First time as healer in fp went badly

[JPryde]

In my opinion, there is a huge difference between being new to the job of healing... and being completely unprepared for the job.

 

Coming into a FP (of any level) and stating, that you are a new healer and have never done it before was the right thing. That much is fine.

 

But joining a group finder queue without knowing what your elementary skills are capable off, is what I call completely unprepared.

 

I probably wouldn't have initiated the vote-kick on you, but I surely would have clicked "yes" by the reason "not a healer", which at that point was simply true. A trooper/bh-healer without support cell is not a healer.

 

For the same reason, I wouldn't accept a tank without combat stance or soresu or whatever it is called for the soldier types... same there... It is okay to be new to the job, but you need to at least be halfway familiar with the tools.

[SleepyJoeFriday]

At early levels healing is tough, as you don't have much in the way of energy nor skills to do it with.

 

Players that have reached endgame tend to forget how difficult healing can be at those early levels.

 

You also tend to find that you get tanks that don't wait for you to refresh your energy between fights and as you saw DPS that run off aggroing more than can be coped with.

 

At those early levels I concentrate on the tank during combat, only throwing out the odd heal to dps if I have energy to spare and the tank doesn't need healing.

 

I have always found that healing a flashpoint is very different to healing your comp in PvE, just because the companion is more predictable and you can often stand in one place healing whereas players tend to move ("oh look the tank has leapt beyond my healing range mid-cast, great got to wait for the cooldown to expire and recast time once I move")

[Sentinel-Jordal]

Told the group immediately that it was my first time as healer and to please have patience in case it didnt go smoothly. One player said thats fine. So anyway, im concentrating on healing the tank mostly. Everything goes smoothly until one of the group decides attacking one mob at a time isnt enough and goes off towards another direction attacking another. So next thing you know, the entire group goes down fast.

Tank explains one thing to me i wasnt aware of in regards to healing, which was the combat support cell. So i quickly figured that out and was testing it out before engaging in another mob when as quickly as she had explained it to me, she then voted to have me kicked, her reason? That i had downs

She then goes on to tell me that she had explained the combat support cell to me in her own words "Like 10 times" Unless my counting is fuzzy, she only told me once

Is it too much to ask for consideration and patience in a game?

I know its silly to say this, but it left me a little rattled. Why cant people just be thoughtful? Patient? Co-operative?

 

You will do finr just do some heroics and dome more fp and you will soon learn to play your class

I remember the first time I did a hm fp with my sentinel and screwed everything up.

Could have stopped there by the shame but didn't and today I'm a good dps

So yeah just some practice and you get there

[Toweleeeie]

I would have kicked u right when we entered the FP for being in the wrong cell. I have done it to dps for being in the wrong cell. If you can't even get your stance right you shouldn't be playing with others.

[Leafy_Bug]

When I made my scoundrel healer 8 months ago, I made it at the same time a guildie made his Guardian Tank. Poor fella died so many times in lowbie flashpoints it wasnt even funny. Then we hit 50, used our mains to gear up, my scoundrel was BIS dreadguard and I must admit I had issues healing in the beggining as it was my first time. We went into denova Hm and i died 4 times because I forgot to cleanse myself at T&Z.

 

 

Bottom line, to avoid insults and nasty remarks, try to get some practice with your guild first. It relaxes you more and when you are pressured, nobody is going to shout or insult if people die. Head up and don't give up on healing! Its amazingly fun!

[JattaGin]

Interestingly, there is so much critic for not being prepared for healing in this FP. But not a single complaint about the stupid DPS bringing additional mobs into the fight and getting aggro with them. Did anyone read the opening post properly?

 

Everything goes smoothly until one of the group decides attacking one mob at a time isnt enough and goes off towards another direction attacking another. So next thing you know, the entire group goes down fast.

 

This is the point. So, even being not that prepared, the healer did fine until the DPS decided to act stupid. I bet the FP would have been finished easily if the DPS would have known what to do (and what not).

 

I play three different healers for more than a year now. DPS randomly attacking mobs and thus destroying the aggro always cause the biggest trouble. That, and tanks not healing up before a fight.

[Darevsool]

You must be new to this MMO thing.

 

This is what I consider to be a very real problem with the game.

 

My first MMO was 10 years ago when SWG launched. It had some high level stuff to do, but nothing like Flashpoints or Operations, what other games call 'raids.' As someone who came from SWG and never played any other MMOs the mechanics take some getting used to, and some patience from other players in your guild or not.

 

Plus...this is a Star Wars game, a continuation of the KOTOR story, so you will find people who have never played an MMO at all who are completely lost.

 

And yet people expect every random player they come across to know the fights, to know the "accepted" loot rules....etc.

 

Not everyone knows this stuff.

 

Personally, I feel you should learn by playing the game, not reading a website run by players. As good as some of them are, I feel they should be secondary, a place to go to get advanced information...not a place to go for the basics.

[Quraswren]

I'm gonna give the opinion most players will feel, but you're not gonna like it.

 

Random strangers didn't sit in queue to teach you how to play healer so you could get a faster queue.

When I'm in queue for 3 hours and it finally pops and the tank is undergeared and has no clue how to tank, the DPS is improperly geared to the point of doing no damage, the healer has no clue what they're doing, etc. it's really annoying.

 

You say you didn't know what support cell is or basic things like that. When you get a new skill, read what it does, don't buy it and forget about it. That's other player's time and repair bills you're messing with. They aren't your guildies, they aren't your friends and they don't owe you anything and it's not fair to expect them to teach you basics of your class after they sit in queue and know how to do their jobs.

 

I've got to agree with this.

 

Your guild and friends are who you need to learn your spec with, as well as while you level and solo. A group of strangers is not who you drop that bomb on and expect them to suck it up.

 

I don't consider the group rude for kicking you. You were not prepared to do the job you queued for, you needed to be replaced.

 

Go learn the mechanics of healing with your AC and then get back in there and do a better job.

[LeonBraun]

Sometimes a person gets a good group and a good experience, sometimes not. I remember my first times as a tank (in a different MMO) and they were good experiences. I even got invited to my second ever guild after some good tank runs.

 

Healing is also a blast, so if you enjoy if, don't give up on it. Currently healing is my favourite role in any MMO. Sometimes you also may need to try out a few different healing classes to find which best suits your personal style. My current fav right now is Sage healing.

 

Having a good UI setup is also good. Make sure to keep your group windows set aside in your UI in a good place that is right in your field of view. Sometimes having a nice keypad like a Belkin, or a nice gaming mouse with lots of buttons can be useful also.

 

Don't give up. Healing is fun and there is always a high demand for healer is groups.

[SecretScientist]

I would pvp heal first in randoms. That way you get a feel for how to heal and no one will get mad at you for how you heal in pvp randoms. You can then move over to try out pve healing.

 

This.

 

Practicing in the mad chaos of a warzone will make you a better healer very, very fast. Granted, your tools are limited at the low levels. But as you gain new abilities, try them out in warzones. Having leveled a sage and a commando through mainly warzones, I can tell you FPs are a breeze.

 

And always research the mechanics of HM FPs and Ops when the time comes.

 

A note on DPS. Good DPS will generally take out weaker enemies first because their damage is disproportionally high compared to their health. This often puts DPS on different targets than the tank. It may appear that they're off doing their own thing, but it's standard operating procedure. As a healer, keeping the tank up is job one. DPS have many tools to deal with sticky situations (detaunts, stuns, cooldowns, etc). DPS die and they're used to it. But If the tank goes, it all goes.

 

There's an old MMO saying that applies to many (but not all) situations in this game:

 

If the tank dies, it's the healers fault.

If the healer dies, it's the tanks fault.

If the DPS dies, it's their own fault.

 

Lastly, don't get discouraged. It takes awhile to get the hang of commando healing, but you'll be a pro in no time.

Edited June 24, 2013 by SecretScientist

[Pirana]

Old adage, but still rings true. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

 

As others have mentioned, practice with your companions. I would practice with your dps though, not your tank. Healing is a bit tougher with a dps'er and your reactions become that much quicker.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Pirana

[Bojangle]

This is what I consider to be a very real problem with the game.

 

My first MMO was 10 years ago when SWG launched. It had some high level stuff to do, but nothing like Flashpoints or Operations, what other games call 'raids.' As someone who came from SWG and never played any other MMOs the mechanics take some getting used to, and some patience from other players in your guild or not.

 

Plus...this is a Star Wars game, a continuation of the KOTOR story, so you will find people who have never played an MMO at all who are completely lost.

 

And yet people expect every random player they come across to know the fights, to know the "accepted" loot rules....etc.

 

Not everyone knows this stuff.

 

Personally, I feel you should learn by playing the game, not reading a website run by players. As good as some of them are, I feel they should be secondary, a place to go to get advanced information...not a place to go for the basics.

Sorry not sure what SWG you were playing, but there were no levels in that game. You just maxed your skills. Also healing there was completely different then healing in todays mmos. There was also no end game really. There was only one thing even close to like a pve raid and that was that one on Dantooine or wherever where that turret was usually bugged and one shotted everyone. Then way later they added the geo caves and mandalorian stuff.

 

Anyways to the OP, at lvl 20 I guess the group was just impatient which they have every right to be also as they had to spend time in que as well. Usually that low of level isn't really hard as you only have so many abilities etc. Like others said though, just keep practicing etc. I really like the idea someone said of going into random pvp warzones and heal that way as no one usually complains about healing in those places unless there is none.

 

You'll get the hang of it soon enough.

[PlasmaJohn]

You also tend to find that you get tanks that don't wait for you to refresh your energy between fights and as you saw DPS that run off aggroing more than can be coped with.

I burned out on healing because I got a string of tanks in heroics that couldn't be bothered to do anything other than speedrun. I've avoided doing SM FP's with him because of this.

 

I have always found that healing a flashpoint is very different to healing your comp in PvE, just because the companion is more predictable and you can often stand in one place healing whereas players tend to move ("oh look the tank has leapt beyond my healing range mid-cast, great got to wait for the cooldown to expire and recast time once I move")

I've just noticed this weekend while working on my Scoundrel that while soloing I was pretty much had to both heal and DPS. Maybe when I hit FP's I'll be able focus on healing more.

[JPryde]

Sorry not sure what SWG you were playing, but there were no levels in that game. You just maxed your skills.

He is probably referring to the post-NGE SWG, which (we) fans of the game like to banish from their (our) memory.

 

pre-NGE, SWG allowed 250 skillpoints to be distributen on a total of 32 classes without many restrictions.

post-NGE, SWG had butchered itself to 8(9?) classes, with a generic 90 level system and absolutely no chance to pick anything from another class, pretty much wiping away any chance to individualism.

Edited June 24, 2013 by JPryde

[Darevsool]

He is probably referring to the post-NGE SWG, which (we) fans of the game like to banish from their (our) memory.

 

pre-NGE, SWG allowed 250 skillpoints to be distributen on a total of 32 classes without many restrictions.

post-NGE, SWG had butchered itself to 8(9?) classes, with a generic 90 level system and absolutely no chance to pick anything from another class, pretty much wiping away any chance to individualism.

 

Death Watch Bunker is what I meant, and by 'high level' I meant max combat skill points.

 

I remember each version of that game very clearly.

[AlaricSevGirl]

Best advice is to find a guild and do HMs and OPs with them. I never pug, ever. I have made friends that I ask to help my guild, if I can't get enough to come, then we just don't do it.

[Hockaday]

Yeah, as a tank I have to agree in ways. Sure, they shouldn't have booted you like that -if- what you said is exactly true. But, as many others have said. You need to look at what your abilities do.

 

As a tank, I don't mind teaching new players, I won't boot you. But if you don't listen, I will boot you. Nothing wrong with being new and ignorant. But I know I've been in that tanks position, and it wouldn't surprise me if they had told you many times, and you missed it or ignored it.

[Atramar]

If it only would be possible to go back few levels...

I always advise to people. Want to be healer? Start as a healer.

yes it takes longer.

Yes, till 30 you hardly have to heal tank companion in dps gear (or throw a heal everry 8 seconds and do hitting other 6).

but it teaches you weight of every healing ability. going to 50 as dps in dps gear (accuracy) and transfering to healing with no clue is never good.

 

not to mention, that merc/mando are probably hardest to jump from DPS to Heals on the spot. (and I hardly ever see skilled merc healer, and when I see skilled one, they are amazing)

 

Double exp weekend will be back this weekend, I understand you don't want to create new char, but can make a mirror, and take it atleast to 35 healing only. doing some heroics 2.

 

other then that, welcome to MMo world...

Edited June 24, 2013 by Atramar

[WingsofCrystal]

Told the group immediately that it was my first time as healer and to please have patience in case it didnt go smoothly. One player said thats fine. So anyway, im concentrating on healing the tank mostly. Everything goes smoothly until one of the group decides attacking one mob at a time isnt enough and goes off towards another direction attacking another. So next thing you know, the entire group goes down fast.

Tank explains one thing to me i wasnt aware of in regards to healing, which was the combat support cell. So i quickly figured that out and was testing it out before engaging in another mob when as quickly as she had explained it to me, she then voted to have me kicked, her reason? That i had downs

She then goes on to tell me that she had explained the combat support cell to me in her own words "Like 10 times" Unless my counting is fuzzy, she only told me once

Is it too much to ask for consideration and patience in a game?

I know its silly to say this, but it left me a little rattled. Why cant people just be thoughtful? Patient? Co-operative?

 

LOL, my husband has a full 55 healer that is geared very well. He knows his class and how to heal.

 

He will run him when we play together, but will not run FPs or group with strangers for that very reason. So those who are dps sit in the GF and wait for healers to pop.

 

So yahoos like you describe just end up messing their own experience over the long run. The best thing to do if you want to run group content is to find a guild that will support you or a few people that you can run with.

 

P.S. - He also has a fully geared lvl 55 tank that he will not run with stangers.

Edited June 24, 2013 by WingsofCrystal

[Icebergy]

Told the group immediately that it was my first time as healer and to please have patience in case it didnt go smoothly. One player said thats fine. So anyway, im concentrating on healing the tank mostly. Everything goes smoothly until one of the group decides attacking one mob at a time isnt enough and goes off towards another direction attacking another. So next thing you know, the entire group goes down fast.

Tank explains one thing to me i wasnt aware of in regards to healing, which was the combat support cell. So i quickly figured that out and was testing it out before engaging in another mob when as quickly as she had explained it to me, she then voted to have me kicked, her reason? That i had downs

She then goes on to tell me that she had explained the combat support cell to me in her own words "Like 10 times" Unless my counting is fuzzy, she only told me once

Is it too much to ask for consideration and patience in a game?

I know its silly to say this, but it left me a little rattled. Why cant people just be thoughtful? Patient? Co-operative?

 

You should have known about the support cell before you tried to heal, it is pretty inconsiderate to go into group content THAT clueless. No one expects you to be an expert your first time, but have SOME idea whats going on.

 

That being said, them saying you had downs is very offensive and you should have reported them to CS.

[AlaricSevGirl]

I also agree that you NEED to start the game with healing in mind. I heal hard modes and it's a tough thing to do especially if you don't know what you are doing. Now, I'm very lenient with my guild members who are learning but there are two of us who heal and tank and we swap off for Empire and Pub side. We both level healers and tanks mostly, everyone else does dps.

 

You can't just swap to healing. First, you're not geared for healing, this is huge at end game, second, know your skills. I would have kicked you before you started actually since you never healed before.

[LordSkyKnight]

I agree with the other people about you jumping into a flashpoint just after trying a new build. Learn the build, learn the skills and what they do, then go practice it. People don't queue up and waste other's time by playing something you don't know how to play yet.

 

 

I totally understand you wanting to try a healer out and being new at it. No problem but please have enough respect for others to not waste their time.

[Phill]

To the OP, first this is par for MMO..sad but true.

 

When people use Group Finder they are rolling the dice, you may get experienced plays or you may get a brand new level 55 in their first 55 flashpoint, probably under geared. In addition you will get those that just want to fly trough it for the daily comms and expects everyone to spacebar, then there are those that want to see the story.

 

Those that enter flashpoints with a self-center, egocentric attitude seem to quickly make it on my ignore list,

 

However, there are some expectation that you should know your character in regards to ability and rotation, especially by level 55. With that being said, usually finding a guild is the first step in helping to learn your class and or abilities. Practice on your companion, read the descriptions on your abilities, certain cast will cause the next case to be stronger. For example casting affliction before Thundering Blast (Sorc dps) will cause Thundering Blast to crit 100% of the time.

 

Hope this helps..

Edited June 24, 2013 by Phill

[Lung_Tien_Lien]

I don't have much to add other than this link: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=641258

 

It's a healing guide for Mercenaries (I'm guessing that's your class?) and it helped me tremendously on my Merc. You said you read up on your class on a website - just as a heads-up, Noxxic isn't that great a choice most of the time, in case that's the website you're referring to. You can generally find great guides in the subforum for your class and, unlike other guides, they're quite likely to be up to date with the latest patch.

 

Don't let it get you down. I agree that not knowing the correct cylinder for healing means you probably didn't quite do enough reading/experimenting beforehand, but it happens.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Lung_Tien_Lien

[ELRunninW]

Double XP weekend, no time to stop and teach, must grind levels....