Sawbones Spec - Advice appreciated

[Erast]

I'm leveling as smuggler heals and have the following plan for my spec. I may switch it around for end game content and I am a former lover of pvp in WoW but not too worried about it as a healing spec yet.

Level:
10-11 Exploratory Surgery
12-14: Bedside Manner
Anatomy Lessons is a dps talent that I think may be a filler later on(?)

15-17: Healing Hand - This seemed the best of the second tier for raw throughput.
18-19: Keep Cool - restores 16 additional energy - figure this is like restoring mana?
Smuggled Tech reduces threat and pushback but I think this is filler. Scar tissue reduces all damage taken by 2%. Pfft!

20 - Slow-release medpac
21-22: Prognosis critical - Does diagnostic scan get better?
23-24: Sedatives Tranq looks like a nice CC and this can only buff it. However, I think you could fill in anatomy lessons or smuggled tech in here. Any comments?

25-27: Medpac mastery
28-29: Patient Studies

30 - Emergency Medpac Required for:
31 - Emergent Emergencies
32-33 - Homegrown pharmacologyX2
34 - Psych Meds: Triage removes debuffs.

35-37: Accomplished sawbones
38-39: Med Screen: I don't really know what defense screen is but I take it's something you put on tanks so I'm taking those points here.
40: Kolto Cloud: Big AOE heal

41-43: Scrapper tree: Survivor's Scars: Increases healing to 3%.
44-45: Smuggled Technology: reduces pushback by 70% and reduces threat by 10%. Headed back down the sawbones tree to pick this up now.

Last 5 points?
Could head up Scrapper tree to get Sneaky to increase movement speed and effective stealth. I was going to take 2 points in Browbeater to increase vital shot and flechette and then to sneaky X3.

Or fill in Scar Tissue for 2 points to reduce all damage taken by 4% and 2 in brow beater and 1 in sneaky. Shifty Eyed increases stealth detection and defense but not sure if that's very useful.

Anyway, I'm very new to the game (started last Saturday) and could use all the help available on this spec.

[mickybrighteyes]

It'd be nice if you had what each talent actually did.

[Krooner]

I leveled up using a similar path you're choosing and never had a problem. It also eases you in to healing mode for end-game operations and FPs compared to going full DPS for faster leveling. Besides with Corso and Akaavi, you have pretty much solo any 2+ Heroic with decent enough gear . One suggestion I do have is as soon as you can switch to Akaavi, do so. This is my personal opinion, and I was a little late switching to Akaavi, but once I did, never looked back

A few notes:

- I didn't take Sedatives and took Scar Tissue instead. At lower levels, especially when tanks are learning and don't have their tools for AoE threat, it's possible to be taking damage more than you'd like to be as a healer.
- For the last 5 points, I chose Black Market Mods and No holds Barred (Dirty Fighting). The 4% increased alacrity and 6% additional Crit is nice as a healer.

To answer your question on Diagnostic Scan:

I've heard both views and I find Diagnostic Scan extremely useful for a few reasons:

1 - It heals for about 300 a tick (crit) and with my 65% crit rate it crits often. It's about a 750 health heal over 3 seconds. Not the best, but does provide some buffer.
2 - Sometimes I'll take myself down to ~40-50 energy in emergency heals or even lower lets say. At a regen rate of 3 per second, I gain 66% regen per crit, and at 2 per seconds it's a regen increase of 100% per crit. It's happened often that I'd be down to 20 or so energy and regen to >60 with only Diagnostic Scan. If stuff hits the fan I can always throw a UWM and pop cool head, but DS has saved the Cool Head CD for me more often than not.
3 - It's a great filler heal. It doesn't leave me casting nothing for 3 seconds regening 15 energy. Rather, I cast a channeled spell for 3 seconds and regen on average 19 energy every 3 seconds. It works well with my rotations, SRMx4 then DSx2. UMWx1, Kolto Packx1, EMedpacx1, DSx1 for almost back to full. It's a great heal to fill the emptiness. Rather than take a break from healing for 3 seconds and wait for the energy bar to creep back up, why not cast a heal and if you're going to cast it, why not talent it for faster regen!

[Deleted]

First thing; skip Kolto Cloud, it's been pretty much agreed that it's not worth the point.

[Deleted]

First thing; skip Kolto Cloud, it's been pretty much agreed that it's not worth the point.

uhm ... what?
who "pretty much agreed" on this? I find it very useful.

[Encarn]

Kolto is pretty much required for raid healing. Bonethrasher, Gharj, and Soa fights include copious raid heals. Annihilator Droid on hard mode as well.

[Deleted]

uhm ... what?
who "pretty much agreed" on this? I find it very useful.

He stated he needed the spec for leveling and may "Switch it around for endgame" He doesn't need an AoE heal for leveling.

[mickybrighteyes]

He stated he needed the spec for leveling and may "Switch it around for endgame" He doesn't need an AoE heal for leveling.

that's so true. You're not going to be running with a group of people who always stand within the required range for the effect of Kolto Cloud, unless the group is 3/4 melee already.

edit: or just hold off on getting it untill 50~, it's not like your other heals won't be sufficient to keep a group up through flash point dmg.

[Deleted]

edit: or just hold off on getting it untill 50~, it's not like your other heals won't be sufficient to keep a group up through flash point dmg.

viable. but since the last 4-5 points go into survivability-stuff ... i'd rather take the second "HoT" first