Post by The Zrogfather on Jun 14, 2005 17:35:52 GMT -5
Shammies - you are both blessed and cursed. You have tons of abilities (good), but you can't fill every party-role at once (or people get annoyed with you).
These are some of the most troublesome things that shammies do in parties. Here's the DO NOT list:
1) Do NOT use your shock spells or chain lightning as openers in a fight when you're the healer or off tank.
The best use of shocks in parties are for tanking casters (Earth Shock as spell interrupt), or Frost Shocks for stopping fleeing mobs.
2) DO NOT forget to lay down totems (see Shammy Totem Use article)
3) DO NOT use lightning shield when you're a healer
Why? Because if you're hit, you generate more aggro against you, which makes the tank's job harder, since he's hopefully going to try to keep mobs off you so you can heal properly.
4) DO NOT use rockbiter unless you are tanking. It's a great weapon enchancement, but it draws tons of aggro. Flametongue totem or WIndfury Totem are great additions if you want weapon buffs - use one or the other, of course (see also Shammy Totem article).
5) DO NOT use the same gear for healer-role as for tanking-role, if you can help it. My shammy (level 45) carries around 2 sets of gear at all times - takes up some bag space, but makes me a MUCH better healer when I need to be Main Healer.
6) DO NOT lay down the same totems as your fellow shaman.
Discuss early on what totems to use, and adjust use of totems depending on party mix. For example, Rogues and Hunters benefit much more from Grace of Air totem than WindFury totem (in my opinion), whereas a weak melee party benefits more from Stoneskin Totem than Strength totem. Yet, I've seen many shaman lay down the same totems they always do, regardless of the situation. Another strange thing shaman do: lay down Earthbind at the start of the fight. Why? You could be using a better earth-based totem for most of the fight, then drop the Earthbind later to slow runners when needed. Earthbind is cheap on mana anyway...
7) DO NOT forget about your resistance totems.
Resistance totems are seldom used solo, or even duo. However, when your party is being frozen into immobility by caster mobs, or severely pummeled by fire-casters, feel free to throw down a resistance totem. This applies especially to enemies using AOE attacks against your party. These totems are a great tool if you can remember that you have them in your arsenal. Protection totems like Stoneskin do nothing for your tanks when they are being bombarded with spells.
More later if I think of anything...
EDIT: for ENDGAME, from forums:
In BRD and BRS, I do the following:
1) Backup healing. I am always watching the main healer's mana and everyone's health.
2) Runner killer. I am keeping an eye on mobs that can run to frost-shock / earthbind / melee them. There are so many places where a runner can and will get adds and wipe your group.
3) Totem herder. I am always re-assessing the situation and the battle location to make sure totems are up, the correct totems are up, and near the fight.
4) Anti-caster. I am using earth-shock to pull in casters and grounding totems to take spells for the team. I'm learning in BRS that grounding totem can and will save your life, and I'm getting to the point where checking the grounding totem cooldown is just another part of playing smart.
5) Off-tanking. Sometimes an extra elite mob needs my special attention while the DPS squad cleans up.
6) AOE. In groups with a large amount of non-elites, I toss out magma totems and chain lightnings to help back up the cloth when they AOEs.
7) Dying well. I have to keep an eye out for where the mobs spawn and don't so if I die, I can die somewhere I can self-res without re-aggroing and dying again.
8) Bodyguard. I keep an eye open for mobs making a break for the main healer or other caster and earth shock them to pull them off the caster onto me. The real tanks should do this, but sometimes, one slips through.
And, I'm doing all of the above while I'm in the thick of the battle laying down some baseline melee DPS on whatever mob the /assist command points me at.
---- by Doomhaven L60 Shaman ----
Zrog (Brun)
These are some of the most troublesome things that shammies do in parties. Here's the DO NOT list:
1) Do NOT use your shock spells or chain lightning as openers in a fight when you're the healer or off tank.
The best use of shocks in parties are for tanking casters (Earth Shock as spell interrupt), or Frost Shocks for stopping fleeing mobs.
2) DO NOT forget to lay down totems (see Shammy Totem Use article)
3) DO NOT use lightning shield when you're a healer
Why? Because if you're hit, you generate more aggro against you, which makes the tank's job harder, since he's hopefully going to try to keep mobs off you so you can heal properly.
4) DO NOT use rockbiter unless you are tanking. It's a great weapon enchancement, but it draws tons of aggro. Flametongue totem or WIndfury Totem are great additions if you want weapon buffs - use one or the other, of course (see also Shammy Totem article).
5) DO NOT use the same gear for healer-role as for tanking-role, if you can help it. My shammy (level 45) carries around 2 sets of gear at all times - takes up some bag space, but makes me a MUCH better healer when I need to be Main Healer.
6) DO NOT lay down the same totems as your fellow shaman.
Discuss early on what totems to use, and adjust use of totems depending on party mix. For example, Rogues and Hunters benefit much more from Grace of Air totem than WindFury totem (in my opinion), whereas a weak melee party benefits more from Stoneskin Totem than Strength totem. Yet, I've seen many shaman lay down the same totems they always do, regardless of the situation. Another strange thing shaman do: lay down Earthbind at the start of the fight. Why? You could be using a better earth-based totem for most of the fight, then drop the Earthbind later to slow runners when needed. Earthbind is cheap on mana anyway...
7) DO NOT forget about your resistance totems.
Resistance totems are seldom used solo, or even duo. However, when your party is being frozen into immobility by caster mobs, or severely pummeled by fire-casters, feel free to throw down a resistance totem. This applies especially to enemies using AOE attacks against your party. These totems are a great tool if you can remember that you have them in your arsenal. Protection totems like Stoneskin do nothing for your tanks when they are being bombarded with spells.
More later if I think of anything...
EDIT: for ENDGAME, from forums:
In BRD and BRS, I do the following:
1) Backup healing. I am always watching the main healer's mana and everyone's health.
2) Runner killer. I am keeping an eye on mobs that can run to frost-shock / earthbind / melee them. There are so many places where a runner can and will get adds and wipe your group.
3) Totem herder. I am always re-assessing the situation and the battle location to make sure totems are up, the correct totems are up, and near the fight.
4) Anti-caster. I am using earth-shock to pull in casters and grounding totems to take spells for the team. I'm learning in BRS that grounding totem can and will save your life, and I'm getting to the point where checking the grounding totem cooldown is just another part of playing smart.
5) Off-tanking. Sometimes an extra elite mob needs my special attention while the DPS squad cleans up.
6) AOE. In groups with a large amount of non-elites, I toss out magma totems and chain lightnings to help back up the cloth when they AOEs.
7) Dying well. I have to keep an eye out for where the mobs spawn and don't so if I die, I can die somewhere I can self-res without re-aggroing and dying again.
8) Bodyguard. I keep an eye open for mobs making a break for the main healer or other caster and earth shock them to pull them off the caster onto me. The real tanks should do this, but sometimes, one slips through.
And, I'm doing all of the above while I'm in the thick of the battle laying down some baseline melee DPS on whatever mob the /assist command points me at.
---- by Doomhaven L60 Shaman ----
Zrog (Brun)
