Empire Class Discussion

[Branaddar]

So, during beta I spent most of my time playing a heal-focused Imperial Agent, reaching level 25 by the end. Unfortunately, the companion that class starts with is a horrid tank. I spent most of my time grinding tradeskills and making new gear for her, but any semi-difficult fight devolved into me chain-healing her.

The Sith Inquisitor seemed to get a proper tanking companion out of the gate, and in the 13 levels I spent with it, I found I never had much trouble keeping him up while I helped attack.

So I'm thinking I'll end up playing that class as my healer. Which is unfortunate, because apart from the companion troubles, the Agent could be a great class if it had been given a proper tanking pet.

I want to make a tank as my secondary character. I'd originally planned to do Agent for heals and Warrior for tanking, but now I'm thinking Inquisitor and Bounty Hunter as a tank.

I hadn't even tried a BH yet. I was just wondering how people felt about the classes.

Does the BH get a good companion? Hopefully a healer? Is it a viable tank when specced that way? How about the Warrior and its companion?

Did any other Agents feel like their companion wasn't a good tank, despite being geared well?

I tend to prefer playing classes or roles that are in demand, hence why I'm going to be healing primarily. But I don't want to be playing in raids alongside 5 other of my class (regardless of role) due to it creating high demand on gear of that type, and it seems that Inquisitors are going to be played a lot (though primarily by DPS-types.)

I'd like to hope that BioWare will rebalance the Imperial Agent a bit, either giving us better healing or a better companion. The cast time on the heals seems really high to me, and the channeled Heal Over Time seemed utterly useless. The saving grace was the skill tree-unlocked instant-cast heal over time.

So yeah, would love to hear from other tanks and healers to help drive my decision.

 

[frostymuffin425]

BH gets a dps/healing companion to start. Healing next. then idk i only got to 27. Over all BH's are a great class

 

[Rapter29]

While I can't say anything about bounty hunters, i played a Sith Juggernaut up to lvl 22 and i must say its tanking tree seemed very promising. you might not be able to tank with it well till the mid-teens, before you get the tanking form, you just cant generate enough threat, and once you get taunt it is easy. The first companion puts out great damage, and the second companion can heal, but i find more damage ends fights faster and you end up taking less damage, while the healing companion often cant keep up with all the damage you take. Plus the second companion doesnt SHUT UP...

I still plan to role Agent, still debating internally whether to go Sniper or Operative. And regarding companions, I believe they are a luxury and a well placed game feature, but for the few levels i did play Agent (to confirm if it was fun) I found no problem taking damage and soloing without a companion, even if it is not the best tanking companion, it should not make leveling that much harder. From what i have read, companion 2, and 3 and 4 for IA, should be capable 'tanks'.

To be perfectly honest, things will change before release, and if the first companion you get is the main factor in not rolling a certain class, i find that unfortunate. but I am optimistic the every class will come into its own, and they will all provide a good experience, and I hope whatever decision you make leaves you happy!

 

[xosniper]

You won't need a healing companion because I will be healing everything.....even when I'm not logged in.......it's crazy I know.

 

[Branaddar]

It's not just the companion that detracted me from Agent as a healer. When I grouped up for Flashpoints, with a fully player-filled group, I was chain-healing the entire time. And these were good groups with solid tanks. I almost never had the time or energy to do anything but heal. I've been healing in MMOs for a long time, and never played a healing class that felt as frantic and underpowered as this.

I dunno, Agent is such an interesting class, but their abilities are just so all over the board that they're a jack of all trades and master of none. Stealth, melee, backstabs, sniping, healing... I don't envy Bioware trying to balance them to keep them in line with other similar classes without making them vastly overpowered.

Which leads me to think the class will end up bouncing wildly up and down in balance in various aspects over the coming months. A boost in healing for the PvE crowd means they're too hard to kill in PvP, meaning their combat abilities will take a hit, at which point the DPS-specced PvE players will complain, lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Seablade]

I tried a IA in the last beta and plan on healing with it also when the game launches. The first companion had several issues with it one of them being that her starting generator upon her joining your party no longer worked for her. This caused her to be lacking in her ability to tank. The IA from what I gathered from reading the beta forums is pretty weak early in the game until they can get to a higher level compared to other classes. I can vouch for this because having hit lvl 26 on a trooper I had no problems healing a group with their heals, but found healing on a IA to be harder atleast at the lvl I got to.

 

[Branaddar]

Yeah Sea, I agree. It was a total cluster trying to heal until unlocking the Kolto thinger. The instant-cast skill from the skill tree. Even then, it was difficult at times.

I'm so tossed on which two classes I want to play. On the one hand, mixing up sith and non-sith will be good for variety, on the other if I stick with two sith or two non-sith, it'll be easier for me to make gear that both characters can use.

Ugh choices, choices.

 

[Seablade]

Its a tough choice Im torn between what proffessions to take as a IA personnaly. Hopefully they will monitor player feedback and help IA healers out a little bit Im going to keep monitoring the tester forums and see if any new feedback is posted till they bring back the beta servers and i can continue testing it out.

 

[frostymuffin425]

I think the main healing class should be a Sith Inquisitor because they have more powerfull healing spells than the IA. But im still going to roll a BH get it to 50 then roll a Sith Inquisitor

 

[Mezrin]

Sith Inquisitors are probably going to end up as MH's no doubt, although those BH's can get their heals up pretty darned high if they spec into it right. On the flip side, I have a feeling Inquisitors have a chance to become some of the higher, main DPS in raids and what have you. At least, that's what I'm hoping for since Inquisitor's going to be my main character.