WoW: Cataclysm still on target for a 2010 release
Blessing of Wisdom and Mana Stream totem go exclusive
by Mike Schramm 
Mar 11th 2009 at 2:30PM
Eyonix has posted some bad news for Pallies and/or Shamans on the forums: the Shaman's Mana Spring totem, while still providing a raid-wide buff, won't play nice with the Paladin's Blessing of Wisdom spell. The two mana regen buffs will essentially be equivalent, but won't stack in the upcoming content patch.The reasoning? Eyonix says that Blizzard feels that Pallies and Shamans brought too many unique buffs to a group, and that this change was designed to pull in an either/or choice: either Pallies can hit up Blessing of Wisdom, and Shaman can go with Healing Stream (which isn't, apparently, being combined with the Mana Spring totem as we first heard) or do some cleansing with their Water totem slot, or Shaman can use the raid-wide Mana Spring, leaving Paladins open to use Blessing of Kings.
Which makes a strange kind of sense, even though lots of Pallies and Shammies will likely be disappointed to hear of one less unique buff they can bring to a raid. There is one hidden benefit here, however: since raids were previously recieving both benefits together (and now can only get one or the other), we can probably look forward to a buff for at least one (since the Totem suffers the weakness of not being portable, you'd expect it to have some extra ability) or both.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
SaintStryfe Mar 11th 2009 2:36PM
Common, give them a good reason to combine them....
Robert M Mar 11th 2009 3:36PM
Are you kidding me?
"Eyonix says that Blizzard feels that Pallies and Shamans brought too many unique buffs to a group"
So on one hand Blizzard feeds us all this line of BS that they are worried that tanking classes are all becoming too much alike, though I might remind everyone that it was Blizzard who decided to give bears a last stand, Blizzard who gave warriors their own consecrate with an improved tclap, Blizzard who gave warriors their own holy shield with shield damage, Blizzard who gave paladins, um oh wait...
Anyway, they talk out of their asses. On one side they are saying they are worried that certain classes and specs are becoming too much alike and then now they are saying that classes are too unique.
Blizzard spent all that time trying to balance shammies and pallies from the old world days that now they are trying to make sure they can't complement each other in a raid now they they play for both factions?
I, for one, can't wait for the day where when it comes time to create a toon, we all pick a race, hit random and it makes us a class. The class is really just to identify us because then we will all have access to 30 different talent trees and with the low cost of only 50,000g you can purchase not dual specs, but triconta-specs so that everyone can play every spec as the need arises and Blizzard finally abandons the idea that they can balance classs that are inherently unbalanced based on a particular raid encounter or specific pvp matchup.
SaintStryfe Mar 11th 2009 3:39PM
Um... I was just saying to combine them, the healing and mana restore totems, you know, like an earlier plan? No better way then to make them separate buffs entirely.
UFTimmy Mar 11th 2009 2:37PM
Mana Spring, like the rest of the Water totems, are not raid wide. They are party wide only.
The majority of Shaman totems are now raid wide, but a few are not.
Manatank Mar 11th 2009 5:28PM
This is not strictly correct. Fire-resist totem is a water totem, and is also raid wide. The new mana-spring will also be raid wide. I would be honestly shocked if mana-tide totem survives in 3.1 as its presence encourages resto-shaman stacking which is what the mana-spring change is trying to undo. If it disappears, that leaves the new combined poison/disease cleansing totem as the only party only totem.
Manatank Mar 11th 2009 5:29PM
Sorry, healing stream will remain party only as well.
Oriflame Mar 11th 2009 2:39PM
Not to be a picky internet jerk, but the article doesn't mean blessing of kings, right?
also: no combined healing and mana totem? Damn. I was looking forward to that.
Hoju Mar 11th 2009 2:38PM
Mana Spring Totem was a party only buff before, btw. I am curious to see what they're going to do with Healing Stream and the new Cleansing Totem now that Mana Spring is raid wide.
Elmo Mar 11th 2009 2:40PM
Not to whine but I think this buff streamlining is particulairy bad for Shamans.
after all their entire totem system is based on giving powerful buffs, it even has been explained to be the reason totems have so little health.
Shamans need a Paladin like revamp imo, they are too out of line with Blizz' new design goals.
of course Shamans perform well in PvE atm but the totem system is very outdated, other classes give the same buffs but they last on everyone wherever they go and when the buffer dies.
elvendude Mar 11th 2009 2:59PM
The revamp is coming. Remember GC's call for any and all comments on the shaman class a month or two ago?
I have absolute faith that they're working on it.
Alkaios Mar 11th 2009 3:10PM
"I have absolute faith that they're working on it."
Soon.
lol
Angus Mar 11th 2009 7:11PM
"I have absolute faith that they're working on it."
How'd that Shaman review go for ya?
You know, the one before TBC....
Wulfkin Mar 11th 2009 9:23PM
Elmo's right, buffs have been more and more streamlined lately. Assuming a DK is present, a 25man raid has no use for more than 1-2 shamans, as all buffs they can provide are easily overlapped by other classes. Now they allow Pally's to overwrite our stuff too? What exactly is the point of totems any more, other than very situational functions?
This promised revamp had better come soon. Shammy populations are dwindling as it is.
ryan Mar 11th 2009 2:41PM
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....oh wait I can drop healing stream now :)
oriflame Mar 11th 2009 2:43PM
re-reading, I guess it does mean that. Hm.
epsilon343 Mar 11th 2009 2:43PM
Just GREAT...
wowinsider Mar 11th 2009 4:03PM
Other than bloodlust, why bother bringing shamans anymore? All their buffs are the same as those brought by other classes, just with the limitation of distance from the totem being a problem and the possibility of losing the buff because the totem gets killed, doesn't get refreshed, or the shaman dying.
I'm not saying we need to go back to the days of shaman stacking, but Blizz is slowly but surely turning shamans into a liability instead of a strength, pushing essentially 100% of their value into bloodlust. Once they decide to push that into a couple other classes, there's no point in bringing them.
vazhkatsi Mar 11th 2009 4:46PM
totem of wrath? wrath totem? all the poison/disease cleanse?
Columhcille Mar 11th 2009 5:25PM
I don't know when the last time yall checked how many totems shammies get was... ?? there are some already that don't stack and QQ more if you don't like the non-stack change for mana totems. There are so many totems to throw out there that other classes don't give that there will always be a utility use in bringing shammies to raid. WF, Wrath of Air, the other wrath totem that elemental shammies get which its been so long i been ele i don't know the name of it; you've also got cleansing totems that make it easier to not have to waste mana every two seconds casting dispells; there are earthbind totems;aoe magma totems; tremor totem that gets rid of fear effects without having to have five priests to buff the entire group with 2 minute CD. many more.
There used to be a time when you could stack the use of any potion in teh game for boss fights pre BC.. we got over that and forgot about it and now we use one a fight. did that bring an end to the game? no. it made you better players so you didn't rely on crutches.
sigh. so many QQQQQQQQs
wowinsider Mar 11th 2009 10:14PM
Totem of Wrath? Easily replaced by a Imp Divine Spirit or Demonic pact and Heart of the Crusader or Master Poisoner.
Wrath of Air? Easily replaced by Improved Moonkin form or Swift Retribution.
Windfury totem? Easily replaced by either of the above or Improved Icy Talons.
SoE? Horn of Winter.
Earthbind and Magma totems? Are you high? Earthbind is so situational and easily replaced by a hunter trap. And Magma? Sure, let's take away the only totem that might have some worth in Totem of Wrath or Flametongue by using what is still a fairly weak AoE.
As for tremor, raid leaders love when you throw that out on Instructor. Try it. It's good for hours of wiping hilarity.
About your best argument is the cleansing totem. And then there's bloodlust. What was once the best buffing class in game is now a middle of the road caster or DPS that gets shortchanged because it's a hybrid instead of pure DPS.