Yeah, I'm sure the thread title confused a few of you In any case, I just thought I would share the story of how I died...and came back as a healer. Amen brotha! But seriously, I've played a tank for many years in MMOs, never thinking I would want to be a back-seat healer/support class. However, I re-rolled another JC and went Sage. Typically I was soloing a lot of content in TOR as a tank, but as a Sage I wanted to put my Seer-dom to the test and did as much pugging as I could in FPs and Heroics. I basically sold myself as an "experimental healer with no promises of life-safety", but when it came to nomal FPs and Heroics, most people didn't care and were just happy to have a healer at all. So, I did my part: bubbled & healed the MT and OT, cc'd elites, and occasionally threw out some dots, and channeled dps to help when my force pool allowed. But then I (at least with a few groups I was in) had to deal with my cc's being broken by my own group members (no thanks to those pesky exploding AoE barrels that ppl love clicking on indiscriminately) and mobs attacking me most likely due to healing aggro. So, in all the mad juggling of re-ccing, pushing inc mobs away from until the MT/OT taunted, re-bubbling the tank, and trying to keep my force pool in the upper bracket, I managed to allow the MT to get burned down to almost nothing, and see the poor guys comment of "Well this is a wipe..." UNTIL I shifted gears with noble sacrifice, and spammed the only two heals I had at lvl 25 and brought that health back up to par and the MT was back to doing his worse. Now, I know this is nothing special and quite honestly most of the stuff I read from healers are way more drama than what I experienced, but the best part about it was the fact that the MT was so blown away by the last second save that he asked me to join him on a few more heroics. Now that's just an awesome feeling, especially when you are just starting out in a new role and anxiety tries to hold you down. So, between my Operative and Sage, I think I'll have my work cut out for me

You guys sound like a great fit and I know I've seen a few of you in WZs and whatnot. Basically I re-rolled to a Sage on JC and have been looking for a good FP/Heroics group to heal. Currently I'm level 19, so unfortunately no HMFPs at this time. Is DN doing any lower level stuff as well? My play times are typically evenings (after 8pm EST).

Awesome, I'll keep that in mind. Not really looking to join any guild atm but don't mind running FPs with you or whomever when we are online. My game times are typically in evening (after 8pm). See ya IG!

prob the smartest post in this dang slow forum

The main problem is no teamwork. Most PuGs are more concerned with watching out for #1 then keeping an eye on their surroundings. As a healer, that is your job, for the most part, to see the lay of the land and know everything that's going on. Tanks/DPS do tend to have tunnel vision and assume they are being taken care of. Not saying ALL do that, but that is definitely more common than not. If you are already stating your "healing rules" at the forefront, then there should be no questions after the fact, but nonetheless, the healer will typically be blamed for everything >.> i find it quite hilarious while pugging, when in mid-discussion on general strategy for XX heroic/FP, etc, the tank will see an enemy and immediately pounce like a chihuahua going after a squirrel.

Canderous Ordo, which started out strong, esp in WZ pre-mades, but slowly started to dwindle down to pugs. I think the JC merge was a good thing...

Hey sumuser!, thanks for the invitation, however my IA is only @ 25 right now so no HMs for me for awhile Although, I'll keep an eye out for ya next evening I'm on. My IGN is Ezarii btw. (stupid server merge stole my original identity!...*shakes fist*)

Hey no worries. Thanks My play time is typically in the evenings or early mornings, so its a hit or miss. I'll probably just try my luck with the random PuG now and then and just let them know I am relatively new to the healing role and expect to die, LOL.

Thanks mate. I'll look you up next time I'm online.

I've been a long-time tank throughout my MMO career, and just rolled a healer (Operative) to try the other side of the spectrum. Much of what was mentioned in this thread definitely happens more than it should, but one of the most ridiculous things I've seen is when the MT manages to be out of your healing range because he's too busy chasing down every mob. Is it really our job to be chasing the MT or OT? Before you know it, you have a train going: Tank chases mob > DPS Chases the Tank's mob > Healer chases Tank > remaining mobs chase after healer Heigh-ho the diary-oh, the Tank wipes the group

Hey JC!, Re-subbed after being away for a few months and decided to roll an Operative (lvl 20 atm), focusing on Med tree. My role of choice for as far back as I can remember has been tank, but I figured I would try the other end of the spectrum. As much as I just love healing Kaliyo (meh), I would like to actually get some real practice in on healing other players in FPs and/or Heroics. Preferably players that have some real experience as healers themselves and wouldn't mind sharing some hints/tips, etc. Being a new healer, most groups don't really want you, at least not as a MH, so its been tough trying to sell myself as one IG, lol. So, figured I would give a shout out in the JC forums for those who want to give a run-through sometime My Op is Ezarii and typically I'm online nights (roughly 8pm EST).

QFT! CO was becoming a sleep fest and I was close to re-rolling to...just about any other server at the time. The merge was a good thing, except for the toon name change thing. That hurt. I QQ'd for about 10 minutes... In any case, welcome all to the fun that never ends!

What times would you typically be IG? I am on the east coast of NA, btw...

^THIS. I could never understand that either, especially since the IA uses a blaster pistol exclusively in the cutscenes >.>

Fort Lauderdale, FL here and re-subbed after bring away for about 6 months!

Not sure if there is a guide, per se, but it really comes down to what roles you and your comp are going to be filling. For instance, if you are a Shield spec (tank) and you have Elara equipped, you would probably want to change her to healer stance as it lowers her threat generation, and of course raises her healing output. It's a matter of checking the companion skill bar, reading each tool tip, and choosing what you think would work for your situation. Essentially, as a tank, you want to keep your companion from grabbing all the damage/healing aggro from you, or it'll only make your job harder.