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[WoW] [Shaman], Enhancing your PVPs like crazy
Posts
imp fire nova is better than imp shields?
Steam XBL PSN twitter Pokemon White: 1635-6745-4744 3DS 3437-3224-1694
In general I would say yes. The extra AE helps a lot on trash (PADDIN DEM NUMBAHS), the extra shield damage helps only barely at all on single target.
LoL: failboattootoot
I guess for leveling shields would be better since you're getting hit a lot.
Steam XBL PSN twitter Pokemon White: 1635-6745-4744 3DS 3437-3224-1694
Not that I mind, but it can be easily avoided for fairly similar damage. Possibly less, I haven't checked the damage comparisons on AoE packs at 85.
Is Enhance best for leveling? (I know Ele is viable now) and which spec is best for solo'ing old world dungeons and raids? I have seen guys on youtube using both but Enhance seemed to be the prefered spec.
Personally, I would say that elemental is likely more convenient since it's more suited to engaging multiple targets and fighting at range than enh, which might make it better for the run and gun playstyle of leveling content.
I've leveled two Hunters, a Rogue, and a DK; and the Shaman is second only to the Hunters in leveling speed and efficiency. And Ghost Wolf helps a TON at low levels.
I'm leveling Enhancement.
It's amazingly effective. Mana isn't really an issue with a normal rotation. You run in, drop totems and kill things. Lightning Shield does double duty and things drop QUICK. I've run in and aggroed 7 or 8 dudes in the old world at yellow level to me and killed them all without too much trouble.
Don't underestimate Shamanistic Fury and instant ghostwolf+earthbind. The only way I ever really have to be concerned about mana is for using the quick and big heal (which is what I exclusively use since I always have the mana), and when I'm using chain lightning for groups in instances.
Enhancement kills things fast with ZERO downtime and is kinda tough as nails to boot.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Sounds like either is viable, liking the look of Enhance though now you get DW at 10 (I think you do?) with what Derrick said.
Steam XBL PSN twitter Pokemon White: 1635-6745-4744 3DS 3437-3224-1694
0/3 Improved Shields - While a small boost, it's the only talent here that directly increases your single target damage, so still a good choice for hardcore min/max single target raid boss DPS
0/2 Ancestral Swifness (Improved Ghost Wolf) - Now that it works indoors, this is a really strong talent for quickly moving between targets and will indirectly increase your raid damage (and super handy for leveling of course)
0/2 Totemic Reach - Useful for spread out fights or to make sure Hunters are getting your totem buffs, but not really that useful overall
0/3 Toughness - Mostly for PvP, could be interesting on fights with a lot of slows but generally not that good for PvE
0/2 Frozen Power - Another PvP talent, though it could be really useful if we see another fight with kitting
0/2 Improved Fire Nova Totem - Won't help with your single-target damage but still pretty solid for any AoE encounter/trash (though if Cata dungeons are as CC-focused as people say it may not be that useful)
0/2 Earthen Power - PvP talent but again could be useful on specific raid encounters
Personally I went with Ancestral Swiftness and 2 points of Improved Shields, but I'm interested in hearing other opinions. It seems like Ancestral Swiftness, Improved Fire Nova Totems, Totemic Reach and Improved Shields are the main contenders for PvE.
I'm still leveling, so I went with both totem talents (though that kinda kills me inside a little). I figured there are enough aoe zerg pulls that I might as well get the extra AoE.
Honestly though, it's kind of a wash because things die so fast the second AoE blast is largely wasted.
I'll have to see how much faster the AoE pulls drop when I get 60+, as well as the overall viability of AoE zerging instances after the tank nerfs. I haven't had a chance to play in a while due to traveling.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Imp Shields isn't terrible, either, since Static Shock puts LS into play even when not being attacked. It's a small DPS boost, but a boost nonetheless.
But really, drop it. Once you have a feel for positioning, you won't ever need it.
Steam XBL PSN twitter Pokemon White: 1635-6745-4744 3DS 3437-3224-1694
You get to level 40, and it's like "You like the last 10 levels, huh? You like your windfury, your magma totem, your mail armor? Yeah, you like that, huh? Well, your next major class skill comes in outland, enjoy the next 20 levels, fucker." Then deathwing comes and takes a dump on your face.
But isn't that what Cataclysm is all about?
My Shaman's been 80 since TBC so I can't speak to leveling one.
Not having maelstrom weapon is as bad, it opens up 6 or 8 skills to be usable.
Really, with no MW, the following skills are really post-outlands for enhance shamans, at least to use on any kind of regular basis:
Lightning
Chain lightning
Chain Heal
Healing Surge
That's two big parts of both the single target and ae rotation, and basically all of the healing power of the class.
Not to mention that hex and feral spirit are also post-outlands, which is 90% of the CC of the class.
/confused
Well, it started that way, at least. There's some effort, sure, but I've yet to see much in terms of completion.
Guess that's more for the main chat thread. I can't say I've been impressed, though, specially with shaman.
My favorite thing is slowly working up my flame shock's duration over the course of the fight because of that set bonus. I'm going to miss it
Then again, maybe demon math can prove that ES at 6-7 helps not waste your shock cooldown or somesuch, but that seems like it'd be a very hard thing to model.
It wouldn't be that hard to model whether you should always wait for 9 or if some other number is ideal; you'd just have to track orb gains to find a sustainable number that meshed with the cooldown and then see how the opportunity cost of earthshocking at (say) seven orbs works out. I suspect you always want to wait for nine though, because ES by itself isn't better at damage than lightning bolt, and you get the same damage from unloading the orbs whether you have 7 or 9 (assuming waiting for nine doesn't wind up causing you to waste orb gains, as in my example above.)
my unofficial autobio will be accompanied with tips on how to smile
cause I've found that when they don't see you frown, they never know that you're a threat
and they don't sweat you when you came around
Are Elemental shaman competitive at the raiding level?
Is there a knowledge base out there on Elemental's performance at that level, like from the beta testing? I'd hate to ask questions about something with readily available answers.
I believe they're about even currently, not sure about 85.
This, so much. I had a ton of fun with enhancement in BT/Sunwell days, twisting wf/goa. The rotation already felt much easier once I didn't have to do that, now I just don't even enjoy the spec anymore.
Elemental looks a lot more fun though.