How would they fix shamans?
by Matthew Rossi 
Jan 11th 2008 at 3:56PM
Resto4Now's Draezele and Mendax.org's WyldKard go back and forth on how to fix shamans. WyldKard focuses especially on totem mobility. It's a subject near and dear to my heart as someone with both a resto and enhancement shaman kicking around. How much fixing do we need, really?
I personally don't think we need as much love as Draezele suggests (I definitely think we need some, but her suggestions on revamping talents seem more than I'd think we needed, you may disagree of course), but I'm all sorts of in support of some sort of totem mobility or duration fix. Frankly, WyldKard's idea that we be able to pull up and reposition our totems appeals greatly to me. Failing that, I'd like a duration fix of some sort so I don't have to drop them every two minutes during a boss fight that can last up to ten. It's not just annoying, it can actually kill people I'm supposed to be healing if I'm locked out with global cooldowns trying to reapply my buffs to the party via totems. The whole reason to bring a shaman to raids is to get those buffs, it shouldn't be this fundamentally a hassle.
Take a look and see what you think.
Filed under: Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Classes, Buffs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mark Jan 11th 2008 4:09PM
I definately agree Shaman totems should last much longer. I don't really understand why they up'd Paladin's Greater Blessings from 15min to 30 min and not the Shaman totems.
Not to steal the topic away from Shaman, but Warriors have been complaining about the 2 minute duration of their shouts forever.
Thanurge Jan 12th 2008 4:49AM
They did at least somewhat. The Healing Stream/mana totems used to last only 1 minute. Now they last 2. That really made me happy when they did that. But still, further extention of duration would be great.
Charlie Jan 11th 2008 4:10PM
As a resto shaman I would give up my left arm to not have totems tied to the global cooldown. How many times have you run in with a tank and rogues to a boss, dropped your three totems, resulting in 4.5 seconds of no healing only to have to blow nature's swiftness to get your tank back into a comfy health range. A lot can happen in 4.5 seconds. And forget taking that 4.5 seconds again late in a boss fight after a few healers have dropped due to this or that and you're basically spam healing.
Grrr. Just take em off the GCD already.
-velvet
Algorithm Jan 11th 2008 5:39PM
Off Global Cooldown: Issues
The issue with totems not being on the global cooldown is PvP balance from what I understand.
Imagine a shaman running up to a , slapping their "all my totems" macro and suddenly being fully totem buffed.
Part of what makes shamans "balanced" in PvP or an intended weakness to the class is that you cannot be mobile with your totems and have to manage totems casting decisions in stressful PvP situations.
If you think this limitation is unwarrented, join the other 8 classes that think their class is too weak in PvP.
Solution (In my opinion):
Increasing the duration of totems would not have a significant PvP impact. It would also be more mana efficient. I think that's a better solution in terms of annoyance (you would only have to remember to put them down once).
PeeWee Jan 11th 2008 7:04PM
"Increasing the duration of totems would not have a significant PvP impact."
Heh, no it wouldn't, since no totems survive in PvP more than 5 seconds anyway!
What shamans could have is a "totem bar" that can pop two totems at the same time. You select what totems to drop beforehand, and then slam four totems with two GCD instead of 4. ^^
Spoony Jan 11th 2008 4:26PM
Yea i really dislike them being on our global cooldown, i almost rarely cast more then 1 or 2 for trash because by the time i would get 4 down it's dead and i did nothing.
One thing i'd love to see is totems not having timers (for the buff ones not the damage ones) you put them down and they stay there until you remove them or cast them again. They aren't mobile and the buff is based on range so it has all the same functionality as they do now without the rebuffing during any fight length.
What i'd really like to see as well, though this is probably asking for way to much, is getting rid of charges on the shields and instead putting it on a cooldown that procs but lasts like 30 min. It is a pain constantly having to recast my shield, and if i actually want it up always a huge mana drain. There is already enough i have to watch with all the cooldowns to have to watch the charges on my shields too.
Nuronv Jan 11th 2008 4:29PM
I don't think Shamans need a massive amount of buffs and are certainly not "broken". They have their issues but which class doesn't.
The Totems issue is a valid point, they do need the times increased. If they do that it also take away the main problem with them being on the GD, after all if they don't need to be redone during a fight your not having to trigger the cooldown.
Alchemistmerlin Jan 30th 2008 2:52PM
Hasn't at least one of the creative team openly stated that no one on staff plays shamans, and that WoW "Only Has 8 classes"
Drye Jan 11th 2008 4:35PM
Why can't they make totems easy.
Mana cost for casting them. say 25% of current cost.
Option1:
Each totem has a -%mp5 to your regen as cost for leaving them out. Each totem subtracts mp5 thus costing you mana to have them out indefinitely.
Option2:
debuff to subtract x%mp5 every 2 or 5 seconds for each totem while they are out.
Scoottie Jan 11th 2008 4:42PM
Having mobile totems is essential to fixing the Shamans. Blizz can make them float around the shaman like Earth/Water/Lightning Shield or keep them in the fixed position they are now but just simple make them move with the shaman like a pet. The mechanics in getting this fix are already in the game.
Syme Jan 11th 2008 4:50PM
I don't mind totems being immoble. The fix I want most of all is removing totems from the global cooldown. If you drop all 4, that's 6 seconds. Barring that, the ability to define sets that can be dropped all at once would be great. Removing the GCD is probably a simpler fix though.
Syme Jan 11th 2008 4:52PM
I don't mind totems being immobile. The fix I most want to see is removing totems from the global cooldown. Being able to define a set of totems that can all be dropped at once would be great, though removing the GCD is probably simpler.
Syme Jan 11th 2008 4:53PM
I don't mind totems being immobile. The fix I most want to see is removing totems from the global cooldown. Being able to define a set of totems that can all be dropped at once would be great, though removing the GCD is probably simpler.
thebvp Jan 11th 2008 5:06PM
Yeah, the 2 minute timer thing seems obnoxious, especially given what they did to pally buffs.
What if they allowed you to cast a "greater" totem- something with a much larger cast time, but at the cost of a reagent? lol as if you have to carry enough stuff around with you already, they could make it cheap and stack to 100. To keep your toolbar from exploding from having twice as many totems, they could have a "buff button" off the GCD like a priest's inner focus. "Next totem cast gains X many more hitpoints, lasts Y longer. Uses Z reagent."
Or how about, say, an ability that allows you to place totems ahead of you. It would work like shadowfury or a grenade. "Throw totem." ...wait, then I wouldn't be able to kite you guys on my priest. ;)
Taunto Jan 11th 2008 5:36PM
Tremor totem should work just like Windfury Totem, i.e., every 5 seconds it should give a short (10s) buff to nearby players that gives them _immunity_ to fear, not a pulse that breaks fear every 5 seconds or so. This would make the totem actually work without violently changing game mechanics.
Creepiest Jan 11th 2008 5:37PM
There are three problems with the totem system first being the GCD, then Mobility(mostly in raids), and surviveability(im talkin arenas and AoE insta dispels).
As a 57 shammy(enhance and elem) this is how i think it should be fixed. First of all every totem should apply a short buff(3 to 5 min) when in range instead of having to stay in range to keep the buff, this will help with the mobility and survivability of the totems since they dont have to be right in the middle of the fighting. You should be able to drop the totems nearby and just have to run within the range to get the effect.
Each totem element should have its own cooldown so you can drop all four real quickly and if you reapply a totem while its active then it should cost less mana.
And finally I think a spell that that casts all four totems at once should be made, maybe you have to preset which four or it just it casts the the last four that you had down.
I think these type of changes will make utilizing totems much more fun and less of a chore as well. There are other problems with totems like having useless and redundent totems(Im lookin at you Sentry totem) but that could be save for some later article.
moog Jan 11th 2008 5:39PM
Excuse me if i sound a bit harsh here, but what the hell are you people talking about?
If people die while you're re-casting your totems, you're doing it f-in wrong. This is what seperates good shamans from bad shamans... there's no need to fix something that the class is based upon.
You can't compare paladin buffs to the totem system in the first place, they're just not the same and were never meant to be.
Calaana Jan 11th 2008 5:38PM
Take the totems of gcd, instead have each element have a small cooldown on them(5-10 seconds). Don't need them mobile, it's not like we're a paladin. I don't mind the two minutes, but I wouldn't complain if they bumped it up to five minutes or so, but any longer and you start to loose the totem aspect to paladin again.
Don't need cc, again wouldn't complain if we got banish elemental or similar, but improved ghost wolf could use a 33% chance to break cc per rank, and be usable while cc'd.
Give enhancement a 30 yard charge talent that's only usable in puppy form, similar to the warriors.
Mental could use another nuke type.. I know we're nature but come on already. Those lock outs really hurt.
Sort the talents into the tree's the should be in. Every shaman knows what I'm talking about here.
Buff the totems a little bit, some of them are quite useful but after level five tend to loose effectiveness. Cough windwall cough.
Add a /growl emote for when we're in puppy form! The most important shaman change I can see.
kenney Jan 11th 2008 5:49PM
I think the 2 biggest issues that shamans seem to face are the threat ceiling and mana inefficiency vs developers that are becoming more and more fond of long fights.
I'm surprised to see totem management at the forefront.
T-4 Jan 12th 2008 9:22PM
What are you talking about? They've given us a lot of threat management, and plenty of mana efficiency. Those two issues were plaguing Shamans, but they have actually been addressed and are relatively good now. The only things that are bothering Shamans now are lack of CC/anti-CC, survivability, and the totem mechanic.