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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2-Box w/Monk or SK*?Follow

2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#1 Jul 26 2007 at 4:47 PM Rating: Decent
Hey guys, I'm going to be 2-boxing here in a bit and after many changes in thought, I've arrived at the final decision: I'm going to use a Shaman with either a Monk or a Mage.

Can anyone with any info/advice enlighten me as to the pros/cons & advantages/disadvantages that either set-up would have over one another? I'm only really interested in info regarding levels 60 and higher. Things like who can take tougher mobs, have less downtime, kill faster, fight in more versatile situations, etc.

I know that a Monk is very well complemented by a Shaman, considering Buffs, Slows, and DoTs, but the Mage seems to have a lot to offer as well, seeing as the pet can tank.

It's my assumption that with AAs/Gear a Monk will definately outpace the Mage as far as tanking goes, and that pulling and aggro management will be easier with the Monk as well. Even so far as to say that the Monk would out DPS the Mage (seeing as he can do all the DPS he wants and would be glad for the aggro whereas the Mage would end up without mana or dead if he splurged on DPS). Adding in the fact that the Mage is going to have to be "doin' somethin' strange for a piece of change" to get his spells, a Mage just seems like a lot of work. To be honest, I don't really see where the Mage could pull ahead of the Monk as far as being more compatable for Boxing with a Shaman.

Nevertheless, I've had plenty of people suggest that I Box a Mage with my Shaman. So really, I guess my question is simply this: I know that a Monk will work wonders with a Shaman at his side, is there any situation where a Mage would work even greater wonders?

Thanks in advance for any input =)

Edit: I was persuaded away from the mage, and am rather debating SK or Monk.

Edited, Jul 27th 2007 1:02am by Reculpine

Edited, Jul 27th 2007 1:03am by Reculpine
2-Box w/Monk or Mage?
#2 Jul 26 2007 at 6:40 PM Rating: Default
ok, so i havent leveled anything besides a shaman an druid past 65. so my advice is just really a matter of opinion....
1st if u dont care what your shaman is. i can only strongly suggest u make em a troll, inny worshipping sham. they get access to a necklace with clinging darkness (snare) thats a clicky at level 15. this can solve some running issues with mobs that arent undead. names "regent symbol of innoruk". but i can never recall how to spell inny right. an the mage will be fun, as long as u can keep to single pulls. or rootables. an i think u might have an easier time setting up macros for him... like to malo, sick pet. pause a minute an start blasting at a pace. while u toy around on the shaman. where as the monk i "think" u gotta pay attention to deal real damage clicking abillities....
its not what u asked for... but i think a SK would be best. there good dps, they got their own snare, they can pull good too, an even their crappy lil skelly can dps with the Shm proc spell. an theyre a tank class that can manage to even heal themselves. when properly geared mind ya. id go ogre here an take advantage of the no frontal stun, seeing as how your gonna have his own personal shrink machine by his side....
but u could duo any class an see level 70 easily. thats how nice shamans are... but i guess ill try a list of pros an cons. so u can see it...

monk-
snare via weapons... but im sure they have to have an AA that snares by now.. atleast i hope at the later stages.
good dps...
they got 2x attack to reap havoc with the shaman proc spell
mend... their gimpish heal...
feign death is awesome...

leather class... means more healing.
now u gotta buy your mage pet toys. lol

mage-
gate... 2x gate, could save u from running their naked ***** through a ton of zones. or summoning em alot.
coh means u only gotta invis 1 into dungeons an coh the shaman in.
good dps... your stuck farming howling stones for a snare weapon for your pet. or relying on nuking potential runnners at 20%... both are easily done.or doing the root pet an grinding off the last 20% of mob health.
with a multi cast of shaman an mage u can blast off a good chunk of hps near the end of a mobs health.
pet toys... yay!!! pet toys an shaman proc spells = lotsa added dps.
u can make a gnome. =P come on theyre cute.
mod rods...
pulling is gonna suck. u got the shamans Virulent parylis root as like your only crowd control. an thats not good at the later stages. an thats about the only con i can think of going w/ mage. but it'll make u learn tricks to pulling.

SK
tank class... = lotsa hps.
can heal emself decently...
feign death is good, but not great. means you'll be fine pulling, an if your FD fails. the shamans HOT should still be on his *****
the ole harmtouch... it'll make u smile everytime u use it.
snares...
pet... ok it sucks, but with the shamans proc spell its some more dps. an u can duel the shamans doggie w/ it.
only downer here is your still bazaar'n your pet weapons, an your screwed on xp rezz's... shamans get a rezz, with no XP recoupe. at like 70? but u can do the XP rezz later.

ok so hope i helped. shamans rock. an any class u pick is gonna be fine for a shamans partner. even a friggin ench, or cleric, an clerics are sick at the end game now too btw...
2-Box w/Monk or Mage?
#3 Jul 26 2007 at 8:16 PM Rating: Decent
I really appreciate your input Thrakka =)

Alright, so I'm pretty much decided that it's not gonna be a mage. But, everyone and their mother keeps saying SK. Yet I hear they really need gear/AAs. However, I'd imagine monks are that way too, so hmph.

So, just how hard is it to get a SK into good condition and what sort of DPS can they put out in comparison to a Monk?

As far as I see it, the SK only really gains survivability over the Monk through being a tank and having some self heals. Well, survivability for the Shaman as I see it. As a Monk (I've already got one at 66/91aa), the only time I ever die is if I run into a bunch of casters or I'm not paying attention. But when I FD, the Shm would take the heat, so that doesn't really help overall survivability unless the Shm can gate before FD.

When dealing with multiple mobs, a Monk would have trouble in holding aggro, where a SK wouldn't, so that's a decent factor. Although the Monk should have more success in getting single pulls than a SK. I've just always stayed away from the plate guys seeing as tanks generally need to be the best toon in the group (as far as level/gear/aas). There's the least leniency for a tank to be underpowered in comparison to every other role in the group. A healer can often get into groups of people of higher levels. CC only need to be able to land the spells. And DPS only requires that the other roles be doing well enough. If a tank slacks, everyone is screwed (well, CC/Healers can wipe just as easily, but I think you get what I mean).

I guess what I need is someone with experience as a Shm in Duoing with both a Monk and a SK. What's more efficient? Does the survivability of the SK outweigh the Monk?

Thanks again!

Edit: Also, does that clicky snare item work on mobs at higher levels?

Edited, Jul 27th 2007 12:18am by Reculpine
2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#4 Jul 27 2007 at 3:40 PM Rating: Default
the peeps who havent leveled upto 65 would say no. but u get some sick debuffs. so yes it'll land... its not the level spell, but the caster casting it, in my experience..... i contribute this to my druid casting flamelick for aggro in POV from 55-65.. it landed about 8/10 an with my fire debuff dots on mobs, was hardly ever resisted. i just liked keeping the thing on fire so id spam it.... i know i played with SK's on my shaman. an never had trouble duo'n. but i considered myself a competent player... i will say however that i never found myself duo'n with just a monk.... on ZEK they were usually gauranteed to send ya spinning into oblivion if they had gear, or die if they didnt. an the ones trying to get to greatness would get eaten alive by the mobs i wanted to kill for exp... im thinking of about where i left off killing granitesmash's camp in RCOD solo. he's a shm mob hits are hard enough to worry a sham player. an i saw an SK with is 2.0 an who musta been geared out the ying yang drop him with ease... along with other nameds i couldnt even consider trying.... an i never saw a monk in there... maybe theres a reason for that?

i would actually take a ranger with the ability to snare an park mobs as a partner over the monk... but the SK's abilty to split, an pull wins. an their FD works good, just isnt the greatest... im sure you could just mem 2 FD spells when u had a hairy pull coming up... but most peeps rely on the highest1... unless the FD's work like shm cani's an u have refreshes on em all if u use1??? i only got a SK to level 30 or 35 for some PK'n fun. an only had access to the 1 spell.
2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#5 Aug 01 2007 at 3:01 PM Rating: Decent
1st let me start by saying i boxed a shaman/ranger, both lvl 70 with well over 200aa's for over a year and raided with both during pop/GoD era. ive also boxed other combos like shaman/monk, dru/monk, necro/shaman, necro/cleric to name a few all at high lvls 60-70 mostly 70. (stopped playing during GoD and come back from time to time but never stay long so my advice may be a little dated but i doubt it).

the 1st thing you gotta understand is, slows change the face of the game. doesnt matter what you box. even a decent geared shaman can tank a fully slowed mob til it dies. if he cant then you were fighting a mob you prolly had no business fighting anyway. aside from bosses and very few select mobs up until GoD era, mobs were fully slowable. during pop era is when they started making some mobs only partially slowable and it got a little worse in GoD(random mobs all over were only partially slowable) but there were still plenty of mobs that were fully slowable that you could avoid the partially slowed type mobs. i dont know what they've done at high end with mobs the last few expansions but i would be willing to wager that with proper gear/aa's and a mob that can be fully slowed, no matter what combo you choose, you would have no problem killing said mob. my monk never had any problems tanking and killing mobs when i boxed with my shaman, and i didnt blow all my mana either. shaman heals are just fine for this combo. i actually used to tank with my shaman so my ranger could use bow. recasting slows over and over is low on mana and high on hate.

there are pros and cons to any combo. if you dont have snare then avoid mobs that run. if you just cant live without rezzes then pick a class that can rez. most cons really arent cons cause they can be overcome or avoidable and generally ignored. when i made my shaman i knew full well i would never be rezzing getting xp back and that was fine. id make up any lost xp killing mobs. no big deal. unless there is just something you really wanna kill just pull further back. i mean this game doesnt have 3min respawns so clear an area, pull further back and slowly move up. not hard to figuer out. as far as the snare clicky trolls can get. i do know in pop zones ive watched troll shaman land that snare just fine. i dont know whats changed in game to not allow low lvls spells to land but i would imigine nothing. i used to have a clicky root neck item on my wood elf druid (quest in g-fay i believe)that landed just fine assuming i remembered to actually put the damn thing on.

i would suggest, pick the 1 class you like most between mage/sk/monk. the 1 you just feel fits your play style the most. the 1 class that makes you wanna log in to play. i say that cause your shaman wont do much passed heals, buffs and slows even in groups. you will most likely wanna save your mana incase something goes wrong then start chain healing/slowing. you would be suprised how many mobs 1 can tank when they are all slowed and reslowed but if you been burning mana on nukes and dots not much will save you or your group, even canni. there can be a fine line with casting dots/nukes versus saving mana. sometimes you need that added dps from your shaman. thats something that only playing your chosen combo will be figuered out over time.

i like dealing in pros, cons never meant anything to me.

-sk will be able to tank better then your monk ever will so some mobs that prolly arent doable with monk will be with sk but odds are where you would play as a dou you wont run across any mobs that are doable with sk and not monk. even mage pet with 2 healers can tank a lot of mobs your monk wont be able to kill. maybe even the sk as well. if you just feel like there is a spot you HAVE to play in then you prolly shouldnt box/dou and should find groups.

-mage/shaman combo is awesome in groups. you dont gotta pull or do anything but cast some spells. the lazy box in a group.

-sk and monk are awesome for pulling. dont believe that crap bout sk's have a crappy fd. its the same fd has necro and monk just sk/necro have a small casting time which amounts to nothing. i know necro gets a mana free 1 thru aa's (frees up a casting slot). would imigine sk does also and they work fine. the casting speed is fast and unless you are pulling a mob that can 1 shot you which you shouldnt be doing anyway then you have plenty of time to get fd off. my necro has never died from not getting an fd off (not since like lvl 20 lol). simply a matter of learning to turn slightly to make sure you are fully stopped to get it off. anyone that has played a casting class knows that trick.(simply as in sk and necro forums bout fd if ya dont believe me. most will tell ya they havent died from fd failing to cast in a long long time.

-i do not view snaring as a con. i cant remember the last time i had runners bring me back adds that killed me. if you feel the need to make a shaman for the clicky neck go for it. but remember the tats are crappy and at higher lvls you prolly will forget its sitting in your bag except for that every now and again pull just to make you feel safe

-mage pet toys mean crap. your shaman pet is so far below your lvl that his dps is gonna suck with or without them. if you feel the need to have em buy em like everybody else. if you cant afford the 50pp-100pp it takes to buy em then quit eq.

"What's more efficient? Does the survivability of the SK outweigh the Monk?"

efficiency is in what you wanna do. tank? then sk. dps? then monk. sk's dps is gonna suck for a very long long time til you get aa's. monks dps stays high from the start and only gets better. ive never been convinced of sk's survivablity making them better then a monk. im sure these days sk/shaman combo might be able to kill in some spots a shaman monk combo cant but like i said earlier. the right aa's change a lot of things. pick the 1 class you really wanna play wit your shaman despite cons and roll wit the punches.
2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#6 Sep 21 2007 at 2:09 PM Rating: Default
Why dont you try a berserker? They can tank ok because they wear chain and they have the dps of a monk late game and go great with shamans. Also if your going to raid with them zerker dps is just as good as a rogue and monk and they have a snare and stun. If your going to make a shaman /zerker combo or sk combo go for ogres. They have the racial no stun from bash in the front thing going. At 65 with ok gear and stuff your zerker should do about 200 dps now if you get gear and AA's that can go up to about 1000 to 1400 dps without discs. But if your going for sk or monk I would pick a monk. The healing will be random alot but monks should do good with a slowed mob because they can block, dodge, parry, and riposte the attacks. My pick which I am going to do is go zerker/shaman combo because I love zerkers they just have to auto attack and throw out a frenzy to do damage and that can leave you to focus on your shaman.
2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#7 Nov 16 2007 at 4:59 PM Rating: Decent
If you want to address ease of use, i.e. not having to flip from window to window and back again to cast spells, the Monk/Shaman combo is the best. SK's are wonderful, but their is a lot of spell casting involved for split pulling. In the long run the monks ease of use, i.e. being able to leave his window alone while he tanks and you cast appropriate spells with the shaman is very appealing. In 2004 I used to do my own LDoN's with my 65 monk/65 rogue/65 shaman. I really appreciated not having to flip through windows constantly to keep spells up, which is what would be required if you were to 2 box more than 1 caster. It was brainless and I did not need a lot of macroes and in the end, ease of use is what kept me happy. Also, the mend skill on the monk was oftentimes a lifesaver, so was the insane DPS.

Wulweirlynn Akallabeth of the Tribunal Server (Retired)
2-Box w/Monk or SK*?
#8 Jul 25 2008 at 12:23 AM Rating: Decent
I am going to box with a SK soon too :) It'll be fun!
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