I really like having companions, as a marauder is there any reason to not have them all set on default healing? Do they add a significant amount of dps if you have them switched to dps or tanking?

Regardless of what they're "best" at, how well they do in any role depends on their Influence level. If they are high enough, they can put out significant damage or healing, in those roles. As tank, they won't heal, of course, and won't do a ton of damage, but they will pretty much keep all the aggro off you, while possibly taking little or no damage - if you have them at high enough Influence level. If they're still at Influence one, they'll be nearly useless in any role.

I (usually) don't put my comp in heal mode on my main, because my main is a healer, so I put my comp on tank to keep the aggro off me.

If I'm playing a tank character, I usually put my comp on heals, or sometimes damage, depending on the situation (how much damage I'm taking, or how quickly I want to get through stuff, mostly).

On my dps characters (which would be most relevant for you, as a marauder), I tend to mix it up, sometimes I put my comp on dps to burn through stuff faster, sometimes tank to keep the aggro off me, and sometimes heals to keep us alive.

Companions no longer have a primary role. You will find that some companions are often said to be "best" in some role, but overall, given the same influence level, they all work about the same (with the possible exception of Cartel Market companions).

The major difference between them is whether they are ranged or melee, and which of those works best in conjunction with you in a given situation.

But, to answer your question, it depends, as the above poster said, on your role and what you want.

These days I only play DPS** and I always have my companion set to heals.

For my Gunslingers, when I'm doing something 'harder', I use a melee healer - Bowdaar, Gamorian Guard, or Lana. When I'm doing easier stuff I tend to run with whoever suits my fancy at the moment, usually Risha or Nico. (They're all level 50, ofc)

For my Guardian, who has fewer comps to choose from, I use either Nico (ranged) or Kira (melee) as healers.

Note: When things are going well, and they don't need to heel, a companion set to "heal" will do damage.

** I've been considering re-activating my tank and/or making a new tank.

im not at home, but is there a way to see what their primary role is, or what they're best at?

IOW, in theory, Corso is just as good a Healer as Gus or Risha, if they're all the same Influence level. And at the same Influence level, they all are just as good in the damage or tank role, as well. And the same applies to the other companions you can pick up as you go through KotFE/ET and beyond. At the same influence level, any one companion is just as good at heals or damage or tank as any other companion.

In Theory.

In reality, the theory-crafters have determined that they all perfrom differently in the different roles. Some are better than others, and they've ranked all the companions from best to worst in all the roles.

I don't recall offhand which companion is "best" at what role, other than Shae Vizla apparently is the "best" dps comp, basically due to her copy of the BH's "Death From Above" ability**. That, and all the CM comps apparently are worthless, in any role (and doubly worthless, because you can't use them for Crew Skills). I'm pretty sure I read the full breakdown in a post somewhere here in these forums, but it was months ago. Mostly, I remember that there didn't seem to be that big a difference in them, except maybe for the CM ones.

What I can say from my own experience is that I still use the ones I like best in terms of "personality" and how that "fits" with whichever of my companions, without worrying that they aren't the best in whatever role I assign for them. Sometimes I also consider whether they're "melee" or "ranged" and how that complements my character's class. And I don't really have any problems getting stuff done using a comp who isn't the "best" in whatever role I assign.

*The original Story companions are still categorized as Melee Damage, Ranged Damage, etc., but that really only applies to the Legacy bonuses you get for completing all their conversations & missions. They still are very much "melee" or "ranged" but otherwise, they all can be tank, damage or heals.

**I'm not sure if that's accurate, per the theory-crafters, or if that's just what I've seen over and over in Gen chat, and people are enamored of her because it's a "cool" ability, and not because she actually has better damage output.

Here ya go:

Check this post, in the spoiler tag marked "Most Effective Companions By Stance", if you want to know which one is best in what role. (You may or may not have access to the "best" ones, depending on your ability / willlingness to spend Cartel Coins and / or slog through whatever game content to get a particular companion).

im not at home, but is there a way to see what their primary role is, or what they're best at?

In case you're wondering, you can set any companion's role to whatever you want by right clicking on the companion's picture. All companions default to healing unless you change your preferences, but it's easy to put them on dps or tank as needed.

In case you're wondering, you can set any companion's role to whatever you want by right clicking on the companion's picture. All companions default to healing unless you change your preferences, but it's easy to put them on dps or tank as needed.

Good catch. We all forgot to mention that. 😮

Good catch. We all forgot to mention that. 😮

Yeah, I was reading through the thread and noticed that. My wife does that to me all the time (points out the obvious after I give a sweeping, in-depth explanation of how to solve a problem). "Why don't we just turn it the other way?"

I really like having companions, as a marauder is there any reason to not have them all set on default healing? Do they add a significant amount of dps if you have them switched to dps or tanking?

Well, I really had no reason to change their role from healing, especially when soloing heroics

Well, I really had no reason to change their role from healing, especially when soloing heroics

It's worth running through Hutta after you get DSJ with her set to Damage (which is what she was before 4.0), just so you can hear her combat barks.

I really like having companions, as a marauder is there any reason to not have them all set on default healing? Do they add a significant amount of dps if you have them switched to dps or tanking?

In addition to my other posts, let me add my personal opinion on companions for a DPS character (mostly subjective, no hard numbers):

- running with a healer companion could be considered the "default" set up. It produces (imho) the smoothest result. You can smoothly go from mob to mob without stopping. The companion will add some DPS when not healing.

- running with a DPS companion results, of course, in quicker enemy deaths, but then you have to often stop between mobs to heal you and your companion. It may overall be quicker than using a healer sometimes, but often not by much.

- running with a tank. I've only tried using a tank companion a few times. I find that, for most solo PvE and even VM flashpoints, a melee healer is more effective than a tank**. The melee healer will tend to occupy the enemies while also healing.

** A tank companion would be more useful in a situation where you are dual-running content with 2 DPS players with a healer and tank companions.

 

That, and all the CM comps apparently are worthless, in any role (and doubly worthless, because you can't use them for Crew Skills).

 

.

Treek does Crew Skills and conversations.

Treek does Crew Skills and conversations.

True, but you *can* get her without using the Cartel Market (or the GTN). You can acquire her, if you have enough Legacy Level and credits, from the Legacy panel, which isn't true for the beast and droid CM companions.