Torbattles 'Operative' vs Torbattles 'Marauder,' just as I said, dropping the outliers for a solid average. That's more accurate than using the 'World' numbers, since so many of the classes have incomplete data. Sorcerers don't even have ten data slots. Commandos are worse, with half their "Top 10" scores as 0. And Mercenaries have two players entered, total. The site notes that it isn't being updated, so I went with the best data available. I was in a long Arena match yesterday. If you like long fights (like I do, much preferring them to blowouts), it was good fun, but since you like shorter ones, there you might have wanted a drop in healing. But then opposing team suddenly focused onto our Marauder. Without the defense of a tank or the damage-mitigation of a healer, he went down fast. We were then one short, and fell quickly after. There wasn't anything wrong with the balance of healing and DPS. All that was needed was an appropriate strategy.

I'm comparing my own healing abilities to my own damage, so gear isn't the issue, nor am I assuming any particular rotation. And Torbattles supports what I'm saying. Look at the top 10 healing per second by Ops. Remove the outliers at the top and bottom, and you get a range of 1700/sec to 2500/sec. Now do the same with Marauders and DPS, and you get a range of 1900/sec to 2600/sec, exceeding the Op healing. Of course, maybe those top Ops need to improve their gear, spec, or rotation/gameplan. Whatever you think an Op should achieve, they really have only two heals to rely on while moving. Kolto Probe takes 18 seconds to deliver a heal smaller than what you could get at all once from Kolto Injection, if you could manage to cast for 2 seconds without interruption. Pretty meagre for an ability that would take 12 seconds of casting to stack on your arena team. The other heal-on-the-move, Surgical Probe, delivers half the healing of Kolto Injection and is subject to the global cd. Recuperative Nanotech, the remaining instant-cast heal available through the healing tree, also delivers less than Kolto Injection, is an energy hog, and has a 15 second cd. Op healing is fine. It works, when combined with a lot of survival abilities on cd, but there's no magic there.

There seem to be misconceptions about the strength of Op healers, who are not the overpowered machines often claimed. Some numbers may help: While we can disagree about the best Arena times - I like longer matches and find one-minute blowouts dull - we don't need to disagree about the strength of Op heals. They're roughly equivalent to a single dps, no more. Take my 53 Op as a reference point. Kolto Injection, the strongest no-proc, no cd heal for an Op, does 2934-3307 points after a 1.94 sec cast. In 3 seconds, I can do that much damage with Overload Shot (another no-proc, no cd ability) and Shiv (6 sec cd), or Backstab, (12s), or Hidden Strike (7.5s). Heck, I can do it with Snipe alone (no cd), and I'm not a Sniper. The Kolto Probe HoT helps, but it's hardly a win-button: 2401 healing over 18 seconds. In six seconds, that's 800 healing. If you can't do 800 damage in six seconds at level 53, there's something wrong. Even 2 Kolto Probes rarely save a teammate. The big heals are Surgical Probe and Kolto Infusion, but only the former can be while moving, and Ops need to move under fire. A full healing spec gives you Nanotech, but even that is no HoT wonder: 2704 over six seconds, half of what you'd get from constant casting of Kolto Injection, and Nanotech has a 15 sec cd. To stay alive while under fire by two opponents and often even just one, an Op needs to use a huge range of abilities, including stuns, Cloaking Screen (2 min cd - a lifetime in Arenas), Shield Probe (45 sec cd), and a constant combination of HoTs and direct heals. Three or four attackers put out more damage than an Op can heal or mitigate; that's the plain math. Don't get me wrong: I love playing him. But my 55 Sage is far simpler for healing, and he doesn't suffer from lack of stealth, having a sort of upgraded vanish - a bubble that not only protects but heals at the same time and isn't subject to breaking from a DoT. I wouldn't complain if they reduce pushback for Sages/Sorcs (and especially for Comms/BH), but before you call for nerving the Op, make sure you have your numbers straight. They're fine… but not spectacular.

We have one instant HoT, and it's not great. You can get a second one from the top of the healing tree, slightly better. Kolto Probe delivers 2371 healing over 18 seconds, at level 53. That's less than 800 over 6 seconds. If you can't do 800 damage in six seconds at level 53, your cat is sleeping on your keyboard. Stacked twice, it's still a minor HoT, useful mainly for its proc, needed for an instant heal. The heals you can count on are slow-cast: 2 seconds and 1.5 (also requiring a proc). The latter one (Kolto Infusion) has a HoT - maybe that's what you're thinking of? - but it isn't instant.-cast. That's it for many Operatives, since mixing trees is more common than for, say, a BH, who really needs the instant heal at the top. But even for those who have it, that other HoT is nothing spectacular (450/sec for 6 seconds), and it's on a 15 sec cd. I love my Op, but it's much, much easier to play my Sorc or Sage, without their conditional heals and without long cd's for damage mitigation.

Returning player here, back for a month and very happy with Ebon Hawk for both PvE and PvP. Good folks.

Updated for Ancient Hypergate. Strategy for it will become more refined, but for now, it's as forgiving as Voidstar. You can win even if much of your team sticks to deathmatching, as long as you have a few good souls retrieving orbs. That makes it much easier to deal with an average (or below-average) team: getting even one or two solid players to hit the objectives goes a long way.

Yep. I don't mean to suggest that Civil War can be won by always going 2/0/6. As you say, any strategy can be met with a counter. But teams don't need to keep going 2/6/0 when they expect the other team to do the same, as they do in so many matches. The key is to get your team thinking about going where the enemy is not, instead of thinking they can go to the same place and win because of their mad skillz. Everyone thinks they're that guy - that good - and they're often not. But even when they are, they lose the other contested node with their average team. Remember, your PuGs are, on average, average. They'll lose when outnumbered. So don't get outnumbered. And what of that Superman player who heroically capped a node? He or she is now standing solo, waiting for dead teammates to respawn. That's a big deal in Novare, where the respawn is far away. It's less of a problem in Civil War, thanks to the direct speeders, but only if your teammates hustle to reinforce. In an average team they might or might not. That same Super-player could have made a difference at the other node in both cases, which they'd now hold with their teammates around them... and even an average team can see the benefit of that.

Yep, and this would shut them off after a single post. You could make a more sophisticated algorithm to stop even the first one, but it'd take more effort. Among player attributes, for instance, you could also record on a scale of 0 to 9 how likely it is that someone is a spammer. New accounts would start at 7 or 8 and be unable to post with the words of known Gold-selling websites, then as the account behaved more normally, running missions and interacting with other players, the restriction could ease. Or, my favorite measure: instead of an obvious ban, block a spammer's messages from every account except his own. On his screen, and only his, he'd see his messages in General Chat, believing they were going through. Eventually, spammers would learn to check a second account for their posts, but it'd be blissfully quiet for awhile. Still, those approaches are more complicated and/or temporary. Effective, he automated solution I proposed is easy , fast, and enduring.

Ha! I've initiated a vote-kick exactly once (yesterday!). (Another player rolled 'Need' for an alt without asking, insisting he could mail the BoP item; when politely corrected by his other teammates, he put us all on Ignore. The loot issue, while uncool, didn't prompt my vote, but not being able to read Party Chat did.) In any case, I don't blame you. I'll admit that roughly half my teams lack either a tank who Taunts or DPS who don't break CC, or both. Yet 90%+ of my runs are still successful, which means that you really can survive with players who barely know their class, as long as you follow the basic principles on the first page. This is in marked contrast to weak PvP groups. If there's a solid strategy for managing a weak WZ team, please share it. The best I've found is a few tips (see Herding Cats: Winning a WZ with a Less-than-Stellar (PuG) Team .) That's a great strategy, and the one I used yesterday, also with a lvl 35 Sorc, and another good example of the benefit of hanging in there. The tank didn't 'Guard' me or get aggro from multiple enemies, but he could hold it on a single-target, and that was enough. I had to Shield and HoT myself - and one of the DPS'ers - when I should not have needed to, but I've seen worse, as any healer has. I should clarify that my suggested strategy is one I use as last-resort. Four times, I've had groups that looked like they might be able to do the HK fight at all; multiple wipes, declining morale. Putting everyone on the spawns was our ticket out, but I wouldn't suggest it first. By all means, begin with DarthTHC's effective strategy.

Good point about gear: it makes a big difference in level 50 WZ's, especially. But what I meant about not sending a team in lower numbers is that an average team - and really, what else is your typical PuG? - will lose where it has lower numbers. Say you have 2 to West (strong-side) in Novare, 1 to East (enemy-side), and 5 to South vs 2/6/0. Your team would lose South, where it made the biggest push, sending your dead teammates to the respawn point farthest from the East node you just took, mad skillz Superman that you are. If you'd gone South, you'd be holding a node with your teammates beside you. We don't need to disagree about the initial caps, since 2/0/6 will beat 2/6/0 every time: your team outnumbers theirs at both sides. I believe you're saying that mid/side is easier to hold, and I hear you. But while mid players can reach a side faster, the reverse isn't. Side to mid takes longer than side-to-side, and it requires a run past the enemy spawn point. The key point, though, is that with an average team, games are won by sending more of your players to a target node than the enemy does. 2/6/0 vs 2/6/0 in Civil War is a toss-up, yet it's the most common approach in Civil War, followed only by the miserable, unannounced 2/5/1, which gives your team superior numbers at only one node. Don't count on Superman out-deathmatching everyone in sight. Send more of your team to the target and win.

'Think of how dumb the average American is. And half the people are dumber than that.' - Carlin The problem: players focus on tactics (their mad skillz, or, if losing, the weak skillz of their lame teammates), when they really should focus on team strategy. Warzones are won, or lost, on strategy. The solution: are you kidding? This is a question for the ages. Weigh in with your thoughts, please. Dealing with a weak team in PvE is much easier (see Darwin's Foe: Healing the Hardest Groups). Here I have no solutions, only three tips. 1) When you want to capture a node, send more players there than the enemy does. This simple, obvious strategy is the most ignored in PvP. Too many players think they're Superman, and will win both a node and the game single-handed. When playing with an average (or lesser) team, that's not a wise plan. The 2/5/1 approach to Civil War leaves your team short in the middle, assuming they do the usual 2/6/0, as well as at the far side. Yes, it's possible to take a node solo, and any longtime player has done it or seen it succeed. But an average team - and really, what else is your typical PuG? - will lose any node fight against superior numbers. It's that simple. What's not simple is getting a team to try, say, 2/0/6, though that match beats the usual 2/6/0 in a flash. Two things can help: 2) Any plan beats no plan. Imagine playing against a team with no Chat box (and no VoIP - we're talking PuGs): you'd thump them. But most groups hardly use theirs, beyond a general tactic at start ('fight at the doors'), and a few late calls of 'inc' or 'pass!'. If someone else suggests a plan, go for it, and state that you will; others are more likely to follow. If not, suggest yours. You're much better off than running around at random. My favorites of here's-a-plan-in-10-seconds-before-we-start: Alderaan: don't be afraid of the sides. People mistakenly claim that they can't be held as well as mid/side, but the direct speeders make the point moot (and though mid-side is fast, the reverse is not). Call 2/0/6. Yes, for a good team, there are advantages to sending 3, 4, or 5 to the far side, instead of 6, but in an average team not everyone will listen, so aim high. Novare: If 3 or more people congregate at the west/east door, suggest they either go south... or if they won't budge, that they all rush the far node instead. The 3/5 split that becomes 2/1/5 ('SuperNinja!') puts your team at a loss at two nodes at once. Help your team avoid it. Voidstar: All zerg right or left. Forget 'stealth left, rest right.' When the defenders leave 1 or more at the other door, your average team beats theirs at the crucial first door, where the game is often won or lost. See rule #1: send more players than the enemy to a node you want to capture. Huttball: Call out to get ahead of the ball and look for the pass, on offense and defense. I've grown to appreciate Huttball and the clever tactics noted in Highcommander's excellent Huttball guide. But much of that smart advice is too subtle for an average team. You have only a moment to plan, so keep it simple: get ahead of the ball and look for the pass, to receive it or prevent it. Ancient Hypergate: go for the Orbs. I'm amazed at what a difference this makes. In most matches so far, players seem to deathmatch at both Pylons, leaving the Orb-center relatively open. I've been able to run back and forth uncontested dozens of times, and it pushes my Objectives score through the roof. With organized teams, I expect that there may be value in hitting the center in force right at the start, moving the orbs in a scrum to a Pylon, whether owned or not. But for PuGs, getting anyone you can to join you works wonders, so far. A PuG is fundamentally different from a (pre-) organized team. Sometimes they're quite good, and I've played in more than a handful to beat premades, but I've never, ever seen it without coordination. An average team with a plan will beat an average team without one, and can often beat better than that. Which brings us to the last tip: 3) Stay positive. If you haven't wanted to tear your hair out, you're either Vin Diesel or an infrequent PuG player. Your teammates will do the most jaw-dropping things. They will stand at the edge of the Pit with 'Force Leap to Me' T-shirts. They'll deathmatch out of sight of the ninja at the door. They'll actually be unaware they now carry the Huttball. It's so infuriating, that I figure Bioware can replace the F2P model by selling the ability to Force Choke teammates. But complaining won't win games. It never, ever helps. Being positive doesn't always turn things around either, but every now and then it does, and as much as players cheer after an easy win, nothing in the game beats a come-from-behind victory after your team began to act with a single will. You can't guarantee that. You can't make it happen often. But you can move things in the right direction, and sometimes that makes all the difference.

When 20+ players Report a poster as a spammer, automatically remove posting privileges. No more 'SO Cheap Gold!' It's that easy, and abuse can be prevented. If, say, Guildmates wanted to Report an ordinary player as a kind of prank, just allow any player to open a ticket if he or she feels unfairly banned. If Customer Service determines such a thing occurred, they restrict posting privileges by the players who inappropriately Reported spam when there was none. That'd keep Reports honest. There are ways to make the automated algorithm more sophisticated, stopping even the initial posts from ever appearing in General Chat, but this one is simple and effective.

I also loved the Agent storyline: smart writing, appealing character, compelling problems to solve. And though the stories for all characters have fairly separate acts, the conclusion of Act 3 ties together both that Act and the whole agent arc. Great stuff. So satisfying! Never give up, never surrender. That made me laugh, too, as did the text for choosing that option: "I can wave my hands, too."

Updated with a simple, extremely useful tip for Collicoid War Games. Also updated the PvP section. While I sometimes get wonderful, attentive teams in Warzones (sub-50, non-premade), I'm sometimes astounded by the lack of strategy applied. Disgruntled teammates often yell at each other to 'lrn 2 play ur class,' but far more often, it's team coordination that's lacking, not individual player tactics. You can help. Stay positive, even on a bad team: admonishments never improve the play. Give quick directions in the absence of any other leadership. And be prepared for unfounded criticism (teams always want to go mid in Civil War, and they always want to hold two turrets, even if the only hope of grabbing a close win is a gamble on a third). Do what's right, and sometimes - sometimes! - enough of your team will follow, for a win.

Updated with Taral V tips. Your full list is great, and this one in particular. Breaking CC is worse, and failing to use abilities on cd, especially interrupt, is more troubling, but those traits show up only in the weakest of groups. This one pops up even on teams who know basic fight mechanics; yet they expect the healer to bring them to full health even when it's inefficient after a fight. A 3-second rest by everybody sure beats 6 seconds of heals, followed by 5 seconds of healer rest. Dealing with it is the same as with other weak team traits, though: instruct them gently once, twice, and if you're feeling feisty, a third time. Any more than that isn't likely to yield results, so carry your handicapped team along. You can do it: you're a solid healer.

Updated with "Save that Group" tips for some common Flashpoints.

I agree. I used to think that I was sufficiently skilled that even a bad group couldn't kill me, but I've since learned that yes, a bad group can indeed kill me. But with the tricks above, they really have to work at it.

If you're a healer, you have stories: tanks who don't taunt, players who break crowd-control like possessed children, and DPS'ers whose wild pulling reduces the rest of the team to threats, or begging, or both. If you're reading this, you're probably already good at several things in SWTOR, and I'll assume healing in general is one of them. But healing one of those groups requires a special set of skills. These focus mainly on PvE and PuGs, but in tough times, they apply even to premade and larger groups. I'll cover PvP at the end. Three Strikes and You're In "I think we're just getting started." - Master Chief You'll know by the second pull what kind of group you have. If things go badly - painfully broken cc, lack of aggro control, unfocused fire - you have a few more pulls to fix it, and no more. If, say, your DPS'er keeps breaking cc after repeated direction, don't bang your head on the wall. He'll keep doing it, so adjust accordingly - delay your cc until after he pulls, cc in the back (impatient players nearly always target close mobs), or skip the cc altogether. A fourth-pull idiot will be a tenth-pull idiot, no matter what you do. Use your narrow starting window to improve tactics and then move on. You're the Man "You are a true warrior and worthy of respect." - Sten Tanks, or leaders in premade groups, generally set the pace and pick the tactics, but in a weak team, you can quietly fill the void by simply marking key targets, announcing cc, or even suggesting simple tactics ("Kill left to right" goes a long way in a group with trouble coordinating). When 3-manning a tough Heroic or FP, use your companion, not that of the highest-player or one for any other reason. With yours, you have a cc and a reliable off-tank to complement your heal arsenal. This is so helpful, it often makes a weak 3-person team better than a weak 4. You're also the one most likely to make smart use of your Heroic Moment and Legacy abilities. Healrz Heal... and More “Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people.” - Mordin Solus "Healrz heal" in Ops and when everyone follows well-defined play, but in weak groups, teammates often don't fill their roles. If your tank ignores a strong mob while slogging it out with a Champion, you may need to clear the loose mob yourself, or you may need to cc wisely, remembering even your short stuns. Or to mix a quick DoT in with your heal rotation. Every healer needs to know three things about his or her abilities: the most efficient ones, the most effective in a quick burst, and the ones to use on the move. For an Inquisitor/Sage, Affliction/ Weaken Mind works great on the move but has a high force-cost for a long fight. Crushing Darkness/Mind Crush is much more force-efficient, but not worth the casting time for a quick take-down. All useful abilities, healing and otherwise, fall into one or more of these 3 cases: maximum efficiency of force/energy/cost, maximum effect in a short time, or maximum use as instant-cast. Are you a Merc with little heat buildup in a fight with General Ortol? Then mix in Explosive Dart while on the run. Are you an Operative healing against HK-47? You need to juggle Surgical Probe so that you don't end up needing a costly Kolto Infusion for such a long fight. Be efficient when you need to, deadly and fast when you need to. I also believe firmly in building Talents up the healing tree only as far as is useful (generally 4th or 5th tier); I've saved more groups with Clairvoyance (instant-cast, multiple cc without equal) than with Salvation (instant cast heal, redundant pre-50). Once you heal for Ops, you may well need the full tree. Looking Out for Numbers 2 and 1 "There be safety in numbers and I am two or three at least." - MInsc Finally, when a fight begins to fall apart, save your best players. While you generally focus on the tank, some times that simply won't work; in one Ortol fight, I couldn't keep our tank and one DPS from standing under rockets, so I saved the other DPS, and we finished the fight without trouble. You, of course, matter most, at least for any length of time. A group can finish a boss without a healer when the fight is nearly done, but otherwise, don't fall on your sword to keep up anyone else. Your team needs you alive, at least in PvE. PvP Instant-Friend. Just Add: You " Endure. In enduring, grow strong." - Dak'kon You know the deal for a good PvP group: follow the well-coordinated crowd and protect them as they protect you. In a bad PvP group (and I'll assume we mean a non-premade), look for a friend in two ways. First, go with someone when you go to fight. Assuming you joined the WZ alone, pick someone to follow and protect, preferably someone playing smart. This differs from just rushing to the fight, since if you arrive as the enemy finishes off your teammates, you do no good. To offer your best abilities, you need to arrive at the fight with another player. Pick someone, anyone, and you now have a friend. Second, you may save the game by looking for a desperate teammate. If see a 6 on 6 match by one Voidstar door while 2 enemy rush your sole defender at the other, go save that poor soul, all other things being equal. You'll get fewer healing points - it's both safer and easier to heal in a large group - but you'll provide a crucial boost. This happens all the time, even on offense. Be that extra assist that enables a teammate's great play. You rebound, you pass, you block. Then respawn, and do it again. You're a healer, and you make a difference, in any group. NEW! Common FP Tips I've added examples of some of the simple directions that have made a difference in my less-than-stellar groups. Keeping it simple is key: in Hammer Station, for example, saying "Don't let Kreshan knock you off the ledge" often fails to avert poor choices, while "Tank (I always use names, btw - it's more personal), stand between the boss and the console" has worked well. For now, I've included just three boss fights on the Imperial side, all sub-50, because I've done them recently (and repeatedly). I'll add more later if of interest, or if you have your own tips, please do share. Again, this isn't an FP guide as much as guide for healers on "How to Save a Group that Doesn't Deserve Saving." Hammer Station, Kreshan Direct the tank to stand in the space that begins as Kreshan's back. KB will push the tank against the console, instead of off the edge. Remind DPS to stand behind Kreshan once the fight begins, to avoid his frontal AoE. Direct DPS to get the adds. They fall easily, so, unlike in the Foundry, they don't need help from the tank. Athiss, Prophet of Vodal For a weak group, direct the Soul Rend target (the player chased by the flames) to run down one of the side "alleys" to the corner. There are other tactics, but this one minimizes the AoE burst for teams unclear on the mechanics. The Crushing Affliction DoT can be cleansed. Many healers won't yet have a cleanse, so just heal through it. Direct the target of that DoT to back away from other teammates, as it ends with an AoE. Stick to your force/energy/ammo/heat efficient abilities for this long fight. Cademimu, General Ortol Direct groups to look up to see which rockets are firing. This simple tip has saved three groups I've joined, as it's much easier to see the rocket warmup that way by checking the floor. Also, tell your teammates that the center "walkway" is not safe from an adjacent rocket. Foundry, HK-47 I'm addressing this one rather than Revan, since the fight mechanics are less forgiving. There are a couple of threads here asking for tactical help, but they're met with little advice other than "lrn2play." Cute, but definitely not helpful. Not even cute, really, as much as smug, since even a good healer can get a bad group. In addition, this fight is particularly hard on a Mercenary, whose instant-heals (unless you're level 41) and protection trail the other classes. The multiple, random-target attacks are instant-damage, instead of DoTs (like the Crushing Affliction curse in Athiss), so slow-cast heals won't land until after the full effect, and your Kolto Shell gets one measly proc. It's definitely doable, but since you need to keep everyone above half-health, it's harder on you with a weak team. If you have a marauder or operative, assign him or her to cc one droid add, and be specific about which one. Good teams can skip the cc; weak teams benefit greatly. Direct everyone else to kill the other droid, then the cc'd one. Good teams can keep the tank on HK-47; the others need help downing the droids. Don't click the power core until the droids are down. In Hard Mode, you really need to get this before HK-47 receives his buff, but 10 seconds is a long time in this fight, and sub-50, it can keep the droid adds from piling up. Taral V, General Edikar Beating the adds is the key to this fight; they're what will kill you, the healer, since even a weak tank can hold the attention of General Edikar. A strong team can fight him in the open. IA weak team will do better hiding behind the coil of wire to Edikar's left (your right), and staying there. Lots of people know this spot, but not all DPS know that they need to stay back, out of sight, to draw the adds down to this area. If your DPS rush out to get the adds, you'll have a crazy hard time keeping LoS to both them and the tank, and that's an unnecessary struggle. Collicoid War Games/Force Field Puzzler I love the word 'Collicoid,' especially since it got me into trouble with my heavy-RP guild for an admittedly non-RP joke I made in General Chat. And here's a quick, extremely useful tip for less than stellar groups in the droid puzzle. Without it, your teammateswill get knocked off ledges; if you have a particularly noteworthy group, it will happen more than once. Direct your tank and any melee DPS to stand with their backs to the consoles. It's that simple. And that important. - I play on Ebon Hawk as Jurat, Sage; Kurek, Operative; and Anvar, Merc. The vast majority of my PuGs have been good experiences. The rest have been good lessons.

It doesn't - you're right. The change is sensible to offer. The option of a one-time change in City of Heroes didn't hurt anyone, and Bioware could do the same here. Doesn't matter the reason: typo, unhappy with the way Legacy treats punctuation, wasn't clear that names spanned factions, just had a change of heart. Bioware itself makes changes all the time, including now to the information given about Legacy names. Those of you who have a Legacy name you love, great. For those who don't, it's hard to get excited without any options for improving it, short of leaving the server. A happy player base helps us all. More subscriptions means more support for a good game and more content for everyone.

Agreed - and another good reason to allow a one-time change, like City of Heroes does. I'd also gladly do a reasonable fee-based change, another option to help players get a Legacy that suits them.

Yes, please! Even one-time, or for a fee.

I don't want to necro this, but I also want to reply after trying these strategies quite a bit. The root talent for knockback is essential. Without it, it's very, very hard to win - I don't want to say 'impossible,' but... all right, I'll say it. We Sages simply can't do as much damage on the run as powertechs, and they can damage faster than our mobile heals. It's a losing game against a competent opponent. Drawing an interrupt is a great tactic to get in one long heal, if you aren't at grapple range, but beyond that, we depend on our knockback. That 20 sec cooldown is brutal - it's not easy to keep them further than 5m but no further than 8m - but the root makes all the difference. With it, you can get off not only a heal but damage abilities that then proc other instant-cast damage. I keep trying without it, since it really doesn't fit my build, but I haven't found an equal tactic. Funny, I read so much about how overpowered Agent/Smugglers are, and I don't fear them at all as a Sage. I also read about how overpowered Sages are; I don't fear them at all as an Agent. But I'm still reeling from the mighty Powertech.

We're still stuck at the difference between 'can' and 'may.' The first requires no consideration of anyone else while the second does. Clearly you can roll, but whether you should is a different question. 'Needers' here seem to feel that loot dynamics can be managed simply by looking after your own interests, leaving your teammates in turn to look out for themselves. But doing so is not only inconsiderate, it also weakens your team. If my Marauder rolls on an item that improves your Agent but not vice-versa, and if I do the same, we will each improve our stats only half as often. If the rest of the team responds that way, our odds of bettering our abilities drop to a quarter. Your chance of getting, say, an upgraded chest drop in an FP run drops from roughly 1-in-6 (as a few items are not only class but AC-specific) to 1-in-24. Bleah. Grabbing 'because I can' is a losing standard.

I had no luck with the solutions above - I Reset the quest, abandoned it then went to the cantina and tookit again, and traveled to and from Nar Shaddaa. But I did advance it by doing more steps in my Class quest (Act 2), which makes me think Shoeby is right that the two are related. My Class quest had me go to Dromund Kaas, not Nar Shaddaa, so I didn't see the connection. But a few steps later and it did return me to Nar Shaddaa. Kaliyo's Companion quest did not automatically update, nor did it fix with another Reset, but after I abandoned it yet again in the cantina, all went well. Incidentally, the Warehouse marker then moved further south, as stated earlier here or in another thread. It's a good bit further south, and I wish I noted the coordinates; I don't know if it would have been possible to go there directly even when bugged. Finally, I love SWTOR and believe in keeping a positive attitude, but Customer Service here is pitiful. Sending us canned, poorly chosen instructions that hardly fit the situation is beyond inappropriate. You can do better, Bioware.

Let's set aside being rude to get back to the point made in my OP. Here it is again: "We're all better off when we act considerately toward our teammates. We do NOT excel when we play 'every Zabrak out for themselves.'" In the nearly 200 pages of posts, not one 'Needer' has addressed the point that we're better off being good to one another, nicely summed up here: Here's my example in the original post, in more detail to show the value of considering teammates. If we run a FP and a great upgrade drops for you, Sith Marauder, you're in luck with a group running under 'don't roll for items that upgrade another teammate's class more than yours.' You have a 100% chance of improving (assuming no other Marauders in the group). Under 'Press Need for anything, even for items that don't upgrade your primary stats,' your odds drop to 50% when I roll. In this case, the reason I roll - I like the look, I'm short on cash, I want to give it to my companion's girlfriend - doesn't matter, but it's clear that it does not improve my primary abilities. In two runs with drops perfectly suited to each of us, we go from a perfect chance to both upgrade to half as likely, and by half again when others roll, too. That 'greedy' team will end up weaker than the considerate one. Do you really want a 75% cut in the chance of improving everyone's effects? Under my suggestion, every player has an equal chance at drops in a run. They simply have a greater chance of getting drops for their class. I'm not asking for a special claim on Marauder or Powertech or Sorceror items with my Agent - you have priority when those items drop. We'll all get the same number of items; what we get by considering each other is the items that improve us most. There are several variations of this, and it's partly right. It is wise to clarify assumptions before you go, and if you find a method that works for you, great. But it is NOT your responsibility to detail all the ways in which your teammates should not act rudely. However you define 'rude,' it'll relate to considering the interests of others - not putting them first, but at least taking them into account. Greedy actions by others aren't your fault just because you didn't stop to list them. Not every time you want something is greedy. 'Greed' differs from 'want' by putting excessive weight on your own interests. Posters here seem to have a similar difficulty with - or disregard for - the difference between 'can' and 'may.' 'Can' takes only your only choice into account while 'may' considers others. With loot drops aimed at a particular class, considering your teammates helps you all advance in style. And isn't that one of the great results of playing together?