Sad searing totem is gone

[Bubblies-deviate-delight]

But breaking the game is thematic for shaman identity.

Windfury broke classic. Sentry totem stopped you midair from falling.

Totem twisting broke TBC.

Double Flametongue spellpower weapons broke WotLk

Purge removing 2 buffs broke Cataclysm

Earthen Power broke MoP

At certain gear levels in MoP an enhancer could heal dungeons simply through chain heal and conductivity. We could do that in WotLK too with double earthliving. My guild got server first malygos running a frankenspec of enhance that used dual-wield healing enhancement chain heals off mw stacks.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Heck, even when hearthstone came out shaman had to have a card completely removed because it created an infinity loop of damage.

Jokes aside, if our dmg isn’t comparable to other classes then we absolutely need to be able to switch to healing to make up for it. Otherwise those heals are pointless and hold us back.

[Geldetha-shadow-council]

@Bubblies-deviate-delight

Jokes aside, if our dmg isn’t comparable to other classes then we absolutely need to be able to switch to healing to make up for it. Otherwise those heals are pointless and hold us back.

And that’s likely the root of why I feel like Shaman needs work. As an Elemental DPS I feel under powered and as a Enhancement DPS I feel oddly out of place on the front lines. I like the idea of backup classes, at one point I remember having a Shaman as a tank in a dungeon. I’m not saying that a DPS switching over to heals or tanking should ever be comparable to a dedicated Healer/Tank, just that in an emergency they can carry the load while the team fixes the error.

[Akston-area-52]

@Bubblies-deviate-delight

Jokes aside, if our dmg isn’t comparable to other classes then we absolutely need to be able to switch to healing to make up for it.

I feel confident that Elemental DPS is more than good enough to be fine right now.

[Bubblies-deviate-delight]

And that’s good that you feel that way. I agree…for pvp. But people have plenty to be concerned about based on BFA over performance of elemental.

Also it remains to be seen outside azerite traits which I currently use to lava shock people into a disconnect.

[Raigor-turalyon]

@Bubblies-deviate-delight

Why wasn’t searing totem given treatment to make it an actual dps cooldown in the vein of Rokhan’s Greater Serpent Totem

This would have been the best play, but they were clearly just shooting for a quick win wrt Searing Totem. Maybe at some point they’ll learn that cooldowns as totems isn’t a bad thing to be a core part of Shaman. They already learned it with Resto, and Vesper Totem.

Fingers crossed?

[Bubblies-deviate-delight]

I personally liked searing totem for pvp because I found skill trapping other melee between earthbind and the rock flinger, then jousting at 5 stacks of searing flames (WotLK).

But for pve I hated that it was a set and forget maintenance totem.