Shaman Rework Ideas?

[0xNaomi]

So, I played Shaman in the 3v3 and have some input for what's good and bad on Shaman right now.
Being renamed to Caster for now, it needs changes, no? (It has been determined it's probably better as Support... now if only it COULD support)

• Great kite with Windgale and Firestrike fire ticks. Engulfing is rather useless because Firestrike is there(, and jumping > slows)
• I never touched Force. Ever.
• Healing is a small heal, but as Caster that's fine.
• Primal would be more useful if it had a much larger AOE or didn't last only 5 seconds on leaving the AOE. It's a great support skill but totem ranges are short. (With the new tech the 5 seconds is no longer, and with the apply-once idea it'd fix this)
• Same as the latter half of the above, totem ranges are so short. It's irritating.
• With silent lightning, Shock could stand to be readded. This'd allow us to bring Firestrike to a longer sniper and help alleviate the above. (Could still be done as Support...)
• Being not a healer, it might help to remove the revive. Granted, it seems everything has revive now, anyway... (Again, better off as Support)
• HealingSurge and TotemRecall give good mana sustain.
• ChainLightning is a nice multitarget burst with its cd of ~25s.
• WindGale and ShockingStrike do nice chunks of damage.
• EarthernFury does a small bit of dmg with a slow more dmg is nice, but the slow makes Engulfing all the more redundant. (And still, they can jump it away)
• CleanseSpirit is nice to have, but not sure if it should be kept. (You know what these parentheses should say) I love heals, but only HealingTotem and HealingSurge seem to fit.
• Insert portion where I say it should have no totem CDs and rely on mana management. I'm still wanting this. (Believe it or not, I have an idea for something else now, so long as totem CDs don't go back to 1 min)

So, basically: Nice kite potential, 2/5 of the totems are useless, readd Shock(?), nice normal skills, might not need revive or CleanseSpirit.
Oh, and stubbornness about totem cooldowns.

@Kainzo Here's some disorganized thoughts in case they give any ideas.
Also, input from others might be nice.
@Balance Team

EDIT: Added slashthrough and some comments in parentheses.

 

[0xNaomi]

Further thoughts say that Force might be better if turned into a Tremor totem that knocks away, maybe with some dmg.

 

[Egorh]

Further thoughts say that Force might be better if turned into a Tremor totem that knocks away, maybe with some dmg.

Personally I think that a tremor totem would be overly strong. Place it on your backline healers/casters and that's all the peel you would need.
Overall a couple things need to happen with shaman

• Remove one of the heals-will most likely be Cleanse Spirit like you pointed out
• Give them another 'caster'/damage skill (you pointed out Shocking totem) but I think that another skill to be used when you have a totem down will benefit the class more
• And increase the range on some totems

 

[0xNaomi]

Personally I think that a tremor totem would be overly strong. Place it on your backline healers/casters and that's all the peel you would need.
Overall a couple things need to happen with shaman

• Remove one of the heals-will most likely be Cleanse Spirit like you pointed out
• Give them another 'caster'/damage skill (you pointed out Shocking totem) but I think that another skill to be used when you have a totem down will benefit the class more
• And increase the range on some totems

I already coded a Tremor totem. Force already existed, it's just that an up direction was useless.

 

[0xNaomi]

Since I already made this, I don't want to make another.
ATM Shaman's buff totems (just primal atm) have a short range, making it impractical for use on your allies.
This idea is that the range is just the apply range, and that the effect is kept so long as the totem (and thus, shaman) exist in the world.
It'd allow Shaman to buff its allies for the duration of a totem without restricting their movement.

Also, if more buffs are added, it'd make the Shaman much more targeted/protected in a fight. Kill/save the buffer mentality.
@Kainzo With my tech recode of Primal/Engulfing, I could very easily implement this (on Primal... not Engulfing).

 

[Kainzo]

Totems should have a range and not unlimited... this can only really come in if the totem could be destroyed.

If im understanding this right, you want an infinite range / buff while a totem / shaman exist in your world.

 

[0xNaomi]

Totems should have a range and not unlimited... this can only really come in if the totem could be destroyed.

If im understanding this right, you want an infinite range / buff while a totem / shaman exist in your world.

No. The player has to be in range of a totem to *recieve* a buff. After that, it's kept as long as the totem exists, which is short.
EDIT: To clarity, no HealingBloom repeats. You have to be in range to get the effect which lasts a matter of seconds, it just allows more mobility that you're not tied to the I think 10 blocks to keep the buff. Also retagging @Kainzo

 

[Egorh]

Definitely not an infinite range, then you run into the problem that healing bloom had in Bastion. It was glitched for a time and would go across the map, allowing the druid to sit and build while healing his team from across the map-I could see something very similar with infinite range totems

Edit, just saw the next post

 

[0xNaomi]

Retag @Kainzo because I don't trust tags from edits now....

To clarity, no HealingBloom repeats. You have to be in range to get the effect which lasts a matter of seconds, it just allows more mobility that you're not tied to the I think 10 blocks to keep the buff.

The issue with PrimalTotem is that while it's got a nice range for applying, a fight on HC doesn't sit still, ever. If the range became range of *application* (hence no healingbloom repeats) with duration just being tied to the totem existing (includes Shaman death and Totem being TotemRecall'd), it's much easier to buff allies (you have to be near them, but you don't limit their movement) while they fight.
In no way am I suggesting this change for EngulfingTotem's debuff, or for HealingTotem, or really any other existing totems. Just PrimalTotem and any future buff totems that might exist.

(And just in case GTP comes to mind, because the buff relies on having a party, and leaving the party removes the buff, you'd GTP the entire group. Port might work to get the Shaman out post-buff but then less than a minute later the buff is gone with no Shaman nearby to apply it again. It's really a pure Quality of Life change.)

 

[LightningCape]

(Will insert something meaningful later)

 

[0xNaomi]

(Will insert something meaningful later)

Don't know what you planned on posting, but the second half of this is just me hijacking my own thread so as not to make another.
I've got ideas and I've got reasons, I'm just taking this one step at a time.

 

[Kainzo]

will read this tonight! if not remind me damn it

 

[mikehk]

since nobody uses force totem, and it has no actual use right now, what if it had a 50% chance per tick to interupt casting? might throw people off a bit and the chances are fun

 

[0xNaomi]

since nobody uses force totem, and it has no actual use right now, what if it had a 50% chance per tick to interupt casting? might throw people off a bit and the chances are fun

Eh... knock away would be more useful. The class already has interrupts and compared to the supportiness it should have (Aside from the reduction in CD, it just doesn't work as a mage...) it's not worth it to use it when it has such a short range and long cast time just for a CHANCE of interrupt.

 

[LightningCape]

Scratch my last post, far too busy irl. Haven't been on hc in a few days and I think others know more about shaman's future than I do.

 

[0xNaomi]

Scratch my last post, far too busy irl. Haven't been on hc in a few days and I think others know more about shaman's future than I do.

Eh, just me, my accomplice in ideas and the @Kainzo that I'm trying to get to read this again.

 

[Kainzo]

Well, I think that primal should last a lot longer than 5s, tbh.

 

[0xNaomi]

Well, I think that primal should last a lot longer than 5s, tbh.

That is completely and totally irrelevant. The totem lasts more than 5s and with the new tech it no longer acts like a beacon.
There is no more "5s" for it to be longer than, just the range issue already mentioned.

 

[mikehk]

what if we made the shaman like WoW, where you could have up to 4 (for HC purposes 3) totems out at one time. most of them had fairly low cooldowns depending on effect, low mana costs, and lesser effects than before. shaman could become more customizable.

 

[0xNaomi]

what if we made the shaman like WoW, where you could have up to 4 (for HC purposes 3) totems out at one time. most of them had fairly low cooldowns depending on effect, low mana costs, and lesser effects than before. shaman could become more customizable.

The tech already makes that practically impossible, and that's strangely radical.
I have ideas, it's just that I can never get proper replies from @Kainzo