This just in!

Yum....

I don't want to comment on it until things are more established, like until it's live.  But I don't know if I can contain myself.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=14910002204&sid=1

Read for yourself what they got coming for Shamans.  There's a couple things in there that really make me all spicy and gitty.

Enhancement Shamans' Who Am I? Redemption

As Jackie Chan said in one of his great roles in The Forbidden Kingdom, 

Exactly, how can you fill your cup if already full? How can you learn Kung Fu, you already know so much. No Shadow Kick, Buddha Palm! Empty your cup.

My sentiments exactly, Jackie!

What we were pre-WotLK we are not in WotLK.  In this last issue of Who Am I? we want to look at how we play and take a glimpse at what we're really capable of doing.

Ok, so we understand our hybrid nature and how we are the most hybrid of the hybrids, and we also understand that we bring some very massive buffs which make us very powerful in the raid.

But the mentality of the enhancement shaman in BC needs to change in WotLK.  Where before we would say, "I'm not topping damage meters or even getting close to the top but my buffs make up for it."

Now we should say, "Holy taquitos! My damage is super sexy!"

And it's true.  While we aren't as formidable as some other classes on the meters, we are no longer scrubbing the bottom of the list.  Our damage is competitive as long as you have prepared your gear thoughtfully and you are following the attack priority list.

Now from this we come to two conclusions.  First, we are totally gear dependent.  Sure all classes are gear dependent, but because of the hybrid nature of our spec, we need a good mana pool, lots of attack power, a ton of crit, and all these stats  accumulate to make us competitive.  We need everything we can get in all stats in order to stake our claims on yonder damage meters. 

Second, the attack priority list (soon to be covered in another post), means that we are not attacking willy nilly.  The buttons you push and the order you push them in makes the difference between massive damage and just enough damage.  Don't be that person.  Every single choice you make in gear, attacks, and consumables/buffs/glyphs, will accumulate and add up.  While gear takes a considerable amount of time, a commitment to your guild/raid group, and weeks of instance/raid farming, those other things will define your "skill."

Remember, like Jackie said, forget what you know, learn it right, empty your cup, and get hot babes!  Well, that isn't what he said, but it's close enough.

Enhancement Shamans' Who Am I? Part Deux

In our previous installment of "Enhancement Shamans' Who Am I?" we talked about our hybrid nature and how we compare to other classes.  We can't start to talk about tuning our talents and gear without understanding what we're all about.

In this issue, we'll look at what we have to offer to the raid.

We are a buffing class.  It doesn't matter what your spec is.  All of the shaman specs bring some very hefty buffs and all classes and specs will benefit from the different shaman specs.  In a raid environment, it is very very win to have one shaman of each spec so that the full spectrum of their buffs can be utilized.  Furthermore, we have one of the sexiest buffs  of all time, which no other class can reproduce in this era of buffing homogenization: HEROISM!

Every class brings buffs.  So what do I mean by being a buffing class?  I mean one very very important thing.  The buffs we bring greatly outweigh any personal dps gains we want to make to sacrifice those buffs.  This is very very important.  The talent points we spend, the gear choices we make (specifically in terms of crit), and what we do when we're fighting is all affected by this.  Raid first, you second.  It's the life of the enhancement shaman and it's one that makes us respected and appreciated.  You can theorycraft all you want and use spreadsheets and use simulators trying to maximize your dps but it's very difficult to factor in how much dps you are adding to your raid through your buffs.  In fact, this could be a general rule for all classes and specs, but for us especially since we have a number of buffs we need to be aware of. 

Now, specifically the enhancement shaman provides some very meaningful buffs to the physical dps classes in the group.  Even more specifically these buffs are the Strength of Earth Totem, Windfury Totem, and Unleashed Rage.  These buffs could be argued as the three strongest physical dps buffs in the game and we got all three of them.  Win.

When I say that our buffs are specifically meant for physical dps classes it's because I mean exactly that.  It used to be that our greatest contribution was to the melee classes through totem twisting.  That's no more with the new Strength of Earth totem, and furthermore we cannot forget that all of our buffs provide a hefty buff to hunters and their pets as well (except for our Windfury Totem).   

I didn't mention the flametongue totem because it's a special case.  The flametongue totem boosts spell power and thus isn't a great buff for physical dps classes.  It is, however, a nice little boost for spell casters and they'll appreciate that.  One thing to mention: if you've got an Elemental Shaman in range, then they win because theirs is better.  If not, then drop it like it's hot.  

One more thing, unlike other buffs, we don't simply cast them on a player for them to have.  Many of them come through our totems which means that if we don't put the totem down in the right place, then we aren't doing our jobs. 

Alright.  We understand that we are a great buffing class and as enhancement shaman we provide major physical dps buffs that we are responsible for.

In our last installment of Enhancement Shamans' Who Am I? we'll cover the actual playing style of the enhancement shaman.

Enhancement Shamans' Who am I?

No, this isn't a reference to Jackie Chan's greatest movie of all time.

And I only briefly talked about it before here.

But before I talk about what choices you can make to perform better, we've got to understand who we are.

Enhancement Shaman are the most hybridy hybrids in the game.  Many people say it and don't understand why, and it isn't quite clear until you a) compare it to other hybrid classes and specs and b) start gearing up and you have to make tough choices.  

The pures:  Mages, Rogues, Hunters, Warlocks

All of these classes can only spec to do one thing: bring the pain train.  The specs have totally different playstyles, strengths and weaknesses but none of these classes can really tank or heal in any sort of sustainable way.  Unless you are this dood or this dood.

The hybrids: Warriors, Paladins, Death Knights, Druids, Priests, Shaman

Hybrids can fulfill more than one role.  When I talk about roles I talk about the holy trinity: tank, heals, and dps.

Warriors can tank and dps. Paladins can tank, heal, and retlol.  Death Knights can tank, dps, and do things that no class ought to be able to do.  Druids can tank, heal and dps in TWO different specs. They unfortunately can't be tamed by hunters yet, but enough QQ ought to get Blizz to change their minds.  Priests can heal, dps, and discipline other people (I just have no concept or understanding of that spec).  We shamans, like druids also have two dps specs and a healing spec.   

This makes us a hybrid class.

But what makes the enhancement shaman the most hybrid SPEC among all the specs available to these classes?  Aren't we just a dps spec like any other hybrid's?  Well, no.  The way we do dps is drastically different than other specs, or rather the sources of our damage while we dps is drastically different.  As enhancement shaman our dps comes in the form of hard hitting weapon-imbued dual-wielding weapons in ADDITION to shocks and maelstrom weapon stacked lightning bolts.  We are doing melee physical damage with a huge chunk of our total damage being done by casts and spells.  No other class really behaves in this way.  Hunters have pet damage but so do warlocks.  All those clothies and boomkins dps through their spell casts and if you see a mage daggering bosses, then I'm not sure you want to group with that mage too often.  Rogue poisons technically count as spell damage but all they do is apply it to their weapons.  Retlols and DK's do a significant portion of damage through judgements, consecrate, diseases, and so on, but none of them benefit as much from these spell stats as much as enhancement shaman.  And our spell damage makes up a bigger portion of our total damage than theirs.  So have I convinced you that we are the most hybrid spec of them all?  

The implications are really important for you and needs to factor in to your decision making.  Fish Feasts are the best raid food we can get because of hybrid nature.  There isn't a dps buff under the sun that we don't benefit from.  Boomkin spell crit boost?  Take it.  Elemental shaman totem? Yes, please.  Arcane Brilliance?  Thanks!  Oh yeah, I'll also take those battle shouts, leader of the pack buffs, armor debuffs, and all those buffs I bring myself.  Thank you, thank you, and thank you.  

Your gear choices are also affected.  Don't listen to those conservatives.  Those who say strength is what we should stack, those who say intellect does nothing for us.  They are hate-mongerers and loath to see you succeed!  We are mail wearers and we wants them!  Hunters, back off!  I'm giving a /roll 10000.  

This hybridness makes my gears clink and the brain go choo choo because it makes gearing choices a heck of a lot more interesting.  What we give up in agility we may gain so much more in intellect.  Attack power is a beastly stat for us but sometimes all that int is too much to turn down.  Can you imagine wearing one of these?  I really don't want to but an upgrade is an upgrade.

Next post we'll look at another answer to the question of Enhancement Shamans' Who Am I?

Do what you wanna....

I'm a fan of disclaimers.  It's simple, really.  I give a disclaimer, I get to say what I want, then people bring the pitchforks and torches, I point to the disclaimer and then we all have a fiesta with lemonade and peach pie.  This time, I've got TWO disclaimers.

Disclaimer Number One:  I'm not here to tell you how to play the game, no one should tell you how to play the game, and if you play differently than other people and people give you guff about it, then it just doesn't matter.  This is a game.  Games are meant to be enjoyed.  Some people enjoy making people upset or feeling superior to other people.  It's what the ignore list is for.

Disclaimer Number Two:  I'm not the best enhancement shaman out there, I'm not even close.  Several shaman have years of experience on me in top-end raiding guilds and can kill Kel-thuzad just by /stare and /fart.  

Now, what I am capable of doing is giving you a rundown on what I believe to be a good choice or a bad choice and provide reasoning behind all my decisions.  From that, you should make your own decisions.  What I hope though, is that you don't make decisions blindly and that you make your decisions based on what you know rather than what you see and heard from someone else.  There's an acute distinction there.

All guilds and all groups and raids have different needs.  Your playing style may differ from someone else's.  Your gear make-up will be different.  What you enjoy about playing may be different. Never lose sight of those things, make your choices, and adapt accordingly.  A person's "skill" in WoW is very often determined simply by the gear/talent/glyph/consumable choices he/she makes.  As long as you can defend your choices backed with solid understanding then I got nothing against ya. 

Bigger than the Manhattan Project, the Economic Stimulus package, and Brangelina, COMBINED!

I've got quite a few projects coming up for this budding new baby of a blog.  When does it get out of baby status?  Well, once all of you can effectively get hawt babes and phat lootz through enhancement shamanism, then maybe I'll promote myself to teenage blog.  

But here are some projects I'm planning:

1. A leveling guide for enhancement shaman
2. Gearing up your Shaman for Naxx
3. Raiding in WotLK  as a Shaman
4. Boss Strategies for the Enhancement Shaman
5. Talent Reviews and Builds
6. A super secret delightfully delicious uber project (No! I'm not telling!)

If you have some projects you'd like to see come to fruition, drop a comment and let me know!  Your wish is my command! *Scrunched nose*

It's Not a Skirt.....

I'd like to give a little disclaimer here, because the rest of this entry states otherwise: I like getting phat lootz and upgrading.

But what the heck is THIS

Click on that link.  Look at the picture.  Look at it in 3D.  Why am I wearing a dress!?  I mean, part of my whole mojo is looking good while I DPS.  THAT just does not look good.  I mean, seriously.  It's mail, right?  Can you imagine wearing a flippity SKIRT made of mail?  Mail should go clink clink clink.  I mean, how am I gonna show off my muscular thighs and defined calves?  You know, runway models will tell you that you gotta feel the clothing, and let it define your gait. If I was a runway model I'd be skipping and singing tra-la-la-la-la while doing the Heigan dance.  

But no, I refuse.  I control forces of nature and the elements while slamming my foes with the might of the Windfury and thunder!  RAWR!  

But right now, I'm looking for an iron after each fight because I've wrinkled my skirt all in bunches during the fight....

Here's to hoping the T8 Shaman legs look better than these.