When people ask me why Shaman is bad or why I think it has horrible issues, I usually tell them “Too many things to list” But I want to try compile a list so I can not have to remember them. 
Plan on updating said list with community input:
- Stormstrike damage exists but stormstrike doesn’t do it. But Warriors will get it next expansion.
- Berserker shout for warriors is better tremor totem that is usuable while feared.
- Fel Eruption ignores grounding totem.
- Sundering is able to be dodged and parried.
- Doomwinds got gutted into irrelevancy.
- Too many keybinds that all compete for the GCD.
- Affected equally by disarm and silence.
- Spirit walk is bugged currently to immediately refresh the slow you just removed.
- PvP talents that should be part of the class or spec tree as capstones, or close to them. (Burrow, Grounding, Electrocute, Skyfury, Ride the Lightning, Stormreaver)
- Shock still have CDs and we are still target capped.
- Ankh is essentially useless, even in content where it is activatable.
- Can wield 2h weapons but your character forgets how to attack with it.
- Static field totem has a 30-40% chance of not working, or them getting out of it instantly.
- Have to refresh weapon imbues every time you zone into an instance or they just don’t work.
- A lot of our important totems have 4 or 5 hp.
- DPS builds are Lightning vs Fire. With completely different playstyles, damage profiles and gear.
- Other classes can purge and Blood lust better than us now-a-days.
- Tools to attempt to survive things in high end content: 1
- Sundering not being a stun
- Lasso being 45 seconds with no CDR or refresh if the target immunes it
- Stormstrike damage at an all time low, even with a bunch of supporting talents.
- Earthquake being physical damage. Not available to Enhance the spec that has physical damage multipliers.
- Hex is the worst CC in the game. Dispellable by many dps classes, break on the smallest damage (used to be able to absorb some) and players can still move their character during. Special edtion: DHs can still double jump and glide while a frog and you can still cap a base in a BG as a frog.
- Earthen Wall Totem depends on people to stand in it but has the worst visual to see in the game.
- Too many 2 point talents. Or talents that require 2-3 point investment to be good. Looking at you Earthshield, Healing Stream and Lava Lash.
- Capstones on General Class tree are weaker than everything in the top half of the tree.
- Weapon Imbues (that thing the we are supposed to be master of?) Are just means to an end to generate resources or proc better things. Especially the fire rings.
- Windfury totem is better for other classes than us. Only effects party and still costs a talent in our spec tree. While being un-available to Elemental and Resto.
- If you are too close to your grounding totem on a Glacial spike. It will still splitting ice you cleaving from the grounded spell.
- No defensives while stunned (submitted by Gungarg)
- Purge resistance creep (submitted by Bromdynna)
- Icyfury often times works against itself (Submitted by Azappycrom)
- Earthquake/Elemental Blast is too weak for a spender (submitted by Azappycrom)
- Ascendance vs DRE ruins both options (submitted by Azappycrom)
- Weapon oils dont play nice with weapon imbues. (submitted by Rahaïth)
Taking all of this into account: Shaman is prolly the best it has ever been. As bad as we are, we used to be worse. Really makes you think huh?
For fun I will put solutions here, and again community feedback to answers I don’t have or better ones:
-
Stormstrikes does Stormstrike damage.
-
Tremor usuable while feared.
-
Fel Eruption is now affected by grounding totem.
-
Sundering is only affected by magical defensives.
-
Doomswinds 1 min CD, off GCD.
-
Totems and shield on their own seperate GCD (shared with each other).
-
Weapon imbues reduce disarm effects.
-
Spirit walk gives 2 seconds of freedom.
-
Move those PvP talents into talent trees. PvP talents that should be Capstones Instead A previous post I made giving new PvP talent suggestions.
-
Remove CD from shocks and target cap from abilities.
-
Cheat death mechanic (sumbitted by Azappycrom)
-
Transmog.
-
Static field will bounce infinitely while its up. Currently does 1 bounce at a time refreshing when that target touches the totem in the center.
-
Totem Health scaling. 25% 50% and 100% of shaman health depending on totem.
-
Electrocute solves the purge issue. Shaman BL gives shorter sated debuff.
-
Sundering is now a 2 second knock down. Similar to earthquake. (Submitted by Zuzu)
-
Lasso 30 second CD.
-
Earthquake nature damage.
-
If hex was easier to land it would, it’s issues wouldn’t be as felt as badly.
-
Give EWT taller earthen wall effect.
-
1 point nodes.
-
Solved with solution #9
-
WF damage no longer % Attack power, but 3 extra auto attacks. FW procs = 1/2 a baseline flame shock tick.
-
General tree option, raid wide effect. Increases shamans WF proc chance off auto attacks
-
Grounding not able to be cleaved off of.
-
Thunderstorm giving an absorb shield. (Prolly a PvP talent)
-
Solved by solution #17
-
Icyfury talent becoming a frost shock passive effect (submitted by Azappycrom)
-
Attach to mob or apply a DoT effect to targets struck (submitted by Azappycrom)
-
DRE baked into ascendance via a talent.
-
Weapon oils stack with weapon imbues.
