Gimped Merc Heals need to be fixed

[Rambeezy]

So I didnt start this game until about 7 or so months after release, early June to be exact; I cant help but notice that when I compare my base healing for abilities to the other classes i.e. Sorc or Op, Mercs are about 1500 healing behind at least for each ability once the stats 700+ healing power 33+% crit and 75+% crit multiplier are reached. And not to keep my complaints short handed but why is it that a Sorc can cast their biggest ability 19 times while a Merc can only cast their biggest ability 5 times before maxing out heat.

 

It is a damn shame that people no longer want to group with Merc healers, not because of said players skill/internet connection speed, but because they know what the other healing classes bring to the table is miles behond what an average Merc can perform on his best day.

 

Thank you, Buff Merc heals please

[Satedbuffalo]

So I didnt start this game until about 7 or so months after release, early June to be exact; I cant help but notice that when I compare my base healing for abilities to the other classes i.e. Sorc or Op, Mercs are about 1500 healing behind at least for each ability once the stats 700+ healing power 33+% crit and 75+% crit multiplier are reached.

 

As far as I can tell, all three heal specs are very closely tuned in terms of potential output (even accounting for crazy Sorcerer AoE). If you look at PvE parses uploaded to AMR, for example, no single class is seriously outdistancing the others in terms of HPS/overall heals.

 

If you're comparing individual abilities based solely on healing output you're going to feel underpowered. Specific abilities aren't identical in terms of relative energy cost or cast time. Each works in a rotation in a unique way - bound up with procs and energy management.

 

And not to keep my complaints short handed but why is it that a Sorc can cast their biggest ability 19 times while a Merc can only cast their biggest ability 5 times before maxing out heat.

 

No healer would ever do this on purpose. Sorcerer healers weave (sometimes proc'd) consumptions into their rotations to manage energy. Mercs weave rapid shots, overrides, and SGS to accomplish the same. (And most operatives utilize at least a little diagnostic scan.) No encounter demands sustained burst healing of "constant casting of biggest heal" variety. If a healer feels like they need to do this to keep the group alive, either a) a tank is naked b) the other healer's dead c) people are doing something dumb d) the healer is severely undergeared.

 

It is a damn shame that people no longer want to group with Merc healers, not because of said players skill/internet connection speed, but because they know what the other healing classes bring to the table is miles behond what an average Merc can perform on his best day.

 

This is an artifact of an early perception from progression raiding in EV where a sorcerer was extremely valuable. I haven't seen this sentiment expressed in months (especially considering how overgeared most endgame players are at this point). Mercenaries bring a lot to the table in PvE - any raider leader who discounts them entirely hasn't played with a good one. (And Mercenary heals in PvP can be extraordinary, although the current preference for Operatives in ranked reflects Operative versatility rather than healing throughput.)

 

I disagree that Mercenary heals need a significant buff. The quality of life buffs coming in 1.4 (self-healing rapid shots, an interrupt, kolto missile snare) look great, but none of them should affect our HPS significantly. I think that's right on target.

 

I recommend taking a look at some of the guides for the other classes to explore some of the difficulties they encounter in healing and energy management. One of the best things about SWTOR healing is just how different the 3 classes feel: 1-to-1 comparisons like the ones made above just don't work.

Edited September 19, 2012 by Satedbuffalo

[Rambeezy]

So basically a Merc healer has to be skilled to keep up with Sorcs and Ops? Good thing I'm the best Merc healer most people I've grouped with have ever grouped with. The fact is that Merc healing could use some buffs in order to avoid using vent heat 2-3 times per boss fight. Change improved vents to an improved heat that increases total heat by 25 and 50 maxed, Increase the bottom end and top end of Rapid scan by 200 base, and change the HOT from proactive medicine to match the exact ammount healed by healing scan.

 

I dont pvp, so how the hell is a snare gonna help me? I like that rapid shots is self healing, NOT, who the hell let these morons decide that it was ok for me 2 shoot myself? Oh wait, its a heal, its not shooting myself. No, its a gun, im shooting myself. SO STUPID!

[Gyronamics]

I like that rapid shots is self healing, NOT, who the hell let these morons decide that it was ok for me 2 shoot myself? Oh wait, its a heal, its not shooting myself. No, its a gun, im shooting myself. SO STUPID!

 

Read the notes before shooting your mouth off talking rubbish.

 

1) You don't shoot yourself

 

2) You cast Kolto Shell on yourself (which you should be doing anyway) then you shoot an enemy with your CGC equipped and that causes your Kolto Shell to trigger, healing you.

 

 

And frankly, yeah I'd rather be able to heal myself with RS directly. KS heals less than RS.

[TheronFett]

It is a damn shame that people no longer want to group with Merc healers...

 

Thank you, Buff Merc heals please

 

I hate healing, mostly because I'm bad at it. Just for giggles, I respec'd my Merc as heals last night and queued up. We were already getting the crap kicked out of us, so what difference would it make, right? We won the next 7 matches in a row. I got top heals, died only a handful of times, and raked in the MVP votes. What's more, between matches, had several offers to join up with a premade.

 

Merc heals are fine. In fact, since Imp teams on my server are always lacking healers, I may just stay playing Bodyguard. If someone who has never healed before can queue up on a whim and do just fine, I think it's safe to say you have a serious L2P issue.

[Satedbuffalo]

So basically a Merc healer has to be skilled to keep up with Sorcs and Ops? Good thing I'm the best Merc healer most people I've grouped with have ever grouped with.

 

There are bad sorcerer healers and bad operative healers and they perform about as well as bad merc healers. E.g., I learned to heal on my operative and feel very secure there; my sorcerer and mercenary healers don't feel as comfortable because I don't have the same amount of experience. This has nothing to do with abilities or comparisons between the classes.

 

The fact is that Merc healing could use some buffs in order to avoid using vent heat 2-3 times per boss fight. Change improved vents to an improved heat that increases total heat by 25 and 50 maxed, Increase the bottom end and top end of Rapid scan by 200 base, and change the HOT from proactive medicine to match the exact ammount healed by healing scan.

 

I don't understand why using Vent Heat is bad. I use Adrenaline Probe on my operative. (This is a more complex issue for the sorcerer, but the same idea applies.) The use of those abilities is woven into most encounters: knowing when to burst heal, how to burst heal, and how to recover is a really important part of healing.

 

Increasing heat capacity by that much would either be game-breaking or a panacea, depending on implementation. (That is, if the heat regen rates are not adjusted to reflect additional heat capacity, this is game-breaking. If they are it's more or less just a buff to burst capacity, but if you wind up utilizing that burst capacity to its fullest, you heat-screw yourself for much longer. Honestly, bad mercenaries would probably find this second variation really difficult to deal with.)

 

Your other changes seem strange. Is your complaint one about heat management (i.e., we can't heal hard/fast enough because it will cause us to overheat) or one about burst healing (i.e., we can't burst hard/fast enough to stay ahead of damage during burst phases even if we completely ignore heat)? The later seems patently wrong, as mercs have some of the hardest and fastest single-target healing in the game. Although heat/energy/force management is the entire healing game for all three classes (minus triage), I kind of doubt that the former is a universal complaint.

[Jenzali]

Hello Ebon Hawkers above!

 

From the PvP perspective, Merc and Commando healers are more than fine. Every ranked team on our server has one, alongside either an Op/Scoundrel healer or a Sorc/Sage healer - the fact that the Command/Merc are the common healer across the top teams says a lot. We are missing some of the utility and escape tools that the other two healers have, but make up for it with being the only one that really withstand very long periods of concentrated fire due to our excellent defense and having the most powerful single-target heals. I've had times where entire teams have focus fired me and I just pop my Energy Shield and Kolto Overload and heal myself up to full. With full resolve, there is no way at all to interrupt one of your healing casts while the shield is up, and the +20% healing received during the duration also applies to warzone medpacks which will heal about 40% or 50% of your max health.

[Meepbot]

If youre using vent heat 2-3 times a boss fight, then either a)the other healer isnt doing **** b)Youre Ops group needs more gear or c)L2P.... its not that hard to heal boss fights, granted i havent healed HM EC, but having done everything else, i only really have to vent heat when the members are taking a lot of unecessary raid damage

[ChikenSammichPie]

Venting heat on cooldown is good play, and increases your maximum potential throughput. I see nothing wrong with that. 150hps is a significant difference, but it's hardly "miles".

[Asavrede]

And not to keep my complaints short handed but why is it that a Sorc can cast their biggest ability 19 times while a Merc can only cast their biggest ability 5 times before maxing out heat.

 

This really indicates you're doing something wrong if you can make that sort of comparison at all. You cannot compare the ressource systems, AT ALL.

 

I have played a merc healer since release and I find that I am every bit as effective as a sorc - a little less so than operatives but that comes mostly from the fact that they dont lose a lot of healing output while they are on the move, while mercs and sorcs do.

 

Merc has an immense advantage in fights that take longer than a few minutes - here sorcs will struggle to retain enough force, while mercs are the energizer bunny of healers if heat is managed right. This also means never venting heat unless it's an actual emergency, you'll need that extra bit of headroom when bosses get a crit streak or whatever, so dont waste it.

 

If anything needs changed I think vent heat should vent a bit more by default. Half a bar seems reasonable, so let it vent 50-60 heat as a base, and more if you spend skill points on it - this brings it more in line with the agent regen ability (and they even have the option to get more than one of them). If you want to address the mobility issue, increase the HoT component on the ability we already have.

 

Merc healers are not that easy to play, but they are really good and really fun when you get the hang of it.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Asavrede

[FallenX]

I hate healing, mostly because I'm bad at it. Just for giggles, I respec'd my Merc as heals last night and queued up. We were already getting the crap kicked out of us, so what difference would it make, right? We won the next 7 matches in a row. I got top heals, died only a handful of times, and raked in the MVP votes. What's more, between matches, had several offers to join up with a premade.

 

Merc heals are fine. In fact, since Imp teams on my server are always lacking healers, I may just stay playing Bodyguard. If someone who has never healed before can queue up on a whim and do just fine, I think it's safe to say you have a serious L2P issue.

 

I noticed in your signature that your on Ebon Hawk server. Well first off that is a RP-Pve server is it not? I know on the Bastion many guilds would much rather take an op or sorc healer over a merc. I can get over 1000hps on my merc but still find it impossible to get into rateds. Instead my guild gets me to heal on my op. Basically, I agree there is a L2P issue as merc healers can pump out relatively similar numbers however, they are not really wanted on my server. And they need something to make others want them in rateds. barely any teams on my server use em. But im also on a pvp server.

[AgentVaedren]

I been playing since release and started with my BH and hit 50 really quick and have been bodyguard since like 16, anyway just like to throw in my two cents. I just got back after not really gearing up at launch, am now sitting at decent levels of gear but een in the last 4 days when my gear was garbage i didnt have problem healing.

 

I actually went into an EC with 1-2 blue pieces left and still managed to heal my side of firebrand just fine solo. Honestly i dont think we need a buff. Ive never had a problem or a stressfull time healing, and i rarely have to vent heat at all.

 

Even if the base heals on our heals seems lackluster and yea maybe proactive medicine cud be a bit better, but honestly i dont see issues at all except for when it comes to healing myself because we cant shoot outselves in the foot like we can shoot others fore healing XD

[BlownSi]

Not sure of the reason for complaints. I have healed up into NiM EC with not much issue so far. Merc healing is fine right now. Kolto missile could hit more targets still though.

[Macroeconomics]

Not sure of the reason for complaints. I have healed up into NiM EC with not much issue so far.

 

Why is it that people constantly overweight the value of their recent experiences? Your statement is analogous to the "Merc dps is fine because I won a single wz yesterday" statements we often see.

[Henu]

Merc heals are fine... in fact the best healers on our server are all Merc/commando healers.

[Slicksteezin]

Its a good debatable topic because i see it both ways. but heres my 2 cents -

 

As cliche as it sounds to say its a "L2P issue" for merc heals, i think in some sense more than other classes, it is kinda true. on the harbinger, some of the absolute best in slot healers i have raided were merc healers (who i made sure ended up on my FL). However, i have seen some pretty bleak ones too which i think supports the fact that the class dynamics can take a bit of skill.

 

Overall i've seen every heal class perform great, some more consistant than others. And although i can't really commit to the arguement of what kind of changes they need, merc healers don't be discouraged because you are still loved and wanted!