Shaman in Beta

Hey guys! just got my Beta invite today so i'm going to give it a try and see how Shaman/Priests work in Beta. I'll keep this post updated on my Adventures so everyone can get a better idea.

Day 2 on Beta.

After DL the 2 gigs for the game, and installing the 6-7 pactchs, for a grand total of about 12 hours of DL/install time, i finally got to log in to the game. And another patch to DL <sigh>. Ok, finally sign in and there's my shaman waiting for me YAY!

First thing i do, spend my Talent points. Deep Elemental for Thunderstorm! OMG

Ok, ok.. Thunderstorm is Good. hits for about the same as my shocks, about 1200-1500. Restores 5% mana, about 600 Mana not that great, but makes the spell basically FREE! Then i get to watch the 2 mobs i pulled to try it on fly 20 yards away. Ok, 20 yards not soo far i only got off 1 extra LB so it's not really amazing, but i'm sure to get the rogue or mage off you for 2 sec it's going to be nice. To sum up my take on playing with the spell. Another Single shot AoE which is almost FREE. i can't stress FREE enough. The Knockback is nice, but not soo large that you can kick people off things at will. you will need alot of planning and posistion to say kick people off LM or the Bridge in AV. Yes it will happen, no it won't be easy. As a Solo Shaman, it's a nice spell to have as elemental, but not OMGWTFPWNBBQSAUCE that everyone claims it to be. As 5 Shaman in a group, it's not that great PvE as you will nuke most mobs down before they hit you any how, but in PvP on Round Robin. It will solve the whole rogue/mage AoE BS that we get all the time in the BG.

After i kill 2 mobs try out the new spell, i zip to Stormwind and ride to the new harbour and then log out because i have to actually work to support my hobby.. LOL

Any how.. more Testing tonight now i can actually put some real time in to Beta, i'll have alot more as i get in to it more.

Almost free?

The spell has no mana cost.

http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=51490

you may be correct, i'll dobule check on Beta to make sure, i tend to miss little things like that while looking at the gigantic new zones.

So to update people on my Time as a Death Knight.

Well to start the DK zone looks very complete. you get a complete set of blue gear before you leave, and a epic land mount, full 12 slot bags. You generally have everything you need/want to head to outlands in as soon as you finish the starting zone. You also end up about 2-3 bars from 58 by the time you get out of the zone, so welcome to Outlands!

Death Grip, which has a 30 yard pull and works like a taunt very nice if Boxers want to roll up Melee groups. The debuffs you put on mobs are rather short in duration, and tanking is going to be alot like a warrior, which may or may not be friendly to boxing. Totems and such will still boost spells and all that so there can be some good Synergy between Death knight and other classes. a 5 Death Knight group is totaly Workable, and i think will be alot of fun. Oh.. there is a Talent in Unholy that Increase Movment Speed by 10% and STACKS with other movement improvement effects. Can you say 50% Movment on your 5 DK Team! It applys to Walking, Riding and Flying! Eat your heart out. I still haven't spent talent points, and have alot of playing around with Death Knights to really get a good feel for them, but i'm totaly putting one in my Team set ups, they are really that good!

The Background and everything for DKs is also Very FUN! You start in the past before the Silver Hand and Argent Dawn are around, and before Tyrs hand is what we know of. You also spend your entire time starting out killing Scarlet Crusade guys and Villagers in Tyrs hand, so you get a good idea why they hate the Scourge so much. I'd be rather pissed if i had the Lich King set up his Death Knight training area in my backyard.
You also meet alot of very cool NPC to get quests from.. Fun people like the Bosses fron Naxx are all there giving you quests! And my personal Favorite, Baron Rivendare from Strat! Yes i had to take a few extra minutes looking at him to make sure it really was they guy we have all farmed for his mount! :D Near the end you get to ride a Giant Frost Wrym and Nuke down the entire Scarlet Army! Very cool bombing type quest as well. Over all the starting Death knight area is Very Fun and will be WAY WAY over populated on Release, so eather tough it out and get it done ASAP, or wait a month or two before you even look at doing it. The whole thing took me maybe 3 hours, and i enjoyed the zone, and all the extra stuff they had put in, but i'm sure you can get out of there in an hour. My only issue with the whole thing is the last Quest before you are freed from the Lich Kings control, is it's on a timmer and only runns ever 20 min (maybe a bit longer). and you can dye during the fight, and if your running back while they while long ass Talking Fluff BS is going on, you miss completing the quest and have to do it all over again.

Any how. Till Next time.

Ok, so i started to actually do quests in the Expansion, instead of just running around looking at the new zones. Leveing is no where near has hard as it has been lead to believe. Yes it will take time, no it will not take forever. I've managed to get 500k in about 2 hours, so figure 4-5 hours a level. This will also pick up as you learn where quests are and what you need to do. I spend alot of time reading the quest text to figure out where to go and then have to find it..

The new zones are Amazing. Alot to look and and alot of new mob's and such, my fav so far is Dragonblight, SOOO Many dragons in there. <3 Dragons.

A few things i've picked up on shaman, Flametouge Weapon Buff is +112 Spell damage right now at 70, in addition to the fire damage part. Totaly EPIC! I just learend the new Living Earth weapon buff that replaced Rock bitter, but haven't played with it yet.

Again Thunderstorm is free. YAY! 600 free mana every 45 sec. not bad even in a PvE setting. My Damage with it runs about 1200, Crits for 2000-2400. X5 is Brutal! Can't wait. Tho i've not used it for much Solo, other then an escape tool, i can see alot of potential for it, even if they remove the knock back.