I've never actually made a healer in this game before...

aesica

...so am I on the right track at all? Bear in mind that I also want it to be able to go offensive if I don't need to play as a healer, although its primary role is going to be healer/support.

Offensive-Capable Healer (WIP)
v2.3.2-28

Super Stats
Level 6: Presence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)

Talents
Level 1:
Level 6:
Level 9:
Level 12:
Level 15:
Level 18:
Level 21:

Powers
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Compassion
Level 6: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Aura of Radiant Protection (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Force Shield (Rank 2, Rank 3, Force Sheathe)
Level 14: Arcane Vitality (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17:
Level 20: Death's Embrace (Pact)
Level 23: Fiery Embrace
Level 26:
Level 29:
Level 32:
Level 35:
Level 38:
Adv. Points: 20/36

Travel Powers
Level 6: Teleportation
Level 35: Athletics (Rank 2)

Specializations
Presence: Repurpose (2/3)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Moment of Glory (3/3)
Presence: Force of Will (2/2)
Guardian: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: Find the Mark (2/3)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
Mastery: Presence Mastery (1/1)

So my questions in particular:

1) Do healers need energy unlocks? Or does support role + high presence + compassion allow me to get by with the form alone? If not, I'll probably get one anyway, but I'll be more inclined to base it entirely on whatever I decide to go with for the offensive part of this character rather than whatever would be the most effortless to keep rolling as a support.

2) So, guardicator. I know sentinel/etc is optimal, but can I get away with taking the more offensive/defensive guardicator? I'm hoping the boost to critical strike/severity will at least help my healing output somewhat. I just don't want to hit like a wet noodle when I'm not supporting anyone.

3) Powerwise, I'm open to really anything that makes this a decent healer, so Arcane Vitality isn't something I have to have. I'll happily trade it for whatever's best for healing both single targets and groups.

So yeah, how2heel pls​​

aiqa

- Aura of Radiant Protection will not make you very offense capable. In fact most healer builds using that passive will struggle to get past 800 dps.
- Compassion can be difficult to keep up at times, it has a "in combat" requirement and that just doesn't work well. That is why 99% of the healers want a passive heal like Sentinel Aura.
- Since you don't have any passive heal, you won't be able to keep compassion up without active heals. That can become difficult when you decide to focus on attacking.
- AV is a great heal, but not having a heal with 100 feet range will hurt your overall viability. Most good healers have at least 3 heal/shield powers.
- Needing an EU depends on what powers you need and how you are planning to play. The passive energy generation and energy from compassion could be enough for some of the cheaper powers. For slightly more expensive powers you'll need more energy.
- You generally want the Selfless Ally spec.

aesica

Thanks, that helps although I've still got a few things that puzzle me.

Selfless Ally: I considered it briefly, but is the 10% really worthwhile, especially if I don't take Iniquity? (I still might take it--undecided) Are there some hidden bonuses which cause it to actually heal for more than just 10%? If so, I imagine repurpose would be the ideal thing to can since it's only "offense from items," right?

Sentinel Aura and Compassion maintenance: Is SA's actual healing worthwhile, or just its ability to maintain compassion with relative ease? I'm considering swapping AoRP (even though I like the extra defensive benefits) for either Seraphim or Hearth, both of which can also fill the lazy-healing-compassion-maintenance role, or perhaps a source of Light Everlasting, a healing rune, or maybe even Dependency. Still unsure.

100' range heals: What do people typically take for this? At a glance, I'm only seeing a few options, Iniquity (I always thought people took the aoe advantage?), Rebuke (seems rather weak), or Bionic Shielding (which requires the target to get hit again to work, may not be ideal if the next hit proves to be fatal) In general, I'm at a loss for which powers people tend to favor as the "best" healing options. Something like: (arcane vitality || warmth) + (mindful reinforcement || protection field) + (something with 100' range?)

Also, the empty slot in level 17 is for whichever offensive passive I end up going with, so AoRP not helping with damage output isn't a concern for me.​​

kallethen

I've had success with R3 Iniquity for 100' healing. Nice thing about it is it's a big burst of healing at a click. You could also give Psionic Healing a shot for 100' healing. I haven't used it a lot, but it's probably more reliable than Rebuke (which does double duty as an attack power depending if you are targeting a foe).

For a passive with more offensive capability, you could consider Seraphim. Besides buffing your healing and providing healing ticks (which will trigger Compassion!), it also buffs Paranormal damage (which are Magic, Dimensional, and Ego). I've got a TK toon with Seraphim that I used to play in Support Role for energy reasons, and she put out a ton of damage with her TK Lances despite not being in Offense or Hybrid roles. She still does, but with the recent Ego changes I've been in Hybrid more since TK Reverb's energy return is better than it used to be.

You could also consider AoED as it's a straight up damage buff for you and friends. AoPM buffs your stats, so it indirectly increases your offensive power. And then there's AoAC. I used to think it wasn't great, but the Witch AT has changed my mind. The buffs to power cost reduction, recharge speed, and charge speed indirectly increase your offense by allowing you to do more faster.​​

riverocean

Just going to put in another vote for Searphim + Ranged TK. Stats can be Ego/Dex/Con. Seraphim makes up for not having Presence super stat. You'll crit heal for tons and do a suprising amount of damage in support role - thanks again to Seraphim. As you're in support mode..energy becomes a non-issue.

I had an old build for this.. but I haven't updated it since the recent TK updates. But it was my go to build for a long time. Could solo very well and was great for teams. As far as ranged heals go, I really like Empathic Healing. It doubles as both a self and ally heal. Conviction on a build like this is also really good.... I don't think the crit heals for conviction have been nerfed.

bringmeaslab

I think the main reason to take Selfless Ally is to help fuel Iniquity, but it does give you some minor maintenance healing and combos well with the Reverence adv on Conviction. Repurpose is very good if you have Justice gear.

I would say that Sentinel Aura is worth it on its own as a minor maintenance heal for the team, tho like Aqa said its ability to stack Compassion passively is a big benefit.

For 100' heals, R3 Iniquity is hands-down the winner. I believe it's the highest hps power in the game. It's pretty much essential, imo, and Bionic Shielding is a very good supplement for it. The heal-when-hit mechanic really isn't a drawback; no heal is going to bring someone back from a fatal hit.

In addition to those two, I'd also recommend one of the following for your AoE heal: Arcane Vitality, Vala's Light (w/ Light Everlasting), or Life Essence.

Damage and strong healing are hard to combo in one build, both due to the roles kind of excluding each other and the relatively heavy investment in powers and adv points that healing requires. However, there are some spec tree options you could look at if you want to include a tap mez. Vulnerability in Presence, Wither in Sentinel, and Trapped in Overseer all increase your damage vs. targets you've attempted to mez, and Overseer also has Honor for another damage boost. A mez would also let you take advantage of Sentinel Mastery, which is a great supplemental team heal.

jaazaniah1

You could always take Medical Nanites if you don't want to have to take SA to get Compassion to Proc. OTOH MN + SA can put out a fair amount of passive heals. Here're two of my healers that have no/one active heals. Just background incidental heals and powers that provide buffs and debuffs.

Měi Hóuwáng 2 - Freeform
v2.3.2-28

Super Stats
Level 6: Presence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Dexterity (Secondary)

Talents
Level 1: The Gunslinger (Dex: 10, Con: 10, Ego: 8, Rec: 10)
Level 6: Acrobat (Dex: 5, Con: 5)
Level 9: Finesse (Dex: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 12: Shrug It Off (Con: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 15: Lasting Impression (Pre: 5, Rec: 5)
Level 18: Diplomatic (Int: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 21: Showmanship (Ego: 5, Pre: 5)

Powers
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Seraphim (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Compassion
Level 8: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Shadow Blast (Rank 2, Psychotic Break)
Level 14: Spirit Reverberation
Level 17: Redemption (Rank 2, Salvation)
Level 20: Rebirth
Level 23: Masterful Dodge
Level 26: Fissure (Rank 2, Reconstruct)
Level 29: Condemn (Redemption Denied, Dark Rune)
Level 32: Ascension (Rank 2, Judgment)
Level 35: Will-o'-the-Wisp (Guide, Ghost Fire)
Level 38: Retaliation (Rank 2)
Adv. Points: 36/36

Travel Powers
Level 6: Mystic Flight (Rank 2)
Level 35: Athletics (Rank 2)

Specializations
Presence: Selfless Ally (2/2)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Moment of Glory (1/3)
Presence: Force of Will (2/2)
Presence: Vulnerability (2/2)
Sentinel: Torment (2/2)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Overseer: Administer (3/3)
Overseer: Ruthless (2/2)
Overseer: Impact (1/2)
Overseer: Honor (1/2)
Overseer: Trapped (3/3)
Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)


Redemption Jones 1 - Freeform
v2.3.2-28

Super Stats
Level 6: Presence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)

Talents
Level 1: The Witch (Con: 10, Int: 8, Pre: 10, Rec: 10)
Level 6: Healthy Mind (Con: 5, Int: 5)
Level 9: Shrug It Off (Con: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 12: Diplomatic (Int: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 15: Lasting Impression (Pre: 5, Rec: 5)
Level 18: Showmanship (Ego: 5, Pre: 5)
Level 21: Command Training (Int: 3, Ego: 3, Pre: 3, Rec: 3)

Powers
Level 1: Boomerang Toss
Level 1: Medical Nanites (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 8: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Eldritch Shield (Rank 2)
Level 14: Condemn (Redemption Denied, Dark Rune)
Level 17: Compassion
Level 20: Mental Storm (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Rebirth
Level 26: Death's Embrace (Rank 2, Pact)
Level 29: Shadow Blast (Rank 2, Psychotic Break)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Empathic Healing (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Hex of Suffering (Rune of Lethargy, Rune of Dismay)
Adv. Points: 36/36

Travel Powers
Level 6: Mystic Flight (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35:

Specializations
Presence: Selfless Ally (2/2)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Moment of Glory (1/3)
Presence: Force of Will (2/2)
Presence: Vulnerability (2/2)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Sentinel: Genesis (2/2)
Overseer: Administer (3/3)
Overseer: Impact (2/2)
Overseer: Honor (2/2)
Overseer: Trapped (3/3)
Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)