How would you implement totems into the current game?
If I had the say I would convert some spells/effects into totems alongside new ones.
Example 1: turn earthen rage into rage of earth totem. 1.5-2 minute cd. Makes every spell hit summon a single earth spike to spear the enemy for x damage. Lasts 20 seconds. If the shaman moves further than 40 yds from the totem the effect ends. Cannot be targeted.
This happens to also give a little control over the talent to the player and blends well with the shamans mastery in an aoe situation.
Example 2: Skybound totem. Shaman places a wind totem at targeted ground. Members of the shamans party/raid that step on the totem are catapulted through the air and land taking no damage. 5-10 minute cd
Flavorful and one could imagine how useful this could be on a cliff with a goblin glider or dh wings for quick traversing say a bg. Would probably make it so flag holder cant use tho.
Example 3: Windfury totem. Lets shamans allies benefit from windfury on melee attacks for 45 seconds. 10 min cd
I dont see a problem with this and it makes for a great raid cd
Example 4: Spirit guide totem (srry bad name). Shamans ranged allies may now cast while moving and benefit from increased haste. Lasts 45 seconds. 10 min cd
Basically these would replace BL and would share a cooldown but be more shaman themed.
What would you change on the shaman? What would you improve on if these changes were implemented? Ideas for non totem related changes? (Srry if this last paragraph sounds like homework but thoughts?)
OP? Not when it’s compared to BRs, which reset on wipes.
I can justify the CD in dungeons because it doesn’t count to BR timer, but when you reincarnate, then a wipe happens it should reset. Just like almost every ability in the game
I would make totems if they were re-added to the spec as something integral to the spec, having alot of interplay with abilities or mechanics in the spec. the idea of a totemic shaman that builds up nature energy, and then infuses it into different totems for different affects, that might change how different aspects of his kit an abilities work could be interesting.
I want ascendance to be reworked into a spell modifying ability that is toggled on/off. Visualy when activated it would turn your character into an greater elemental version, based on your spec, of whatever race you are playing. Fire/lava for elemental, wind/lightning for enhancement, and water/with ocean themed accesories for restoration. All spell casts while active consume maelstrom.
On topic though, I kinda like OP’s idea of “card totems” with long cd’s.
I think vanilla style buff totems wouldn’t work now because you wouldn’t just buff your group in a raid nowadays, so they’d have to tune them fairly weak (I’m not a fan of different tuning for different content)
I’d rather have magma totem than LMT. Maybe a dps’ version of soul link might be fun, to translate single target dps into aoe dmg
A good way of looking at it with how it might work for a shaman using a talent that gave back the totems, could be something like combo point system or the paladin’s holy power system. as the shaman with the totem talent builds up power they can unleash it to empower the totems they have laid down, with the number of charges they generated actually determining what type of totem effect the given totem takes on.
this way you would not really need several buttons for the different totems, merely one that shows off the different effects based on how many points you build up. Starting out you could have grace of air as one point, while three or four might be windfury or lightning based totem, while more you might have a talent option that replaces one of these totem effects as well if you have the totem talent active. This style of play could both balance out the power of the totems, make them more interesting an active to use, over the set an forget play style they had.
