So for awhile I’ve been saying that shaman is broken, especially in late game content. To be effective, you need to be in close proximity to danger and it’s squishiness makes that a recipe for disaster.
I know the old adage is, “But it’s great for clearing trash!” Which it is! That is, when there aren’t pools constantly spawning, forcing you away from your totems. Or a random projectile that one shots you because there’s no time to react when you’re standing so close, and you just threw down totems.
Now that the raids are out, and quick trash clears don’t matter as much, let’s focus on bosses. A class doesn’t feel good if it’s only use is on trash, no matter how good it is at clearing it. In my opinion, Shaman is completely useless in bosses and raids. Outside of maybe boss 1, none of the other bosses can be done effectively with Shaman due to the limiting design.
So here are my fixes:
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Increase the distance we can Iron Man throw orbs, so we are not destroying our arms like a pitcher that plays 9 innings
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Add a utility based shoulder slot totem, like the Ranger trap or Musketeer turret. My idea for this is to have 2 to pick from:
A- Aspect of Stone: When this AoE totem is out, you gain increased armor for you and party members in it. Maybe a slight damage increase to just the shaman.
B- Aspect of Wind: When this AoE totem is out, it increases the crit chance for any party members in it and increases the projectile speed for all orbs the shaman launches.
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I love dogs, but please kill the ult with fire. New ult would be Aspect of the Elements: just spawn orbs like crazy all around you, and go nuts. Also, the dog can be a detriment to other DPS by getting in the way.
I know these changes seem bonkers, but c’mon shaman is not great and it needs this level of love.
With these 3 changes we can still keep the elemental feel of the class, bring utility, and depending on if you want to play up by the tank, or back by the DPS: You have a viable option for both. More importantly, it makes it playable.