I am a returning player that's been back about a month. I enjoy PVE and PVP, but wouldn't call myself well skilled in either. I simply enjoy both and casually play a few hours daily. When I left a few years ago I enjoyed PVP and had up and down games. Coming back I find it incredibly difficult to stay alive and even enjoy the experience. I die in seconds and am often the focus. It's rare that others work to keep me alive so I can heal them too. I'm doing solo queue and realize I'd do better coordinated with others. Gear is something I'm working on also.

The thing is I don't seem to do any better as I get more gear. I also rarely see other healers or mercs at all. I'm starting to think if I want to PVP I need to level up another character. Is this just how things are now? Or should I continue the painful grind until I'm better geared hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I will continue to read threads here to see if I can find others with similar posts and/or helpful info.

I am a returning player that's been back about a month. I enjoy PVE and PVP, but wouldn't call myself well skilled in either. I simply enjoy both and casually play a few hours daily. When I left a few years ago I enjoyed PVP and had up and down games. Coming back I find it incredibly difficult to stay alive and even enjoy the experience. I die in seconds and am often the focus. It's rare that others work to keep me alive so I can heal them too. I'm doing solo queue and realize I'd do better coordinated with others. Gear is something I'm working on also.

 

The thing is I don't seem to do any better as I get more gear. I also rarely see other healers or mercs at all. I'm starting to think if I want to PVP I need to level up another character. Is this just how things are now? Or should I continue the painful grind until I'm better geared hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice. I will continue to read threads here to see if I can find others with similar posts and/or helpful info.

Merc heals have to worry much more about positioning than sorc or op. You don't have quite the unattended HOT output of an operative, or the insane burst healing of a sorc. And your 'oh ****' buttons are not as good at getting you out of danger as either class. So you really have to stay out of sight ,and stay near your team to hope to survive. Not to mention that your AOE heal is a very powerful ability that works best when you can splat it on the ground and stand in it near your other teammates.

I've found that in 8v8s many times I'll just pop CDs and try to heal through damage as much as I can if there are no competent tanks or DPS near by to run to. When you have shield, power surge, hydraulic overrides, and net available there is not much that can kill you. I will often try to get stunned so that I can get whitebarred and pop my shield for uninterrupted casting and just try to tank the other guy's burst while waiting for help.

Solo ranked queue is nearly out of the question. There's basically nothing you can do if jumped by 2 or 3 sins or juggs, so unless you get a team that understands peeling, your output will basically be limited to hopefully netting the other team's healer, and the 9 charges of kolto shell on your team.

TTK is in the toilet these days so healing is actually pretty rough. You need to know what your doing if your going to pug heal nowadays. I'll say this tho... healing pugs isn't fun and your better off getting yourself a premade together with a decent pocket tank. It's far more enjoyable.

mando/merc healing in regs isn't any more or less difficult than the other healer ACs. meaning if you have a pocket tank, it's much easier, but it isn't any more/less frustrating with pugs. arenas, where there's no place to hide, are another story.

Considering the healing role is 100% about support, it is never going to be any fun if rolling with randoms who never offer any support in return.

I say grab a guildie or two and ask them to look out for you in WZs where you're not lucky enough to get a tank.

Its really amazing just how much easier and more fun healing gets (with any of the classes) when you get just the tiniest bit of support yourself.

Contrary to popular belief, you DON'T need something as drastic as a "pocket tank".

Even something as outlandish as a Sniper keeping his eyes on your position can make a world of difference.

You can force your team members to support you. Go stand right next to a friendly sniper. If an enemy gets into your face, chances are that sniper will throw him back, stun him, attempt to kill him, etc. Merc/Sorc healing without a tank's guard is really only viable if your team supports you.

Remember that the only guaranteed healing window for mercs is when you have max resolve, energy shield, and 30 charges of combat support cylinder at the same time. Once you have all three of those at once, you can only die if there's enough enemy DPS to outburst your unstoppable heals. Outside of that time when all of the stars align, you're always going to have to deal with interrupts, stuns, and being bullied into submission.