Working with Empaths -- A definitive guide

[Xurbax]

(Note: This is a slightly-tuned repost of my original post from Beta, which I preserved...)

WORKING WITH EMPATHS -- A DEFINITIVE GUIDE


WHAT THIS GUIDE ADDRESSES:
This guide addresses working with empaths who have taken a dedicated healer route by selecting all of the healing powers from the Empathy power set.


WHAT THIS GUIDE DOES NOT ADDRESS:
This guide does not address working with empaths who HAVE NOT selected all of the healing powers from the Empathy power set. It also does not address working with individuals who have healing powers but are not empaths.



WHAT IS AN EMPATH?
Empaths are team-oriented support characters within City of Heroes who possess gifts of healing. Empaths tend to focus almost exclusively on the preservation of the lives of those with whom they travel. Some may be defenders while others are controllers. While both varieties are found in Paragon City, neither is particularly common as a pure, dedicated healer.

Per Geko, "an Empathy Defender is the only true Healer in the game; followed by an Empthy Controller." (Link To Thread w/ Quote Source (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=314314)))


WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY HEALING TOOLS OF AN EMPATH?
Empaths have 3 heals in their primary or secondary power set with which to work. These are: <ul type="square"> Healing Aura - PBAoE heal affecting all nearby heroes.
Heal Other - Targetted, endurance-costly heal affecting a single hero. This power heals approximately 1.5 times as much as Healing Aura does.
Absorb Pain - Targetted, endurance-inexpensive heal affecting a single hero. This power heals approximately 2.5 times as much as Healing Aura does, costs the empath approximately 20% of his/her own health, and prevents the empath from being healed BY ANY MEANS for a period of time[/list]
Some empaths may also have the following healing power from the Medicine pool:
<ul type="square"> Aid Other - Targetted, interruptible, slowly-animated, endurance-inexpensive heal affecting a single hero. This power heals approximately the same as Heal Other does and has a very long recharge time.[/list]


CAN ALL EMPATHS RESURRECT?
It depends on the empath. Some can while others can't. Whether an empath can or can't depends largely on whether s/he sees value in the Resurrect power. As of this writing, many empaths avoid the Resurrect power due to its long recharge time, high endurance cost, and single-target nature. Empaths who elect to forego Resurrect often do so in favour of a power that helps keep people standing (as opposed to cleaning up the mess afterward), as such a power will (hopefully) see more use and be more beneficial over-all.


WHAT ELSE CAN EMPATHS DO?
Again, it depends on the empath. Beyond the things already covered it truly is an individual taste. It's common for empaths to provide recovery and regeneration auras later in life. But just because the Empathy power set provides these options does not mean individual empaths will elect to take them...


WHAT ARE THE COMBAT CONCERNS OF AN EMPATH?
The primary concerns of an empath can be boiled down to 4 simple things. In order of importance they are: <ul type="square"> Team member awareness of this guide's contents
Endurance management
Line of sight to team members
Range to team members[/list]


WHY IS TEAM MEMBER AWARENESS OF THIS GUIDE SO IMPORTANT?
The relationship between an empath and the team with whom s/he travels is a symbiotic one. How a team behaves has more impact on the effectiveness of an empath at helping a team than any other variable. Empaths tend to spend the bulk of their combat time watching the team members, not the combat, itself. In purely human terms, this means MORE time is spent watching the team's health/endurance bars than is spent watching the combat, itself. This does not mean the empath is oblivious to where people are. Rather, when not watching the health/endurance bars the empath tends to be concerned with positioning him/herself optimally to heal as many people as possible at once using PBAoE heals, as this is the most efficient way s/he can help an entire group.

The following team member behaviours tend to make an empath less effective, overall:
1) Advancing far enough ahead of the team to be well-outside the PBAoE heal radius
2) Standing/hovering/flying far enough behind the group to be well-outside the PBAoE heal radius
3) Generating large amounts of aggro (usually by using AoE attacks on enemies that are not locked down by a controller) without the defenses necessary to soak the resulting incoming fire
4) Allowing impediments such as catwalks, walls, buildings, fences, etc to get between yourself and the empath
5) Failure to watch the empath's endurance bar just as s/he is watching team members' health/endurance bars
6) Allowing enemies to melee with or otherwise harm the empath

<ul type="square"> Items 1-3 force the empath to use endurance-costly, targetted heals to help those who are outside the PBAoE healing radius or drawing far too much aggro for their defenses. This translates to less endurance to help the group ... and quite possibly no endurance when an emergency arises.
Item 4 prevents the empath from healing those on the other side of impediments, entirely -- unless s/he shifts position from the group to help the person who was careless about his/her position. This may well translate to helping one person but failing to help the group -- which can be disastrous.
Item 5 should be self explanatory: No endurance for the empath means no healing for team members; team members who fail to pace the incoming fire they draw based on the empath's endurance may find themselves in trouble.
Item 6 should be self-explanatory: An empath fighting enemies off him/herself is an empath who is burning time and endurance on something other than caring for his/her team. It should also be noted that reduced health (due to incoming fire) for an empath means reduced Absorb Pain use for the group, as Absorb Pain harms the empath who uses it. This is the bread/butter BIG heal that empaths have -- the one that usually saves people's lives -- so keeping your empath healthy and mob-free may well be what saves you or another in your team, as it allows for more use of Absorb pain.[/list]
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT AN EMPATH'S ENDURANCE MANAGEMENT?
Quite simply, empaths burn their endurance (and usually their health) to keep team members alive. As a result, they must gauge who gets how much healing, and when -- all according to available endurance. If in the first 20-30 seconds of fighting the incoming fire is heavy, an empath may well use ALL of his/her endurance to keep the team alive. This will result in a period where little to no healing is possible by the empath. As noted above, team members need to pay attention to the empath's endurance and pace themselves accordingly. A good empath will alert a team when s/he is not capable of healing, but it is a tremendous help if the group pays attention, as well.


SHOULDN'T THE EMPATH BE WORRYING ABOUT LINE OF SIGHT AND RANGE?
Yes, of course s/he should be. But so should team members. Remember, it's a symbiotic relationship. The empath has up to 7 team members for which s/he must track not only health/endurance, but also location and obstacles. The empath's job is to place him/herself for optimal endurance use to keep as many of the group alive and well as possible. Other team members need to pay attention to the empath's positioning and work with the empath to help in this task, as it's easier for them to pay attention to themselves, their targets, and the empath than it is for the empath to pay attention to 7 team members' locations, all targets, and the health/endurance bars.


WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF POOR PLAYER-TO-EMPATH SYNERGY?
There are really only 3 signs that someone is not working synergistically with the empath in the group and that something needs to change:
<ul type="square"> The empath is constantly having to throw large, targetted heals to keep someone alive. This is usually the result of said someone drawing too much aggro for his/her defenses ... or being too far away to be included in the PBAoE heals the empath is using to top-off the rest of the group.
Someone isn't getting heals when s/he needs them, yet the empath in the team has the endurance to heal him/her. This is usally the result of obstructions between said someone and the empath, or said someone being out of the empath's targetted healing range.
Someone dies a lot despite the presence of an empath. This is usually the result of the 2 previously-mentioned issues being repeated over and over and the empath simply making a judgement call not to waste healing/endurance on said someone anymore, as it takes away from what the empath can do for others who are more group-oriented and less self-centered. (The basic premise being the empath is choosing to let said someone learn the hard way after all other options have failed.)[/list]
WHERE AND HOW CAN I FIND AN EMPATH?
Broadcast that you're looking for an empath. Don't ask for a healer if what you really want is an empath; that's like asking for a doctor when you really want a heart surgeon. Know the difference and ask specifically for which you need; there are many who can heal but few who are dedicated to it like empaths are.

(Note: It may, just may, signal that you've read this guide, know the potential pitfalls, and are trying to do your best to avoid them, which might just mean something to an empath who hears your broadcast, as well...)

The distinction is subtle but important. Healing is an empath's focus; if you ask for one you're more likely to get someone who has as many enhancements as s/he can possibly slot into healing powers as is possible for his/her level ... as opposed to someone with 1 or 2 healing powers that are enhancement-neglected. This means stronger healing abilities when compared to garden-variety "healers".

Empaths tend to like to group, so finding one isn't difficult. However, as noted above, they're not exacly the most common template, so do not be surprised if you get no responses, as they do tend to be in high demand and, therefore, busy. Just keep trying.


HOW CAN I HELP AN EMPATH?
If you're looking to help an empath do his/her job better or more efficiently, most empaths tend to need: <ul type="square"> Endurance inspirations
Endurance reduction enhancements
Recharge reduction enhancments
Healing enhancements[/list]
These are the most-needed things common to empaths. If you have one of these things and you're trying to decide between selling it to a shop or giving it to someone to help out, you might inquire if the empath traveling with you can use them, first, before asking others in your team. You never know, the inspirations and enhancements may well be the difference between a life saved or lost ... and it could well be your own!

-- Xurbax

P.S. Anyone is welcome to reprint this in its original form. I only ask that if you do I be given proper credit (I am Xurbax, of Synergy on the Freedom Server). I've already had a few requests via PM's so figured I should mention it, here.

[Zenobia_Gul]

Thank you for sheding some life on our lives. I wish everyone whould read this. It's a fulltime job keeping teammates and other alive. Job well done. Look for me on Freedom, always willing to help a fellow hero.

[Negaman]

One thing I suggest for blasters is to just tag a "follow" on the healer when a battle begins... you can blast from anywhere, why not do it from where you know you'll get a heal? be ready to jump, as the healer might be darting in and out of range of tankers/scrappers.

One other thing I suggest to help yourself and the empath... ASSIST! All it takes is targeting the tank, you'll automatically hit his target with anything you throw.
That way the tank will continue to draw agro, and you won't get hit as often... leaving more endurance for the empath to throw at the tanks in the form of heals.

Brother Heal, 17th emp/dark defender, freedom server

[Ex_Libris]

I am glad that you have posted this. I was thinking of posting somthing simular but it looks as though you have done it all, and have done it well.
I have been healing since DAOC first came out.
Within the early years of my mmorpg career I have always been a healer, becouse to me it is by far the most exciting class to play.
Often times groups take healers for granted but on the other hand when they see a good healer in action it seems they all add you to friends list and you get constant tells every time you log in.
Healing is an art. A person just starting will have a rough time starting out, due mainly on how dependant the class is on others to survive.
It is a sacrifice not many make, but I am glad to see other people make it. FORGET the offensive powers, its all about the heals and healping (like that word?) your team become a lean mean XP making machine.
One thing I would like to add, is to become a good empath (Dedicated Healer) more often than not you need to take a leadership roll, mainly to teach others how to hunt in a group that best helps the group. ALL limitations of the group start with the healer how good or bad you are, and the powers you have.
To all my Empaths out there, there is no need for encouragement becouse you have chosen a class that you love, becouse no one in thier right mind would choose such a dependant class...but us...those willing to put others before us so we dont get hurt or dirty.eeewww

[Ex_Libris]

Incredible post! I really wish there was some way for me to put all this info in my character bio :D

This info needs to be spread all across Paragon City with as much haste as possible. I am a pure Empathy Defender myself and you described everything I do and deal with on a daily basis. Indeed a great informative post that should be read by all who browse thru here.

~Daojin

---------------------------------------------
Infinity Server
Life-Line Empathy/Mind Defender

[Mass_Hysteria]

Great post 'X'. I typically play melee chars but CoH is the first I have attempted a healer-type...I guess I wanted to see what life is like on the other side of the tracks.
So far I love it!
Your post makes alot of good points.
And you healers dont be shy to spell this kinda thing out before going into battle. I have had the luck of grouping with some very gung-ho blasters and tanks that love to rush from one battle to the next resulting in some deaths.
To help me manage the flow of battle and bring up the 'healer awareness'
--GATHER FOR GROUP HEAL
--WAIT! I need to recharge.
--OK. Recharged and Ready.
--HEALS ON HOLD. RESTING/RECHARGE
I'm still learning but so far I have gotten lots of compliments on my play style.
---------------------------------------------
First Aid lvl 10
Emp/Psy Defender
The Rookies on Pinnacle
---------------------------------------------

[Ex_Libris]

As an experienced MMORPG healer in a variety of games, including the high-pressure environment of DAoC RvR, I have say I find your post somewhat hyperbolic, didactic in the extreme, and generally showing what I regard as a "bad attitude" in healers, as it appears to attribute all failure in healing to the rest of the party, not the healer themselves. Perhaps this is the nature of the beast, as this is a guide for working with what you demand we call "Empaths", but at the same time, it needs to be recognised that healers, or "Empaths" are human, and vary extremely widely in skill. It's all very well to claim people should ask for "Empaths" instead of Healers, but the fact is, someone who has only the PBAoE heal, but uses it skillfully, keeps their end up, and so on, may in practice be a far greater asset to the party than someone who has carefully taken every healing power but it is less than stellar at using them, particularly if they like to overheal and blow their endurance whilst failing to bring End inspirations.

Whilst I think it IS very important that people know these things and realize how to make the healer's life easier (I know from DAoC there were dozens of things one could do or not do to help me out), the way your "definitive guide" is written, were I not a healer and sympathetic to some degree, I would be rather offended and offput. Try to avoid "talking down" to people and *assuming* they are in the wrong. They aren't always. Quite often the failure will be in my fellow healers department, or at the very least a joint failure.

I think 1st_Aid gives very good advice to healers, in using chat to make sure people are aware of the situation and as he says "manage the flow of battle". Don't rely on people reading and remembering this guide. 9/10 players will NEVER see it, and of those who do, only a small fraction will fully hmmm, integrate it into their playstyle (of course others will already be playing this way). Take charge yourself and let people know what's going on. Tell people, politely, when they make your life extremely hard.

[TaeVallas]

Yes.. I'd definately have to admit this is a good guide.. Alot of people need to realize what's going on with their empaths. I'm not too fond of Absorb Pain so I didn't take it for my character and I am quite fond of Resurrection because it makes it possible to bring back an important taker who I just couldn't keep up with or save that blaster who just got unlucky. I've also considered using the group buffing leadership skills but haven't decided if it's worth the endurance, I do use Maneuvers though as that I think it should make my job easier.

I can't say I fit the exact concept of Empath that you've laid out, I always considered it a Healer/Support type. That's why i took Recall Friend also.

The most important thing you mentioned and that I've told everyone who wants to concentrate on healing is that nothing is more important, especially early on, as your enhancements. At level 12 you can have 6x15 Heal Enhancements on both Heal Other and Heal Aura and that can make a huge difference from someone who also tries to fight and such.. I never see combat.. Last night I played 3 hours and attacked twice.. The entire time through combat I only take my eyes off the teams health gauges to make sure where they all are. With my powerful healing I've been able to support groups who were 3 levels ahead of me with little trouble.. All I need is one Awaken just in case, and fully stocked Endurance Inspirations and I can perform miracles. :)

TaeVallas
Level 14 Healer
Virtue

[Xurbax]

CasKK:
My intent was not to talk down. Constructive criticism is appreciated. My use of the word 'empath' is the result of Geko's which quote I noted in my post. In terms of healing capability, there's miles of difference between an empath ... and someone who has healing powers outside of the empathy line; hence my differentiation.

As for fault, I never indicated fault or at least that was not my intent. I tried to point out what constitutes poor synergy with an empath. If you elect to read 'blame' into that, I suggest you re-read it -- I point out causes and effects...

All of this said, your criticism is appreciated. I look forward to whatever guide you elect to author based on your wealth of gaming, beta, and CoH experience. One cannot please all tastes. Nor can one be a perfect author. It's far easier to be a critic than it is to be the subject thereof.

May life bring you all that you deserve...

-- Xurbax

[Ex_Libris]

[ QUOTE ]
All of this said, your criticism is appreciated. I look forward to whatever guide you elect to author based on your wealth of gaming, beta, and CoH experience. One cannot please all tastes. Nor can one be a perfect author. It's far easier to be a critic than it is to be the subject thereof.

May life bring you all that you deserve...

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, it has! :)

I look foward to one day writing a useful guide or three, but not yet I fear. I certainly know about recieving criticism, too.

I would suggest though, that whilst your guide provides useful advice to players if you ever revise it, you may want to broaden the focus from merely what other can do to help empaths, to also include what empaths can do to help others help them, with the sort of advice 1st_Aid gives. Guides that aren't to how to "uberize" your character rarely get read as much as they may deserve.

[boxhead6177]

Wow!!! Very impressive work, very thorough line of thought, not only teaches proper conduct for having empaths on your team, but also teaches some good teamplay conduct too.

My hero thanks you.

[TheSpyder]

I've set up binds to announce when people in my group are out of my heal range. It's amazing how often they won't notice until they are almost dead.

[Ex_Libris]

Very nice post Xurbax. Just wished everyone would have read this. I've just started with a secondary character, an empathy defender. I had some trouble keeping our team alive in Perez Park yesterday. A triggerhappy blaster in our group certainly should have read this. Always running of and pulling in new red-conned mobs while I was still recovering endurance or waiting near someones corpse for resurrection to recharge. And I must have spend a lot of healing on him, I think even more then on the tanks in our team.

[Steelyeye]

Got to bump this and say thanks to everyone who wants to play the healers. Empaths are the class that evey team wants but few choose to play (seems that way in every MMOG). This is a good guide. :)

[Mass_Hysteria]

All good advice...Each post deals with the healer communicating to the group the status. And I too have gone thru battles seeing only red and blue lines staring at my team status window. It almost turns into your own little video game staring at that thing.
I have also added a bind to /tell a target they are low on endurance. Think of the healer as a Health Monitor for the group. In the heat of battle Tanks/Scrappers/Blasters can get carried away with the high number of targets surrounding them and blow away their endurance very quickly. I use tells to communicate a low end because tells stand out in the chat window and also 'ding' at you.
And to make it fun at for me at the end of battle I announce the winner of the 'Most Heals in Combat' award. It gets some LOLs but also gives the hero an outside look at the aggro they create. It is very difficult for a hero to know how many heals s/he gets during battle. Telling them will help them gauge combat performance and justify your role in the team as a healer.
Keep it going folks...we can really make a difference in battle by communicating clear information without causing alot of chatter in the chat window.
------------------------------------------------------
First Aid lvl 10 Emp/Psy
"The Rookies" of Pinnacle
"Put these fools in CHECK!" :cool:

[Mass_Hysteria]

[ QUOTE ]
One thing I suggest for blasters is to just tag a "follow" on the healer when a battle begins... you can blast from anywhere, why not do it from where you know you'll get a heal? be ready to jump, as the healer might be darting in and out of range of tankers/scrappers.

One other thing I suggest to help yourself and the empath... ASSIST! All it takes is targeting the tank, you'll automatically hit his target with anything you throw.
That way the tank will continue to draw agro, and you won't get hit as often... leaving more endurance for the empath to throw at the tanks in the form of heals.

Brother Heal, 17th emp/dark defender, freedom server

[/ QUOTE ]

It is also a good idea to target your biggest aggro Tank as they enter battle. If you know they tend to get hit by 4 mobs asap, then go ahead and get a heal ready. Every milisecond counts.

[Ex_Libris]

Excellent post my friend! Was wondering however what pool powers you would suggest for an empath?

I am a Quasi-Empath as I have 2 attack skills (that I do not use anymore ... lol) I chose LEADERSHIP to get the defensive and attack buffs. I am now persuing FITNESS to get to the Endurance buff at 20.

I would appreciate any suggestions in this matter?!?!!? :p

[Sihada]

I took Recall Friend at level 6. At this point in the game, there are a lot of people still learning the ropes (and therefore, dying in combat). If I can retreat to a safe area, I will teleport their unconscious body to my position and trade them an Awaken inspiration (if they don't have one).

It's also incredibly convenient for rallying up a team (all the way across the zone? ZAP!), and since we Empaths are often the core of the teams we are in, it makes sense to rally up on us.

[Xurbax]

It's a matter of taste as to which powers you pick up if you sacrifice your Defender's secondary (offensive) powers for more group-oriented play.

In beta I had the entire Leadership pool. I really don't care much for it, though, because roots/stuns/mezzes shut down toggles -- and it's a pain to turn all 3 leadership powers back on. The END usage (for an already-END-constrained empath -- doesn't help matters).

My best advice is to try to pick up powers that provide you with some CC-like ability. Think of CC as just another means of 'healing' -- instead of adding to someone's health you're keeping things from subtracting from it. Amounts to the same effect, overall, but the latter tends to be more END-efficient (but draw more aggro).

If you are Emp/Dark, take a good hard look at Dark Pit...

If you want to slam out even more healing than you already do -- get the Medicine pool; don't waste time trying to add recharge to it, just enhance the snot out of Aid Other and Aid Self with +HEAL enh. The recharges on them are slow so they're occasional use things, but are quite nice...

-- Xurbax

[Ex_Libris]

Definetly some good stuff in the FAQ, but also some things you mentioned I think might be a tad in-accurate.

Helping folks focus on the bttle in different aspects helps tactics overall. For the healer his/her focus is on the players themselves. Good coomunication is paramount to succesful missions overall. As the Healer in my groups I am often playing Quarterback; clear mind folks as they get dazed &amp; confused and keeping Fort and Clear on tanks for pulls etc. to keep thigns rolling on an even keel. As a healer you are alot of times the person who can turn the tide or let everyoen fall based on your reactions and skills. The skill level and toon level of the healer/player can alot of times make the difference between success and total wipe-outs.

Controller Empaths - Good support Healer class and great for CC when they have loaded it up with enahncements. Crowd control is great esp using liek a Root/Burn combo - makes thigns really nice and easy. Healing is usually kept to a minimum and the Controller limited endurance can usually handle most small group needs. The Controller empath will always heal for about 1/3 less though as it's a secondary power list. This can be a great drain on enduarance even more so than normal if you going the healer route.

Defender Empath - Has the best Power to healing ratio in the game. Primary powerset gives them additional healing prowess and the enhanced defense of the Defender also gives him a nice bonus for broken pulls and having to step up and take a hit in order to save a teamate.

Endurance management - Early levels this is more important and where you will find the best useage of Absorb Pain. The low end cost and high healing amount make this a must have in the healing stable. I toiok this even before ehal other as it's amount is double and the end useage is 1/10th the amount.

Powers : Recovery Aura - is one of the best keys to managing yoru endurance in big battles. After the first few moments in afight as folsk get to about half or lower in endurance pop this baby on and watch the juice begin to flow. It's short radisu so try to keep your people in range to begin with. But once they have the aura on they can move out freely and will be regen Endurance and a super high rate. This is great for those real tough long encounters.

Adrenaline boost - A great thing for doing right before your big battles - stick it on yoru big tank or scrappers and let the mgo to town! Neat little trick of the trade to avoid the nasty disorients from this and other liek powers - Pop a Discipline Inspiration - works just liek clear mind and will keep you from having the side effects.
Power Pools:
Since the limit is 4 in game per archetype your healer is goign to have to take a few just to be effective right off the bat. This may be a little limiting for some folks, but in the end it will make the most difference.

My picks:

1 - Recall Friend - this is your only option for retrieving corpses in the heat of battle. Also has a secondary benfit for pulling using TP tank aggro tactics.

2 - Hasten - When thigns get bad and you gotta put on your game face, Hasten is hands down you r best friend. Allowing you to heal at 2-3 times your normal rate it's great for those big battles right when things get started.

3 - Concealment - The stealth and invis skills are a great compliment to the healer and helps assure him he is out of the line of fire. The defense bonuses of Stealth combined with Defender's natural defense is a great combination.

4 - Leadership - as the ultimate support class this give you instant buffs to the entire party. When mutliple team members have it the effects stack for even greater bonuses. Combined with your bread &amp; butter buffs Fortitude and Clear mind - this combo is lethal on a tanker and makes him nigh indestructable.

5 - Fitness : a great combo for the Controll Empath who will need the extra health and endurance regen.


Just a few notes - hope it helps and hope to see some more great healers in game! :)

Dr Midnight Phd - lvl 11 Controller/Empath
Major Artery - 20 Defender/Empath

[Monual]

While I like the post, I don't care for the implied disdain for people who do, in fact, choose ressurect. It does happen upon occasion that people die, and it is a tremendous timesaver to rez them there rather than wait for them to run back.

Yes, making sure people don't die is an admirable thing that should be the goal of every Defender. =) But stuff happens, someone can get hit by two exploding mages in rapid succession or something similar. In those situations, rez can be very helpful. I've even had one battle where a scrapper got too much aggro and died, and I rezzed him while the battle was still going and he was able to provide a useful contribution - coming back with full health and endurance is a definite plus in the middle of a tough battle.

I think I know where you're coming from, as I've seen Defenders criticized for not taking certain powers that player XYZ thinks they should have. That's noble. But keep it fair and mention some of the benefits to taking rez, too.

To offer my own observations about the Defender class: don't just dump Heal enchancements on your heals. I find that getting Recharge time down is equally important. Who cares if you can heal for 15 points more if it takes so long to refresh that the player dies? Being able to quickly heal multiple people in rapid succession is just as important. Right now my enchancements on Heal Other are three Heals, two Recharges, and one DO Endurance I was lucky enough to nab. =)

[zephir_NA]

Something you might want to add to the post is a ratio of sorts. Something in the lines of for every 3 characters, there should be a healer/emp. So a 8 party group should have at least 2 healer/emp with them.

This become important when you start fighting npc that have area attacks and such.

While CaskRR bring up some good points, but negates them by saying: "Quite often the failure will be in my fellow healers department, or at the very least a joint failure." Now all you doing are doing is turning around and blaming all your problems are the healers.

[Xurbax]

[ QUOTE ]
While I like the post, I don't care for the implied disdain for people who do, in fact, choose ressurect. It does happen upon occasion that people die, and it is a tremendous timesaver to rez them there rather than wait for them to run back.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure what you're talking about. I -IMPLIED- nothing. I chose my words carefully and used only words that carried the meaning I intended. Anything more that you perceive you are reading into the post.

Some empaths have resurrect. Some do not. I pointed out -why- those who elect not to take it tend not to. That is all.

Too many times people who do not understand empaths EXPECT empaths to have resurrect. This is the reason the indication that some elect not to take it is present in the guide.

Given that you and others cannot seem to stick to the written word on the page ... and insist on seeking/finding/perceiving things I did not intend within it, perhaps I should have written nothing at all...

Frustrated with posts like the one I just quoted,
-- Xurbax

P.S. I like the constructive additions folks are making. I see no need to revise the guide. Instead, I feel the posts herein serve as the additions, much like the posts in the devs' bind FAQ in beta grew their own FAQ. Remember, the scope of what I wrote was 'working with empaths'. I defined at the 30,000 ft view for folks who -are not- empaths what empaths are and what being around them and working well with them does and doesn't tend to consist of. More granular focus is up to other authors to provide, as it is beyond the scope of what I was writing.

[Foxbat_Defender]

It was a great post Xurbax, ignore those who are reading more into it that what was there. I read it, I didn't see any disdain, or talking down (as someone else had mentioned).

Question for you though, if you still have an Empathy Based Defender, what enhancements do you use on your Heal Other and Healing Aura and maybe why? I'm only level 9 ATM but I have 2 heal, and 2 end reduction enhancements on mine. I know when the groups get going heavy I end up burning end quickly so I thought putting end reduction enhacements would help, but they don't seem to be. Seems like base Healing Aura without enhancements on it burns about 17 end per use.. With 2 end reducers on mine, I still burn about 17 end per use. Seems like these are a waste of time. (Training ones mind you, never seen a DO or SO.) They're also of proper level, lowest one is 8++.

[Mass_Hysteria]

I think the whole thread is informative. It gives me a little insight to the playing habits/preferences of other empaths.&lt;ie. to rez or not to rez&gt; I myself chose it only because I am new to the class and expected mistakes. If taking it hurts me in the long run...so be it, Im learning with this char and can always skip it next char.
HOWEVER, now I know that if I party with another group like two teams of 8, or whatever, I know that not all empaths chose the path of rez or absorb pain and to get with any other defenders to take inventory of our powers.
In fact today I ran with a group that I did not know had another empath. We tripped on eachother wasting end as we healed the same tank &lt;wth?&gt;. So I told him/her I would watch the blast scrap and s/he watch the tank. &lt; there we go again--communication is a funny thing&gt;
Which brings another point to the "Help a Healer out Guide". Know what chars are in your group. Sure it sounds anal and sure you could target each hero and read origin/archtype but make sure you know what kinda skill set is working beside you.&lt;errrr...in front of you...heh&gt;
----------------------------------------------------------
First Aid of "The Rookies" on Pinnacle
emp/psy lvl 11
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[Thunder_Titan]

Great Post and a great guide. As a pure Empath Defender I would love it if more people understood what I was trying to do.

I find it almost creepy that this post mirrors my thoughts on my role almost perfectly.

Look for me on Virtue

Twilight Titan

[Monual]

Will only say you seemed to take my comments much more seriously than I meant them. As you can see, people have some very basic disagreements about Empathy powers and their use. If you're unwilling to consider other views or listen to constructive criticism, then your guide can hardly be called definitive.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great guide, a very good place to start, I wish everyone I had ever grouped with had read it. =)

[Ex_Libris]

Well done!
I'm playing my first char- lvl 11 defender empathy/dark blast
I've got teleport as my first pool power, but my question is- should I start looking at adding the fitness pool? I burn end so fast when watching out for large groups that its just not funny. Anyone else with experience have any ideas? I've maxed my enhancements.
Thanks for the guide! :D

[Mass_Hysteria]

Its kinda hard to say what to chose. Leadership may be worth looking into. The only reason I say that is think of healing as a theory. "Would it not be easier to prevent the damage rather than repair it?" Sure there is always the forcefield/empath discussion, but for this thread we are looking at empath so what power pool would follow that theory?...In my opinion Leadership would be a nice fit. You give nice damage and defense bonuses to the team with Tactics/Maneuvers/Assault. AND they work great for the solo game. Its an extreme approach to damage prevention but I think the pluses from a soloist aspect really appeal to me.
Mabye we can come up with the ideal template and add it to the guide here.......
------------------------------------------------------
First Aid of "The Rookies"
emp/psy lvl 11 on Pinnacle

[Xurbax]

Foxbat_Defender:
There are MANY paths to go when enhancing. Some folks like smaller heals they throw a lot. Others prefer larger heals they throw less regularly. There's really no right/wrong here and you can try different approaches to see what suits you and the groups you tend to run with.

With my defender I fell into the former camp and I used Hasten from the Superspeed Pool to increase the frequency yet again. The reason for this was I felt it was less risky for the group if I kept the group topped off. While throwing larger heals less frequently is more END efficient, the downside is that you have to allow people to lose more health (so that your bigger, less-used heals don't end up 'overhealing' or wasting healing pts) ... and that imposes more risk to those you're with.


I placed -all- enhancement slots on odd levels into Healing Aura, Heal Other, and Absorb Pain to try to bring them to 6 slots as rapidly as possible -- with my focus being on Aura and Other, since Absorb Pain's already highly efficient. I ran the following up until Level 17:
Healing Aura: 3 generic END reduction, 2 generic recharge reduction, 1 generic +heal
Heal Other: 3 generic END reduction, 2 generic recharge reduction, 1 generic +heal
Absorb Pain: 1 generic recharge reduction, 4 generic +heal
Hasten: 1 generic recharge reduction

At 17 I added another slot to Absorb Pain to bring it to 6 and switched to DO enhancements. Knowing that Recovery Aura was coming at 18, my layout changed to the following:
Healing Aura: 2 DO END reduction, 2 DO recharge reduction, 2 DO +heal
Heal Other: 2 DO END reduction, 2 DO recharge reduction, 2 DO +heal
Absorb Pain: 1 DO recharge reduction, 5 DO +heal
Hasten: 1 DO recharge reduction

This is how my enhancments remained until it was time to switch up to SO enhancments. Layout stayed the same, just SO instead of DO.

NOTE: This is a highly END INEFFICIENT build. It sacrifices the ability to conserve end for the ability to heal often. As such, it's built to rely on Recovery Aura very heavily -- which I slotted with 6 recharge reduction enhancements as soon as I could.

I did not have Stamina and were I to do it again, it'd be in the build.

Interestingly, I DID take leadership -- the whole pool. It seems to be a popular choice among empaths who would prefer to sacrifice attacks in favour of adding more to the group. This has the side-effect of the empath drawing almost zero aggro, as the empath isn't attacking, but rather, providing heals and buffs.

Leadership will compound your END-woes if you take all 3 toggles from it -- even with 1 END reduction enhnacement in it. I personally would not take leadership again for one reason and one reason only: too many mezzes/roots/holds/stuns at the higher levels without a GROUP buff/clear to counter them (a game design flaw in my opinion) means your toggles will go down a lot. This annoyed me and so did burning time and watching the same cheesy leadership animation (for all 3) as I re-fired them.

Vengeance has other issues. Too situational IMHO -- AND it's a ranged power, not a toggle, so you had to have line of sight AND be within range of your fallen comrade to use it. Nice buff -- a la fortitude with a small heal ... but seems to last a bit longer. Just not enough and too many usage drawbacks for me to take it again.

NOTE: The above was only 1 way to go about things .... to each his/her own.

As a controller right now I have only 4 slots in Healing Aura and Heal Other ... and a measly 1 slot in Absorb Pain (which is all I'll ever have in AP on my controller). This is all I intend to put into them.

I draw more aggro now since I must attack -- and on my build, most of the aggro I draw is from AoE attacks, which is nasty, so I have to be more sparing about AP use. I heal for less than my defender and always will ... but I don't -need- to heal people as often or for as much, as CC keeps them from getting as badly damaged in the first place. Many fights with only me as both the controller and the healer I don't need to throw a heal at all...

Current controller layout for heals is as follows:
Healing Aura: 1xDO END reduction, 1xDO recharge reduction, 2xDO +heal
Healing Other: 1xDO END reduction, 1xDO recharge reduction, 2xDO +heal
Absorb Pain: 1xDO +heal
Hasten: 1xDO recharge reduction

Despite being far more END effieicient now (costs less END to prevent damage than to heal it back) I took Stamina at 20 and will pick up Recovery Aura at 28. This is somewhat redundant, but because I'm attacking the damage mitigation issue from both sides (preventing it in the first place as well as healing it after it's taken) I am shooting for the ability to spam heals out while I control. It's the heals that bleed me dry of END, not the control powers ... and circa 29 I am hoping to be able to heal as often as I could on my defender ... for less health per heal, of course ... while I control -- without emptying my endurance tank between Recovery Auras.

I look forward to others posting their builds and reasoning behind them...

-- Xurbax

[Lady_Amethystle]

Excellent posts here :) As someone who prefers to be the empath/healer I have to admit I've yet to get into that roll in CoH as much as I would have though, but instead have built in some aspect of healing on nearly every character I've made thus far. I look forward to the progression of learning how to play the Emp/Dark class, but I am having such a blast with a storm defender it may be a while yet.

Amethystle - 63 Elven Empath - Dragonrealms
Amethystle - 50, RR5 Mend Healer - DAOC

[color=black]CoH - Guardian
[color=violet]Lady Amethystle - 10 Defender Emp/Dark
[color=cyan]Tefnut - 16 Defender Storm/Ice
[color=orange] Anne Jefferys 10 Blaster Fire/Knetics

[Kryalis]

Congrats on the guide it's excellent.

I decided early on that I was aiming for a 'pure' empath build with my character. I had a moment of weakness when I went for the blast snipe power but I won't do that again.

My theory on 'slotting' is that you can improve the end and speed of the skills via other methods (hasten / stamina), so i've slotted all heals in the actual powers. This at least at the lower levels has paid off massivly. And it allows you at later ones to 'rebuild' to add end reducers and speed ups if required.

Heal other seems to be the bane of any end effeciency, and having to use it means i'll be fighting the end bar for the entire battle. If people stay in the aura, it's quite possible to walk out with a spotless team and &gt; 50% end.

Something that's kind of funny, is that inexperianced players have a habit of running away when they're injured. Which means you either need to chase them down to heal them (thus risking the rest of the team), or let them fend for themselves.

I took rez as early as i could and havn't looked back. I've pulled off a few 'combat' rez's now and they've been worth every point of end. Obviously it's good to stack up with end inspirations if you're going to try that :)

[speeka]

good guide. The question is: is it the empath's place to tell certain players when they are not playing their archetype? Some people keep getting all the damage or getting killed due to lack of proper inspiration use or going melee as a blaster.

I hate when I have to start making choices of healing as I finally decide 'they are just going to die anyway!'

I like the idea of taking some of the leadership skills if that only meant that people recognized empaths as logical leaders....we are usually the only ones behind the scenes seeing what's going on in the mess of fireworks!

[Ana_Bolic]

great thread! It helps to have other team members understand what we are doing and how to help make us more effective.

One powerpool that I have noticed has been overlooked is the Jump Pool. You can get combat jumping and have an increased defense bonus for battles. I rarely get hit with this on, providing I'm not aggro'ing at all (I'm empath/dark, so I do get a few hits in per round, like tentacles or something). Also the superjump IMO, is an empaths best friend. I'll explain why: You know when your team is travelling from one nav to another in hostile territory and you all kind of split up? The superjump gives you a swift way to get to those players that have accidentally aggro'd a group they can't handle. This fits my play style. I'm usually the last one to reach the mission point as I am babysitting my teammates, regardless of if they need it or not. I'd rather be there when things get hectic than not. I also use it to be a scout as well. I can get ahead of my team very quickly, find safe routes, find the purplr guys so we can avoid the wussies, etc.

To bring up another point and question, what should the empath be doing in combat? I see many empaths that sit in the rear and wait for someone to need a heal. Not I. I stand immediately behind the tankers and keep them in the aura at all times. When endurance permits, if we are holding our own and My teams life meters can take a 20 second or so break from my heals, I always cast confusion and tentacles on anything available.

What do youguys think?

Anwyn.

[speeka]

watch the health levels, when no-ones yellow or red, target my leader (assist) and nail the nasties with radiation defense debuffs ....

[EugeneStyles]

[ QUOTE ]
Something that's kind of funny, is that inexperianced players have a habit of running away when they're injured. Which means you either need to chase them down to heal them (thus risking the rest of the team), or let them fend for themselves.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's funny. My highest character is only lvl 11, but I've already developed the instinct to, when injured into the red, run backwards toward the healer (direction interpolated based on the circular Heal Other radius that I can usually see near my feet). Maybe it has something to do with being a Scrapper, so the tank tends to quickly pick up the aggro.

Honestly, as far as empaths go... I always appreciate the healing, but I feel bad because it doesn't seem like all that much fun to constantly watch health bars. Half the time I want to tell them, "go ahead and blast if you want, I'll try to keep aggro off you... and if I die, no biggie, I'll run back from the hospital"

[alleykat]

"if you sacrifice your Defender's secondary (offensive) powers for more group-oriented play."

This seems to imply that offensive powers are not group-oriented. In my opinion, offensive powers, when used to benefit the group by ending battles more quickly, thus conserving the resources of the whole team for the next fight, can be just as "group-oriented" as buffs/heals/crowd control.

[Ex_Libris]

I hate to re-post something, but I wrote this for a thread on effective grouping, and it actually would have worked better here, I think. :)

Something esecially interesting, I thought, is that I tend to use Heal Other as my main heal, and Healing Aura as my supplemental - although that only works if one or two team members are successful at containing aggro for the most part. Anyway, here goes - my personal play tactics as an Empath (note I wrote this before getting Fortitude, and I don't have Clear Mind yet, so my tactics are still evolving.) :)

First, I want to stress that not all defenders are healers! I’m an empathy/electric defender, and my personal purpose in a group is to keep you alive, which means that when you’re in any real danger, I’m doing nothing but healing. But not all defenders are so focused on support! There are several defender lines that contain great damage and crowd control powers, but aren’t very effective as a main healer. Before assuming you’re covered on heals, be sure to ask what that defender’s specialty is before assuming.

Healers Fighting in Battle?
Don’t assume that if I’m fighting occasionally, I’m not focused on healing. As long as my endurance is full and no one in the group is in any real danger, then I can throw off an electric blast every 10 seconds or so and still stay at full endurance, ready to handle a sudden turn of the tide.

If no one’s in danger of dying (say, we’re fighting blues), then my secondary purpose is to help defeat the enemies a little faster to reduce my group’s endurance use over time, reducing downtime. (We shouldn’t be ending fights with you at zero endurance and me at full, since we still have to wait for your endurance anyway.) However, even while attacking I always assume there could be a boss ambush around the corner, and keep enough endurance on reserve to handle it.

As a healer, I swear by the assist feature! Not only does it keep me on the same target as the melee fighters, ensuring that they keep the aggro and not me (since they do more damage than I do), but ideally those melee guys are the ones needing heals, and by assisting them, I’ve already got them targeted. I don’t generally assist controllers unless they’re not doing crowd control, since I could end up blasting a target they’ve just put to sleep.

Having Max HP in Fights
Group members do not always need to be kept at maximum hit points in an extended fight! Healer endurance is extremely important, and keeping you topped off is very expensive. If you’re only missing 60 hit points and my smallest heal is 95 hit points, then healing you before you’re at least 95 hit points down is overkill, and wastes endurance. Also remember that heals have a recharge time, so healing you when you don’t absolutely need it still renders me unable to respond right away should someone else get really hurt.

Priority and Healing Order
I’m always watching the group’s health, and I can always see who’s getting the aggro. That’s my absolute priority – not so much ‘who’s the most hurt?’ but ‘who’s the most hurt and currently getting aggro?’ If one guy on my team is down to 1/10 of his health but he’s hovering far away and out of danger, then he’s a lower healing priority than my scrapper with ¾ health who just drew the aggro of three red Aberrant Reactors. It’s like triage – as long as you’re not under the effects of a DOT and have a decent amount of health and I can tell you aren’t drawing any aggro, you’re fine for the time being while I take care of the people in the most immediate danger. (Of course, this means that if a tanker is holding aggro, then his HP will be the only ones dropping, and he gets my full attention, making my job a lot easier.)

Next step in priority is hit points – people with fewer hit points will be healed a bit more quickly since they can be one-shot killed. A tanker who’s at ¼ HP and being taken down slowly can probably still survive a few more seconds than the blaster who just went down to ¼ health in one hit. That is, UNLESS you’re extremely low level (as in, just tagging along for the higher experience) and it comes down to a choice between saving you or the aforementioned higher level scrapper or tanker, for example. Sorry, it’s not a level bias thing… but he can keep us alive if I save him, while you unfortunately wouldn’t be able to.

Which Heal To Use?
I have three heal powers, and they each have their place. Heal Other is my most used heal. It’s a single-target heal, heals for a good amount, and isn’t too expensive in endurance. I have two healing, two endurance reduction, and two recharge reduction enhancements in it, so I can cast it pretty quickly and frequently, using the order priorities listed above.

Next is Healing Aura. It’s a group heal, only works if you’re near me, heals for less than Heal Other, and costs more in endurance. I use it if two or more people are hurt and more than one person has aggro, or if the whole group just got hit by an area effect, or if I’m seriously hurt, since that’s the only one that heals me too. I don’t like to spend that kind of endurance if it's only me that's hurt, though, so I generally don’t use it for that reason unless I’m at half health or lower, or I have aggro. I'll also use that one is if someone is dying FAST and Heal Other/Absorb Pain is still recharging.

My emergency heal is Absorb Pain. I love this spell - it’s certainly saved many scrappers from certain death in the early moments of an ambush. It’s a big heal, healing for about twice the amount of Heal Other, and it costs me almost no endurance at all. However, it takes about 1/5 of my health, and I’m unable to be healed for a short time afterwards. I’m not affected by group heals, other peoples’ heals, inspirations, nothing. I can only use this when I am not getting any aggro, and for a while after casting it, I need to stay well out of harm’s way. In other words, if I just glowed red and your HP jumped 230+, watch out for me for a few seconds, please.

Finally -
Unless they ask you to, or you have reason to believe your healer is distracted, please don’t ask for heals in fights. The healer is putting their fate in your hands, so put your fate in theirs. If you’re at 2/3 health and aren’t currently being healed, there’s a reason. It might be a certain heal recharging, or another member of your group is currently drawing more aggro (thus going down faster) than you are.

I love the role of healing, and I’m enjoying reading other peoples’ views on being a healer – I look forward to any comments or suggestions on mine.

[speeka]

well, I'll say it again..I STILL can't believe that we have the one power that I know of that let's us commit suicide...but that being said, I was playing around with absorb pain yesterday and another defender kept healing me immediately after I cast - a surprise to me since I thought there was NO way to heal after casting absorb pain...unless the fact that they were 10 lvls above me somehow affects the ability to overcome the downtime for healing....anybody know how long you are unable to heal with absorb pain?

[airy_]

I don't know the exact time that you can't heal yourself after using Absorb Pain, but you can see the AP status icon underneath your own health bar, or even in the team window. Just wait for it to go away before you fire off your Healing Aura or healing inspiration.

Like you already found out, Heal Other for some reason can still heal you even when you have the AP status effect. I think O2 Boost works as well.

[Madam_Enigma]

[ QUOTE ]
Quite simply, empaths burn their endurance (and usually their health) to keep team members alive. As a result, they must gauge who gets how much healing, and when -- all according to available endurance. If in the first 20-30 seconds of fighting the incoming fire is heavy, an empath may well use ALL of his/her endurance to keep the team alive. This will result in a period where little to no healing is possible by the empath. As noted above, team members need to pay attention to the empath's endurance and pace themselves accordingly. A good empath will alert a team when s/he is not capable of healing, but it is a tremendous help if the group pays attention, as well.


[/ QUOTE ]

Vigilence would ensure that during those 30 seconds the empath who's struggling to keep up has a full endurance bar. Think on that.

[ QUOTE ]
Someone dies a lot despite the presence of an empath. This is usually the result of the 2 previously-mentioned issues being repeated over and over and the empath simply making a judgement call not to waste healing/endurance on said someone anymore, as it takes away from what the empath can do for others who are more group-oriented and less self-centered. (The basic premise being the empath is choosing to let said someone learn the hard way after all other options have failed.)

[/ QUOTE ]

A spines/dark scrapper can easily get enough agro in the space of 1 attack to die from 20 enemies turning and firing at once. Same for a warshade who's leveraging the mires and aoes or a TA/A who's usng oil slick. If such a character is dying a lot, maybe what's needed is the empath using fortitude on the person dying a lot and not the scrapper, TA/A defender, or warshade stopping their most effective tactics.

[ QUOTE ]
The distinction is subtle but important. Healing is an empath's focus; if you ask for one you're more likely to get someone who has as many enhancements as s/he can possibly slot into healing powers as is possible for his/her level ... as opposed to someone with 1 or 2 healing powers that are enhancement-neglected. This means stronger healing abilities when compared to garden-variety "healers".

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, your saying that dark, kin, and rad are healers? How about storm? What people in game call a healer is a empath who does nothing but heal, and rarely if ever buffs, while refusing to take a single attack. Call my dark/rad a healer again and I'll sick fluffy on ya.

[Tormentoso]

DARN It Madam Enigma... Why in heavens did you have to Necro this??!?!?

[Overseer]

This is such a chunk of garbage, and yes i have some empaths. If emp is all you have to protect an 8 man team its not going to be fun. Half the items in this list are null and void if you have any other kind of buffing debuffing going on. Of course with every other defender i see now being a purile HEELIR this may be the best newbs can hope for.

If i ever see some emp just sitting in the back waiting to use his pureness of healingness on us while we are buffed and fighting debuffed enemies i will boot his sorry backside off my team. This isnt EQ, this isn't WoW, stop trying to pretend it is and contribute to your team even when no ones getting hurt.

O

[ValkyrieRising]

Folks, this guide is three years old. It was linked as a joke and someone necro-posted it.

Please let it drop back into the depths of the forum where it belongs.