, I just personally like the style of hitting the instant first since I'm usually moving in on someone and don't want to get a movement cancel while coming to a halt that I tend to get while doing it on the sorc.

 

If I had complaints it would be wanting a bit lower cast times on outgoing damage spells, but it would probably be imablanced. I find going up against some players with great burst it takes a bit to get over that initial surge of incoming and I have yet to begun any "real" damage. I can still usually overcome or put in a great effort, just feels a bit odd to be farther into the fight and haven't done much besides heal myself. Any other complaints are due to other players/terrain but since I use those to my advantage constantly I just suck it up. Just wish people getting healed would quit fleeing around a corner and wasting my cast time, but that goes to any healer that isn't all instants (which I'm about to level and unlock my second soon so that will help that problem a bit more).

 

If you've played WoW it plays a bit like a disc priest, but you also get a 30 sec cooldown sprint, a 1 minute mez on a 1 minute cooldown, a short stun on a cooldown (think it's a minute as well), a slow, and a pbae force knockback.

heh you said "mez" there at the end... play EQ1?

 

Thank you for the feedback, that's alot of what I was looking for. I'm debating healer spec or DPS spec for leveling/pvp, I'll deffinitely be a healer at end game and I prefer to play whatever my endgame spec is while leveling so I can 'practice' and become more intimately familiar with the spec/abilities as I level as opposed to changing shirts at 50 and having to unlearn how I was playing and relearn the new spec/timing/abilities.

 

Anyone else have some happy healer PVP info for me?

I like the idea of playing a healer, I've done healers before but I really enjoy PVP and most of the consulars I see seem to be DPS spec and throwing rocks all over the place.

 

 

Healers throw rocks, too.

 

Seriously. I'm currently only ~30 lvl Sage, specc'd for PVP heals (Qyzen & my mates kill **** for me when I quest) and I love it. I played a resto druid and priest in WoW (since beta/vanilla) in pvp and endgame, all through the many years of changes. If you're an ex-WoWer, playing a healing sage feels a lot like a priest. A little gimped at level 30 (squishy like vanilla-wow priest to a rogue squishy), but a very effective healer. If you've got good DPS and a buddy-healer (some pugs aren't that bad, who knew?), PVP can be a lot of fun.

 

For example, every game where I'd had at least two other healers who aren't idiots and healed me when I got FF'd, then we'd switch when FF changed to them, we destroyed the opposition. And/or having a small groupd of 2-3 DPS that knew 1) you were healing them and to watch their LOS when they were low and 2) jumped on any unfortunate agents or sorcs that tried to eat you.

 

It really all depends on the group. Once PVP level brackets are put into play, and more folks are lvl 50 in full PVP gear, it'll be easier to see how everything balances. But i can say that at level 25, I was either keeping up with or out-healing some of our higher/max level healers consistently. But then, I'm experienced at healing in PVP, it may take some getting used to. Just make sure you're prepared pre-50/gear that when you have a Sith group that knows to FF you, you're going to die. A lot. And not do much else... unless you've got good support.

 

and P.S. about throwing rocks... we do DPS when we need to. Throwing rocks is a good way to interrupt a would-be capper at range, or to do that killing blow on the ball-carrier if needed. It's our go-to instant cast

Edited January 11, 2012 by slagartist

I have a lvl 50 Sage that is 100% healer spec, and spend 90% of my time playing PVP. While difficult due to having mostly casted heals and DPS, it can really be one of the more fun/challenging classes.

 

Now, if you are playing against any premade team that is capable of calling targets, you will likely get flagged and blown up quicker than any other class (youre a healer and its the first thing to go). Your lack of mobility due to cast heals and opportunities to provide damage like TK Throw will constantly make you a sitting duck. You have to know how to position yourself in the group and pray you have a category 4 body type commando to hide in/behind (just kidding, keep moving)!

 

I would say that only 1/5 WZs have another dedicated healer, so most of the time, you are someone that can make all of the difference between a win and loss. Medal counts are hard to get (as discussed in other forum posts) but once you get to a higher level, it is pretty avg to get 4-6 medals (steal some KB's with TK Throw and DOT like crazy once you get your 75k healing medal).

 

Including all 3 types of WZ's, you can expect to avg 250k-350k healing (once moderately geared and lvl 45-50). Typically more on Voidstar as its closer quarters and defense points as opposed to Alderaan and Huttball which are spread out and constantly changing. Once you hit 300k healing, if your team isn't winning, then I can assure you, it wasn't your fault!

I've been trying Healer for a long time... and not enjoying it. Level 41 right now, Seer spec since about 25 with a poo ton of matches.

 

I generally find that, though I top heal meters a good 70-80% of the time, I really don't do that much to change the course of a battle. It takes all my focus on a single person to keep them alive. While I'm keeping them alive, I can't really move, since 4 of my 6 heal abilities require me to stand still and cast.

 

MVP votes also don't come my way ever. Maybe I get 1-2 per match, but even when I'm top healer, people give votes to their guildies, medal winners, damagers, or most kills. I haven't seen too many Healers or Protectors capping out on votes.

 

I've tried a Hybrid build a few times and feel like I contribute a lot more. I can easily help someone bring down a single enemy, or scatter a whole group of melee with a few well-timed AoEs. Scattering/killing is much better protection for my team than my less-than-impressive heal spamming of a single person.

 

This might change as I gear up, approach 50, and resilience stats improve the favor of damage taken vs damage healed more in favor of healing.... but I'd recommend trying both roles for a few days and sticking with the one that feels best. For me, currently the heal values are too small and damage values are too bursty for me to contribute as much as I do DPSing.

I have a lvl 50 Sage that is 100% healer spec, and spend 90% of my time playing PVP. While difficult due to having mostly casted heals and DPS, it can really be one of the more fun/challenging classes.

 

Now, if you are playing against any premade team that is capable of calling targets, you will likely get flagged and blown up quicker than any other class (youre a healer and its the first thing to go). Your lack of mobility due to cast heals and opportunities to provide damage like TK Throw will constantly make you a sitting duck. You have to know how to position yourself in the group and pray you have a category 4 body type commando to hide in/behind (just kidding, keep moving)!

 

I would say that only 1/5 WZs have another dedicated healer, so most of the time, you are someone that can make all of the difference between a win and loss. Medal counts are hard to get (as discussed in other forum posts) but once you get to a higher level, it is pretty avg to get 4-6 medals (steal some KB's with TK Throw and DOT like crazy once you get your 75k healing medal).

 

Including all 3 types of WZ's, you can expect to avg 250k-350k healing (once moderately geared and lvl 45-50). Typically more on Voidstar as its closer quarters and defense points as opposed to Alderaan and Huttball which are spread out and constantly changing. Once you hit 300k healing, if your team isn't winning, then I can assure you, it wasn't your fault!

 

 

Whats your willpower/power that your pumping out 300k healing? Are you only healing? I barely break 200k with 1.1k power I only got 1 champion pvp gear, but the rest of my gear is better than the normal pvp vendor and I got a lot of purple mods.

Whats your willpower/power that your pumping out 300k healing? Are you only healing? I barely break 200k with 1.1k power I only got 1 champion pvp gear, but the rest of my gear is better than the normal pvp vendor and I got a lot of purple mods.

 

Question to you instead, whats your rotation, and spec? I'm, truth be told, geared better but I can put out 400k easily, breaking 500k barrier is hard and means they must have a good healer too, and that haven't happened yet. Happens that I heal 200k on my scoundrel thats level 21...

 

So post your rotation/spell prio and spec and i can take a look at it, if you'd like!

U can heal a lot... if u have a good tank who shields you, you can heal even more..

 

my avg heal is somewhere at 520k..

 

I think smt like 1 million is the max u can get atm..

 

healing sage+tank is incredibly overpowered atm.. we took some 2on6s with ease... and it wasnt even close..

Edited January 15, 2012 by Theukalo

True.

 

On a side note though, don't get dead set on getting that number as high as possible.

Its simply a bad idea and it really doesn't begin to describe a WZ.

 

Looking at that stat only is pointless because:

 

- It doesn't tell the team how much damage you prevented your team from taking by

 

*Interrupting

*Stunning

*Knockback

*Pulling (Rescue abilitity)

 

- Its a bad measure stone because some people do everything to max that number, even when they got their medals - "Noble sacrifice" + Heal when there's downtime. And/or overhealing , healing party in between fights when they're already meditating, resulting in that youre static, staying in the same place when in fact you might've been needed elsewhere.

 

- Spamming AoE heal, while this grants a fair amount of healing its mostly overhealing, also such players usually dont interrupt enemies etc.

 

 

 

Question is, do you feel important? If not, maybe you aren't. Yet. Try to find a balance of being abusive and healing. And no, I'm absolutely not telling you to go for dps, I'm telling you, for instance, if there's a 2o2 going on you must heal your partner and

 

-stun

-knockback

-force lift

-interrupt

 

enemy healer. There's more to the support role than a number that is just that, a number.

Edited January 15, 2012 by AdamLKvist

Hi, im a lvl 50 seer PVP healer. As this is my first major MMO and ive never been healer before i was abit annoyed with the cast time but a few guild mates and friends have been giving me tips and since then ive been top healing in WZ.

 

Now im so happy with the way the seer does healing, im really enjoying it. ill top heal in 95% of WZ's (pugs or premade)

Do healer, you wont regret all the GJ, TY messages you get after a good WZ

True.

 

On a side note though, don't get dead set on getting that number as high as possible.

Its simply a bad idea and it really doesn't begin to describe a WZ.

 

Looking at that stat only is pointless because:

 

- It doesn't tell the team how much damage you prevented your team from taking by

 

*Interrupting

*Stunning

*Knockback

*Pulling (Rescue abilitity)

 

- Its a bad measure stone because some people do everything to max that number, even when they got their medals - "Noble sacrifice" + Heal when there's downtime. And/or overhealing , healing party in between fights when they're already meditating, resulting in that youre static, staying in the same place when in fact you might've been needed elsewhere.

 

- Spamming AoE heal, while this grants a fair amount of healing its mostly overhealing, also such players usually dont interrupt enemies etc.

 

 

 

Question is, do you feel important? If not, maybe you aren't. Yet. Try to find a balance of being abusive and healing. And no, I'm absolutely not telling you to go for dps, I'm telling you, for instance, if there's a 2o2 going on you must heal your partner and

 

-stun

-knockback

-force lift

-interrupt

 

enemy healer. There's more to the support role than a number that is just that, a number.

 

 

numbers are just numbers right.. sometimes u just try to top them off to see how far you can go...

 

100% agree with all u said..

 

such a shame tho u dont really get rewarded with medals in pvp for a good healing/cc game..

PvP as a sage/sorc in a nutshell.

 

Left alone = godlike. This happens against bad pugs.

 

Playing against any team with a clue = dead in approximately 1.23322 seconds, every time you walk out of the box.

 

Like every other PvP game, healers are first priority targets, and can't be left to free cast. When you play a team that doesn't know this and isn't focused, you'll do great. When you play against a team that does....GG.

 

There is a *lot* of burst damage in this game, from various classes. If it's at all focused, it's fairly hard to stay alive.

 

As a gut feeling sort of thing, I think sage/sorc are going to suffer as the game matures, and more people become aware of group tactics. PvP has always been about the same formula.

PvP as a sage/sorc in a nutshell.

 

Left alone = godlike. This happens against bad pugs.

 

Playing against any team with a clue = dead in approximately 1.23322 seconds, every time you walk out of the box.

 

Like every other PvP game, healers are first priority targets, and can't be left to free cast. When you play a team that doesn't know this and isn't focused, you'll do great. When you play against a team that does....GG.

 

There is a *lot* of burst damage in this game, from various classes. If it's at all focused, it's fairly hard to stay alive.

 

As a gut feeling sort of thing, I think sage/sorc are going to suffer as the game matures, and more people become aware of group tactics. PvP has always been about the same formula.

 

This is absolutely correct. The Seer healer mechanic is very poorly designed for PvP. If you are planning to play solo and want to heal in WZ's, I do not recommend Sage.

 

On a team, with a tank that can guard you and other players that can peel for you, it's viable, but very static, all about positioning. I am a solo player who has played numerous MMO's and exclusively PvP. I started out as a Seer and recently switched to Balance because you lack the tools to survive even moderate focus fire and attention. It's very frustrating. If the team knows your name, they can really shut you down completely.

 

That said, I've very much enjoyed my Balance Sage -- tons of CC (sad that they gave the great CC to the DPS, not the healer) and thus survivability. I do great damage, but I can toss out an occasional shield or heal if need be.

 

However, if you are looking to play a dedicated PvP healer, I would recommend considering one of the other archetypes -- my first alt is going to be a Scoundrel.

This is absolutely correct. The Seer healer mechanic is very poorly designed for PvP. If you are planning to play solo and want to heal in WZ's, I do not recommend Sage.

 

On a team, with a tank that can guard you and other players that can peel for you, it's viable, but very static, all about positioning. I am a solo player who has played numerous MMO's and exclusively PvP. I started out as a Seer and recently switched to Balance because you lack the tools to survive even moderate focus fire and attention. It's very frustrating. If the team knows your name, they can really shut you down completely.

 

That said, I've very much enjoyed my Balance Sage -- tons of CC (sad that they gave the great CC to the DPS, not the healer) and thus survivability. I do great damage, but I can toss out an occasional shield or heal if need be.

 

However, if you are looking to play a dedicated PvP healer, I would recommend considering one of the other archetypes -- my first alt is going to be a Scoundrel.

 

While your points are partly true the sage gets more than enough tools to survive attention - a guard on a healer is of course necessary but we're discussing PvP and you say its gonna be a problem when they learn to focus so in that same learning curve people will learn to defend - obvious fact.

 

In fact the Sage gets the most control out of all classes when it comes to healing, so recommending other "archetypes" for healing is simply plain wrong. This is the key healing class at the moment.

Again, fine in an organized group, not so fine solo. Unless you want to rely on a competent pug having a competent tank that realizes he should babysit you with Guard, life will be difficult. If you've played the class and been the center of attention in a WZ, you know that unless you substantially outgear the players beating on you, you just fall over. Hard to imagine that any competent Sage healer who has solo'ed in that situation would disagree.

Uhh, hmm, the healing forums would probably disagree on the "bad solo healers" part.

Being a toolbox healer means Sages are probably the best solo healers. In other words, if you think focus fire is bad on a Sage then it's going to be a hundred times worse on any other class.

Again, the Seer is an amazing healer if you have a tank to babysit you or you're ignored while you spam heals. If you get focused, it's a round of shields and weak HOTs for the group, and then you're done. If you plan to play in an organized premade, I'm sure the Seer can be very powerful, but if you don't have support, it's all heartaches.

Again, the Seer is an amazing healer if you have a tank to babysit you or you're ignored while you spam heals. If you get focused, it's a round of shields and weak HOTs for the group, and then you're done. If you plan to play in an organized premade, I'm sure the Seer can be very powerful, but if you don't have support, it's all heartaches.

Yeah but what do the OTHER healing classes offer that make those situations any better? Every healer will die quickly if they're being focused by the enemy team.

 

Some classes have better burst heals but lack utility (CC's).

Other classes have less burst heals but more utility.

 

The Sage is a combination of both, thus "toolbox" label.

Being a toolbox means the class is equipped for all scenarios -- We have decent burst heals, decent long heals, and a good range of CC.

 

If you think getting focused on a Seer is bad, it's going to be worse on the other classes because they don't have the same utility as Sages do. Until you've played all 3 healing classes in the game, you can't make judgements about Seer vs others.

Edited January 16, 2012 by TaintedSquirrel

Yeah but what do the OTHER healing classes offer that make those situations any better? Every healer will die quickly if they're being focused by the enemy team.

 

Some classes have better burst heals but lack utility (CC's).

Other classes have less burst heals but more utility.

 

The Sage is a combination of both, thus "toolbox" label.

Being a toolbox means the class is equipped for all scenarios -- We have decent burst heals, decent long heals, and a good range of CC.

 

If you think getting focused on a Seer is bad, it's going to be worse on the other classes because they don't have the same utility as Sages do. Until you've played all 3 healing classes in the game, you can't make judgements about Seer vs others.

 

Great post, covered all bases really - nothing else to say.

Edited January 16, 2012 by AdamLKvist

Key to being a Sage healer against premades/moderately good teams.... throw just enough rocks that they think you're just another TK throw spamming nub

 

Often I'll throw AOE heal, heal spam their main target... then switch to TK throw. If I'm being focused fired with no hope, I'll often go on the offensive to not give away the fact I'm specced 100% heals. Dunno, just some subtleties that have helped keep the attention away from me.

 

 

I hope beyond hope that they do not introduce a "target's target" health bar display simply for the reason I like the cat and mouse of finding the healers.

Again, the Seer is an amazing healer if you have a tank to babysit you or you're ignored while you spam heals. If you get focused, it's a round of shields and weak HOTs for the group, and then you're done. If you plan to play in an organized premade, I'm sure the Seer can be very powerful, but if you don't have support, it's all heartaches.

 

If a group really focus fires a healer, any healer will go down, not only the Sage.

If you get into trouble like that you were standing in the open with a big "hit me" sign on the back anyway. You can't rely on your CC abilities as a Seer specced healer. Stand next to obstacles, make yourself hard to spot - move but stay close to obstacles which make it easy to break los but still gives you a good overview of the situation. I don't play sitting duck and survive fine without someone babysitting me

Edited January 17, 2012 by Kyomih

If a group really focus fires a healer, any healer will go down, not only the Sage.

If you get into trouble like that you were standing in the open with a big "hit me" sign on the back anyway. You can't rely on your CC abilities as a Seer specced healer. Stand next to obstacles, make yourself hard to spot - move but stay close to obstacles which make it easy to break los but still gives you a good overview of the situation. I don't play sitting duck and survive fine without someone babysitting me

 

 

I find the only CC worthy of putting into your seerer builds is Forcewake (aoe stun)... unfortunately its 12 deep, and once you've opened up that third TK tier, it's hard to say no to the other options haha.

I find the only CC worthy of putting into your seerer builds is Forcewake (aoe stun)... unfortunately its 12 deep, and once you've opened up that third TK tier, it's hard to say no to the other options haha.

 

Hehe yeah, I know what you feel..those high balance and TK points sure look tempting. It's like getting drawn to the dark side if you start investing in balance and TK as a seer focused Sage.

However, if you are looking to play a dedicated PvP healer, I would recommend considering one of the other archetypes -- my first alt is going to be a Scoundrel.

 

Sage is better than Scoundrel/Operative. More CC, more defenses, the Bubble is amazing since we can use it on other people to prevent damage, better burst healing, easier resource regen, CC and damaging skills that we can use from range.