Alright so first off I LOVE this class, it is so ******. Right now I am currently level 26 specced madness, and I just got to Tatoonie. At this point the game is outstanding, I love the story. (Only complaint is Nar Shaada, I couldn't stand that world)

Now just doing regular quests I am running into trouble. Khem Val dies quickly (probably b/c I havent given him much new gear), and still, if I shield myself I find myself finishing battles with ~60% health.

This just makes it hard to keep pulling and tearing through quests. Now I want to heal at 50, but can anyone provide me some feedback on what leveling as a full healer is like? I appreciate all the feedback I get but, I am looking for more than just "I leveled as healer no problem".

Please elaborate!!! Thanks

As a healer you only need to use Khem Val on elites. The rest of the time you should be running around with a dps companion.

If you're going to level as a healer I strongly advise that you gear up your companions over yourself. They are going to do much of the heavy lifting for you and it gets a lot easier if they are not in greens from 4 levels ago. Spend your commendations on gear for them. You can realistically only gear up at most two companions while leveling so be sure you pick two and stick with them.

Hmm I didnt think about using a DPS companion, I think I will give it a shot. I dont have a DPS companion yet, so for now I will just use Khem. But once I have one I think I will end up using him.

Thanks again!

Hmm I didnt think about using a DPS companion, I think I will give it a shot. I dont have a DPS companion yet, so for now I will just use Khem. But once I have one I think I will end up using him.

 

Thanks again!

Or... Khem's DPS stance turns him into one.

Another tip.... at your level the bubble is your best friend. It's well worth it to put 7 points in the lightning tree (instead of the obligatory 5) to get the +20%.

Shield him and send him in while you shield yourself... dps stuf down and renew the shields as needed, thrown Khem a heal when he gets below 50%. That has worked for me all the way to my current level 41.

Keep in mind that there are some mobs whose individual tuning relative to level are a bit out of whack: if you're struggling in an area, it could be that Khem needs new gear but it could also be that that particular type of mob is over-tuned.

I've found that mobs in your individual story instances are generally tuned just right for the level... it's the open world mobs that still need some work. If you're struggling in the individual stories, then you probably should be looking to upgrade his equipment...it makes a large difference.

Or... Khem's DPS stance turns him into one.

Not really. A 5% damage increase does not turn Khem Val into any kind of impressive or even passable dps. No heavy hitting attacks, long cooldown AoE, no real attack chain.

Khem Val does what he does until you can get a dps companion, but after you get one as a healer you really only need Khem Val on fights vs. elites. The rest of the time you want someone with high dps.

A healer you are a support and support, in virtually any game, are force multipliers. A DPS with just a little bit of support is much stronger than a dps without any. Conversely a healer without any dps to support isn't all that impressive. Khem Val just doesn't have enough damage for a healer spec character to real take advantage of.