So, since no one said anything...

[Varl]

<div></div><div>So, it seems we have gone from having a potential for a timed AoE immunity (which i posted on and got vilified over), to having a pet with an AoE immunity.  Hmmmm, let me see here.  if the pet has an attack delay of 2 sec, and a raid fight goes on for 1 min, that would mean he gets in 30 attacks.  At 5% proc for a 5 sec group AE immunity (which is randomly timed i might add) that would make for 7 sec of immunity.  Maybe.  If the pet survives as a triple down arrow that is.  And, since it seems we are now a pet class, this is an apparent must for any raiding shaman since we are now defined by our pet it seems.  Alright.  So, when this was brought up, no one seemed to think it was important.  But we are now the only healer class without a personal AoE immunity.  Clerics have a stifle immunity AND a separate AoE immunity.  Add that to Sanctuary and they are a MT group must.  Druids have a 30 sec immunity that has a 1 min recast!  So thy too make the final cut.  So, i guess most of you thought it was not that important.  Well, guess what class is going to be sitting all back of the bus on raids where mobs do zone AoEs with or without stun effects (which seems to be by my tally about 90% of raid mobs)?  Welcome to the brave new world of healers that can heal through an AoE stun being a lot better than those that can't but can still debuff.  If you can't heal the tank because you are stunned, does it really matter how good your debuffs were?  That +30% heal was lookin real nice until you couldn't cast it huh?</div><p>Message Edited by Varlet on <span class="date_text">02-20-2006</span><span class="time_text">03:43 AM</span></p>

[NimSul]

<div></div>AA's was never sopposed to be a must to do anything, they are sopposed to be a small advantage but nothing more. I highly doubt 90% of raid mobs are gonna have zone wide stuns. And the ones that do either has some way of reducing them (think rhoen) or its taken into account that your raid will be stunned for a duration so it wont "hurt" you being stunned(think ehoen before the symbol worked. Usually theres a way to work around the stun, if not then its either broken or you dont need to work around it.

[Varl]

<div>the problem is that, for raiding, both the other healer classes get a stifl/stun or AoE imunity, so why have us in the group when you could have a healer that could ALWAYS heal, no matter the effect.  ANd we are now aparently a pet class.  If i had wanted to be a pet class i would have rolled a summoner.  Almost all of our AA abilities seem to be centered around the dog, not us.</div>

[NimSul]

<div></div>I cant agree more about the pet class thing, its the most sucky thing ever, i wount get a single pet AA as it is now. I havnt seen t7 raid mobs but a tempoary immunity to ae's on a long timer seems kinda meh, coult think of alot of other things ill rather have.

[Dragonreal]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Varlet wrote:<div>the problem is that, for raiding, both the other healer classes get a stifl/stun or AoE imunity, so why have us in the group when you could have a healer that could ALWAYS heal, no matter the effect. <hr></div></blockquote>Because wards are the number 1 mitigator of damage on a tank since they're the first "heals" to be taken into account and you buff different things than 2 druids or 2 clrs could when put together in an mt grp.

[Varl]

<div></div>The problem is that we DO have some good AA abilities.  They are interesting and flavorful.  I will go for that.  BUT, 75%+ depend on out pet attacking or hitting, or being attacked, or having a proc go off.  Or being in range of those that are to be buffed, etc etc.  I am a raid healer and almost never want/need to be as close to the mob as my pet now has to get.  So the buffs will be missed.  And the procs are a totally random occurrence.  They go off if/when they want to.  So we have no control at all.  Healing is about nothing if not control.  And most of this i could learn to live with. But the real insult is that if i am going to raid i would like to have some of those abilities in the AA paths.  But to use them i have to work at keeping a triple down arrow pet alive.  There is no way to increase his HP.  He will be nothing but cannon fodder... that is, unless i spend the 24 points to make him immune to AoEs.  Then i could use him.  But if i am to raid SOE has mandated 24 of my points already with that one thing because i need the dog for almost everything else to work.  That is what bothers me.  That is my problem with the whole system.  I want my control back.  i want to be in charge of what i do and when.  I do not want to have to depend on an NPC ghost dog to do if for me if he feels like being at the right place to be in range to buff, or hitting his proc at the right time.  I hate that they gave me a [Removed for Content] to have to keep alive so that i can do my job.  Triple down is not gonna stay around long.  Then, neither do my AA abilities.

[Thatdumbg]

I'm just taking rank 5 in WIS and STA. Going all the way to STR5 to make it immune to AE doesn't leave you enough points to really make it worthwhile. For a raiding shaman, )!(*)& the pet.<div></div>

[Geilt]

What I dont understand is why our pet has a 5 minute recast. Thats a bit upsetting, one AE and your down for 5 minutes, unless theyve changed it from the last screenshot I saw.I really have no idea now what AA's i want. Id love to be useful for my guild in raids, But if everything is centered around pet its almost worth it to just go DPS shaman and freaking go down the int line =P.So far im just planning on buying the dog pet for 1 pt and leaving the rest until i figure out what im going to do (maybe spend 4 - 8 points in wis since im a barbarian =/)Shamans arent a pet class now, were a pseudopet class, almost similar to being the pseudohealer we were before combat changes. Im happy with the fact though, that we are a pure healing class with a pet, seems a bit unbalanced to me =).However, if the pet is like my freaking summoned mushroom and not worth crap, they might as well not have given it to us and just made the effects work on us. However, id rather have the pet attacked to get AE immunity then me get attacked =).Look at it this way though, if you dont feel liek taking the pet line, just hit "pet back off" before AE's go off. Most melee's and other raiders will be moving in and out of AE anyways. Just takes more control and more payin attention.<div></div>

[KindredHeart]

<div></div><div></div><div></div><p></p><p></p><hr><p><em>NimSul</em></p><p>AA's was never sopposed to be a must to do anything, they are sopposed to be a small advantage but nothing more.</p><hr><p>Yeah, and the game is balanced for spells at Apprentice II quality...give me a break.  I think we all know that these "optional" upgrades really aren't optional.  <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> </p><p></p><hr><p><em>Varlet </em></p><p>And we are now aparently a pet class.  If I had wanted to be a pet class I would have rolled a summoner.</p><p></p><hr><p>Varlet, I agree with you on everything else.  However, I played a shaman in EQ1 - and as a Mystic in EQ2 I have missed my pet wolf more than words can describe.  If I could have just one wish for my Mystic it would be a pet wolf even if it was absolutely and completely useless...I just miss seeing him around.</p><p>But don't think for a moment I want to give up my slot in the MT group...I'm not saying what they've done with the pet is cool - I'm just saying I'm extremely happy to finally have my dogdog back.</p><p>Message Edited by KindredHeart on <span class="date_text">02-21-2006</span><span class="time_text">09:23 AM</span></p>

[kenji]

<div>if any Shaman hate their Dog, just Dont cast it at all.</div><div> </div><div>u still have other choices for your 50 AAs.</div><div> </div><div>example : Wisdom 8 + Ritual 8. Sta 5 + Crippling Bash 8 + Infective Bites 4 + Herbal Expertise 8 + Coagulate 1 (<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. with the Dog. </div><div> </div><div>so your Mystic can get 32 Wis, 25 Sta, 30%+++ extra heal for free. 10 sec 1.1k++++ magicial debuff style. perma insta single cure. and 509 extra *purple* hp. and the dog + cast time debuff *ignored*.</div><div> </div><div>*note that the "+" = the number of rank raised than the screenshot provided by Defiler's post...maybe changed. but well, at least thoughts for those pet hater.</div>