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Can a shaman tank Karazhan?
Galstaff of Durotan believes so, and put his money where his mouth is, so to speak, by doing it. (Warning, the movie is 20 minutes long.) While anyone can 'tank' Shade of Aran, I was pretty impressed by his tanking of Malchezzar, especially when he admits in the thread (and his armory backs him up) that while he's achieved immunity to critical hits by a combination of resilience and defense, he's still taking crushing blows. He also says he chugs Ironshield Potions which makes sense, as his armor is low for the instance (in my opinion as a tank, anyway) which is not surprising since he's in mail. He claims 17.7k health for the Prince Malchezzar attempt, which is certainly within the ballpark. (I've done it with about 1k less on my warrior, although nowadays I'd never have less than 18.5 k for any boss.)His talent selection shows you the limits of Shaman tanking at this time: He has full Shield Spec, Toughness and Anticipation, giving him the most armor and dodge he could possibly have, but by taking Spirit Weapons (necessary for the ability to Parry, which is essential for tanking) he reduces his melee threat by 30%. This is a great talent choice for a melee DPSer who might get a boss turning to hit him before the tank can pick it up. But for a tanking shaman, it means he has to rely on his spell damage (Frost Shock in particular) as well as Lightning Shield to generate threat, with Stormstrike and Windfury doing the rest of the work. Galstaff also mentions that he had to stack the group with a Shadow Priest to regenerate mana since he couldn't use Water Shield: I'd expect he had to use Shamanistic Rage every single time it was up for both the mana regen and the damage reduction.Basically, as he himself admits, shamans are the worst 'off tank' with no ability to get enough avoidance to push crushing blows off of the table, so to do this you'd need a ton of resilience on mail (since you're not going to find mail with the stats you need and defense) and some very, very good healers. And as long as shaman tanks require a shadow priest to regain enough mana to tank, it's not going to be a common sight. But as a warrior and shaman player, I liked seeing it. Maybe we could get shamans some actual tanking talents, and they could move into the ranks of the other hybrid classes as being able to DPS, heal and tank? If it's good enough for paladins and druids, why not shamans?
PTR Notes: Patch note watch 2/28
As Matt Rossi is analyzing in more detail, the attunement requirement for Karazhan has been removed, although at least one person in the raid does need to have the key to get in the door. How do we know? New patch notes. Here, in full, is everything that's changed in the latest iteration of Blizzard's official test realm patch notes, brought to you, as always, by the power of diff. Much of this has been covered on WoW Insider already, because Blizzard is slow to update the patch notes; the stuff that looks new to me is in bold (which in this particular case is only that the new Mortal Strike-esque effect on Flametongue Weapon applies to Flametongue Totem as well). Removed: "The benefits of drinking out of combat have been delayed. It will now take five seconds before the full benefit of the mana regeneration will come into effect." (now restricted to arenas only) [Druid] Lifebloom will no longer cause error messages when interacting with Spellsteal or while the Druid is under the effects of a Mind Control. Mage Improved Blink: This talent no longer reduces the mana cost of Blink. Instead, it increases the chance for all attacks to miss the Mage by 25% for 2/4 sec after Blink is cast. Icy Veins no longer stacks with Power Infusion (as well as Bloodlust/Heroism from the last patch notes) Mana Shield: This spell will now get a percentage of the Mage's bonus to spell damage as an additional effect.
Totem Talk: A raider's valentine
Totem Talk is the column for Shamans. Matthew Rossi not only plays a shaman, he's come to appreciate their presence even when he's playing one of his other characters. That's his ridiculously mustached human warrior (who is still wearing a green belt to tank in SSC) next to one of the raid-saving shamans.It can at times be easy to forget why we rolled a shaman in the first place. Sometimes it seems shamans are overlooked and underplayed, and its fair to say that the last year hasn't been the kindest to the class. With all this negativity and upset, it's fair to say that sometimes shamans must feel like there's no point to playing their class at all. So here I am to tell you that, while shamans may indeed have suffered (especially in PvP) over the past year, they're still incredibly viable in PvE, and if anything I wish we had more of them.We've talked before about the shaman as a pinch hitter or panic button class, and these are both functions that they do excel at. But in running the 10 and 25 man instances, another aspect of shaman versatility is their broad array of totems and abilities - there's almost always a situation where a totem, a shock or a special ability like Heroism can help immensely with an encounter. I know having the ability to cycle in shamans to our DPS groups for heroism made a huge difference in our Tidewalker and Lurker kills, as well as finding the particular strength of Chain Heal very, very useful when a group of us are trying desperately to keep those murlocs tanked. Furthermore, I personally love having an elemental shaman in my group taking care of the priest add on Fathom-Lord Karathress, not only due to the damage they can inflict (and having seen it, I have had to re-evaluate my understanding of elemental shaman DPS - it's much, much better than I'd believed when geared properly) but due to their ability to buff not only their own DPS but the healer's healing at the same time with Totem of Wrath and Wrath of Air as well as being able to interrupt the heals after a tidal surge.
Blues confirm more changes to come in patch 2.4
Late last night when the 2.4 Patch Notes were circling around, Drysc responded to a lot of QQing on the class forums about lack of buffs and nerfs. In particular, many shamans were upset (most of the threads have been deleted due to offensive language). The gist of what Drysc told everyone: The patch notes are not complete. More class changes to come. Nethaera also later confirmed.He gave us a little history lesson too. There are two types of patch notes: test realm patch notes, and live patch notes. Live patch notes reflect the changes to the live servers. Test realm patch notes reflect the changes that are on the test realm servers. Test realm patch notes are the basis for the live patch notes, but many change are made to them. As players are active on the test realm and balance issues are discovered, they tweak the patch notes. In the end, the final patch notes that went to the live servers were sometimes nothing like the test realm patch notes; a few things were added, a few things were removed. I wanted to check this out for myself so I found the old test realm patch notes for 2.2, and the live patch notes for 2.2. The following changes were made between the two different versions of the patch notes:
Shaman changes in 2.3.2
Following the trend of releasing information about class changes today, Eyonix has chimed in again to give hints of what's in store for Shaman shields in the next patch. Lightning and Earth Shield will both have their mana cost reduced. Water Shield will receive a change in its function to keep the poor shammies from having to refresh it all the time. Apparently it will still return the same amount of mana, but in a less annoying fashion. Eyonix suggests that it will essentially give a sizeable chunk of MP5.I don't play a Shaman much, but I've been chatting with the ones in my guild about these changes. So far they seem most excited about the new Water Shield. What do the rest of you think?
Patch 2.3 and you: Elemental Shaman edition
Earlier today, the up-close-and-personal Enhancement shammies got some boosts, and Elemental improvements were promised for patch 2.3 as well. And here they are! Eyonix delivers: Being a level 70 elemental shaman myself, I'm particularly excited as currently I feel the class is in good shape, but in need of a few minor tweaks. I'd say the one I'm most pleased with (especially after seeing the results of change on an internal build) concerns lightning overload. When 2.3 launches it will have a 4/8/12/16/20% chance to occur, though the additional spell will cause half damage, still ending up being a noticeable increase to overall dps Also, the additional spell will cause no threat whatsoever. [Regarding] the mana spring totem. Previously it restored 12 mana every two seconds at maximum rank, for your entire party. As of patch 2.3 it will restore your groups mana by 20 every 2 seconds.This equates to 50mana/5 for each member of your party without the talent points in restorative totems. The second change impacts water shield. This spell will no longer cost any mana to cast (which also means the five-[second] rule will not be affected) and the mana granted per globe has been substantially increased. Additionally, the spells duration has been shortened to one minute and at the end of its duration it now grants mana for any remaining globes. Elemental Focus will now reduce the mana cost of the next two damage spells by 40%. Now before theorycrafting begins, this is actually a buff except in cases where your chance to land a critical strike with spells was extremely high. Frostshock will no longer be subject to diminishing returns which I'm sure players will find useful, especially in pvp. Lastly, we are making a change that will cause a reduction in dps, however, the elemental shamans overall dps will still be improving with the change that we're making to lightning overload. We're reducing the casting time of Lightning Bolt to 2.5 seconds (from 3 seconds), and chain lightning to 2.0 (from 2.5 seconds), causing benefit from spell damage to be reduced appropriately. The mana cost for these two spells are being lowered as well.The lightning mastery talent's cast time will now be reduced by .1/.2/.3/.4/.5 seconds. So, casting time for the spells ends up being the same as before. (All of the above from this Eyonix post) We're increasing the additional mana granted by water shield for both the Tidefury Raiment and the Totem of the Thunderhead. (Eyonix) Now that is what I call a lot of changes. Well, my LB-loving friends, are you happy with this stuff? Not all of these changes are Elemental-specific, of course; the mana spring totem change, for instance, helps everyone, Shaman or not. How do you think these changes will interact to help or hurt Elemental shamans?In other Shaman news, Eyonix has said basically "no cc 4 u", at least until Wrath: If we give shaman a cc abillity it won't be until Wrath of the Lich King.
Shamanistic suggestions
Shamans are a fun and engaging class that combine a strong, complex array of totems with various spells used to inflict damage or to heal. As if that wasn't enough, they also are able to wear shields and mail, making them a very durable combat caster and earning them the ire of the other casting classes. If properly specced, they can even venture into melee range and smash faces. By all accounts, they are a powerful class. But there are some downsides. Shamans have complained for a long time about the vulnerability of their totems in PvP encounters, they've become extremely vocal about their lack of CC, and some would like more options when it comes to casting shocks. They are weaknesses, to be sure. But do they cripple the class? More of a hindrance, in my opinion. These are some of the most common complaints I've seen lately: Totems need a buff, because they are an easy target in a PvP encounter; suggestions for fixing this range from increasing the health of totems to removing the health entirely and just requiring 2 or 3 direct hits from an enemy. Every class has a CC ability but us, and we have only 2 snares, one of which is a totem and is easily destroyed. Buff our shocks! Take earth shock off global cooldown, increase the duration of frost shock, etc. It seems unfair that totems should get a buff in PvP -- especially when many classes have to deal with having their own buffs purged or dispelled off. And while it's true that every other class has some form of CC, they're not always useful or usable at all times. Regarding shocks... well, Earth Shock is one of the best interrupts in the game, and definitely the one on the shortest cooldown.I have other concerns about the class that I think should receive more focus, such as mana regeneration and getting some kind of anti-kite ability. But what do you other shamans out there think?
Totem Talk: Shamans in development
As we've discussed before, Shamans need a lot of development love in order to no longer be the least played class. We did receive some good news at BlizzCon, but what is the first tangible thing that happens? A "hotfix". Nerfing Windfury to no longer work on "yellow" attacks except next swing attacks was so pressing, it couldn't wait for a patch. It seems this change had been in the works for a while, but a hotfixed buff would have been nice to balance it out. But let's dwell on the positive. There are some changes for Shamans coming up in patches and the expansion: Wrath of the Lich King. Here is a compilation of what development is in the works or at least being discussed for Shamans.Crowd Control?: I was disappointed that no one asked about the ability to clear aggro, but at both of the BlizzCon class panels, someone asked about Crowd Control. It seems that while this is definitely not something that will show up before WotLK, it is being looked at for levels 71 to 80. They have yet to decide if crowd control is something that they want to add to the Shaman class, but at least it is in discussion.
Totem Talk: What's right with Shamans
Every other week, Robin Torres investigates Shaman issues, interviews experienced Shamans and reports her findings in Totem Talk.This week on Totem Talk, I ask Onnix the Shaman what's RIGHT with the Shaman class since that is the question he actually wanted to answer in our first interview. There's a lot of belly-aching going on about the Shaman being the least balanced class in the game and Warcraft Realms is still showing them as the least played class -- though honestly, I don't know how often their census is updated. But Onnix maintains that the Shaman class is a blast to play, even with all the limitations.So, what is right about about the Shaman class?Onnix: We are a Jack-Of-All-Trades class -- I think the most fun one. The versatility of our class allows us to be instantly flexible in a variety of situations as opposed to the druid class, who have to shift forms to access limited skill sets.Why should a shaman be invited to a heroic instance run? From a resto perspective, contrary to popular belief, the shaman can main heal or even solo heal just fine in Heroics, but they require a competent group -- tanks that can hold aggro, DPS that don't pull aggro. A competent group is always the ideal, but with a priest healing, there is a larger margin of error within the group. I believe priest heals generate less threat (not positive) but if they pull healing aggro, they can fade, they can also Power Word: Shield targets to give them a chance to catch up on heals. Also, their heals are so much more efficient that they don't run out of mana as much.
Totem Talk: What's wrong with Shamans?
Every other week, Robin Torres investigates Shaman issues, interviews experienced Shamans and reports her findings in Totem Talk.First of all, let me get this out of the way. I don't like the sound of Shamans as a plural for Shaman. I much prefer Shaman, but I'm going with WoWWiki, at least for now.Secondly, I am not a Shaman. I am reporting on Shamans. I am interviewing Shaman veterans. I am provoking Shaman discussions. I am in ur forumz reading ur threadz. You will notice when reading the newspaper or Fark or whatever that these people you are reading are not presidents and soldiers and socialites. They are writing about presidents and soldiers and socialites. And I am writing about Shamans. Regardless, I've been through this before, so my fire resistant gear is equipped. I am, however, constantly bombarded with all things Shaman because my husband is a rabid, raiding, Level 70 Tauren Shaman. As I write this, he is in Serpentshrine Cavern with his Barbie DreamShield and his cape taken from a little girl and I'm trying to get him to take some screenshots. You may already know him from this story, but right now he is Onnix, the Shammy Healbot from the guild Grim on Daggerspine.According to Warcraft Realms, the Shaman is the least played class currently among characters played in the last 30 days above level 10. And the Alliance have not raced to make as many Blueberry Shamans as the Horde have made Belfadins. Clearly, the general WoW population considers Shamans the least fun/useful class to play at this time. So I asked Onnix why he thought that was the case. Onnix would rather have answered the question "What is fun about playing an endgame Shaman?", but I was able to put that off to a future column. Instead, he told me the top 5 things that should be changed to make the Shaman a more successful class.
Forum post of the day: Patch 2.2... not really
While I have to admit, I wouldn't normally have thought of the Shaman forums as being the party place to be lately, this thread claiming that it had the 2.2 Patch Notes has certainly lived up to that feeling more than most. Sure, some of it is pretty dark (such as the part claiming that they've just deleted Shamans altogether) but I have to admit, even the parts that poked fun at my favorite classes were fairly funny. Here's a few of the highlights: General Notes * Changed flight points to make them go the scenic route more often * Adjusted flight point costs to reflect the longer distances. Longer distances = more money. * Poor players will no longer be able to speak. Sorry. No begging or gold website advertising. * Will of the Forsaken will be removed, due to popular opinion. Replacing it will be Emo Feelings of the Forsaken, which makes the /dance emote cooler. I mean, coolioo.So for a Forum thread that is full of silly fun (or perhaps just full of weird, depending on your sense of humor) head on over to the Shaman forums and check the "2.2 patch notes" out. [via the Shaman Forums]
Forum post of the day: Shaman issues in haiku
In a sharp break from the normal way of expressing oneself on the forums (you know, via extensive use of capslock and ascii art), a number of shamans are expressing their problems potetically via haiku. Never has it been more interesting and downright pleasent to read about class complaints. I think my favorite must be this one by poster Vapid for its inclusion of traditional imagery: Shaman drop to ground Like the Spring Cherry Blossom When faced with stunlock So take a look -- or try your hand writing some shaman haiku of your own. (Remember, it's 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables.)
Shamans being "looked at"
In the wake of Blizzard's assertion that they won't be doing any more class reviews, comes an announcement from European CM Ommra saying that the shaman class is currently being "looked at." There aren't any specifics yet, but says Ommra,The developers are currently looking into Elemental threat and sustainability (mana efficiency). Of course, the thread goes on to list other class complaints, including lack of CC (or ability to escape CC) and Enhancement threat issues -- which just shows that you can never please everyone. But for the shamans in the audience, will Elemental improvements make you happy, or does the class need improvement in another direction entirely?
