Teras Kasi Archive
Thread: Is CH that bad of a choice for a 2nd profession?
Most of the time I see people suggest Doctor for a 2nd profession. I understand why, as buffs are a great help. But getting buffs while using about 60+ skill points seems to be a waste. You would need to be Master doc to get a good buff. 0/2/2/0 I think can use buffs but the numbers would bea lot lower thanmaster right?
Not saying CH is the best thing either, but I just don't see many other options that compliment the TKA. There are various crafting professions that could help, but you can always buy those things. So anyone have any other suggestions fora 2nd profession?
Unless you can get to Master CH in the next month (before the December patch) I would go with something else. They are redistributing the MCH skills in the tree and being an MCH wont pay off unless you go all the way to MCH.
It also depends on how you play and what you like. I have tried both Pistoleer and Rifleman (not all the way to master so these are just my opinions). Pistoleer is nice when your opponet wont close with you. Rifleman has the 2.5x penalty (might get removed in the December patch, not sure) so if you haven't gotten rid of the rifle before your opponent gets into melee range you are toast.
Those are the only professions I have tried in Ranged. I have a toon doing swordsman that that aint what you were asking about. Doc is nice for the buffs but I would find it boring to get.
Me, has my sig says, I am an MCH. I like pets. They are nice to have has a DISTRACTION for the NPC (or critter) when I am hurting and cant afford any more damage. They will never do has much damage has you (has a TKA Master) do to an NPC either in single blows or over time. Also, if you are into PvP (which I have never done) I have readthat pets go down (and not in a good way) very fast to people who can handle themselves in PvP.
By asking a question like this, you're opening this up to opinions, so I'll present mine along with some facts:
I think having a pet do the tanking for you is the height of cowardous and weakness. You should be ashamed of yourself if you cannot take the hits and move on to something lower. The way that SWG presented CHs has been nothing short of the necromancer from Diablo II. Pets aren't friends or roleplaying companions, they're meatshields and it sad. I have great confidence that they're gonna get it right though...I really do.
As far as buffing goes, yes, your buffs will be greatly decreased unless you master Doc (as it should be) but that's by far not the only benefit. Your heals are out of this world. I've topped 3k per heal MANY times. When you're buffed, that's a full heal. You also can clear any state but being on fire instantly and goodbye poison/disease in battle. You, of course, can also revive someone. Great to have two master doc/TKMs together all buffed and armored...not much can stop that. Gotta kill'm both quickly or they'll just keep coming back.
I personally feel that you should chose what you'll be happier with. Doc takes work and crafting and some boring stuff...but you'll respect it more than just taming a shield, naming it, and letting it get whooped while you watch. There are plenty of other combos too...If I didn't enjoy the Doctor Roleplaying aspect so much, I would honestly be either a dancer or ranger....they're all kinds of fun I hear, but I'm a doctor...through and through.
I hope you find something you enjoy and let NO ONE disuade you otherwise.
having a pet to fight with is about as cowardly as grouping with ranged fighters to help you take a mob.
pets won't tank as well later but tka will tank better.
pets act as well as a bleed shot. kinda like a living DOT for me. i seem to pull aggro away from my pets most of the time, but it doens't matter since i can usually take out the mobs pretty easy. it's not cowardice or lack of skill. it's just a time saver. if i wanna make quick cash and destroy mobs easier i use pets. they are way better than any group of fighter that have no clue how to fight. my webmaster is the best partner i've ever had.
Well right now theres the big cry to nerf the CH. And I agree that people who use the CH profession just to get a cheap graul mauler are mostly idiots. They're looking to get the greatest advantage in the game to help their ego and low self esteem. 
But aside from that, IMO CH is a decent profession to go with TKA. Having a creature or two to fight alongside makes it easier when out on your own, doing the grind. Creatures can be quite loyal and protect your incapped body from a deathblow. I've been saved many times from Tuskensand Maulers by my trusty lizard.
It's an especially good combat option if you dont want to craft for the next 3 months, and dont want to pick up a gun.
If an NPC incapacitates you and your pet wasn't fighting him, he will casually walk over to your body and deathblow you with no resistance from your "loyal" pet.
There are several problems with pets combined with any melee profession. The tendancy of the pet and target to run from the other makes keeping the target in range an issue. The current aggro system, which seems to be based solely on range is also another problem.
Pets do come in handy to take aggro from multiple opponents in cases where the targets BAF.
A better combination is any ranged profession. The combinationof defenses, as well as the ability to do damage in any situation is a very strong combination. The skills from the 2 usually complement each other, and they can cover the other profession's weaknesses.
Example: Rifleman/TKA is a very powerful combination, that will be even more powereful after the current patch is live. Riflemen get good defensive mods, some of the best Area of Effect attacks, mind bleeds, and excelent armor peircing abilities. Their weakness is horrible accuracy at close range, the 2.5 melee damage modifier while holding rifles and the heavy mind drain for their specials.
TKA has great defensive mods, soon including 2 new defensive abilities, the meditate line that will increase mind as well as the other stats, excellent melee attacks, and a choice of HAM targetable attacks. Their weakness is a lack of ranged ability.
The two complement each other very well.
I love big fast heals. As I approach master medic, I'm questioning whether I want to learn any doctor skills. My heals are nearly 1k now with stim b's and fast enough to keep me standing against pretty tough opponents. And, I only have one box in the tka tree.
The question I keep asking myself is what else would I want to be? And the answer I keep coming up with is, nothing. I've thought about maybe taking a bit of CH to have a helpful pet along for those baf critters. But, personally, I get much more enjoyment from just asking one of my guildmates to come hunting with me.
I'm a master tk, and a master ch - love both, and I love melee 
My pets made it much easier for me to level, now they make it much easier for me to manage agro. And I totally agree with the person who said pets work like dots when your tkm - very accurate analysis.
I'm a TKM and MCH, and I have a good deal of fun. Pet are your own customizable damage add and buffs. You can employ them to boost your damage output or buffer your own damage pools. Pets come in many flavors, some are outright damage shields with very little damage output. Others, pack a serious punch but lack serious defense. You also have BE pets, which can be custom tailored to your fighting style. Multiple pets allow you to manage aggro, unlike any other profession - it's amazing the amount of aggro multiple MCH's can handle.
If you routinely purchase musician+dancer+doctor buffs (or any buffs for that matter), you will likely prefer high offense/low defense pets because you will be tanking for your pet. But, you have the flexibility to fight un-buffed with a high defense/low offense or balanced pet. Quite honestly, CH has a world of variety - we already have some business selling harvested meats and hides. We get more business and a great deal of satisfaction giving customers pets or budding CH's a fully trained pet. And after the next patch, we can train and sell mounts! Wow!
CH does have downsides - pets don't always do what you tell them. It's a bug, but it's become part of the fun. CH is also due for some serious overhaul in a month. The skill tree is being redistributed and pets are being rebalanced. I strongly suspect that the days of using multiple, low-level pets to manage aggro of multiple high-level NPCs, mobs, etc. will be over and rightly so - it was over the top and diminished the profession greatly. On the plus side, I think out high level pets will become more robust and functional in both PvE and PvP. Good luck to ya! 