Okay, this is the post I really wanted to get to when I started this series about hybrid classes. Now, Blizzard calls Shamans hybrid classes, and pretty much everyone else does too. However, this really annoys me because Shamans are not hybrid classes. But what makes a hybrid class? A hybrid class is a class that can fill all three roles (Tanking, Healing and DPSing). A Druid can do all three, a Paladin can do all three, but a Shaman can only do two. A Shaman can DPS, and a Shaman can Heal. If DPSing and Healing makes a hybrid class, then Priests are a hybrid class. However, Priests are not a hybrid class, therefore Shamans are not a hybrid class. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look at the roles a Shaman CAN fill:
Melee DPS – A shaman specced Enhancement can do some amazing DPS. In 25 mans, they can dps very well, but I would say a mage would most likely top the charts. However, in 10 mans, Shamans are much more viable. Their totems can be absolutely amazing. In a 10 man, have a melee group, and a caster/healer group. Have an Enhancement Shaman in the melee group, and a Resto Shaman in the caster group, and you’ll have a very good run, I’d say. Back on topic though, Shamans are great at melee DPS, but they can’t tank, by any means.
Caster DPS – A Shaman specced Elemental can do some decent DPS. I mean, I haven’t really seen an Elemental Shaman do that great, and from the people I’ve talked to, that seems to be about it. Elemental Shamans aren’t really viable as great DPS. I could be wrong, but as I said in the first post, these posts are simply based off of my experiences with these classes in raids, and in my experiences with them, they haven’t been very good.
Healing – I’d say this is probably where Shamans really shine. Enhancement is all well and good, but Restoration is where it’s at! In every single raid I’ve been in, Shamans consistently top the Healing Charts. It normally goes Shamans, Druids, Priests, then Paladins. The thing that Shamans have going for them is a spell called chain heal. This heal, heals like 5 people at a time. It is amazing in 25 man raids. Also, they can put down Healing Stream totems which heal everybody in their group, but I don’t see why they would do that over a Mana Tide totem, unless there’s a ton of splash damage going around or something. So, if you’re a Shaman who wants to do 25 mans and doesn’t mind healing, I would strongly recommend going Resto, because the guild will love you for it.
Filed under: World of Warcraft
