Shaman Totems, improving balance/gameplay- Ideas

[LoklanZFG]

Hello all. Been lurking on the forums for a while, just now registered so i could post this. I put a new thread on the PTR discussion forums about some changes to Totems that I think could improve the gameplay and balancing issues of our class. Too big for 5.4, but I am hoping it gets some attention and consideration for the next expansion.

us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/9753775450

not allowed to post links yet.

[Omanley]

Cant post in the officials anymore, and couldn't in the us ones even when I still played, but I'll add my salt at least .

What totems need first and foremost is a radical change to how they actually work, not to what they bring.
Recap:
1) ALL totems are immobile. There is the option of relocation, but it has to be talented, requires another gcd, relocates all totems currently planted (can be contraproductive) and has a cd as well.
Immobility is a huge bane. There are very few stationary class skills in the game (outside of shamans, and they usually are better balanced), so having most of our utility this way is a huge restriction, that I feel is hardly taken into account by the defs in the greater pvp scheme.
2) ALL totems are destroyable/Have very low hp. There have been pre MoP beta talents and even baseline changes to raise that low hp, but they always got the axe. Now we have a 5% shaman hp increase through a glyph (which feels to expensive considering the abundence of good glyphs and the fact that 5% shaman hp is not a lot).
Outside of shamans, destroyable utility is similarly rare compared to immobility. Pets can be killed, but they usually have a lot more hp than five, can be healed, are affected by buffs/resilience and as they require both a lot of time to kill and can often be recalled rather quickly, most players wont bother killing them most of the time.
Totems are different though (and even our elemental pets are tied to them, so they can be sniped by targeting the totems instead). Just like with immobility, having most of our utility destroyable is a huge restriction. It means that EVERYONE can oneshot all our cooldowns, where other classes' spells require a dispell, that is limited to certain classes/specs.
3) ALL totems can no longer be planted while silenced. Concerning their abundence of other drawbacks, the silence nerf was over the top. Totems are imbued before use and only require dropping them, making them physical abilities unaffected by silence. The change made no sense balance nor style-wise. And while other classes retain abilities usable while silenced so that they do not turn completely defenseless, shamans turned to easy pickings while silenced (Or so people would tell me after the change).
4) ALL totems are restricted by the elemental schools, that allow only one totem per school. This greatly restricts usage of totems. It was implemented for a time we were built on long duration totems without cooldowns, same as with them being destroyable. With them now being mostly short duration/cooldown based, they wont collide as otften anyways, yes. But there are still situations in which they do and others in which totems could profit from each other. This a big funblocker in situations where EBT/SBT/EET are concerned, as they have rather long durations and a prone to overwrite each other, but also HST/HTT/MTT/SLT.
Other classes can use their arsenal freely, we cant.


Soooo basically totems are bad on a basic level, and unless they either:
- Get totally overpowered effects on a raidboss scale (looking at how they are as easily avoided/countered as those)
- Get a major cut-down on those, to bring them more in line with other utility

I see no point in any suggestions about new totems.

[Aleksej89]

Having totems is pretty much no benefit what so ever.

However it is one of those things that shamans will never get rid off - totems will always be a crippled leg, and won't receive the same quality of upgrade as (for example) warlocks got with their soulshards.

[Krekko]

Omanley hit the major points of why totems have fallen short.

Honestly, they're at an awkward stage now and nobody knows where they will go. I think it's clear Blizzard doesn't really like the idea of them anymore in practice but doesn't want to cut them out of the game as they are such an integral part of the Shaman Class.

For me, one of two things need to happen IMO.

They need to be more substantial and more worthwhile OR they need to be more convenient.

What I mean is that if they're going to be a "pain" to use/worry about, then they better be worth it. IF they are not, they better be designed to be quick, easy, consumable and highly convenient that way you're not smashing your fingers only to get a crooked nail.

[Omanley]

A big problem is also that blizzard doesn't look at the individual totems enough, and slaps the full package of inconvinience on every totem.

As you and me said krekko, they either need better conveniency or more worthwhile effects. The problem I see is that it is unlikely for totems to get any better in what they bring. There's few totems that bring really unique/better than anyone elses' effects, and that would be tremor, spirit link, mana tide. Grounding is a weaker spellreflect, and other totem's effects also exist in other ways as non-totems on other classes. The latter two are resto only though. Pulsing aoe dmg/heal, pets, a stun, an aoe snare, that's nothing out of the ordinary.

The only way to make totems worthwhile with such harsh drawbacks would be making them so strong in their effects that players would die in the fire, see opponents fully healed, become crippled forever and what not if they did not destroy totems. That's how bad totems' drawbacks are. If someone dilligently destroys totems, a shaman faces serious problems.

Because of that, the only solutions left are either radical homogenisation (which would destroy totem identity though), or an extensive look at each and every totem, evaluate its' effect, compare it with other classes' versions of the spell, and balance its drawbacks on that, independent from other totems. This would leave some room for implementing a unique quirk to a totem here and there, without making others to strong/weak.

While we wouldn't need all totems unattackable/throwable/usable while silenced (the combination of the three) baseline though, one thing is for sure: the elemental schools need to be abolished, and that weak new totem talent replaced with something else. This is the very symbols of totems tied together and thrown into one balancing pot, ruining them for us.

edit:
As I said, each and every totem requires each and every detail of how it works having looked at.

For example, we could make Nature's Guardian a totem. Instead of gimping the talent with that though, the totem spawned at low shaman health would give you the 10sec buff the moment it is placed. Destroying it wont remove the effect, so players would need to know that this is a totem not worth stomping => not just stomping randomly, but knowing totem from totem => skill

Capacitor meanwhile could be throwable (no cd on throwing) baseline, allowing throwing it behind a pillar and then, after two-three seconds, into an enemies' face. This would justify the ramp up all the while allowing a way around it, making the ability usable.

Searing Totem could be carried by a fire familiar, depending on race (trolls have a snake, orcs a scorpion...), making it mobile (and unattackable). Make it a 15sec duration 1min cd, and increase its damage.

Similarily, elemental pets could be changed so that, for example, EET forms the earth around it into an elemental, engulfing it. The totem pokes out of the earth elemental, but cannot be directly targeted. A fire elemental has it's totem hovering in that burning mass of fire, faintly recognisable. The elementals can then carry their totems, making them mobile (which pets always should be) and if someone wants to destroy them, he has to go the direct route, which I think is fair.

Well, aside from overthinking the format of each and every totem, I would not say no to new totems, provided they bring distinctive and fun use. I could picture a mind control totem like the ones in sethekk halls for example. This could easily topple a pvp situation in the shamans' favor, if the totem isn't destroyed quickly. This would be a really threatening effect, fully deserving all totems drawbacks, something blizzard should start realising. High threat => easily counterable. Low threat => not counterable/worth it.

[Cai]

I have a question. Would making Totems targeted abilities make them more useful.

So example to explain my question. Searing Totem - When targeting the an enemy when you cast Searing Totem it is planted next the the enemy to start shooting it.

Another example. Healing Stream Totem - When targeting an Ally you totem is placed next to them to help heal the raid. ( I know it doesn't matter to much with HST but just an Example.)

A couple Totems where this would be useful is Spirit Link Totem, Earth Bind/Grasp, Capacitor, Magma.

It was just a thought and I would like to see everyone's thoughts on it.

[Omanley]

Would be useful for some few totems, though making totems throwable would accomplish the same. The difference would be your method being faster, while throwing would be unbound to targets, but to the area. I think it would be easier balance and control-wise to just spawn the small green circle for placing upon casting any totem that would benefit from tactical planting.

[Mithgroth]

Any totem would be much better, if it were a skill.
This pretty much sums it up how pathetic the totems are at the moment by their basic design.

In today's WoW, totems are just lesser skills which can be countered even by a critter.

At this point, I really see no meaning asking for new cool totems since they will all suffer this penalty. The very best end of enhancing totems is turning Searing Totem into a Serpent Totem now.

Sorry to sound desperate, but I still think silence nerf was unjustified, too harsh and only based on other's QQ.

[Icycoldd]

Any totem would be much better, if it were a skill.
This pretty much sums it up how pathetic the totems are at the moment by their basic design.

In today's WoW, totems are just lesser skills which can be countered even by a critter.

At this point, I really see no meaning asking for new cool totems since they will all suffer this penalty. The very best end of enhancing totems is turning Searing Totem into a Serpent Totem now.

Sorry to sound desperate, but I still think silence nerf was unjustified, too harsh and only based on other's QQ.

I agree, would be cool if they were just buffs and the totem you drop is just for looks & represent Shaman class. This would have to be balanced though because the benefits gained from them wouldn't be as easy to dispose of.

[Hulkovius]

I would somehow want ES to be viable as AOE boost with Earthquake. Wouldnt that be cool? Earth + Earth = Massdestruction.

Alt 1. Make a debuff from ES that applies a debuff that spreads to nearby targets within 15-20 distance. That debuff makes units take increase EQ dmg by 100%(?)

Alt 2. Each target affected by EQ debuff takes 100% increase DMG from ES and apply a earth dot on nearby targets 15-20 distance for 30k each sec.

Alt 2. Earth elemental attacks target with ES debuff and casts EQ on CD with increased dmg and 15 sec duration.

etc. etc. Lots of thoughts

[Rarch]

Speaking of button bloat... If GC wants to get rid of some antiquated buttons, here's a good place to look for the next expansion. Would love to just see totems in their current form completely gone.

One idea (very loose idea, not really hashed out) that might be kind of neat, is to just have a single, generic, much larger totem. The totem could have four sections that get inscribed with the appropriate element as you use spells on it. So for instance, if you cast riptide on the totem, one section becomes water, and it turns it into Healing Stream, Flame Shock on a section and it turns into Searing, etc.

Could also do things like make shields castable on the totem, would drop the shield off the player when you do that. So for instance, tossing your mana shield to the totem might turn a section into MTT, tossing Lightning Shield makes Stormlash Totem, etc.

Lots of things would have to be worked out with this, like is it targetable by enemies? If so, maybe it's more equivalent to a Hunter pet to kill, to help some of the pvp totem issues. Also I'm not quite sure how you would work in the Elementals with that system. I love Omanley's idea of the Elemental forming around the totem and taking the totem with it, but if you only have one big totem, that may not work so well. It might be more interesting game play, though, and save us some action bar space.