AAaargh! 3 powers do not a Defender Make!!

While I sympathize, and to some extent agree, I also think they were entitled to play their character as they saw fit. It sounds like they did the job you wanted them for (healing, no wipes).

I'll also point out that the Positron TF happens PRE-STAMINA. Using their endurance on things like Clear Mind and Fortitude might not have been the best course, depending on circumstances. Empathy can be pretty heavy on endurance.

Umm... I was playing on a team tonight as the only Defender as my Sonic/Psi on a team full of tankers, blasters, and scrappers, never a team wipe and only a couple of deaths after multiple missions (my character went from 14 with a full level of Patrol XP to level 17.5). The first mission was a tad rocky, but after that, it was smooth sailing. We knocked the difficulty up to +1 and still was not shaky.

We finally got another Defender on the team (granted I was running the team) and there was a mid teen Empathy Defender on the team. He had three powers from Empathy, Healing Aura, Heal Other, and Rez. Nothing else from his primary. When the tanks started to lose health due to, you know... only having +res bubbles, I expected to see them shoot back up with HP. Nope, nothing. He proclaimed himself a "Blaster with Heals", though in my honest opinion, a Blaster with Heals would, umm, heal?

However, due to one reason or another (my non enhanced +res shields, the Tanker's self protecting armors, green inspirations, or whatnot), the tank never really fell after the first mission. We also just got more and more aggressive as the night passed on.

On the other side of the coin, a little bit ago, my Empathy/Psi Blast Defender (in signature) was on an ITF. A couple of the teammates made the comments that they had never been on a TF before. I still took the bait, figuring that the likelihood of it going downhill was great. I used Fortitude on various teammates for various reasons at the times I used them along with AB, RAs, and the rare exception of Rez and the 3 heals that she has. Most of the time though I was dealing out Forts and using Psi Tornado (which has the +Recharge proc in it) to deal out more Forts and RAs when they got up. Overall the spike damage on some of the first time TFing Blasters were so great that I didn't even have a chance to heal them. The rest of the time that didn't use those is Psi Screaming and then the occasional ST attack from my 7 different attacks (plus Telekinesis making 8 if you want to consider that). +Def, +Regen, +Recovery, +Recharge, Knock up, -Recharge, Sleeps, Holds, and the couple of nukes. Yep, I used my heals, just not that much.

I'll leave my Tanker who refused to cooperate for a different thread. Though there was a mention of Tankers and Healers being work and not fun. Yeah, needless to say my diplomacy got him to initially quit when I called out his lack of being a team player and then my tells afterwards trying to inform him of the Defender and good teaming ways made him add me as a friend on my Traps/Elec.

Three powers! Fort, Recovery Aura, and Regeneration Aura makes my Emp/Psi run just peachy keen.

Edit Note: Added in about the +1 enemy difficulty.

Wrote a big post then deleted it. Didnt like it. Wanted it more simple.

I have a lvl 50 empath. Its all buffs/heals at the moment. I didnt get CM or Fort until 20's. I have had NO complaints about my play style to this day. My reason for slotting like i did is this: Fort is good yes, but not NEEDED in low lvls. Heals SHOULD be enough to keep any team alive and help out. As for CM, rarely in low lvls do you come across someone that can mez. One breakfree and possibly a wakie should be carried by ALL characters for emergencies because you never know what will happen. Also consider that ALL empaths/etc. will be the same and may not have ally mez protection powers at that lvl you are at... 7am and i've had no sleep. XD Wish i could get more in to this toppic but my brain says no right now. Just dont depend on a support toon for everything.. o_o I thin ki'm bias though as i play majority defenders,trollers, and corrs. All support toons really. And i despise when a team is so dependent on buffs that they wont move until everyone of them has them. We make mistakes. We forget buffs here and there. >_> The most popular saying "SB plz"... If you know your end is bad, SLOT better. Stamina 3 slotted with end mod is usually good as long as you have 1 end redux in powers and possibly 2 in toggles. OR if you are a tank/scrapper, run the NEEDED toggles for the mission you are in and dont waste end using the others. Not all missions require a tank/scrapper to use all their armor... And the biggy. SPRINT can be an end hog. So can the other travels... ;D

Don't forget that Fortitude has +dmg and +to-hit. Making a Blaster or scrapper dealing a lot more damage and thus getting through a TF faster. Not to mention that it makes them safer with the +def.

It just seems that people forget that some powers have multiple layers, like an onion. Fortitude not only protects, but allows for more accurate and powerful hits. Sure healing is great, but it doesn't increase your ally's damage and chance to hit.

Honestly, if you didn't speak up and ask why they weren't using Fort/CM and what not, you have no one to blame but yourself. If the team was doing fine without(and by your own admission, it was) then I don't understand the complaints other than some senseless need to rant about not getting a buff you never asked for.

As to them not blasting, I never had more than the required first secondary power for an attack pre 20, I devoted my power selection to things to benefit the team(like my entire primary, and leadership). It's possible they did the same.

Deleted post--just read that the toon was level 47.

One. I'm glad to see Luminara still around with that System Shock grin.

Two. I recently tried to play an Empathy defender again. I was quickly invited to a team after announcing my presence in AP. It was a Sewer Team. I stated that I am not a H341z0rz and as such don't reward stupid behavior like rushing forward into the next spawn or around a corner out of my line of sight.

<.<---...--->.>

*crickets*

boot.


I have found that the Heal-bots are either friends of the team lead playing for the sheer need of a "Healer". Or they are dual boxing and the heals are all they think they will need. I've even heard Empaths referred to as "priests" by new-to-the-game WoW players. Apparently all they expect or want is big green numbers.

Defending properly is probably the hardest thing to do in this game.