Shaman: Barbarian vs. IksarFollow

Here's the deal; I've always wanted to play a shaman, but I can never decide on what race to play.

On one side, the barbarian is a good race, so he can travel all over Norrath. He can also wear plate armor, and they are not as ugly as iksar. But, he doesn't have the natural hp regen of an ikky, and some shaman spells can only be bought in Cabalis...

On the other hand, Iksar have a natural hp regen that is soooo useful to use with cannabalize, especially before shaman get regen spells. But they can only wear select plate armor. They get an AC boost to cover this, but that can only go so far. Plus they are a dark race...

So I'm chasing my tail here. Tell me which race YOU would choose and why. Barbarian and iksar are you only choices. Thanks in advance.

id go troll. same regen as iksar, same xp penalty as iksar, and i just like trolls, but that me. iksar, troll, ogre, barbs, all make great shams.

the advantage of the regen does not really kick in until 61+ then it is huge. almost 4-1 compaired to other races.

until then it is only 2-1 so it is noticable, but not HUGE until 61.

so go with what you like.

NO SHAM ware plate so that is not an issue. sham are chain armor class not plate.


Ogre = no stunn from front. this is great as you will not get interupted as much when casting spells during combat. hard to slow a mob when its beating on your head, stunning you and interupting your spells.

Iksar/troll = hp regen, but as a results have a xp penalty. the penalty is compesated for the iksar if they stay out of classes Norrath, but when others go to xp bonus zones they will still level faster.

barbs = nice base, large race so like others they can bash, but nothing special about them other then being blind at night.

vah shir = large race so all bonus as above, start with 50 safe fall, and sneak at 50 or 100 forget what it is. have great vision, and start with some nice quests that are a pain in the butt if you dont have some starting coin for trade skills.

froggy = why froggies get both cleric and sham i have no clue, but they do. swim at 100 base like iksar. no other benifits except maybe vision. never played a frog so could not tell you. no desire to be like everyone else. i play what i play because i like it.

if you are not twinking then also keep in mind these few points:

STA = HP. ogre start with the highest STA in the game. this means once you are past level 1 you will start to get more HP then other races faster.

by level 10 you will have between 50-200hp more then other races just from base STA. that starts to add up fast in the non-twink world.

if you are twink, then who cares what race you are as gear will keep you even all the way until 61, then the race HP regen will really kick in and make canni dance that much more efficient.

While shaman are considered a chain class, there are a few pieces of plate they can wear. Crystal Chitin, Totemic and Jaundiced Bone are a few sets that can be worn by most shaman.

The only place where the plate restiction on Iksars really hurts is the Jaundiced Bone Bracer. This item is a huge benefit from level 45 to around 60 and will really speed up levelling through that part of your career.

While the JBB is not a must have item once you have one you won't go back. The only option an Iksar has for a similar item is the Winterstorm which is much harder to get.

Post 60 the restiction is hardly noticable as most shaman armor you would still want is iksar useable.

BTW I chose Vah Shir for my shaman because I like the way they look. I have an Iksar shaman twink who gets most of my hand-me-downs that I don't want to part with and the regen bonus really isn't that big. Definately not worth a 20% XP penalty.

Edited, Thu Apr 1 18:48:18 2004 by Cattywumpus

Wow. Thanks to everybody for the timely and informative responses. You have my thanks. I've decided after much thought that I'm going to go with barbarian, basically because they are a good race, and because I don't have any characters on the human team (Vallon Zek server).

Thanks a ton.

Ok, I've started my shaman, a barbarian. Now I need to pick a tradeskill to learn and a weapon skill to use.

I do know that the shaman epic is a spear, so I am very partial to piercing as my weapon skill, although 1HB is also a viable option.

As far as the tradeskill, its between baking and tailoring. Being located in Everfrost, I have plenty of animals to get both pelts and meats from, but which would better suit a shaman, and which is more useful at the higher levels?

Same rules as last round, good luck contestants -=)

If you want the "best race" for a shaman, you should pick TROLL, with an honorable mention to OGRE. Here's why:

TROLLS can quest an item that has unlimited charges of a low level SK snare spell. There is no other way for a shaman to get unlimited snare. Snare is HUGELY valuable. Trolls also get regen comparable to an iksar, which once you get canni translates to mana regen, which means better efficiency. And unlike iksars, trolls can use a JBB, which is a piece of gear that pretty much makes the levels from the mid-forties to the mid-fifties fly by. 30+ DPS mana free is nothing to sneeze at.

OGRES get another skill that there's no way other shaman races can get. They cannot be stunned from the front. When you're trying to channel a spell while tanking a mob, this skill is invaluable. No other race gets it, nor is there any way other race shamans is going to get it.

IKSARS get forage at some fairly low level. While this is marginally useful, it can't compare with snare or stun-immunity.

The other races only benefit is faction in obsolete old-world zones and lower xp penalties (which apply only to XP, not AA)

My shaman is a barb. If I were making one today, it would be a TROLL hands down. No doubt in my mind. If I had to go with my second choice, OGRE.

I wouldn't base what weapon you choose to use NOW based on the Epic. Firstly, the epic is a long ways off and choosing that weapon skill might stop you from using a better weapon that uses another skill. Better off using the better weapon now. Secondly, by the time you are ready to get your epic, you really shouldn't be melee fighting so the skill won't matter at that point.

Yes, I do hear some Shaman like to mix it up a bit while canni is up and such, but you might be getting better DPS with the Bone Bracer mentioned above over melee fighting and that's mana free damage as well since it's a right click unlimited charge item. Just something to concider.

Remember that he DOES NOT HAVE POP. That means his life as an Iksar would be HELLACIOUS! I have a 24 Iksar SK and I would be screwed if I couldnt travel with such ease.

EDIT: I see you have chosen well... Your weapon question: I would seriously look into piercing. There are a few Shaman spears that are very decent such as: Howling Harpoon and Jade Chokidai Prod. Also the Steel Rod of the Knight from the skellie commanders of the anniversary events is a nice addition to anyone's ******* for the 40hp lifetap.

Edited, Fri Apr 2 04:01:38 2004 by VonDrevon

I agree with everyone who said it is important to keep all of your weapon skills up. It is very painful to do it later when you get that really nice drop.

If you do decide to go piercing give the Rune Etched Icewurm Fang a try. With a 19 delay it is excellent for training and has a very good ratio to boot.

For 1HB I would recommend the Soulstripper for similar reasons. Good ratio and fast for training. The recommended level can be an issue at first but at only 41 it's not that horrible.

Both weapons are a bit pricey but you don't sound like this is your first character so you should be able to get them without too much difficulty.

I'm still looking for a really good 2HB. Most are either too slow for training or have a poor damage ratio. My main is using a Tarnished Driveshaft but I'm not completely happy with it. I have considered giving my twink a Poison Wind Censer for training though. Excellent ratio and speed but once it starts to proc at level 50 it becomes a serious liablilty.

Edited, Sat Apr 3 02:08:23 2004 by Cattywumpus

Edited, Sat Apr 3 02:10:06 2004 by Cattywumpus

Point noted. Sadly, the iksar has the highest starting WIS, so not only does it have a bigger mana pool, it has that innate regeneration. The exp penalty was the thing that made my mind up though. I don't want to be farting around in the 30's forever.

Agreed, at the higher levels the natural regen won't mean much and a few WIS points will be off-set with items. WIS is VERY easy to raise, but an exp penalty will haunt you for the rest of your playing days.

AA points are based on your level 51 experience table.

A person with an exp penalty needs more experience to get through level 51 than someone without, or with a lesser, experience penalty. That said, a person with an exp penalty will require more exp to get an AA than someone who doesn't have an exp penalty.

Well guys, thank you so much for all the input. I just tonight got my Rune Etched Icewurm Fang from Kael Drakkel with the help of a 65 chanter and a 63 necro. Piece of cake! With this puppy, I should be able to soar through the early levels.

Next item, that JBB...

Edited, Wed Apr 7 03:18:36 2004 by TwiztidSamurai