Druids always seem to get love by blizzard.
Meanwhile shamans are using the same outdated wolf form since forever, which is the Orcs ancestral spirit. I think it’s time we get updated and unique forms for each race.
24 Likes
Ok, I’m going to love adding stuff here 
They should have one form per element:
Elemental Earth Goat
Elemental Fire Cat
Elemental Water Fox
Elemental Air Falcon (obtained when you get flight)
16 Likes
Honestly, virtually the whole class needs to be touched up.
Firstly, they need to be separated from Mages. That said, Mages would need two new specs.
Either Spellfire and Deathfrost can replace Fire and Ice. This will allow Mage players to maintain overall their Mage class aesthetic while adding new effects. Also, this would be the easiest change for Blizzard to do to Mages, as both Spellfire and Deathfrost are already programmed into the game and have their own designation / effect tables.
Or, Blizzard can go totally creative, and add two new specs from the following four that honor classic RPG wizards. Some options for them would be:
- Abjuration (Mage Tanking!)
- Transmutation (tons of unique transmog and spell potential)
- Conjuration (summon mystic beasts for combat, also teleportation attacks)
- Necromancy (Blizzard would have to be VERY careful and creative if they go this option, so that they don’t trip over Shadow Priests, Death Knights, or Warlocks).
Once Shaman are properly untangled from current Mages, then they could get a fourth spec for themselves, and expand properly.
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Yeah, shamans just don’t seem to get anything these days…but they definitely lose stuff.(Cries in losing the ability to spread flame shock via lava strike and blowing stuff up with fire nova. >< And don’t tell me about Torgast…we used to be able to spread lava shock -BASELINE- before torgast back in Cata. ><) But, lets get back on track… one thing I’ve been dreaming of for the longest while, is just a literal ghost form to the druid’s Astral form(?). You know, the form druids can get via a glyph, they just turn translucent and sparkly? It would be cool if shaman could have a glyph that could do sorta the same with their ghost form, although just simply becoming translucent.
3 Likes
We’ve got Glyph of the Spectral Raptor, no reason they can’t create at least one glyph corresponding to each race that can be Shaman:
Tauren - Tallstrider
Draenei - Talbuk
Dwarf - Ram/Gryphon
Pandaren - Quilen
Goblin - Monkey
Mag’har Orc - Dire Wolf
Highmountain Tauren - Elderhorn/Nightsaber
Zandalari Troll - Ravasaur/Saurid
Dark Iron Dwarf - Core Hound
Kul Tiran - Saurolisk/Horse
Vulpera - Fox
10 Likes
I would like to have a flight form for shaman, a spirit eagle would be cool.
7 Likes
Wouldn’t mind some options/re-working for totems as well. My Tauren’s totems looks so sad compared to almost every other race.
2 Likes
I… don’t actually think Shamans overlap with Mages at all.
There’s a pretty clear divide.
Mages specialize in -1- type of magic. Fire / Frost / Arcane. Any mixing is mostly flavor stuff. The actual rotation is going to be almost 100% 1 type.
Shamans specialize in attack style more than a specific magic / element. Every Shaman spec uses every element to some extent. Ele uses Lightning/Fire/Earth to attack, + Water for healing / Icefury if talented. Enhancement uses Lightning/Fire/Earth to attack, + Water in basically the same way Ele does. Resto uses Water and Earth for healing, Lightning and Fire to attack.
Frost Mage do Frost Frost Frost.
I feel like that’s a big enough distinction. You can’t automatically attribute “Fire” or whatever to mage. It’s a pretty basic element to make use of in a fantasy setting. How its used is what matters, and Shamans and Mages use their powers differently.
5 Likes
This too. Compare the Dwarf, Draenei, Troll, and Taurens totems to Goblins, Pandaren, and the allied races and you’ll cry.
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So… Zandalari get to glyph raptor form or… have raptor form. That seems pretty lame.
They should have a Direhorn form instead.
I want my shammy dog to leave spectral pawprints! and I would like more racial flavor added- where’s my tusks and horns and spikes???
What about different colors for your shammy dog? Maybe you feel more entuned with water so you want a more watery-looking blue dog (who splashes when he walks?). Maybe you like lightning, so you get a purplish lightning effect? There’s plenty blizz could add while still keeping the “shammy dog” feel
Model needs an update though.
2 Likes
Maybe I’m seeing a little too much Fire in all of the builds then, it’s entirely too ubiquitous and is diluting class flavor. Though, I realize many WoW players don’t care about that at all, so long as their spot in whatever endgame faire remain untouched.
My point, is that Mages / Wizards have lots of untapped potential that Blizzard can exploit, giving players brand new avenues and abilities, rather than having them squeeze into the same canals that Shamans tap. I do agree that several Mage Ice abilities are fairly separate from Shamanic abilities.
As it stands for Shamans, Lava Burst and Flame Shock are so prominent in all three Shaman specs, Fire may as well be the baseline attack effect for them all.
I’m proposing that Shamans get four specs, naturally one for each of the four elements. Lightning effects should be the baseline combo for each Shaman spec, since Lightning spells are unique to Shamans. This will also give more player options (obviously, the fourth spec would be a tank spec), and much better class flavor (elemental identities, etc).
Currently you have specifically talent yourself into Lightning effects, and that feels backwards.
Edited for clarity
Oh yea, any dino-form would be cool! Was just trying to think of things that seem “fast” for a travel form. I was thinking the ravasaurs with the feathers on their heads from Zul’dazar/Nazmir.
1 Like
Uh not really lol.
My shaman’s raptor travel form would disagree with you. But sure, they should give more available forms for shamana’s travel form.
What is so wrong with wanting more customization options? And are you really comparing a single glyph to all the unique forms Druid races get.
Enhancement doesn’t have Lava Burst.
All 3 do use Flame Shock.
And, at least for Elemental, it entirely depends what you’re doing and what legendary you’re using what ends up being the lion’s share of your damage. For example, here’s a snip of a log from Normal "The Nine’ from when I was using the legendary that makes Earth Shock buff the next Earthquake:
And dungeons in general will have less Lava Burst damage due to having more opportunities to use Chain Lightning and Earthquake.
But of course it’s going to be on top for a single target fight, and using the Lava Burst legendary will exaggerate that because it ensures procs.
See, I fully disagree. I think it makes perfect sense that Shamans don’t specialize in this manner, precisely BECAUSE they are not Mages. Mages specialize because it’s a learned power. Shamans borrow their power from the elements as it is needed. Hence why I think it’s fine for Shamans to use all of the elements, just in different ways.
Lightning is a default damage dealer for Resto and Ele in the form of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning – both of which Enhancement also has access to (although the uses are more limited). Enhancement also has Stormstrike (which is lightning), and Crash Lightning for AoE. Lightning Shield is also a thing, though I’m not sure for which specs other than Ele. Oh, and Thunderstorm for Ele. Cap Totem? I’d say Maelstrom because the way it’s themed is lightning but that’s probably more Water realistically.
I’m not sure why you think Lightning isn’t something every Shaman uses.
I do think there’s a lot of room within the concept of a Mage to make something a little more interesting. I just don’t think the perceived overlap with Shamans is an actual issue. I think it’s superficial at best.
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Granted, I did forget that Enhancement doesn’t have Lava Burst, but we are NOT talking numbers in a customization thread. No offense to you or anything, but just no. It will derail the thread. I’ve mentioned the combos strictly with respect to the customization of elemental effects and the class flavor themselves. Keep the topic on customization and the like.
We’re actually saying the same thing here, from different perspectives. The three specs they use are Shamans working with elemental forces in ways they know best for the situation at hand. The humans playing the game see specs, because that’s how the game functions. Thus, there’s zero reason for the following course of conversation and action to take place with a Shaman and the elements:
“Brothers and Sisters of Earth and Water, I beseech thee to assist me in withstanding the blows of my enemies, as I guard my companions and the innocent”
“Your request is dope, young one, and granted. Go forth!”
Shaman Tank Spec Engaged
Feel free to disagree, and we’ll just have to agree on disagreeing. My post is a request to Blizzard, not a request to the forum, and I stand by it. Four specs, one per elemental class flavor. I also didn’t say the specs have to be fully DEVOTED to a single element (we both know the talents would never be designed that way, anyway).
I see why you thought that. In my previous post, I’d said that “Lightning effects should be the baseline combo for each Shaman spec, since Lightning spells are unique to Shamans.” The word ‘combo’ should also be in-between Lightning effects. I believe that the main combo spell effect should be Lightning combo effects, replacing the Lava Burst / Fire Shock combo. Currently, most lightning combos require later talents, which feels off to me.
Class flavor tends to boil down to appearance and effect, which is the point of this thread. That said, many WoW players find class flavor superficial, and play classes based on FotM and numerical output. I’m not saying that you do this, nor am I saying anyone in the thread does. I’m saying that it’s been said specifically in these forums. With this in mind, I feel that Blizzard builds classes lazily now.
And I dislike that. I see class flavor overlap with Shamans and Mages. There are far more imaginative options available for them both, canonically and traditionally speaking. Make the game look and feel dope first, and place the numbers later so that no one actually loses functionality in the much beloved endgame.
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Ya I was pretty much totally down with this for a long time. Some of the ideas for different forms for different races seemed neat. I think someone mentioned a little fox for wolf form for Vulpera. Could do like dwarves and rams etc. People around here can make some good suggestions.
I honestly was content with just some other type of wolf form. Even tho the other suggestions are not bad by any means. I mentioned a floofy one. Puff ball. One that doesn’t look like it’s from WoD. (Was never a big fan of that model) Don’t get me wrong they could totally keep it, as I bet some people like it a lot. Just more options is always nice.
This (or hyena) for goblin plox
1 Like