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Totem Talk: Solving the problem of Maelstrom Weapon
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement, and restoration shaman. Once a lonely tauren shaman in a bad Scarlet Crusade-themed transmog set, Josh Myers is now a female dwarf shaman with pigtails who raids using all three specs on a regular basis. He kept the same transmog set, though. When I try to think of what enhancement's most iconic ability is, a few come to mind. Windfury Weapon is a definite contender, and three or four years ago it would have been my default response. Seriously, though, what is Windfury other than a glorified auto-attack with an attack power bonus and a lower chance to miss? Likewise, Stormstrike could be iconic, but it's essentially a melee attack with both weapons with an electric graphic and a debuff. It's enhancement's Mutilate or Obliterate. To me, Maelstrom Weapon is the answer. If there's one ability that encapsulates what enhancement is -- a brutal melee class that weaves instant spellcasts between their weapon strikes to harm their opponent or heal themselves -- I believe it's Maelstrom Weapon. It's enhancement's Death Strike, Arcane Blast, Chakra, or Raging Blow -- abilities that, at a glance, offer an insight into what makes the spec different from other specs in their role. There's a problem here, though. If Maelstrom Weapon is enhancement's iconic ability, why is it currently so awful?
Totem Talk: What weapon will you wear?
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement, and restoration shaman. Josh Myers once only tackled the hard questions about enhancement but has recently expanded his sphere of responsibility to all shaman DPS specs. (And no, two-handed enhancement is still never coming back.) Weapons are the most defining characteristic of an enhancement shaman. If you're in Orgrimmar and you see two friendly Tauren decked out in Erupting Volcanic gear, you look to the weapons to tell them apart. If they've got one weapon and a shield, they're a caster and probably not worth inspecting (especially true in the case of that Lodur fellow). If they're dual wielding awesome axes, fearsome fist weapons, or magnificent maces, they're a true shaman.* When transmogrification was first released, tier gear was the talk of the town. Black Temple groups were organized, classic raids were soloed, honor was hoarded for Burning Crusade PVP sets. To me, though, armor is just a backdrop. It's the scenery behind the Mona Lisa. The picture wouldn't be complete without it, but it isn't the focus. While the rest of my friends were obsessing over tier gear (except Tyler Caraway, who will still just look like a boomkin 24/7), I found myself agonizing over one simple question: Which weapons would I wear?
