Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst
1
2
3
LastLast
  1. #21
    I was kind of expecting them to redesign Searing Totem while keeping the idea of a totem that spits a lot of fire at something. Maybe it would be a light CD that rapid-fired a ton of fire shots over a tiny duration at an enemy before puffing out of existence while being able to kinda be useful in soloing for holding an extra add for a bit while you placed a totem highway and kited or something. The concept of a totem that sits there and just does basically auto-attacks and doesn't live further than one auto is kind of useless for much else besides free damage on something that is maybe getting LoS'd I guess? In which case it does kind of suck when the enemy gets aggro on a weak totem and snuffs it instantly unless your goal is to get out of dodge or something - but that's probably more what something like Stoneclaw totem used to be used for and did a better job of it. So I guess if we're thinking of Searing Totem utility maybe we should be thinking of it more like Treants for Balance where Searing and/or Stoneclaw totem could be a minor taunt CD to help the tank out. I do agree that the current iteration of Searing Totem as just something to maintain for some extra flat damage, a friend by your side spewing fire periodically as a friendly effect is kind of nice in just having totems nearby and that being nice for its own sake, but totems should probably maintain some semblance of utility like they have been going forward I think.

  2. #22
    Enh PvP shouldn't be balanced around searing totem keeping you in combat, it clearly wasn't intended purpose of that totem anyway.

    I don't want enh to be viable PvP spec because of stupid gimmicks like this, give the spec a proper attention from PvP balance team instead.

    Oh and as someone who mains enhance since WotLK I absolutely don't want any damage dealing totem back in a shape we used to have (searing or magma). They have always been clunky, stationary, easy to destroy, hard to keep track of in high movement fights (is it still in range? Do I need to put down a new one?) Or whack a mole arena gameplay. No thanks.
    Last edited by melzas; 2020-09-27 at 11:58 AM.

  3. #23
    Bloodsail Admiral kosajk's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    PL
    Posts
    1,145
    Quote Originally Posted by melzas View Post
    Enh PvP shouldn't be balanced around searing totem keeping you in combat, it clearly wasn't intended purpose of that totem anyway.

    I don't want enh to be viable PvP spec because of stupid gimmicks like this, give the spec a proper attention from PvP balance team instead.

    Oh and as someone who mains enhance since WotLK I absolutely don't want any damage dealing totem back in a shape we used to have (searing or magma). They have always been clunky, stationary, easy to destroy, hard to keep track of in high movement fights (is it still in range? Do I need to put down a new one?) Or whack a mole arena gameplay. No thanks.
    tbh capability to keep enemy in combat is huge against rogues, although last iteration of searing was awful so im rather sure it would not help with that to much, 20 sec duration, 40 sec cd, 5 hp
    Would like to meet a rogue that would feel that its a big problem to him ;P

    "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst"

  4. #24
    Thank god it's gone.

  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by matheney2k View Post
    You were excited to hear about Searing Totem?


    SEARING TOTEM??
    There are ways to make searing totem good but blizzard will not pull the trigger with our current toolkit. Back when all we did was lightning bolt spam, back when CL had a CD, back when there was no lava burst, Back before earthquake was a spell, searing totem had a place in our damage abilites. But it doesnt anymore unless they give it a boost in damage or multi target capabilities on a cd. But they wont do it. We have too many other abilities that fill those rolls now.

  6. #26
    I dont know where is the difference between Searing Totem and a Dot that has no CD and just doing damage, without effecting anything at all. Its the same. So i was happy about searing totem aswell. Sad its gone already.

  7. #27
    I'm going to take a wild guess that searing totem was removed because it was a boring ability that felt bad, TBH. A small amount of damage over time that you have to constantly move and refresh because it's stationary, attacks randomly (often without your consent), and dies when something sneezes on it? No thanks.

    Of all the cool abilities I wanted to see them bring back, searing totem really wasn't one of them.

  8. #28
    Honestly, I do feel like I've lost something "Shaman" by not having a single maintenance totem as ele anymore. They reverted searing and removed TM going into Shadowlands.

    That's not to say I want a ton of damage tied to some totem. Ideally searing would have been worth barely more than 1-2 Lightning Bolts. I'm just saying that I do like the idea of having a little stick buddy next to me all the time. Part of the appeal of each different Shaman race is their totem appearance, and now totems have become purely utility.

  9. #29
    Bloodsail Admiral kosajk's Avatar
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    PL
    Posts
    1,145
    Quote Originally Posted by saixilein View Post
    I dont know where is the difference between Searing Totem and a Dot that has no CD and just doing damage, without effecting anything at all. Its the same. So i was happy about searing totem aswell. Sad its gone already.
    well there is couple issues actually with extra weak dot tied to 5hp immovable stick with extra 20 sec duration/40 sec cd tied to it :P
    it has a lot interaction before with other skills/talents + no cd and possibility to move it on demand and we still wasen`t to happy with it

    "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst"

  10. #30
    I genuinely think those who enjoy shaman now and hate totems the way they were in pre mop, didn't play it then. Which is fine, I'm not telling anyone how to enjoy something, but the point of unpruning was to bring back and change some spells that were otherwise gutted. I think the only real unpruning shaman got was mana tide and windfury. I agree, searing shouldn't had come back the way it originally was, it didn't do enough damage to warrant the extra button press. If we could summon multiple totems at once with one button press like "call of the totems?" forget what it was called, then sure. We were also told tremor would come back the way it was at blizzcon last year. Tremor got 0 changes. So rip that idea.

    But again, blizzard apparently thinks shaman is fine the way it is, so it's not going to change. They should just convert a spec or make a new one that is all about totems. Because some people really love totems, and most of the totems (and when I say most I'm saying all but what..2 or 3?) do nothing impactful in combat long combat scenarios.

  11. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Vynlann View Post
    I genuinely think those who enjoy shaman now and hate totems the way they were in pre mop, didn't play it then. Which is fine, I'm not telling anyone how to enjoy something, but the point of unpruning was to bring back and change some spells that were otherwise gutted. I think the only real unpruning shaman got was mana tide and windfury. I agree, searing shouldn't had come back the way it originally was, it didn't do enough damage to warrant the extra button press. If we could summon multiple totems at once with one button press like "call of the totems?" forget what it was called, then sure. We were also told tremor would come back the way it was at blizzcon last year. Tremor got 0 changes. So rip that idea.

    But again, blizzard apparently thinks shaman is fine the way it is, so it's not going to change. They should just convert a spec or make a new one that is all about totems. Because some people really love totems, and most of the totems (and when I say most I'm saying all but what..2 or 3?) do nothing impactful in combat long combat scenarios.
    Honestly it wouldnt be hard to actually make it a button worth pressing. Look at lava surge totem, its a fucking beast, its what searing totem wishes it was. Buff searing totem to somewhere in between and we are good.
    Totems are one of the coolest parts of elemental shaman, they just made them so incredibly clunky and annoying to use that they went and deleted them all because the abilities were bad instead of buffing them.

    Compare devouring plague in its cata version compared to its current version: one was just another dot to keep up on single target, the other is a beastly spell that tears through foes. Its really not hard.

  12. #32
    Honestly, it's super easy to make Searing Totem meaningful for all three specs: let it interact with Flame Shock which every spec uses. Give it a stackable buff that increases Flame Shock damage by 5% each time it deals damage, stacking up to 5 or 10 times. It would add a) spec interaction and b) another source of damage. It's really not that hard.
    MAGA - Make Alliance Great Again

  13. #33
    Epic! Pakheth's Avatar
    7+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    The cold hell known as Norway
    Posts
    1,738
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyel View Post
    Honestly, it's super easy to make Searing Totem meaningful for all three specs: let it interact with Flame Shock which every spec uses. Give it a stackable buff that increases Flame Shock damage by 5% each time it deals damage, stacking up to 5 or 10 times. It would add a) spec interaction and b) another source of damage. It's really not that hard.
    Exactly. It's so strange Blizz hasn't even tried to do something like this with it.

  14. #34
    The Lightbringer Adramalech's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Portugal
    Posts
    3,409
    Quote Originally Posted by Pakheth View Post
    Exactly. It's so strange Blizz hasn't even tried to do something like this with it.
    What do you mean "hasn't tried"? Searing Flames used to be a stackable debuff applied by Searing Totem that made Lava Lash do more damage when consumed. People still hated the damn totem.

    People don't like having to babysit an offensive totem. No matter what spec interactions you give it, the fact that it's tied to a stationary element that you can't give orders to will always make people hate it.

    Edit: I'm wrong. It was just a DoT from Searing Totem. I'm probably mixing it up with some old set bonus or something.
    Edit2: I'm right lol. It was Improved Lava Lash that caused Lava Lash to deal more damage based on Searing Flame stacks.
    Last edited by Adramalech; 2020-10-25 at 10:46 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tya View Post
    As a warlock, allow me to be the first to say that I get tremendous amounts of joy from watching fear pathing take you to Africa.
    Quote Originally Posted by Drayarr View Post
    Twinking is like going back to school when you are 30, just to be smarter than the other kids.

  15. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyel View Post
    Honestly, it's super easy to make Searing Totem meaningful for all three specs: let it interact with Flame Shock which every spec uses. Give it a stackable buff that increases Flame Shock damage by 5% each time it deals damage, stacking up to 5 or 10 times. It would add a) spec interaction and b) another source of damage. It's really not that hard.
    That's not an interaction. That's additional passive damage. I think the best solution is to make the totem effect cosmetic and part of Flame Shock. Players who like the totem friend get their totem friend, but gameplay isn't negatively impacted by an extraneous maintenance buff.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stormbreed View Post
    Mexico is already part of the USA so is Canada
    Quote Originally Posted by Shandalar View Post
    Shadow deserves nothing, the same as Fire Mages.

  16. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by AwkwardSquirtle View Post
    That's not an interaction. That's additional passive damage. I think the best solution is to make the totem effect cosmetic and part of Flame Shock. Players who like the totem friend get their totem friend, but gameplay isn't negatively impacted by an extraneous maintenance buff.
    Then let it proc Lava Surge or Lava Lash or whatever. There are countless options to integrate Searing Totem into the rotation of every Shaman spec. It's really not that hard.

    Resto Shamans do have Healing Stream totem which does exactly nothing but passively heal a target. Why would this be so bad for Enh/Ele? It would be better than waiting for LvS procs / spamming LB or waiting for your CD to come off as Enh.
    MAGA - Make Alliance Great Again

  17. #37
    The Lightbringer Adramalech's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Portugal
    Posts
    3,409
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyel View Post
    Then let it proc Lava Surge or Lava Lash or whatever. There are countless options to integrate Searing Totem into the rotation of every Shaman spec. It's really not that hard.

    Resto Shamans do have Healing Stream totem which does exactly nothing but passively heal a target. Why would this be so bad for Enh/Ele? It would be better than waiting for LvS procs / spamming LB or waiting for your CD to come off as Enh.
    It's a static element that does not move unless you spend a global cooldown to place it again and that you can't give orders to, so it may attack a target that you don't want it to (totem AI has always been a mess even after they made it attack your Flame Shock target way back in Wrath or Cata). It is absolutely not comparable to Healing Stream. It's not just the matter that it's a passive source of damage, it's the mechanics of how that damage is dealt. The more interactions you give Searing Totem that make it more important, the more people will hate it because more of their performance hinges on a totem not fucking up.
    Last edited by Adramalech; 2020-10-25 at 11:20 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tya View Post
    As a warlock, allow me to be the first to say that I get tremendous amounts of joy from watching fear pathing take you to Africa.
    Quote Originally Posted by Drayarr View Post
    Twinking is like going back to school when you are 30, just to be smarter than the other kids.

  18. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Adramalech View Post
    It's a static element that does not move unless you spend a global coolodown to place it again and that you can't give orders to, so it may attack a target that you don't want it to (totem AI has always been a mess even after they made it attack your Flame Shock target way back in Wrath or Cata). It is absolutely not comparable to Healing Stream. It's not just the matter that it's a passive source of damage, it's the mechanics of how that damage is dealt. The more interactions you give Searing Totem that make it more important, the more people will hate it because more of their performance hinges on a totem not fucking up.
    Make it attack your Flame Shock target as you said and only that (there are still mechanics like this in game, e.g. the horrible new Ele talent Static Discharge - it's not horrible for that reason though). Yall act like it would be so complicated to do something with it. It's not, it's super simple. I'd rather push a button to place Searing Totem instead of casting an unbuffed Lightning Bolt as Elemental Shaman.
    MAGA - Make Alliance Great Again

  19. #39
    The Lightbringer Adramalech's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Portugal
    Posts
    3,409
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyel View Post
    Make it attack your Flame Shock target as you said and only that (there are still mechanics like this in game, e.g. the horrible new Ele talent Static Discharge - it's not horrible for that reason though). Yall act like it would be so complicated to do something with it. It's not, it's super simple. I'd rather push a button to place Searing Totem instead of casting an unbuffed Lightning Bolt as Elemental Shaman.
    You do know you can have multiple Flame Shocks active, right? Now what? Does it attack your earliest Flame Shock? Or your latest? But now you want to change targets and the totem refuses to swap with you. Now what?

    It's a spell that causes way more headaches than it's worth. It's either nothing but a passive damage stick that is better off being given to a new DoT spell that isn't out of your control, or has too much impact with procs and debuffs that will make people loathe whatever spec is stuck with it. You'd rather click a Searing Totem than a Lightning Bolt - great. Most people disagree, and you'll have to live with that just like the rest of us would have had to live with Searing Totem if it had been added back - and there are good reasons why they went back on adding it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tya View Post
    As a warlock, allow me to be the first to say that I get tremendous amounts of joy from watching fear pathing take you to Africa.
    Quote Originally Posted by Drayarr View Post
    Twinking is like going back to school when you are 30, just to be smarter than the other kids.

  20. #40
    Epic! Pakheth's Avatar
    7+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    The cold hell known as Norway
    Posts
    1,738
    Quote Originally Posted by Adramalech View Post
    What do you mean "hasn't tried"? Searing Flames used to be a stackable debuff applied by Searing Totem that made Lava Lash do more damage when consumed. People still hated the damn totem.

    People don't like having to babysit an offensive totem. No matter what spec interactions you give it, the fact that it's tied to a stationary element that you can't give orders to will always make people hate it.

    Edit: I'm wrong. It was just a DoT from Searing Totem. I'm probably mixing it up with some old set bonus or something.
    Edit2: I'm right lol. It was Improved Lava Lash that caused Lava Lash to deal more damage based on Searing Flame stacks.
    I meant tried now, not in the past.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •