Welcome to the Legion class preview. In these articles we will post the changes that will be applied to classes in the next expansion. It's up to us to get to know the Shaman better in Legion.
One of Legion's goals is to differentiate between class specs, so almost all of them have been modified and hundreds of new talents will be added, many of them unique to each spec.
Shaman in Legion
There will be general changes that will be applied in the three specializations of the Shaman in relation to the use and operation of our Totems. For a long time we have had to make use of talents like Totemic Projection or Totemic Persistence to be able to position and use the Totems to our liking, making it less bearable. In Legion these restrictions are eliminated, being able to use two Totems of the same element at the same time, these being born with a percentage of our life (not 5 points as now) and breaking the chains to our Elementals, now they will accompany us to protect us or inflict damage with us, instead of staying with the Element Totem. Totems that require to be placed in a specific location will be placed directly through a targeting grid.
There is also a change that affects the Elemental and Enhancement specialties, the removal of mana as a resource, which will affect the Lightning Shield charges for the Elemental shaman, the Maelstrom Weapon charges for the Enhancement shaman; instead we will have a new resource: maelstrom that will greatly affect our gameplay. The Restoration Shaman will continue to use mana.
Elemental
Lightning bolts flow through the shaman's body, like those of a storm, and blasts of fire, like those of earthly magma.
The Elemental Shaman already has a repertoire of thematic skills well adapted to his class and therefore the change will not be substantial. However, the new maelstrom resource will become the key in the game system.
The Elemental Shaman will generate Maelstrom through his Lightning Bolt, Lava Burst, and Chain Lightning, spending it on abilities such as Shock and Earthquake. As a result, Shock's cooldown has been removed, allowing you to use Flame Shock to feat multiple targets, or accumulate Maelstrom to deal high damage with Earth Shock. Again we will return to Elemental Overload as a mastery, it seems that the one implemented in Wod (Molten Earth) has not given the expected result in the Shaman.
- Lightning bolt
- 40 yd range, 2 sec cast time.
- Fires a bolt of lightning at the target, dealing moderate Nature damage and generating 15 Maelstrom.
- Lava burst
- 40 yd range, 2 second cast time, 8 second cooldown.
- Blasts molten lava at the target, dealing heavy Fire damage. If Flame Shock is active on the target, Lava Burst deals 50% additional damage. Generates 15 Maelstrom.
- Clash of flames
- 0 to 20 maelstrom, 45m range, snapshot.
- Burns the target with fire, dealing minor Fire damage and then additional minor Fire damage every 2 seconds. Lasts from 10 to 30 seconds depending on the Maelstrom spent.
- Earth shock
- Maelstrom 10-100, 45m range, snapshot.
- Instantly hits the target with overwhelming force, dealing massive Nature damage based on the maelstrom expended.
- Lava surge
- Passive
- Flame Shock damage over time has a chance to reset Lava Burst's cooldown and cause the next Lava Burst to be instantaneous.
- Mastery: Elemental Overload
- Grants a 40% (with Mastery from a mid-level team) chance for Elemental Overload to occur. Elemental Overload causes the Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, or Lava Burst spells you cast to trigger a second similar spell on the same target, dealing 75% of normal damage and Maelstrom generation without increasing threat.
Also, so you can see how they can be combined with some of the talents, here is an example of one of the specific Elemental talents:
- Maelstrom Totem
- 40 yd range, instant, 30 sec cooldown.
- Summons a Maelstrom Totem near the target for 15 sec that repeatedly attacks an enemy within 30 yards, dealing moderate Nature damage. Every time Maelstrom Totem attacks, it generates 5 Maelstrom.
Constant improvement
This type of shaman prefers to favor his physical attacks with elemental energies and to face his adversaries up close.
The changes made to the Improvement Shaman are in search of their own identity.
We want this specialization to be more than just an Elemental melee shaman.
In the Improvement Shaman the use of weapons and Elementals will be enhanced. As in the Elemental, the use of the new Maelstrom resource is also incorporated, the accumulation of this resource will progressively make the Improvement more powerful; This totally changes the style of play since you must always control the level of the maelstrom to be able to use your most powerful abilities.
- Stonebiter
- 10 m range, snapshot.
- Assaults the target with earthen power, dealing moderate Nature damage and generating 15 Maelstrom.
- Tongue of fire
- 10 yd range, instant, 12 sec cooldown.
- Scorch the target with firepower that deals moderate Nature damage and upgrades your weapons.
- Attacks from all of your weapons deal additional mild Fire damage based on the weapon's speed. Lasts 16 seconds.
- Raging Wind
- Passive
- All right-hand attacks have a 7% chance to trigger three additional attacks that deal light physical damage.
- Lava lash
- 30 Maelstrom, Melee Attack Range, Instant.
- Charge the left hand weapon with lava, attack the target, dealing massive Fire damage.
- Stormstrike
- 60 Maelstrom, Melee Attack Range, Instant, 16 sec cooldown.
- Energize your weapons with lightning bolts and deliver a tremendous blow to your target, dealing heavy physical damage.
- Maelstrom weapon
- Passive
- Dealing damage with our melee weapon generates 5 Maelstrom.
- Storm fury
- Passive
- All of your attacks have a 2% chance to inflict Storm's Fury, reset the cooldown of Stormstrike, and cause your next Stormstrike to cost 50% less Maelstrom and have no cooldown.
- Mastery: Enhanced Elements
- Increases the chance to trigger Storm Fury and Windfury by 5% (with Mastery from typical gear) and increases all Fire and Nature damage dealt by 40% (with Mastery granted by medium-level gear).
Also, so you can see how they can be combined with some of the talents, here is an example of one of the specific Enhancement talents:
- Cataclismo
- 60 Maelstrom, Instant, 20 sec cooldown.
- Shatters a line of land in front of you, dealing a large amount of physical damage and knocking enemies to the side.
Restaurants
The restoration shaman feels a deep spiritual connection to the source from which all mortal life emanates.
The Restoration Shaman is the one that changes the least of the three specs as its overall gameplay seems correct to them, which will focus more on the emphasis on localized healing and less on the Chain Heal spectrum.
Their talents have been improved to offer more varied options and of course the Restoration Shaman will also see the aforementioned change in their Totems, being the specialization that benefits the most from it.
- Healing wave
- 2,1% mana, 40 yd range, 2,5 sec cast time.
- A slow but effective wave of healing energy that restores a moderate amount of health to a friendly target.
- Healing Surge
- 4,1% mana, 40 yd range, 1,5 sec cast time.
- A fast but expensive surge of healing energy that restores a moderate amount of health to a friendly target.
- Chain healing
- 5,6% mana, 40 yd range, 2,5 sec cast time.
- Heal an allied target for a moderate amount, then jump to heal the most severely injured nearby party or raid member. Healing is reduced by 30% after each jump. Heal 4 targets in total.
- Spring tides
- 1,5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown.
- Restorative Waters cleanses an allied target and heals them for a moderate amount, then an additional moderate amount over 18 sec.
- Healing Rain
- 4,3% Mana, 40 yd range, 2 sec cast, 10 sec cooldown.
- Covers the target area in showers of healing that restore a moderate amount of health to up to 6 allies in the area over 10 sec.
- Healing Stream Totem
- 1,7% Mana, Instant, 30 sec cooldown.
- Summons a Water Totem at the Shaman's feet that heals an injured party or raid member within 40 yards for a slight amount every 2 sec. Lasts 15 sec.
- Tidal waves
- Passive
- Casting Chain Heal or Riptide gains the effect of Tidal Waves, which reduces the cast time of the next Healing Wave by 40% or increases the critical effect chance of the next Healing Wave by 40%. Stacks up to 2 times.
- Mastery: Deep Healing
- Increases the potency of healing spells by 60% (with Mastery granted by a mid-level team) based on the target's current health level (targets with lower health receive more healing).
Also, so you can see how they can be combined with some of the talents, here is an example of one of the specific Restoration talents:
- Spring
- 2,4% Mana, 30 yd range, 1,5 sec cast, 12 sec cooldown.
- Create a wave of water that flows forward and heals all allied targets in a large semi-circle in front of you in a large amount.