Classes: The Shaman

Shamen - primitive power. The only magic using class of the barbarians, ogres and trolls, shamen get a variety of spells that combine aspects of most of the other magic using classes. This combination, along with the racial strength, means the class can be played in a variety of different ways.

What is the best way to develop and play your shaman? What spells and skills are the most and least useful? Can a shaman be soloed, and if so how? How should you play your shaman in a group?

Post your strategies on how to best play and develop the Shaman and read, rate and comment on what others have to say.

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I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!Follow

I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#1 Mar 25 2005 at 11:19 AM Rating: Decent
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401 posts

I learned a long time ago not to go to POK without turning on Roleplaying. If I forget I'm reminded in about 30 seconds.

Recently I've begun to get tells in the field like "Can I get a HoS for me and my pet? I'll donate" or even "Can I get [insert a list of buffs here]". No hail or anything. I find myself increasingly annoyed by this assumption that I am online to enhance someone else's game play.

Last night I was solo quadding my druid in DSP and went AFK whilst he medded. I came back to see in OOC;
"Druid come to ZL"
"Druid come to Netherbian ZL to help out"
"Druid I need you to heal me"

The person OOCing was a 51 beastie. My druid is 39. I did a /who and guess who was the only druid in DSP? I was really irritated but I just ignored the fool and kept playing. Then I saw in OOC "are you coming?".

Now I realize that this is an extreme example. But I find that I'm still thinking about it the next day. I was just wondering if any of you guys have noticed a general increase in this Baby Bird syndrome?

I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#2 Mar 25 2005 at 1:10 PM Rating: Decent
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60 posts
Camp, I feel your pain. Got an idea for you...

1. Go to Everfrost and kill skellies till you get 1 rusty battle axe and 1 parrying dagger.

2. Equip them. Shaman for some strange reason are listed on battleaxes as a class that can equip. Now you look like a dual wielding warrior.

3. Go to PoK, turn on /roleplay. Now, no one can /who shaman or looks at you, will realize your a shaman.

Mojo
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#3 Mar 25 2005 at 1:30 PM Rating: Decent
Shaman's will allways be sought after for Buffs we are the best in the Game. I look at it as a slight problem. Because as a Shaman, I send tells /ooc looking for KEI all the time. So I consider it a two way street Pluses and minus of the class we have chosen to play. I would of ingored the Bst or I would tell him to go buy bandages in SS or just gave him a loc and he can come to you for a REG spell. I never go to them unless it is convent for me. (peeps looking for buffs) need to be paper trained to come to us.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#4 Mar 25 2005 at 6:52 PM Rating: Decent
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330 posts
I've been /role since I hit 50 for that very reason. My Grandmaster's Brewers Corker helps me when I need to do the dual weild look too.

You might want to avoid the titles Prophet, Venerable and Elder as well. Players seem to consider those titles as a sign I want to be annoyed.

The worst offenders are the ones who beg for buffs but refuse to let me join their group because I don't fit their ideal profile for the "perfect group".
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#5 Mar 26 2005 at 9:07 AM Rating: Decent
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401 posts

See, I actually like buffing people. Whenever I pass through a newbie zone I always load HoS and zap green players on the fly like Heyokah Hood. I remember how grateful I was when players did that for me as I was coming up.

For me Roleplaying in POK takes care of 99% of uninvited buff requests. On the other hand I have a friend who sold Temp when he got the spell and now he can't even sit in POK and chat. He has to zone whether roleplaying or no to be able to have a conversation.

My question had more to do with being treated as a function rather than as a person. Maybe it's because I am now playing two heal/buff classes but it seems to me the situation has degraded over the last little while. I have a friend who says that the tone of the game in general has changed due to the many PvP players who have migrated over and who have a different perspective on player interaction. I dunno if that's true or not and it occurred to me that I might simply be overreacting. That's why I sought the council of older and wiser players than I.

I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#6 Mar 26 2005 at 10:21 AM Rating: Decent
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60 posts
Personally, I don't mind buffing players when requested politely. Ask me, "Would you have a moment to cast a few buffs? I'd be happy to donate for your time," and I'll almost always give them everything I have. However, "buff me dud3" will get no response from me or a best a response of "Very sorry, but I'm busy at the moment."

However, seeing 3 tells from random people asking for buffs upon zoning into PoK gets tiresome. I'll look around and if I can see them, I'll buff them (assuming they were polite). If not, they are usually out of luck.

When I play one of my alts, I will only ask for buffs from players that I can see (never use /who) and will usually say something like, "Master Shaman, would you impart the Spirit of the Wolf upon me?" It is almost never denied and usually followed by several more buffs.

I'll respond in return with a /kneel and "Thank you kindly, Master Shaman. May this donation help you better serve the greater good of... <insert guild or starting city>." I've actually had a 70 Shaman I know (although he didn't know it was me) rebuff me several hours later when he saw me runnning through PoK again. He asked me how it was going and told me he appreciated my politeness.

Courtesy and politeness go a long way in game and in real life.

My two cents.

Mojo
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#7 Mar 29 2005 at 3:46 AM Rating: Decent
I love the fact that we can buff toons, infact if you think about it we can offer more buffs then any other class.. I never take donations for it (must be why I am skint lol) I click on cancel.. however it is annoying when you are in a hurry and just passing through pok and getting 10 tells a min as you run ...

But on the most part I have learn to live with it..with just the occasion flare of irritation
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#8 Apr 12 2005 at 10:41 AM Rating: Decent
I play a mid lvl shaman on the FV server. We don't have a lot of problems with getting 10 tells a minute, but I have found that using the anoymus (sry, terrible speller) while in PoK helps when I don't want to be disturbed by tells. But I agree with the post of being polite will get a better response to just "I need a buff" or "is anyone casting buffs"
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#9 Apr 12 2005 at 5:25 PM Rating: Decent
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98 posts
Try not to take it personaly,I played a Druid back in the days before POP and i know what you mean,i had people asking for ports and buffs all the time

Honestly i didn't mind helpin people out unless i was in a fast paced group.
Just because your a player dosen't mean your not a shaman lol
being asked for buffs is going to happen.
It's just like if your gonna be a big movie star or what not,your gonna get hit up for autographs,or picked on by the tabloids =p

Not everyone is in to roleplaying,they aren't gonna want to type in a whole phrase buttering you up for the buffs.to be quite frank i find it silly when they do sometimes amusing though,hell and i even like to roleplay! was playing doctor and nurse with my wife the oth...umm nm anyway,don't let the impolitness bother you,a lot of things come across as rude or uncaring when you are typing to someone,you can't see them you don't know if they are smiling or frowning,kidding or not

i really liked Mojarda's plan,think you should try that for when your in pok.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#10 Apr 13 2005 at 5:51 AM Rating: Decent
yeah but a simple please and thank you goes a far way.. and is quick to type ;P there to me is no excuse for bad manners :P lol
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#11 Apr 13 2005 at 8:34 AM Rating: Decent
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401 posts

It's not that people ask for buffs. It's built into the game that players require the assistance of other players and I have gotten requests for buffs since I started playing. It's no biggie. What I had sensed when I started this thread (and still do) is a sort of sea change in the way that people perceive second party buffs. Whereas previously buffing was treated as a sort of easy going cooperation it now seems to me that many players feel entitled to buffs and have no compunctions about being demanding or even downright rude when they ask for them. This is a change from what was once the norm.

On Stromm at least to go to POK is to be bombarded by OOCs begging for or offering buffs for donations. Since EQ is so focused on platinum I guess this is something we just have to live with. But what I am seeing more and more is an assumption by other players in the field that someone else playing EQ is there only to buff/rez/summon etc., often several zones away. And then to be rude or sarcastic when it turns out that the someone else has other priorities.

Has this sort of thing actually increased or have I simply become more cognizant and/or intolerant? There have been other instances since the beginning of this thread but I hope I have made myself clear on the point. Easy enough to /Ignore obnoxious players but my list has grown from just a few to quite a few in the last little while. If the tone of EQ has changed I'm wondering why.

I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#12 Apr 13 2005 at 8:40 AM Rating: Decent
I think the appropriate thing to say is
"You catch more flies with honey then you would with vinegar."

I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#13 Apr 13 2005 at 11:38 AM Rating: Decent
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98 posts
to your question campdog i reply,People have been asking for buffs ooc and shout since i first logged on 5 years ago.i remember sitting there in freeport newb garden asking myself wtf is this buff everyone is shouting about? do i need one? what slot does it go in lol

When i ask for a buff ,i usually keep it short and sweet, if your not too busy could i trouble you fora <said> buff?

and thank them then offer a donation.

i think a lot of the more new players don't understand and need to be taught the same as we were back in the day.

it is a different and much more fast paced game then it was years ago,perhaps in the rush of things politness is being over looked.I would recommend anytime someone offends you,let them know,and take the time to explain how they might get better results when lookin for buffs.

BTW for anyone new reading this,i always recommend doing a search for the class you want buffs from and sending them a tell personaly.i see it as lazy to just run into a zone and start spamming i want this i want that.

would you go into a club somewhere and shout "any ladies want to date me?"

thanx foryour time =)
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#14 Apr 14 2005 at 1:08 AM Rating: Decent
Hmm .. no one has brought up the possibility that the bst was looking for someone to duo with rather than just buffs?

Bst/dru is a fairly popular 2box/duo combo.

I like buffing people too ... except for the 'haste plz' spam when there's an un-maloed/un-slowed mob inc.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#15 Sep 27 2005 at 6:54 PM Rating: Decent
I was scrolling through the old posts and thought I'd add a small poem I recited years ago while playing my Shaman in OT...

heh... hem... is this mic on.....

"Sarnak Bezerker hides behind trees,
Startles a group, and everyone flees,
All but ONE get away, he falls to his knees...
cause he begged for a SoW, but didn't say please!"

Sirith Sintarsis
Lvl 55 Shaman
IT&quot;S YOUR JOB!!!
#16 Sep 29 2005 at 1:45 PM Rating: Decent
Read through your "create character" job discription again, I'll wait............. yes it actually says one of your main priorities is to increase the power of those you fight with. If you dont like buffing why'de you make a shaman?
I made my own shaman who will be coming up and his name is "xurker" and he's a troll. Will I have roleplaying or anon up? no becuase after playing a rogue and a SK I realize how vital some buffs are and if it just kills me sooo bad to stop and help someone out for a few minutes I should really rethink why I'm playing a mass online game. Some people NEED the buffs they ask for so why would you deny them? Stop being so self involved and help others. You notice I also have a 69 bst and if you think buffing with a shaman is bad try going through lvl 20-60 on a beastlord, the buffs are single target only and last way shorter, our best haste (celerity) only last like 15 minutes without ext.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#17 Sep 29 2005 at 3:33 PM Rating: Decent
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330 posts
Saying it's my job indicates I'm getting paid for it. Most of the time people want buffs they don't donate or offer crap I would be embarassed to sell to a vendor.

Whenever I group yes, buffing is part of my job and I cast everything they'll stop and give me time for. But I am also getting XP and a share of the loot. I usually offer to refresh buffs on everyone when the group breaks up too.

I'm liberal with my mana and do buff players when I'm not too busy but to think I OWE you something because I picked a shaman is just going to get you on more ignore lists than it's going to get you buffs.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#18 Sep 29 2005 at 4:44 PM Rating: Decent
Buffing others is not the issue. Being barraged by those that expect something and aren't grateful when the receive it was the point.

Nogoodthief said:
Read through your "create character" job discription again, I'll wait............. yes it actually says one of your main priorities is to increase the power of those you fight with...

I wouldn't consider running from one stone to another in POK "fighting with" everyone in the zone. So I feel no obligation to buff all 300+ toons that are their at the time.

However, if approached politely and shown some gratitude, (even if PLEASE and THANK YOU are all you can afford) I will buff without hesitation.

You're either gracious when requesting favors of others or you're....well....Nogood

Sirith Sintarsis
Lvl 55 Shaman
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#19 Oct 19 2005 at 10:04 PM Rating: Decent
I ask shamans for buffs alot. The reason i have to ask is because people stoped offering them around the time alot of clerics stoped because they removed peris from the temp line of spells so people donated less. I have come across about 12 shamans who demand 500pp+ for a lvl 70 buff set and 300 for lower. Your not a machine and your not a 7 11 ether. I dont play any of the buffing classes but i used to play a bl and now a ranger. If im bored i go out of my way to buff people and unless they where so new they couldnt tell me were they were i dont think i have ever refused someone a buff. There are drawback to every class and thers one answer for all of em. If you dont like it dont play the class.

I dont get asked for a lot of buffs as a ranger but I think if I can run across 5 zones to track something for someone who I have never met before you can buff someone who asks. To date in all my time playing eq on all my chars I have only taken 2 donations. One of thos was a miss click.
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#20 Oct 21 2005 at 12:00 PM Rating: Decent
No one is saying we don't as shamans want to buff however we are also intitled to play... and often the minute you set foot in pok you are bombared even if you just running through it for one reason or another.. and players can some times get real nasty if you apologise that you can't stop as you running for a group that is waiting for you... or for whatever reason...

I had a player cuss me out for being afk cause real life called and I had to take a call from my mother who is in a different country then me and who doesn't often get the chance to call me... now that is plain rude and unnecissary wouldn't you say.. and it is that we are talking about more then anything else...

I have yet to take 1 pp for a buff I give that is asked for and I can give.... what more must I do?
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#21 Oct 23 2005 at 10:35 PM Rating: Decent
6 posts
Im a 62 shaman and as all of us do im bugged in almost every zone for buffs. i realy dont mind if im in pok but when im in a grp and some one sends me a tell asking me to come buff them and there grp i almost loose it. if im in pok not protecting a grp its one thing but to ask me to lv my grp and waste my mana on them is totaly rude and i tell them so. so im a littel blunt and to the point sooner or later the peeps get to know you dont want to bew bothered when killing and will leave you alone till your in a safe zone. But with tat aside. i love the shammy i think they are the most self reliant class there is. And dont think i could have made a better choice for my first toon
I'm Not A Buff Machine, I'm A Player!
#22 Nov 05 2005 at 1:35 PM Rating: Decent
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401 posts

My original point when I started this thread was not about when or whether to buff. As shammys we are the Lords and Ladies of buffs and it's only reasonable to put our abilities to good use and help others as well as ourselves. Rather, my rant was about what I saw as an upsurge in those players who expected other players to buff them and who were downright rude or intrusive in their demands. I know that courtesy and manners have gone out of style in our modern society but I expected something better from Norrath. Besides, it's a hoot hearing about the idiot players that one occasionally runs across in the field.

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