I have stopped playing my lvl 31 Mystic until changes are made. SOE please fix the Shaman class.

[climbhi]

<DIV>I hate to give up playing my Mystic but I am just becomming too frustrated with how poor our Wards and slows work.  I cannot fill the role as main healer and as a back up healer I am very bored.  With the recast refresh rate of our spells it is impossible to slow more than 3 mobs at a time.  I feel that the only tank that I can successfully heal is a Monk and there seem to be very few who want to tank if there is a Pally around (Groups need alot of education).  On the Butcherblock server groups are starting to request (shout) a Cleric or Druid and expressely do not want a Shaman.  I am getting groups in many cases only because another healing class was unavailable.  One group dropped me when a simular lvl Templar was shouting for a group.  I have had groups until now because I am forming them.  I will be playing a Chanter until SOE fixes the Shaman class.  Maybe SOE will realize that Shaman's are gimped when enough of us switch to another class.  Though I really enjoy the Shaman concept and will go back to playing one whe it is fixed. </DIV>

[Ender]

ummm I think you're being overly dramatic on this. I'm having lots of fun with my defiler and it's probable that my defiler will get to 50 before my templar does. Seriously, all healing classes do pretty well at 40+. But then if you're not having fun nobody can blame you. Pick another class and move on.

[Mady]

I am a 31 mystic and my experience has been very different from yours. Some things that have helped:-I spend a lot of time and money upgrading everything I have to Adept 1 level where possible-I spend a lot of money keeping my armor and jewelry current-I typically play with a skilled paladin tank the same level as meI agree that it's tough to stick Keening Haze on a bunch of mobs- I'm definitely looking forward to Grim Lethargy at 35. I've found that it's not necessary to slow everything most of the time, though. A general rule of thumb for me is based on the mob difficulty and the DPS of my group at the time. This may change at higher levels.^^ mobs: almost always get slowed, their higher hit points make it necessary.^ mobs: these usually come in pairs, I typically just slow the 2nd one. I might DoT the first to make it die faster once the tank has built up hate for a few seconds.no ^ or down arrow: almost never worth it.Obviously mob level figures into this too. Greys never get slowed unless they are beating on someone in the group that they would not normally be grey to. Higher level mobs might get slowed even without arrows if I see the group taking an above-average pounding. But the above applies the majority of the time for me.As far as wards, they definitely plummeted in effectiveness in the early 20s, but have made something of a comeback lately with ancestral ward app4 in tough fights. I rarely use them in routine fights unless a non-tank is getting really persistent aggro and Healing Ritual isn't back up yet. They are not our main tool at our level- I would rank debuffs as #1, direct heals/cures (especially group cure) as #2, with wards a solid #3.

[Scrav]

As a 31 Mystic, I feel more useful than I ever have any my career to date. Thats not to say wards shouldn't be looked at, but I am getting by with them okay mainly because I am generally in groups of 3. My regular party consists of an equal level Paladin and Wizard. They currently aren't the best of combination due to various issues. However, we usually take down general yellow group encounter with ease. That isn't something we were able to do since the teens.I can potentially see issues with orange group encounters and above as a main healer however.<p>Message Edited by Scrav on <span class=date_text>01-20-2005</span> <span class=time_text>01:26 PM</span>

[Karla]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Madyaz wrote:<BR>I am a 31 mystic and my experience has been very different from yours. Some things that have helped:<BR><BR><BR>As far as wards, they definitely plummeted in effectiveness in the early 20s, but have made something of a comeback lately with ancestral ward app4 in tough fights. I rarely use them in routine fights unless a non-tank is getting really persistent aggro and Healing Ritual isn't back up yet. They are not our main tool at our level- I would rank debuffs as #1, direct heals/cures (especially group cure) as #2, with wards a solid #3.<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>With this being said how is our class heal, the thing that is supposed to make us stand out not supposed to be our #1 tool?  That right there is a sign of a problem.</DIV>

[Kalam]

<DIV>I gotta agree with Karlace here.  Wards ARE our class defining ability.  The fact that alot of Mystics and Defilers have said they don't use them very often is a sign that something is wrong.  Yes we get slow and debuffs, but they're meant to augment our main ability which is absorbing damage and healing it, not BE our main ability.  If slow and debuffs were meant to be our primary function then they would be much more powerful.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Jerh]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Kalamos wrote:<BR> <DIV>I gotta agree with Karlace here.  Wards ARE our class defining ability.  The fact that alot of Mystics and Defilers have said they don't use them very often is a sign that something is wrong.  Yes we get slow and debuffs, but they're meant to augment our main ability which is absorbing damage and healing it, not BE our main ability.  If slow and debuffs were meant to be our primary function then they would be much more powerful.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>I see these posts and it makes me think of the saying:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>“You can’t see the forest through the trees.”</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What is out defining purpose? I say it’s to keep a party alive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Nothing more, nothing less. We are not there to debuff, we are not there to heal, we are not there to ward. We are there to make sure a group can live for an extended period of time.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That’s all a healing class does really, is prolog a fight. I calm we can prolog a fight with the tools given to us as well as any other class. (With certain situations obviously being worse then others).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Why can't that be enough?<BR></DIV><p>Message Edited by Jerhaa on <span class=date_text>01-20-2005</span> <span class=time_text>02:30 PM</span>

[Karla]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Jerhaa wrote:<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Kalamos wrote:<BR> <DIV>I gotta agree with Karlace here.  Wards ARE our class defining ability.  The fact that alot of Mystics and Defilers have said they don't use them very often is a sign that something is wrong.  Yes we get slow and debuffs, but they're meant to augment our main ability which is absorbing damage and healing it, not BE our main ability.  If slow and debuffs were meant to be our primary function then they would be much more powerful.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>I see these posts and it makes me think of the saying:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>“You can’t see the forest through the trees.”</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What is out defining purpose? I say it’s to keep a party alive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Nothing more, nothing less. We are not there to debuff, we are not there to heal, we are not there to ward. We are there to make sure a group can live for an extended period of time.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That’s all a healing class does really, is prolog a fight. I calm we can prolog a fight with the tools given to us as well as any other class. (With certain situations obviously being worse then others).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Why can't that be enough?<BR></DIV> <P>Message Edited by Jerhaa on <SPAN class=date_text>01-20-2005</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>02:30 PM</SPAN><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> Because plain and simple we do not do it as well or as effecitve mana wise as a druid, and possibliy as well as a cleric.  i never said that a shaman can not keep his group alive.  I said wards are broke.

[vewde]

<DIV><FONT size=2>I stopped at level 40 a couple weeks ago.  It just got to the point that it wasn't fun anymore for me.  Anybody who says wards aren't [Removed for Content] is either on crack or not taking on encounters of significant challenge for the problem to show.  Direct heals just consume too much power to be the answer.  I'm not going to limit my group to less difficult encounters simply because I am the weak link or be forced into a backup healer role.  Sure, player skill has a big impact but even an unskilled cleric can heal as well as the most skilled shamans right now.  Haveing to work twice as hard to do an equal job is frustrating and tedious.  I like the shaman idea, but there is no doubt that we are not as effective as a other priests.  Most all of my spells that matter (heals, wards, debuffs) are adept 1 or adept 3 and every piece of my gear is orange to me.  There are some tricks you learn to stretch that power out to make up for some of the inefficiency but it's still not anywhere close to what it should be.  I'm not slamming my class by any means and will start playing him again if/when the situation changes.  But for now I'm just gonna play something else.  Sooner or later I feel it will get some attention and everything will be worked out.  Shamans don't suck, they just need some tweaking.  Meanwhile I'm having a blast on my twinked alt.  <img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>

[Noosehunt]

<blockquote><hr>vewdew1 wrote:<DIV><FONT size=2>player skill has a big impact but even an unskilled cleric can heal as well as the most skilled shamans right now.</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV><hr></blockquote>I think you hit the problem right on the head. When it takes "skill" to "defeat" a [Removed for Content], there's something really wrong there. -NH

[ChristopherK]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <P> <HR> Madyaz wrote:<BR>I am a 31 mystic and my experience has been very different from yours. Some things that have helped:<BR><BR>-I spend a lot of time and money upgrading everything I have to Adept 1 level where possible<BR>-I spend a lot of money keeping my armor and jewelry current<BR>-I typically play with a skilled paladin tank the same level as me<BR><BR>I agree that it's tough to stick Keening Haze on a bunch of mobs- I'm definitely looking forward to Grim Lethargy at 35. I've found that it's not necessary to slow everything most of the time, though. A general rule of thumb for me is based on the mob difficulty and the DPS of my group at the time. This may change at higher levels.<BR><BR>^^ mobs: almost always get slowed, their higher hit points make it necessary.<BR>^ mobs: these usually come in pairs, I typically just slow the 2nd one. I might DoT the first to make it die faster once the tank has built up hate for a few seconds.<BR>no ^ or down arrow: almost never worth it.<BR><BR>Obviously mob level figures into this too. Greys never get slowed unless they are beating on someone in the group that they would not normally be grey to. Higher level mobs might get slowed even without arrows if I see the group taking an above-average pounding. But the above applies the majority of the time for me.<BR><BR>As far as wards, they definitely plummeted in effectiveness in the early 20s, but have made something of a comeback lately with ancestral ward app4 in tough fights. I rarely use them in routine fights unless a non-tank is getting really persistent aggro and Healing Ritual isn't back up yet. They are not our main tool at our level- I would rank debuffs as #1, direct heals/cures (especially group cure) as #2, with wards a solid #3.<BR> <HR> </P> <P> </P> <P>Good post, and yes Grim does help a great deal. Not as strong as haze but helps control all the minions giving you time to haze the ^^ guy =). Your play style is similar to mine and I do a good job "keeping them alive". I think knowing how to use the tools you have plays a huge part. I'm always sad to read stuff like " I never debuff" or "wards suck". I have fun playing all the healer classes and prefer the Mystic the most. Mostly because I'm so busy all the time. I'm not a "stand 50 feet behind and heal" kinda player. I like to be up there smaking the mob in the back teaching him a lesson.</P> <P>Mystics are really a good do all healer class. Medium armor, Medium Power, Medium DPS, Medium Heals, etc etc etc. I like medium. Its fun and challenging.<BR></P></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE> <P> </P> <P> </P></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

[Glorfindel]

<DIV>I dinged 30 on December 12 and haven't played my Mystic since. Many on this board have the raw numbers to show that our wards are [Removed for Content] compared to RH's and HoT's; I could just tell by the way the other classes healed circles around me. Granted, our slows and debuffs help quite a bit, but how much HP does a red-con mob (all you fight for XP once you get to Runnyeye generally) usually have before you land it, 50%? 30%? Not to mention Mystics don't do any damage whatsoever, making them second-rate healers with very little group utility.</DIV>