- Forums
- World of Warcraft
- Class Discussion
- Shaman Solo
Shaman SoloFollow
24 posts
I wanted to pick one of the 3 hybrid classes so since I already started a paladin, it was between a druid and shaman next. But from what people have told me, shaman solo horribly and are not for new players, is this true? And also, if totems are used a lot during solo play does it slow down leveling? Thanks.
read here
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/class.html?wclass=8;mid=1216005510236388038;num=17;page=1
http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/class.html?wclass=8;mid=1216005510236388038;num=17;page=1
Shaman was my first character in WoW (for better and worst), so I didn't have a perspective of "hard" since I hadn't played anything prior. I now have a perspective after playing a few alts to 70, and yes shaman is HARD in comparison.
In my opinion;
Shaman is pretty straight forward when soloing, and the prefered solo spec is Enhancement. Just melee a mob to death, and heal yourself when needed. Yes, using totems can slow down lvling, UNLESS you have stationed yourself and base your pulls for a extended time. And even at that, you tend to just use 1-2 totems. A full compliment of 4 elem type totems is very mana taxing, especially if you don't stay in one place to get the full benifit of the duration.
Shaman play in party is rather "hard", in the sense that we always keep in mind that we can do multipul rolls all the time, with varing degrees of success, determind on spec. Sure we're great at dps (2 dps specs), but in a pinch we can do OS heals...and should when needed. Even as a dps, we're more "situationally" dependant compared to other dps, since we have nearly NO treat dumps/aggro reduction what so ever (outside of slowing down casting, or unlocking target, which by then tend to be too late). Which means we're dependant on how good our tank is, for us to be able to do our "best"
Resto is straight forward...you heal....but with little aggro protection. But at least you can hit multipul targets in one heal, making shaman's one of the best raid healers in game. But a horrilbe spec to lvl as! Great for soloing elites tho.
I'll be frank, shaman has its glitchs (BOY does it!), but despite the warrented complaints that many give it, we get to show off in partys/raids...which is really a shaman's element. Don't expect no kudo's in PvP tho...not generally our forte' (without some MAJOR gearing)
Of the hybrid classes, Shaman's are the Good DPS/Healing combo. Paladins are the Tanking/Healing/DPS (sorta) combo...same with Druids.
If thats the nitch you'd like to fill....go for it.
In my opinion;
Shaman is pretty straight forward when soloing, and the prefered solo spec is Enhancement. Just melee a mob to death, and heal yourself when needed. Yes, using totems can slow down lvling, UNLESS you have stationed yourself and base your pulls for a extended time. And even at that, you tend to just use 1-2 totems. A full compliment of 4 elem type totems is very mana taxing, especially if you don't stay in one place to get the full benifit of the duration.
Shaman play in party is rather "hard", in the sense that we always keep in mind that we can do multipul rolls all the time, with varing degrees of success, determind on spec. Sure we're great at dps (2 dps specs), but in a pinch we can do OS heals...and should when needed. Even as a dps, we're more "situationally" dependant compared to other dps, since we have nearly NO treat dumps/aggro reduction what so ever (outside of slowing down casting, or unlocking target, which by then tend to be too late). Which means we're dependant on how good our tank is, for us to be able to do our "best"
Resto is straight forward...you heal....but with little aggro protection. But at least you can hit multipul targets in one heal, making shaman's one of the best raid healers in game. But a horrilbe spec to lvl as! Great for soloing elites tho.
I'll be frank, shaman has its glitchs (BOY does it!), but despite the warrented complaints that many give it, we get to show off in partys/raids...which is really a shaman's element. Don't expect no kudo's in PvP tho...not generally our forte' (without some MAJOR gearing)
Of the hybrid classes, Shaman's are the Good DPS/Healing combo. Paladins are the Tanking/Healing/DPS (sorta) combo...same with Druids.
If thats the nitch you'd like to fill....go for it.
24 posts
If it is "hard" which class would you recommend?
Hybrid leveling is as follows.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
Quote:
If it is "hard" which class would you recommend?
Why would "hard" be a factor for not choosing a shaman? Or any other Hybrid for that matter?
Hybrid class play I'd say is generally more difficult than "pure" classes, simply because of the obivous...we can do more!
"Easy" is something like Lock, Hunter or Rogue...particularly 1 dimentional DPS classes for the most part. While something "easy" doesn't translate into "useless" persay but, fact of the matter is they lack "other" tools like healing or tanking...thus aren't concerned about that duty when in a party.
Frankly, no one can or has the right to tell you what your going to enjoy playing...thats really up to you now isn't it?
My GF got pissed at me cuz I was laughing at a joke a guild member said,"What do Rogue's and Noobs have in common?"..."They both pick locks!"
I thought it was hilarious since I always give her crap about playing a "easy" class, and its nice to see someone else "voice" that opinion too :P She's been playing WoW since day 1 and her first lv 70 was a lock, and thats pretty much all she plays.
I've jumped on her lock a few times one day when she was at work, and tooled around in BG's and some reg instances. I've never touched a lock EVER, but after about 30mins of looking at the spell list, and a some fancy macroing...I condensed BG play down to just a TAB button and 1 macro :P Pretty much stuck to the same macro in a reg instance, and obviously didn't tab around, and was able to run it sucessfully with easy. She came home, and saw me playing her lock and started giving me "pointers on the complexities of the class". I opened her bags showed her the gear she got from instance runs, and opened her PvP honor count, which was ALOT higher than where she left it! I've never had a disscusion on the topic again lol
My point being, while I can argue that it was REALLY easy to play her class, I did find it "enjoyable". Not completely my taste (though I made a 39 twink lock following this experiance now), as I have never gone back on her lock again since then...though she has asked me many times to do so (She liked the increase in BG Honor, since she doesn't care for PvP). I still prefer playing my shaman. But her lock "does the intended job well", can't complain about that at all.
Side note: She's played my shaman a few times when I was at work. I came home to a rather large repair bill...no added gear and no added honor. She said she hates it, and hasn't gone back on my character since lol /sigh damn repair bill.... >.>
Bottom line...play what you want...period. Don't let difficulty sway your choice.
Gaudion wrote:
Hybrid leveling is as follows.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
Going to slightly disagree on how these classes level :-P
Druids are agonizing pre-10; you cast to do damage, and will need to drink pretty much every second or third fight. At 10 your DPS goes UP with your tank form (ouch). 10-20 is better, but very slow. 20-32 is ok thanks to cat but no real finisher. 32-42 is medium. At 42 you have improved LotP, which eliminates any downtime. 42-50 is pretty quick (despite it being, IMO, the worst level range for quests). At 50 you get mangle. You fly for the rest.
Paladins start fast. You can kill quickly when enemies have low hp, and you can heal yourself between fights. Keep a good blue main weapon and you'll go quick until 40. Around 40 you get a slowdown because enemies have more hp and you just don't put out as much damage. At 50 you get Crusader Strike and can still get some quick fights, but it's entirely dependent on SoC procs and crits. Haven't leveled a Paladin past 60, but it's fairly easy; however, much slower than some other classes (mage, hunter, druid) I've played around then, simply because Paladins can't DPS like other classes.
Shamans start off slowish, but fine. I found myself using a lot of lightning to start fights before 30, just because knocking off 40% of an enemy's health before it gets to you is a nice edge. At 30 you get Windfury, which will increase your DPS somewhat. At 40 it all changes; dual-wielding + Windfury = GOLDEN. Only 52 right now, but it has been a great time so far. It's slowing down a bit at 52, but my weapons are a bit underpowered (48 blue and 48 green), and there is NO gear on the AH.
Gaudion wrote:
Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well.
That is... if they don't go through with giving water shield in early levels in WotLK
Edited, Jul 22nd 2008 8:34am by xNocturnalSunx
enhancement is still going to be stronger generally for the grind, first 50 levels there is just more gear for enhancement then elemental, and without the need for mana to do damage it is a bit helpful. shaman can level any spec they want of coarse but enhancement is just the best and will stay the best grinding spec out there for us, the main perc to elemental is you can also heal groups in instances pretty well on your way up.
Gaudion wrote:
Hybrid leveling is as follows.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
Druids are slow until 10, agonizing from 10 to 20, and then one of the best leveling classes in the game from 20-70 if you level Feral. No downtime whatsoever, can tank instances until at least 60 without any gear checks. You can also throw on an off-set to heal from 1-60 or so.
Paladin leveling is agonizing until 20, mediocre-to-slow from 20-50, and good (though not great) from 50-70 if you level Ret. It's agonizing until 34 and decent from 34-70 if you level Prot. As Prot you will be able to tank any instance from your late teens to 70, gear allowing. Tanking is possible as Ret from 20-60 though highly discouraged. Either spec can throw on an off-set of gear and heal from 1-60 at least.
Shaman level decently from 1-10, retardedly slow from 10-30, slightly less agonizingly slow from 30-40, and extremely well from 40-70 if you level Enhancement. Elemental blows from 1-60, but once you get Outlands gear and Water Shield in your early 60's it levels very well. You can throw on an off-set to heal instances from 1-60, and tanking is somewhat possible around the late 30's range, but generally not recommended at any level as Shaman are not meant to be tanks in any capacity whatsoever.
I'm going to have to disagree somwhat as well. (Just a note, though, that I'm not 70 on anything, but I've got a 60 prot paladin, a 63 enhancement shammy, and 2 60 druids, balance and feral.)
Paladin is fine during the early level for the most part. It slows down post 20, but picks up as Prot once you get reckoning and holy shield. You have to be careful about picking where your leveling as Prot however, and you might be better off grinding as opposed to questing. Mobs that cast or do non-physical damage are a no-no. This gets worse as you get higher level, as mob spells are barely noticeable at low levels, but once you get into the upper 40s and 50s, mob's spells pick up their damage a lot. Gear is fairly important, which means if it's your first toon, I'd take 2 gathering professions.
Shaman, depending on faction, are very different in my limited experience (my only horde shaman only made it to 30). 10-low 20s is cake if you're a draenei. From there to 30 is...bad. As horde, I found 10-30 horrible, but I can't stand The Barrens (and this was pre-BC.) 30-40 is okay, though using a 2-hander with windfury, I felt awfully fragile and when windfury didn't proc the fights sucked. Once you pick up dual-wielding and stormstrike, it's a breeze. I found shaman to be one of the easiest to level post-40 (having a spell interrupt is soooooo nice.) Again, gear is fairly important.
Druids...what can I say. As stated earlier, 1-10 is horrible. When feral, 10-20 is pretty bad. 20 on is pretty easy, but once you get Pounce at 36, it pretty much becomes a cakewalk. Getting mangle at 50 makes it even easier. Gear isn't really that important (my feral made it to Outlands while still using a level 29 staff :) )
As for balance...don't level balance. It's kind of fun if you want to be a caster but don't want to be particularly squishy, but you will stop and drink constantly. I still have to stop and drink far too often on my 60 balance druid, as far as I'm concerned.
All in all, feral druid is probably the easiest, followed by enhancement shaman, then prot pally. You do have to be a bit more careful with a shaman, though, as shamans really lack an "Oh ****!" button, something pallies have in spades (and druids having to a certain extent too, particular after getting barkskin.)
Recent Visitors: 131
All times are in CST
Anonymous Guests (131)
- Forums
- World of Warcraft
- Class Discussion
- Shaman Solo
© 2024 Fanbyte LLC