Same here. I find it fun to play despite its flaws.
I play mostly M+ for endgame content with just clearing heroic fated raids as other endgame content. But the utility in M+ with: Cap totem, Thunderstorm Knockup, Poison Clense, no CD Purge, 12s ranged interrupt, lust… not many other class have all of that. The damage in M+ is also decent as healer damage. Just plonk down Healing Rain for Acid Rain dmg on the mob and spam Chain Lightning with a Cloudburst/HST down for the 15% 2set crit buff.
The spec could deffinetly use an external and its own buff but the class is still fun enough to play if you follow the ABC (Always Be Casting) rule.
I tried all other healing classes last season exept for pali. I did find the monk the most fun out of them. I would put Shaman behind Monk and Disc Priest for fun gameplay for me but I would still call it fun.
Shaman is the least fun healer for me. Other classes have unique, fresh healing mechanics or faster pasted gameplay.
Resto Shaman feels like you are playing vanilla wow. Someone is hurt, you cast a big slow heal, and they get healed and you wait to do it all over again. Thats really it.
There is no unique interactions, no special theme or fantasy. There is no engaging mastery. Toolkit is pretty limited. No special buffs or reason to bring one
The only thing it has going for it is cloudburst, but even then its annoying. People can run out of the Rain, or spread out of chain heal range, or you kill the pack before it pops. You can prepop it but you might have popped it too early… then your slow casts cant respond to the next hits… UGH im getting frustrated just thinking about it
Holy Pally, Disc Priest and Evoker are LIGHTYEARS ahead in terms of class design.
This is kind of how I feel, too. I completely disagree with an above poster, who likes the fact that shaman is lacking a “gimmick” and is more of a whack-a-mole healer.
To me it just feels like the whole spec is under-designed compared to its peers. There’s not really any meaningful spell or gameplay interactions between the kit to help you do your job. Atonement, Holy Words, Echo, Glimmer, etc are all way better designed spec mechanics that really let you build and show your skill expression. Resto shaman just feels like it’s missing something to me comparatively.
Everything is subjective to the player. Ive tried every healer. Rsham speaks the most to me. Its fluid, easy, no gimmicks, and great cooldowns. Does solid dps too. When I play it, i feel like im in my element. Im sure anyone who genuinely enjoys what they are playing will say the same thing. Plus, I really like EnH and Ele.
When Ive played Hpal and Holy Priest, i felt bored and not really interested in finishing a keystone. So, only you can answer what is fun for you. And dont worry about whats meta or viable…everything is viable.
Kidding aside, I like resto shaman because of it’s totem utility, but compared to the other healers, especially the half a dozen combinations you can do with preservation & echoes, it does fall a bit plain. With that said, there’s certainly room for that to be fixed with totemic hero talents. Keep huffing the copium.
Spreading riptide, positioning healing rain, and making use of tidal waves is fun. And boosted chain heal procs to weave in along side healing stream totem and spirit link / Ascendance / healing tide / primordial wave is more than enough gameplay for me. Cloudburst is also a really cool mechanic unlike anything other healers have. I also love the utility kit of cap stun totem, thunder shock knock up, ranged interrupt, purge, tremor, everything. Dealing damage is also fun!
I find it hilarious that holy paladin is being given multiple times in this thread as an example of a more fun or mechanically interesting spec when holy paladin is widely considered to be a giant mess right now. Holy priest is also just as simple as resto shaman, there is no intricate mechanic behind it. It’s okay if some healers are straightforward and reactive!
I would argue that the Holy Word cycle and cooldown reduction is a more intricate mechanic than anything Resto Shaman has going for it.
Holy paladin is a mess though, I will give you that. Infusion, glimmers, beacons, melee/caster/hybrid, holy power, etc are just turning the spec into an absolute mess.
I see it as a very basic cooldown reduction system. Or cooldown management system. It’s very straightforward, which is fine! I love my holy priest. I just don’t understand when it is used as an example of an intricate mechanic.
I really am not trying to put you down. I’m glad you love resto shaman. I played resto shaman at mythic level for years. I make this post in hopes others will see and share their feedback as well.
Took the words outta my mouth. Tidal Waves is basic. I don’t even think about it.
Riptide feels like it does nothing. It’s just a mean to buff your good spells by allowing Deluge to take affect.
Spreading Mending is more satisfying then spreading riptides.
Divine Word further enhances the cooldown/Holy Word system. Mechanics build on top of mechanics.
What does resto shaman get?
Tidal Waves- reduce cast time of chain heal.
Tidebringer - reduce cast time of chain heal.
Unleash Life - small buff to chain heal.
Undulation - more heal on wave/surge
PrimWave - bigger wave
Deluge - more healing on targets already wet.
Its just faster and bigger, but more of the same.
Because its something. Tidal Waves is a nothing burger with bland sauce. You are always gonna riptide on cooldown and cast heals in between. So you don’t even have to think about it or interact with it at all.
Your a rogue healer. You heal with combo points. What more can you want.
Mastery Lightbringer allows for a higher skill ceiling with better positioning. Massive toolkit. Tyr’s Deliverance, Daybreak, Summer, Battle Res, HoD, Light’s Hammer.
