Are shamans being held back by Blizzard?

Shamans being held back in Blizzard‘s World of Warcraft is not a new topic. It has been said time and time again, but like Mapekz On the WoW Forums said in his nicely crafted post “it seems the developers are not very keen on giving the class any sort of buffs.”

Why? Well, while shamans aren’t the only class complaining that they’re getting the short end of the stick, it seems that developers feel the class is powerful enough as it is. The shaman is a spellcaster who can dual wield weapons and get up close and personal if needed. They have respectable DPS and instant cast spells. However, Mapekz pointed out that shamans are becoming a “jack of all trades yet master of none” type of character.

A Shaman is a hybrid class that has to specialize to be competitive, but can not achieve its potential because it is thought that it functions as a hybrid in both PvE and PvP situations. It has base abilities to attempt to alleviate its problems, but other classes have MUCH better abilities, trained and talented, which prevent their deficiencies from cropping up.

He also gave a list of what the shaman lacks.

Compared to other casters and ranged damage dealers, Elemental Shamans lack:

• Group PvE and solo/group PvP Crowd Control (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Balance Druid/Hunter)
• Silences (Interrupts aren’t the same thing) (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest)
• Ways to keep distance (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Hunter/Balance Druid)
• Passive casting pushback resistance (Mage/Warlock/Balance Druid)
• A way to actively replenish mana without use of consumables (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Balance Druid/Hunter)

Compared to other melee classes, Enhancement Shamans lack:

• Anti-CC/CC Breakers (Rogue/Warrior/Paladin/Bear Druid)
• Way to get into melee range (Rogue/Feral Cat+Bear Druid/Warrior/Paladin)
• Solo/Group PvP CC abilities to keep people out of combat for a moderate to long duration (Rogue/Paladin/Druid shifted into normal form)
• Solo/Group PvP and Solo/Group PvE stuns/ways to stay in melee range/and disabling abilities to let you get an upper hand (Rogue/Warrior/Paladin/Bear+Cat Druid)

Now, while I play shaman, I believe the deficiencies are there because of gameplay balance. (As if it ever was, but I digress.) If they were to give the shaman the said abilities that are said to be lacking, then it would be the ultimate character. Why would other players choose a rogue if they can do the same things and more with a shaman? Yes, we are a jack-of-all-trades class, and that versatility is our strength. We don’t need to be a wanna-be warrior or a pseudo-rogue when playing, we have our own gameplay and role to fill.

A lot of people believe that the star players in a PvP or PvE arena is those who can hack it out with the big heals or DPS. The truth is, it’s those who pick up the slack, do the little things, and make up for the groups deficiencies that are the real stars. Shamans can heal when needed, DPS if required, or even nuke when the team’s spellcasters are down. That is where the shaman really shines.

Via WoW Forums

Shamans being held back in Blizzard‘s World of Warcraft is not a new topic. It has been said time and time again, but like Mapekz On the WoW Forums said in his nicely crafted post “it seems the developers are not very keen on giving the class any sort of buffs.”

Why? Well, while shamans aren’t the only class complaining that they’re getting the short end of the stick, it seems that developers feel the class is powerful enough as it is. The shaman is a spellcaster who can dual wield weapons and get up close and personal if needed. They have respectable DPS and instant cast spells. However, Mapekz pointed out that shamans are becoming a “jack of all trades yet master of none” type of character.

A Shaman is a hybrid class that has to specialize to be competitive, but can not achieve its potential because it is thought that it functions as a hybrid in both PvE and PvP situations. It has base abilities to attempt to alleviate its problems, but other classes have MUCH better abilities, trained and talented, which prevent their deficiencies from cropping up.

He also gave a list of what the shaman lacks.

Compared to other casters and ranged damage dealers, Elemental Shamans lack:

• Group PvE and solo/group PvP Crowd Control (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Balance Druid/Hunter)
• Silences (Interrupts aren’t the same thing) (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest)
• Ways to keep distance (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Hunter/Balance Druid)
• Passive casting pushback resistance (Mage/Warlock/Balance Druid)
• A way to actively replenish mana without use of consumables (Mage/Warlock/Shadow Priest/Balance Druid/Hunter)

Compared to other melee classes, Enhancement Shamans lack:

• Anti-CC/CC Breakers (Rogue/Warrior/Paladin/Bear Druid)
• Way to get into melee range (Rogue/Feral Cat+Bear Druid/Warrior/Paladin)
• Solo/Group PvP CC abilities to keep people out of combat for a moderate to long duration (Rogue/Paladin/Druid shifted into normal form)
• Solo/Group PvP and Solo/Group PvE stuns/ways to stay in melee range/and disabling abilities to let you get an upper hand (Rogue/Warrior/Paladin/Bear+Cat Druid)

Now, while I play shaman, I believe the deficiencies are there because of gameplay balance. (As if it ever was, but I digress.) If they were to give the shaman the said abilities that are said to be lacking, then it would be the ultimate character. Why would other players choose a rogue if they can do the same things and more with a shaman? Yes, we are a jack-of-all-trades class, and that versatility is our strength. We don’t need to be a wanna-be warrior or a pseudo-rogue when playing, we have our own gameplay and role to fill.

A lot of people believe that the star players in a PvP or PvE arena is those who can hack it out with the big heals or DPS. The truth is, it’s those who pick up the slack, do the little things, and make up for the groups deficiencies that are the real stars. Shamans can heal when needed, DPS if required, or even nuke when the team’s spellcasters are down. That is where the shaman really shines.

Via WoW Forums