B
Bo Riddler
Guest
Reposted for freshness!
None in the lands of Azeroth are more intouch with the primal elements than the Shaman. They are made from earth, guidedby air, empowered by fire, and as constant as the flowing waters. In battle,Shamans employ elemental totems to strike at enemies, heal wounds, andstrengthen allies. Alongside their totems, Shamans also carry a large repertoireof spells designed to enhance damage and to heal others.
With the coming of the Burning Crusade, both the Allianceand Horde can make use of a shaman’s powers.
Horde side: Orc, Tauren, Troll
Alliance side: Draenei
· The orcs and the trolls begin in Durotar, near the capital city of Ogrimmar. The Taurens begin their quest in Mulgore, near the city of ThunderBluff. The Draenei, having crash-landed on a small island near the main land ofKalimdor, begin on the Azuremyst Isle.
· As a young shaman, your main source of damage will be your weapon,enhanced through various spells. You make a competent healer at any point withyour arsenal of healing spells, so be sure to make use of them.
Shamans are considered by most to be anoffensive/support hybrid. Weapon damage can grow into the very high numbers, andthe ability to wear mail armor means you can stand up to some enemies for quitea while. Totems are an extremely valuable part of any group. One totem from eachelement can be lay at once, allowing for four at a time. Shamans can wield aone-handed weapon and a shield. By spending talents a shaman gains the abilityto wield two-handed weapons or even dual-wield.
Shamans have a very large number of impressive spells. Someto make note of are Windfury Weapon, Reincarnation, Chain Lightning, GroundingTotem, Purge, and the various Shocks
· Windfury Weapon – This spell causes each swing of yourweapon to proc (have a chance to cause) extra damage equivalent to two extraweapon swings. This means you can hit three times in one swing!
· Reincarnation – A spell that allows you to instantlyrevive yourself if you fall in combat without having to wait for someone else toresurrect you.
· Chain Lightning – A targeted lightning-based spell thatwill hit one target and then leap to another, causing additional lightningdamage before leaping to a third and final target. Each lightning hit will doless damage than the one before it.
· Grounding Totem – A totem, once placed on the ground,will absorb a spell cast by an enemy once every 10 seconds. This is a verypowerful tool in PvP (Player vs. Player) combat.
Purge – When cast upon an enemy, Purge will remove up to two beneficial effects from them. Another powerful PvP tool, this spell can remove a number of buffs (beneficial spell effects) from them.
Shocks – There are three total shock spells – Flame, Frost, and Earth. Each are instant cast spells with a variety of effects. Flame Shock deals damage over time, Frost Shock deals damage and slows the target’s movement speed, and Earth Shock deals damage and interrupts spell casting.
What to Expect When Playing A Shaman
· Shamans can solo very well, as can many classes in the game. Withthe ability to deal large amounts of damage and heal wounds, a Shaman can fightfor significant periods of time.
· In a small group setting (two to five players) shaman can usuallyfulfill any role, perhaps besides tanking (damage absorbing) at the higherlevels. Healing becomes more important and so a shaman may be asked to hold somemana in reserve that would normally be used to deal damage, just in case extrahealing is needed.
· In large groups (10 to 40 player raids) a shaman’sresponsibility becomes that of healing and buffing. In larger raids, class-rolestend to break down into one of four roles: tanking, damage, healing and buffing.Most every class can be two of the four roles, a shaman’s being healing andbuffing.
Like each class, a Shaman at level 10 may begin usingTalent Points to gain additional beneficial spells and abilities. There arethree Talent Trees per class and they usually support the three schools ofspells/abilities that they class can already make use of, the Shaman’s beingElemental, Enhancement, and Restoration.
Elemental – The Elemental tree strengthens all the elemental spells of the shaman, including shocks and totems. Talents to make mention of are:
§ Elemental Fury – Increases the damage done by criticalstrikes by 100 percent
§ Elemental Mastery – The next Fire, Frost or Nature spellcast has a 100 percent critical chance and uses no mana.
§ Totem of Wrath – Summons a totem that will increase thecritical strike chance by all nearby party members by three percent.
Enhancement – For the melee-oriented shamans, this tree can greatly boost the damage output of wielded weapons. Talents to make mention of are:
Flurry – Increases attack speed by 10 percent after a successful critical strike.
Dual Wield – Allows for wielding two separate weapons at once.
Shamanistic Rage – Each melee attack has a chance to proc mana regeneration equal to 15 percent of your attack power.
Restoration – A tree built for more of the healing and buffing aspect of the shaman. Healing and mana restoration are the focus here. Talents to make mention of are:
§ Nature’s Swiftness – Next spell with a casting time ofless than 10 seconds will cast instantly.
§ Mana Tide Totem – Summons a totem that will regeneratesix percent of party member’s mana every three seconds. This lasts for 12seconds.
§ Earth Shield – This shield helps prevent spellinterruption if you are stuck while casting. Also, each time you are struck youare healed for 270 and above health, although this can only occur every fewseconds.
Overview And What Comes Next
Shamans are considered offensive/support hybrids, but above all else, they are expected to keep teammates alive with their heal spells. Healers will always get blamed if something goes wrong, so expect it.
Totems are a Shaman’s friend. Totems cost very little mana and their presence on the battlefield can be extremely beneficial.
Soloing ability is very high as a shaman. Fighting a larger number of slightly lower level enemies is better than fewer equal level enemies.
Tips and Helpful Information
Always keep one weapon effect at all times. You never know when you will need to melee.
Lightning Shield procs can add up to a lot of damage. Be sure to always have it activated.
When in PvP combat, always Purge your enemy several times to remove beneficial buffs from them. Also know that Purge can remove healing over time spells, such as Regrowth and Rejuvenation.
Lay totems in every fight. What did I just say? Lay them down!
Reincarnation is useful, but think before using it. If caught out in the open by a handful of enemies, it wouldn’t be wise to reincarnate when they are all standing nearby. Always keep the reincarnation effect active, but ensure that you will be safe before using it.
In PvP, many Shamans will become frightened when the tables turn and begin to Frost Shock everything in hopes to kill the enemy. While Frost Shock is useful for slowing down an opponent’s movement, wait for the correct moment to Shock. A Shock spell can only be cast once every six seconds, so use them wisely.
* Originally written by by tristanalexander.
Bo
None in the lands of Azeroth are more intouch with the primal elements than the Shaman. They are made from earth, guidedby air, empowered by fire, and as constant as the flowing waters. In battle,Shamans employ elemental totems to strike at enemies, heal wounds, andstrengthen allies. Alongside their totems, Shamans also carry a large repertoireof spells designed to enhance damage and to heal others.
With the coming of the Burning Crusade, both the Allianceand Horde can make use of a shaman’s powers.
Horde side: Orc, Tauren, Troll
Alliance side: Draenei
· The orcs and the trolls begin in Durotar, near the capital city of Ogrimmar. The Taurens begin their quest in Mulgore, near the city of ThunderBluff. The Draenei, having crash-landed on a small island near the main land ofKalimdor, begin on the Azuremyst Isle.
· As a young shaman, your main source of damage will be your weapon,enhanced through various spells. You make a competent healer at any point withyour arsenal of healing spells, so be sure to make use of them.
Shamans are considered by most to be anoffensive/support hybrid. Weapon damage can grow into the very high numbers, andthe ability to wear mail armor means you can stand up to some enemies for quitea while. Totems are an extremely valuable part of any group. One totem from eachelement can be lay at once, allowing for four at a time. Shamans can wield aone-handed weapon and a shield. By spending talents a shaman gains the abilityto wield two-handed weapons or even dual-wield.
Shamans have a very large number of impressive spells. Someto make note of are Windfury Weapon, Reincarnation, Chain Lightning, GroundingTotem, Purge, and the various Shocks
· Windfury Weapon – This spell causes each swing of yourweapon to proc (have a chance to cause) extra damage equivalent to two extraweapon swings. This means you can hit three times in one swing!
· Reincarnation – A spell that allows you to instantlyrevive yourself if you fall in combat without having to wait for someone else toresurrect you.
· Chain Lightning – A targeted lightning-based spell thatwill hit one target and then leap to another, causing additional lightningdamage before leaping to a third and final target. Each lightning hit will doless damage than the one before it.
· Grounding Totem – A totem, once placed on the ground,will absorb a spell cast by an enemy once every 10 seconds. This is a verypowerful tool in PvP (Player vs. Player) combat.
Purge – When cast upon an enemy, Purge will remove up to two beneficial effects from them. Another powerful PvP tool, this spell can remove a number of buffs (beneficial spell effects) from them.
Shocks – There are three total shock spells – Flame, Frost, and Earth. Each are instant cast spells with a variety of effects. Flame Shock deals damage over time, Frost Shock deals damage and slows the target’s movement speed, and Earth Shock deals damage and interrupts spell casting.
What to Expect When Playing A Shaman
· Shamans can solo very well, as can many classes in the game. Withthe ability to deal large amounts of damage and heal wounds, a Shaman can fightfor significant periods of time.
· In a small group setting (two to five players) shaman can usuallyfulfill any role, perhaps besides tanking (damage absorbing) at the higherlevels. Healing becomes more important and so a shaman may be asked to hold somemana in reserve that would normally be used to deal damage, just in case extrahealing is needed.
· In large groups (10 to 40 player raids) a shaman’sresponsibility becomes that of healing and buffing. In larger raids, class-rolestend to break down into one of four roles: tanking, damage, healing and buffing.Most every class can be two of the four roles, a shaman’s being healing andbuffing.
Like each class, a Shaman at level 10 may begin usingTalent Points to gain additional beneficial spells and abilities. There arethree Talent Trees per class and they usually support the three schools ofspells/abilities that they class can already make use of, the Shaman’s beingElemental, Enhancement, and Restoration.
Elemental – The Elemental tree strengthens all the elemental spells of the shaman, including shocks and totems. Talents to make mention of are:
§ Elemental Fury – Increases the damage done by criticalstrikes by 100 percent
§ Elemental Mastery – The next Fire, Frost or Nature spellcast has a 100 percent critical chance and uses no mana.
§ Totem of Wrath – Summons a totem that will increase thecritical strike chance by all nearby party members by three percent.
Enhancement – For the melee-oriented shamans, this tree can greatly boost the damage output of wielded weapons. Talents to make mention of are:
Flurry – Increases attack speed by 10 percent after a successful critical strike.
Dual Wield – Allows for wielding two separate weapons at once.
Shamanistic Rage – Each melee attack has a chance to proc mana regeneration equal to 15 percent of your attack power.
Restoration – A tree built for more of the healing and buffing aspect of the shaman. Healing and mana restoration are the focus here. Talents to make mention of are:
§ Nature’s Swiftness – Next spell with a casting time ofless than 10 seconds will cast instantly.
§ Mana Tide Totem – Summons a totem that will regeneratesix percent of party member’s mana every three seconds. This lasts for 12seconds.
§ Earth Shield – This shield helps prevent spellinterruption if you are stuck while casting. Also, each time you are struck youare healed for 270 and above health, although this can only occur every fewseconds.
Overview And What Comes Next
Shamans are considered offensive/support hybrids, but above all else, they are expected to keep teammates alive with their heal spells. Healers will always get blamed if something goes wrong, so expect it.
Totems are a Shaman’s friend. Totems cost very little mana and their presence on the battlefield can be extremely beneficial.
Soloing ability is very high as a shaman. Fighting a larger number of slightly lower level enemies is better than fewer equal level enemies.
Tips and Helpful Information
Always keep one weapon effect at all times. You never know when you will need to melee.
Lightning Shield procs can add up to a lot of damage. Be sure to always have it activated.
When in PvP combat, always Purge your enemy several times to remove beneficial buffs from them. Also know that Purge can remove healing over time spells, such as Regrowth and Rejuvenation.
Lay totems in every fight. What did I just say? Lay them down!
Reincarnation is useful, but think before using it. If caught out in the open by a handful of enemies, it wouldn’t be wise to reincarnate when they are all standing nearby. Always keep the reincarnation effect active, but ensure that you will be safe before using it.
In PvP, many Shamans will become frightened when the tables turn and begin to Frost Shock everything in hopes to kill the enemy. While Frost Shock is useful for slowing down an opponent’s movement, wait for the correct moment to Shock. A Shock spell can only be cast once every six seconds, so use them wisely.
* Originally written by by tristanalexander.
Bo