3 boxing vs 5 boxing for PvP

[tinytim]

Hi all,

I am thinking of running 3 ele shaman's but am wondering how much 'ownage' am I giving up by not running 5? I'm probably going to just PvP on them and take the slow road to 80 (mostly BG's).

I figure once I hit 80 I could do 3v3 arena for some points and slow gear them out. Although with rated BG's (and having to queue with 5 people?) it is somewhat tempting to do a full 5.

The other consideration for me is cost. Although I can handle an extra $30ish a month I don't want to waste it nor do I want this to feel like a job with having 5 guys I have to take care of.

[Toned]

You should compromise and play 4 :P

[tinytim]

Sticking with 3 to start just wondering if 5 is worth the effort for PvP battlegrounds. The way I kind of figure it is my team is probably more useful with 2 other real people than 2 more of me. I think there is an optimal amount for battlegrounds (not sure what is it). Obviously playing 10 guys at once you would lose horribly.

[EaTCarbS]

4 imo is the best number. It gives you enough firepower to wtfgib someone in a GCD or 2. Not sure that 3 have the power to do that.

[Zappy]

What I found was controlling 5 toons is minimal work over 3. Past setting up macros, the small things you'll notice are toons getting stuck more often on terrain, fearbombs take a little more to get reorganized, etc.

I started with 3 and it was great fun, so I would never discourage anyone against it. Depending on gear, the CCs can be a lot worse, as you'll find one geared rogue can sap one, blind another and go to town on your last one, and even with trinkets, he'll just vanish rinse and repeat and that can be a little painful. With 4-5, you'll survive those scenarios a lot easier while gearing up.

[Ualaa]

I would recommend going with five.
Three will work, if you prefer.

With a predominantly pvp oriented group of five toons...
I'd look hard at 4x Shaman, 1x Druid (dual-spec).

Have the Druid go Boomkin (and never drop stance for healing), in pvp.
That gets you 13% additional damage on the other toons.
Which is probably a fair bit more total damage from 5 toons (even not managing Eclipse) then 5 shammies would produce.
You can approximate Eclipse with 3-4x Wrath, 3x Starfire chains, for roughly half the effect of Eclipse now.
And Eclipse is going to be far easier to manage in Cataclysm.
Also, the big plus... Dual-spec the Druid to Feral.
Which gets you a strong tank for PvE play... and badges (heroics) are faster PvP gearing then grinding battlegrounds.

Plus you can then run PvE for variety and such.

[Littleburst]

4 + find a handful of healers to join you in BG. It doubles my effectiveness and would always prefer that over 5 shaman. Besides that it's easier, relaxer to play.

[Toned]

I play 5 chars, but when I do raids/bgs/arenas I only run the 4 shamans. Better synergy and more fun getting a dedicated healer

[Akoko]

With great power comes great responsibility.

It's great having 5 characters so that you can instagib a few people, but remember that you're literally half the team in WSG, and 1/3rd the team in AB/EotS. Every decision you make can have a huge impact on the game, and if you make mistakes everyone will blame it on you.

I settled with 4 because 3 is too weak and 5 is too many

I for one almost never win WSG. Maybe I just need more practice. Or maybe I need some heirlooms to twink with.

[Sam DeathWalker]

I play 5 chars, but when I do raids/bgs/arenas I only run the 4 shamans. Better synergy and more fun getting a dedicated healer

Ya this is something i have always wondered. Shaman big plus is they can heal and dps. When you get a dedicated healer then the plan will be to use the shaman to dps. Wouldn't a pure dps class such as mage be better in that case as they dps better, given you dont plan to use the shaman for healing?