A gap closer would be amazing and extremely helpful. Granted, as a Sawbones scoundrel I don't normally need it so much, however, it is still frustrating to see other "melee" players jump and leap into the battle...and I just have to run up. Stealth is great and all, but it is very situational. I think some kind of jump, tumble & roll into battle....kicking the opponent's legs out from under them, would be a great ability. Doesn't need a stun, unless it is a quick knockdown.

Energy regeneration in general useless? Nope, never. But, comparing it with other energy regeneration abilities in the Skill tree's, it IS crap. Even the Dirty Fighting line's tree to allow a DoT critical to provide 1 energy is better. To the post above about Armor bonus to it, I like that suggestion.

Never the mind that we get a free damage absorb from our class abilities? Why not pay for one? I would go with 25/50%. Even if not a damage absorb, my point is SOMETHING added to it that is a group benefit and purpose. Because I'm sorry, its "energy generation" is pathetic, and I don't care how much math someone wants to crunch, the skill points are currently better off elsewhere.

Let me preface this. My opinion: The ability is worthless after low levels. Even spec'd out to generate energy. You could claim Alacrity speeds it up, but by what, .2 seconds? If you have Cool Head and an even halfway decent team, you shouldn't need it in even high-end PvE. In PvP, it's at best a decoy for interrupts. As a "free" heal, sure it is OK, but justifying 4 skill points for it? You can't. Personally, I would think about investing the Skill points if it had something additional added to help a party member. Something that revolves around the heal tics & helpful that would justify the 3 second cast time & 4 expertise points. Something like: -Prognisis Scan: 12% Crit Heal + 1 additional heal tick; Maxes at 24% Crit & 2 + ticks -Patient Studies: Each heal tick now grants 1 sec of 50% damage absorb to target. Max 100% damage absorb (5 seconds). Or something along those lines, added to current expertise. I could see then using this to help aid a Tank who is extremely low in health, and my energy is sapped. Or helping a party member in PvP survive a stealth gank. Or even 5 seconds of self survival if my defenses are on cooldown. Your thoughts?

I can only speak for Sawbones, but you aren't putting these heals into perspective. Firstly, Diagnostic scan does at max 150 heal over 3 seconds of CHANNELED healing. The caster has to stand, for 3 seconds to put out that heal. If they are doing that in PvP, and you interrupt it, you are at your own fault because they baited you. The ONLY reason to use D.G. in pvp is to decoy. Secondly, the heals with the real juice require standing for 1.5 to 2.5 seconds to cast. That means the healer is vulnerable to being targeted, stunned, and jumped by anyone and their grandmother. any "Instant" cast heals are either weaker (and require buff stacks of Upper Hand to trigger), do healing over time, or cost a decent amount of energy. Yes, a good healer has much as his disposal, but lets also point out one serious thing here. If you are concentrating so hard on a healer that he is having to focus on healing himself with all of his tricks...then he isn't healing his team..and your team is therefore probably winning. If not, then you need to learn to work with your team.

Play a full spec'd Sawbones in a warzone, where the opposing team clues in that you are the main healer and decides to tactically keep you crutched, THEN come in here asking to screw with my heals. Try having to stand still, in a heavy fight, for 2-3 seconds to cast a single heal. Then, have that heal interrupted, and tell me how "easy" it is to stand for another 2 seconds or more to pop another heal. hah!

I like your style

My guildies told me the other day that I was fated to pick the smuggler class (besides that I did in my previous MMO), simply because of the constant chuckling. =]

but like said above, it's great in Huttball. Rooted for 2 seconds can be a long time if you are the ball carrier

Well..if you think about it in one fashion, it makes sense. A shotgun to the back is probably going to connect with their armor, and strong armor at that. Most armor is going to protect the back well, since it cover's vital organs. However, heads and neck are not always covered so well. Folks need to see, or they need to move, etc, and even if there is a helmet, it might come off. Also, a heavy blow to a helmet can still cause damage to the head, since the force of the blow will go through the armor. So basically, you are punching them in the face/head/neck that is not as well cushioned and protected as their back. Similar to when we kick them in the balls

I feel a little bad now. I just got Risha a a full crewmember a short bit ago, and fully equipped her...and after seeing how she plows through mobs like a freaking train on crack....the dynamics of changed. I basically feel I use Corso now for his pretty face and country voice...because I just summon him when I am doing quest conversations. I prompty pack him up when I hit the field and pull out Risha...who seems to pack a bigger gun than Corso does =] I can't stand Risha's commentary, and the fact that she seems to dislike all my choices...where'as Corso seemed to believe I could do no wrong. =]

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks the cooldown on grenades is ridiculous long. I would be fine with them shared, and them a bit longer than class-based grenades. A 2 min timer on them, non-shared, would be a amazing. Right now, 5 minutes is crazy. I can basically use them ONCE a warzone, maybe twice.

Personally, I would rather use Diagnostic Scan for that. Mostly, because then I don't lose an Upper Hand stack because it actually went off

Hmm... As a lvl 35 full Sawbones spec'd Scoundrel, once I have gotten used to PvP in warzones, I don't generally have an issue healing OTHERS. With or with out group support, I am comfortable with having just enough heals to help tip the scale of a fight. My only issue is when it seems to come to healing MYSELF that things are lacking severely. I'm too used to SWG, I suppose, where the medic had some "Turtle up" abilities (Evasion, or Stasis) to have a Temporary OH CRAP save. 1v1 a DPS had to work hard and strategically to take down the medic. The thing is, if a healer is focusing on keeping himself alive, he isn't helping the team, so I don't see how in a long run that isn't balanced. I'm saying that, I can support Trauma not affecting Self Heals, but still affecting healing of Others. Unless a team is nothing but healers, the battle won't be tipped in a crazy scale if the Healer can keep himself up, in the face of a focused attack, for a period of time. I don't see a healer keeping himself alive forever, because most heals can still be interrupted, stuns still work, energy pools are not infinite, etc. This isn't a game of true "instant cast" heals...things take time and there are options.

The special claims to hit multiple targets in a cone/area in front of the Smuggler. 20 Energy cost and 1 Upper Hand, it's always seemed kind of expensive to me to use. Additionally, it seems to not do as much damage as I would like...and I rarely see it hitting multiple targets...it is as if I have to position myself "just right" for it to be effective. Does anyone out there use this and have any tips on using it more effectively...or is this just another special to ignore training as you get higher in levels.

Yes, if you "Crit" on an Earpiece, it gets a Augmentation slot (usually shows up as Exceptional or Advanced I believe, after crafting.) And the bonus on your Companion depends. If it is Effeciency, it means it lowers the crafting time. If it is the other, it increases chance of a critical.

EVERY major starport needs a GTN. One on the Ship would be handy too, but honestly, if EVERY starport had them, there would be almost no need. Take a page from the former Star Wars Galaxies. Although there are no personal Vendors in this game, their Bazaar terminals were VERY available. The only vice was they were not internconnected. Every Starport needs them and they all need to be connected. Otherwise, you are just suffocating crafter business.

It IS more energy efficient, but it eats up an UH. This makes it very costly, especially if it is just a 1 stack of UH it is taking away. When it does that, then your healing potency and damage pontency have been reduced. Pretty costly in my book. If its energy cost was also reduced, or the UH requirement removed, through the Skill tree then I think it would be worthwhile to use later on.

There shouldn't be a risk of his voice changing. Bioware responded a couple weeks ago (saw it on Dev Tracker) that they plan ahead of time with Voiceactors for any chance of something happening. Besides the contracts written and signed in such a way as to ensure the V.A.'s are available, they record stuff well ahead of time and extra stuff for possibilities to ensure that if the V.A.'s are out of commission for a period of time, they can still put in new content.

If taking a few seconds to select a mission per companion, and to then later click a single button that pops up on your screen during normal game play is so stressful...well....why are you even playing this game? You would have hated the "stress" of crafting in Star Wars Galaxies...where the crafting process was more hands on and step orientated. This game's crafting, even mission running, is so stress free it is ridiculous. =]

I don't think it's just related to a Killing Blow by me. I have been granted Upper Hand in the middle of fights before anything has died, and with out me having other UH generating effects up (Slow Release Stimpack).

Where-as I can agree that in some ways it doesn't make "sense" for Cybertech to make armoring, and Armortech could use something to craft that can bring in more income....my first reaction to this is NO. Why? Because, I will seflishly admit it is due to me having made an income so far selling Armor mods, especially those I have worked hard to RE to the purple schematic. Additionally, I have invested a lot of time and income in learning the schematics. If the developers were to switch around these things, they would need to have due compensation: schematics to craft in their place, and compensation for the time, credits, and resources many of us have already invested in Armoring.

I'm pretty sure Alacrity does NOT reduce Global Cooldown in any fashion. So, even more useless for Sawbones =] If that set also helped the other heals like it does Kolto Cloud, then it would be amazingly awesome. Or gave us some sort of stun resistance....too much to ask?

I refuse to use it and I refuse to waste points on it. Why? From my experience, even with it being a "free" filler ability, and even if I want to use it when my Energy is 0/low, the 3 seconds of cast time is a Crutch and liability once I have EMP and a healing Triage. The problem I have when I tried consciously using Diagnostic Scan as a energy builder when my energy is low (which, btw, it isn't very often so), is I can't use my Instant heals when my party members need it most because I am channeling a weak heal. I have had two people die on me because I couldn't use Emergency Medpac or Triage on them because I had started Diagnostic Scan to get energy. Or, I miss renewing a Slow Release Medpac stack because Diagnostic Scan is still casting. The only solution I have is to move and interrupt it, but that isn't quick enough. The only reason I would use it if it was changed to: 1. Instant cast, and lasted for 3 ticks on the target (kind of like Slow Release Medpac) 2. The expertise to let it give energy on a healing crit also gave it a high % chance to grant Upper Hand. Then, it could be amazingly useful. ONLY if these two were added would I use it and think about putting Skill tree points in it. Otherwise, the Channeling time of it + necessity to stand still for so long for a crap ability is turning me off from it completely.

I think it would be pretty nice to have a move where we jumped and rolled into range, completed by kicking them in the legs and causing a short stun. To be done only out of stealth. Otherwise, I'm not sure what would be smuggler like. We certainlydon't need to leap and yell into range like a Jedi, or harpoon them in. Not our style. And lasso'ing them would take too long. So, I vote for a heroic mad jump & roll & kick!