Shamans Get Totem Hotbar And More in 3.2
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Amatera on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 18 Comments Tags: 3:2, Patch, PvE, PvP, Shaman, changes, global cooldown, hotbar, totem
Amatera on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 18 Comments Tags: 3:2, Patch, PvE, PvP, Shaman, changes, global cooldown, hotbar, totem
Content patches often bring class changes of the raw number variety, but rarely do we see mechanics almost completely reinvented. Shamans' lives are about to get a whole lot easier, as Blizzard intends to give them their very own hotbar for totems!
The new bar will hang just over the left side of your core action buttons, just like a Warrior's stances or a Paladin's auras, and feature four slots where you can drop totems, one of each element. As there are currently twenty-three totems available to the class, this should help cut down on clutter (assuming you're like me, and keeping all of them readily available just in case you might find the rare use for most of them).
This Shaman might still be alive if he was using the new hotbar!
Several other buttons will be available on the hotbar just as soon as you achieve the level needed to learn them. Call of Earth, for example, will replace Totemic Call, while a whole new spell, Call of Fire, will drop all four totems at once. Those Shamans who currently rely on macros to do this will be pleased to know that Call of Fire operates using only one global cooldown, making it even more efficient.
Likewise, there are Call of Air and Call of Water spells, which essentially function the same as Call of Fire, but allow you to drop two more (different) sets of totems, so you can queue them up as the situation calls for it. Each of these can be hotkeyed for easy access.
A total of eight new buttons on your screen might seem like a lot, but it's certainly better, and more organized, than the alternative.
Ultimately, this should eliminate several problems for the class, including resetting your totems after they've been destroyed in PvP combat or quickly moving them to avoid adds while questing or running an instance.
I, for one, am happy with these changes. My primary alt is a Shaman, and setting down totems before any given encounter gets to be a pain, to the point of not even bothering for most trash pulls. It should also make tasks like dropping an emergency Cleansing or Tremor Totem more convenient.
Overall, it looks like 3.2 may be shaping up to be a bigger release that originally anticipated. What do you guys and gals think? Does this sound like something that would appeal to you, or are you just going to continue sticking with macros? Gives us your feedback below!
The new bar will hang just over the left side of your core action buttons, just like a Warrior's stances or a Paladin's auras, and feature four slots where you can drop totems, one of each element. As there are currently twenty-three totems available to the class, this should help cut down on clutter (assuming you're like me, and keeping all of them readily available just in case you might find the rare use for most of them).
This Shaman might still be alive if he was using the new hotbar!Several other buttons will be available on the hotbar just as soon as you achieve the level needed to learn them. Call of Earth, for example, will replace Totemic Call, while a whole new spell, Call of Fire, will drop all four totems at once. Those Shamans who currently rely on macros to do this will be pleased to know that Call of Fire operates using only one global cooldown, making it even more efficient.
Likewise, there are Call of Air and Call of Water spells, which essentially function the same as Call of Fire, but allow you to drop two more (different) sets of totems, so you can queue them up as the situation calls for it. Each of these can be hotkeyed for easy access.
A total of eight new buttons on your screen might seem like a lot, but it's certainly better, and more organized, than the alternative.
Ultimately, this should eliminate several problems for the class, including resetting your totems after they've been destroyed in PvP combat or quickly moving them to avoid adds while questing or running an instance.
I, for one, am happy with these changes. My primary alt is a Shaman, and setting down totems before any given encounter gets to be a pain, to the point of not even bothering for most trash pulls. It should also make tasks like dropping an emergency Cleansing or Tremor Totem more convenient.
Overall, it looks like 3.2 may be shaping up to be a bigger release that originally anticipated. What do you guys and gals think? Does this sound like something that would appeal to you, or are you just going to continue sticking with macros? Gives us your feedback below!
Reader Comments (18)
Sounds like relly good changes in most parts.. But when will they make soulshards stack for locks?
should do thta in same patch imo
take care have fun and kill stuff
This is the best news I have heard. Totem management is one of the biggest headaches that i have right now. Right now I am using a combination of Addons (Flotem Bar) and macros for totems. This should make it much more simpler. I would be nice if the hotbar would also include shields.
PS: Could someone post the link to the original post.
I've been drifting away from the game, but still keeping up and I am pleased with this change. Currently I have my sequencer macro for my base set of totems, then have the rest strewn about my various bars. I too use all my totems, even the oft ignored sentry totem (great for BGs to keep an eye on things) and this will allow me to free up a little space.
Nevermind found it myself
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=17779532478&sid=1
Well, this will make totems viable in BGs =D...and Droping them all at once saves a HUGE time, PVP or PVE!!! Best News ever!
Huzzah! I hate putting down totems in healer mode. Esp. when you have a speed tank. Put down totem, heal, put down totem, heal, change totem, heal, put down totem, fight is over, totemic call, then start it all over again. SUPER annoying.
I can't wait. When does 3.2 come out?
I am very pleased that totem management is finally getting an overhaul. As I do not use any totem addons nor macros, it'll make my job a bit more easier when I'm healing in raids. (And before anyone thinks to laugh at me, I am quite good at my job w/o using either of those things.)
Now that sounds rly cool...im mostly a PvP player and it get a bit annoyin when i gotta keep my partner alive,keep myself alive and the enemy busy and i get insta pyroed cause i wasted im GCD for some totem different then grounding
I can't wait til this new patch, clutter really pisses me off and i don't usually keep tremor or cleansing totem on my hotbars so this will be extremely useful.
Hey, guys! Sorry about the lack of a source link. I thought I'd included one before! It's now in the first paragraph of the story.
Awsome! This is great news. My main is an enhancement shaman. When I'm raiding I can hardly start my spell rotation, after I've put down my totems, before every other class allready aoe'ed the mobs down. And my action bars are completly messed up cause of all the totems on the bars (the only one I don't have bar'ed is sentry).
It would come as a shock, when the patch came, if you didn't write this blog. Thumps up!
WHAAAAAAAAAAA! My main's a shammy, and I even have a shammy alt, so this is HUGE! This will benefit, especially in Raids!! YAY!
Gief Aspect and Trap bars for huntards now. =[
Ladies and gentlemen, your famous Shamtastik has just become Shampwnchaface!
This is epic update :D and not just totems, our heals are getting buffed too :D My resto status just went up from good to great/awesome :D
This is great news, finally Shammies are getting some love instead of nerfed. I have been playing a Shaman for a long time, way back before it was cool to be one. It was great during the Kara raiding days, I was the only Shaman in the group so any class specific drops would automatically be mine. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Our guild was running a 10-man Naxx last night with 4 Shamans in the group, two restos, one elemental, and one enhancement with no wipes in the military quarter.
Anyway back to the subject. I agree wholeheartedly this new totem management system will be a great benefit to us no matter what we are doing (PVP, PVE, Raiding). I hate having to drop one totem at a time, especially on trash mobs. It would be great if Blizzard would continue to consolidate the totems so we have fewer to manage. Why not combine mana spring and healing stream into one totem....rarely do we drop healing stream because it is ineffective. Our guild actually used it last night because there were four of us and most of the totems don't stack so the healing stream was used. Combine, nature, frost, and fire resistence into one totem and call it Totem of resistance that boost all by "X" amount.
@Oggrillain The Healing and mana totem combination could work (like how cleansing totem is now) but what about the resto shammy's mana tide totem. I guess blizz will have to give them some minor healing effect also
But combining all the resistance totems seems like a great idea.
Healing totems rarely used? Mana totems rarely used in my experience because Pallies are the current flavour of the month and finding a group without one is pretty rare.
Excellent, as said in the blog i dont even bother dropping more than a mana totem or a tremor totem (if the situation calls for one) on trash pulls. With the call of fire, water, and air i'll be dropping totems left and right.
Currently i have about 4 macros in my bars for various situations and even still it takes a few valuable seconds to get them all down and, with those macros, kiss totems during an encounter goodbye because i cant control what order they come down in nor do i have time to open up my spellbook and look one up.
a well deserved patch for shamans