Healing in the game now?

Used to play an empath/elec defender a few years ago and am just reinstalling to hop back in to check things out again. Am curious if there are any particular healing classes in demand these days especially with the incarnate system etc.

Not so much.

Pure Healing at least. Once you get past the mid 20's most AT's have enough power at their disposal that your buffs will end up being far more valueable to a team. Even more so now that Incarnate abilities can give every AT healing ability.

If your looking to be useful as a support toon in the late game, Pick something with a good range of Buffs/Debuffs.

Avoid calling yourself a 'Healer' as that connotation can upset some players 'round here.

A high level Empathy/Elec is very valuable. I'd look at maybe respeccing and seeing what you can do.

Nope, there are no healers now and there never were. Some defenders, controllers, corruptors, and dominators have healing powers but none of them are healers. Some like the empathy defenders have more healing powers to go along with their buffing powers then say a controller but even they are not “Healers” and if you play as a healer thinking you’ll be in demand you’ll likely find you’ll spend a lot of time solo.

Now then if you want to play a team support character that buffs your teammates and heals them when their injured and that character just happens to be an empathy defender or controller you’ll find a welcome place with in many teams.

Just don’t log into the game and start broadcasting “Level xx Healer looking for mission team”

LOL ok. Thanks for the feedback...touchy subject...got it

The term healer is a touchy subject for a few players because it's such a limiting term. In other games you have the holy trinity of Tank, DPS, Healing. Not so in this one.

Calling yourself a 'Healer' is fine in my book. Just don't limit yourself to the definition. The most fun I've ever had in this game was running 8 man invincible teams through level 1-32 on my Empath. Trying to keep all 8 standing with heals could get very... engaging at times. I've sacrificied myself a few times by hitting the almost dead tank with Absorb Pain while being pummelled. I knew I'd fall, but if the tank went, the whole team would wipe. At no other time on any other AT have I been as praised as when I'm healing at low levels.

That said. Once I got into the 30's I found myself unwanted by teams. By then most of the Tanks and Scrappers had their own defense and would rarely, if ever, need a heal. Even most squishy toons by then have significant enough resources that the heals will go entire missions without being touched. This is when the RA's and AB really start to shine.
However, you have to remind some folks that Empathy has more to offer than just heals.

This is why the term 'Healer' stirs up emotions these days. It'd be like an Energy Blaster advertising himself as a Knockbacker. It's a small part of what you can offer.

While it is a genuinely touchy subject for some, it is more important to note how key a role that buffs and debuffs play in this MMO as compared to some others. Healing, while it has its place, is not so critical a role as to require someone to be a dedicated healer - while in other games, you might require many such people especially for higher-level raid content.

Given the way buffs and debuffs stack in this game and provide force multiplication benefits to teams, buffs and debuffs take on a much more central role with healing as one tool among many rather than a vital and necessary part of a group.

It is still good to play an Empath and the Empathy powerset has many very good powers including (but not limited to) the heals. Among veteran players, however, it is not uncommon to view someone you do not know broadcasting themselves as a healer as having a heal-centric view as with other MMOs. Some people who use that term mean that and some do not, but there it is.

Fair enough!

My good friend is a lvl 50[+1] Emp/dark/dark defender. His role now is mainly a controller, with Tenebrous Tentacles and Opressive gloom, he can lock down the whole group, and we just blow through content. He started off as a healer, but his role changed as he progressed. I'd rather have him on my team than anyone else. He makes me feel unstoppable. Now that...my friends, is a defender!

Nothing wrong with healing, so long as it's in the proper perspective.

Empathy remains one of the best healing sets in the game. Its self-heal is tied for fastest recharging self-heal in the game, and it has an Instant Healing clone. Too bad you have to go to a power pool for taunts, but if you're blasting and debuffing enough, that should attract enough aggro to keep things interesting. Pair it with something like Psychic Scream, and laugh as the slow trickle of bullets doesn't come even close to beating your regen.

Oh? What's that? You didn't mean self-healing, you meant something like "green numbers that prevent team wipes?"

Three words: Vengeance on auto.

Healing is great. Unfortunately its also one of those topics people abandon all common sense about when it comes up on the boards. As long as you don't try to heal to the exclusion of all else and use the rest of your powers intelligently you should be fine. If you are playing Empathy, Thermal, or Pain, you will also not want to skip your single target heal (but probably want to skip the one with the self-heal penalty) because contrary to what you will hear, it is useful. And AoE healing is always useful to have around.

I am currently leveling an Emp/Pistols defender and loving the combo. Slot of ACC and damage for the offensive and healing/endurance on the primary. I feel like I contribute a lot more to the team and this has been the most fun defender I have created to date.

YMMV. Create an alt and have some fun.

I suggest keeping with your Emp/Elec , if you still like it that is. If you build the character correctly, it could be quite amazing.
Like others have hinted on healing is probably not as grand as it used to be, or that well depended on but this does not mean it is still appreciated. Ignoring the fact people are all like "You said healing, you shall die!", the abilities of your Empathy character on not to be ignored.
Your two auras are amazing, so are your heals. Really it depends on what YOU as a player wish to play, if people don't like it they can suck it up.

Incarnate items are cool, and actually appeal to all character types. Your heals will be appreciated, let alone those awesome auras.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavicle CoH players are stupid and incompetent compared to WoW players.

Ooooohhhh Kaaayyyyyy, leaving aside the 'hare vs hair' debate.....



In my opinion, 'healing' is only one portion of the whole aspect of damage mitigation. After pondering this a bit, I've come to feel that there are seven main aspects of damage mitigation in CoH:

1) Defense
2) Resist
3) Hit Points
4) Regeneration/Heals
5) Hard mitigation (holds, confuses, etc.)
6) Soft mitigation (immobs, knockdown, etc.)
7) Manuever (A moving mob never attacks.)


These are ranked in rough order, from most useful to least, although there is a lot of flexibility, for sure. In the newer content, for example, Manuever goes WAY up there.


But the important thing is, in my mind, that healing is middle of the pack. It is darn useful, and very appreciated, but there are a LOT of things just as useful or better. Defense buffs and resist buffs are probably king in most places. Hard mitigation can easily be more useful than heals, especially where there are terrain issues to address, or the mobs tend to maneuver in annoying ways.

Now, that said, hit point buffs and heals are also among the most universally useful mitigation tools: Unless you're COMPLETELY dominating the content, making folks harder to drop and filling their green bars is ALWAYS useful, at least to a degree.

My two cents.