This is a bit of a weird question. Like many players, I use the Group Finder queue or join random OPS groups that form. But as a healer, I often find myself getting pummelled when the groups fail to hold aggro, even when I drop my threat, and so on.

I have often considered crafting some augments with some Defense Rating points just to give myself a bit of added protection. I was wondering if, since I am geared well enough to heal appropriately, would anyone ever recommend investing in Defense Rating? Or should I just keep focusing on increasing healing output (e.g., Power)? My character is an Operative, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your time.

Never use tank stats on a healer or dps. So that's a no using defense stats on a healer, it's useless.

If you're drawing, and keeping, aggro, then both the tanks and dps in your groups are pretty sad.

That said, in mob situations you will sometimes draw aggro, and aoe is everywhere so you will also be taking damage regularly.

As on op you have have the ultimate in threat drop - combat stealth. Also, remember that you can use a medpack every 1.5s since combat stealth also resets the medpacks.

Use your dcds, and make sure your utilites are set for maximum damage reduction. A dead healer is no use to anyone.

Check some op healing guides for the best stats and utilites. Dulfy is a good place to start http://dulfy.net/2017/03/27/swtor-5-0-medicine-operative-pve-guide-by-mac/

With the right utilties you should be getting passive heals from using your shield probe on cooldown, your stim boost ability, and your threat drop. The more passive heals you have on yourself, the more you can save your active heals for your group members.

When I'm sorc healing in most pug environments I resign myself to the fact that I will be mostly tanking everything except maybe the bosses. It's pretty easy on a sorc healer thanks to whirlwind and force storm to stun multiple enemies at the same time, reducing a lot of the heat. Too bad operatives/sawbones don't have the same crowd management tools other than stealthing out. If the dps and tanks still haven't bothered touching the rest of the mob besides that shiny gold in the middle, you're just gonna get refocused again anyway.

(this is just my pessimistic view of most pug environments)

Thanks very much for the tips guys. Group Finder isn't always known for its quality . Oftentimes you get DPS players who run ahead before fully healing themselves after each mob (sometimes starting a new fight before the old mob has even been finished off) and are so bad at holding aggro that I end up being smashed anyway, even after an aggro drop and even after stealthing out and rejoining the fight.

Your suggestion about stealthing out and using a second medpack was something I never even thought of. As soon as I use one I just stop thinking about the possibility of using another so soon after. That should give me that extra edge I need, as things usually get very tight. So I guess the answer is to go with Power and drugs .

as far as i recall.. so take with a pinch of salt -

threat is generated partly on range from the mob involved. dont stand on top of them, stand at a distance.

also tanks should guard a melee dps, not a healer , makes it easier for them to accumulate critical mass of aggro

When I'm sorc healing in most pug environments I resign myself to the fact that I will be mostly tanking everything except maybe the bosses. It's pretty easy on a sorc healer thanks to whirlwind and force storm to stun multiple enemies at the same time, reducing a lot of the heat. Too bad operatives/sawbones don't have the same crowd management tools other than stealthing out. If the dps and tanks still haven't bothered touching the rest of the mob besides that shiny gold in the middle, you're just gonna get refocused again anyway.

 

(this is just my pessimistic view of most pug environments)

I usually use my DCDs...my stim boost and curative agent are also DCDs by utility, my cloaking screen has a reduced cooldown and I'm popping my shield probe on cooldown, you also want to traverse and spec into using your probes as a defence increase on yourself. I'm not arguing we need better crowd management but I'm generally fairly good at keeping myself up unless the group is completely inept. The only time I'm drawing all the aggro is mostly FPs but I PvP so I'm used to being tunnelled and you learn quickly it's not a reflection of you as a healer but of your DPS- my favourite thing was running veterans with DPS on a progression team I was on because they were good at picking up the trash- or with a tank who knew what they were doing. PuGs are a good way to practice healing under duress which is how you grow as a healer, when things go south in content even the best tank or DPS can't always protect you from trash or a boss so knowing how to survive can be a great help.

But, never, ever use tanking stats like defense on a healer or DPS- it does not work and I've seen multiple players go squish trying it in addition to self nerfing themselves...squishy!

When I'm sorc healing in most pug environments I resign myself to the fact that I will be mostly tanking everything except maybe the bosses. It's pretty easy on a sorc healer thanks to whirlwind and force storm to stun multiple enemies at the same time, reducing a lot of the heat. Too bad operatives/sawbones don't have the same crowd management tools other than stealthing out. If the dps and tanks still haven't bothered touching the rest of the mob besides that shiny gold in the middle, you're just gonna get refocused again anyway.

This is so true, and especially at the current state of the game. Most of the good tanks are gone. The new ones are few and too green. Even many guild tanks fall under this now. I've noticed healing is harder than a year ago and back. My poor Op/scoundrel just take a beating. Since there's no way to get BW to redesign the trinity they need to add auto taunt to tanks. Sad, but we're at that point. So many pug tanks just jump to the boss, and leave the trash to the group. I've melted 50% of my health by 3 or 4 mobs right at the start of the fight.

You know, GW1 gave everybody the little fire imp guy. I wonder if we all should get the Super droid as tank. Or just be able to give our companions super droid tank option.

When I'm sorc healing in most pug environments I resign myself to the fact that I will be mostly tanking everything except maybe the bosses. It's pretty easy on a sorc healer thanks to whirlwind and force storm to stun multiple enemies at the same time, reducing a lot of the heat.

Ops/Scoundrels have flashbang - for heal specs it hits multiple enemies, and is an instant cast without having to spend a uitility point on it. Only drawback is that it isn't ranged like whirlwind. It's only 8s duration, but that's long enough for the dps to kill the gold and start getting some of the trash aggro on them.

Also: bushwhack/toxic haze is a ranged aoe for the heal specs and it will stun weaker enemies.

I find pugging Master Mode flashponts gets you better groups and generally get much less aggro then when pugging Vet Mode. In MM either the tank or the dps will know their jobs and get the trash aggro. In Vet Modes - the best thing is to switch to dps spec when you're doing them.

I used to run as a heal spec in Vet, but ended up dps'ing the trash anyway. It was easier than trying to heal through their damage. Now I just switch to dps spec if running Vet. Save the heals for MM and Ops.

As an Operative Medicine main (done most HM raids as one), the worst thing that you can do is get defensive stats.

Frankly, you have the best PvE defensives out of the healers- extremely short cooldowns, easily spammable, and you don't sacrifice effectiveness to use them (unlike a certain bubble from Sorc that you're forced to channel). You have the most powerful defensive in the game that you can trigger twice every 10 seconds. Roll makes you immune to any CC or damage while it plays the animation- you can LITERALLY get away from things that the other healers can't- also your energy management is non-existent and your cooldowns are broken (also only 2 channels). Operative simply requires a lot of concentration, awareness of when damage spikes are about to happen, so you can outheal them. It's the hardest healing class not because it's bad, but because it's not as much of a heal bot as the other two are (Sorc to a lesser extent than Merc).

Anyway, I wish you good luck and happy hunting.

The fact that you'd even consider defensive stats makes me think you really have no understanding of the game, about on the level of a tank who cannot keep aggro.

I've never had threat problems, ever, healing any raid, pug, or otherwise. The only time any mobs might possibly look my way is during trash pulls when I have to heal before the tank has had a chance to put threat on them all, especially if they are spread and/or ranged. No big deal, I maintain proper positioning, drop threat, cc or find a LoS. If for some reason none of that worked, I'd either be extra cautious or communicate with another sorc so he could pull me (lower my threat) or possibly use bubble.

All that being said, your main job is bringing consistent big green numbers to the Ops, so dress for that and let everyone else do their job.

If a tank is falling behind, the raid leader would need to address it but even with the worst geared horrible tanks I've seen, that hasn't been necessary in a PuG.

The fact that you'd even consider defensive stats makes me think you really have no understanding of the game, about on the level of a tank who cannot keep aggro.

 

I've never had threat problems, ever, healing any raid, pug, or otherwise.

Never had threat problems? Not even in a pug?

I don't believe you.

When the dps are all attacking the golds, and the tank doesn't go around hitting the other mobs, there is only one person remaining to get aggo on the unattacked mobs, which is the healer.

Your threat dump doesn't matter. If the OP is getting attacked by mobs, it's because the tank and the dps aren't doing their job. End of story.

(At least on no-mechanic trash mobs, that is)