Soloing on a Shaman

[phobus]

Originally Posted by Zyn [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I've been reading through a lot of these Shaman threads and people often say that Shamans are fantastic soloers.

I'm currently a level 21 Barb Shaman, and I swear, my mana costs obliterate my ability to solo efficiently. Root+Rot just kills my mana bar.

Do I need to wait until 24 when I have Canni? Should I consider picking up a poison wind censor and doing a lot more melee?

I have mediocre starting gear, nothing too fancy.

Any advice would be great appreciated?

Shaman is one of those classes that is relatively terrible at low levels, but is way overpowered once you get near the top.

Root/rot is really tough at low levels since root uses comparatively more of your mana pool than at later levels, and doesn't last very long on those occasions where it doesn't break early.

Investing in melee gear gets you through those rough early levels a lot faster. The Poison Wind Censer is a great value. I used that, a Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate, and cheap HP/AC gear for a long time. Even with good gear, though, meleeing as a low-level Shaman kind of feels like playing a crappy Paladin with SoW.

It's worth it, though! 24, 29, and 34 are all important milestones for the Shaman: canni and regen, a slow that's actually worth casting, and then your first pet.