At what point does Combat Medic start to shine in PvP

[Lijun]

I just switched to Combat Medic on my lvl 34 Commando. After a couple days of Warzones I am getting a feel for the spec.

 

I have heard people say Combat Medic is a beast in PvP and I am wondering at what level does Medic become beastly? I dont feel beastly right now, I feel like I am taken down very easily it seems. Yes I can dish out some heals, but once I am focus fired I am usually going down.

 

Does Medic become beastly in PvP at some level or was I mistaken?

[Bwice]

I will surely get Trolled but...

 

To be honest, never. I leveled all the way to 50 as a Combat Medic and got Battlemaster before the Patch to Ilum that caused it to become a Zergfest. It is my opinion that compared to other healers (Sage for sure) Combat Medic does not ever become beast in PvP. Though you will be useful in duos with your friends.

 

Understand Combat Medic are by it's Tree Talents a single target healer. You do not have any significant AoE healers or target shield. Yes, there is a 3 player AoE and when used correctly the ability to get 10% armor (plus another 10% if you get Supercharged Cell off followed by Kolto Bomb) but this is nothing compared to the Shield, HoT or AoE heals of the other healers.

 

I have been able to get some nice damage from Alacrity stacking then using Supercharged Cell and then spamming Charged Bolt. However, this isn't burst damage and will not kill any target that is mobile or healed. Much like the Assault Tree's burns it is false WZ chart fluffing. Not to forget, stacking Alacrity is from my point in a overall point of view a terrible idea. Your better off stacking power, crit, and surge then stick to healing.

 

Conclusion, stick to Gunnery till the Dev decide to get around to balancing Healer classes. Though there is abilities even in that tree that just don't work and are bugged for several months (i.e. Charged Barrel).

[Lijun]

I will surely get Trolled but...

 

To be honest, never. I leveled all the way to 50 as a Combat Medic and got Battlemaster before the Patch to Ilum that caused it to become a Zergfest. It is my opinion that compared to other healers (Sage for sure) Combat Medic does not ever become beast in PvP. Though you will be useful in duos with your friends.

 

Understand Combat Medic are by it's Tree Talents a single target healer. You do not have any significant AoE healers or target shield. Yes, there is a 3 player AoE and when used correctly the ability to get 10% armor (plus another 10% if you get Supercharged Cell off followed by Kolto Bomb) but this is nothing compared to the Shield, HoT or AoE heals of the other healers.

 

I have been able to get some nice damage from Alacrity stacking then using Supercharged Cell and then spamming Charged Bolt. However, this isn't burst damage and will not kill any target that is mobile or healed. Much like the Assault Tree's burns it is false WZ chart fluffing. Not to forget, stacking Alacrity is from my point in a overall point of view a terrible idea. Your better off stacking power, crit, and surge then stick to healing.

 

Conclusion, stick to Gunnery till the Dev decide to get around to balancing Healer classes. Though there is abilities even in that tree that just don't work and are bugged for several months (i.e. Charged Barrel).

 

Thanks for the reply. Well that sucks to hear, but on my limited experience I will say I agree. I have a 43 Sage Healer and I feel quite a bit stronger in PvP as a sage. As far as survivablity goes, I would think a Commando with heavy armor would have much more survivablity in a warzone compared to a light armor Sage. As a Sage healer the bubble, the hots, stuns, and of course Sprint help tremendously.

 

As far as numbers go, I get about 2x as many heals on my Sage compared to Commando Warzone healing; being able to drop a shield on people even before a battle begins is very powerful. And of course the AOE heal that heals everyone in the radius compared to the Commando AOE heal that heals 3 people.

 

I apologize if this seems to have turned in to a QQ thread but I am trying to figure out why I should continue healing with my Commando in PvP when my Sage seems to be are more suitable PvP healer. Before I played the Classes I woulda thought a 'Combat Medic' would atleast have some major survivablity in PvP compared to other healers, I think I might have been wrong?

[Aaoogaa]

I would say mid 30s to 40s. Then again when you hit 400+ expertise at 50.

 

The important things to remember. Depending on the damage you are taking use:

Supercharge right away and drop the kolto bomb shield on yourself. Then before the 10 seconds is up drop it again, should give you about 23 seconds of uptime on the DR for you and those near you and +10% to all your heals for the 10 seconds. You will almost be fully supercharged again when the 10% damage reduction shield wears off.

 

Don't blow all your cooldowns at once.

 

Positioning is key. Do not get overextended without support. When people get to know you are a constantly healing you will get guards and assistance from those you regularly PVP with.

 

Spec for PVP.

 

You can short kite with insta heals. Meaning if your infusion is up you can kolto bomb, infus, and kolto bomb again for 4.5 to 7k worth of healing while running away....good time to use your knockback for the snare.

 

Learn to use concusive round and cryogrenade to give you a break to heal up.

 

LOS caster/ranged for a heal break.

 

Learn to identify ACs you are fighting.

 

Lothe huttball and love voidstar.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Aaoogaa

[Frankaficky]

Depends on your play style and professions but my CM is pretty beastly with full champ gear and can also solo people with ease. If you have Biochem you have alot more burst due to the stims and adrenals.

[Clemsonalum]

Depends on your play style and professions but my CM is pretty beastly with full champ gear and can also solo people with ease. If you have Biochem you have alot more burst due to the stims and adrenals.

 

I am constantly top heal in most of my WZs at 38. I can withstand 2 guys beating on me and keep myself up and usually throw a heal on a few other friendys as well.

 

Use your shield... Charge... and Cryo whoever is shooting you if you need a break from their incoming damage.

[nvmvoidrays]

I would say mid 30s to 40s. Then again when you hit 400+ expertise at 50.

 

pretty much this, but i've noticed this is relevant for most classes, but its also true for each healer AC.

[pavelmatejka]

I play a hybrid spec and I feel quite beastly. For one guarding nodes/doors (by myself) and call incommings I can prevent 3 to 4 players from capping untill dackup arrives. Be selfish once in a while and you can keep 4 imps busy for a long time. Secret is in line of sight and not standing in one place. Stay near cover. Realy depends on your play style. I used to only heal and it was a bit boring. Not anymore...

[Buckit]

Combat medic is a well rounded spec. You put out nice damage, nice number of kills, and nice heal numbers IF you play your trooper wisely. I've consistently performed well on my CM since level 10 and i'm a PVP noob. Unless I'm drunk or falling asleep or playing with a horrid pug, I always score in the top 3 for damage, kills, and heals. I'll occassionally score #1 in one of these categories and very rarely top two or more. Top 3 in 3 categories is pretty damn good in my book.

 

 

You will not routinely be a beast in any one category, so don't expect to be. Leave that for the (ahem OP ahem) Consulars. What you will be able to do is put out damage AND heal AND take a beating. We're well-rounded, which means we can fit in with any group of other classes and fulfill an important role.

 

Don't get upset if you get burned down quickly when you get focus fire. EVERYONE gets burned down quickly from focus fire. Your role is to hang back a bit and lob damage and heals as needed. Your role is to not run around solo like Rambo. You're a support class. If you can't stand getting focus fire all the time, then don't be a healer. It comes with the job. I've been in matches where I die constantly because the imps know I'm a healer and they waste my *** the second they see me. It happens.

 

A little tip for warzones: if you want to boost your damage output, watch for clumps of Imps and drop your AoE's on them. Do that a few times in a warzone and watch 'em weep.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Buckit

[Kenmuir]

When your Sage gets to level ~25, that's when your Combat Medic starts to really shine.

 

Yes, it's a joke. But really, Combat Medic/Sawbones is just so far behind Sage at this point from a game play perspective, it's not worth it to play anything but Sage. There's a million reasons, if you can't find them, then you probably don't play that a top level so it doesn't matter what you pick. In that regard, Combat Medic doesn't take off until you get both Medical Probe Shield(Your best health per GCD ability) and the talent that reduces your next Medical Probe after you cast Adv. Medical Probe. Before that you are gimped by your resource mechanic and will have a very hard time healing well.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Kenmuir

[Aerodi]

I play a 31/10 combat medic in pvp and usually, I feel like a monster.

 

Now, this wasn't so much the case before before I started getting decent gear/expertise. Once I hit around 300, I became fairly beastly even without a gaurd. If you have full cent/champ (not hard with the bag change now) you are very difficult to take down. Ask, or make it obvious that you're a combat medic in the prep area and you'll feel invincible with a tank. Picking up 2 pieces for the pve set bonus is highly suggested.

 

The important thing is using the right skills at the right time. First, don't just run when people get on you. And they will. Most people interrupt the first cast they see, so if you're high health, you can bait that with a damage attack. Unless they are on voice chat they won't stagger the interrupts. Save the BI and KB for heal lockout situations, or when you need to break los on a ranged while dealing with melee that are still on you.

 

Situational and positional awareness is paramount for a combat medic. You have 1 knockback on a 30s cooldown with almost no mobility at all. Playing hide and seek with a couple dps should generally get the attention of your team or give you time to pop some instant heals and medpacs. At which point you might be in a position to use a supercharge and/or trinket/relic to drop one of your attackers.

 

You didn't mention your level, so I just assumed you were 50. As my advice is centered around endgame abilities/gear. I didn't initially love my medic as much as I do now when I just hit 50.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Aerodi

[Bealsebub]

I have just swapped to Combat Medic, Expertise is at 629 or so and I am still getting to grips with it after playing Gunnery and Assault so long But I am now a lot harder to kill and the damage is not bad either. Charged Bolts are hitting for 2k plus and the cast is by 1.3 sec.

[SpaniardInfinity]

I'd say whenever you get Field Triage, allowing you to chain your Advanced Medical Probe and Medical Probe with next to no cost. Until then, it's somewhat difficult to get into a rhythm without any support from allies. After that point, it becomes vastly more enjoyable once your expertise begins to grant around +10% healing on allies, which almost cuts the debuff of Trauma (-30% healing on allies recently in combat) in half. As your expertise rises higher, that debuff becomes less of a hinderance and really lets the full power of your healing out. Stack aim and power so your MP heals as close to 2.5k as possible, and try to get AMP as close to 1.5k as possible.

 

I wouldn't call myself a great PvP healer (currently Valor 52), but from my own experience here's some good advice for healing:

 

- Avoid being alone whenever possible. You are strongest when at least one person is making sure you aren't being harassed/attacked (guarding helps, but isn't necessary). You will notice that as you gain a reputation for healing, more people will look after you (and more enemies will hunt you).

 

- Don't be the first one into a fight and keep a low profile. Use corners and sightlines to your advantage (and remember these also limit your healing range!). If you are flushed out, just as if you are attacked when alone, weight your options. As a general rule of thumb, I only move if I am taking too much damage or am being interrupted too much to be effective. Otherwise, make use of your heavy armor and soldier yourself through it (assuming you have the healing power and rhythm down to do so). Smart allies will often assist when a healer is being attacked, so make sure you are where they can help you (and ask for help if at all possible - it's best to do so BEFORE you need it; this is just a good habit to get into).

 

- Have strong battlefield awareness (camera at maximum range) and learn to manage your team! I always prioritize those with lowest health and those being focused. I also try and keep track of who is guarding me so I can set them as my focus target, since they eat half of the damage I take when I get focused. If you don't have time to focus target them, at least know who is guarding you and pay attention to their healthbar (you do sorta owe it to them).

 

- Don't be afraid of taking damage when necessary, but know the limits of what you can endure! This takes experience and judgement, but when you know how long you can last in a battle by yourself, you can secure your team enough time to win.

Edited February 16, 2012 by SpaniardInfinity

[eMAeM]

I switched to CM when i hit 50 so i cant tell you much about the low level pvp. And i can tell you it really is about expertise. Once you reach 400-500 you really feel the difference.

Im in a highly active PVP guild and am still the preferred healer over our sages cuz i can take a serious beating while still staying functional. Guard is always nice of course but your best friends are still corners and pillars. Making good use of kryo granade and concussive charge really makes a difference. Knocking away enemies and moving into cover usually provides precious seconds to heal up. You have alot of defensive tools plus a kind of mini-shield-wall from the PVP-adrenal, since 15% more expertise = 15% less damage so you might aswell view it as a defensive cooldown. Your AOE healing capacities are limited but that shouldnt be too much of a problem. Rotating heals and fast switching while SSC is active are key. Oh, and always keep Traume Probe on yourself exclusively. Most tips have been given already but feel free to ask!

 

Heres a screenshot of a revent game! Keep your faith! Things will become beastly eventually

 

http://s1.directupload.net/images/120216/4zqaz4by.jpg

[_Flin_]

It is more of an evolution than a revelation.

 

1. Oh my... I suck.

2. Look, when firing those relics wondrous things happen.

3. So I wont get interrupted with shield up with this talent? Does that mean that when i sit through the first stun, then break the second, then bubble... i can heal up to full and noone can do anything against it?

4. But its even better if they dont see me in the first place.

5. This glittery twilight stuff is from my colto bomb?

6. 30 charges? Couldn't i just charge them when waiting for respawn?

7. Instant medical probe? Shiny.

8. There is tje interrupter again. I shoot... *interrupt* ... *idea* healheal. LoL. Deceiving bolt.

[eldelphia]

Just wanted to say that as a Sage I'm about to roll a Combat Medic because I've met a couple of really good players in PvP who make it look fun. I love my Sage but when one particular guy stopped queuing out matches took a dive. You guys are really, really useful.