Quote:
Originally Posted by JDAm0nk
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Yeah. I owe a lot to loramin, DeathsSilkyMist, BlkCamel, and everyone else who has shared sage Shaman wisdom on this forum. But a lot of the advice here isn't realistic for people who are looking to main a Shaman on Green.
"If you need to make money, solo guards until 55. You can start doing halfling guards in misty thicket at 25. You will easily get enough money to buy at least a JBB, a Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate, and a Fungi Staff. Those will save you a ton of time while soloing. Black Fur Boots pair well with the Fungi Staff, so get those too if you can. Black Dire is easy to do if you know a couple level 60 friends."
DSM mentions how these guards are nerfed, but I wanted to say that I started my character with the hope that I would be able to solo-grind enough plat to afford some of these game-changing pieces of gear. I killed guards in Qeynos Hills & WK from 28-39. Spent days running around Rathe Mountains killing HGs after 44.
Despite all this, I have not been able to afford a JBB, Ikky BP, or Fungi Staff (totals ~55kpp). But even though I'm only level 52 and still wearing 7 pieces of Banded Armor, my Shaman feels strong and durable. I just can't solo as well as an Enchanter, Necro, or Shaman with their Epic, JBB, worn regen etc.
Considering how competitive and expensive the economy on Green is for Shaman loot, it's worth repeating how dang nice the increased HP regen is post-51. I know the Shaman race min/max discussion has been beat to death, but for those without access to high-end & expensive gear, this can't be overstated. With my new slow and increased HP/mana regen, I'm able to tackle much harder content and I have way less downtime. It might not be as important at 60 with Torpor, but that is a long train coming...
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Hello JDAm0nk! Glad to hear you were able to make some good use of my information
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I do 100% agree with you here, some of my advice has become outdated. For that specific quote you mentioned, that was back before Green, and when JBB's were only 10-12k. That meant you could get JBB, Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate, and Fungi Staff for around 30-35k total. Black Dire kills were usually free, you just needed a few friends.
Before the Misty Thicket guards were nerfed, you could easily make something like 10k per 16 hours or so if you had the wall to yourself, and that could be done probably starting at level 34 or so. With the economy changes, the higher demand/lack of supply on Green, and the Misty Thicket guard nerf, it is harder for new players who main a Shaman to follow my advice and get enough money for the gear they need to solo very well 50+.
I never had my epic when I was leveling, but by level 52 or so I had JBB, Fungi Tunic, Fungi Staff, Black Dire Boots, Shawl 7, and the Thurgadin Chain BP for free Riotous Health. So my ability to solo was about as good as a Shaman could get without having an Epic. Without any of those things, Shaman solo speed certainly suffers.
As you mentioned, you still feel quite durable, even without the fancy gear. A Shaman's toolkit still allows them to solo quite well, even basically naked. They do get a slower start levels 1-24, so if you are naked that level patch can be rough. Luckily, levels 1-24 or so are pretty easy for all classes, due to how many lowbie zones are available (many of which have a high ZEM). Once you get to 24 your solo capacity increases dramatically due to Regen and Cannibalize. By 29 you get a 30% haste, and at 34 you get a pretty awesome pet.
I agree a naked Shaman will not be able to compete with a naked Necro, Enchanter, Mage, or Bard, but those classes are well known to be the best naked soloers. Shamans I would say are in the middle of the pack when it comes to soloing naked, on par with naked Druids or Wizards. When they have the proper gear, they are more on par with the better solo classes. And obviously with Torpor, they enter beast mode.