Thanks for the reply dipstik. I looked again through your post and I can't see where you list your bounds on shield as a percent of budget. Should it not be .364? Also, in modelling relics, I have been using a swing time of 1.2s. In your post, I think your list S&V's average swing time as 0.87s. Am I interpreting that correctly?

@dipstik This past weekend I put together an optimization site whose numbers seem to differ fairly substantially from yours. I was hoping you could take a look and see if we can figure out if there is a problem with my calculations or assumptions. Site: https://www.tor-tank.com Source to the Optimizer code: https://github.com/swtor-apps/swtor-tanking (the index.js file contains the raw data, and the src/swtor_tanking_optimizer.cc file has the actual calculation machinery)

I believe the DD is timed and the DS is every 20% on whichever tank hits it first (which is usually designed to be Stormcaller to make sure that a second DD isn't starting).

If you want to tank and are willing to stick with it and listen to advice (or even better, have some friends to help you learn), I would say by all means get the tank gear. Just keep in mind that some players assume that everyone innately knows how to play the game and will get rather upset when you don't. I would suggest that if you queue as a tank, let people know that you are new at it and let them give you advice on how to handle the fights. On the other hand, you could get the dps gear, go run things as dps, and then grab tank gear as a second set along the way. It will be slower, but if you're not used to many of the fights, don't have friends to help, it might be a better alternative depending on your temperament. In either case, do a bit of reading up on the fights and how to tank/dps (specs, rotations, gearing priorities, etc). Since you're a guardian/jugg (given the strength comment), I will point out in particular that you have a skill that I do not know the name of that looks nice for tanking on first glance (it increases defenses or something), but it also drops threat hard, so don't use it in general (it may have situational uses... my tank is a shadow, so I don't know very well). If you're on Prophecy of the Five on Republic, look me up if you have questions. Main characters are Inua (commando dps/heals), Unia (shadow tank), Naui (gunslinger), and Ainu (guardian, still leveling).

There is a quest on the fleet that gives you the Tionese commendations. You don't need to finish the class quests (I didn't on my gunslinger and still got it).

I totally agree with the first part. For the second, it isn't just on story. It is for defeating the tanks on _any_ mode. So if you, as a raider capable of HM EC are going to do that (and down the tanks), there is no reason to also do story.

Or look at the direction the gun is facing on it.

Being someone who likes to PVP but isn't terribly good at it, I totally agree with this. Additionally, I'd like to offer more anecdotal evidence that early-level PVP is TERRIBLE, and PVP for healers is also pretty bad. Granted, my experience with both of these were in conjunction with one another, so perhaps that is part of the problem, but this is making me seriously consider abandoning a character I created specifically to be a PVP healer. I've gone through the story on each side at least once, so I thought doing PVP up to 50 and then going back for the class story quests would be a good time. But the requirement to get 3 medals as a low-leveled healer is really quite difficult, besides the fact that losses often net nothing anyhow. I don't want to be given gear, but the rewards for losses need to be seriously buffed (and heck, go ahead and buff the winning rewards too -- just make it worth my time to try).

I'm not terribly experienced, but totally willing to help out =) Server: Terentatek Faction: Imperial Characters: Jubal (50 Powertech BH DPS), Jubalae (15-ish Sorcerer), Lirra (5-ish Agent)