Elemental Shamans to see DPS increase in 3.0.8
by Matthew Rossi 
Dec 23rd 2008 at 1:30PM
Since these changes haven't gone live yet, your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not they'll all combine to meet or even exceed GC's predictions. My shaman's elemental gear is solidly in that category of gear he states 'won't see quite such a lift' so as soon as I manage to get on the PTR and test it, I still won't be in the gear needed to really verify this.
Now all we need is to either fix mail itemization for elemental or let our friendly caster shaman get leather items drama free, and elemental will be in a good place.
Filed under: Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, News items, Talents, Buffs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Warlord Darkwood Dec 23rd 2008 1:39PM
Great Shammys get DPS buffs, Death Knights get DPS buffs and Hunters get a bug fat Major Nurf. Yeah Blizzard this sounds right.
Humpf Merry Christmas
Prophetik Dec 23rd 2008 1:49PM
Probably because Ele Shaman needed them desperately. Not hunters who are topping raid charts.
Dan Dec 23rd 2008 2:10PM
Actually, it does sound right. Hunters are out dpsing every other class, while shamies are the very lowest. In order to bring dps averages to within their stated goals, Blizzard is nerfing hunters to bring them down to where the other classes are, and buffing shamies to bring them up. It's simple math and it isn't hard to understand.
Tanglebones Dec 23rd 2008 2:09PM
I think this clearly indicates that hunters were naughty last year, while shamans were nice.
Evieth Dec 23rd 2008 2:18PM
Haha. Typical huntard crying foul play. I won't waste my time though, trying to convince you that huntards are seriously OP because its next to impossible to get someone to agree with anything on the internet nowadays.
Beatphreek Dec 23rd 2008 2:20PM
@Evieth
I disagree...
GoestCrawlahSux Dec 23rd 2008 2:46PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again: hybrid classes should not do the same DPS as pure DPS classes. Therefore, hunters SHOULD dps more than hybrid shamans (heals or dps), and SHOULD dps more than hybrid DKs (tanks or dps). All classes should have their pluses and minuses. Mages *should* do the most damage overall, but at the expense of being squishy. Hunters *should* do more DPS than shamans, but at the expense of not being able to do anything but DPS. This class-equalling crap has got to stop.
my2cents Dec 23rd 2008 3:07PM
Better find another game to play then GoestCrawlahSux. ;)
Does having a lot of raid buffs that increases raid dps/heals/survivability necessitate lower personal dps? Yes, to an extent.
But those buffs don't make such a huge difference that an Ele Shaman is still worth bringing even if he/she's only doing the same dps as the prot warrior who's tanking.
GC has said before that they want pure dps classes to be able to top the charts, but that hybrids who spec dps and have comparable gear should be able to come within 5-10% of that dps depending on what else that hybrid brings to the raid.
Whether you like it or not, that's the direction the devs are choosing to take us, at least for this expansion. And this is in fact what I'm seeing in raids for the most part, with the only consistant and obvious exception being Ele Shammies.
Neophyte Dec 23rd 2008 3:32PM
@GoestCrawlahSux
I hope you're not serious? DPS should be DPS.
All dps bring something else, Shammies it's heals. Hunters it's CC for example.
I can't think of any class that *just* dps's.
Draenors Dec 23rd 2008 5:10PM
Shamans can only perform one role at a time. Sure they can switch between them, and that's of course a big plus for the class. But as an Elemental Shaman who just stays as Elemental, my ability to spec Resto or Enhancement is totally WORTHLESS to the raid. I am only judged by my damage... and my totem buffs, of course.
Jon B Dec 23rd 2008 1:42PM
And the rogues still weep.
Dookieshed Dec 23rd 2008 1:43PM
MAINTENANCE EXTENDED
AAAAUUUUUGGHGHH
:(
:(
go shammys.
Nick S Dec 23rd 2008 1:44PM
Wow... the Ele Shammies I know must be really damn skilled, because they're not 20% behind...
SINisterWyvern Dec 23rd 2008 1:58PM
yeah more like 33% ahead, that's ridiculous.
Antipater Dec 23rd 2008 2:17PM
or the dps you know really sucks
FireStar Dec 23rd 2008 2:42PM
If you notice the post by GC, he implictly states that an ele shammies dps doesn't scale as well with gear. Since he said a shaman in heroic blues and not much SP won't see a 20% increase, that's what this implies to me. That would also imply that ele shammies with not much gear may be doing ok dps compared with other people in that respective category of gear.
hold up Dec 23rd 2008 1:47PM
Glad to see. As a mana user I always welcome ele shamans. They should just buff totem of wrath by 20%... you know, to keep the pvp people from QQing.
Kinetik Dec 23rd 2008 1:59PM
@Nick S: I actually have seen myself approx 20% (or more) behind similarly-geared DPS in my guild (ie: those I raid with and know they know their stuff). PUG'ing is a different story though, the numbers are usually a lot closer due to the randomness of players you get matched up with. I get rather disturbed when I out-DPS a mage, as that shouldn't ever happen, all things being equal. :P
Nick S Dec 23rd 2008 2:17PM
In a 25-man raid of min-maxers, I've only seen a couple of Eles. Their overall DPS (counting trash &tc) was around where the Rogues were, and their boss DPS was about 5% behind the Rogues.
If the benchmark for appropriate DPS is (BM Hunters)*0.85, then I'd say Ele Shamans are about 5-10% behind. Perhaps, though, like I said, the Shamans I raided with were just very skilled; I meant no sarcasm.
jester917 Dec 23rd 2008 2:00PM
I have pretty good gear, just missing 5 epics, head, shoulders, back, weapon and trinket and I'm only pushing 2k dps with 28% base crit and 335 haste, 150ish spell hit, 2150 bonus damage self buffed. Yes we do need the buff very badly. I spent hecka time farming mats for my JC items i've crafted for myself and cannot see any visible difference when equipping a few items at a time dps wise. There are no really good ele shammy's out there on hyjal that output dps equivalent or better than mine. Actually come to think of it I could only think of maybe 3 horde side that push good dps and I don't see them on anymore since WoTlk.