Totem Talk: Enhance DPS on the move
by Rich Maloy 
Jul 10th 2010 at 2:00PM
I love being melee. I love being up in the middle of the fray right on the boss' heel, breathing in the fumes of battle and mashing my abilities as fast as global cooldowns will allow. But the cost of being in the heart of the action are cleaves. And whirlwinds. And tail swipes, dragon breaths, shock vortexes, running around the room chasing ads, and oh yeah, dodging cleaves. Did I mention whirlwinds yet?
Granted, there's not as much hate on melee in Wrath as there was in The Burning Crusade, but our DPS is still limited by time on target. We are after all, melee. Yet the great thing about enhance is when we're not in melee range, we can still lob some spells and drop some fire bombs all while running around dodging those whirlwinds.
It was Sindragosa's Permeating Chill that first got me thinking about maximizing my damage output while I'm not doing melee attacks. Also, her Blistering Cold got me wondering about ways to keep damage on boss even while running in the complete opposite direction. What follows are some of my simple strategies for maximizing time on target and keeping the damage pumping even while running around.
Maximum hit box range
There are two bosses in this expansion with a nasty anti-melee ability that can actually be avoided entirely by being at max hit box range: the Whirl from Icehowl in Trial of the Crusader and Sindragosa's Tail Smash in ICC. Sindy's is easy to avoid as long as you're not right up under her, there's about a 5-yard range where you can be in melee distance but out-range it. Icehowl is a bit trickier because the range to stay within striking distance but avoid the whirl is very fine. I keep backing out until I'm just out of melee distance, then take one step forward. For pretty much any other boss, except Lord Marrowgar, staying at max hit box range will leave you the most amount of time to run out, run around or run to adds.
Heads up positioning
This goes beyond "don't stand in front of the boss or in fire" and a little deeper to "I need to be here for X so when that happens, I'm ready for Y next." One of my favorite fights is heroic Professor Putricide, and my favorite aspect of that fight is the knockback from the green oozes. Proper positioning with this fight can mean the difference between two to three players dying to an ooze explosion in a lonely corner or the half the raid taking a small bit of damage. It can also mean the difference between running the full length of the room after an explosion in the wrong direction or a free ride back to the professor from the right position.
The only other fights I could think of for strategic positioning were Lich King in phase 2 and Halion in the twilight realm. Both of those fights require you to be heads up so when something happens (lich poo or lazer cutterz), you've minimized its impact and maximized your output. What other fights require strategic positioning that I've missed?
Run speed?
There has been much debate on the theorycrafting forums regarding the benefits of run speed enchants such as Tuskarr's Vitality and Cat's Swiftness. There's no simple calculation on the break-even point; I've seen some pretty tremendous formulae go through the Elitist Jerk's enhancement shaman forums. I chose Tuskarr's Vitality not because I've run sims and calculated my break-even, but rather simply because I want to get out of fire/frost/goo/poo just a split second faster. In fact, we offered free Tuskarr's enchants to the guild as we were working on the Lich King for the first time. Aside from getting out of Defiles, Tuskarr's helps increase your time on target -- but in truth, on most boss fights, it's wasted. Use at your discretion (though personally, I prefer it).
Magma Totem and Fire Nova
Ah, the warm glow of a fire totem. So calming and tranquil as it crackles beside the boss, slightly charring his ankles. It's a lovely si -- BOOOOOM! Heh. Love me some novas. Keep a Magma Totem down all the time and trigger that bomb as you're running around. Tick tick BOOM! On Sindy's Blistering Cold, I always refresh the totem as I'm getting pulled in and pop off a nova as I'm running out. Every little bit helps. Ever had a soul-crushing 1% wipe? You know what I'm talking about. If you could have popped off a few extra novas, it might have been a kill.
The ele wannabe
When I'm stuck at range for one reason or another, such as helping with bone spiked hunters on Marrowgar, waiting for Permeating Chill to wear off on Sindy (yes, her again) or just being lazy on Blood Prince Council, I go through my wannabe ele rotation: Shock, MWLB, CL, Shock, FN, LS. Get the shock out there first, then use any remaining Maelstrom Weapon charges on a Lightning Bolt, followed by the shorter cast time Chain Lightning, then finally another shock. If I'm still stuck outside melee range, I'll follow up with a BOOM and finally refresh my shield. It passes the time, and I'll do about the same damage as an elemental shaman, anyway.
The turn-around jump shock
Shocks are the no-brainer when wanting to damage at range, but what you really need to learn is the turn-around jump-shock. If you're feeling pro while bravely running from harm's way, you can try out this tactic. Actually, it's probably best to practice on a target dummy first because while the explanation is simple, you must do all three steps in quick succession or you may end up not getting the shock off (or worse, running back into trouble).
As you're running away, execute these moves using quick mouse turns and keybinds: jump, half-turn back to target, shock, half-turn back to your original direction. I flick my mouse right, then back left, as the proper execution doesn't require a full 180-degree turn. It's also easier to approximate two half-turns than it is to estimate a full 360. The turns plus the shock can all be done before hitting the ground, and you'll just keep on trucking in the same direction without interruption. Technically I guess that makes it a "jump turn-around shock" and not a "turn-around jump shock," but I don't want to have a semantic argument; I just want the damage. This maneuver with Frost Shock in PvP is a must-have enhancement move for kiting if you find yourself in a tight situation and need to put some distance between you and a filthy rogue or a pally angry that her bubble-hearth is down.
That's all I've got for you today, good people. Be sure to send in any shaman questions you have for the Totem Recall shaman roundtable. We're recording the enhancement section Sunday, July 11!
What are your favorite tips and tricks for keeping damage up while running around ducking under whirlwinds?
May all your hits be crits!
Show your totemic mastery by reading Totem Talk. Whether it's Matt Sampson's (forthcoming) elemental edition, Joe Perez's coverage of restoration or Rich Maloy's enhancement edition, we have you covered.Filed under: Shaman, (Shaman) Totem Talk
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Arrowsmith Jul 10th 2010 2:51PM
At the risk of being down-rated, all Enhancement Shamans that need help on Jump-shocks are free to ask Hunters about Jump-shot kiting. Personally, I'd be happy to help!
George Jul 10th 2010 5:44PM
Any enhancement shammy needs to have this in their repertoire. And you shouldn't be down ranked for that, because, really, how often would you expect a melée fighter to be running away and still expect them to do damage? Hunters, on the other hand, need to be at range and stay that way, so taking shots while maximizing distance is second nature.
The ability to make use of this and recognize it is what separates the hunters from the huntards.
B.J. Jul 10th 2010 6:24PM
I've been playing a Hunter since I started playing the game, and I learned about the jump shot around the time I got to level 40. I've never been able to master it though. I just don't have the RL physical coordination. The stutter-stepping shots I can manage just fine, but for some reason I can not seem to move my mouse to turn fast enough that I can get a shot off mid-air and turn back. It's trickier than it sounds, at least for me.
B.J., owner of http://chum.ly/
theRaptor Jul 10th 2010 9:40PM
I find that in PVE the strafe run shock works in nearly all situations, though that is probably because I have relied on it playing DoT classes since classic.
Heilig Jul 10th 2010 2:55PM
I LOVE Putricide. My guild wondered how I keep damage up as a ret pally on that fight, but everyone is busy watching their own screen and never saw my secret until I got targeted by the orange ooze during a phase transition one night. I was watching tht timer and the green ooze's positioning and ran right up to the green target and stood there. The whole raid started screaming for me to keep kiting and run, everyone started to panic, and then they all started laughing and cheering when the green ooze exploded and threw me completely across the room, right next to the professor, and just in time to refresh my DoT stack on the boss and get back into the fray.
You always try to do cool things like that, but when they go off exactly like you saw them in your head, you feel like a damn superhero.
Also, don't forget that Sindragosa is outside. When you get pulled in, Ghost Wolf out to range and you'll get an extra second or so for another SS before you have to run out and then another second once you're out to drop an extra lightning bolt before she casts.
Wat Jul 10th 2010 3:06PM
So you're saying that you soak up a good amount of unnecessary damage just to add a small amount to your own dps? Why are you happy about making a fight harder for other people in your raid?
Iirdan Jul 10th 2010 3:14PM
It's about knowing your healers, Wat. I run with the same people every week, and I have a good buddy as my raid healer. He knows I like to do certain things and he knows how to handle certain things. Jumping into green oozes to explode towards Putricide is one of the things I try to do (rarely does it work out perfectly).
If you are familiar with your healers and vice versa, taking trivial amounts of damage to pile on the hurt is perfectly acceptable.
Imnick Jul 10th 2010 3:26PM
I don't think you quite understand the fight, he wasn't taking ANY unecessary damage.
The orange ooze will hurt you over time even if you are running away, and by getting hit by the green explosion he was taking damage away from the rest of the raid. This explosion does a set amount of damage and splits it between all of the targets in range, so it helps to have as many people as possible get hit in order for it not to one-shot anyone.
Heilig Jul 10th 2010 4:54PM
Thank you , Imnick.
Wat: Maybe learn a fight's mechanics before telling someone they're doing it wrong.
Pled Jul 10th 2010 3:19PM
I vaguely remember there being a blue post about GW being usable indoors in cata, but who knows? Also, if the new (old?) movement speed talent sticks around in some form or another in cataclysm, we won't have to worry about those dang boot enchants.
I think the EJ post you mentioned determined you need to spend at least 5 seconds or so running around not hitting something in order for the speed enchant to be worth it...I'm with you, though, I take it either way.
These are all great tips, and like Arrowsmith said, if you can't figure out the jump-shock, hunters can usually help you out.
Tips:
- I like to pop a Shock on the boss as I run in at the very beginning of the fight.
- If you're on a fight where you can use your Wolves at the beginning, go ahead and pop Spirit Walk to sprint in there and get an extra second of melee.
BUT, don't go in gun's blazin' before the tank has some threat (which he should as you both run in, since the hunters are misdirecting).
dyre42 Jul 10th 2010 5:14PM
@Pled
"since the hunters are misdirecting."
The words "supposed to be" should be inserted in there. Half the hunters I've met don't know what misdirect is. Half of the ones that do just use it to pull for the tank.
Fallacy Jul 10th 2010 6:43PM
I can confirm that, at least as of right now, we can Ghost Wolf indoors on the Beta.
As someone who's played a shaman for over four years and has specced into Improved Ghost Wolf the whole time (min-maxed spec be damned): I cried a little bit. It's so beautiful.
...now if only we can get a super ghost wolf as a badass DPS cooldown like those Dark Shaman in UP, I would be a happy cow.
Dave Jul 10th 2010 4:37PM
The turn-around jump shock
Is overly complex. Get used to Strafing and you can accomplish the same thing while still running away.
Also, it's worth remembering that, when you jump, the system treats you as if you are where you were when you jumped until you land: which can have very bad results when you're trying to clear blast zones or, especially, Defile. More than one person has wiped a raid on LK trying to jump out of defile while watching it continuously expand under their feet because of this.
Etreya Jul 10th 2010 5:40PM
I agree completely, strafing is your friend.
Hunters at least have a reson for the trick so they can abuse disengage. We don't have the luxury of that, but the 180degree arc for casting and attacking means strafing works just fine.
mcdrewski Jul 10th 2010 7:20PM
Absolutely. Strafe-run out from sindragosa, and you can shock and mw5lb while running out. At worst you need to turn a few degrees while running, making a SLIGHT dog's leg.
I play on Aussie lag (250-400ms) and can still make it out of the blast in time just fine doing this.
Angus Jul 11th 2010 1:56AM
"Also, it's worth remembering that, when you jump, the system treats you as if you are where you were when you jumped until you land:"
Back when Naxx was serious business, I watched someone get killed 3 times in a row in a void zone on Kel because he would sit in it until the last moment then jump out.
"Okay people, repeat after me. 'RUN out of FIRE!!!'"
After I explained why he kept dying he decided to test it again. I told him he was paying us for the 1% wipe. He never did it again.
Randy Zilinski Jul 10th 2010 5:38PM
i just strafe too, its simple, in fact you can shock and use ur MW 5 stack LB/ Chain lightning, saronite bombs, etc. If u know how to strafe, its 200x better than jump-shocking, and still useful in plenty of other situations.
AudreyR Jul 10th 2010 10:51PM
You made me choose between fluffy kitties and puppies?! How can you be so cruel? The clear answer is all of the above! :(
Luke Jul 10th 2010 11:56PM
I've never played a Shaman past level 20 so I can't comment specifically on their play style at higher levels. I have however played every other class past 50.
Of the 4 80's I've leveled every role, Tank, M-DPS, R-DPS, and Healer. Playing this many different kinds of roles has given me insights into other classes I simply didn't realize before I had done so. That being said it wasn't until I leveled a Rogue that I worried about the subject of DPS on the move.
As a Rogue, especially in early levels you have to fight tooth and nail to keep on targets and compete with the AOE sh** storm that most ranged DPS throw out. It's in some of these early fights that a Rogue realizes they need to time their DOTS at the right times in a fight.
But this becomes an issue for Ranged DPS as well when they are dodging whirling axes or being thrown through the air. I see too many players missing opportunities to be doing damage simply because it's outside of their "rotation". And hey, sure rotations are important but when you're not on rotation, and you're moving that's what the instant cast spells are for.
TLDR
I think this is a subject that all classes could benefit from, and definitely playing multiple classes will make you see things you didn't before.
sherekhan88 Jul 11th 2010 5:05AM
I'm still downrating your post but I'm lolling so hard at the URL right now.