JMadFour Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 if I like the Mercenary heal spec, would I also like the Operative one? which is more fun, overall, in your opinions? what are the major differences, and why would you take one over the other, if at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quirez Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) Those two healers are completely different from each other. Basic heal differences are : -mercenary is single-target oriented (even though you get to spam an aoe heal on a very short cooldown), with most of the healing coming from 2 hard casted heals. Update 2.6 added a multi target kolto shell (insta cast heal which heals on dmg taken) which actually makes merc heals a bit more similiar to operative healing due to the spamming of it. -operative heals are highly mobile and hot (heal on time) based, u basically spam hots all day long, even your aoe heal is a hot. You have of course 2 hard casted heals, but most of the time you will be spending refreshing your hots. You also have one of the best "oh sheet" heals in game - insta cast, free and spammable heal when the target is below 30% health. Other differences; -merc is a heavy armor class - meaning you will stand there and soak up alot more dmg (hilariously though operative has better survavibility due to stealth, spammable insta heals below 30%, and the roll ability you get at lvl 51). -Merc is purely a ranged class, and has far better off-dps abilities (including great aoe ones) than operative. -You also get two really awesome abilities in Hydraulic overrides (short cooldown, few second of immunity to slows, roots, pushes etc), and at lvl 51 - electronet which hinders your opponent and prevents him from using any escape and survival abilites. -merc heals are considered to be one of the hardest choices in game both in pve and pvp. PVE becouse your heat management is very unforgiving, and your aoe heal capabilites arent as great. In PVP becouse you are too easily shut down due to interruption. - operative is a highly mobile stealth class, which certainly helps with solo gameplay, and gives alot of advantage in pvp. while healing you dont have any serious off-dps abilities, since operatives are mainly a melee class in dps. Since 2.6 orbital strike skill is nerfed to hell, so your aoe is very weak as well. -having everything insta casted (or almost everything) + having exteremely easy energy management this class is probably the easiest healer to heal with in PVE (in not high-end content its usually enough to keep your hots going on allies) -in PVP operative heals are the "go to" choice - high mobility, high survavibility, alot of instant abilities - this makes operatives a beast of a healer in pvp. While guarded by a tank, they are almost unkillable. Personal opinion: I mained operative healer for quite some time, and while it was a fantastic experience at start (i was really surprised at what i can do with little effort), i got bored of it. Spamming the probe button for eternity gets boring after a while . Atm i am leveling my commando healer (merc mirror class) and i just love it. Granted i really have to work harder for the same effects, yet i find it fun and challenging. Also IMHO you just cant get bored with that healer - i always have something to do - managing single target heals while throwing kolto bombs around, watching for the support cell mechanism, refreshing kolto shells, off-dpsing. -One last thing - personally i find operative lethality spec dps far more fun, than any of the merc dps spec's, also operative concealment dps spec (nicely buffed dps in 2.6) is one of the best solo pve spec's for me. PS. if you havent played the imperial agent storyline yet - DO IT. Best storyline in swtor. Edited February 10, 2014 by quirez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewitchdoctor Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Its been a long time since I played a mercenary, but everything Quiroz said, I remember as true. I don't have an "operative," but I have a scoundrel healer, so, the same thing. Here is the number one difference for me: I could not get over how weird it is to heal your tank (as a mercenary) by shooting him in the back. Seriously. It makes no sense to me. Of all the things in this game; this is the one serious-break-the-fourth-wall thing for me. I heal my tank by shooting him in the back with green lasers. Sorcerors/sages use the mystic power of the force? OK. Operatives/scoundrels use techno-drones-and-springy-needles? OK. Mercenaries/commandos shoot their tank in the back with green lasers? Nope! Anyways, its a soap box issue, I know, but it is mine! On a serious note: I like operative/scoundrel healing as it is more fluid. My merc just stayed put, moved out of fire, and shot the tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreebler Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Ive known some extreme ****** mercs I wouldnt want to mess with - and couldnt kill without spike dmg. Luckily they are rare:) Myself scoundrel/operative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlrikFassbauer Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Its been a long time since I played a mercenary, but everything Quiroz said, I remember as true. I don't have an "operative," but I have a scoundrel healer, so, the same thing. Here is the number one difference for me: I could not get over how weird it is to heal your tank (as a mercenary) by shooting him in the back. Seriously. It makes no sense to me. Of all the things in this game; this is the one serious-break-the-fourth-wall thing for me. I heal my tank by shooting him in the back with green lasers. Sorcerors/sages use the mystic power of the force? OK. Operatives/scoundrels use techno-drones-and-springy-needles? OK. Mercenaries/commandos shoot their tank in the back with green lasers? Nope! Anyways, its a soap box issue, I know, but it is mine! I can understand that. That's why I usually don't use it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venomlash Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I've got a Commando and a Scoundrel at 55. I'm a DPS at heart, so I tend to prefer the Commando when healing, since I can swap between heals and off-DPS more easily. That versatility is really the name of the game for commandos/mercenaries; they have the best off-DPS of any healer, and can toss out a cheap, instant AoE heal even when specced for damage. I can't even count the times I've helped undergeared DPS beat HM flashpoint enrage timers when healing on my Commando, or saved the tank from going under when I'm ostensibly doing damage. Scoundrel heals are definitely superior in PvP due to better energy management and lower vulnerability to interrupts, but healmandos have very good group utility (grants healing received buff from AoE heal, grants damage reduction shield from AoE heal with supercharge, and now group Trauma Probe) in PvE, making up for their tricky ammo management. Scoundrels have stealth, which makes soloing easier, but Commandos are much more durable (especially when specced for damage) and can facetank effectively, capable of soloing most Heroic 2 content at mid to high levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximilianPower Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 quirez pretty much nailed it, but just to add a little: I have a 55 op (and 55 scoundrel), and I'm currently working on a merc (now 45). And I have a 55 'mando, so I'm familiar with the basic mechanisms. I don't think there's going to be a universal answer as to which is more fun. Depends on your idea of fun. Op is generally easier; merc requires more effort, planning, and thought. Single-target burst healing can be pretty impressive on the merc, and as has already been stated, off-dps is considerably more effective. Merc can also be more frustrating; I find I get locked down more easily in pvp. My op can roll or stealth out of trouble (even my sage/sorc can force speed out of most bad situations), but not the merc. I will say that 2.6 has improved mercs more than most folks seem to realize. The multiple probe thing is extremely helpful, and really does make a significant difference in overall output/hps. They also added the ability to kolto-shoot yourself (though the animation is disappointing), which sounds like a minor thing, but it's actually pretty useful too. Building up supercharge is easier than ever, which is critical to the aforementioned single-target burst. tl;dr - I like them both, and which one you'll like better will come down to your own playstyle preferences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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