Why do people assume that shamans are weak?
- Thread starter Totemtime
- Start date
Grunge
OG
For a long time now shammys were always considered "ok" simply because they had decent snares, decent melee, decent armor and decent heals.
Then the spellpower change came along, and suddenly shammys found they had burst potential without gimping their healing, as well as all the other good things they'd had all along.
Not to say that shammys were ever bad, but they simply couldnt put out dps like they can now.
Then the spellpower change came along, and suddenly shammys found they had burst potential without gimping their healing, as well as all the other good things they'd had all along.
Not to say that shammys were ever bad, but they simply couldnt put out dps like they can now.
shanker
OG
after 3.1 they are pretty dam good in 19 bracket also they picked up alot when WotLK came out.
in one BG there was a ally 19 shammy GOATSY, she pulled off 20K+ damage and 20K+ healing in one BG. she was #2 in damage and #1 in healing. usually healers have 3-8K damage at the end of a BG and 20-30K+healing
horde have some killer ones too, one is KEEP, the two EE's are acsi type symbols? this guy could FC so good it was aggravating, and when he is FC supporting....forget it...you have been facerolled.
shammies can give a hunter a run for his money, and kite very good due to EB totem, while have fire totem hitting you while slowed, then they get out of melee to heal and come back at you again. you feel like you are fighting a hunter when facing them
in one BG there was a ally 19 shammy GOATSY, she pulled off 20K+ damage and 20K+ healing in one BG. she was #2 in damage and #1 in healing. usually healers have 3-8K damage at the end of a BG and 20-30K+healing
horde have some killer ones too, one is KEEP, the two EE's are acsi type symbols? this guy could FC so good it was aggravating, and when he is FC supporting....forget it...you have been facerolled.
shammies can give a hunter a run for his money, and kite very good due to EB totem, while have fire totem hitting you while slowed, then they get out of melee to heal and come back at you again. you feel like you are fighting a hunter when facing them
Lloydganks
OG
uh, shaman were just never bad at 19. they've been a top tier class since the bracket existed. nobody assumes that shaman are weak at level 19....
elemental lose its mana way too fast to be any real good.
restoration, i never saw anybody at 19 be full resto with its 10 points... hes most likely into enhance for the 10% more mana and and the other 5 points into resto. thats what we call an "HYBRID" because hes 50/50 not full. shamans with all 10 points in elemental wont go very far due to the mana restriction he has, even if he really makes lots of damage. resto will not be able to kill, otherwise hes fighting off a really weak opponent. but will be able to survive a lot. but enhance has it all, it got lots of mana for use, dps for the win and can self heal if need be. ENHANCE clearly is the best at 19 !
shaman aren't weak though...
i remember people yelling because their was a shammy ont he other side while we horde were yelling at the allies pallies ! back then it was such a great time. blizzard shouldn't have let the allies make shaman and we shouldn't have been able to create pallies !
restoration, i never saw anybody at 19 be full resto with its 10 points... hes most likely into enhance for the 10% more mana and and the other 5 points into resto. thats what we call an "HYBRID" because hes 50/50 not full. shamans with all 10 points in elemental wont go very far due to the mana restriction he has, even if he really makes lots of damage. resto will not be able to kill, otherwise hes fighting off a really weak opponent. but will be able to survive a lot. but enhance has it all, it got lots of mana for use, dps for the win and can self heal if need be. ENHANCE clearly is the best at 19 !
shaman aren't weak though...
i remember people yelling because their was a shammy ont he other side while we horde were yelling at the allies pallies ! back then it was such a great time. blizzard shouldn't have let the allies make shaman and we shouldn't have been able to create pallies !
Dietz
OG
Well since most of your PvP will be pugging in the battlegrounds (assuming), then you'll have a hard time making use of a shaman's strengths. I have a level 62 shaman.
Shamans lack a lot of their most useful moves at 19. (Ghost Wolf, Chain Heal, Chain Lightening, Most Buff Totems)
Their main dps moves are Earth Shock, Lightening Bolt and Frost Shock. The shocks are amazing for burst damage and interrupting casters. Lightening bolt is really not powerful enough for the long cast time, too slow in my opinion for fast paced PvP. With dps, the problem is you have nothing to do when your shock is on cooldown. Cast Lightening Bolt? You opponent will start running in circles on top of you, interrupt, or run out of range. With all the swarms of hunters running around, even getting into melee range can be a challenge.
Totems. Like shocks, they have a pretty small range. Their damage is average, and thy can be quickly destroyed. Useless? Absolutely not, but a bit of luck, timing, and skill is needed. Earthbind Totem is the best totem in terms of pvp usefullness, but avoidable if your opponent knows what they're doing.
Lets talk healing. Cure Poison and Purge. Great abilities! A sneaky shaman can be incredibly annoying with Purge. Next are lesser and greater Healing Wave. Pretty basic, with decent numbers. Not having a shielding move or instant cast will make PvP Healing much more difficult though. Because every other healing class has these moves as well, they're not really the best healers. Doable? I've seen amazing shaman healers. Skill can make up for a lot of weaknesses.
I've concluded that shamans are best for defense because of their totems, and are great for breaking through turtles with Purge and Earth Shock interrupts. A priest or druid will be probably a little better for heals, and rogues and hunters will be better damage. So not the best, but definitely brings some great utility to the table in the hands of a skilled player.
Shamans lack a lot of their most useful moves at 19. (Ghost Wolf, Chain Heal, Chain Lightening, Most Buff Totems)
Their main dps moves are Earth Shock, Lightening Bolt and Frost Shock. The shocks are amazing for burst damage and interrupting casters. Lightening bolt is really not powerful enough for the long cast time, too slow in my opinion for fast paced PvP. With dps, the problem is you have nothing to do when your shock is on cooldown. Cast Lightening Bolt? You opponent will start running in circles on top of you, interrupt, or run out of range. With all the swarms of hunters running around, even getting into melee range can be a challenge.
Totems. Like shocks, they have a pretty small range. Their damage is average, and thy can be quickly destroyed. Useless? Absolutely not, but a bit of luck, timing, and skill is needed. Earthbind Totem is the best totem in terms of pvp usefullness, but avoidable if your opponent knows what they're doing.
Lets talk healing. Cure Poison and Purge. Great abilities! A sneaky shaman can be incredibly annoying with Purge. Next are lesser and greater Healing Wave. Pretty basic, with decent numbers. Not having a shielding move or instant cast will make PvP Healing much more difficult though. Because every other healing class has these moves as well, they're not really the best healers. Doable? I've seen amazing shaman healers. Skill can make up for a lot of weaknesses.
I've concluded that shamans are best for defense because of their totems, and are great for breaking through turtles with Purge and Earth Shock interrupts. A priest or druid will be probably a little better for heals, and rogues and hunters will be better damage. So not the best, but definitely brings some great utility to the table in the hands of a skilled player.
Omgimarogue
OG
Banhamma!!
Naturaltalnt
OG
indeed, damn bots. -.-'
Insertgold
OG
At the moment they give my paladin the most trouble. Those earth shocks suck.
subpar
OG
I just took my almost-finished spellpower sham into WSG....and confirmed my suspicions that shams definately are NOT weak 
Im still getting the hang of playing the class at 19, but its fun so far.
The only downside is, Ive been leveling, gearing, and searching for enchants for more than 3 months...and now that I finally finish, I look like every other kid that rolled a sham just because of the ghostwolf change ;_;
Im still getting the hang of playing the class at 19, but its fun so far.The only downside is, Ive been leveling, gearing, and searching for enchants for more than 3 months...and now that I finally finish, I look like every other kid that rolled a sham just because of the ghostwolf change ;_;
Kirise
OG
Subpar said:I just took my almost-finished spellpower sham into WSG....and confirmed my suspicions that shams definately are NOT weak
I'd love to hear about your initial impressions and then later perspective as a spellpower shaman in the 19 bracket -- you should make a thread about that. Chop chop.
As long as you don't play like every other kid who rolled a sham because of the ghostwolf change, you'll do fine.
Bwappo
subpar
OG
Bwappo said:As long as you don't play like every other kid who rolled a sham because of the ghostwolf change, you'll do fine.
Bwappo
Thats the one upside to leveling to 19 before the patch. Im hoping to get good at my sham BEFORE they add more HP and GhostWolf. I figure, if I can consistently play well before the buff, it should be very nice after
Kirise
OG
Subpar said:Thats the one upside to leveling to 19 before the patch. Im hoping to get good at my sham BEFORE they add more HP and GhostWolf. I figure, if I can consistently play well before the buff, it should be very nice after
Sounds good.
...So how's the +sp shaman looking, now that it's a couple of weeks later? I'm especially interested in how much difficulty you may or may not run into with cast interruptions.Bwappo