I am still shell shocked over some of these amazing Shaman changes. I have an Elemental Shaman myself which I like to play on. Terrible at it, but it’s fun all the same. As I’m big into healing, I’m keeping a really close eye on the different healing adjustments and features being added. There’s this thing I have about thinking in the future and visualizing what things will be like.
If you haven’t looked at Zorash’s analysis on Healing Council or Lodur’s assessment on WoW.com, do check them out as well.
Healing rain: At first glance, it looks like an extremely spiffy AoE healing spell. Click the spell, select an area, and watch it rain. The amount healed diminishes based on the number of targets within the area. It doesn’t appear to be a channeled spell. It’s more a heal over time effect. Does that mean it’s a fire-and-forget type spell? You get 2 seconds to cast it in any area within 30 yards. It last 10 seconds but it can be brought up again after. I suppose this means melee can afford to get drilled by Cleave or Whirlwind again. It’d also be pretty cool to have multiple Shamans in the raid casting Healing Rain in the same area. Makes me wonder if the effect is additive if the same place is targeted.
Spiritwalker’s Grace: On the fence on this one. I know caster Shamans are like turrets: They stay still in order to blast targets (hostile or friendly). 10 seconds where Shamans can move and cast without any interrupt penalties is a good thing. 2 minutes as a cooldown seems like a long time. I’d say maybe somewhere in the 60 second to 90 second range but I suppose that’s a question easily answered when we have an idea of what encounters will be like. The talent is supposed to allow Shamans a bit more leeway during movement heavy fights, not make it super easy, right?
The Priest changes are coming soon. I don’t think I’ll be around in the hour when they go up though.I hope they bring in Power Word: Barrier. I remember the devs saying they wanted to include something like that in the game but they couldn’t pull it off at the time. I was envisioning it as something similar to the Death Knight Anti Magic Zone (the bubble on the ground) but for all types of damage or something. I can see it being a talent in Discipline (since they’re removing all the stat increasing type talents anyway) or it being a max level spell.
With the announced Dispel changes, I’m also curious as to whether or not Mass Dispel will stay in the game. I can see them making the case to remove it to make the whole dispel mechanic mean something. On the other hand, it means we can’t strip Ice Blocks or Divine Shield.
Anyway, changes should be up in a few hours. For now, I have to go downtown. Maybe I’ll bring my Macbook and just chill in the library and wi-fi it up.
Why is it you must taunt us with a title that includes “Priest Preview Thoughts” like you have some kind of insider info on the preview that somehow we all missed! CURSE YOU!
Okay okay, I accept that was an unrealistic expectation, but still. Really want to see those changes. Please power word barrier. Also agreeing with some things I’ve heard bounced around – “Heal” is probably making a comeback.
.-= Ceralyn´s last blog ..Moving Forward =-.
/prays for power word: barrier
oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please…
.-= Etni´s last blog ..etni: 18% saturated fat from that cadbury creme egg i just downed. Worth every calorie. =-.
Cataclysm looks like it will bring a pretty exciting overhaul for all classes, especially healers. I’ve always found healing kinda dull because it tended to just involve pressing one button constantly (in dungeons, never done raid healing) and I’ve been reading Blizzards ideas to try to make heals more situational and interesting and overall it sounds very positive.
The Shaman changes to both healing and Enhancement sound very positive too. I think I’m gonna have to dust my Shaman alt off soon 🙂
.-= We Fly Spitfires´s last blog ..The Easiest 22 Levels I Ever Gained =-.
I can’t freaking WAIT to see Healing Rain. The comment I just saw on the forums that explained it best was:
“It sounds like a targetable, short duration, raid wide Healing Stream.”
That’s exactly it. Cast a 2 (1 with haste) second spell and dump a healing rain in that area to heal anyone in range for 10 seconds. Then do it again if needed/able 10 seconds later. I love it, even if it’s not ZOMG powerful, just a very cool mechanic that I hope is useful and we get to use in realistic situations in raids.
Thanks much for the mention, Matt. Keep doing what you do!
-Z
.-= Zorash´s last blog ..Shaman in Cataclysm – Toys Galore! =-.
It certainly feels exciting to be the ‘first’ to get the previews, but at the moment the elemental changes feel like ‘fixes’ rather than game changes. I’m glad to see resto getting the love though, Healing Rain sounds amazing, as does the thought of a possible spirit link. The enhancement changes seem positive, although the enhancement community is very wary of them at the moment (and I don’t blame them.)
.-= pewter´s last blog ..Cataclysm – Shaman Clarifications (Elemental) =-.
You forget to mention Unleash Weapon and its effect based on Earthliving Weapon
Small Heal and buffs the next healing spell by 20%. Can we say Tank Heal
Of all of the shaman changes that were highlighted, the one that I’m most anxious to hear more about is Spirit Link. Maybe I’m being swayed by Wrath PTR memories, but I sincerely hope that the mechanic can be reworked into the CD that shaman desperately need.
But in all, it’s wonderful to know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m excited to see how the shaman revamp will fit into the larger healing picture, especially since Blizzard has indicated that they plan on shaking things up a bit.
.-= Vixsin´s last blog ..The Shaman Teaser: Deconstructed =-.