PvP Guide for the Shaman:
This guide took a lot longer then I expected, I figured about a week, however it has been about two weeks. I wanted to make sure I did not make any mistakes with the Shaman as I am not heal spec'ed like most people believe I should be.
The first thing I wanted to make sure of before writing a guide is that I was at least in tier three, this is easily made with the Shaman, as he is almost in tier four:
I also wanted enough actual PvP experience, so my second goal was to participate in at least 1k kills, since I am approaching 3k that was no problem at all:
The Good:Extremely versatile class, switching damage dealing to full healer in the switch of slotted tactics. Decent survivability for a healing class. The ability to leech AP really extends the power that the class can deal, either by healing or damage dealing.
The Bad:While I can deal out decent healing, I cannot even think about coming close to a virgin heal spec'ed Zealot, I believe this would still be true even if I went with a virgin heal build on the Shaman.
The Ugly:Face it, you are a goblin! There are only two Goblin classes in WAR, healer and ranged DPS, both of these are prime targets for enemy players. When they see a Goblin, they look for a staff or bow and react accordingly. The only class that gets more focus fired upon then my Shaman is my WE. When you notice your front line starting to collapse, you need to MOVE ASAP.
Decent Skills:'Ere we Go' = Adds damage to your groups next attack. This is probably the skill that I really need to use more of, instant and useful. If you are in "heal mode" and you have no targets that need healed, this is the first spell you should fire off.(Assuming you are in a full group)
Yer not so bad = Leeches your current target for AP and gives that AP to yourself. Awesome skill here with a short cool down. You should pop this anytime your AP gets close to 50%, and then just mana burn.(I guess in WAR mana burn would actually be "AP burn")
Brain Bursta = this is your staple damage spell, nothing special however, it is mostly used in PvE.
Big Waaagh = This has a short cool down and should be one of your second most used spells anytime you are in "damage mode" in PvP.
Life Leaka = instant and modified by a slotted tactic ability in damage mode. At level 29 the tactic removes 150 Willpower and 150 Intelligence for 15 seconds. Useful against healers and nukers, if they are not attacking you they are attacking your teammates, so it is always useful.
Bunch o' Waaagh = Channeled damage, this is my "thought you could run" spell. I always use this when my target has 20% or less of their health. Usually noob players(Yes, there are a decent amount of noobs or unskilled players in PvP in tier three) always try to run away way too late.
Da Waaagh is coming = this attacks acts like a "chain lighting" attack in Diablo 2. Hits one target then branches out to hit two more and branches one other time to hit yet another two targets. ONLY use this when you are hitting someone that has 4-6 people around them. It is an extremely inefficient spell if you only have one target that is alone.
Eeeek = Knocks back EVERYONE within it's range, and also knocks you in a random direction. Awesome ability, however it will cost you your life if used often in places like Tor Anroc.(It is still usually worth it however) You cannot predict which direction you will be knocked in, however you will know where your enemies are going. If you line up face to face they will be knocked straight back, line up to their left and they will be knocked back far to their right. Think of you as a "gallon of water", when you click the ability the "gallon" hits the surface of the water and a wave goes out, originating in the middle, that "wave" is your knock-back and is exactly how this spell works.
Mork's Buffer = This is an hour long buff that adds to all resists for an hour,(For your whole group) you really need to get in the habit of using this automatically anytime after you die and are brought back to life.
Gather Round = What "seems" to be a lobie group heal. Costs a really expensive 65 AP! I have noticed however then when slotted for healing,(tactics = Plus to WP and plus to % to crit heal) it does a very decent heal, as much as 250% of the heal listed in the tooltip. Using this spell if you are damage spec'ed is a total waste.
Bigger, Better, An' Greener = greatly interruptible direct heal spell. You really will not use this a lot. You should use your shield and your big HOT, before this is even thought about. The ability bar does get knocked back quite a bit if you take any damage while trying to use this ability.
Bleed Fer' Me = instant, 24 second low damage DOT spell, however it does heal your defensive target for the full amount. I only use this if I know the enemy target is going to be alive for awhile.(Such as a tank class) It does help quite a bit if you have already used your shield and big HOT, and you are under attack. Of course if you are not under attack, simply use "Bigger, Better, An' Greener".
Gork'll Fix It = A small direct heal with a little better HOT for 9 seconds. Use this instead of "Bigger, Better, An' Greener", if you are under attack.
'Ey, Quit Bleedin = a 30 AP spell that heals for 1130 over 15 seconds at level 29. This will be your most used spell, whether you are healing or doing damage. If you are tactic slotted for healing, this will do an average of about 1500 over 15 seconds making it heal 100 health every second on average.
Don't Feel Nothing = instant shield that mitigates 500 damage at level 29. Another very commonly used ability.
General Notes:I really have two "modes" for my Shaman, I must choose one before I enter PvP. I either choose "damage mode" or "healing mode". If in damage mode I slot "Divine Fury"(Adds 25% more damage at the cost of 20% of your healing power) and "Leaky Brainz".(Life Leaka will now also reduce your target's WP and INT by 150 for 15 seconds) If I am in healing mode I slot "Discipline" (Raises WP by 116) and "Extra Special Mushrooms".(Raises your chance to crit heal by 10%)
As I have said before I was a little concerned that by doing a damage build, I would actually greatly gimp my healing abilities, this turned out to be incorrect. A Zealot, spec'ing in healing and being a dedicated healer in a PvP scenario usually averages between 70k and 100k in healing. Being damage spec'ed and entering a PvP scenario slotted for healing and with nothing on my mind but healing, I usually average between 40k and 60k in healing.(Not as good as a Zealot, but certainly not gimped.)
Since I am a "must win at any cost" type of player, sometimes I find myself in a PvP scenario where I must continuously utilize my abilities, such as running up to the Order and Eeeek'ing them, forcing them to take a lava bath.(In Tor Anroc) Since I am not a noob and know how to play my class, I can also use my Shaman as a utility toon such as flag/bauble holder. I try to do what the team needs to win, whether it is healing, damage, or utility.
Please feel free to ask any questions you might have about the Shaman!
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