I play a shaman, and from reading posts in both the shaman and the druid forums, the two classes seem to be incredibly similar and share the same strengths/weaknesses. I was dissappointed at this because i really wanted to lvl a druid next, but dont want the monotony of lvling something almost the same as my shaman. I was thinking that since I am an enhance shaman, i should lvl a balance druid but still close to when i was an elemental shaman.
So my question is...will lvling a druid be similar to lvling a shaman, how do they compare endgame, and which one is more fun.
Quor, i would especially like to ask you considering i've seen numerous posts from you on both the shaman and druid forums
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I've only tinkered with shaman, so take my answer with a grain of salt (and I'm no Quor anyhow). But my sense is that the classes are similar in terms of versatility and survivability. The overall solo pattern - beat on stuff, heal yourself - is similar. In parties the differences are much more pronounced, though. The fact that druids can tank is one of the biggest differences. HOT based healing is also going to be different from what you're used to with a shaman.
In any case, it's the details that define the playstyle. For example, just because they're both cloth-wearing casters doesn't mean playing a mage is like playing a priest. Same with the hybrid classes. There's a big difference between totems and not totems. Stealth alone defines a lot of how you play as a druid. And the list goes on.
I say, try it, see what you think. It really depends on your style, how you play and what you do. If you find that what you're doing with a druid is the same as what you were doing with your shaman, it's less likely to be fun for you.
In any case, it's the details that define the playstyle. For example, just because they're both cloth-wearing casters doesn't mean playing a mage is like playing a priest. Same with the hybrid classes. There's a big difference between totems and not totems. Stealth alone defines a lot of how you play as a druid. And the list goes on.
I say, try it, see what you think. It really depends on your style, how you play and what you do. If you find that what you're doing with a druid is the same as what you were doing with your shaman, it's less likely to be fun for you.
Thanks, I am definitely going to try it out. I am really looking forward to being a tank (one thing shamans can't do) and to being able to stealth. Maybe i'll just switch my shaman to elemental and then have a feral druid to give a bigger difference in playstyle to my toons.
Druids feel different from Shamans. They're a little more similar to one another than most classes in WOW, but the playstyle differences are pretty significant.
1. Druids can tank.
2. Druid healing is very much different from how Shamans heal, based on HOTs rather than standard healing spells or Chain Heal.
3. Not sure how boomkin compares with elemental. My shaman's been ele quite a while, but I haven't really been boomkin much on the druid.
4. Shamans deal better DPS in DPS roles (though by no means does this mean Druid DPS isn't viable)
5. Druids have significantly superior control skills, particularly in PVP.
6. Shamans provide superior buffs (significantly superior when Bloodlust is factored in)
7. Druids 'sit' in one role (form) at a time, whereas a Shaman has all his flexibility at all times without an investment cost (mana cost for switching forms). (note: neither class really desires "hybrid" gear or should try to perform a hybrid role in groups because you'll typically just be watering down your effectiveness at the one role you perform 90%+ of the time)
1. Druids can tank.
2. Druid healing is very much different from how Shamans heal, based on HOTs rather than standard healing spells or Chain Heal.
3. Not sure how boomkin compares with elemental. My shaman's been ele quite a while, but I haven't really been boomkin much on the druid.
4. Shamans deal better DPS in DPS roles (though by no means does this mean Druid DPS isn't viable)
5. Druids have significantly superior control skills, particularly in PVP.
6. Shamans provide superior buffs (significantly superior when Bloodlust is factored in)
7. Druids 'sit' in one role (form) at a time, whereas a Shaman has all his flexibility at all times without an investment cost (mana cost for switching forms). (note: neither class really desires "hybrid" gear or should try to perform a hybrid role in groups because you'll typically just be watering down your effectiveness at the one role you perform 90%+ of the time)
I have a feral druid and an enhancement shaman and feel the two are very different, despite certain surface similarities (such as the fact they can both tear through mobs in melee, then heal themselves).
The druid shapeshifting means that, in a way, they're not a hybrid class. They can only do one thing at once, and they usually do it quite well. If I'm dpsing and I switch to healing, I cant throw in the occasional shock or autoattack like a shaman can. The healing styles are also very different. Druid healing is very proactive, done on the run with instants.
I find figuring out which totems to drop the most enjoyable thing about the shaman. For the druid, the equivalent is which form to take. What task to I need to perform exceedingly well at this very moment? Heal? I'm a caster. Survive? I'm a bear. Kill before I (or my group mates) am killed? Cat. While we only have 3-4 forms compared to the universe of shaman totems, we are constantly hopping between all of them, often in the same fight, and each comes with a unique set of abilities.
Shamans, at least dps ones are all about luck and unpredictability -- is wf or lo gonna proc? Druids are all about control. In combat, a druid can almost always control the terms of battle. I know pretty much how much damage I'll cause with each move, whether the opponent will be stunned or not, etc. Opposite of Shaman. Stealth lets you pick your fights. My enhancer has to fight his way to the boss mob or vein or chest. My druid prowls and bypasses that. The weaknesses are different too. In PvP my feral's weakness is lack of burst damage, but just try to lock him down or keep him away from you. The opposite of a shaman. In PvE, druids can escape from basically anything, much better survivability than stoneclaw/gw. Our only weakness is we can't burst a mob down as fast as, say, a dps shaman, though we can come close. Because we can tank or heal, we're much less likely to be turned down for groups due to lack of cc. Try it, I bet you'll like it.
The druid shapeshifting means that, in a way, they're not a hybrid class. They can only do one thing at once, and they usually do it quite well. If I'm dpsing and I switch to healing, I cant throw in the occasional shock or autoattack like a shaman can. The healing styles are also very different. Druid healing is very proactive, done on the run with instants.
I find figuring out which totems to drop the most enjoyable thing about the shaman. For the druid, the equivalent is which form to take. What task to I need to perform exceedingly well at this very moment? Heal? I'm a caster. Survive? I'm a bear. Kill before I (or my group mates) am killed? Cat. While we only have 3-4 forms compared to the universe of shaman totems, we are constantly hopping between all of them, often in the same fight, and each comes with a unique set of abilities.
Shamans, at least dps ones are all about luck and unpredictability -- is wf or lo gonna proc? Druids are all about control. In combat, a druid can almost always control the terms of battle. I know pretty much how much damage I'll cause with each move, whether the opponent will be stunned or not, etc. Opposite of Shaman. Stealth lets you pick your fights. My enhancer has to fight his way to the boss mob or vein or chest. My druid prowls and bypasses that. The weaknesses are different too. In PvP my feral's weakness is lack of burst damage, but just try to lock him down or keep him away from you. The opposite of a shaman. In PvE, druids can escape from basically anything, much better survivability than stoneclaw/gw. Our only weakness is we can't burst a mob down as fast as, say, a dps shaman, though we can come close. Because we can tank or heal, we're much less likely to be turned down for groups due to lack of cc. Try it, I bet you'll like it.
Yes, they can both heal and dps and have relativly sucky CC, but that's where it ends.
Druids can tank. Shamens can heal and dps AT THE SAME TIME!
Druids are very 'on the move' (instant HoT, instant travel form, fast cat form) while Shamans tend to do best crowded around their totems and pulling mobs back to their totems.
Shamans are all about luck. Very few druid abilities rely on procs. Shammies can do incredible burst damage, even at the end of a fight. Druids are more about whittling the enemy down, knowing exactly when it is going to die, and being instantly ready to tackle the next.
Shammies gain many of their core abilities early. Druids take a few dozen levels to really come into their own.
Druids can tank. Shamens can heal and dps AT THE SAME TIME!
Druids are very 'on the move' (instant HoT, instant travel form, fast cat form) while Shamans tend to do best crowded around their totems and pulling mobs back to their totems.
Shamans are all about luck. Very few druid abilities rely on procs. Shammies can do incredible burst damage, even at the end of a fight. Druids are more about whittling the enemy down, knowing exactly when it is going to die, and being instantly ready to tackle the next.
Shammies gain many of their core abilities early. Druids take a few dozen levels to really come into their own.
My main is a 70 druid geared for tanking SSC/TK. I just recently started my shaman. For leveling, I have chosen the enhancement spec. Shaman seem nothing like druids to be honest.
Feral druid is all about a strict rotation for best results; Pounce>Mangle>Shred>Mangle>Rip. Also, it has finisher moves which are based on combo points, whereas the Shaman have none of this.
Shaman, however seem to have moves that specialize in certain things. For example, you'd want to Earthshock a mob if it's casting a healing spell, or if you want to distance yourself from the mob, you'd cast frostshock and get away. The shock spells also have a 6-sec CD, so it's not like the constant button mashing of a feral druid. :D
The big similarity is the ability to heal, even as a dps spec. While this may make the druid and shaman seem similar(dps until low health, then heal), many of the shaman's abilities/spells use mana instead of energy, so it calls for smeasures of mana conervation. With a druid, there is almost no downtime. This, in my opinion, is the biggest difference in leveling a druid compared to a shaman.
So far, my shaman is up to level 37. Even though I've leveled a druid to 70, the shaman has a totally different feel to it. I say, go for it.
Feral druid is all about a strict rotation for best results; Pounce>Mangle>Shred>Mangle>Rip. Also, it has finisher moves which are based on combo points, whereas the Shaman have none of this.
Shaman, however seem to have moves that specialize in certain things. For example, you'd want to Earthshock a mob if it's casting a healing spell, or if you want to distance yourself from the mob, you'd cast frostshock and get away. The shock spells also have a 6-sec CD, so it's not like the constant button mashing of a feral druid. :D
The big similarity is the ability to heal, even as a dps spec. While this may make the druid and shaman seem similar(dps until low health, then heal), many of the shaman's abilities/spells use mana instead of energy, so it calls for smeasures of mana conervation. With a druid, there is almost no downtime. This, in my opinion, is the biggest difference in leveling a druid compared to a shaman.
So far, my shaman is up to level 37. Even though I've leveled a druid to 70, the shaman has a totally different feel to it. I say, go for it.
I am pumped to go start a druid. Thats the 1st thing i'm gonna do when i get home from work
This is one of the main things I am looking forward to. Sometimes i just get really unlucky and go an entire 1-on-1 without WF procs. Its rare, but it sucks. Its like trying to run a marathon with one shoe off, and a cowboy boot on the other foot.
On a side note about hybrids, what do y'all think about the deathknight and how it will perform as a hybrid. I think its mechanics will be very different and i can't wait to give one a go to see how it is.
Quote:
Shamans, at least dps ones are all about luck and unpredictability -- is wf or lo gonna proc? Druids are all about control. In combat, a druid can almost always control the terms of battle. I know pretty much how much damage I'll cause with each move, whether the opponent will be stunned or not, etc.
This is one of the main things I am looking forward to. Sometimes i just get really unlucky and go an entire 1-on-1 without WF procs. Its rare, but it sucks. Its like trying to run a marathon with one shoe off, and a cowboy boot on the other foot.
On a side note about hybrids, what do y'all think about the deathknight and how it will perform as a hybrid. I think its mechanics will be very different and i can't wait to give one a go to see how it is.
This is funny...
I have a 70 Balance druid and recently started leveling an Elemental Shaman (Lvl60). So other than going in the opposite direction, I am in the same boat Naromkid.
The classes aren't the "same" but very similar (Both are Hybrids and able to heal, DPS, or range DPS) but they play very differently.
I found (Biased due to <3 of Dr00ds) my druid provided more versatility when leveling solo, but my Shaman was able to help a group much easier/better due to totems, chain heal etc...
I can't speak about End Game on a Shaman(yet) but I have been enjoying Kara, Gruul's and Mag's on my Boomkin and always seem to get an invite/find a spot in any Raid I am interested in.
Again I love the Druids and have a hard time of late, forcing myself over to my totem chucker to get a few hours in. In case it isn't obvious yet, my favorite is still my Druid. Epic Flight Form. Need I say more?
In the end, as everyone else has said: 'try before you buy'
Go roll one of each and level to 20 (I would recommend 30 due to druids being late bloomers). In time you will find yourself missing one toon more than the other.
That's when you know you should just give in and go play your druid.
Cheers!
I have a 70 Balance druid and recently started leveling an Elemental Shaman (Lvl60). So other than going in the opposite direction, I am in the same boat Naromkid.
The classes aren't the "same" but very similar (Both are Hybrids and able to heal, DPS, or range DPS) but they play very differently.
I found (Biased due to <3 of Dr00ds) my druid provided more versatility when leveling solo, but my Shaman was able to help a group much easier/better due to totems, chain heal etc...
I can't speak about End Game on a Shaman(yet) but I have been enjoying Kara, Gruul's and Mag's on my Boomkin and always seem to get an invite/find a spot in any Raid I am interested in.
Again I love the Druids and have a hard time of late, forcing myself over to my totem chucker to get a few hours in. In case it isn't obvious yet, my favorite is still my Druid. Epic Flight Form. Need I say more?
In the end, as everyone else has said: 'try before you buy'
Go roll one of each and level to 20 (I would recommend 30 due to druids being late bloomers). In time you will find yourself missing one toon more than the other.
That's when you know you should just give in and go play your druid.
Cheers!
My shammy is a 63 resto at the moment but I leveled to 60 as enhance. I found it quite difficult at times and an extra add often meant death. They are excellent against casters with grounding totem & earthshock, you can usually kill casters without taking any spell hits at all.
Level 40-42 was when the shammy became powerful. You get dual wield, windfury & stormstrike in quick succession and you can really start to fly through mobs. They are a bit random though - if everything procs, the mob will be dead in under 5 secs. If nothing procs, it'll take 20-25 sec to kill the mob.
While there are broad similarities between the classes, the actual gameplay is quite different. Kitty DPS is pretty similar to a rogues playstyle, while the shammy I suppose is more like a ret Pallys playstyle, with buffs and a 6 sec cooldown attack etc.
Level 40-42 was when the shammy became powerful. You get dual wield, windfury & stormstrike in quick succession and you can really start to fly through mobs. They are a bit random though - if everything procs, the mob will be dead in under 5 secs. If nothing procs, it'll take 20-25 sec to kill the mob.
While there are broad similarities between the classes, the actual gameplay is quite different. Kitty DPS is pretty similar to a rogues playstyle, while the shammy I suppose is more like a ret Pallys playstyle, with buffs and a 6 sec cooldown attack etc.
Beetlecat wrote:
Shamens can heal and dps AT THE SAME TIME!
How, exactly? If you're referring to Shamans in caster gear doing both in groups, sure, but so can my Restokin.
Please "talk up" if your comprehension white-shifts. I will use simple-happy language-words to help you understand.
Mazra wrote:
Beetlecat wrote:
Shamens can heal and dps AT THE SAME TIME!
How, exactly? If you're referring to Shamans in caster gear doing both in groups, sure, but so can my Restokin.
I meant as feral druid - since that's the largely preferred leveling spec. That said, it was a bigger deal before they changed it to shift from form to form though. Before that I also knew very little about macros so trying to do something like shift out and hit war stomp and heal and shift in before I died was incredibly difficult. So much so that I almost never used any of my CC.
At levels around 40, Shammies still have the option of tanking and healing. As a druid you can't absorb nearly as many hits while out of bear form so healing is more about CCing the mob(s) and hoping they don't resist before you get a quick heal off. So when I played with my shammy friend, I could be in bear form tanking away at 3 or so while he was offtanking one and he could still heal us both while tanking/dpsing the mob(s). If he got low on health, my options to heal him were were almost nil. Frustrating to die with a full mana bar :p
Unfortunately, right about when we hit outlands we quickly learned that he couldn't tank/off tank anymore and if he over aggroed, then he died very quickly.
Druid and Shaman are very different classes.
Beetlecat wrote:
I meant as feral druid - since that's the largely preferred leveling spec. That said, it was a bigger deal before they changed it to shift from form to form though. Before that I also knew very little about macros so trying to do something like shift out and hit war stomp and heal and shift in before I died was incredibly difficult. So much so that I almost never used any of my CC.
At levels around 40, Shammies still have the option of tanking and healing. As a druid you can't absorb nearly as many hits while out of bear form so healing is more about CCing the mob(s) and hoping they don't resist before you get a quick heal off. So when I played with my shammy friend, I could be in bear form tanking away at 3 or so while he was offtanking one and he could still heal us both while tanking/dpsing the mob(s). If he got low on health, my options to heal him were were almost nil. Frustrating to die with a full mana bar :p
Unfortunately, right about when we hit outlands we quickly learned that he couldn't tank/off tank anymore and if he over aggroed, then he died very quickly.
At levels around 40, Shammies still have the option of tanking and healing. As a druid you can't absorb nearly as many hits while out of bear form so healing is more about CCing the mob(s) and hoping they don't resist before you get a quick heal off. So when I played with my shammy friend, I could be in bear form tanking away at 3 or so while he was offtanking one and he could still heal us both while tanking/dpsing the mob(s). If he got low on health, my options to heal him were were almost nil. Frustrating to die with a full mana bar :p
Unfortunately, right about when we hit outlands we quickly learned that he couldn't tank/off tank anymore and if he over aggroed, then he died very quickly.
What? I mean... what?
A guy asks about the differences between Shaman and Druids in end-game and you tell him Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time. Then you tell me you were talking about level 40 before a recent patch? How the hell does that help him? That's like saying Paladins rival Rogues in damage done, well, at level 40 and in the beta they did.
A Shaman can heal just as well as the Druid counterpart. Enhancement Shaman can heal just as well, or poorly, as Feral Druids. Feral Druids just have to shift out before the healing spells become available. The example about you tanking three mobs and your Shaman buddy tanking one while healing was horribly outdated, yet, you decided to use it as a source to why Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time.
Seriously?
Edited, Jun 22nd 2008 2:51pm by Mazra
Please "talk up" if your comprehension white-shifts. I will use simple-happy language-words to help you understand.
Quote:
What? I mean... what?
A guy asks about the differences between Shaman and Druids in end-game and you tell him Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time. Then you tell me you were talking about level 40 before a...bla bla bla im holier than thou bullcrap rant rant rant
In a raid who is gona find it easier to heal themelves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? the bear tank or the enh/ele shammy?
Scholar
37 posts
Quote:
In a raid who is gona find it easier to heal themelves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? the bear tank or the enh/ele shammy?
Well, if we're talking about dps'ers in a raid, then the feral druid would be in cat form. At that point it would be just as easy for either class to heal themselves (easier for the druid if they have the 2T5 bonus), and most likely the druid would have a larger % of their mana to heal themselves.
Mazra wrote:
What? I mean... what?
A guy asks about the differences between Shaman and Druids in end-game and you tell him Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time. Then you tell me you were talking about level 40 before a recent patch? How the hell does that help him? That's like saying Paladins rival Rogues in damage done, well, at level 40 and in the beta they did.
Don't get you tights in a knot. A druid still cannot heal while tanking or dpsing in cat form. I fail to see what the issue is. I was only relating why it was such an important thing to me. I *still* get pissed when I die with a full mana bar.
Also
naromkid wrote:
So my question is...will lvling a druid be similar to lvling a shaman
They did not *only* ask about end-game. There exists a world before level 70. Quite a large and exciting one IMO. Maybe you should familiarize yourself with it.
redbarronthesecond wrote:
In a raid who is gona find it easier to heal themelves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? the bear tank or the enh/ele shammy?
I'd say druid. Mostly because a shammy can still use their mana to hrlp the fight and increase their dps. While a cat druid's mana bar is just sitting around waiting to be used. Plus innervate never hurts.
That said, it really would depend more on the skill of the players and who steps up to the plate first.
My druid's xp bar is at about the halfway mark between 68 -> 69. My enhancement shaman had done a couple of Kara clears before I set him aside.
I had a Tauren druid a while back but I was having a very hard time surviving. Loved the damage of cat form (or horned lion form, as it were) but more than one mob on me got rough (talking low twenties here) and the act of shifting out to heal usually had me dead before I got to bear form. (It was those damn dirty goblins around the lake in the northern Barrens with their running and adds and cruelty.)
I don't know if the change so that you can swap forms directly came between the days of my Tauren druid and my N.Elf druid, but it's made things a lot easier. I was able to solo a number of same level elites on my shaman, but it required the use of elemental totems (earth for tanking, usually). On my druid, the list of elites I've killed solo in Outland is growing. This weekend I killed Bach'Lor and Banthar by myself at level 67, and Gutripper when I was 68. (Got Tusker to about 60% HP and had to bolt...he was hitting me for almost 1k non-crit in bear form >.<). These are not fights I would have been able to manage as easily on my Shaman. Shaman can heal while dpsing, yes, but we're subject to knockback and interrupts, whereas a druid eventually gets 2 instant cast heals (HoTs) and has Barkskin if you need to get off more than a couple of HoTs to keep yourself in the fight. For a druid to survive, they have to be a bit more "active" than a shaman, but an active druid has more survivability.
Feral druids have the advantage of stealth. Stealth really is a big advantage, and after having taken both a hunter and a shaman to 70, the option to sneak into an area, do your quest, and sneak out again is awesome. Moreso because I've already seen the content and sometimes I just want to get in, get the mob(s) I need dead, and get out.
Druids are potentially far more versatile than shaman. A shaman can dps up close or from range which is nice...though spec dependant if you want to be truly effective at either one. They can also drop back and heal in a pinch if necessary....something I've done several times in my shaman. (Just a tip for druids and shaman alike...people notice when the healer is dead yet the tank somehow continues to get heals and you manage to complete the encounter. It's a great way to get invited back to groups with competent players.) On my shaman, many times I got through Outland dungeons as a healer. I remained enhancement spec and tossed on some +heal gear that I had tucked away here and there "just in case."A shaman has some great situational buffs and there are a lot of fights I've done where tremor totems (and to a lesser extent, poison cleansing totems) have won the day or at least made things far easier. Never underestimate the power of the totem. In fact, I'd say the benefits of totems are what balance a shaman's inability to tank.
A feral druid's versatility often requires little more than a gear swap. I wouldn't be too keen on volunteering to heal a challenging encounter as a feral druid regardless of how much +healing I had, but I could tank it or dps it. If I'm dps, I can also offheal in a pinch, which gives me access to segments of all three party "roles".
I also enjoy PvP far more as a druid than as a shaman. PvP as a shaman is often quick and messy and usually ends up with a stop at the nearest GY. On my druid, even if I lose the fight I spend more time fighting and less time running back from the GY. I find something fun about starting a 1v1 and having it drag on so long that my opponent has 2 people show up to help finish the job and even then it still takes a long time to kill me. Survivability as a shaman in PvP is all about not being noticed, which is often hard to do. Survivability as a druid is about using your class abilities to maximum advantage.
I had a Tauren druid a while back but I was having a very hard time surviving. Loved the damage of cat form (or horned lion form, as it were) but more than one mob on me got rough (talking low twenties here) and the act of shifting out to heal usually had me dead before I got to bear form. (It was those damn dirty goblins around the lake in the northern Barrens with their running and adds and cruelty.)
I don't know if the change so that you can swap forms directly came between the days of my Tauren druid and my N.Elf druid, but it's made things a lot easier. I was able to solo a number of same level elites on my shaman, but it required the use of elemental totems (earth for tanking, usually). On my druid, the list of elites I've killed solo in Outland is growing. This weekend I killed Bach'Lor and Banthar by myself at level 67, and Gutripper when I was 68. (Got Tusker to about 60% HP and had to bolt...he was hitting me for almost 1k non-crit in bear form >.<). These are not fights I would have been able to manage as easily on my Shaman. Shaman can heal while dpsing, yes, but we're subject to knockback and interrupts, whereas a druid eventually gets 2 instant cast heals (HoTs) and has Barkskin if you need to get off more than a couple of HoTs to keep yourself in the fight. For a druid to survive, they have to be a bit more "active" than a shaman, but an active druid has more survivability.
Feral druids have the advantage of stealth. Stealth really is a big advantage, and after having taken both a hunter and a shaman to 70, the option to sneak into an area, do your quest, and sneak out again is awesome. Moreso because I've already seen the content and sometimes I just want to get in, get the mob(s) I need dead, and get out.
Druids are potentially far more versatile than shaman. A shaman can dps up close or from range which is nice...though spec dependant if you want to be truly effective at either one. They can also drop back and heal in a pinch if necessary....something I've done several times in my shaman. (Just a tip for druids and shaman alike...people notice when the healer is dead yet the tank somehow continues to get heals and you manage to complete the encounter. It's a great way to get invited back to groups with competent players.) On my shaman, many times I got through Outland dungeons as a healer. I remained enhancement spec and tossed on some +heal gear that I had tucked away here and there "just in case."A shaman has some great situational buffs and there are a lot of fights I've done where tremor totems (and to a lesser extent, poison cleansing totems) have won the day or at least made things far easier. Never underestimate the power of the totem. In fact, I'd say the benefits of totems are what balance a shaman's inability to tank.
A feral druid's versatility often requires little more than a gear swap. I wouldn't be too keen on volunteering to heal a challenging encounter as a feral druid regardless of how much +healing I had, but I could tank it or dps it. If I'm dps, I can also offheal in a pinch, which gives me access to segments of all three party "roles".
I also enjoy PvP far more as a druid than as a shaman. PvP as a shaman is often quick and messy and usually ends up with a stop at the nearest GY. On my druid, even if I lose the fight I spend more time fighting and less time running back from the GY. I find something fun about starting a 1v1 and having it drag on so long that my opponent has 2 people show up to help finish the job and even then it still takes a long time to kill me. Survivability as a shaman in PvP is all about not being noticed, which is often hard to do. Survivability as a druid is about using your class abilities to maximum advantage.
Beetlecat wrote:
Don't get you tights in a knot.
Yeah, sorry, was in a bad mood, not that it justifies it.
Beetlecat wrote:
A druid still cannot heal while tanking or dpsing in cat form.
This is where you're wrong. I think I know what you mean, but you word it wrong. A Druid can't heal from within Cat/Bear form, no. That doesn't mean the Druid can't shift out and then heal while still performing the role of DPS. If you want to get technical, neither class can heal while dealing damage, because casting heals reduces the outgoing damage to zero. If you want to get even more technical, yes, they can. Shaman can cast DoTs and a totem that deals damage and another totem that heals, allowing the Shaman to deal damage while healing. However, the Druid can cast "heal over time" spells and DoTs, plus a Feral Druid can indirectly heal through Improved Leader of the Pack, which only procs on hits.
But I'm guessing you meant that Druids can't heal in forms whereas the Shaman have all the spells available at all times, ready to be cast.
Healing while tanking is a bit more tricky, because often shifting out of Bear form puts the Druid in a vulnerable position. However, with Barkskin at level 44, this becomes viable as well. I've popped out of Bear form to heal myself and others as the tank in many Outland instances.
Strength through versatility is the Druid's mantra. Far too many people think that the Druid is locked into performing only one of four roles: ranged DPS, melee DPS, tanking or healing. This is probably somewhat true in end-game raiding instances, but while leveling up and casual 70 gameplay, versatility is the Druid's forte.
If you want to experience what Druids are really capable of, go tank a Stratholme run at level 64+. I did and it was the best time I had in a good while on my Druid. I tanked, healed, threw out Moonfires and even spent some time in Cat form to optimize the group's chance of survival.
I recommend all Feral Druids try it at least once. It's awesome.
Ps. Sorry for getting my knickers in a knot. I should have posted this to begin with. Knot has been untied.
Edited, Jun 23rd 2008 10:26pm by Mazra
Please "talk up" if your comprehension white-shifts. I will use simple-happy language-words to help you understand.
Sorry for the double-barrelled blast here, but I wanted to keep this out of the post to Beetlecat, because now my panties are in a knot again.
What? I mean... what?
A guy asks about the differences between Shaman and Druids in end-game and you tell him Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time. Then you tell me you were talking about level 40 before a...bla bla bla im holier than thou bullcrap rant rant rant
In a raid who is gona find it easier to heal themelves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? the bear tank or the enh/ele shammy?
Idiotic edit of quotation aside, are you really that stupid? You compare a DPS Shaman to a Druid tank in terms of off-healing capabilities? Seriously? There's a world of a difference between the two roles and thus the situation they find themselves in when they are required to heal. Obviously the Shaman would have an easier time, because he's not being pummeled to a bloody pulp by a huge *** monster, is he?
And if the healers are "slacking" so much the tank has to heal himself, something is terribly wrong with the raid group. Perhaps the healers should slack less and heal more? I mean, of all the people in the raid, the only one they have to keep alive is the tank, right? Off-tank as well, if there is one.
To not sound like a complete idiot, this is what you should have asked:
In a raid, who is going to find it easier to heal themselves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? The Cat form Druid or the Enhancement Shaman?
The answer would've been: Whoever isn't being hammered to death by a huge *** monster!
And for the record, I'm not "holier than thou," I'm just pointing out some things. Nowhere did I claim to be a better player than Beetlecat. And if I did, I had hoped someone would've pointed that out to me a bit earlier. I might be ranting, but I believe it's justifiable in this case.
redbarronthesecond wrote:
Quote:
What? I mean... what?
A guy asks about the differences between Shaman and Druids in end-game and you tell him Shaman can heal and DPS at the same time. Then you tell me you were talking about level 40 before a...bla bla bla im holier than thou bullcrap rant rant rant
In a raid who is gona find it easier to heal themelves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? the bear tank or the enh/ele shammy?
Idiotic edit of quotation aside, are you really that stupid? You compare a DPS Shaman to a Druid tank in terms of off-healing capabilities? Seriously? There's a world of a difference between the two roles and thus the situation they find themselves in when they are required to heal. Obviously the Shaman would have an easier time, because he's not being pummeled to a bloody pulp by a huge *** monster, is he?
And if the healers are "slacking" so much the tank has to heal himself, something is terribly wrong with the raid group. Perhaps the healers should slack less and heal more? I mean, of all the people in the raid, the only one they have to keep alive is the tank, right? Off-tank as well, if there is one.
To not sound like a complete idiot, this is what you should have asked:
In a raid, who is going to find it easier to heal themselves if the healers are slacking after a big dose of AOE damage? The Cat form Druid or the Enhancement Shaman?
The answer would've been: Whoever isn't being hammered to death by a huge *** monster!
And for the record, I'm not "holier than thou," I'm just pointing out some things. Nowhere did I claim to be a better player than Beetlecat. And if I did, I had hoped someone would've pointed that out to me a bit earlier. I might be ranting, but I believe it's justifiable in this case.
Please "talk up" if your comprehension white-shifts. I will use simple-happy language-words to help you understand.
Mazra + tight panties + angry rant + self healing kitty druid = dead misspelled barron.
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