Combat Medics - Need BioWare's TLC

[Thwaite]

Combat Medics need a serious increase to the overall healing output to put them on par with all other healers in the game. I would say they are the absolute weakest healer in the game at this point. Their aoe heal is absolutely pathetic in comparison to others. The amount of healing you can actually push out on fights like Hard mode Soa is just shadowed by the aoe healing abilities and HOTs from the Scoundrel and Jedi Sage. In many of the end game fights, I am seeing the combat medic as more of a MT healer and not an aoe healer type which serves no purpose in the current end game content. In some of the higher level fights, a geared combat medic just can't keep up, heal output wise on all accounts.

 

You can say I am wrong and cry, but you are most likely not geared and not doing end game / end difficulty content.

[LordKivlov]

We're not supposed to be the big AoE healer. That's the sages job. We're in the front patch healing everyone up. Scoundrels have just as hard of a time AoE healing as we do. I have no problem healing Soa.

[DonnyCage]

Considering we wear heavy armor and do pretty decent damage when we aren't healing.. We should be behind everyone else when it comes to healing. Edited January 13, 2012 by DonnyCage

[Dirtylobster]

Considering we wear heavy armor and do pretty decent damage when we aren't healing.. We should be behind everyone else when it comes to healing.

 

How in gods name are you thinking now??

What good are one million armor extra armor points if you are dedicated healer in PVE?

It is kind of hard filling your healer role with damage...

[choboon]

We are NOT the worst healer, we do NOT compensate with damage.

We do have sucky aoe healing, that muchis correct and i often prayed for a damage absorb shield on my skill bar.

One that i can actually give to others.

 

But we have hands down the best single target burst healing Republic side.

That makes a lot of encounters with lots of spread out damage difficult for us.

 

But all encounters are doable, in the worst case tell people to carry some medpacks, which should be standard anyhow.

 

If you need to heal multiples:

 

Pop Supercharge

Kolto Bomb

AMP / MP whoever is worst off

Then spam AMP followed by MP until all are about 80%

Kolto again

 

Always give the tank a trauma charge, may not seem much but it heals for thousands during its existance.

 

I totally agree healing multiples is a pain in the *** with the Commando as we are single target (tank) focused. with buffs to armor and reactive heals.

 

But we are not the worst healer class. None of them is.

[Elicas]

We're perfectly fine at end game hardmodes. Our responsibility is not AoE raid healing, but maintaining tanks and burst spot healing.

 

If you're struggling to keep your dps up in flashpoints while correctly geared, they're either taking too much avoidable damage (dpses fault) or something is wrong with the tanks threat or your healing.

[DonnyCage]

How in gods name are you thinking now??

What good are one million armor extra armor points if you are dedicated healer in PVE?

It is kind of hard filling your healer role with damage...

 

There are pros and cons to every class. You can't expect to wear heavy armor, do ridiculous damage AND be the best healer in the game. I suppose next we should complain that we don't do as much melee damage as a Sentinel, so we should buff that too?

 

The issue here is knowing what roll your class is. Enough people have hit the nail on the head. Our class is not about AOE heals (even though we have a pretty decent one).. We are more about single spot heals.

 

If someone is having trouble healing with this class then either their rotation is wrong, they've specced poorly, or they are just in bad groups (ie their tank is terrible). With a good tank, healing is ridiculously easy... and if you are specced right, and with the right rotation you will almost NEVER run out of ammo.

[JLapp]

The issue here is knowing what roll your class is.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Commando class roll is DPS. Combat medic's can overcome their shortcomings and be serviceable with enough gear...but will at best have slightly better single target healing with far worse AOE heals and significant lack of utility.

[Grmp]

We're perfectly fine at end game hardmodes. Our responsibility is not AoE raid healing, but maintaining tanks and burst spot healing.

 

If you're struggling to keep your dps up in flashpoints while correctly geared, they're either taking too much avoidable damage (dpses fault) or something is wrong with the tanks threat or your healing.

 

[Xelten]

Considering we wear heavy armor and do pretty decent damage when we aren't healing.. We should be behind everyone else when it comes to healing.

 

Considering Sage have a shield (no one else does), have a better mobility than any healer, have the better aoe than any healer, have a lifegrip, have nice damage. They should be behind every one else when it comes to healing.

[FIGHTorFIGHT]

Sage runs out of mana and has to sac health to get it back which is a pretty big weakness. You can only spam so many AOE heals until you get low.

 

Combat medic can heal forever with no resource problems.

 

Group healing isn't that bad, you just need to micro a bit more by managing trauma probe and overcharge. Overcharge is such an incredibly good skill since you can spread out a ton of healing and mitigation effects for nearly free.

 

Everyone goes on and on about the sage shield, but AMP with 10% armor buff, kolto bomb with 10% damage reduction and +10% healing, and trauma probe heals gives someone a ton of survivability.

 

I think having a commando / sage combo is idea for endgame instances since they cover each others weaknesses.

[swpoop]

Troopers are the BEST single target healers in the game with almost NO resource issues.

 

In addition, we wear heavy armor so our surviabilty is far superior to the other two classes.

 

Our AOE heal is meant to supplement and buff other heals. The 10% damage reduction from it on your tank is amazing.

 

play around more with rotations.

 

For the record, I have healed on all 16 man and 8 man content for kills except NM SOA.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Parali
rude

[Thwaite]

I appreciate everyone's input towards this topic and I value everyone's perspective and point of view.

 

I would however like to point out, in fights like 8-Man Hard Mode Soa. There is so much AOE damage going out, why would my guild take me over a Scoundrel and a Jedi Sage? They aren't because of the Combat Medic being a single target healer. I am not sure if other end-game guilds are doing this as well, but it does seem to be the trend on my server. I can see the Combat Medic to be a substantially more viable healing class in 16-Man fights, where assigning a single healer to the main tank or tanks would be a much more useful and suitable role. The heavy armor literally has nothing to do with the healing output versus lack thereof, in my opinion, because the topic of discussion is not PVP or damage absorption driven. The soak damage seems to be pretty balanced based upon damage mitigation techniques (ie. armor, shields, avoidance, ect.).

 

[MagnitudeZero]

The one thing that bothers me at the moment is people saying "Oh well we're fantastic single target healing, but not great AoE"

 

There is no single target healing in this game, tanks just don't need a healer on them 24/7 like they do in the other game, I am raid healing in every single fight, proper raid healing, and the Tank's damage received is comparable to what the rest of the raid receives.

 

HM Soa I struggle a lot more to keep the raid up when the other healer (Sage) is in the mind trap, than he does when I am, I still don't fail but the difference is clear - it also depends on how much the group spazzes out. Obviously I'm not going to go into how it is to heal the transition phase either, because it's impossible to compete with a Sage, but I actually ran it last night with a Scoundrel healer. and was suprised to learn his version of Kolto bomb hits 4 people.

 

But ultimately I think the issue is that I only have one heal I can always rely on (hammershot is filler and free, not a serious heal), and it's baseline 2 second cast, perhaps I'm just accustomed to coming from a game where I have multiple heals to fall back on. SCC is great, but I feel it would be a lot better if I could regain charges whilst the effect is still active.

 

Yes, Commandos can heal all the current content, and I have very little issues in pvp, but the way the mechanics of the raid encounters are, I feel we're slightly behind Scoundrels and Consulars.

[swpoop]

The one thing that bothers me at the moment is people saying "Oh well we're fantastic single target healing, but not great AoE"

 

There is no single target healing in this game, tanks just don't need a healer on them 24/7 like they do in the other game, I am raid healing in every single fight, proper raid healing, and the Tank's damage received is comparable to what the rest of the raid receives.

 

HM Soa I struggle a lot more to keep the raid up when the other healer (Sage) is in the mind trap, than he does when I am, I still don't fail but the difference is clear - it also depends on how much the group spazzes out. Obviously I'm not going to go into how it is to heal the transition phase either, because it's impossible to compete with a Sage, but I actually ran it last night with a Scoundrel healer. and was suprised to learn his version of Kolto bomb hits 4 people.

 

But ultimately I think the issue is that I only have one heal I can always rely on (hammershot is filler and free, not a serious heal), and it's baseline 2 second cast, perhaps I'm just accustomed to coming from a game where I have multiple heals to fall back on. SCC is great, but I feel it would be a lot better if I could regain charges whilst the effect is still active.

 

Yes, Commandos can heal all the current content, and I have very little issues in pvp, but the way the mechanics of the raid encounters are, I feel we're slightly behind Scoundrels and Consulars.

 

 

first of all you are allowing bad players to dictate the ineffectivness of your class. If you are taking a lot of "aoe" damage on soa its because members are derping into lighting balls. ONE person should be taking damage from them. Then there is the tank and the tossed person. If you are aoe healing them, well, good luck I guess

 

The other two fights with substantial intended aoe damage is first boss droid in EV and bonethrasher.

 

For droid, just make sure you have super charge cells up for his rocket barrage. You will outheal most classes here.

 

Bonethrasher same thing, use supercharge cells after every pounce.

 

Again, 2 out of the 6 bosses do aoe damage, and both of those are easly healed.

 

I have done everything with another combat medic for 8 man content.

 

Combat medics are fine, just takes some thought and proper rotations.

[Symptomatic]

There are pros and cons to every class. You can't expect to wear heavy armor, do ridiculous damage AND be the best healer in the game. I suppose next we should complain that we don't do as much melee damage as a Sentinel, so we should buff that too?

 

The issue here is knowing what roll your class is. Enough people have hit the nail on the head. Our class is not about AOE heals (even though we have a pretty decent one).. We are more about single spot heals.

 

If someone is having trouble healing with this class then either their rotation is wrong, they've specced poorly, or they are just in bad groups (ie their tank is terrible). With a good tank, healing is ridiculously easy... and if you are specced right, and with the right rotation you will almost NEVER run out of ammo.

 

Donny, Damage output is irrelevant to PvE healing. It should have 0 bearing. We are there to heal. Not DPS, not take damage, to heal. I rarely even hit by damage buttons in PvE. Giving DPS to compensate for lacking Healing is *** backwards.

 

You right though. When I am in healing spec I don't want to do damage. Take that ability away for all I care. I want to heal. Thus, i speced healing.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Symptomatic

[ABRY]

I have to agree with the OP and tell all the other people that disagree to listen to the argement he made....

 

1. Play a combat medic to 50, do some hard modes, until then you don't have the knowledge to respond with a thoughtful answer.

 

2. We get no in-combat rez, the only "healing" class that doesn't.

 

3. Most hard mode boss fights involve having to move, we just flat out suck if we have to move because of the long inductions, and hammer shot only does 400-700 over the gcd, compared to amp doing 1800-3400, and mp doing 2100-4600. BI is only useful when you have a tank get below half health and they need a quick boost, but i would rather use it as a quick click heal for party members who are getting low.

 

4. In hard modes or operations with 4-8 people all taking damage, we need to use aoe, guess what, 700 every 10 sec isn't an aoe heal. Getting to spec for an extra 15% healing over 15 sec is nice, but if only we could heal the whole party in that time frame, which we can't. And in hard modes, you can't afford to be bringing 2 healers.

 

I am up to 99800 respec cost trying to find a decent heal spec and unable to. I have a full set of champion combat medic gear with the set bonus's. Eternity vault with a combat medic takes 3 healers. Eternity vault hard mode with healing sages only takes 2 due to their aoe healing abilty.

 

I leveled from 1-50 as a combat medic, and had no problems healing normal flashpoints or even eternity vault in normal mode. Playing 1-49 as a combat medic has no place in a discussion of combat medic at 50, they are just so different once you start trying to do hard modes. I finally got tired of trying and spec'd damage because I couldn't find groups to do flashpoints as a combat medic.

[swpoop]

I have to agree with the OP and tell all the other people that disagree to listen to the argement he made....

 

1. Play a combat medic to 50, do some hard modes, until then you don't have the knowledge to respond with a thoughtful answer.

 

2. We get no in-combat rez, the only "healing" class that doesn't.

 

3. Most hard mode boss fights involve having to move, we just flat out suck if we have to move because of the long inductions, and hammer shot only does 400-700 over the gcd, compared to amp doing 1800-3400, and mp doing 2100-4600. BI is only useful when you have a tank get below half health and they need a quick boost, but i would rather use it as a quick click heal for party members who are getting low.

 

4. In hard modes or operations with 4-8 people all taking damage, we need to use aoe, guess what, 700 every 10 sec isn't an aoe heal. Getting to spec for an extra 15% healing over 15 sec is nice, but if only we could heal the whole party in that time frame, which we can't. And in hard modes, you can't afford to be bringing 2 healers.

 

I am up to 99800 respec cost trying to find a decent heal spec and unable to. I have a full set of champion combat medic gear with the set bonus's. Eternity vault with a combat medic takes 3 healers. Eternity vault hard mode with healing sages only takes 2 due to their aoe healing abilty.

 

I leveled from 1-50 as a combat medic, and had no problems healing normal flashpoints or even eternity vault in normal mode. Playing 1-49 as a combat medic has no place in a discussion of combat medic at 50, they are just so different once you start trying to do hard modes. I finally got tired of trying and spec'd damage because I couldn't find groups to do flashpoints as a combat medic.

 

1. I have healed every hard mode flash point with out trouble.

 

2. Scoundrels and sages including dps versions get rezes. With the debuff on entire group or raid this is not that important.

 

4. Only scoundrels get an instant heal without a coold down. Movement is not that big of deal. Stack alacrity if you are struggling.

 

4. Sages aoe heals about 300 a tick and crits around 500. It has a cast time. This is on a coolddown and cannot be spammed. If you are having problems getting your group of 4 up in 7 GCD's you are having issues. Get out of your head you need to use kolto bomb for your only aoe heal.

Edited January 13, 2012 by swpoop

[Rehash]

Pretty sure this discussion about throughput of healing classes is pointless until we have combat logs. How could you ever know for certain?

 

EDIT: This is less to bash the discussion (since it is actually worth having when we can talk about hard numbers) and more to bash the fact that this game has no combat log.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Rehash

[Ronamo]

There are pros and cons to every class. You can't expect to wear heavy armor, do ridiculous damage AND be the best healer in the game. I suppose next we should complain that we don't do as much melee damage as a Sentinel, so we should buff that too?

 

If Combat Medics did "ridiculous damage," you might have a point. You must be confusing them with Gunnery Commandos. You must also be ignoring the massive damage Sage Telekenetics puts out.

[Syas]

Combat Medics need a serious increase to the overall healing output to put them on par with all other healers in the game. I would say they are the absolute weakest healer in the game at this point. Their aoe heal is absolutely pathetic in comparison to others. The amount of healing you can actually push out on fights like Hard mode Soa is just shadowed by the aoe healing abilities and HOTs from the Scoundrel and Jedi Sage. In many of the end game fights, I am seeing the combat medic as more of a MT healer and not an aoe healer type which serves no purpose in the current end game content. In some of the higher level fights, a geared combat medic just can't keep up, heal output wise on all accounts.

 

You can say I am wrong and cry, but you are most likely not geared and not doing end game / end difficulty content.

 

Regarding our AoE:

1) It hits more targets than Scoundrel's AOE

2) It is instant unlike Sage's AOE

3) With CSC it offers the only "-10% incoming damage" buff in the game that you can apply to another player (or many for that matter)

4) It increases further healing by 5% to players affected (unique)

 

Our AoE heal is not strong, but it is versatile (IMO), I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but it is all in how you use it. Using Kolto Bomb to the fullest extent means keeping 3 & 4 in mind.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Syas

[Syas]

Considering Sage have a shield (no one else does), have a better mobility than any healer, have the better aoe than any healer, have a lifegrip, have nice damage. They should be behind every one else when it comes to healing.

 

Have to disagree on mobility, Scoundrel is a lot more mobile than the Sage while being effective.

[Proctor]

Regarding our AoE:

1) It hits more targets than Scoundrel's AOE

2) It is instant unlike Sage's AOE

3) With CSC it offers the only "-10% incoming damage" buff in the game that you can apply to another player (or many for that matter)

4) It increases further healing by 5% to players affected (unique)

 

Our AoE heal is not strong, but it is versatile (IMO), I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but it is all in how you use it. Using Kolto Bomb to the fullest extent means keeping 3 & 4 in mind.

1. No it doesn't.

3. It does not give Charge Shield while CSC is active, only with SCC. Three target maximum is not "many".

 

I question your overall understanding of CMs, no offense. The class does need some help, same with Sawbones. Minor help, like very slight tweaks in the utility department ONLY.

[Shrikestalker]

1. No it doesn't.

3. It does not give Charge Shield while CSC is active, only with SCC. Three target maximum is not "many".

 

I question your overall understanding of CMs, no offense. The class does need some help, same with Sawbones. Minor help, like very slight tweaks in the utility department ONLY.

 

Hey Proctor,

 

Does the Scoundrel have to aim their Kolto Heal like commandos do with the circle?

 

I'm getting awfully tired of having to direct that thing all the time at particular people, and having to lead people when they are running from AoE bombs only to have them change direction after I throw it. (or they always split up and miss the Kolto anyways, getting one or two guys)

 

Also, does Sage have to aim it's AoE heal? I haven't heard much about the other classes with their heals and having to aim.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Shrikestalker

[bigcfromrbc]

My best advice is if you suck as a Commando Medic go re-roll to a different healer. It's not hard to spot heal while keeping the tank up. Everyone got use to WoW being super easy, and now that something takes skill people are QQing.