Dajag Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 The OP is correct about Val Khem, I am on my third lvl 50 and my PT and Mar were easy mode not saying Sorc is hard mode because it's not but Val is useless. I am a full healer spec sorc and I use Andronikos Revel, he does great damage and you have to heal him less. I just Bubble up and tank everything. My advice is suk it up till you get Andronikos Revel then you will be rocking agine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasiones Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 leveling as a dps assassin I always complained how he seems squishier than i was...I replaced him when I got talos and now use xalek for doing dailies and general questing. I was kind of forced to use khem prior to talos because as a light armor wearer having any dps companion would make me die pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datamonger Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 khem is a beast i was able to do all heroic 2's and a lot of heroic 4s solo with him. And my khem was almost never up to date on gear just because of how fast i was leveling. This was as a dps spec. I dont know if u are doing something wrong but i will say u have to remember not to really tank and spank but to try and limit as much damage as possible coming in with ur cc's. Also turn off his aoes so u get the most out of ur cc's. a neat trick i like to do that may help is alphaing the mobs myself with the bubble on me. That way khem grabs the agro from me and while the mobs are switching targets im pounding away with no damage coming in to either of us. lastly like other have said make sure u have him in his tanking stance since it gives him great boost and make sure u have a shield equiped on him. he can equip a gen but it does nothing for him and the shield is much better even if the gen gives him better stats. Spending money gearing him is not needed but if u choose too u will notice how easier the game will become. Good luck out there. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth_Solrac Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Khem is an uber convenient lifesaver. I have some good gear on em, he rarely dies anymore. Perfect distraction while I zap from the sidelines. Still not gonna do any distracting heroic missions yet, but he's the type of backup I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Size-Matters-Not Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) Level 40 with hybrid madness/lightning. I have Khem decked out in lvl 40 orange pvp gear, emphasis on endurance, shield, all ear pieces, etc. I have his aoe's turned off. I skipped lvl 40 pvp gear for myself, just upped the mods on orange, but I do plan on grinding lvl 40 for myself. I'm finishing up Quesh right now - lvl 37 mobs. 3 - 5 trash mobs - I force storm then deathfield. Khem tanks and I clean up with force lightning. Khem's health goes down maybe 1/8, no need to use seeth. 2 - 3 sliver elites - same thing but I do have to bubble and heal Khem when his health goes down to less than half. Seeth after to regen 1 - 2 gold - whirlwind one, watch Khem's health, go after other. Seeth after to regen lvl 37 champions with 57k health - I get *** pwnt/owned, and I'm lvl 40? So yeah, Khem feels squishy to me. I find I need to be a couple of levels above the quest line in order to be effective. For those of you who think you're uber and can take on champions or solo 4 man heroics, you must be well above too. And a big LOL to the post bragging lvl 50 in 20 hours. Edited February 26, 2012 by Size-Matters-Not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakkun-Scar Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) As a SIN, I keep Khem in oranges. Once you reach 18-19 bt becomes soloable for the gear definitely not the mods, 28-29 athiss/hammer also become soloable, sooner than that for hammer honestly. Its easy to get the custom gears, then its up to you to get the mods, which is better than waiting for upgraded greens via quests or world drops. If Khem is doing poorly, also check if he's even in tank stance, the game will periodically kick him into normal stance. If his abilities are not checked, his starting offensive is pretty gimp. Took no more than 30 minutes to get him in near full orange gear. It has paid off. Edited February 26, 2012 by Drakkun-Scar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaChopstick Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Learn to play your class and keep him geared. You'd have to trigger the world boss in Tatooine to have Khem get killed in seconds. OMG.. i triggered that thing the other day, not knowing what that shiny glowy thing was, so I clicked it. Man.. THAT was a slaughter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawksoss Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Had you said you were a SIN I would have had to agree with you but as a sorc if you're failing you should probably just quit the game because I was soloing elite quests and even 2 manned Athiss with a fellow sorc friend. So basically L2P and happy leveling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femwhispers Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I am level 38 and I love Khem Val....and have no plans to get rid of him. I take his whining about being captive/slave and laugh; call it emo if you want. I keep him geared the best way possible, as many have posted here. We tear through quests without alot of pain (most of the time ). Using barrier and force lift has saved *our* butts numerous times. I mostly solo except for Heroics; butI did one of the longer quests with bonuses last nite with another Sith Inquisitor and we just blew through it together with our Khem Vals --- no deaths!! I think each of us Inq. have our own methods of questing; and I have found mine through trial and error. I am on Hoth now and using the aoe lightning strike (forget the name) and using my barrier, heals, and extra focus; I find it just decimates most of the mobs fairly quickly. I hope you take this feedback from everyone not as criticism but just plain input from your peers -- what we've found that works and give it another/different look and enjoy this great class the way it should be! Valyntine The Heartless Legacy Provectus Guild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NermalDetonator Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Did anyone who replied to this even bother to read my first post? Not just skim it? I am SURE that if I were to throw bags of money at the GTM Khem would be better then most player tanks, but I said REPEATEDLY I'm not willing to do that. So, read the OP, or just don't bother to reply, because you'll promptly be ignored. Well then stick him in quest greens, he still shouldnt die like you're saying. Either you suck, are exaggerating. Khem is easily the best companion for leveling as a sorcerer. Leveling, all I wanted is for the mobs to stand clumped to get AE'd to death in about 8 seconds. Hop on a speeder, hop off, and khem is at full health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurnsOffPain Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I used Khem exclusively (Except for Xalek at times in my last bit of leveling to get him companion pts in a convo) and love him. I never had any problem with him, in fact it was quite the opposite. My 20% increased Static Barrier plus his armor I leveled insanely well with him and could take on elites 3 levels above me! Tough admittedly I did I have geared out since he and Xalek were the only ones I used being a DPS Sorceror... PS: My name for khem is: "Khem Jong Val" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foefaller Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 (edited) Though some have likely mentioned it, the secret to using Khem (and indeed, all tank companions) lies with these two statements. 1.)Your tank companion should only tank what you need to be tanked. ...and most importantly... 2.)Your tank companion does not need to tank everything. First thing I do when I get a new Tank companion? Turn off his/her taunts, keep him/her in tank stance, and have them tank solely with aggro, giving me the power to use thier taunt when I need it, rather than fufill thier (and every good player tank's IMO ) obsesive compulsive need to have everything hitting them at all times. Instead, I'm take down the standards by myself while s/he's tanking the strong, I'm letting the elties hit on me for the first few seconds before leting my tank companion taunt them off me. Sure, that requires you to accually give your companion one or even two commands, which is waaay more effort than the virtualy hands-free ease of DPS and Healing Companions, right? ...But it works, and personally, it's kind of fun Edited February 27, 2012 by Foefaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamers Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Sure, that requires you to accually give your companion one or even two commands, which is waaay more effort than the virtualy hands-free ease of DPS and Healing Companions, right? ...But it works, and personally, it's kind of fun Blasphemy. If I wanted to control pets during battle, I would have rolled a... uh... sigh. Seriously though, good tip. I typically just have Khem do his thing on his own and fire taunt after taunt, but there were a few pulls while leveling where I had to manually control what mobs he tanked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emptus Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 So, while I will totally agree with the majority of posters -- Khem Val (and in fact all of the Inquisitor Companions) when appropriately geared, and properly utilized is perfectly capable of holding aggro and surviving -- I think most posters have ignored a pretty important point. YOUR SPEC MATTERS -- ALOT. I am currently lvl 48, having run with Khem Val until the early 40's on Hoth. At the time I was straight lightning speced. Against normal groups I felt like a beast -- Force storm -> free chain-lightning+ Khem's AOE engage and everything died in the first 15 seconds. Strong groups would take a bit more work -- but groups of elite mobs, even with Whirlwind and Static barrier on kehm would just tear through him. Champion mobs? Forget it. I couldn't do enough damage to kill them fast enough (yes, even with blowing my relics and recklessness and polarity shift) and couldn't heal him efficiently enough to keep him alive. Tired of dying repeatedly -- I respeced corruption (healing). Soloing is now a joke. between my now second faster dark infusion, the force bending buff and the free corruption proc from my crits I finish most fights at or above 80% Force without ever risking death. It actually got to the point where I switched to running with Ashara for better DPS output (and even she's "beefy" enough to tank for me). And yes, I kept khem's gear up-to-date in oranges and as a cybertech, always had the best mods and Armoring for him. He's still "squishy" and won't live long at higher levels without effective healing / damage control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teldrax Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I am only a level 31 Sorc, but I simply love Khem. He works great for my play style. I am healing spec, so I keep him healed and shielded, and work on the normal mobs around him, or work with him directly if it is one mob (elite or strong). When I got Andronikos I couldn't stand him, certainly didn't fit my style at all. I was glad I only needed him on a couple of quests. I keep Khem updated with normal drops, greens and blues, and the occasional orange that he can use. I don't go out of the way to gear him. So far there hasn't been any real issues. I do think Khem works best with a ranged healing Sorc, vs the DPS build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kantoro Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 So, while I will totally agree with the majority of posters -- Khem Val (and in fact all of the Inquisitor Companions) when appropriately geared, and properly utilized is perfectly capable of holding aggro and surviving -- I think most posters have ignored a pretty important point. YOUR SPEC MATTERS -- ALOT. I am currently lvl 48, having run with Khem Val until the early 40's on Hoth. At the time I was straight lightning speced. Against normal groups I felt like a beast -- Force storm -> free chain-lightning+ Khem's AOE engage and everything died in the first 15 seconds. Strong groups would take a bit more work -- but groups of elite mobs, even with Whirlwind and Static barrier on kehm would just tear through him. Champion mobs? Forget it. I couldn't do enough damage to kill them fast enough (yes, even with blowing my relics and recklessness and polarity shift) and couldn't heal him efficiently enough to keep him alive. Tired of dying repeatedly -- I respeced corruption (healing). Soloing is now a joke. between my now second faster dark infusion, the force bending buff and the free corruption proc from my crits I finish most fights at or above 80% Force without ever risking death. It actually got to the point where I switched to running with Ashara for better DPS output (and even she's "beefy" enough to tank for me). And yes, I kept khem's gear up-to-date in oranges and as a cybertech, always had the best mods and Armoring for him. He's still "squishy" and won't live long at higher levels without effective healing / damage control. Rofl. TL: DR Khem is squishy unless you actually press a couple buttons, then he is fine. :googly eye face: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siltyn Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I stopped using Khem, because with him everything seemed too easy. Switched to Ashara...and, well, pretty much the same...still easy. Solo gray flashpoints for orange armor sets, fill with level appropiate mods/armor/enhancements and see how easy questing becomes. If you can't solo heroic 2 quests as a sorcerer....something is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuyEleven Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Khem is an ok tank but I'd rather use Xalek to tank because I absolutely hate Khem. I hated having to use him so long, it was painful. I've just used Ashara since I got her and keep her nicely geared. Unless I need a tank to kill something then I use Khem just long enough for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Songweaver Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I <3 my Khem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissBegotten Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 My Khem has mainly modable armor. My SW is a Cyber, my SI is an Artifice. Between the two my toons get all the mods they need as they level. Then you can use the commendations for the mods and enhancements, then buy or trade for the armor slots. Also, don't forget to get the modable sword too. Khem is the only one I run with. Bubble up (and keep the bubble up), send him in, then start dropping dots and all sorts of stuff. He holds threat really good, and I only have to splash heal him during elites. I almost never heal myself. I'd like to feed Ashara to Khem, but it might kill him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathThanatos Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Khem Val is very useful to me. Especially when i battle a boss with a hero status. I just use static barrier and dark infusion to keep him healthy. I only do this if I can't defeat the boss with other companions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Fal- Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 He's not useless, But I don't like him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonb Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Khem is fine, at lvl 44 I went back to him as my main companion, after using Andronikos for a bit. Andro is good but takes too much damage on elites. The only problem I have with Khem is that he is too bulky and I click him by accident all the time when trying to loot / harvest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fallerup Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I think Xalek has the Consume Essence ability also. he does, or at least something that works the same way. Saying that you wont spend money in gearing him, is a wrong tactic. The companion mechanic here is not like the pet mechanic in WoW. no, it's not, pets/minions in WoWcouldn't get gear as an assassin, I preferred Khem Val over any other (until I got my other tank of course), because, as assassin, I like to stay behind the target. only on Elites andbosses did I use Talos (healer). gonna level a sorcerer soon and I imagine it will be the same. perhaps I'll use my dps more than I did on my assassin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GengisKahn Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Really, what purpose does he serve? His DPS is crap, and unless you spend 200k gearing him out in oranges every five levels, he is the squishiest and single worst tank in the known universe. Can we either toughen him up or jsut remove him from the game? His constant emo bullcrap would be tolerable IF HE WASN'T USELESS. Unfortunately, this is not the case, making it either stupidly expensive, or impossible to level as a sorcerer. If you're thinking of making one, I would strongly suggest against it unless you have bags of money to throw at khem for gear, or perhaps if you're just a masochist and enjoy dying constantly because khem gets one shot on every pack of mobs with a strong in it =.= If you think Khem Val is useless, make an imperial agent and get Kaliyo (your first companion, also a tank like Khem Val). Do that and you will realize Khem is a big diamond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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