Shaman Review in 1.11

[Itzena]

For the aggro-decreaser, they could add a new quested mage spell (where the quest is running around trapping undead beings' souls in jars) and then add it as a Use: ability to an end-game set of leggings a few expansions down the line.

What?

[Divinefactor]

but you should only be able to cast your agro reduction spell a certian number of times per combat which increases as you level, but may be increased in later expansions

[Kasonic]

Originally Posted by Divinefactor

but you should only be able to cast your agro reduction spell a certian number of times per combat which increases as you level, but may be increased in later expansions

Assuming you scaled that correctly, it would have the exact same effect as a percentage-based effect...?

Personally, I don't care what we get of the review. As long as I can still take Ice Block and optionally some other aggro-reducer, I'm fine. The part I'm enjoying the most is the mage tears about how their precious review is being 'shared' by the Shamans, instantly concluding it will somehow be lessened or shortened because of this.

As for Shamans, the talent overhaul better be god damn drastic; they also need some more interactive healing options(to save player sanity) or ideally some abilities that allow you to convert damage to mana, similar to what Paladins get from Judgment of Light and Holy Shock.

[JohnQuincyAdams]

Are there any shaman issues that could be addressed without major reworkings to the grouping system? When playing my shaman, the only problems I experienced were with totems and how totems would affect only my group; if certain members of my group died, I would need to be switched to a different group for maximum effectiveness. Paladins have blessings (and auras) as a counterpart to totems, but blessings do not require a group: they're more fire-and-forget. There is a bug with certain AOE abilities damaging totems, and it will be fixed. I'm having a hard time coming up with things that will be reviewed for shamans.

Mages have more problems: all final tier talents (Ice Barrier, Arcane Power, and Combustion) are dispellable. Shamans' Elemental Mastery can be dispelled; but from what I have discussed with shamans, this isn't as big of as problem as with mage talents. Another mage complaint is the reliance of the Arcane tree. Evocation and IAE, as mentioned, will possibly become standard abilities. This will free up talent points to be spent deeper in frost or fire trees, but the problem with more talents in either of those is that only one type of spell is used at once: the trees do not complement one another well.

It is interesting to speculate what the patch notes will show.

[Divinefactor]

Originally Posted by Kasonic

Assuming you scaled that correctly, it would have the exact same effect as a percentage-based effect...?

I was referring to Itzena's post about the "Brain Bite" (concussion) quest from everquest, then applying it to keyrings :P

[Praetor]

Originally Posted by JohnQuincyAdams

Are there any shaman issues that could be addressed without major reworkings to the grouping system? When playing my shaman, the only problems I experienced were with totems and how totems would affect only my group; if certain members of my group died, I would need to be switched to a different group for maximum effectiveness. Paladins have blessings (and auras) as a counterpart to totems, but blessings do not require a group: they're more fire-and-forget. There is a bug with certain AOE abilities damaging totems, and it will be fixed. I'm having a hard time coming up with things that will be reviewed for shamans.

For starters, revamping our talent trees so that they aren't comprised of 50% useless junk. This post from a month ago on these boards remains one of the best comprehensive overhauls I've seen proposed, and would be balanced:

http://www.fohguild.org/forums/442100-post99.html

The fire-based +spelldam totem seems like a no-brainer. Right now shamans offer so little to a caster group, and it'd fit the class well, I think.

Separately, I don't think they need to touch the grouping system. Totems work fine as a group-based mechanic, and shuffling shamans around in raid groups is a welcome strategic element. They do need to fix totems in mobile encounters -- my pet idea to that end would be making totems pulse their buffs for a short duration, so that you only need to move near the totem periodically to "refresh" your buff, a la Andronov in the Rajaxx event. That would be a trivial change to code, since lots of things (Windfury totem for example) already work this way.

Alternately, a more fundamental change to totem mechanics would be to remove the global cooldowns on dropping totems, and the mana cost from dropping a totem. Instead, make active totems drain the shaman's mana periodically, so that when you drop SoE totem instead of paying 340 mana up-front for a 2min duration, you pay zero, but the SoE totem consumes 14 mana every 5 seconds while active. If you need to drop it on the other side of the room 20 seconds later, you aren't paying any additional mana just to move your totem. To preserve PvP balance, if a totem is destroyed by taking damage, subtract the mana cost equivalent to its remaining duration from the shaman, essentially maintaining the status quo -- otherwise killing a shaman's totems in PvP effectively does nothing. If the totem expires on its own, however, there's no such loss. Also, add a command shamans can use to dismiss all existing totems (again, no mana penalty incurred). Under these (admittedly somewhat convoluted) changes, shamans are no longer penalized for fights that require them to move around.

[blindeye]

Originally Posted by Gryzx

Honestly don't know why Shaman and Mages would be happy about this, 2 classes at the same time is most likely to mean small changes ie similiar to the war & warlock "review"

Am I missing something here? Given the changes that happened to wars and locks I'd be really happy.

[DJk_zero]

Originally Posted by blindeye

Am I missing something here? Given the changes that happened to wars and locks I'd be really happy.

If you played a warrior you'd realize the falicy in that statement.

[blindeye]

Originally Posted by DJk_zero

If you played a warrior you'd realize the falicy in that statement.

I realize the "gear dependecy" issue, like I see where that's coming from and all. If it ment I could be as good as warriors but it ment I'd have to really work for the gear to do it, I wouldn't complain. But then again I'm not a warrior.

[Burning_Samurai]

Fucking mages are the last class that needs a review.

EDIT: Can't wait for rogue review, "Imp Distraction and Imp Garrot removed. Congrats"
Seriously, rogues have literally recieved 3 buffs since release and like 85 nerfs/"fixes". Getting tired of this shit. http://shadowpanther.net/roguechanges.htm

[Kargon]

The amount of morons that post here these days is astounding.

[Ameraves Loyalheart]

Originally Posted by Zinke

From what I've seen hinted at on the blizz boards, signs point to them giving mages some way of reducing aggro. Whether that means changing 'Arcane Subtetly' to effect all offensive spells, or adding a 'Fire subtetly' and 'Frost subtetly', or actually adding a 'feint' type spell.. remains to be seen.

I think they will get a talent to make a % of their int into +damage, similar to the priest talent Spiritual Guidance.

Also, some of the posts on the boards from blizz people suggests that they want to make the elementalist build (fire/frost) more viable. Considering Arcane is only picked because certain talents are required, either they are moving those to other trees (gimping arcane), making them standard, or re-doing the entire arcane theme. If they take the talents that everyone takes in arcane, evoc and IAE, standard, then there will be very little reason to put points in arcane. Unless, they replace them with similarly mandatory talents, or re-do the entire tree. Fire is useless for PvE right now, and elementalist build is semi-popular in PvP already.

Don't forget they already stated that mages are getting invis back. I forsee invis working just like fade. Cast it during combat and you reduce aggro for that short amount of time. Watch =P

[Kasonic]

Originally Posted by Burning_Samurai

Fucking mages are the last class that needs a review.

EDIT: Can't wait for rogue review, "Imp Distraction and Imp Garrot removed. Congrats"
Seriously, rogues have literally recieved 3 buffs since release and like 85 nerfs/"fixes". Getting tired of this shit. http://shadowpanther.net/roguechanges.htm

I would take this post seriously if Rogues were in any way underpowered. You need a review even less than I do.

Also, I love how that link lists "You can issue pet commands while you are stunned, fleeing, etc." as a ROGUE NERF.

[Surlok TP]

Originally Posted by Kasonic

I would take this post seriously if Rogues were in any way underpowered. You need a review even less than I do.

Also, I love how that link lists "You can issue pet commands while you are stunned, fleeing, etc." as a ROGUE NERF.

Pets could/can attack you through stealth despite their owner not being able to see you.That is buggy though,the reason it's a nerf is because you can Gouge and if you have imp Gouge you can drop combat before the stun drops allowing you to re-stealth and open or take off,having a pet on you doesn't allow that to happen.

Right wrong or otherwise,it's techincally a nerf in the traditional sense of the word...

The Shaman review at the same time as mages is interesting since there seems to be so much comparison between Elemental Shaman and Mages and the damage they put out. I leveled a shaman as Enhance and just stuck with it at 60 for fun, cause no one seemed to be enhance. It was frustrating having your best abilites be basically procs and sit there and grit your teeth hoping for somethign to go off....I cam curious to see if they will alter Enhancment at all cause I really like that aspect of the class,it just needs to have a consistent DPS line to follow with the WF burst things added on top or something,so you have somethign dependable to work with above the procs.

Still no one will want shaman that is Enhancement specced,cause no matter what they do to it , I doubt they wold go so far as to make it actually useful to a group ...

[Alamando]

Originally Posted by Surlok TP

It was frustrating having your best abilites be basically procs and sit there and grit your teeth hoping for somethign to go off....I cam curious to see if they will alter Enhancment at all cause I really like that aspect of the class,it just needs to have a consistent DPS line to follow with the WF burst things added on top or something,so you have somethign dependable to work with above the procs.

Dear Shamanses,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

<3,
Paladins omg trolling~