Quad Shaman / Quad DK or Tri DK + Ret

So, i've been looking through the forum a bit since i'm considering returning to multiboxing. I'm not sure which quad team to play at the moment, so i am hoping someone would help me figure it out. I've got every class at 85 atm, so i'm not new to any of 'em and i have got extensive PvP experience and PvE on all but a few.

In terms of PvE, i don't care much for doing instances once i hit 85 - but as a means of leveling i've always enjoyed doing instances more than questing. This puts me in a bit of a dilemma of course, because i'm loathed to build a setup for this pupose alone since my interest in instance grinding is close to nill once i hit 85 and i'm able to do PvP. I don't plan on raiding either as a boxer, at least not at the moment. So it's purely for PvP purpose in the long run.

I would like to be able to set up a 3v3 team alone if need be and i would like to be able to run 5v5 with a friend healer and possibly 3v3 aswell with a friend if i get bored doing it alone or want a change of pace.

I used to tri box ele shamans a bit in TBC and i found it alot of fun but i'm unsure as to how they do now in 5v5 with healer + quad ele. Anyone actually playing 5v5 as quad ele atm ? Krush ? Nikita ? I think you both used to play quad ele atleast, so i'd like your input as to the state of 'em currently.

I reckon 3v3 as tri ele is probably going to blow, so this would be a bit of a drawback if i went for this setup and i don't see bringing a healer and doing double ele to be any better either.

As to quad DK. It seems most favor this comp at the moment(?). I've gotten 2300 on my solo DK in 3v3 so i'm not new to DK. I can see quad dk + healer being very efficient in 5v5, especially since you can rush the enemy, while as ele you tend to sit and wait for them to come out, giving them plenty of time to setup up tatics and targets for CC. I don't fancy sitting in a 5v5 match for 5 minutes behind a pillar because the enemy doesn't want to engage - ive tried that plenty in 3v3 before against spell cleaves and it gets old real quick. Maybe i am wrong about the quad ele being that way, if so enlighten me.

If i were to go with a melee boxed team, would it be better to go with tri dk and one ret or quad dk. I can see quad dk might be better in 5v5 since you get more AoE damage, one more DG and i've been thinking that the speed boost on judgement could be a problem with autofollow ? Plus it seems to me that ret would be the best char to drive from, but since they are vulnerable to fear i can see that to be a problem. I am thinking bot tri dk and double dk + ret could do reasonably well boxed in 3v3 - and i like the idea of that. Although i would probably focus more on 5v5, depending on queues etc.

Anyways, i've rambled long enough. Someone with experience as quad dk in arena and/or quad ele please enlighten me. How do each of the comps stand at the moment both in 5v5 and 3v3. Also, lets say you are playing quad dk + pala healer and you run into another equally skilled and geared quad ele in 5v5, who would win ?

Thanks in advance,

Fatalis

If the Ret is faster, it might not matter over a short distance.
If it does, lead with another toon even if you switch back to the Ret after you get there.

What does a Ret bring to the table, as opposed to another DK?
The DK's aren't going to lose any abilities, given you already have three others.
Just uses of abilities...
The big ones seem to be Death Grip, Strangulate and Hungering Cold (if you use that).
Also I suppose the Mind Freeze every 2.5 seconds would be Mind Freeze every 3.33 seconds (on the kill target).

DK's are quite a bit stronger than my Feral team, entirely because of their aoe/cleave type attack.
Howling Blast is usable at 30 yards, hits everyone within 10 yards of that target, applies a 50% snare which does damage over time and doesn't break Hungering Cold...
The Howling Blast is incredibly powerful, and this is the main thing that you're going to be losing...

If your healer is a Paladin, the Ret brings one extra buff (Might & Kings, instead of one of them).
Kings is pretty huge, if your healer (5th slot) is not a Druid or Paladin.





I don't arena often...
But running into a group...
Popping cooldowns:
- Summon Ghoul Pet
- Anti-Magic Shell
- Icebound Fortitude
- Lichborne
And going crazy on one target, with numerous Death Grips...
Pop Empower Rune Weapon (for all Four more Hungering Colds)...

In my successful games, usually results in 2-3 opponents dead in the first five to ten seconds.
Anytime they're bunched up, they seem to lose.

If the games go longer than a minute, I generally don't win them.

Think any boxed team can beat quad dk + healer in 5v5 ? Given equal skill and gear?

Maybe Shodokan can enlighten me on the subject.

There was speculation/discussion on adding a single warrior to the team.

They do bring some buffs/abilities.
And you're not really losing all that much, when you have 3x everything on round-robin.

I have a bit of an issue remembering everything for the DK's.
So don't really need/want to add anything else to the composition/team.
But there's probably room for improvements.

Out of everything I've played...
Nothing has been even close to the power of this composition.
The AoE/Cleave at range is pretty nasty.
Combined with all the immunity/resistance effects.
And a plate healer with bubble.

Thanks Ualaa,

appriciate the time you took to answer.

Guess my only hurdle for making a DK team is that i don't have high enough level characters on 4 accounts. Although i reckon i could transfer those i'm lacking. Since i have a full account of 85s on my current account - although that would raise the initial cost for me to get started since i already have to go out and get
the needed expansions etc. Hmm. Plus if i were to use some of my old accounts i couldn't use RAF, although RAF isn't that important to me. Leveling now adays is fast enough without RAF in all honesty.

Leveling is fast, leveling with RAF is three times as fast... :)

RAF comes down to the relative value of money vs time.
Either approach will work.

If your existing accounts (aside from the main, with the 85's) don't have a lot of toons you care about...
You can always RAF four new ones, from the original.
You could even server transfer one "booster", with all your heirlooms, gold and a bank full of sellables...
And level on a new server, with a lot of other boxers.

It doesn't take that long to level, even without RAF.
Pick a team you don't have, and would like to have that are not Death Knights.
And then level that team to at least 55th, so you can make DK's.
I'd probably go with five DK's at once, since the quests/forced storyline are fun initially but not something I'd want to do again.

Elemental shamans only work in the larger BGs and wPvP. Ofc you can do good in the smaller ones, but usualy you need a personal healer. Last season I managed to get 2200 MMR in 5s, this season I cba playing the comp since any other team has just as much or more burst then me. Im getting pwnd @ 1600-1800 MMR! Shamans die to quickly, and there is to much CC in the game atm, my healer cant even afford to juke anymore cus my shamans are droping to fast.

4 DKs + healer VS 4 ele shamans + healer

Shamans would die insta! If the DK boxer knows what to do, then the ele boxer cant do shit. DK boxer pops AMS and kills 1-2 shamans in 2-4 seconds, its impossible to outheal the dmg with 1 healer, even through HoP (pala shield).