Totem Talk: Patch 3.3 PTR Roundup Madness
by Matthew Rossi 
Oct 15th 2009 at 3:00PM
Before I say anything else, let me reassure elemental shamans, your Tier 10 relic is going to have haste instead of crit. Coming from someone who is at best a middling elemental shaman, even I knew that crit isn't terribly compelling to a spec that can force a crit whenever it wants. We covered the relics the other day, but I wanted to make sure to go over that change in case anyone was scratching their head at a crit totem for a spec that doesn't really need it anymore.
Yesterday's changes on the PTR weren't terribly expansive, so let's reproduce the relevant ones here.
- Reincarnation: The cooldown on this spell has been lowered from 60 minutes down to 50 minutes (Improved Reincarnation will continue to lower the cooldown by 10/20 minutes).
- Elemental - Your Earth Shock, Flame Shock, and Frost Shock spells grant 73 critical strike rating for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times. (We now know this will be haste for 30 seconds.)
- Enhancement - Your Stormstrike ability grant 146 attack power rating for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
- Restoration - Your Riptide spell grants 85 spell power for 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
First, we'll discuss the Reincarnation change. While I find the tone of a lot of the comments to be deplorably aggressive (frankly, we as a class tend to go ape on the forums) I can't argue with the point being made: reducing Reincarnation to a 50 minute cooldown from 60, and having the talent shave at most another 20 minutes off of it, ends up with a 30 minute cooldown that is twice as long as any other such ability. That being said, Ghostcrawler's point here is perfectly valid: as soon as Reincarnation is usable every fight, it will be used every fight. Heck, we use ankh's in Heroic TotC (probably wouldn't have gotten our Twins kill without them) to get a DPS or healer up as soon as it's relatively safe to do so. Why wouldn't you? Reincarnation is dependable: you know you'll have it no matter what if a shaman dies. Still, I don't think anyone talents for it (I know I don't) - perhaps we would if it could get the cooldown to 15 minutes, perhaps we wouldn't.
The comment linked to above also makes an interesting point (that's completely unrelated to patch 3.3 except that now's as good a time as any to fix it) that the orc Blood Fury racial is useless for Resto Shamans, and only Resto Shamans, out of every other spec/class an orc can possibly play. (And since orc mages will most likely receive the exact same version that warlocks do now, that will continue into Cataclysm unless fixed.) Since I play an orc shaman and I'm incredibly selfish, I'm hoping this will be fixed and it will simply add AP and Spell Power for shamans in the future. It's not a major issue, but it vexes me. Since we're running around getting new totems for trolls and orcs (and incoming new totems for dwarves even though they won't even be in the game for a while) it seems like a good time to buff Blood Fury.
We mentioned Fire Nova Totem becoming an aura emitted by any fire totem when it was first announced, and one of the big concerns from commenters was that this seemed better for enhancement, with their up-close fighting style, than elemental who stay in the back casting spells. Since then I've gotten the chance to run Pit of Saron with Tristan from the Extremists podcast as well as transfer my orc over, and I have to say, both Tristan's comments and my own experience bear out that you'll use the totem as AoE about as much as any other caster. It's as if you had Arcane Explosion but you could drop it and then run away from where it was going to be. The tank on each run was so solid that it's hard to tell how much threat the totem aura puts out: mobs didn't seem to be running to one shot it, but that could be a consequence of a massive aggro lead. At any rate, the damage felt competitive for AoE, it's certainly not terribly hard to get the totem into range of an AoE pack, and at least I am looking forward to seeing it on live.
Okay, now let's talk about those relics again.
The elemental one would have been frankly terrible as crit. As haste, especially with a 30 second duration and the ability to stack three times, it's better. But does it really wow you enough to cast aside your Totem of Electrifying Winds? It will really depend on a comparison of uptime, ultimately. Does the three stack (219 haste) build up fast enough and stay up long enough to be better than a flat 200 haste? This is simply a question that will have to wait until someone gets one and does some tests. At least you have more options on how you might proc the new totem's effects, and that's something.
The new enhancement totem is even less impressive until we know proc rate and uptime. The Totem of Quaking Earth just seems like it will give you more AP (even a three stack of the 146 AP from the new totem will be, when fully stacked, 438 AP, just barely above the Quaking Earth, and you need to get it stacked) so again, we're talking about how long it will take to proc. (For the moment, let's just pretend that some theorycrafters aren't already saying the ToEW is better for single target enhancement damage than the Quaking Earth, as that kind of discussion is going to complicate this even more.) I'm hopeful the enhancement totem will also see a 30 second duration as the elemental one has.
The resto totem has a similar problem: it just doesn't seem all that much better than the T9 level Totem of Calming Tides. The exact same issues with duration, stacking and uptime: if you're going to have the buff start off so much smaller and stack up, it really has to stack faster. Once we see these in action we'll know more.
Next week, either back to leveling or (hopefully) more discussion of patch 3.3 and shamans, with a side possibility of talking about shamans in TotC/TotGC.
Check out more strategies, tips and leveling guides for Shamans in Matthew Rossi's weekly class column: Totem Talk. Filed under: Shaman, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, News items, Expansions, (Shaman) Totem Talk, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Zach Oct 15th 2009 3:08PM
19 extra haste rating that needs to be stacked up first? Really, Blizzard?
paul Oct 15th 2009 3:09PM
Still, we dont have it that bad. I mean, T10 will be the armour we wear going into cata, and we will be facing a big fire breathing dragon.
And hunters will be wearing T10 made of wood as they start to take on a big fire breathing dragon.
Fire.....
Hunters......
Wood......
Glad im not a hunter.
t0xic Oct 15th 2009 3:17PM
I'm thinking Adamantium-themed armor for the final raid of Cataclysm. Wood just seems so last expansion.
wow.carlson Oct 19th 2009 6:41PM
You do realize that level 82 greens are going to be better then T10 right?
TERU Nov 29th 2009 10:00PM
@carlson
My SWP gear wasn't replaced by greens EVER, Blue/Purple Heroic gear replaced a few pieces before we really got into naxx/eoe/Sarth. Cataclysm will be the same. Those of us that will actually be sporting T10.5 -.75 will not be replacing it again until we start raiding Cataclysm.
I for one can't wait to put ol' Ragnaros in his place... AGAIN
habutai Oct 15th 2009 3:21PM
I posted in the tier gear forum that perhaps ele would like a stacking SP buff? I see a lot of ele whining that they don't want more haste.
Personally, I roll enhancement and I use electrifying winds which has great synergy with LBs off MW procs. Usually as the first proc is wearing down, MW is to 4 or 5 again and ready to proc it for me again. When it is on along with other procs and WF totem, my weapon speed is a ludicrous 1.34.
What I'd like to know is what Mr. Rossi thinks about the stacking proc on the DPS DK relic being (literally) twice as good as the enhancement shaman one (twice as good in raids anyway when one takes into account kings and how raw stats increase with kings but green stats such as AP do not).
Vogie Oct 15th 2009 3:46PM
That's something no one's commented on... When the great sundering of keywords, suddenly Kings WILL increase attack power & Spellpower. How interesting it will make it that all trinkets will act like Darkmoon Card: Greatness.
nymrohd Oct 15th 2009 3:56PM
I think the relics do not have a proc rate. They read as if they always proc when the ability is used (so you just need to built the stack and keep it up). It would make sense as well, given that otherwise they would all be marginal improvements to the t9 relics (this goes for all classes btw).
Squeek Oct 15th 2009 3:58PM
@habutai: It's not that we don't like haste. We love haste! It's just that our t9 relic was haste, and it could be up the entire fight rather than waiting between 36 and 54 seconds based on what Tier you're currently wearing for it to be at full capacity. And even then, the difference is 19 haste. It's hardly noticeable.
We would prefer a relic that actually gave us spellpower, or at least one that can proc off of a better source.
While I was complaining about the Crit on this relic, it made me finally realize why blizz has such a hard time balancing Elemental out. It's because almost every change made for Elemental is going to affect Enhancement. Enhance is in a pretty good place right now and they clearly don't need many PvE buffs (except one that makes Wolves work properly). Almost every relic that exists for Elemental could actually buff Enhancement more, which was the case when the t9 relics first came out, actually.
This, of course, could be easily remedied by just giving us a damn spellpower relic instead.
As for the actual tests done on the new relic, some early numbers are out and say that you need to be in a fight for 204 seconds (just over three minutes) for it to break even with the current relic. Therefore, this is useless for trash and bosses where you cannot shock within 30 seconds (can't think of any off the top of my head other than Beasts where your 27-second FS is about to fall off as Gormok dies and you don't refresh it).
thebitterfig Oct 15th 2009 4:58PM
There may be ways to get procs before you go into battle, engineering target dummies have been suggested (two shocks on one of those, plus open on the boss with Flame Shock), and a lot of instances do have critters, but the point is still valid. Elementals shock so infrequently that the ramp-up is killer, and heaven forbid you accidentally let it drop for one reason or another.
W/R/T being a near-copy of the t9 totem, I expect that it will be quite low on the "need to get" list for Shamans of the elemental persuasion, and it will be almost a "I have nothing else i want to buy with badges, might as well get the totem" sort of replacement...
Jeff Oct 15th 2009 4:08PM
Am I missing something? I don't see anything about a proc in the new relics. The way I read it is you use the ability you get the buff. So the time it would take to stack the buff is the same as it would take you to use the ability 3 times. Once it has been stacked it will most likely be up for the remainder of the fight. It seems to me that stacking 3 should happen relatively quickly.
The other thing I don't understand is you are comparing it to a "a flat 200 haste" from the old relic. The way I read those relics, they have the proc on them. I don't know what the chance for that proc is, but wouldn't the constant up time ( after the 3 stack ) be better than an on / off buff?
Saf Oct 15th 2009 4:09PM
In regards to Rossi's comments on Fire Nova causing agro for the totem, I've done some tests personally with Fire Nova, and it actually counts as an attack from the Shaman, not totem.
This means that a) agro goes to Shaman, and b) it tags mobs.
Yes, with Fire Nova, Shaman can actually clear SM Cath in one pull, with 1 spell cast (baring AOE cap problems), and loot the mobs afterwards.
Spork Oct 15th 2009 4:09PM
The relics do seem rather poor yes..
As an enh, shaman, I see my Totem of Quaking Earth is pretty much active all the time after the first proc.
Proc rate is high enough and cooldown on Lava Lash is low enough that it re-procs before it ends.
Now judging by the text, new Enhancement relic will be guaranteed proc so it also won't fall off (at least not in single-target fights), but it'll have to be a long-ish fight before the barely 10% higher AP in the end compensates for a pretty big loss in the first 24 seconds of the fight.
Looks like I'll be going for the "Elemental" one as well, if I upgrade at all. The extra haste just seems more useful as a first impression, as it means more maelstrom procs & melee damage.
habutai Oct 15th 2009 4:20PM
I agree. The enhancement-specific totems have generally not been as good for us as the elemental ones have been particularly since in WOTLK we are even more heavily hybridized in our damage mix than in BC due to MW. I've been doing a haste build, and it is working swimmingly.
If they want to steer enhancement into the enhancement totems, they need to cater to the enhancement crowd. Give us haste/crit/straight AGIL and/or INT in a comparable amount to what they are giving other classes (ours stacking to 3 when DK and druid stack to 5? lame sauce!). Maybe then we'll go for it.
Before I got electrifying winds, I had the one that gave 60 haste on I think Lavalash? stormstrike? I don't remember; electrifying winds is much, much better even for an "on chance" totem. Especially since I'm firing off a LB every time I have stacks enough for it where Lavalash is at the bottom of my priority as far as hitting things goes which makes the AP on Lavalash totem unattractive to me since the buff won't have as much uptime as something higher in priority.
Croe Oct 15th 2009 4:12PM
Personally, I've given up on haste as an elemental shaman. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. It's probably the fact that I'm based in Australia, and I'll never get a decent latency, in spite of having high speed cable.
Though, there are those in the USA that have the same complaints.
You cast heroism, and 10 seconds later, you finally grow and get the speed.
Do other shaman's suffer from this?
I doubt it's PC. It's powerful enough and new enough, with enough RAM and a good Graphic's card to run the game without any issues. Even Dalaran doesn't lag that bad.
When haste works, it works well, and it makes a big difference. That's when it works.
Edge Oct 15th 2009 4:17PM
And still no word on the pretty significant nerf to the Nova Totem stun. Why is it nobody is talking about this? I use this all the time in PvP, and it has saved my butt many a time. No mention of if we are getting something in exchange, no mention of nothing. I asked in the forums but that never goes well. This will really kill PvP for me if we don't get something to replace the AoE stun, because the only other option on fire totems in PvP is pure AoE damage, or increased spell damage, both decent but not entirely useful. IMHO it is a good idea (spells from totems) with a terribly stupid implementation, and a really rather unnecessary nerf. I am at the opposite end on this and really do not look forward to seeing it go live like this.
habutai Oct 15th 2009 4:24PM
If you take a look at the wow forums, there's about a solid week of posts of people going ape over this on both the shaman forum and the damage-dealers forum. The devs don't like shaman because apparently we're "mean" to them.
Edge Oct 15th 2009 5:44PM
Yeah as I said I was one of them, but I haven't seen any type of response from blues. Hopefully something is coming later in the PTR or else I'm gonna be really pissed.
Rhabella Oct 15th 2009 4:37PM
Rossi,
I am pretty positive the bloodfury problem will be “fixed” in cataclysm. I know it sounds a little fanboyish, but the introduction of the worgen/goblin racials and hints current racial improvements at Blizzcon would imply bloodfury et al is slated for proportional improvements.
I think it would be safe to say, if nothing else, you are looking at more universal applications of current racials.
Bloodfury will work with healing spellpower. The dorf mace specialization would just increase output while a mace is equipped. Say a flat crit increase or something while a dorf has a mace. Whether that be the new shamans, the paladin tanks, or even the priests who heal, there is likely to be an overhaul of some kind.
This, of course, is the simplest solution, and I am hoping that racial improvements turn out to be complete racial overhauls, but I won’t hold my breath.
Bluwatr Oct 15th 2009 4:38PM
On the reincarnation being 30 mins with talents, even if this ability was on the same timer, (20 mins) as the Druids ability to rezz during combat how is that going to cause any ripple in the water in a game changing way?
Ghost Crawler is right if you give a Shammy something useful we will use it, but the point would be how does that ability upset the balance of the game?