Enhancement Shaman PVP
Part One of a Guide to Fighting other Classes in WoW
Fighting each class in PvP presents a different challenge to the enhancement Shaman, some significantly more difficult than others.
In PvP an enhancement Shaman’s biggest initial asset will be “burst damage”. The Windfury weapon buff, in conjunction with Stormstrike, Nature Shock and a high critical strike rating can lead to a serious amount of pain unleashed on an enemy in a very short period of time.
As well, Shamans always benefit from movement impairing effects such as Frost Shock, Frostbrand weapon and Earthbind Totem, and the addition of several PvP talents including Frozen Power make these more useful than they have been in the past.
Hunters – Hold me closer
Moderately Difficult
There are two important things to remember when fighting a Hunter of any spec. First, Hunters themselves rely on ranged damage for the bulk of their personal damage, so closing the gap and preventing them from getting away again are of the utmost importance. The trick here is to get closer than 5 yards – at that distance, their ranged attack stops functioning and they will have to rely on their Melee weapons, something which enhancement Shamans are far better at.
While enhancement Shamans have multiple ranged attacks, the temptation must be resisted to duel with the Hunter at a distance. The Shaman’s shock and lightning bolt spells will work as well up close as from a distance and the Shaman will lose in any all-out ranged battle.
The second thing to remember when fighting a Hunter is not to ignore the pet. A well-geared hunter will see over 50% of their damage come from their pet, so ignoring it could spell a quick demise for a Shaman. Hexing the pet is an option, as is slowing it down or even killing it. Killing it can be difficult, however, because if the Shaman ends up ignoring the Hunter entirely to fight the pet, the Hunter will simply back away and fill the Shaman full of arrows or bullet holes.
If the Shaman is quick on the draw and able get and stay within Melee range of the Hunter, the chances of victory will increase significantly.
Druids – Trees, Chickens and Kitties Oh My!
Difficult
For a period of time, Druids were the laughingstock of WoW, but significant talent changes and better druid-specific equipment has made them a force to be reckoned with, especially in PvP. While a Hunter with any talent build is still a ranged DPS class, the Druid can fulfill three very different roles depending on their talent build.
Resto Druids – I’m Leafing You
This is the healing talent spec, and is basically an endurance fight for the Shaman. The Druid shape shifts into Treeform, which increases their healing by 6% and makes them invulnerable to being Hexed. The problem with healing Druid is not the Druid itself, it is the four or five other players that will attack the Shaman as they attempt to kill the Druid.
The most important thing to remember when fighting a healing Druid is to use purge, and use it often. The Druid’s greatest source of healing will come from Healing over Time spells, or HoTs, which can be dispelled by the purge ability, leaving them more vulnerable.
However, even with these HoTs dispelled, Resto Druids are hard to kill in the best of situations. Their immunity to being hexed and to mitigate movement-impairing effects, as well as the substantial healing bonus granted by their Treeform mean that this will be a long and frustrating fight for the Shaman.
Balance Druids – At Least They Dance Funny
This is the “Boomkin” or “Chicken” talent spec, and turns the Druid into a large feathered – something – which does ranged damage. Of the three types of druid PvP fights, this is the simplest for the Shaman, as closing the gap will again make a large difference.
Many of the Druid’s spells will be instant cast, much as the Shaman’s, but they do have a few channeled abilities – these are crucial to interrupt with Wind Shear whenever the opportunity presents itself. A skill which can be extremely irritating is ‘cyclone’ which will immobilize the target for 6 seconds. No damage can be taken, but neither can any action, until the effect wears off.
Feral Druids – I Can Haz PvP?
This is the ‘cat’ or melee DPS spec for Druids. In this spec they essentially act as rogues, but can hit more quickly and are again immune to hex or other shape changing effects. The greatest problem that an enhancement Shaman will face is the feral Druid sneaking up on them – a magma totem will often do nicely to intercept a stealthed Druid cat and prevent them from getting that first critical hit.
If possible, the Shaman wants to burn down the Druid as much as possible from a distance, and then burst DPS them down once they get into range. The cat has a number of damage over time abilities as well as the ability to gain combo points, just a rogue does. Fortunately, cats do not have poisoned claws.
With luck and a little patience, either one of these classes can be defeated by an enhancement Shaman.
Orc Pvper
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Warsong Gulch
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