Considering the shaman

[War]

So I have been mowing this over for quite some time that I need a healing class (I already have 1 main tank class 2 secondary tank classes and quite a few dps) to find some good balance in my play.

I already have a paladin which I was thinking about healing on but from what I can tell there isn't a ton of utility for it (mainly tank healers-which is cool) so I wanted to adopt a class that can give me some nice heal utility AND maybe a nice dps spec that was fun an interesting for pvp (i.e. enhance)

So anyway I was just curious as to everyone's thoughts on the shaman class, leveling, healing etc.

I mean I know its more personal preference above all but maybe someone who plays the class can give me some pros/cons i would love it

[Cjeska]

1. leveling is "ok". Definetly not the fastest class to level, but fast enough not to delete the toon. ele or enh. is a question of preferrence.

2. healing as shaman has its ups and downs. Chainheal is a fun spell, but the class could use a few more healingspells to make it more interesting. For me its the most boring class to heal with in pve, right after paladin.

3. if you want to dps in bg's, pick ele. Enh. lacks damage if you are on your own without someone who has a ms-effect. You will just run after some random healer for hours. I usually ignore them completely when they attack me (resto shaman), the only thing that keeps me from laughing at them is that I'm in the same boat

4. shamans in arena are in a so-and-so place, ele is ok, enh. could use some buffs/tweaks to be viable in more then just 2 Comps. and resto... well, some issues with surviving against melee, Warriors can be a nightmare.

[War]

Okay cool, sounds like it could be better could be worse.


how about in comparison to priest healing (if you have any experience) because that was the other class I have been considering for heals either priest or shaman, but shaman just seems to have some fun toys was my reasoning heh

[Siton]

I got sick WC3-vibes at level 32 when i got Chain Lightning. Very happy moment for me, but i'm torn over the decision to go Elemental or Enhancement PvE at 80.

[Kucedon]

If you want options and the chance to utilise those options almost every fight go for a Priest.

They have two talenttrees fully dedicated to healing, they have several spells for specific situations.
Priests generally are your safest bet for any type of raid/dungeon healing. They are above average raidhealers. There are a few fights where they go unnoticed and quite a few where their spells are far better then what Shamans can do.

Versus a Shaman a priest has:
) damage absorbing abilities
) a specific spell that prevents one full Knock out
) a few heal over time spells
) fast and efficient heal vs our fast and moderately efficient heal
) an average slow heal versus our powerfull slow heal
) more focused area of effect healing versus our random number generated area of effect heal.

However Shamans are more melee friendly healers. We give them several abilities to increase their health and avoidance.
our heals are slow but powerfull. We also give every caster several buffs that always benefit them.
Priests have none of these specific buffs. I don't count fortitude in since that buff is practically a given.

The Shaman class punishes bad gameplay or lack of focused attention. A priest can slightly more so get away with being a bit sloppy.

[Clarkis2001]

I have a Destro Warlock main and a Resto Druid as an alt that I play almost as much. Both of these toons are for PvP mostly so I don't know what you're after. Also I have an Arcane Mage and Blood DK that are only for PvE, but I don't play much as I prefer fighting players. Basically, I have a lot of different classes though none are particularly melee heavy.

As such I just finished leveling my Enh Shaman about a week ago and have been living in BGs. It's very different from casters and healing but I love it. Yeah my gear sucks and I die really fast but when you own people it's great! Get a healer to follow you around and it's so entertaining. Without a healer you'll probably fall pretty fast but a Shield swap, Shamanistic Rage pop or the Wolves can make all the difference in the world!

I don't know if you're going for PvP or PvE but I do know that, personally, I find Resto Shamans as the second hardest healer to kill in PvP. They never seem to run out of mana and have a lot of tricks up their sleeves via their totems and talents.

From a quick PvP note: I don't get how Shamans are supposed to hit not to mention kill a Rogue or Warrior. Rogues pop Evasion and I just throw my shield on b/c I swear none of my attacks hit and when I try to Frost Shock they cloak and I die. As for Warriors, I checked my combat log the other day on three separate occasions and saw Stormstrikes hitting them for 400... that's it... 400. Wtf? As such I'd suggest going Enhancement because it is really fun against casters lol. A talented interrupt every 5sec? Epic. Hots or shields? Purge spam ftw!

Since Frost Mages give both my Destro Warlock and Resto Druid difficulties I absolutely LOVE just spamming Purge on them and taking their shields down. =D

[radger]

I found it so incredibly boring levelling my shaman. Levels 1-39 were an absolute slog. Then when i hit 40 and got dual-wield, it was fantastic. You stop hitting them with lightning bolt and turn into a murdering machine. With DW, windfury weapon and water shield, you have no downtime, mobs die really quickly and once you get Maelstrom weapon, elites become no problem(moreso with wolves).

[War]

heh this has left me a bit torn. looks like i have to play the first 25-30 levels of each to make a decision. SO MUCH TIME lol but ty all for responses

[elliss]

Don't forget resto shamans for pvp have a very high skill cap

[Srsbznss]

IMO, healing as a shaman i alot of fun, right behind Priest healing.

Shaman's have so many tools to use while healing, that i rarly get bored. you can switch up your technique for the fight mid fight, AoE heal spamming Cheal, or focused heals in riptide, LHW, and HW.

[Cjeska]

how about in comparison to priest healing (if you have any experience) because that was the other class I have been considering for heals either priest or shaman, but shaman just seems to have some fun toys was my reasoning heh

To me, the fun level of a holy priest is WAY above a resto shaman in pve due to many more spells to choose from, sadly, it's the other way around in arena/pvp. On the other hand, healing an av-zerg as holy priest in pve gear was the most fun i ever had.