Healer Companions: The Tragic Tale Of Disappointment

[Sinaura]

Oh BioWare... Let me start by saying I'm a fan. I've played the game off and on through beta and early-access and I must say I'm impressed. The amount of time and money put into this project has reflected my expectations and then some. However, there's a problem.

 

Companions. Not the concept as a whole; I am huge fan of this type of setup for an MMO and I'm surprised other companies hadn't thought of something so simplistic, yet so integral to the future of MMOs. My problem stems from the current setup we've been left with.

 

My character is a Sith Inquisitor tank, so naturally I'm looking forward to getting my healer companion later on in my story. However, this evening I took a peek forward to see what healer-Companion I could look forward to and I was devastated; I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to sleep or eat for a while after such a traumatic experience.

 

My healer Companion is a dork. A raging dork. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite the dork myself personally, but my character isn't really the "hang with nerds" type. If there was a high school hierarchy in the SWTOR world he'd be labeled as "Thug". He enjoys the simple things in life; killing living things for the joy of it, sucking up to his master so she'll give him missions to kill living things, smacking around Imperials beneath him on his way to killing living things and long walks on the beach...killing living things. To be seen with such a mathlete would be insulting to my character's stature and overall goals of killing stuff.

 

"Not to worry," I said, "Maybe I'll get an R2 droid or something like that. I really like droids." So I continue through the game until once again my heart stops in disgust with what I am witnessing. After receiving my ship from my master for doing such a fine job at killing living things I find my next companion; an extremely effeminate droid who constantly informs me that he wishes to "please me." I threw up in my mouth a little the first time I heard this.

 

Surely this can't be what I have to look forward to; some pansy human, a robot with questionable sexual intentions and no hope of an R2 droid in sight. As much as I've enjoyed this class thus far, I start considering another class in hopes that I won't be followed around by an Archeology enthusiast or a droid that enjoys spending time at the Pottery Barn in his free time for 50 levels. Once again I head to the internet in hopes of finding a class I would enjoy along with companions I could tolerate. Once again, I am completely let down.

 

It appears that 7 out of the 8 classes for this game get a healer that is a measly human, Smugglers being the exception with a Mon Calamari for a healer. This hurts, BioWare. This pains me in ways I cannot describe. I feel as if I'm on the dusty road of finding a class with no road signs and no hope for a destination. A tumbleweed drifts by my peripheral vision, dust scatters in the wind, a single tear follows a familiar path down my cheek. I am but a frightened child in this world and you're to blame.