On the ropes about 5th for my 4x shammies

[Shodokan]

Option 1: 5th shaman

Option 2: Hunter
- 25% reduced healing on a target
-Pet buff (if bm)
-Traps
-Decent damage
-Very mobile

Option 3: Death Knight
-Lots of things to keep track of
-Huge damage
-Reduced healing on opponent
-Multiple means of slowing the target down even if a melee is on your team
-O'Shi buttons for when he gets low on health to get heals more efficiently, anti-fear
-High burst in both frost and unholy
...we all should know the options by now.

Option 4: Boomkin
-Knockdown
-Solar Beam
-Being a huge chicken
-Overgrowth (root all targets in 8 yards... far away)
-Typhoon = another GTFO me spell
-Land mine mushrooms you can lay inside the group to deal damage to melee
-AOE silence/interupt (1 min cooldown)

Option 5: mage
-Lots of ways to freeze opponents away from the shaman
-Good burst
-Pet
-AOE slow
-Living bomb
-Impact
-Frost has 20% reduced target received healing

Probrably going to end up going with a 5th shaman... but i think DK and boomkin are strong candidates as well as hunters.

Opinions please :)

[Boylston]

Druid is a pretty compelling option. You can play resto if you need it, or just add some of the cool tricks of boomkin. The AoE entangling roots will be dominating. You can also take that 5th and use it as a tank for PvE fun.

Can you tell what my plan might be? :)

[Littleburst]

second player playing a healer.

[zenga]

Have you considered disc priest? Looks like they 'd bring quite some defensive utility to the team + healing options + fear (ward) + leap of faith when one of your toons is feared + power infusion + mana burn and last but not least mass dispel

[Shodokan]

Have you considered disc priest? Looks like they 'd bring quite some defensive utility to the team + healing options + fear (ward) + leap of faith when one of your toons is feared + power infusion + mana burn and last but not least mass dispel

I have not no. But it could be a viable option.

[Kruschpakx4]

second player playing a healer.

best

[Boylston]

best

No doubt it's the best for BGs and Arena...

My "who is the 5th?" question revolves around having 5 accounts and deciding which 5th I'd like to have at 85 as an alt.

[Noids]

I have not no. But it could be a viable option.

I really like the idea of priest, just haven't worked out which spec yet. Shadow also has the 25% debuff plus 5% haste (not sure if this stacks with Totem of wrath though). Disc has been the classic PvP healing spec but I also run a team with a holy priest and the AoE healing and instant heals are really very nice.

My other consideration for the shams at the moment is also a Boomkin. I like the idea of being able to run this guy as a feral tank for heroics and switch to Boomy for BGs. The spell dmg nerf from 13 to 8% is a bit annoying but still an important bonus, but as mentioned above, the 4 shams may have sufficient killing power as they are and the utility from a resto druid may be more useful.

[Littleburst]

I really like the idea of priest, just haven't worked out which spec yet. Shadow also has the 25% debuff plus 5% haste (not sure if this stacks with Totem of wrath though). Disc has been the classic PvP healing spec but I also run a team with a holy priest and the AoE healing and instant heals are really very nice.

My other consideration for the shams at the moment is also a Boomkin. I like the idea of being able to run this guy as a feral tank for heroics and switch to Boomy for BGs. The spell dmg nerf from 13 to 8% is a bit annoying but still an important bonus, but as mentioned above, the 4 shams may have sufficient killing power as they are and the utility from a resto druid may be more useful.

I think a healer will always be the best option. The buffs boomkins and Spriest give is handy, but it requires a cast to get it up. So for the druid you'd have to cast a wrath while you flame shock with the shaman. It's doable, but i doubt if it's gonna be needed. Spriest will oom very fast i think. Besides that they hardly add dmaage, because they mostly rely on dots, which won't tick for substantial damage.

[Shodokan]

I really like the idea of priest, just haven't worked out which spec yet. Shadow also has the 25% debuff plus 5% haste (not sure if this stacks with Totem of wrath though). Disc has been the classic PvP healing spec but I also run a team with a holy priest and the AoE healing and instant heals are really very nice.

My other consideration for the shams at the moment is also a Boomkin. I like the idea of being able to run this guy as a feral tank for heroics and switch to Boomy for BGs. The spell dmg nerf from 13 to 8% is a bit annoying but still an important bonus, but as mentioned above, the 4 shams may have sufficient killing power as they are and the utility from a resto druid may be more useful.

What utility other than a few CC's and rolling hots?

[Littleburst]

What utility other than a few CC's and rolling hots?

That's the general concept of any class as far as i know. a few CC's and heals or dps. I wonder what more would you need. Personally, i don't hex at all with my shaman in BG. Only in arena.

[Shodokan]

That's the general concept of any class as far as i know. a few CC's and heals or dps. I wonder what more would you need. Personally, i don't hex at all with my shaman in BG. Only in arena.

That is true. I mean the bubble that disc will produce to reduce damage taken like a DK's AMZ will be great.

[Toned]

I'd use a paladin or druid they will provide you with tankage while leveling and decent single char toons for raiding /arneas if you feel like it. In terms of rated bgs and arenas I would just play 4. A second person makes arenas so much easier, and if you are only taking up 4 slots in rated BG's that leaves you with more allies and ground coverage (weakest part about boxing BGs).

[Lyonheart]

I'd use a paladin or druid they will provide you with tankage while leveling and decent single char toons for raiding /arneas if you feel like it. In terms of rated bgs and arenas I would just play 4. A second person makes arenas so much easier, and if you are only taking up 4 slots in rated BG's that leaves you with more allies and ground coverage (weakest part about boxing BGs).

I have found 3 to be the sweet number in the smaller BGs. When I go in BGs with 3 of anything, I have a much higher win ratio than 4 or 5. I only 5 box AV and IoC.

[Boylston]

I'm with Toned here... BGs seem to have 4 as a nice sweet-spot. In the larger BGs, I still prefer to have a healer friend run with me over having a 5th DPS. Arenas is also better with 4+Healer partner.

5-boxing was only really optimal for me for DK+4xRets, and only pre-Resilience nerf when you could kill people in 1 GCD in arenas. It was also nice for soloing heroics, but my primary motivation for soloing heroics has always been gear, not fun or glory.

Come to think of it, I've probably had just as much fun running heroics as a 4x team as I had doing it all by myself. There's something nice about playing with a partner. I am curious if the ole 4xElemental approach will work in Cata, where you rely on 4xHeals from an elemental to top off the tank from time to time.

5 just seems anti-social. With 4, you can always level up or group up with a buddy and have a lot of fun.

That said, I'll be dragging a druid along with me for leveling from 80-85. Almost as easy to level them up this way and might as well get an alt out of the effort.

[sp0000n]

I don't have any insight to offer because I'm sure you know the tank role could always help.

That said, thanks for posting the points of those classes. I wonder if someone might do that for all classes. It'd be appreciated.

[Noids]

The utility I was referring to was basically having a 5th as heals rather than dps resulting in more survivability. I don't think 4 shams will really need the extra dps and the resto HoTs and AoE heals would be nice.

Haven't really looked into a holy pally as the healer due to the lack of AoE heals but given they are such great PvP healers generally they may definitely be an option as well. The idea of switching to a tank as with the druid also appeals.

[Kicksome]

Back when Wrath first came out Boylston was a big time trail blazer doing heroics etc... before anyone else

I am also going to bring a druid along as my 5th. That way I can use him to tank in heroics. Also heal or DPS in BGs

[Noids]

Back when Wrath first came out Boylston was a big time trail blazer doing heroics etc... before anyone else

I am also going to bring a druid along as my 5th. That way I can use him to tank in heroics. Also heal or DPS in BGs

WTB Triple Spec ;)

Maybe with the drop of dual spec to 100g, we could see this as the new 1k option?

[Sam DeathWalker]

AMZ stops fear? All of them? Psyic Scream, Fear and Howl of terror?

I see its AMS that stops fear etc., not amz but thats only for the dk.