re: the italicized red text No, no, no, a hundred freaking times: NO. Phasewalk, at no time ever has increased healing received. It buffs outgoing heals ONLY! The talent within the tank tree that must be taken to grant this buff DOES give the assassin/shadow a +2% buff to ALL incoming heals on said assassin/shadow, but this affects no one else, at all, and affects the assassin/shadow at all times, no matter what. The ONLY person that you want to stand in a tank specced assassin/shadow's phasewalk is the healer, no one else. Note that the buff (a bright green, upward glow) says "Increases healing dealt", not "received". So, put the phasewalk out of melee, or wherever the healer wants it, and don't clog it up with non-healers who may draw fire on the healer.

1) I do Oricon weekly on 5 characters, 3 of them healers (Sorc, Op, and Merc). I feel no healer hatred. Some of the Heroic+2 champs are less frustrating on the healers (especially the Sorc who can expunge force effects). 2) 156s on character isn't undergeared. 148s on companion is. Akaavi is DPS. Gear Bowdaar or Corso up to 156s. Your results will improve drastically. 3) I hope you use the gimmick on the subteroth (southern) boss (ie: use a stun when it emotes that it is vulnerable to stuns). 4) The bothrium (northern) boss has three abilities. A) Extract: interrupt it (you say you are), B) Overload (or such) don't channel or use a cast ability as you are about to be knocked back (this ability is no more frequent than the other two as they occur in order on the same timing every cycle). C) Absorb: tab target the tentacle (important to not hold down a movement command at this time - this allows your character to swivel in place to aim at the target) and spam "Flurry of Bolts" (your free fire ability). The weak tentacle takes two shots at most. I wonder how you do this on a tank if you don't kill the tentacle. 5) Commander Zaoron: Lots of channeled abilities, Reaping the Fields is the one to interrupt. Stun any others you want (you have two), but interrupt that one, it does the most damage. Use your PvP release when he chokes. Popping Heroic Moment not only will make this easier, but it is conveniently timed (this is usually the last mission anyone does on Oricon as it has a teleport to base option right outside), and very fun. After all, what else are you saving it for, prom? Again, I wonder how you do this guy on your other characters. TL;DR: There is no hate for healers on Oricon.

Khem Val: (walking into the cantina on Balmorra I think) I have a great sabacc face. That was a joke. I hate sabacc.

I don't think I can nail down just one group. I do the Galactic Conflict every week on 1 tank, 3 healers, and 1 dps. However, I started this game on an Assassin tank. And as I heal a lot, I pay a lot of attention to what the tank does. The following things kill me a little each week: 1) Guard on the healer when there are very well geared DPS (read: high threat). Please, I don't need the 5% less damage, I need that 180 lvl, 4 pc set bonused rauder there to not tank the FP. 2) Casting Crushing Darkness - ever. It has a 10m range, and it takes you 2-3x as long to cast while you're getting beat on. Consider Whirlwind the same (if you have to be told these things, you don't know how/when to use it). 3) Putting Phasewalk in melee. Oh thanks, but I'll stand over here, out of range of the boss's AOE/Knockback/add spawn, etc. There's some misguided notion going around that it increases heals ON the people inside it. No, it increases the heals DEALT by the people inside it. Though the anni rauder beside you likes it there - after all, she's tanking most of this. 4) Using Force Lightning with anything less than 3 stacks of harnessed darkness. Even if you are popping Recklessness to use it at range, there's this thing called Force Pull that does more threat. 5) Letting Energized fade without using it. You can let Conspirator's Cloak drop, I'd prefer you didn't, but it's alright. But Energized? No, use Shock, use it now. 6) Saves Wither and Discharge for AOE groups only. These are mitigation placed on the target. And Wither stacks Harnessed Darkness. And it doesn't effect CC (Discharge does). You can let Discharge's miss chance debuff wear down before you refresh, but please use Wither as often as possible. 7) Saves Force Shroud and Deflection like they are virginity and this is a convent. No, I can't heal your sub 30k/800mit butt through every pull without some effort on your part. While we're at it, how about pulling from stealth for the +4% dmg reduction? This is by no means everything, and it is very largely aimed at Assassin tanks (I've just never learned Juggernaut or Powertech ... yet).

Not weird, because the marriage line is optional or else one companion could never finish out for legacy credit due to hetero relationship standards ingame.

Treek.

If you outfit Treek in standard vendor gear, she will do fine. At the elite/ultimate levels (168/180) you would augment her according to being a vanguard/powertech. That will work out to be mostly redoubt augments (def/pwr) with vendor gear.

Treek is definitely worth getting if you have the credits and legacy level, or aren't spending CC on something else. Why? 1) Wears heavy armor. Only one other healer (Trooper: Sgt Dorne) wears heavy armor, all other companion healers wear medium. This gives Treek an edge in surviving as your healer. 1b) Has an attack that increases armor even more useable in heal stance (this is typical of tank companions). 2) Has a HoT cleanse. ONLY character (player or companion) with a cleanse over time. It does a very small amount of healing, too, but the cleanse over time is more important. Used in healing AND tank stances. 3) Has a threat drop. ONLY companion healer with this ability (and this only works in heal stance). 4) AOE attack does NOT effect CC'd targets. Only companion with this ability. 5) No wasted slot on a channeled CC (which I turn off on any other healer so they heal). 6) All attacks do even MORE threat when in tank stance, not just the base threat increase. 7) Uses normal AIM gear, and a normal rifle. This is only an issue if you are relying on a droid or a "tech" melee weapon user. 8) Just shy of the cutest damn charge (swooping in on a hang-glider) in the game (Blizz wins with malfunctioning harpoon). 9) Available at level 10 as healer AND/OR tank. Agent, Inquisitor, Knight, Consular, Smuggler recruit a tank right off, but only Bounty Hunter finds a healer immediately (Warrior and Trooper find one shortly thereafter, but not at 10). None have a tank/healer combo companion. 10) Taunts are integrated into abilities and do not waste slots on toolbar. 11) Has four attacks as a healer. All other companion healers have only two. Why not? 1) No channeled CC. Some people like that ability. 2) Does not render armor (per all droids, Khem Val, Broonmark, Blizz, Qyzen, Bowdaar - lot of tanks I realize). 3) Annoying voice. 4) No affection gains from story except Oricon (easily solved by bringing out another companion at mission pick up/ return, not so great for prelude-to-fight conversations) - this can be an issue if Treek is the only companion you gear up while leveling. No longer an issue once you max out affection on all other companions. 5) Secondary AOE (with stun) only operates at 70%- health. Other tanks have their special effect AOE available on cooldown (this ability is only in tank stance). 6) No, really, voice is super annoying. All that said, I have Treek on every character I have. My healers have used her to MT every 55 HM in the game (takes some work at times). My DPS and tanks have had her MH every HM in the game (doesn't take much work). The recent tactical FPs with their AOE-heavy mechanics have required the more micro management, but Treek has done them, too. Note: my 55s all have over 700 presence and their Treeks are in 168 (elite) vendor gear with augments (Redoubt or Reflex accordingly) in the legacy items. While leveling my Vanguard, Treek has helped me solo every FP when I was 2-3 over average level (you don't get the daily that way, but you get ALL the gear - some of it is pretty ). However, that is in nearly max level B/A/M/E at all times. How's that for an answer? (I am fortunately blessed to be able to do this at work). TL;DR: YES

What I find telling about this thread is that when it went the other way, you (the OP) weren't complaining about the game being unbalanced.

Revanites. Look at the abilities of the nuatolan jedi on Tython: purple circles that prelude rocks falling from above; and the Jedi at end of Korriban: "I'm not just a Jedi..." Who does that sound like? The most likely intent is to seat Revan as the new emperor.

No one, I mean NO ONE has jumped on "breathing" in this title and post? I just .... I just don't know anymore, excuse me, I'll see my way out.

And "Wrong" right back at ya. If the OP is already subscribing (which is explicitly so) then the account won't revert to "f2p", but "preferred". "Preferred" can have equipped whatever artifacts they already had equipped, they just can't equip new ones without the authorization (very much worth it). source: I've done it. My wife did it. My best friend did it.

As said, the CZ's have always been "tactical" on Story Mode. As for Hard Mode, Meltdown, nothing appears to have changed. Labs: the droid (first boss) now requires you kill off his spawned droids as was always the intent. They come every other "shock pool". They are normals, so are easily stunned by many standard attacks. Ranged DPS handles them best, but melee can dispatch them quickly, too. This is more of an issue of DPS paying attention to protect the healer. The weapons guy (second boss) now has a smaller AOE with his rocket attack (still does around 30k), but is otherwise unchanged. Final boss remains the same.

I understand we are not allowed to "insult" on forums, so I will try. 1) Heals produce 50% the threat of damage. Properly specced healers produce 10% less than that. All tanks (in proper "stance") produce 90-100% more threat with any damage (though their damage is lower, they also have high threat attacks). Therefore any threat from damage on a target will outstrip threat from heals. 2) Pulled groups, and the resulting spawns, are connected by programming. Some must be learned. Range and placement can be indicative, but may not be. If members of the group, or resulting spawns, have not been hit then heals will top their aggro. Whether the effective number is 500 or 375 is irrelevant, top of chart is top of chart. This also applies for bosses (even more rarely mobs) that reset their aggro charts. Therefore, it is important to have all mobs target someone OTHER than the healer by hitting them. This will sometimes require DPS to leave a "main" target to attend to lesser mobs. Holding to kill order helps greatly. Tunnel vision does not. 3) Taunt and group taunt provide +10% over the highest threat on the target charts. This lasts 12 seconds and then reverts unless something has been done in that time. Therefore, save taunt for when aggro has been lost, or to swap tanks (operations only). Additionally, when taunting to regain aggro, DPS should drop AFTER the taunt. This grants the tank a greater buffer within which to move up the chart. EX 1: A DPS (@4400) surpasses a tank (@4000). a) DPS uses threat dump dropping to 3300. Enough for tank to regain control, but DPS has only 700 to catch up and 400 to surpass tank again. If taunt is used at this time, it is just a security blanket as tank already regained control. b) Tank uses taunt and goes to 4840 threat. DPS then uses threat dump and goes down to 3300. The tank has a buffer nearly half again that of "a)" to stay ahead of DPS as his threat tapers down after twelve seconds. EX 2: Disparate DPS and tank (like in leveling FPs and 55 HMs). DPS (@4400) and tank (@3400). a) DPS uses threat dump (3400) and goes just below the tank's threat, in only seconds he will regain. If the tank uses taunt now, it puts him at 3630 and above the DPS for 12 seconds. The gap will close quickly after that. b) Tank uses taunt and goes to 4840 threat. DPS then uses threat dump and goes down to 3300. The DPS WILL regain on the tank, but much later than if tank taunts second. Therefore: use something OTHER than taunt to pull. IN FP save taunt for when you lose aggro or for fight mechanics (Mando Raiders Akk dog boss and 55 HM bonus: Gil). Additionally, tanks and DPS cooperate and use TAUNT and DUMP in that order when needed. 4) Guard High Threat DPS (Rauder/Sent in Juyo > Merc/Comm in HVGC/APC > Rauder/Sent in Ataru). These "stances" should accompany their respective talent tress which gain increased threat from: constant self heal/ occasional group heal, spike damage (crits and procs), and armor reduction. From above: EX1: DPS (@4400), tank (@3950). With guard, the numbers change to DPS (@3300) and tank (@3950). The DPS would have to exceed 5200, another 33% over the threat they were doing before . EX2: DPS (@4400), tank (@3400). With guard, the DPS is @3300, the tank @3400. The DPS can't have an even luckier string of crits/procs, but should know to not take advantage of the procs with this tank, and pull to pull isn't a constant repetition of weak attacks or fear of the boss enraging (in HMs). Therefore, DuEdrvarya and Vortumnus, you are wrong. Please do not take this as an insult, it is not. And from the way you dismissed the other side as ~no one giving~ or such, I do not think you will listen, but for the others, please, PLEASE stop insisting on guarding the healer.

I like how most of the people responding in this thread had better compliments without complaints hidden in them than the OP. New graphics boost let's me use new computer to its fullest. Combat animations are great (don't mind the occasional delay as it doesn't effect the outcome). Companions and their stories, behaviors are good. I'd like more choices, but it's early, maybe that will come later. New adaptable armor makes appearance customization more varied (which actually bothers me in PvP, but I accept that most people DO like this).