Well, it's been a while...I've been a bit of a busybee recently. But never fear, a blog post is here! Today, I'm introducting "WTB Summary". If you see this in the title, it means that it will be a post that gathers everything up of the lengthy posts I made with regards to changes I'd like to see or ideas I suggested and makes them clearly visible for you here.
That way, you are more likely to go "Nice idea!" or "That's the worst thing I've ever heard, noob" or if you're lazy/feel the posts were too long, this makes it easier for you. I'm too nice to my readers. The first "WTB Summary" will be focused on the Shaman posts I've made. Time to do the summary magic then.
Elemental
Totem of Wrath-Put a temp buff on the party and the debuff on the enemies for a period of time that lasts even when you change to another fire totem.
Thunderstorm-Gives the enemies it hits a "Charged" debuff so they take more damage from Bolts and Chain Light or puts a "Charged" buff on the Shaman to increase lightning spell damage for 10 secs.
Earthquake-AoE to target the ground in front of the Shaman or area of Shaman's choice and reduces hit chance of all enemies on the ground by 10%.
Enhancement
Rockbiter Weapon-Remove it from the game.
Feral Spirit-Baseline spell to be given to all Shamans. However, the healing aspect they currently have when they hit enemies would be an Enhance tree talent.
Totem Strike-Shaman summons a totem pole to strike the enemy with. Could be done by sacrificing all four current totems and it could do more damage with the Earth Shock debuff on the enemy.
Restoration
Spirit Link-Distributes damage evenly between two targets. Only has 3 charges and once one of the linked duo loses the charges, the link is gone.
Totems
Earthbind Totem-Snare removal becomes standard. No longer an Enhance Shaman only thing.
Stoneclaw Totem-Forces players to attack the totem or at the very least, target it first to give the Shaman a tiny bit of breathing room.
Fire Nova Totem-Add a bit of Fire DoT damage at the end to those caught in the explosion.
Sentry Totem-We no longer auto-switch to Sentry's view and the totem comes with stealth detection too. If it's not too OP, have a "Spotted!" debuff when the Sentry detects someone that lowers movement speed by 10%.
Water Elemental Totem-Summons a water elemental that summons a pool of water which increases the healing allies recieve by 10% whilst on that pool. Could heal them over time instead of increase healing recieved.
Air Elemental Totem-Summons an air elemental that does good single-target dps melee damage. Could come with an air related knockback ability.
Earthgrab Totem-An AoE snare totem. Anyone near the totem gets trapped in roots for a couple of seconds.
Brainwash Totem-Controls an enemy for a period of time and forces them to fight their allies. However, it also heals them at the same time which renders it useless for 1 on 1 fights.
And there's the Shaman summary. If you have any thoughts/views, make a comment! I hope that the readers find "WTB Summary" useful!
Showing posts with label Shaman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaman. Show all posts
Friday, 18 September 2009
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Resto Shamans Bring People Closer Together...For Chain Healing.
My title is the truth...only Resto Shamans bring us closer together. Resto Druids are happy to let us drift apart because they can just show off their HoT skills. Therefore, Resto Shamans are better because they do not promote anti-social behaviour! Don't worry, I still love you, Resto Druids. And with the new Shaman combos being announced, I think I'll post my views on them in here and go back and slot them in the Enhance and Element Shaman blog posts I did too. So you're getting one blog post and two updated ones, you lucky readers! Anyway, let's take a look at the Resto Shaman.
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Resto Draenei Shamans works great for me. I always see Draenei as the race most likely to want to help others by healing them or keeping them alive and caring the most about if an ally dies or not. Therefore, Resto works well for them and I imagine the Draenei Shaman is happy when his group succeeds and no one dies around him due to his healing.
Dwarf-This is my least favourite spec for Dwarf Shamans. It's not that I think they're heartless and won't want to heal others and keep them alive (if I thought that, I wouldn't approve of Dwarf Priests after all). I just feel a Dwarf Shaman is more likely to want to use the Elements to attack with and Resto doesn't let him/her do that.
Horde
Goblin-Hmm, Goblins and Resto. I think it might work well but I imagine that the only reason a Goblin would heal others would be because he profits from it in some way if they are kept alive be it the chance of new loot, mooneh or simply because without them, the goblin dies. If I grow to enjoy the concept of Goblin Shamans more, I may consider this the next best spec after Enhance.
Orc-My least favourite of the Horde options when it comes to the Resto tree. I've made the Orc Shaman-Dwarf Shaman comparison before and that still stands when I look at Resto. Therefore, just look at what I said for Dwarves and that's what I'd say for Orc Shaman too.
Tauren-Tauren Shaman and the Resto tree are a great match for one another. The Tauren are all about protecting their allies and loyalty and standing by their fellow Hordies. Therefore, Resto lets them keep their allies alive which will give the Tauren Shaman a lot of personal satisfaction.
Troll-My favourite Horde choice if we're looking at Resto Shamans. To me, the Darkspear trolls Shaman wise would be fairly laid back and would be more inclined to standing back away from the fight instead of getting up close and personal so they are ideal for Elemental or Resto. I also think that the Trolls are one of the races most likely to enjoy healing their allies so when you put the two together, Resto fits them perfectly.
Abilities
Healing Wave-Us Shamans get to start off with our big one healing spell wise from the exciting level 1. This is the big single-target heal but you have to be aware that as the ranks get higher, cast time increases from 1.5 to 3.0 seconds. As a result of the lengthy casting time, it's best to start casting before the person you're targetting takes damage if you're expecting a hefty hit to come their way or to do it while the target is taking some damage but has a lot of health since while you're taking your time (3 seconds can be a long time!), that target is still getting hurt.
Ancestral Spirit-Pretty simple spell. Has an ally/friend died? Yes. Are you in combat? No. Well, be awesome and rez them then. And wait for them to thank you and tell you how awesome you truly are.
Cure Toxins-It was nice of Blizzard to combine Cure Poison and Cure Disease into this. Makes life much simpler really...now, I don't have to think about which toolbar key to press/click when I see a Disease or a Poison appear. I just use this spell and everything's a-okay. As a side note, if you're expecting a lot of diseases and/or poisons, you're better off saving mana by putting Cleansing Totem down.
Water Shield-Oh, Water Shield. How those water orbs make my day. This is the shield of choice for both Resto and Elemental Shamans thanks to the mana regen factor. If you've got Improved Shields (Enhance talent) and Improved Water Shield (Resto talent), it makes this shield a SUPER SHIELD! Also, I recommend getting the Water Mastery glyph...30% extra passive mana regen is a nice little bonus fo sho.
Lesser Healing Wave-Consider this your quick-fire healing spell. It's speedy but it's not good for your mana to just spam this. However, if you get the Glyph of LHW, you might find that you'll be better off for tank healing instead of raid healing. It's nice to see a bit of versatility given to us after BC made us well-known for Chain-Heal-spam-faces.
Earthliving Weapon-Not too much to say about this really...it's awesome if you're healing. If you're not, don't waste your time using this when there's Windfury or Flametongue sitting there waiting to be picked.
Reincarnation-Ah, the "shaman aggro dump"....I'm kidding, do not kill yourself to get rid of aggro. If you do, people will laugh at you. Anyway, this spell is awesome and it's main use is wipe recovery. You just have to love a self-rezzer who can then rez everyone else. Just be careful where you die otherwise your Reincarnation will be wasted. As a personal side note, I love when in PvP, someone kills you and they have only a tiny bit of health left and you use this and get your payback. Revenge is my Shaman's middle name....no really, he's called Ingredients Revenge Deathmoo.
Totemic Recall-Whilst levelling my Draenei Shaman, I've come to realise how much I love having this spell. You get this at level 30 and you'll be a better Shaman for it. Throw your totem foursome down to do their buff thing. Then when you're done, use this spell to "recycle" your totems and get some mana back. It also saves the environment too by not leaving your totems around to ruin the environment!
Chain Heal-This is a trademark Resto spell right here. Anytime you get some AoE damage, you zap your allies with this. I'd also recommend getting the glyph since that means you can heal 4 targets with this instead of 3 and that makes this spell even more glorious then it already is. And it's already pretty glorious. Anyway, point is....use this when you need to heal two or more people and make sure to get the glyph.
Tidal Force-I admittedly don't use this spell as much as I should do. It's pretty handy for increasing crit chance and healing in a tight spot but it's not perfect. In fact, some Resto Shaman complain that it's not as good as it could be because 20 seconds isn't a big enough window of opportunity and they find they only use 2 out of the 3 charges that's on offer to them. However, while it's not perfect, it's still a handy spell. Note to self, start using it more.
Nature's Swiftness-This spell is gold for Resto and Elemental Shamans. The spells it's best to use in combo with this spell would be Chain Heal or Healing Wave Resto wise. As for Elementals, take your pick from Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning.
Cleanse Spirit-Think of this as Cure Toxins only bigger, better and much more cooler. It's like having the Fonz instead of Richie on your toolbar.
Earth Shield-Stick this shield on yourself or someone else (usually the tank) and watch as they get healed every time they get attacked by the enemy. Your enemy heals them through their violence and you can sit back and be a little bit more relaxed about things.
Riptide-Last of the Resto tree talent spells...it's an instant heal with an added built in HoT. Fancy stuff really. I'm just glad that we finally got a HoT of some sort since HoT's are always handy for making healing easier. With the Tidal Waves talent, Riptide becomes handy for not only boosting Chain Heal but it also gives LHW a boost too. All in all, Riptide is fab.
Spirit Link-I was disappointed to see this spell go but I understand why it did. It caused Blizz a lot of problems and issues...and we got the handy Riptide so it wasn't all bad. However, a part of me would love to have this spell back..but how would it work without being overpowered? Well, I took some thinking time and this is what I came up with. Have Spirit Link only work on two targets (3 is too overpowered, I think) and it distributes damage between the two. However, it only has 3 charges (on both of the targets) and a lengthy cooldown so it can be broken by attacking either one of the Linked duo till all 3 charges are gone. Now, if that still seems too unfair, make it so that the Shaman links themself to the other target which will put the Shaman at a fair bit of risk. I think either version of SL would work out great and it doesn't seem too bad in my head. Hopefully, we'll see it make it's apperance some day in WOW.
And there you have it...my post on Resto Shamans. That's all three Shaman specs covered now. I can breathe a sigh of relief since I finally got round to finishing the Shaman specs after I constantly got sidetracked with posts about other things all the time. So you might be wondering...what's coming up next? Well, it will be one of two things. It will either be a blog post looking at all the Blizzcon info we got (which may actually come in two parts depending on the size) or a blog post looking at those things Hunters love...pets!
Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this post and the other two Shaman spec posts. If you haven't, feel free to tell me you found it boring/pointless in the comments okay? If enough people say it, I might just forget the spec related posts so feel free to leave your views in the comments section. So with all that written, I'll end the post with a Shaman related quote from the WC3 Shaman unit.
"You ever get hit by lightning where the sun don't shine?"
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Resto Draenei Shamans works great for me. I always see Draenei as the race most likely to want to help others by healing them or keeping them alive and caring the most about if an ally dies or not. Therefore, Resto works well for them and I imagine the Draenei Shaman is happy when his group succeeds and no one dies around him due to his healing.
Dwarf-This is my least favourite spec for Dwarf Shamans. It's not that I think they're heartless and won't want to heal others and keep them alive (if I thought that, I wouldn't approve of Dwarf Priests after all). I just feel a Dwarf Shaman is more likely to want to use the Elements to attack with and Resto doesn't let him/her do that.
Horde
Goblin-Hmm, Goblins and Resto. I think it might work well but I imagine that the only reason a Goblin would heal others would be because he profits from it in some way if they are kept alive be it the chance of new loot, mooneh or simply because without them, the goblin dies. If I grow to enjoy the concept of Goblin Shamans more, I may consider this the next best spec after Enhance.
Orc-My least favourite of the Horde options when it comes to the Resto tree. I've made the Orc Shaman-Dwarf Shaman comparison before and that still stands when I look at Resto. Therefore, just look at what I said for Dwarves and that's what I'd say for Orc Shaman too.
Tauren-Tauren Shaman and the Resto tree are a great match for one another. The Tauren are all about protecting their allies and loyalty and standing by their fellow Hordies. Therefore, Resto lets them keep their allies alive which will give the Tauren Shaman a lot of personal satisfaction.
Troll-My favourite Horde choice if we're looking at Resto Shamans. To me, the Darkspear trolls Shaman wise would be fairly laid back and would be more inclined to standing back away from the fight instead of getting up close and personal so they are ideal for Elemental or Resto. I also think that the Trolls are one of the races most likely to enjoy healing their allies so when you put the two together, Resto fits them perfectly.
Abilities
Healing Wave-Us Shamans get to start off with our big one healing spell wise from the exciting level 1. This is the big single-target heal but you have to be aware that as the ranks get higher, cast time increases from 1.5 to 3.0 seconds. As a result of the lengthy casting time, it's best to start casting before the person you're targetting takes damage if you're expecting a hefty hit to come their way or to do it while the target is taking some damage but has a lot of health since while you're taking your time (3 seconds can be a long time!), that target is still getting hurt.
Ancestral Spirit-Pretty simple spell. Has an ally/friend died? Yes. Are you in combat? No. Well, be awesome and rez them then. And wait for them to thank you and tell you how awesome you truly are.
Cure Toxins-It was nice of Blizzard to combine Cure Poison and Cure Disease into this. Makes life much simpler really...now, I don't have to think about which toolbar key to press/click when I see a Disease or a Poison appear. I just use this spell and everything's a-okay. As a side note, if you're expecting a lot of diseases and/or poisons, you're better off saving mana by putting Cleansing Totem down.
Water Shield-Oh, Water Shield. How those water orbs make my day. This is the shield of choice for both Resto and Elemental Shamans thanks to the mana regen factor. If you've got Improved Shields (Enhance talent) and Improved Water Shield (Resto talent), it makes this shield a SUPER SHIELD! Also, I recommend getting the Water Mastery glyph...30% extra passive mana regen is a nice little bonus fo sho.
Lesser Healing Wave-Consider this your quick-fire healing spell. It's speedy but it's not good for your mana to just spam this. However, if you get the Glyph of LHW, you might find that you'll be better off for tank healing instead of raid healing. It's nice to see a bit of versatility given to us after BC made us well-known for Chain-Heal-spam-faces.
Earthliving Weapon-Not too much to say about this really...it's awesome if you're healing. If you're not, don't waste your time using this when there's Windfury or Flametongue sitting there waiting to be picked.
Reincarnation-Ah, the "shaman aggro dump"....I'm kidding, do not kill yourself to get rid of aggro. If you do, people will laugh at you. Anyway, this spell is awesome and it's main use is wipe recovery. You just have to love a self-rezzer who can then rez everyone else. Just be careful where you die otherwise your Reincarnation will be wasted. As a personal side note, I love when in PvP, someone kills you and they have only a tiny bit of health left and you use this and get your payback. Revenge is my Shaman's middle name....no really, he's called Ingredients Revenge Deathmoo.
Totemic Recall-Whilst levelling my Draenei Shaman, I've come to realise how much I love having this spell. You get this at level 30 and you'll be a better Shaman for it. Throw your totem foursome down to do their buff thing. Then when you're done, use this spell to "recycle" your totems and get some mana back. It also saves the environment too by not leaving your totems around to ruin the environment!
Chain Heal-This is a trademark Resto spell right here. Anytime you get some AoE damage, you zap your allies with this. I'd also recommend getting the glyph since that means you can heal 4 targets with this instead of 3 and that makes this spell even more glorious then it already is. And it's already pretty glorious. Anyway, point is....use this when you need to heal two or more people and make sure to get the glyph.
Tidal Force-I admittedly don't use this spell as much as I should do. It's pretty handy for increasing crit chance and healing in a tight spot but it's not perfect. In fact, some Resto Shaman complain that it's not as good as it could be because 20 seconds isn't a big enough window of opportunity and they find they only use 2 out of the 3 charges that's on offer to them. However, while it's not perfect, it's still a handy spell. Note to self, start using it more.
Nature's Swiftness-This spell is gold for Resto and Elemental Shamans. The spells it's best to use in combo with this spell would be Chain Heal or Healing Wave Resto wise. As for Elementals, take your pick from Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning.
Cleanse Spirit-Think of this as Cure Toxins only bigger, better and much more cooler. It's like having the Fonz instead of Richie on your toolbar.
Earth Shield-Stick this shield on yourself or someone else (usually the tank) and watch as they get healed every time they get attacked by the enemy. Your enemy heals them through their violence and you can sit back and be a little bit more relaxed about things.
Riptide-Last of the Resto tree talent spells...it's an instant heal with an added built in HoT. Fancy stuff really. I'm just glad that we finally got a HoT of some sort since HoT's are always handy for making healing easier. With the Tidal Waves talent, Riptide becomes handy for not only boosting Chain Heal but it also gives LHW a boost too. All in all, Riptide is fab.
Spirit Link-I was disappointed to see this spell go but I understand why it did. It caused Blizz a lot of problems and issues...and we got the handy Riptide so it wasn't all bad. However, a part of me would love to have this spell back..but how would it work without being overpowered? Well, I took some thinking time and this is what I came up with. Have Spirit Link only work on two targets (3 is too overpowered, I think) and it distributes damage between the two. However, it only has 3 charges (on both of the targets) and a lengthy cooldown so it can be broken by attacking either one of the Linked duo till all 3 charges are gone. Now, if that still seems too unfair, make it so that the Shaman links themself to the other target which will put the Shaman at a fair bit of risk. I think either version of SL would work out great and it doesn't seem too bad in my head. Hopefully, we'll see it make it's apperance some day in WOW.
And there you have it...my post on Resto Shamans. That's all three Shaman specs covered now. I can breathe a sigh of relief since I finally got round to finishing the Shaman specs after I constantly got sidetracked with posts about other things all the time. So you might be wondering...what's coming up next? Well, it will be one of two things. It will either be a blog post looking at all the Blizzcon info we got (which may actually come in two parts depending on the size) or a blog post looking at those things Hunters love...pets!
Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this post and the other two Shaman spec posts. If you haven't, feel free to tell me you found it boring/pointless in the comments okay? If enough people say it, I might just forget the spec related posts so feel free to leave your views in the comments section. So with all that written, I'll end the post with a Shaman related quote from the WC3 Shaman unit.
"You ever get hit by lightning where the sun don't shine?"
Monday, 17 August 2009
Enhance Your Shaman's Stamina! Get A Bigger Mace! Drive the DPS Meters Wild!
My blog title is inspired by those irritating pop-up's/online ads that are all related to enlarging your penis and making it a MONSTER or a GIANT or a LEAN MEAN GRILLING MACHINE! I figured I'd just explain it on the off chance that someone reading this didn't get the blog title. However, I know that everyone who reads this blog has both a wonderful sense of humour and an amazing intellect so of course, you got it straight away. What was this blog post about again? Oh yeah, Enhancement. I guess I should stop wasting time buttering my audience up and get on with the show.
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Like I said before (in the Elemental Shaman post), I favour the Elemental and the Resto specs when it comes to Draenei. However, this doesn't mean I dislike Enhancement because the Draenei have the right physical build and the mental ability that it requires to channel the Elements and unleash them on the enemy in the form of something like Stormstrike. They suit all three specs...I just wouldn't have an Enhance Draenei Shaman.
Dwarf-Now, here's an Ally race perfect for the Enhance Shaman. I imagine a Dwarf Shaman will happily get stuck in (like the Orcs) and smack things really hard. As a result of this, Dwarf Shaman would be my favourite race for Enhancement.
Horde
Goblin-Well, putting the whole not-too-fond-of-Goblin-Shaman stoof aside...after a lot of thinking over it, I can see Goblins as Enhance Shaman. The Gnome Bruiser NPC's are pretty plucky and brave and I imagine a Goblin Shaman to be pretty similar only they can call upon the Elements to help too.
Orc-Now, Orcs are happy to get stuck in and therefore, Enhancement works well because it lets the Orc Shaman do that. However, I imagine that an Orc Shaman would have to be careful when fighting and smacking things because they wouldn't wanna lose themselves to rage so in my head, Orc Shamans would need to have a lot of self-control when choosing to go down the dual-wield path.
Tauren-This would be my favourite Horde race for Enhancement Shamans. They have the natual ability to patiently wait for the right moment to come along before letting rip with a powerful strike because it's in their nature to be patient and only use rage when necessary. Add on their physical prowess/ability and their and you can see why I reckon they're the best for Enhancement.
Troll-And now, we come on to the race I favour the least when it comes to the Enhance spec. I just don't view Trolls as being as physically strong/tough as the Orcs and the Taurens and they're a tiny bit on the scrawny side when you hold the three races in comparison. They have the mental ability and the patience, I just don't think they have enough physical oomph behind them to be as deadly as Orcs or Tauren when it comes to smacking things.
Abilities
Rockbiter Weapon-I know that in the good old vanilla days, you could use this enchant to help to get threat easier and as a result, Shamans could tank instances. And even in early BC, it gave Shamans a lot of extra dps and all. But sadly, times change and this talent has become an old fogey that Blizz shoved into an old folks home and left us to discuss the "good times" Rockbiter used to give us. Basically, it's used for levels 1-10 but after that, best to switch to Flame or Frost and accept that you'll never use Rockbiter again. Personally, I just want Blizzard to remove this from the game.
Lightning Shield-The Enhancement Shaman's shield of choice. With Static Shock (Enhance talent), it goes up to 9 charges and has a 6% chance of hitting the enemy with a charge when you melee. Add the LS glyph and the Improved Shields talent (Enhance again) and this shield packs a punch. A part of me would like to see LS castable on others (like in WC3) but with the Druid spell Thorns around, there isn't much point.
Flametongue Weapon-This is the weapon enchant all Shamans will use until level 30 unless healing an instance. After 30, Enhance Shamans ditch Flametongue for Windfury on their main weapons (they'll have Flametongue on their offhand for Lava Lash) while Elemental/Resto remain faithful to Flametongue due to it's spell damage buff.
Ghost Wolf-Now, when I was levelling my Shaman, mounts were unavailable until level 40 so I got to enjoy 20 levels with Ghost Wolf. Nowadays, you only get to enjoy 4 levels of Ghost Wolf travelling before you can get a mount. However, Ghost Wolf still gets to enjoy being used in PvP. Also, the best thing you can do as a Shaman is /dance in Ghost Wolf form. If you've yet to see this, go and do it with your Shaman or go and find a Shaman and ask them to do it for you. Go now! I'll wait for you to come back and we can carry on.
Frostbrand Weapon-The PvP enchant. If you're gonna PvP, this is usually the best one to have and it's a musthave if you have two points in Frozen Power from the Enhancement tree.
Water Breathing-If you're doing a lot of underwater quests, use this to make it easier. It's a shame that unlike Warlocks, we have to use a glyph slot to make this spell useable without reagents but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Far Sight-Well, here's a gimmick spell that I've yet to use much of. However, I imagine it could be used for things like Arathi Basin to check other bases. The cool thing about this spell is that you can Far Sight chain. If you learn how to do it right, it lets you explore in ways that no other class can. This spell proves that Shamans are actually vouyeristic stalkers.
Water Walking-Between the self-rezzing and this spell, it's not hard to understand the "Jesus was a Shaman" logic. Now, I'm a bit disappointed that DK's get this spell too (only it affects the group and it doesn't cost them anything in the form of reagents so it's much better) since before that, Shamans were unique in their water walking ways. However, what's done is done. Make sure to glyph up and get the Water Walking glyph.
Astral Recall-Now, this is a spell I love. Even though hearthstone wait times have been cut in half (down from 1 hour to 30 minutes), Shamans can still be happy in the knowledge that this spell lets us hearth every 15 minutes. The lazy side of me worships this spell.
Windfury Weapon-This is the DPS King enchant for Enhancement Shaman and it will be the one that will keep your main hand weapon warm at night. Always stick it on the main hand weapon and let Windfury do the rest.
Bloodlust/Heroism-This spell is often said to be the spell that can gurantee a raid spot for a Shaman. Now, I don't think it's THAT awesome but it is still very very very awesome. The strange thing is that you get a 10 minute Sated debuff yet the spell itself only has a five min cooldown. I believe that this was done to stop multiple Blood/Hero usage or something like that. And one last thing...this spell is awesome. Just thought I'd remind you so you don't forget it.
Stormstrike-One of the Enhance talent tree spells and one of two melee attack moves. Stormstrike is great because you get to hit things hard with some electrical force behind it. The added nature damage bonus buff that you get afterwards is the tasty icing on the very tasty cake.
Lava Lash-I was happy to see this move added in Patch 3.0.2 because it made the rotation of an Enhance Shaman a little bit more interesting. Also, it gave the Enhance tree a second melee attack move which is important because that's what the Enhance tree is all about...smacking things with the elements boosting your smacking. Stick flametongue on your offhand and Lava Lash anyone who stands in your way.
Shamanistic Rage-While it did have the mana regain element halved to 15%, it also had it's cooldown cut in half which is excellent. It means that you can have the buff up more often so you'll take 30% less damage more often in raids. Combine this with the stamina buff Shamans got in the recent patch and it boosts an Enhance Shaman's odds of living and makes them feel less squishy too.
Feral Spirit-Last but definitly not least...it's the spirit wolf spell! Now, these wolves are a life saver. I literally call one Life and the other Saver...that's how many times they've bailed me out of a sticky situation. I love them and I thank Blizz greatly for giving Enhance Shamans the talent. However, I would much rather see Feral Spirit be made a base spell so that all Shamans could use the wolves. Remove their healing-the-Shaman-every-time-they-hit-the-enemy aspect and make that a talent in the Enhance tree. That way, Resto Shamans won't be too OP with healing wolves and both Resto and Elemental can enjoy the power of the wolves too.
Totem Strike-This is my idea for a third instant attack because I think the Enhance Shaman could do with one more and then that will do. What I want the attack to be is basically where the Shaman summons a totem pole (the giant thing Cairne Bloodhoof holds or what the Tauren units from WC3 would hold) from thin air or it could be made up of four totems (since it's easy to drop a foursome thanks to the latest patch) and the Shaman then attacks with this totem pole once. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just an extra attack to jazz things up a bit. If possible, it could do more damage if the Earth Shock debuff is on the enemy. This way, we get to see hardcore totem pole action which is something that I'm sure we all need to truly enjoy WOW.
And there you go...that's my Enhance Shaman done. Next to come will be a Resto Shaman post, a Hunter related post that will look at what pets I have or wish to have with my Huntards and a Blizzcon related post. I'm not sure as to which order they'll be in cause I've got to revise for my resits so I don't fail and all that. All I can say is...watch this space!
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Like I said before (in the Elemental Shaman post), I favour the Elemental and the Resto specs when it comes to Draenei. However, this doesn't mean I dislike Enhancement because the Draenei have the right physical build and the mental ability that it requires to channel the Elements and unleash them on the enemy in the form of something like Stormstrike. They suit all three specs...I just wouldn't have an Enhance Draenei Shaman.
Dwarf-Now, here's an Ally race perfect for the Enhance Shaman. I imagine a Dwarf Shaman will happily get stuck in (like the Orcs) and smack things really hard. As a result of this, Dwarf Shaman would be my favourite race for Enhancement.
Horde
Goblin-Well, putting the whole not-too-fond-of-Goblin-Shaman stoof aside...after a lot of thinking over it, I can see Goblins as Enhance Shaman. The Gnome Bruiser NPC's are pretty plucky and brave and I imagine a Goblin Shaman to be pretty similar only they can call upon the Elements to help too.
Orc-Now, Orcs are happy to get stuck in and therefore, Enhancement works well because it lets the Orc Shaman do that. However, I imagine that an Orc Shaman would have to be careful when fighting and smacking things because they wouldn't wanna lose themselves to rage so in my head, Orc Shamans would need to have a lot of self-control when choosing to go down the dual-wield path.
Tauren-This would be my favourite Horde race for Enhancement Shamans. They have the natual ability to patiently wait for the right moment to come along before letting rip with a powerful strike because it's in their nature to be patient and only use rage when necessary. Add on their physical prowess/ability and their and you can see why I reckon they're the best for Enhancement.
Troll-And now, we come on to the race I favour the least when it comes to the Enhance spec. I just don't view Trolls as being as physically strong/tough as the Orcs and the Taurens and they're a tiny bit on the scrawny side when you hold the three races in comparison. They have the mental ability and the patience, I just don't think they have enough physical oomph behind them to be as deadly as Orcs or Tauren when it comes to smacking things.
Abilities
Rockbiter Weapon-I know that in the good old vanilla days, you could use this enchant to help to get threat easier and as a result, Shamans could tank instances. And even in early BC, it gave Shamans a lot of extra dps and all. But sadly, times change and this talent has become an old fogey that Blizz shoved into an old folks home and left us to discuss the "good times" Rockbiter used to give us. Basically, it's used for levels 1-10 but after that, best to switch to Flame or Frost and accept that you'll never use Rockbiter again. Personally, I just want Blizzard to remove this from the game.
Lightning Shield-The Enhancement Shaman's shield of choice. With Static Shock (Enhance talent), it goes up to 9 charges and has a 6% chance of hitting the enemy with a charge when you melee. Add the LS glyph and the Improved Shields talent (Enhance again) and this shield packs a punch. A part of me would like to see LS castable on others (like in WC3) but with the Druid spell Thorns around, there isn't much point.
Flametongue Weapon-This is the weapon enchant all Shamans will use until level 30 unless healing an instance. After 30, Enhance Shamans ditch Flametongue for Windfury on their main weapons (they'll have Flametongue on their offhand for Lava Lash) while Elemental/Resto remain faithful to Flametongue due to it's spell damage buff.
Ghost Wolf-Now, when I was levelling my Shaman, mounts were unavailable until level 40 so I got to enjoy 20 levels with Ghost Wolf. Nowadays, you only get to enjoy 4 levels of Ghost Wolf travelling before you can get a mount. However, Ghost Wolf still gets to enjoy being used in PvP. Also, the best thing you can do as a Shaman is /dance in Ghost Wolf form. If you've yet to see this, go and do it with your Shaman or go and find a Shaman and ask them to do it for you. Go now! I'll wait for you to come back and we can carry on.
Frostbrand Weapon-The PvP enchant. If you're gonna PvP, this is usually the best one to have and it's a musthave if you have two points in Frozen Power from the Enhancement tree.
Water Breathing-If you're doing a lot of underwater quests, use this to make it easier. It's a shame that unlike Warlocks, we have to use a glyph slot to make this spell useable without reagents but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Far Sight-Well, here's a gimmick spell that I've yet to use much of. However, I imagine it could be used for things like Arathi Basin to check other bases. The cool thing about this spell is that you can Far Sight chain. If you learn how to do it right, it lets you explore in ways that no other class can. This spell proves that Shamans are actually vouyeristic stalkers.
Water Walking-Between the self-rezzing and this spell, it's not hard to understand the "Jesus was a Shaman" logic. Now, I'm a bit disappointed that DK's get this spell too (only it affects the group and it doesn't cost them anything in the form of reagents so it's much better) since before that, Shamans were unique in their water walking ways. However, what's done is done. Make sure to glyph up and get the Water Walking glyph.
Astral Recall-Now, this is a spell I love. Even though hearthstone wait times have been cut in half (down from 1 hour to 30 minutes), Shamans can still be happy in the knowledge that this spell lets us hearth every 15 minutes. The lazy side of me worships this spell.
Windfury Weapon-This is the DPS King enchant for Enhancement Shaman and it will be the one that will keep your main hand weapon warm at night. Always stick it on the main hand weapon and let Windfury do the rest.
Bloodlust/Heroism-This spell is often said to be the spell that can gurantee a raid spot for a Shaman. Now, I don't think it's THAT awesome but it is still very very very awesome. The strange thing is that you get a 10 minute Sated debuff yet the spell itself only has a five min cooldown. I believe that this was done to stop multiple Blood/Hero usage or something like that. And one last thing...this spell is awesome. Just thought I'd remind you so you don't forget it.
Stormstrike-One of the Enhance talent tree spells and one of two melee attack moves. Stormstrike is great because you get to hit things hard with some electrical force behind it. The added nature damage bonus buff that you get afterwards is the tasty icing on the very tasty cake.
Lava Lash-I was happy to see this move added in Patch 3.0.2 because it made the rotation of an Enhance Shaman a little bit more interesting. Also, it gave the Enhance tree a second melee attack move which is important because that's what the Enhance tree is all about...smacking things with the elements boosting your smacking. Stick flametongue on your offhand and Lava Lash anyone who stands in your way.
Shamanistic Rage-While it did have the mana regain element halved to 15%, it also had it's cooldown cut in half which is excellent. It means that you can have the buff up more often so you'll take 30% less damage more often in raids. Combine this with the stamina buff Shamans got in the recent patch and it boosts an Enhance Shaman's odds of living and makes them feel less squishy too.
Feral Spirit-Last but definitly not least...it's the spirit wolf spell! Now, these wolves are a life saver. I literally call one Life and the other Saver...that's how many times they've bailed me out of a sticky situation. I love them and I thank Blizz greatly for giving Enhance Shamans the talent. However, I would much rather see Feral Spirit be made a base spell so that all Shamans could use the wolves. Remove their healing-the-Shaman-every-time-they-hit-the-enemy aspect and make that a talent in the Enhance tree. That way, Resto Shamans won't be too OP with healing wolves and both Resto and Elemental can enjoy the power of the wolves too.
Totem Strike-This is my idea for a third instant attack because I think the Enhance Shaman could do with one more and then that will do. What I want the attack to be is basically where the Shaman summons a totem pole (the giant thing Cairne Bloodhoof holds or what the Tauren units from WC3 would hold) from thin air or it could be made up of four totems (since it's easy to drop a foursome thanks to the latest patch) and the Shaman then attacks with this totem pole once. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just an extra attack to jazz things up a bit. If possible, it could do more damage if the Earth Shock debuff is on the enemy. This way, we get to see hardcore totem pole action which is something that I'm sure we all need to truly enjoy WOW.
And there you go...that's my Enhance Shaman done. Next to come will be a Resto Shaman post, a Hunter related post that will look at what pets I have or wish to have with my Huntards and a Blizzcon related post. I'm not sure as to which order they'll be in cause I've got to revise for my resits so I don't fail and all that. All I can say is...watch this space!
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Putting the MENTAL in Elemental.
Oh, Blizzard...I'm keeping my eye on you, you sneaky devils. I go away on holiday (camping in Wales) and I come back to find that 3.2 has made it's apperance! However, while I could make a 3.2-related post, I shall actually bring out a Shaman-related post like I've been saying I will for some time now. So no more distractions...here is a post that will look at Elemental Shamans!
Now, let me start with a warning. If you're looking for an expert post about rotations or the gear to get or the best spec EVER or how to do sexy uber amazing faceraping DPS...this is not the post for you. However, this post will give my viewpoint on the best race for an Elemental Shaman, the spells that come under the Elemental spellbook tab and you might even see my own ideas show up. However, bear in mind that it's all opinion opinion opinion and I'm not trying to be a Shaman guru. I just want to entertain myself and anyone else who reads this. So let's actually get to the Shaman stuff!
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Well, obviously I don't have a vast choice of race (thought it's up to two now with Cataclysm and all which is groovy) for the Alliance in terms of Shamans. However, I personally think Draenei's suit Elemental and Resto the most so I'm all for the spacegoats hurling lightning. This would be my preferred choice for an Ally Elemental Shaman.
Dwarf-Now...I compare Dwarf Shaman to Orc Shaman since that's how I imagine them to be. As a result, I see Dwarf Shaman best as Enhance or Elemental. While I think Enhance is the best spec for a Dwarfy Shaman, I would still be happy to see them zapping enemies with Chain Lightning or Thunderstorming enemies away from them.
Horde
Goblin-Well...I admit I'm not a huge fan of Goblins being Shaman but the idea of it is growing on me. However, it took me a while to think of what specs are best for them. With regards to Elemental, I think it works okay but this is my least favourite spec for Goblin Shamans. However, this could change when I see them in action or I know more lore-wise or I grow to like the Goblin Shaman more which would turn Goblins into the first "all-rounder" Shaman race for me.
Orc-This is my favourite Horde race for Elemental Shamans. Maybe I just spent too much time as Thrall on Warcraft 3...but to me, Orcs are the Shamans who are most in touch with the elements and they are the ones I love to see firing bolts left, right and centre.
Tauren-While I love the Tauren Shaman, I don't like Elemental for them so much. I know that they have the capabilities within them to be all PEWPEW with bolts but it's just not as cool to me as it is to see Orcs or Trolls firing lava and lightning. It's just my personal preference to leave the Elemental stuff to the other Horde Shaman.
Troll-While Orcs are my first choice, Trolls also look pretty funky using bolts and bursts. And I reckon Boltthrower is the perfect name for a Troll Elementalsham too...just throwing that out there. Kudos to those who know of the band name and therefore, get the joke.
Abilities
Lightning Bolt-This spell will be your bestest fwend. Don't fall out with it now because you don't get Lava Burst until level 75 so you need to have to learn to spam this spell. This is why Elemental Shamans are sometimes viewed as "turrets"...only these turrets can heal themselves, come back a second time and walk on water.
Earth Shock-Ah, Earth Shock has recently had a fancy 3.2 attack-speed reduction makeover which is pretty handy since Wind Shear already has interruption covered. However, Earth Shock tends to be more suited to the Enhance Shaman crowd. Elemental Shamans prefer to have Flame Shock as their friendly mascot.
Flame Shock-FS is the spell that went from C-list to A-list celebrity thanks to Lava Burst and the Glyph you get for Flame Shock. Get the Glyph and be a very happy Elemental bunny.
Purge-Purge is a very useful spell that has both PvP and PvE uses. However, you have to be careful in case the enemy has put on useless buffs as a Purge defense. Now, I understand that it can't have the movement speed reduce it had in WC3...but I'm curious as to why it isn't allowed to do damage to summoned units still.
Wind Shear-Renamed from Wind Shock for some reason (perhaps Wind Shock scared little kids or they just wanted to distance it from the Shocks. Nah, definitly too scary.) but it's now more useful then it was before because it doesn't share a cooldown with the Shock spells.
Frost Shock-FROST SHOCK! Now that's out of the way...this is the shock to use for PvP really or if you want to slow down a retreating mob. Otherwise, it just sits there with envy eyes aimed at Earth Shock and Flame Shock.
Call Of The Elements-One of three fancy new spells to go with that shiny totem bar gadget Shamans got in the latest patch. This button is my "Enhance Totem Gang" button and I'm just glad Blizzard finally gave us the ability to put a totem foursome down in one big swoosh.
Chain Lightning-Ah, Chain Lightning. It's the zap one, get two (three if glyphed) free deal. Total bargain! It's best to use when you want to AoE zap a few mobs because it's too mana costly to use it on just one single target. If you're going for PvP, I suggest getting the glyph. However, if you're a PvE type then there's probably better glyphs out there for you.
Call Of The Ancestors-This button is my "Resto Totem Gang" button. And once again, I thank Blizzard for saving us Shamans some time. Shamans, salute Patch 3.2!
Call Of The Spirits-Now, this button will probably be my "PvP Gang" button but since I don't PvP often, this button will probably be lonely for a while. Aww, I see a sob story coming soon..."The Tragic Story of the COTS Button."
Lava Burst-Lava Burst strolls in at level 75, taps the Elemental Shaman on the shoulder and gives them another buddy to use besides Lightning Bolt. Get the Glyph of Lava and the FS glyph and you'll soon be dancing with your Lav Burst and your Light Bolt in a rotation of love. I'm really glad that Elemental Shamans have something else to use besides Lightningspamz.
Hex-Ah, the spell to turn your enemy into Kermit's long lost cousin. I believe this was Blizz's way of soothing Shamans after they wouldn't be invited to places cause all they would get is "Sorry, need CC." Never fear, Hex is here! Okay...I wouldn't hail it as a champion spell but it's a nice breathing room spell. It has a lengthy cooldown of course but that's probably cause it doesn't heal the enemy (like Polymorph) and because it won't auto-break on damage. Hex mainly gets a big thumbs up for me cause I can go "I have CC!"
Elemental Mastery-Now, we come on to the talent tree spells. EM is a beautiful talent really. Instant cast LBolt, Lav Bur or CL? Yes please. Oh...and a 15% increase in crit for 15 seconds too? Double yes please!
Totem Of Wrath-Now...this talent has me undecided. On the one hand, it's clearly superior to Flametongue and you'll want this up to help you and others in your party/raid. But the downside is that you can't have any other fire totems up and that could make a dent into your dps since you don't have a lovely Sentry totem beside you firing away. I think that the best solution would be for ToW to put up a buff on the party/raid for a period of time and that lets the Shaman switch to another flame totem after to not have to sacrifice too much flame totem dps.
Thunderstorm-If you've seen the "Thunderfuck" vids, you'll know how you can have lots of fun with this spell in PvP. But does it have any use in PvE? Well, the mana recovery part is useful for PvE but you have to be careful with the knockback element. You don't want to pull more mobs with a mis-timed knockback after all. Now, my one small change to make it a little bit better for PVE would be to either make it give the Shaman a small dps buff for 10 seconds odd or make it so that it leaves all the mobs/players it hits with a "Charged" debuff or something that increases the damage they will take from CL or Light Bolt.
Earthquake-Now, there's a part of me that wants this spell in WOW because it's the Far Seer's ultimate move from WC3 and I used to enjoy doing it. But I also think it would be a handy Elemental only spell so my intentions are good. However, it took me a while to think of what a spell like this could offer. It can't destroy buildings of course (I pondered whether it could destroy siege weaponry but that seemed a bit OP) and I don't think an AoE movement debuff is that interesting. However, inspiriation hit me and I reckon that Earthquake should be an AoE that targets the ground in front of the Shaman or an area of ground of the Shaman's choosing and reduces the hit chance of all enemies located on the shaking ground by 10% or something like that. To balance this, it would have a reasonable cooldown and you can just get off the affected area too. This would force ranged attackers to move before they start firing again and I just think it gives the Elemental Shaman a nice Earth related spell.
Now, I know I could go into glyphs and the talent spec I would use but I don't think that's necessary right now. I can look at specs and glyphs in future posts after all. Instead, I'm gonna focus on the classes and the spells that they'd use in each spell tab for now and see if I can come up with ways to improve current spells or conjure up new ideas. I find that it's more interesting that way since I like to give my opinion on things and I don't feel I'm experienced enough yet to be acting like a Shamaster. See what I did there? Genius, I know. So, next up will be an Enhance Shaman related post followed by a Restoration Shaman one which will both follow a similar format to this one.
Hope you enjoyed reading this and stay tuned for the next blog post!
Now, let me start with a warning. If you're looking for an expert post about rotations or the gear to get or the best spec EVER or how to do sexy uber amazing faceraping DPS...this is not the post for you. However, this post will give my viewpoint on the best race for an Elemental Shaman, the spells that come under the Elemental spellbook tab and you might even see my own ideas show up. However, bear in mind that it's all opinion opinion opinion and I'm not trying to be a Shaman guru. I just want to entertain myself and anyone else who reads this. So let's actually get to the Shaman stuff!
Races
Alliance
Draenei-Well, obviously I don't have a vast choice of race (thought it's up to two now with Cataclysm and all which is groovy) for the Alliance in terms of Shamans. However, I personally think Draenei's suit Elemental and Resto the most so I'm all for the spacegoats hurling lightning. This would be my preferred choice for an Ally Elemental Shaman.
Dwarf-Now...I compare Dwarf Shaman to Orc Shaman since that's how I imagine them to be. As a result, I see Dwarf Shaman best as Enhance or Elemental. While I think Enhance is the best spec for a Dwarfy Shaman, I would still be happy to see them zapping enemies with Chain Lightning or Thunderstorming enemies away from them.
Horde
Goblin-Well...I admit I'm not a huge fan of Goblins being Shaman but the idea of it is growing on me. However, it took me a while to think of what specs are best for them. With regards to Elemental, I think it works okay but this is my least favourite spec for Goblin Shamans. However, this could change when I see them in action or I know more lore-wise or I grow to like the Goblin Shaman more which would turn Goblins into the first "all-rounder" Shaman race for me.
Orc-This is my favourite Horde race for Elemental Shamans. Maybe I just spent too much time as Thrall on Warcraft 3...but to me, Orcs are the Shamans who are most in touch with the elements and they are the ones I love to see firing bolts left, right and centre.
Tauren-While I love the Tauren Shaman, I don't like Elemental for them so much. I know that they have the capabilities within them to be all PEWPEW with bolts but it's just not as cool to me as it is to see Orcs or Trolls firing lava and lightning. It's just my personal preference to leave the Elemental stuff to the other Horde Shaman.
Troll-While Orcs are my first choice, Trolls also look pretty funky using bolts and bursts. And I reckon Boltthrower is the perfect name for a Troll Elementalsham too...just throwing that out there. Kudos to those who know of the band name and therefore, get the joke.
Abilities
Lightning Bolt-This spell will be your bestest fwend. Don't fall out with it now because you don't get Lava Burst until level 75 so you need to have to learn to spam this spell. This is why Elemental Shamans are sometimes viewed as "turrets"...only these turrets can heal themselves, come back a second time and walk on water.
Earth Shock-Ah, Earth Shock has recently had a fancy 3.2 attack-speed reduction makeover which is pretty handy since Wind Shear already has interruption covered. However, Earth Shock tends to be more suited to the Enhance Shaman crowd. Elemental Shamans prefer to have Flame Shock as their friendly mascot.
Flame Shock-FS is the spell that went from C-list to A-list celebrity thanks to Lava Burst and the Glyph you get for Flame Shock. Get the Glyph and be a very happy Elemental bunny.
Purge-Purge is a very useful spell that has both PvP and PvE uses. However, you have to be careful in case the enemy has put on useless buffs as a Purge defense. Now, I understand that it can't have the movement speed reduce it had in WC3...but I'm curious as to why it isn't allowed to do damage to summoned units still.
Wind Shear-Renamed from Wind Shock for some reason (perhaps Wind Shock scared little kids or they just wanted to distance it from the Shocks. Nah, definitly too scary.) but it's now more useful then it was before because it doesn't share a cooldown with the Shock spells.
Frost Shock-FROST SHOCK! Now that's out of the way...this is the shock to use for PvP really or if you want to slow down a retreating mob. Otherwise, it just sits there with envy eyes aimed at Earth Shock and Flame Shock.
Call Of The Elements-One of three fancy new spells to go with that shiny totem bar gadget Shamans got in the latest patch. This button is my "Enhance Totem Gang" button and I'm just glad Blizzard finally gave us the ability to put a totem foursome down in one big swoosh.
Chain Lightning-Ah, Chain Lightning. It's the zap one, get two (three if glyphed) free deal. Total bargain! It's best to use when you want to AoE zap a few mobs because it's too mana costly to use it on just one single target. If you're going for PvP, I suggest getting the glyph. However, if you're a PvE type then there's probably better glyphs out there for you.
Call Of The Ancestors-This button is my "Resto Totem Gang" button. And once again, I thank Blizzard for saving us Shamans some time. Shamans, salute Patch 3.2!
Call Of The Spirits-Now, this button will probably be my "PvP Gang" button but since I don't PvP often, this button will probably be lonely for a while. Aww, I see a sob story coming soon..."The Tragic Story of the COTS Button."
Lava Burst-Lava Burst strolls in at level 75, taps the Elemental Shaman on the shoulder and gives them another buddy to use besides Lightning Bolt. Get the Glyph of Lava and the FS glyph and you'll soon be dancing with your Lav Burst and your Light Bolt in a rotation of love. I'm really glad that Elemental Shamans have something else to use besides Lightningspamz.
Hex-Ah, the spell to turn your enemy into Kermit's long lost cousin. I believe this was Blizz's way of soothing Shamans after they wouldn't be invited to places cause all they would get is "Sorry, need CC." Never fear, Hex is here! Okay...I wouldn't hail it as a champion spell but it's a nice breathing room spell. It has a lengthy cooldown of course but that's probably cause it doesn't heal the enemy (like Polymorph) and because it won't auto-break on damage. Hex mainly gets a big thumbs up for me cause I can go "I have CC!"
Elemental Mastery-Now, we come on to the talent tree spells. EM is a beautiful talent really. Instant cast LBolt, Lav Bur or CL? Yes please. Oh...and a 15% increase in crit for 15 seconds too? Double yes please!
Totem Of Wrath-Now...this talent has me undecided. On the one hand, it's clearly superior to Flametongue and you'll want this up to help you and others in your party/raid. But the downside is that you can't have any other fire totems up and that could make a dent into your dps since you don't have a lovely Sentry totem beside you firing away. I think that the best solution would be for ToW to put up a buff on the party/raid for a period of time and that lets the Shaman switch to another flame totem after to not have to sacrifice too much flame totem dps.
Thunderstorm-If you've seen the "Thunderfuck" vids, you'll know how you can have lots of fun with this spell in PvP. But does it have any use in PvE? Well, the mana recovery part is useful for PvE but you have to be careful with the knockback element. You don't want to pull more mobs with a mis-timed knockback after all. Now, my one small change to make it a little bit better for PVE would be to either make it give the Shaman a small dps buff for 10 seconds odd or make it so that it leaves all the mobs/players it hits with a "Charged" debuff or something that increases the damage they will take from CL or Light Bolt.
Earthquake-Now, there's a part of me that wants this spell in WOW because it's the Far Seer's ultimate move from WC3 and I used to enjoy doing it. But I also think it would be a handy Elemental only spell so my intentions are good. However, it took me a while to think of what a spell like this could offer. It can't destroy buildings of course (I pondered whether it could destroy siege weaponry but that seemed a bit OP) and I don't think an AoE movement debuff is that interesting. However, inspiriation hit me and I reckon that Earthquake should be an AoE that targets the ground in front of the Shaman or an area of ground of the Shaman's choosing and reduces the hit chance of all enemies located on the shaking ground by 10% or something like that. To balance this, it would have a reasonable cooldown and you can just get off the affected area too. This would force ranged attackers to move before they start firing again and I just think it gives the Elemental Shaman a nice Earth related spell.
Now, I know I could go into glyphs and the talent spec I would use but I don't think that's necessary right now. I can look at specs and glyphs in future posts after all. Instead, I'm gonna focus on the classes and the spells that they'd use in each spell tab for now and see if I can come up with ways to improve current spells or conjure up new ideas. I find that it's more interesting that way since I like to give my opinion on things and I don't feel I'm experienced enough yet to be acting like a Shamaster. See what I did there? Genius, I know. So, next up will be an Enhance Shaman related post followed by a Restoration Shaman one which will both follow a similar format to this one.
Hope you enjoyed reading this and stay tuned for the next blog post!
Friday, 17 July 2009
Totems Are A Shaman's Best Friend (Part 2)
Welcome back to the second half of our exciting two-parter! Just in case this is the first article that someone reads on this blog, please note that there is a Part One (in case the Part 2 didn't give it away) so go read that and then come back to this. That's how two-parters work. With that said (well, typed)...let's get straight back into the juicy totem discussion action.
WATER
Healing Stream Totem-Ah, the AoE healer totem. It may not seem like much but the healing can add up and really help in situations where everyone is taking damage. Use this if you're in a melee heavy party/group or if you know everyone will be feeling some pain.
Mana Spring Totem-This is my favourite Water Totem. It's an "unsung hero" who just sits back and steadily helps out with mana restoration. However, if you've got a Pala and they use Greater Blessing of Wisdom, this hero has to retire because they won't stack. If this is the case, use Healing Stream and tell Mana Spring that it will always have a special place in your heart.
Cleansing Totem-I was very happy when they combined the Poison Cleansing and the Disease Cleansing totems into this. Now I can be efficient (lazy) and just put this baby down instead of having to focus on which Cleansing totem I'm putting down. So if you know you'll be having to deal with a lot of poison/disease, put this down and save yourself the effort of having to cleanse your allies one at a time.
Fire Resistance Totem-Well, let's see. Do you need Fire resistance? If the answer is yes, put this down. If the answer is no, use another Water totem. Pretty simple. I think Fire Resistance and Frost Resistance should swap places though since Frost Resistance feels like a Water totem to me and Fire Resistance works as a Fire totem too (it is in the name after all...FIRE Resistance).
AIR
Windfury Totem-This went through a nice makeover and now offers melee haste to your party. If your party is melee-orientated, put this down and watch them all speed up like they're overdosing on Relentless (energy drink for those sad souls who have never tried it). However, unless you have two points in Improved Windfury Totem (Enhance talent), a DK can overwrite this easily if they have Improved Icy Talons so be aware of that.
Grounding Totem-This totem is a kinky submissive. It loves pain and will happily take the next spell cast at you or your party (as long as it's not an AoE spell...that would be far too easy). This is brilliant for both PvE and PvP. However, I must confess that I always forget to use it. I humbly apologise, Grounding Totem. I never meant to neglect you. Can we put this behind us and have make-up sex now?
Wrath Of Air Totem-If you're with a bunch of casters, put this down for the spell haste and watch every other caster look at you and proclaim you a god! Okay, not really...a shaman can dream though.
Nature Resistance Totem-Nature resistance in a totem form. However, it doesn't stack with a Druid's Mark of the Wild and a Hunter's Aspect of the Wild.
Sentry Totem-This totem is often jokingly hailed as THE totem of totems. However, it's really only useful as a camera to take screenshots of yourself. It's a pocket camera totem! Okay, I'm being a tiny bit unfair...it can also help in PvP battle grounds by serving as a scout. And it can help with the "Higher Learning" achievement too. However, it's still gonna be that totem that sits around going "Please, use me....please? Anyone? PLEASE! I just want to feel LOVED!" before crying to itself. So now I'll give my opinion on what Blizz could do to make this totem useful because I don't want to see it removed. First and foremost, change it so that if I put it down, I don't auto-switch to Sentry Totem. I get that Sentry Totem wants my attention but does it have to steal my view too? Attention-Hog Sentry Totem needs a change so that when you put it down, it doesn't auto-switch. But moving on from that issue and going with the "sentry" theme, I'd like the totem to have stealth detection and be stealthed itself. I think those two are must-haves. However, if it wouldn't be too greedy, I'd also like for there to be a debuff called "Spotted!" when an enemy player walks past the Sentry Totem that lowers their movement speed by 10% or something. There's my ideas for Sentry Totem...let's hope it gets some love from Blizz at some point.
ELEMENTALS & IDEAS
Time for the final part of the totem-related article...I'm going to suggest some ideas for "new" totems below that I've seen other mobs use. Also, you'll find the Elemental totems here cause I wanted to group them all together so that's why the Earth and Fire Elemental totems are making an appearance here instead of in Part One. Let's start with the Elemental totems.
Earth Elemental Totem-Ah, good old Rocky. I generally use him as an "Uh-oh!" totem if I get swarmed and I feel like I need some help. The Earth Elemental serves as a tanking elemental really so don't expect him to do some funky damage. He's there to take mobs off you in a tight spot and as long as you keep Rocky and yourself alive via healing, you'll survive pretty easily. However, Rocky's not so good at tanking Elite mobs sadly...I found that out the hard way.
Fire Elemental Totem-Speaking of damage...say hello to the Fire Elemental Totem. Hothead loves to do AoE damage (while his mana bar allows him to do it) and he's very useful for clearing up a group of mobs. However, don't expect him to be able to survive if he comes under attack...he's fragile like a baby.
Water Elemental Totem-Now we come on to the first of my hypothetical elemental totems...trying to decide on this has been tricky. I mean, you don't want it to be a Mage Water Elemental rip-off and a healing elemental would be more interesting and fits the Water totem theme. However, it can't be too powerful otherwise Shaman healers might push ahead. With all this in mind, my idea is for the Water Elemental to summon a pool of water that will increase healing done to allies by 10% while they stand on this pool. I know it's situational and requires your party to stand on a certain spot when some boss fights require mobility but I felt the pool idea was cool and it doesn't seem too over-powered to me so it won't get other healer classes to start complaining. If it's not enough, then the pool could heal allies over time instead of increasing the healing they'll recieve. However, that sounds like a Healing Stream Totem knockoff idea.
Air Elemental Totem-We have a tanking elemental, an AoE elemental and a healing elemental. What's lacking is a single target dps elemental...and that's where the Air Elemental comes in. I reckon the Air Elemental could simply do reasonably powerful melee attacks. It would be better if the melee attacks also had a knockback effect to send enemies back/interrupt them but that might be too powerful. As long as the Elemental did good single-target dps smackdowns, I think the Air Elemental Totem would be a fine addition to the totem arsenal.
Now the elementals are out of the way, time to finish with comments on a couple of totems that I know other mobs have which would be cool to have.
Earthgrab Totem-This is the one I'd love to see given to Shamans. It would simply be an AoE snare involving roots. It's a Druid's Entangling Roots spell on a larger scale but with a reasonable handicap to make up for the AoE snare effect. I think it's a nice way to get some breathing space in PvP (or in a "Uh-oh" moment in PvE) and it's not too overpowered cause all you have to do is destroy the totem to break free. It's simply a stalling technique.
Brain Wash Totem-Used by Mr. Jin'do the Hexxer, I remember fighting him and a part of me wishing my Shaman had a totem like that. It won't have as much health as Jin'do's totem of course but it would be rather groovy if Shamans had a totem that would control an enemy that's in range and make them fight others. In return, it could heal them so that if it lost control, you've just helped the enemy out and it won't be useful in 1 on 1 scenarios cause all you'll do is heal them. While the loss of control for the enemy who's being targeted might be a pain, I imagine it's on the same level of annoying as when you're feared a lot or having to put up with a Rogue who's stunlocking. And the key reason why this isn't unfair in my eyes is because someone else only has to come along and destroy the totem to free the brainwashed enemy and it won't be used 1 on 1 for reasons above.
So...that's this article pretty much done. It gave you my opinions, a few tips and a few ideas for making current totems better and introducing "new" totems that I think would be cool. If you take one thing away from this...let it be this. Sentry Totem wants your love. So remember, the next time you see a Sentry Totem, give it a big hug.
WATER
Healing Stream Totem-Ah, the AoE healer totem. It may not seem like much but the healing can add up and really help in situations where everyone is taking damage. Use this if you're in a melee heavy party/group or if you know everyone will be feeling some pain.
Mana Spring Totem-This is my favourite Water Totem. It's an "unsung hero" who just sits back and steadily helps out with mana restoration. However, if you've got a Pala and they use Greater Blessing of Wisdom, this hero has to retire because they won't stack. If this is the case, use Healing Stream and tell Mana Spring that it will always have a special place in your heart.
Cleansing Totem-I was very happy when they combined the Poison Cleansing and the Disease Cleansing totems into this. Now I can be efficient (lazy) and just put this baby down instead of having to focus on which Cleansing totem I'm putting down. So if you know you'll be having to deal with a lot of poison/disease, put this down and save yourself the effort of having to cleanse your allies one at a time.
Fire Resistance Totem-Well, let's see. Do you need Fire resistance? If the answer is yes, put this down. If the answer is no, use another Water totem. Pretty simple. I think Fire Resistance and Frost Resistance should swap places though since Frost Resistance feels like a Water totem to me and Fire Resistance works as a Fire totem too (it is in the name after all...FIRE Resistance).
AIR
Windfury Totem-This went through a nice makeover and now offers melee haste to your party. If your party is melee-orientated, put this down and watch them all speed up like they're overdosing on Relentless (energy drink for those sad souls who have never tried it). However, unless you have two points in Improved Windfury Totem (Enhance talent), a DK can overwrite this easily if they have Improved Icy Talons so be aware of that.
Grounding Totem-This totem is a kinky submissive. It loves pain and will happily take the next spell cast at you or your party (as long as it's not an AoE spell...that would be far too easy). This is brilliant for both PvE and PvP. However, I must confess that I always forget to use it. I humbly apologise, Grounding Totem. I never meant to neglect you. Can we put this behind us and have make-up sex now?
Wrath Of Air Totem-If you're with a bunch of casters, put this down for the spell haste and watch every other caster look at you and proclaim you a god! Okay, not really...a shaman can dream though.
Nature Resistance Totem-Nature resistance in a totem form. However, it doesn't stack with a Druid's Mark of the Wild and a Hunter's Aspect of the Wild.
Sentry Totem-This totem is often jokingly hailed as THE totem of totems. However, it's really only useful as a camera to take screenshots of yourself. It's a pocket camera totem! Okay, I'm being a tiny bit unfair...it can also help in PvP battle grounds by serving as a scout. And it can help with the "Higher Learning" achievement too. However, it's still gonna be that totem that sits around going "Please, use me....please? Anyone? PLEASE! I just want to feel LOVED!" before crying to itself. So now I'll give my opinion on what Blizz could do to make this totem useful because I don't want to see it removed. First and foremost, change it so that if I put it down, I don't auto-switch to Sentry Totem. I get that Sentry Totem wants my attention but does it have to steal my view too? Attention-Hog Sentry Totem needs a change so that when you put it down, it doesn't auto-switch. But moving on from that issue and going with the "sentry" theme, I'd like the totem to have stealth detection and be stealthed itself. I think those two are must-haves. However, if it wouldn't be too greedy, I'd also like for there to be a debuff called "Spotted!" when an enemy player walks past the Sentry Totem that lowers their movement speed by 10% or something. There's my ideas for Sentry Totem...let's hope it gets some love from Blizz at some point.
ELEMENTALS & IDEAS
Time for the final part of the totem-related article...I'm going to suggest some ideas for "new" totems below that I've seen other mobs use. Also, you'll find the Elemental totems here cause I wanted to group them all together so that's why the Earth and Fire Elemental totems are making an appearance here instead of in Part One. Let's start with the Elemental totems.
Earth Elemental Totem-Ah, good old Rocky. I generally use him as an "Uh-oh!" totem if I get swarmed and I feel like I need some help. The Earth Elemental serves as a tanking elemental really so don't expect him to do some funky damage. He's there to take mobs off you in a tight spot and as long as you keep Rocky and yourself alive via healing, you'll survive pretty easily. However, Rocky's not so good at tanking Elite mobs sadly...I found that out the hard way.
Fire Elemental Totem-Speaking of damage...say hello to the Fire Elemental Totem. Hothead loves to do AoE damage (while his mana bar allows him to do it) and he's very useful for clearing up a group of mobs. However, don't expect him to be able to survive if he comes under attack...he's fragile like a baby.
Water Elemental Totem-Now we come on to the first of my hypothetical elemental totems...trying to decide on this has been tricky. I mean, you don't want it to be a Mage Water Elemental rip-off and a healing elemental would be more interesting and fits the Water totem theme. However, it can't be too powerful otherwise Shaman healers might push ahead. With all this in mind, my idea is for the Water Elemental to summon a pool of water that will increase healing done to allies by 10% while they stand on this pool. I know it's situational and requires your party to stand on a certain spot when some boss fights require mobility but I felt the pool idea was cool and it doesn't seem too over-powered to me so it won't get other healer classes to start complaining. If it's not enough, then the pool could heal allies over time instead of increasing the healing they'll recieve. However, that sounds like a Healing Stream Totem knockoff idea.
Air Elemental Totem-We have a tanking elemental, an AoE elemental and a healing elemental. What's lacking is a single target dps elemental...and that's where the Air Elemental comes in. I reckon the Air Elemental could simply do reasonably powerful melee attacks. It would be better if the melee attacks also had a knockback effect to send enemies back/interrupt them but that might be too powerful. As long as the Elemental did good single-target dps smackdowns, I think the Air Elemental Totem would be a fine addition to the totem arsenal.
Now the elementals are out of the way, time to finish with comments on a couple of totems that I know other mobs have which would be cool to have.
Earthgrab Totem-This is the one I'd love to see given to Shamans. It would simply be an AoE snare involving roots. It's a Druid's Entangling Roots spell on a larger scale but with a reasonable handicap to make up for the AoE snare effect. I think it's a nice way to get some breathing space in PvP (or in a "Uh-oh" moment in PvE) and it's not too overpowered cause all you have to do is destroy the totem to break free. It's simply a stalling technique.
Brain Wash Totem-Used by Mr. Jin'do the Hexxer, I remember fighting him and a part of me wishing my Shaman had a totem like that. It won't have as much health as Jin'do's totem of course but it would be rather groovy if Shamans had a totem that would control an enemy that's in range and make them fight others. In return, it could heal them so that if it lost control, you've just helped the enemy out and it won't be useful in 1 on 1 scenarios cause all you'll do is heal them. While the loss of control for the enemy who's being targeted might be a pain, I imagine it's on the same level of annoying as when you're feared a lot or having to put up with a Rogue who's stunlocking. And the key reason why this isn't unfair in my eyes is because someone else only has to come along and destroy the totem to free the brainwashed enemy and it won't be used 1 on 1 for reasons above.
So...that's this article pretty much done. It gave you my opinions, a few tips and a few ideas for making current totems better and introducing "new" totems that I think would be cool. If you take one thing away from this...let it be this. Sentry Totem wants your love. So remember, the next time you see a Sentry Totem, give it a big hug.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Totems Are A Shaman's Best Friend (Part 1)
Dogs may be a man's best friend but when it comes to shamans, totems are a Shaman's best buddy. Whether it's to add a bit more dps, to boost a party with some buffs (providing they aren't overwrited and are in range but let's not get too picky) or to save your life when you get swarmed (I'm looking at you, Earth Elemental Totem), totems are fun gadgets for the Shaman class. James Bond would love for Q to hand him a totem. Spy talk aside, this post is going to take a look at all the totems and give my views on them. I will also be adding some ideas for extra totems at the bottom since there's a couple that I think could work well. By the way, I've not really theorycrafted ideas or thought about them greatly in the grand scheme of things so things may seem over-powered or may not balance too well. Ah well...It's TOTEM TIME! (yes, that's a Power Rangers pun.)
EARTH
Earthbind Totem-This totem's come a long way thanks to some changes in talent trees. On it's own, it's a useful escape tool if you need a quick getaway and it can have situational uses. With Earthen Power (Enhance talent), it's a handy snare removal and with Storm, Earth and Fire (Element talent), it's a nice 5 second root. However, I'm disappointed that the root and snare removal only come with talents. I'd like to see the snare removal become standard and the root part will be dealt with for the Earthgrab Totem idea that will be in Part Two.
Stoneskin Totem-I was happy when this got it's change to an armour increase rather then the melee reduction so that it became useful. Don't bother putting it down if you're with a Pala who has Improved Devotion Aura since the two don't stack up. However, with the vast supply of DK's around with their Horn Of Winter, you may find that this one is the one that gets used more with a DK in your party.
Stoneclaw Totem-I like to usually use this totem in a combo with Fire Nova to give FN enough time to go boom. However, it's become a pretty useful PvP totem with it's ability to shield other totems which costs enemies time when they want to get your totems as long as you cast them in the right order to get the totem shielding. If you PvP, make sure to get the Glyph to give yourself a shield too. One thing I'd like to see is the totem forcefully making enemies target the totem instead of your shaman when it taunts. I know that it seems like a bad idea cause it makes it easier for your totem to be destroyed and leaves the others vulnerable BUT I feel it would be a nice way to avoid a killing blow by forcing others to focus on Stoneclaw. Also, that's how the totem should work in my head-it should be forceful when it taunts.
Strength Of Earth Totem-This totem is great for boosting the melee monkeys in your party or raid. However, if there's a DK around with Horn of Winter, it's probably best to use another Earth totem unless you have put 3 points into Enhancing Totems (Enhance talent). If you've done that, tell the DK to take a hike because this town isn't big enough for the both of you (buff wise...DK's and Shamans are still fine to work together in the same town)
Tremor Totem-Useful if you're up against a boss with Fear/Sleep capabilities or fighting a class that likes to use Fear. Otherwise, nothing else to really say about the totem. If unsure about when to use Tremor Totem over Grounding Totem, remember that Grounding has a cooldown while Tremor does not.
FIRE
Searing Totem-This totem is my little sidekick. I call him Comet. Now, Magma Totem has the potential to do better single-target dps BUT I prefer to use Comet cause it's much cheaper mana-wise. I guess I'm just a cheapskate really.
Fire Nova Totem-Tick...tick...boom! That's what Nova does. As I said above, I like to put Stoneclaw down first then this to avoid Fire Nova being pwned since it generates aggro when you put it down. If you want a triple whammy, go with Magma Totem afterwards. Now, I personally think that a nice touch for this Totem would be that those who are caught in the explosion wind up with some DoT fire damage. That would give the boom a nice after-effect in my opinion.
Magma Totem-A charming AoE damage totem. If you are fighting a group, use this and enjoy when your enemies are extra crispy. While I still prefer Comet with single targets, another thing of note is that Magma doesn't generate threat whereas Comet does so use this if you're in a threat sensitive situation.
Frost Resistance Totem-Simple really...if you need frost resistance, put this up. Otherwise, ignore it. I find it weird that the Fire Resistance and Frost Resistance totems are where they are though.
Flametongue Totem-I'm glad this changed from what it used to be. I never used it for the fire damage stuff it offered before they changed it to boost spellpower. If you're in a group that's mainly casters or healers, put this baby down. However, if there's another Shaman and they are Elemental and you are not, don't bother. You'll only cry when you realise your Flametongue is inferior to his Totem Of Wrath.
While I could type the rest out now, I wanted to have a break to make it easier to read and therefore, easier to digest. I'm so thoughtful! And for those of you who are observant, I'm sure you'll be there going "Wait...where's Totem of Wrath eh? EH?" Well, I've not put it here cause it will come up when I do my post on Elemental Shamans so bear with me. This will also be why Mana Tide Totem will not make an apperance in Part Two. So don't be too disappointed when it's not there.
Part Two will bring us the Water totems, the Air totems, the Elemental totems (Earth, Fire and my ideas for Water and Air) and finally, a couple of new totems I'd like to be added. So stay tuned, folks! Part Two will be here after the adverts!
EARTH
Earthbind Totem-This totem's come a long way thanks to some changes in talent trees. On it's own, it's a useful escape tool if you need a quick getaway and it can have situational uses. With Earthen Power (Enhance talent), it's a handy snare removal and with Storm, Earth and Fire (Element talent), it's a nice 5 second root. However, I'm disappointed that the root and snare removal only come with talents. I'd like to see the snare removal become standard and the root part will be dealt with for the Earthgrab Totem idea that will be in Part Two.
Stoneskin Totem-I was happy when this got it's change to an armour increase rather then the melee reduction so that it became useful. Don't bother putting it down if you're with a Pala who has Improved Devotion Aura since the two don't stack up. However, with the vast supply of DK's around with their Horn Of Winter, you may find that this one is the one that gets used more with a DK in your party.
Stoneclaw Totem-I like to usually use this totem in a combo with Fire Nova to give FN enough time to go boom. However, it's become a pretty useful PvP totem with it's ability to shield other totems which costs enemies time when they want to get your totems as long as you cast them in the right order to get the totem shielding. If you PvP, make sure to get the Glyph to give yourself a shield too. One thing I'd like to see is the totem forcefully making enemies target the totem instead of your shaman when it taunts. I know that it seems like a bad idea cause it makes it easier for your totem to be destroyed and leaves the others vulnerable BUT I feel it would be a nice way to avoid a killing blow by forcing others to focus on Stoneclaw. Also, that's how the totem should work in my head-it should be forceful when it taunts.
Strength Of Earth Totem-This totem is great for boosting the melee monkeys in your party or raid. However, if there's a DK around with Horn of Winter, it's probably best to use another Earth totem unless you have put 3 points into Enhancing Totems (Enhance talent). If you've done that, tell the DK to take a hike because this town isn't big enough for the both of you (buff wise...DK's and Shamans are still fine to work together in the same town)
Tremor Totem-Useful if you're up against a boss with Fear/Sleep capabilities or fighting a class that likes to use Fear. Otherwise, nothing else to really say about the totem. If unsure about when to use Tremor Totem over Grounding Totem, remember that Grounding has a cooldown while Tremor does not.
FIRE
Searing Totem-This totem is my little sidekick. I call him Comet. Now, Magma Totem has the potential to do better single-target dps BUT I prefer to use Comet cause it's much cheaper mana-wise. I guess I'm just a cheapskate really.
Fire Nova Totem-Tick...tick...boom! That's what Nova does. As I said above, I like to put Stoneclaw down first then this to avoid Fire Nova being pwned since it generates aggro when you put it down. If you want a triple whammy, go with Magma Totem afterwards. Now, I personally think that a nice touch for this Totem would be that those who are caught in the explosion wind up with some DoT fire damage. That would give the boom a nice after-effect in my opinion.
Magma Totem-A charming AoE damage totem. If you are fighting a group, use this and enjoy when your enemies are extra crispy. While I still prefer Comet with single targets, another thing of note is that Magma doesn't generate threat whereas Comet does so use this if you're in a threat sensitive situation.
Frost Resistance Totem-Simple really...if you need frost resistance, put this up. Otherwise, ignore it. I find it weird that the Fire Resistance and Frost Resistance totems are where they are though.
Flametongue Totem-I'm glad this changed from what it used to be. I never used it for the fire damage stuff it offered before they changed it to boost spellpower. If you're in a group that's mainly casters or healers, put this baby down. However, if there's another Shaman and they are Elemental and you are not, don't bother. You'll only cry when you realise your Flametongue is inferior to his Totem Of Wrath.
While I could type the rest out now, I wanted to have a break to make it easier to read and therefore, easier to digest. I'm so thoughtful! And for those of you who are observant, I'm sure you'll be there going "Wait...where's Totem of Wrath eh? EH?" Well, I've not put it here cause it will come up when I do my post on Elemental Shamans so bear with me. This will also be why Mana Tide Totem will not make an apperance in Part Two. So don't be too disappointed when it's not there.
Part Two will bring us the Water totems, the Air totems, the Elemental totems (Earth, Fire and my ideas for Water and Air) and finally, a couple of new totems I'd like to be added. So stay tuned, folks! Part Two will be here after the adverts!
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