It´s a fair assessment of how addons, in this case click-casting and unit frames, apply in WoW. I think the biggest issue i have come across in these discussions, here and in the old forums, is conflict between the player´s "right" to have a fun and adaptable game-play experience, which in all fairness they deserve as paying customers, and the effect the player´s actions will have in the community at large, as indirect as they may be... ill explain this last part a bit better. While addons are used on a individual basis, their continued used in group content inevitably effects the entire player base in the form of balance adjustments to the said content. Addon balanced content, like we find in WoW for example, takes away player freedom instead of giving it, by forcing the entire player-base to use third party software. Not all mods trivialize content, but some do... its those mods that people are fighting against, at least that's how it looks in my eyes.

Still, your not paying for any of those... they are free and guess what... things change. If i started my subscription and had to deal with lag, enormous server queues, extended maintenance and what not, then i would be mad, until then im just a bit disappointed, nothing more.

They are one and the same... EA and Bioware. P.S your complaining about them not giving you free stuff? Stuff they have been saying (for a long time now) was going to be distributed as they are presently doing. Seriously, people and their entitlements...

You can respec easily, tho it will cost you, how much? dunno... not accepted for pre-access yet

I think Gear Score was a lesson to all mmo developers, sadly a lesson not learned by Blizzard. It will be interesting how bioware handles the available "hooks" future addon´s can use to access the game data.

Addons are part of WoW culture mostly, not mmo´s in general. It´s funny how the two seem to be confused as the same time and again. Concerning the addons themselves, i think its a certainty that they will be implemented, but anything beyond that is speculation.

Cross Post from the Sorcerer Forum, as i plan to play both classes, and you like to see how the healer community feels in general about UI modifications. A common topic before the previous forums were sent on their way to oblivion, was the pros and cons of addons. People are pretty evenly divided between wanting and despising addons, with a segment of the player base opting for the middle ground of "lets have them but not to the extent of game X". Having played mmorpg´s for some time now, i can see that both side´s have good arguments for and against addons. For the Healers among us, the "Healbot", "Click-Heal", "Debuff Removal", "threat meter" and "gear score" line of addons are the ones that present the biggest impact in our play style. A heal assist mod such as Grid or HealBot, both commonly used mods in World of Warcraft, give players the ability to visualize the group or raid with a box that shows their health bar. Warning signs for low health and the ability to assign "spells" "abilities" to your mouse when clicking on each members layout space. A "Debuff Removal" mod, such as Decursive, again a mod commonly used in World of Warcraft. Is essentially the same principle as the addon´s mentioned on the above paragraph, and often is a function that is incorporated into those same addons. As the name suggest, it simplifies the healers ability to remove negative status ailments from their group/raid members. Threat meters, once an encounter "learning" tool for raiders, are now ubiquitous with mmorpg group play. At their most basic function they evaluate the "threat" or "aggro" each group/raid member is generating towards a target. For inexperienced healers, they are a a tool used to teach not to over heal and especially a not to waste your resources on non essential group healing. For the experienced healer, they are a tool easily dispensed with and largely irrelevant. Lastly, but often the most contentious, we have the "gear score" line of addons. These are at their core, number crunching addon´s used to evaluate a given player´s equipment in relation to set parameters, such as healing, dps or tanking. A basis of comparison is always good for a player... right? Good things often outlast their welcome, as these addons have proven time and again in World of Warcraft (yes i know, but hey a lot of people in SW: TOR apparently played the hell out of it), they are used to measure a players worth in a cynical and cold mathematical way. Discrimination often ensues when players are measured not for their skill but for their gear. Sadly, discrimination is only one of the side effects of the pervasiveness of "gear score" addons, content has become a means to an end and not an experience to be enjoyed, equipment has been reduced to numbers, community has been turned into exclusiveness. Of course, mmorpg´s like SW: TOR and WoW are essentially gear based, but a skill element is always a factor, it should be the only factor... but thats a topic for another time. Often these addons are frowned upon by non-healers or non-raiders. My view on them is a bit ambiguous, on one hand, healers have the most stressful/ungrateful job in a group oriented mmorpg, blamed and often victimized for group/raid wipes, even when the problem is bad tanking or overeager dps and not the exactly the healing... On the other hand... these are for all effects and purposes a means to lower the difficulty of an encounter and lowering the skill threshold to that same encounter. Crutches are only there to be used by those who need them, but do players really need addons? Personally i feel that, as long as the game stays addon free, encounters will always be balanced to the current game play environment/mechanics... removing the need for said addons. In the end, it all depends on how far Bioware is willing to push their UI modification API. For all this wall of text, a point is still to be made. So ill spare the reader any more... reading apart from asking: Are addons an essential part of how you play as a healer? Do you see them as a crutch or as a bonus to your play style? How far should Bioware go with their implementation of addons?

I remember those days, before WoW patch 2.0... Not only did you have automated scan and debuff removal in the form of the Decursive addon, but you also had the same function for healing, with healbot? and some other addons of the type. At a single key press the addon would scan your group/raid for you, decide which member was in need of healing and select / cast the appropriate heal as to not over-heal the target and conserve mana... You could play countless dungeons and raids by just moving your character and clicking a single key, not even having to target anyone. Addons taken to the extreme.

I agree with the gist of your post, that balance is the major factor in implementing an extensive addon system and not (implementing that is). If addons become prevalent, the encounters will start to be balanced to accommodate the addons. Thats a simple reality that i think most people will agree with. Is is right to balance encounters based on a factor that 100% of the player base is not guaranteed to use? No it isn´t... but the trade-off, the wish to not alienate a segment of the player base is a strong incentive, especially when money is the only decision factor at corporate. It´s a though call. I think that before any kind of extensive addon system, Bioware should focus on releasing customization options for the current UI. As you say, re-sizing and moving the current UI, is an option every player will thank Bioware for.

Sadly its a pvp armor, so unless your planning to grind some warzones, your out of luck Battlemaster Force-Master's Headgear But you have some very nice looking alternatives in the form of: Headgear of the Mind's Eye [Prototype] Ancient Battlemind's Headgear [Prototype] Cerebral Battle Headgear Hope that helps

A common topic before the previous forums were sent on their way to oblivion, was the pros and cons of addons. People are pretty evenly divided between wanting and despising addons, with a segment of the player base opting for the middle ground of "lets have them but not to the extent of game X". Having played mmorpg´s for some time now, i can see that both side´s have good arguments for and against addons. For the Healing Sorcerers among us, the "Healbot", "Click-Heal", "Debuff Removal", "threat meter" and "gear score" line of addons are the ones that present the biggest impact in our play style. A heal assist mod such as Grid or HealBot, both commonly used mods in World of Warcraft, give players the ability to visualize the group or raid with a box that shows their health bar. Warning signs for low health and the ability to assign "spells" "abilities" to your mouse when clicking on each members layout space. A "Debuff Removal" mod, such as Decursive, again a mod commonly used in World of Warcraft. Is essentially the same principle as the addon´s mentioned on the above paragraph, and often is a function that is incorporated into those same addons. As the name suggest, it simplifies the healers ability to remove negative status ailments from their group/raid members. Threat meters, once an encounter "learning" tool for raiders, are now ubiquitous with mmorpg group play. At their most basic function they evaluate the "threat" or "aggro" each group/raid member is generating towards a target. For inexperienced healers, they are a a tool used to teach not to over heal and especially a not to waste your resources on non essential group healing. For the experienced healer, they are a tool easily dispensed with and largely irrelevant. Lastly, but often the most contentious, we have the "gear score" line of addons. These are at their core, number crunching addon´s used to evaluate a given player´s equipment in relation to set parameters, such as healing, dps or tanking. A basis of comparison is always good for a player... right? Good things often outlast their welcome, as these addons have proven time and again in World of Warcraft (yes i know, but hey a lot of people in SW: TOR apparently played the hell out of it), they are used to measure a players worth in a cynical and cold mathematical way. Discrimination often ensues when players are measured not for their skill but for their gear. Sadly, discrimination is only one of the side effects of the pervasiveness of "gear score" addons, content has become a means to an end and not an experience to be enjoyed, equipment has been reduced to numbers, community has been turned into exclusiveness. Of course, mmorpg´s like SW: TOR and WoW are essentially gear based, but a skill element is always a factor, it should be the only factor... but thats a topic for another time. Often these addons are frowned upon by non-healers or non-raiders. My view on them is a bit ambiguous, on one hand, healers have the most stressful/ungrateful job in a group oriented mmorpg, blamed and often victimized for group/raid wipes, even when the problem is bad tanking or overeager dps and not the exactly the healing... On the other hand... these are for all effects and purposes a means to lower the difficulty of an encounter and lowering the skill threshold to that same encounter. Crutches are only there to be used by those who need them, but do players really need addons? Personally i feel that, as long as the game stays addon free, encounters will always be balanced to the current game play environment/mechanics... removing the need for said addons. In the end, it all depends on how far Bioware is willing to push their UI modification API. For all this wall of text, a point is still to be made. So ill spare the reader any more... reading apart from asking: Are addons an essential part of how you play as a healer? Do you see them as a crutch or as a bonus to your play style? How far should Bioware go with their implementation of addons?

I remember one particular build that was launched in the first weekend test. The one they did the mob difficulty re-balance. It was extremely difficult to solo then, plus they changed Khem´s weapon proficiency forcing testers to find much inferior quality weapons to equip him with. I think this last build got the balance just fine, between hard and overpowering.

I´m not for or against dual spec, i guess its a crutch or forced to use when its presented, but otherwise, its not essential. I think ill be opting for a full healing spec even while leveling, as in group content the role i most enjoy is playing a healer. If and when dual spec is made available, then ill most certainly play around with a dps build while playing solo... tho i figure ill be well on my way to 50 or there already when bioware implements it.

I don't get why people dislike Khem so much, story wise that is, i love the way he starts the game constantly referring on how hes going to kill and eat you On topic, companions are a god send for healers, progression wise, even as a healer and at a slower pace (no chain lightning), leveling to the endgame is easily achieved playing solo.

Very nice start to a comprehensive sorcerer guide. Congratulations for the excellent work In the mean time: Add companion gift preferences. Its a nice way for people to figure out what their companions like or do not like. For those of us that plan to level diplomacy its a god send. Example of some liked gifts for the Sorcerer companions: Long run: Sections i see as essential for further work as the game and guide develop. A nice structured gear guide, with level ranges and optimal gear/drops.

It all depends on the respec costs. Personally, while playing the beta, i started having trouble with healing once i got past tatooine, this while sporting a lightning build for the most part. I think ill opt for the slow approach, as i intend mainly to heal, so going full corruption. Do you think a dual spec system is essential for healers?

Its better to opt for a conservative approach to server numbers. Look at EA´s mess with WAR, the game started strong but soon after most servers were low running on empty and they were forced to merge. My advice is opt for a server with a strong and identifiable name and/or well know guilds like Goon´s or GAF guilds. Tomb of Freedom Naab for example, witch has some popular guilds in it and will certainly be an active server even if others are not.

As the topic says, what strategy (skill build wise) will you use to level your character? A few considerations: 1. Currently there is no dual spec option in the game, so people will either go with one build or the other (DPS or Heal) through the game until they reach the endgame. 2. Contrary to other popular mmo´s, a "heal" specced character wont have any trouble leveling, at a slightly lower pace, through the world pve content, while a dps specced character will have difficulty assuming healing roles in group content. 3. It´s clear the sorcerer is not limited to a "healer" role in groups, but that is the expectation when you join a pick-up. Will "peer pressure" force players to opt for the healer role while leveling or will people just opt to do their own thing?