Shaman: Simple Questions / Simple Answers -- Cataclysm Edition

• Jessamy · 12/06/10, 8:06 AM

Shaman Simple Questions Thread: Cataclysm Edition

This is the thread for simple questions that don't fit anywhere else. If your question applies to one of the existing thread topics, please post it there instead. If you expect to generate significant additional discussion, create a new thread. If, however, you have a simple question that only requires a simple answer and don't see a better place to post it, this is your thread.

Note, however, that all forum rules still apply. You should still verify that the answer isn't already easily available before posting. Asking people to make specific gear or spec decisions for you is still against the rules. Proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling are important even in short posts. And so on.

jimavet · 12/14/10, 11:21 AM

A search didn't help me find a recent confirmation for these water-totem questions:
A) Does healing stream totem benefit the entire raid? The tooltip says it heals *group* members, whereas the tooltip for mana spring totem says it restores mana to "all party and raid members".
B) Do healing stream totems stack, such that two shamans dropping this same totem would see double benefits?
C) Do mana spring totems stack, such that two shamans dropping this same totem would see double benefits?
D) Lastly, Mana Tide Totem is party only, correct? (As this is what the tooltip reads).
My thanks in advance.

Jackaran · 12/14/10, 1:01 PM

Originally Posted by jimavet

A search didn't help me find a recent confirmation for these water-totem questions:
A) Does healing stream totem benefit the entire raid? The tooltip says it heals *group* members, whereas the tooltip for mana spring totem says it restores mana to "all party and raid members".
B) Do healing stream totems stack, such that two shamans dropping this same totem would see double benefits?
C) Do mana spring totems stack, such that two shamans dropping this same totem would see double benefits?
D) Lastly, Mana Tide Totem is party only, correct? (As this is what the tooltip reads).
My thanks in advance.

A) That means it only heals group members not the Raid.

B) I'm pretty sure they do stack. Their pulses count as different heals (or so, I'm sure.)

C) I'm pretty sure these totems do not stack.

D) If the tool tip says party only, then you are correct.

Tzan · 12/14/10, 7:19 PM

Any data on how Val'anyr stands in Cata? At some point the loss of Int and SP would certainly catch up enough to out weigh the proc, but at what point does that happen?

Derfal · 12/15/10, 3:00 AM

Originally Posted by jimavet

C) Do mana spring totems stack, such that two shamans dropping this same totem would see double benefits?

Mana Spring Totem does not stack with other MP5 sources such as Blessing of Might. BoM now also provides the MP5 component that Blessing of Wisdom once did.

Kaytikat · 12/15/10, 5:38 AM

Originally Posted by Tzan

Any data on how Val'anyr stands in Cata? At some point the loss of Int and SP would certainly catch up enough to out weigh the proc, but at what point does that happen?

I tested Val'anyr on some trash last night and was disappointed to see that Healing Rain doesn't seem to apply the shield affect. Without this I'm not seeing any value in Val'anyr at 85.

Ryethe · 12/15/10, 3:45 PM

Has anyone done any testing with Call of Flame to see if it affects Searing Flames?

My suspicion is that it does not as I have gotten a few aggro warning after a totem has applied the debuff to an untouched mob a few times (debuff, aggro, and damage seems to be attributed to the shaman and not the totem).

Just wanted to double check if anyone has already done this before I run off and do my own test.

Rouncer · 12/15/10, 4:12 PM

Searing Flames is unaffected by Call of Flame. Searing totem damage and searing flames damage both generate threat on the shaman. The totem generates threat through it's presence (true of all totems) but the threat from the damage is attributed to the shaman. Magma Totem damage doesn't generate threat on you or the totem but does generate threat through it's presence.

In a multi-mob pull situation where some are coming by proxy and not through direct threat I will normally try to move in front of my totem (or drop them behind the tank) so my presence is registered before the totems to keep them from being whacked and killed off.

UtterEast · 12/15/10, 4:16 PM

Am I using Healing Wave incorrectly? It heals for a hilariously tiny portion of any target's health. I feel like I can only do my job by waiting for health to get low, dumping a big heal on them and then waiting to tick up. I /have/ noticed that trying to keep everyone topped off is oom city, but for many fights if I have to heal anyone other than the tank I'm scraping for mana near the end. Mainly doing 85 normals and heroics here.

Skulmaster · 12/16/10, 5:38 AM

For single Target (Tank) healing the best thing you can do is use HW + Riptide for mana conservation, when the damage intake gets too big to heal up with the HW+Riptide combo, you can use HS or GHW depending on the fact that the target is about to die or not. Useally when the target is relativly safe and not about to die, I pop Unleash Life + Riptide + GHW, else just Riptide and HS spam untill it's safe to use HW again.

If other people are taking damage they are either doing something wrong, or else it's unavoidable AoE. If it's only 1 target taking damage, Riptide+HW alternating between that target and the tank would be optimal, just don't try to heal too soon on the topping off issue, there are 'smart/auto-heals' too.
Some encounters are really brutal though, where party + tank is taking heavy damage, and you are unable to utilize Chainheal and Healing Rain to it's full potential. (=people are too spread)
Then you can only hope that Mana Tide/Water shield will make your mana last long enough to finish the boss with 1 person alive. You can try asking people to move in your Healing Rain-zone too. But I'm having oom issues myself too.

Enkoujin · 12/19/10, 3:17 AM

Sorry to bother with such simple questions but I wasn't sure about how these have changed in Cataclysm, as some parts seem intact with beta changes and others not so much.

Feral Spirit- How are these functioning currently with bloodlusts and stats, do they take the stats you have when they are summoned or do they continue to scale when other trinkets proc / bloodlust?

Fire Elemental Totem- Same question as feral spirit, also just curious how much it fits into Enhance rotation.

Lastly, weapon enchants? Pre-landslide and once we actually have the crystals for landslide especially would be useful to know.

Thank you.

Madok · 12/19/10, 12:09 PM

Hey, I was wondering which weapon enchant as is best, for Enchancement spec, the Enchant Weapon - Avalanche - Spell - World of Warcraft or the Enchant Weapon - Hurricane - Spell - World of Warcraft, using heroic blue weapons ilvl 346 atm, so Enchant Weapon - Landslide - Spell - World of Warcraft is a bit an overkill (and too expensive), any suggestions?

Rouncer · 12/19/10, 12:29 PM

Hurricane and Avalanche should be pretty close in value for us. If I had to make a call I'd say to use avalanche on a mainhand and hurricane on an offhand but overall I don't think it's going to make much of a difference which one you go with. Landslide being better then both of them by, well, a landslide...

ClearlySane88 · 12/20/10, 10:42 PM

Got an elemental question. Why would I want Ancestral Swiftness as an elemental shaman? Is there a part in a raid or dungeon where going to ghost wolf would be beneficial?

Coeus · 12/21/10, 8:02 AM

Originally Posted by ClearlySane88

Got an elemental question. Why would I want Ancestral Swiftness as an elemental shaman? Is there a part in a raid or dungeon where going to ghost wolf would be beneficial?

You want the 15% run speed. Instant Ghost Wolf is just a handy bonus. Just to clarify, the 15% run speed applies all the time, not just when in Ghost Wolf form.