Shaman Masteries

[Boggins]

Have noticed a lot of other classes have these kinds of threads going and I don't believe I have seen one yet for Shamans...

What are everyone's thoughts on Shaman masteries? Look at them from what possible masteries will be available, which will be most beneficial, how possible/useful it will be to be hybrid specced, etc.

My thoughts are that hybrid speccing will not be beneficial, unless say Revive is only available for a certain level in one line. I don't think there will be enough points available to do a lot of hybridization.

I believe the Mastery lines will be Burst damage/DD spells, Healing (maybe an additional buff in this line), and Debuff/DoT....

What are your thoughts (hopes the first reply isn't someone pointing at their sig)

[Vaeoth]

What are your thoughts (hopes the first reply isn't someone pointing at their sig)

That made me smile...

But I am hoping that are masteries are (with cooler names of course)

Direct Dmg/Direct Heals

Debuffing/Buffs

Dots/Hots

With healing and buffing bonuses intertwined. Therefore no one can tell us GO SPEC HEALING. It would be nice if the masteries follow the devs plan that no healer is all about healing. So when we spec in one mastery we increase dmg and healing just in a certain area.

[Skaejek]

That made me smile...

But I am hoping that are masteries are (with cooler names of course)

Direct Dmg/Direct Heals

Debuffing/Buffs

Dots/Hots

With healing and buffing bonuses intertwined. Therefore no one can tell us GO SPEC HEALING. It would be nice if the masteries follow the devs plan that no healer is all about healing. So when we spec in one mastery we increase dmg and healing just in a certain area.

I agree. I would consider not rolling a Shaman if they have the masteries 'Damage, Healing and Buffs/Debuffs'. It's an unoriginal format that will compromise our role as a hybrid career. Well, I am sure Mythic won't do this, will you?

[Swiftblades]

Not sure on this one. It depends a bit on Shaman mechanics for me. My main concern is the switch between Direct Damage spells and healing spells. ( = Casting time = No time to cast a heal for a ally ). I actually hope Shaman will have lot of DoTing, and Waagh generated by the tick of the dot. So you can actually DoT multiple targets at the same time. This way you contribute to killing foes, but you're waagh keeps comming in, making you able to be effective on healing. ( ---> Shaman actually effective in PvE content )

IF SO, I'm hoping for trees like: Direct Damage - Healing - DoT, buff and debuff trees.
Once again if so, I would focus mainly on healing ( to top mastery perhaps ), and focus also a bit in the DoT, buff and debuff tree.

I'm hoping for masteries like: 'Makes your X generate more Waaagh', 'Increases the amount healed by your X' and so on.

[Boggins]

Not sure on this one. It depends a bit on Shaman mechanics for me. My main concern is the switch between Direct Damage spells and healing spells. ( = Casting time = No time to cast a heal for a ally ). I actually hope Shaman will have lot of DoTing, and Waagh generated by the tick of the dot. So you can actually DoT multiple targets at the same time. This way you contribute to killing foes, but you're waagh keeps comming in, making you able to be effective on healing. ( ---> Shaman actually effective in PvE content )

IF SO, I'm hoping for trees like: Direct Damage - Healing - DoT, buff and debuff trees.
Once again if so, I would focus mainly on healing ( to top mastery perhaps ), and focus also a bit in the DoT, buff and debuff tree.

I'm hoping for masteries like: 'Makes your X generate more Waaagh', 'Increases the amount healed by your X' and so on.

If DoTs generated Waaagh, Shamans would be the locks of WoW....mix with shadow priests...

DoT, DoT, DoT, spam 1 sec heals.

[Swiftblades]

That would be my playstyle hell yea! But would the DoT generate Waagh per tick or on the time of casting? ( Instant DoT plx?8) )

[Boggins]

That would be my playstyle hell yea! But would the DoT generate Waagh per tick or on the time of casting? ( Instant DoT plx?8) )
If it was an instant DoT that built Waaagh per cast would be more balanced than per tick, unless the Waaagh growth was very low and NOT an insta cast...maybe a 0.5 sec cast with 1 tick every 2 secs....idk, it's debatable.

[Myling]

That made me smile...

But I am hoping that are masteries are (with cooler names of course)

Direct Dmg/Direct Heals

Debuffing/Buffs

Dots/Hots

With healing and buffing bonuses intertwined. Therefore no one can tell us GO SPEC HEALING. It would be nice if the masteries follow the devs plan that no healer is all about healing. So when we spec in one mastery we increase dmg and healing just in a certain area.

I really like this idea, that way you can go for healing and damage, offence and defence at the same time in the same masterie path. Genius.

[Skozat]

I agree. I would consider not rolling a Shaman if they have the masteries 'Damage, Healing and Buffs/Debuffs'. It's an unoriginal format that will compromise our role as a hybrid career. Well, I am sure Mythic won't do this, will you?
They almost certainly will, just look at the warrior-priest masteries. Healing, damage, and misc, as the 3 trees. http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26511&highlight=released+masteries

It's a solid bet that every member of the healing archetype will have a
damage and a healing tree, and really only vary widely in the 3rd misc. tree. It's unoriginal, kind of lame, and betrays the concept of a true hybrid healer, but it's what we've got. Boo.

Tanks are likewise getting the same routine.

However, if the healing tree includes some special damage spells and the damage tree includes some healing stuff, it will work out.

[ben_jii]

I am fine with the traditional trees, as long as they are all viable in pvp. WAR doesn't have to change everything, if all the trees increased damage and healing then it would hardly change your playstyle. Just because someone takes a healing tree doesn't change the fact that their mechanic is still to deal damage for more effective healing, just that your healing utility is greater than your damage one now. Besides if there wasn't a difference between a healing tree and a damage one then theres no way a shaman could compete with other classes as far as damage dealing goes without being overpowered.

[Vaeoth]

they aren't supposed to compete with dps classes in damage.

[Gage]

To Be honest, I believe that the trees will still be the traditional healing dmg and misc but, we will have a hell of a good reason to spec into the dmg tree as it will no doubt increase the amount of waagh we generate making us a better healer, therefore people cant have a go at us for being the war equivalent of a shadow priest or an elemental shaman as in WoW. It just seems more viable they will do things that way otherwise your gona have one very messy system with things you want being well.... everywhere.

[dahon]

If its anything like daoc, you will gimp yourself if you go full healing. In daoc the best healers were hybrids. And in daoc they had heal, buff, and misc for each healer just like it seems they may do with WAR as well, but it was set up that the other lines were so useful in pvp that a full spec healer just wasn't as good as a hybrid. Just because in wow people were forced to go full spec healing to be most effective doesn't mean that in WAR it will be the same. At the same time I was hoping there wasn't going to be a healing tree, but if they do it like daoc it will be okay.

[Boggins]

To Be honest, I believe that the trees will still be the traditional healing dmg and misc but, we will have a hell of a good reason to spec into the dmg tree as it will no doubt increase the amount of waagh we generate making us a better healer, therefore people cant have a go at us for being the war equivalent of a shadow priest or an elemental shaman as in WoW. It just seems more viable they will do things that way otherwise your gona have one very messy system with things you want being well.... everywhere.
I agree with you, but we will be different from the shadow priests in a key way. We don't have distinct forms. We will be able to heal more effectively while doing high end dmg, even if we aren't dealing efficient heals we'll be doing it faster...if that makes sense. I am wondering if it becomes common for shamans to be ... idk, 20/10 in dmg/healing, or maybe 15/15. It depends on the benefits, which we don't know yet.

[Phiphler]

Im guessing that it will be:

Healing
Damage
Buffs/debuffs

Not the most exciting, but consider that debuffs such as You got nuthin' and Gork's Barbs also generate Waaagh!, so Im sure there will be a way to increase their efficiency. For buffs, well I only one I know if is Waaagh!, which increases movespeed for the group until you start attacking or healing. There will probably be some other buff as well though.

The DoT does not generate more then 1 orb of Waaagh! so you wont play a him like a Shadowpriest. An interesting thing to take note of however, is that Mythic just added a dual-targetting system. This means that you can target 1 hostile and 1 friendly at the same time. Some dev mentioned that some skills will work with both targets, so why not Il take dat! ? It steals HP, prior to the dual-targetting system it just stole HP to you, but now I assume it moves it to your friendly target.

This means that more Int+ gear and damage spec on the Shaman can tangibly improve your healing, at the same time as you build Waaagh! for the real heals. It seems like a neat concept to me.

[Boggins]

Im guessing that it will be:

Healing
Damage
Buffs/debuffs

Not the most exciting, but consider that debuffs such as You got nuthin' and Gork's Barbs also generate Waaagh!, so Im sure there will be a way to increase their efficiency. For buffs, well I only one I know if is Waaagh!, which increases movespeed for the group until you start attacking or healing. There will probably be some other buff as well though.

The DoT does not generate more then 1 orb of Waaagh! so you wont play a him like a Shadowpriest. An interesting thing to take note of however, is that Mythic just added a dual-targetting system. This means that you can target 1 hostile and 1 friendly at the same time. Some dev mentioned that some skills will work with both targets, so why not Il take dat! ? It steals HP, prior to the dual-targetting system it just stole HP to you, but now I assume it moves it to your friendly target.

This means that more Int+ gear and damage spec on the Shaman can tangibly improve your healing, at the same time as you build Waaagh! for the real heals. It seems like a neat concept to me.

Don't know if dual targetting allows you to funnel HP from target to target. How about this idea...have a Damage ability that allows you to transfer life from you to a target, and increase your dmg of your "I'll take Dat" by a %...Would basically be the same as funneling, but more cast time, etc.

Being able to specialize in debuffs and getting a similar form of Barbs, except that it deals damage to whoever hits the person you buff. That does damage to who hits the person (% of dmg inflicted or base amount) and returns Waagh to Shaman (% of dmg inflicted by thorns or base amount). This would allow a non damage specced shaman to sit in the backrow and spam heals. I know many shamans fear watching the health meters, but everyone who plays DAoC knows what happens when a healer sticks their head out of a keep window in RvR.

Trying to think of the specials they could add to make specializing in neither healing or damage and still be able to function as a RvR healer.

[DaveDoom]

The shaman seems very much like a shadow priest to me at this point, not knowing as much as I really want to about shaman. The reason I say this is that hypothetically ALL shaman should start out dealing damage to gain WAAAGH! they then have a choice o switch from damage to healing from this point on. It is my impression that out of the 3 healing classes on each side they are broken into 3 further 'classes', disciples, a true melee damage oriented healer, alot like the vampiir from DAoC except heals for nearby allies. Then there is the zealot, which I believe is more like a true healer than any of the other 2 healers, they can heal from the start of the fight if they want, in the processes laying down some buff/debuffs and minimal dmg all in one. Shaman start the fight casting, once they generate enough WAAAGH! then they go in and start to either do heavIER damage or some substantial heals for minimal AP. Anyway this is just what I have gotten from reading numerous forums. You may be able to break the tree into healing, dmg, and buff/debuff but the diffinition of each of those branches mean something different from healing class to healing class. So while it may seem boring that we have a choice between those three thing, the shaman itself is different from most healers anyway (besides the archmage).

[Guvna]

They have said you can pull from two trees. And the trees open up new skills. So if you go full dmg tree you won't have some of the healing skills from that tree. You may build WAAAGH faster but might need more to heal as good as someone healing specced.

I would think the trees are healing, DPS, and maybe some CC/Buff/Debuff, based on the stuff they released on other classes. There has been no info on shaman in quite a while so who knows if they even started on shaman at this point.

We need some love.

[Swiftblades]

We need some love.

Whole waiting on Warhammer community does, its Valentines day, give us fecking release date :roll:

[Gage]

Just to elaborate on my last post, When we talk about the dmg tree, I believe that it will be probably 50% dmg and 50% Waaagh! generation. The healing tree will probs be similar but with healing instead of dmg, then the 3rd tree will be more to do with support and survivability. Thats usually the case with the character advancements in RPGs, but obviously in this case its WAR style. So if you want to go healing you wont be hard done by compared to a hybrid it will just be a different playstyle. That, to me, makes the most sense because otherwise its just gona be a ranged nuking class going about attempting to make more Waaagh! by speccing dmg rather than going healing which will be more helpful.

Feel free to flame that idea though, afterall it is only an idea :D

[Boggins]

Just to elaborate on my last post, When we talk about the dmg tree, I believe that it will be probably 50% dmg and 50% Waaagh! generation. The healing tree will probs be similar but with healing instead of dmg, then the 3rd tree will be more to do with support and survivability. Thats usually the case with the character advancements in RPGs, but obviously in this case its WAR style. So if you want to go healing you wont be hard done by compared to a hybrid it will just be a different playstyle. That, to me, makes the most sense because otherwise its just gona be a ranged nuking class going about attempting to make more Waaagh! by speccing dmg rather than going healing which will be more helpful.

Feel free to flame that idea though, afterall it is only an idea :D

Different between WAR and other RPGs is that the spec trees will not give passive bonuses to your spells/Waaagh generation, it will all have to come from clickable abilities. This is the reason I'm worrying about those who specc half in healing and half in damage - they will have sub par special abilities with no passive bonuses...