Healer-Gunnery, Viable?

[ValidAvailable]

I started a new Trooper-Commando last night, up to 12 now (so obviously a ways to go), but I was playing around with the Torhead skill planner and tinkering with a setup that went 27/19/0, basically healing up to Trauma Probe and gunnery up to Charged Barrel. The general idea was to be mostly healer, but a healer with enough firepower to hold my own in Heroic2/Area4 stuff regardless of my companion, and provide meaningful firepower in pugs during times when the healing wasn't needed (I don't want to just stand there and be carried like my Sith Sorc dedicated-healer sometimes does).

 

I've only been playing for a few weeks (run a Sorc and a PT into their Chapter 3 stuff though) so still learning plenty, though I've figured out by now that splitting trees is usually frowned upon. Fortunately I'm not interested in PVP or the super-serious endgame raiding (F2P so can't use all that purple stuff anyways), so I don't need to be optimized, but I do want to be competent within my character concept and not dragging people down when doing regular flashpoints, maybe try some operations sometime.

 

So two questions really. First, how viable is such a setup going to be, given my goals? Second, what am I going to be noticeably missing by splitting my points so (since its hard to tell from just a tree that X ability you won't really notice the loss, but Y ability is a big gaping hole)?

[LaniAkavir]

I've used this spec (33/13/0) from time to time in ops only to provide armor debuff (rather than an actual hybrid that does both dmg and heals)

 

The actual numbers may vary, I did not upload the parse but I remember this particular NiM Draxus fight that I went this spec (In placement of a second tank, so it was 1 tank, 2 healers, 4 dps, and me being hybrid dps/healer with armor debuff)

 

It was roughly about 2k hps with 1k dps. You don't get the best of both worlds, you see, and there are rarely instances when it's viable for hybrid healers/dps to do this.

 

I'm also assuming you are talking about end game level55 raiding, if it's earlier leveling and pvping, I suggest you go full tree rather than going hybrid. It'll make you learn your class better rather than being gimmicky.

Edited August 4, 2014 by LaniAkavir

[Gyronamics]

The more serious the content the less viable a hybrid spec is for commando.

 

Bottom line is, if you have a role you do that role, having half your points in healing while you try to dps does nothing for your damage and vice versa.

 

But like I said it depends how serious the content is.

 

Most 2m and 4m stuff or pug operations require minimal ability to heal or dps so no one will notice.

 

You would not be invited to difficult content if you were known to be putting out low numbers due to points wasted in the wrong tree.

[Hammamelis]

I started a new Trooper-Commando last night, up to 12 now (so obviously a ways to go), but I was playing around with the Torhead skill planner and tinkering with a setup that went 27/19/0, basically healing up to Trauma Probe and gunnery up to Charged Barrel. The general idea was to be mostly healer, but a healer with enough firepower to hold my own in Heroic2/Area4 stuff regardless of my companion, and provide meaningful firepower in pugs during times when the healing wasn't needed (I don't want to just stand there and be carried like my Sith Sorc dedicated-healer sometimes does).

I have been trying to level a Commando as a Combat Medic/ Gunnery hybrid (up to level 37), and it was frustrating.

 

If you want to do more then throw the weak, occasional off-heal, e.g. in group missions, you will have to use Combat Support Cell, so that Hammer Shots ads up to 30 charges and allows for Supercharge Cells. Unfortunately, Hammer Shots are weak, in healing and DpS.

 

On the other hand, using your big heals (Medical Probes/Kolto Bomb), or stronger DPS abilities, often will cause you to run out of ammo quickly. That doesn't happen so easily with Plasma Cell, thanks to Parallactic Combat Stims, or Armor Piercing Cell, because of Cell Charger. But you won't be much of a healer running with either.

 

At level 38, I bought the Field Respec ability, geared Elara Dorne as well as possible, and switch to a nearly pure Gunnery DpS build. What a difference - no more ammo issues thanks to Cell Charger, so I finally can do some real damage.

 

For effective healing (speaking from current level 38), respec again:

don't put more points into Gunnery than are needed for the Special Munitions ability. The rest goes into Combat Medic. Reserve your DpSing for moments when no one needs heals, and you can use Charged Barrel and Full Auto for free, thanks to Supercharge Cells.

 

In short, a DpS/Healing hybrid Commando doesn't look like that good an idea. Better to go with more specialized builds, and respec as needed.

[HyperAxiom]

Most groups will have someone that can provide the armour debuff, take the Bacta instead imo. Free insta-heal, crits for 7-8k+, perfect for that "top someone up quick" moment.