An IMHO guide to healing as an empathy defender
By
Altoholic_Monkey,
Posted on: 2005-08-24 06:46 in Player Guides
Remind players that there is a HELP button (F8, as I recall). That works a lot quicker and easier than "Heal plz".
Be proactive. If the Controller is running forward to open up the battle with an AoE Hold, have him targetted already. He'll probably be taking some damage.
Find your problem children in each team early, and remind them that your heals are limited by range and LOS. Speak with the tank about how solid he is on you backing away to heal the Blasters... can he hold the mobs during that time, or will you get him killed (and thus probably the entire party).
Check team powers to see who has Phase Shift or similar powers, and who has Absorb Pain or MoG. That way you don't waste time trying to heal the same person twice when they're Phase Shifted.
Great suggestions!
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Remind players that there is a HELP button (F8, as I recall). That works a lot quicker and easier than "Heal plz".
[/ QUOTE ] Yes, if you find yourself unable to keep track of who needs your help - then by all means have your team use that button. Once again, IMHO you shouldn't end up having to hear someone say help to perform your job. But I realize these times do happen.
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Be proactive. If the Controller is running forward to open up the battle with an AoE Hold, have him targetted already. He'll probably be taking some damage.
[/ QUOTE ] My point exactly. You should find out how far your tank can get away from you while herding in order for you to heal. You should find out who is going to alpha-strike. Is someone about to use their "big" attack? Be prepared to heal them up.
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Check team powers to see who has Phase Shift or similar powers, and who has Absorb Pain or MoG. That way you don't waste time trying to heal the same person twice when they're Phase Shifted.
[/ QUOTE ] I made a suggestion in the other forum that the letters PS and AP get added to the icons, so at a glance you can quickly tell who is PS'd etc.
Nice suggestions Fire Cat. Stars for you.
Cheers!
I was very afraid when I looked in on this. I should have checked the poster name. There's not a thing here I disagree with.
Good job, Cat!
Can I add that it is helpful to set your option for Player Health Bars to "Show Always"
Sometimes if you're watching the action, in that second it takes for you to look over at the team list, that person may drop from yellow to red in a blink of an eye. But if you have the health bars showing you have an easy up front visual indicator of just how well or bad that Scrap is doing.
I started having this option set for my EMP and found it extremely useful.
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I was very afraid when I looked in on this. I should have checked the poster name. There's not a thing here I disagree with.
Good job, Cat!
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Hahaha Same with me Lady. Then again I can't imagine how many posts the two of us have made in response to empathy. Gezze I need more work at work.
Cheers!
I do this for all my characters all the time.
Even if its only stopping and dropping a green on the unfortunate, there is always something you can do as a drive by assist
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
Great post 
I'd just like to add a couple things that probably fall into the proactive catagory
I usually like to set whoever is tanking as a waypoint so i know exactly how far away that person is in order to keep enough distance between me and the baddies but still be inside range to heal or buff as needed
If any "pulling" is going to done I like to make sure I know who is doing it so i can slap a fort on them and have them targetted. Having them targetted not only helps keep them alive but also gives me an idea of just where the mob they targetted is.
much stars for the great post
This little refresher kinda makes me think I may have been slacking off and getting a bit sloppy lately (not that I'm letting people die or anything, just not as vigilant as i once was). I'm gonna have to tighten my game up a bit.
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Nice suggestions
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Good job
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Thanks! This means a lot coming from you two. I continue to look for guidance from you both on the defender boards.
Edit: Thanks everybody for the great ideas so far!
Even in my limited experience I count healers as a blessing rather than a blame tank. If I die a few times, all is good, no big deal. I agree don't take the blame for deaths.
Remeber also that you must be willing to get you hands dirty. Recovery Aura ROCKS! Coupled with Hasten power to bring it back faster you and you team should never run out of breath. Make sure you "GATHER" your team mates and have them stop form time to time to make sure everyone gets a little loven for the BIG Dee.
Throw Fortitude in there and clearminds and your force will be all most to good to beleive.
Once you reach level 16 you should most worrie about the controllers and blasters who deal teh mob. Esspecially if you don't have a Tank.
There are two type of tanks I like to run with. Damage Takers and the Scapper/Tanker. Scanker I like to call them are Scaps with Melee attacks and Inv as a second. Tough enought to take a few hits be for needed to much healling but have the blow per blow to deal enough damage to hold them off. But they offten forget to complete their Scanker by not taking Provoke powers after 6th. Taunt is a must for all tankers to sever there Deffender well.
I am running a Empathy / Rad Blast as a second. This combo allows the average tank the def debuff so they are able to keep up with Damage dealing at a rate they could even be near Scapper levels if slots are done right.
Remember to Pattern heal as needed. Me-You or You then ME works. Blaster Blaster me Blaster tank Blaster Blatser RUN.... are all different Pattern Heals. Create your's today.
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Remeber also that you must be willing to get you hands dirty. Recovery Aura ROCKS! Coupled with Hasten power to bring it back faster you and you team should never run out of breath. Make sure you "GATHER" your team mates and have them stop form time to time to make sure everyone gets a little loven for the BIG Dee.
Throw Fortitude in there and clearminds and your force will be all most to good to beleive.
Once you reach level 16 you should most worrie about the controllers and blasters who deal teh mob. Esspecially if you don't have a Tank.
There are two type of tanks I like to run with. Damage Takers and the Scapper/Tanker. Scanker I like to call them are Scaps with Melee attacks and Inv as a second. Tough enought to take a few hits be for needed to much healling but have the blow per blow to deal enough damage to hold them off. But they offten forget to complete their Scanker by not taking Provoke powers after 6th. Taunt is a must for all tankers to sever there Deffender well.
I am running a Empathy / Rad Blast as a second. This combo allows the average tank the def debuff so they are able to keep up with Damage dealing at a rate they could even be near Scapper levels if slots are done right.
Remember to Pattern heal as needed. Me-You or You then ME works. Blaster Blaster me Blaster tank Blaster Blatser RUN.... are all different Pattern Heals. Create your's today.
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I think you are covering far more than I wished to. 
Good work on the great post!
I also would like to add two great powers that really help the pure healer: Hasten and Recall Friend.
1. Hasten: brings back Healing Aura, Heal Other, Ressurect, Recovery/Regeneration Auras, Fortitude and Adrenaline Boost FASTER. I've even tried picking up and lightly slotting Stamina to help with the Endurance drain.
2. Recall Friend: the ultimate team pool power. Many a rescue operation has been successful due to the ability to bring a fallen teammate/team from a hot combat zone to a safe rezzing spot (ie mission doors, etc).
I would also like to point out that no matter how good or vigilant YOU are as a healer, there are IDIOTS that play Blasters (not to say ALL Blasters are played by idiots, but y'all know what I mean) that require healing for the entire mission/outdoor hunt generally because THEIR OPENING MOVE IS AN AOE ATTACK. Rather than put up with that BS, politely inform them of the error of their tactic. If they continue, do your best to keep up.
The last cardinal rule: NEVER WITHOLD HEALING FROM SOMEONE NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A PAIN THEY ARE. I've teamed with healers that do this and this IS a terrible thing. It ruins your reputation and moves you up the whole list.
- Captain Amazing
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There are two type of tanks I like to run with. Damage Takers and the Scapper/Tanker. Scanker I like to call them are Scaps with Melee attacks and Inv as a second. Tough enought to take a few hits be for needed to much healling but have the blow per blow to deal enough damage to hold them off. But they offten forget to complete their Scanker by not taking Provoke powers after 6th. Taunt is a must for all tankers to sever there Deffender well.
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With the changes in Issue 5, I'd argue that a tanker having their aura-provoke power is more important than having taunt -- both even better. Taunt in I5 only pulls a maximum of 5 opponents, while the aura power means that the opponents near the tanker are automatically turn their attention to attack the tanker.
Fire Tanker - Blazing Aura
Ice Tanker - Chilling Embrace
Stone Tanker - Mud Pots
Invulnerability Tanker - Invincibility ** last to get access to starting at lvl 18
New players often don't know about this effect, so if you happen to notice that the person has one of these powers and isn't running it, and is having a hard time keeping aggro, you can politely ask if they'd use that power. (And you can find out all about each team member by right clicking on their name in the team window and checking their info -- very good to do when in a pickup group.)
That's probably more info than most people need but something to keep in mind.
...double post...
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Good work on the great post!
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Thank you!
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I also would like to add two great powers that really help the pure healer: Hasten and Recall Friend.
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Some people may want to go a "pure healer" route. However I'm not championing it with this post.
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I would also like to point out that no matter how good or vigilant YOU are as a healer, there are IDIOTS that play Blasters (not to say ALL Blasters are played by idiots, but y'all know what I mean) that require healing for the entire mission/outdoor hunt generally because THEIR OPENING MOVE IS AN AOE ATTACK. Rather than put up with that BS, politely inform them of the error of their tactic. If they continue, do your best to keep up.
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I don't like to baby-sit. Enabling someone's bad playstyle isn't something I would suggest.
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The last cardinal rule: NEVER WITHOLD HEALING FROM SOMEONE NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A PAIN THEY ARE. I've teamed with healers that do this and this IS a terrible thing. It ruins your reputation and moves you up the list.
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How about this rule: NEVER STAY ON A TEAM WITH SOMEONE WHO IS BEING A PAIN.
I also like to add that having "Player" Name always showing, is helpfull to, along with the helath bar, and having it show you the Player AT icons is another eassy way to tell your squishy from your tank...incase the auras arnt enough.
You also can Select a person on your team by pressing shift+ 1-8 on your key board.
I also bound Clear mind to the C button on my key board. I found this extramly convenant since i use the wsad Keys for movemnt, i just have to move my finger down from the D key and its eassy to spam as needed.
The Official Resident Fanboi of dUmb
Always Allow/Disallow Mystic Fortune Prompt!
PCSAR
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and having it show you the Player AT icons is another eassy way to tell your squishy from your tank...incase the auras arnt enough.
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I hadn't heard that suggestion before. Very helpful!
If you follow my guide, I believe the new defender inherent Vigilance - despite its name - will not kick in as often. It kinda goes against EVERYTHING what I was getting at... 
It my go against your guide, but i still think its a great thing. I mean we all cant be 1337 every min or every day, and this is a great thing to help on this "Oh hell" moments, when the whole team is near death and you need just "One or 2 more Cabs and they woulda lived" moments.
The Official Resident Fanboi of dUmb
Always Allow/Disallow Mystic Fortune Prompt!
PCSAR
I meant how I was using the word vigilant - to be aware the majority of the time you are playing. And not letting yourself get into those "hitting the fan" moments very often.
A couple of more tips... I usually rebind my numpad keys to the teammates numbers, no using the shift key to target them. Then I use the Plus key for healing aura and the numpad enter key for heal other... that way I can hit their number and heal them quickly. I also tend to not use the mouse at all during a battle with my def because I have the numpad for teammates and keys around my wasd and numpad bound with my buffs and heals. I'm so used to this setup that my hands have often selected a teammate and cast the buff or heal before I even realize it.
One other tip that I often get a comment on is the way I have my 'Gather' request set up. I have it bound to my g key, but that can easily be changed. Here's the bind I use:
/bind g "team Gather for RA please!$$me whistle"
This bind was passed on to me by another friend who was a rockin defender and taught me a lot. The people I team with said the whistle on it is nice since they don't always see the gather request pop up in a fight, but they tend to hear the whistle and know what it means after a few times hearing it...
"You'll never defeat SetTargetHealth 0. "-Castle
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"Oh, and we�ll probably nerf Regen again�just for fun."-BaB
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"so we are looking into the possiblity of maybe someday thinking about maybe implementing something similar to this, in the future" -Positron
Fire Cat, nice post! I have a baby emp def and while she exists mainly for playing with my mom (who will learn from the ground up how to work with one), I know Owlet will end up on PUGs from time to time. This information both complements my view on healing and supplements my knowledge, as do the helpful responses in this thread. Thanks all!
Take the following for what it's worth...
Aside from the *other* bind suggestions, I also have the arrow keys set - up, target_friend_far, down, target_friend_near, left and right for prev and next. Just for those times someone needs a hand and isn't teamed. (Hollows patrols...)
Also, for good or bad, I get fixated. (I was going to say "target locked," essentially the same thing.) I've gone through entire missions just occasionally looking at something OTHER than the team window and icons. "Wha, we were in a battle? What do you mean, I was surrounded...."
Try to avoid that. Dead emp = no good. (And yes, I'll try clicking myself and Healing Other or Absorbing Pain and wonder why it doesn't work...)
Disclaimer: This is based on pre-40 experience. For the sake of this guide I am focusing on healing only.
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First of all, healing is not about taking Healing Aura, Heal Other, Absorb Pain and Regeneration Aura, slotting them to the max and spamming them through missions. Perhaps the players who have done this coined the term heal-bot.
It doesn't work that way. And why would you want it to? One, it is inefficient. Two it is boring. When you spend that much time, slots and effort on healing powers - you are left with little else to put towards buffing, debuffing or attacking.
With that said, here are my suggestions:
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[*]An empathy defender has to be vigilant! I can't impress that enough.
Why is this important? You have to be aware of what is going on in the game. And that is important because you have to be ready to react. Healing Aura, Heal Other and Absorb Pain are all reactive heals. The few seconds you take to cast them can mean the difference between life and death.
[*]No AFK for you! You do not have the luxury of doing a silent AFK. If you are a chronic AFKer, empathy defending is definitely not for you. In fact, if you have to go AFK a few times a mission it will be noticed more than other ATs (besides tankers) because sometimes it is dangerous to move ahead without you.
Why is this important? Well besides the obvious that people get impatient? As soon as you come back from AFK "the team goes wild" Its like an itchy-trigger finger. In fact more often than not, the team won't wait for you to come back. And you return to see Jonestown.
[*]Check the map. I find myself checking the map frequently. Not just for single errant player, but for the groups that get split up (in places like caves its very common with paths so close to each other). One thing that will surely wipe a group is when half the team runs one way into a mob and can't retreat.
Why is it important to check the map? Because you can't heal what you can't reach.
[*]Watch the levels that end up on a team. If a player (more than likely a blaster) is several levels below the mobs you are facing, you are going to end up either babysitting that player or leaving them face-planted a great amount of time. Either option doesn't help the team.
Why is this important? Rezzing (or running somewhere to Recall Friend and rez) takes time and endurance away from the team that you are defending.
I have this theory that dead players, even the most insignificant ones to the team, affect morale. And until players realize you can't stop every death, you are going to be held (even if its not true) responsible.
[*]Inform your teammates. Very few people know every powerset and how it is used and how it effects the teams. Whenever possible, explain that in order for your healing aura to be effective, well - they need to be in the aura. Your heals require endurance. If you are out of endurance you can't heal. No matter how many times someone yells for it. Remember many players don't watch other players health or endurance bars.
Why is this important? It helps to let your team know you are low. If your teammates can't give you some Catch-A-Breath inspirations, they can otherwise adjust until you have rested.
[*]Don't take any crap. Do not let someone yell at you to heal. If you are vigilant, as you should be - the only time you can't heal is because it is out of your control. Once again heals are reactive and the time it takes for someone to type "Heal Me!", you should have already cast it.
Why is this important? No one should be more capable of playing your character than yourself. Once again - if you are vigilant, you have already made the decision if it is best for the group that the person yelling "Heal me!" needs to be healed at that time.
[*]Don't take the blame for everything. Yes we want to be good defenders. People dying meant we didn't defend successfully, right? Of course this is wrong. Even the most vigilant defender will have deaths on their watch. Find out what happened and see if there was something you could have done. If it turns out there was, adjust your playstyle to compensate. If it wasn't, suggest to the player what they should or shouldn't be doing (if you have that knowledge.)
Why is this important? Because empathy is not the be-all end-all (what a pun, eh?) It will only help to let others know the limitations of your power. Don't let a simple statement like "just keep me healed" slip by. That is a loaded statement. The other player is setting *you* up for failure. Until you are granted an unlimitless supply of endurance and full damage/mez protection - you will never be able to garauntee that you can "keep someone healed".[*]Empathy defending is not for everyone Many players say empathy is passive. Or that they find it boring. Since this is a game, it is sad that people choose to play a powerset they don't enjoy. Perhaps they stick with it because they are able to find teams easier, but if you aren't having fun then what's the point? (Also the teams you end up on aren't always ones you'd want to be on anyway.)
Why is this important? If you feel that empathy is passive and/or boring how vigilant can you be at it? Not very. And I believe vigilance is the key to success.
[*]Did I say vigilant?
Why is this important? Maybe you should read my post again.