Shaman Versus Druid
This is a post talking about my next alt to 80. My highest Horde is level 51. I've never seen Outland or Northrend from the Horde perspective, and I'd like to see the other side before Cataclysm comes out.
This is not a post asking what I should level up. I've taken my own advice and leveled up both of these classes to the 30s. Now I need to decide which one I take up next.
Basically, I've made a list of Pros and Cons about each class. What I'd like to see if you have anything you think I should add to the list.
I've taken some of the comments and added them to my list.
Shaman
Pros
Versitale (Ranged DPS, Melee DPS, Heal)
Dual Weild (apparently only melee)
Windfury
Interupt - 25 yards and off the global cooldown, 6 sec cd
Bloodlust/Heroism
Can use Shields, and shields look cool
Cons
Lost 4 bag spaces to Totems (apparently goes away at 30)
Limited instant casts Heals
not much mobility for resto/elemental
totems can be great or annoying depending (did the new totem changes, dropping all 4 at once help?)
Druid
Pros
Stealth
Can basically do everything (Tank, Heal, Melee, Ranged)
Flight Form
Cyclone
Better for PVP
Cons
Limited interrupt (long cooldown or requires combo points)
Forms - you get one look per spec and it doesn't change based on gear
You rarely see your gear - Is this because they are limited to Leather?
too "spammy." My mangle finger literally hurts after an hour or so on my feral! I hated that on my Warrior with Cleave/Heroic Strike
This is not a post asking what I should level up. I've taken my own advice and leveled up both of these classes to the 30s. Now I need to decide which one I take up next.
Basically, I've made a list of Pros and Cons about each class. What I'd like to see if you have anything you think I should add to the list.
I've taken some of the comments and added them to my list.
Shaman
Pros
Versitale (Ranged DPS, Melee DPS, Heal)
Dual Weild (apparently only melee)
Windfury
Interupt - 25 yards and off the global cooldown, 6 sec cd
Bloodlust/Heroism
Can use Shields, and shields look cool
Cons
Lost 4 bag spaces to Totems (apparently goes away at 30)
Limited instant casts Heals
not much mobility for resto/elemental
totems can be great or annoying depending (did the new totem changes, dropping all 4 at once help?)
Druid
Pros
Stealth
Can basically do everything (Tank, Heal, Melee, Ranged)
Flight Form
Cyclone
Better for PVP
Cons
Limited interrupt (long cooldown or requires combo points)
Forms - you get one look per spec and it doesn't change based on gear
You rarely see your gear - Is this because they are limited to Leather?
too "spammy." My mangle finger literally hurts after an hour or so on my feral! I hated that on my Warrior with Cleave/Heroic Strike
Comments
Another "pro," aspect of the Shaman would be Heroism/Bloodlust. It is just too good to leave unmentioned.
Here's my brief list:
Shaman:
Pros:
-Can heal or ranged* dps
-Bloodlust
-best interrupt in game, 25 yards and off the global cooldown, 6 sec cd.
-hex
Cons:
-not much mobility for resto/elemental
-totems can be great or annoying depending
Druids:
Pros:
-can do everything, melee dps, ranged dps, tank, heal.
Cons:
-forms, you get one look per spec and it doesn't change based on gear...very very boring
Honestly you need to narrow down what you are looking for are you asking for leveling pro/cons or end game pro/cons?
Don't overlook ranged dps vs melee dps, there is *NO* fight in game where melee dps is better than ranged. There are several fights where ranged get benefits or even can be required.
I just hit 80 on my shaman last night and can say that levelling as elemental, while quick with basically no downtime tends to get very repetitive. Its basically just lightningbolt spam and flameshock on CD until you get Lavaburst at 75. After 75 though the fun starts. DPS tests last night after I dinged, bought some BOE blues off the AH and made the epic caster dagger on my warrior put me at 2400 single target dps on the level 80 dummy and 1600 on the boss dummy. Pretty nice since im nowhere near hit capped and have yet to set foot in a heroic.
Cant speak for enhancement levelling really. It was fine up to about 40 and then I got bored and switched since the rest of my characters are melee and its alweays "LF more ranged dps for x" in trade.
Pros
- It's four in one: caster, melee, tank, and healer.
- With slight tweaking of the feral spec, it can shift between melee and tank easily (obviously not optimally but actually very doable with a decent healer on your back for instances)
- Regardless of form, there is cheetah form (if outside) or the kitty form w/ Dash to escape a bad pull doing quests.
- Ignoring any set bonuses, boomkin and resto gear can also be shared.
Cons
- You rarely see your gear.
- Pretty easy to get melee gear while leveling but becomes a bit more difficult at endgame, especially as a tank.
Shaman
Cons
- You're limited by the range of your totems. The totems have to be set down repeatedly as you run around.
As for comparing both classes, I will share with you what I thought about it when I did considered level one of those(just to say, I chose Shaman, part cause I prefered it, and that my guild have none as healer.)
- You get to be great group support healer as a Shaman, being able to heal multiple target with Chain Heal, and providing totems and Heroism / Bloodlust to your group.
- Gear is easier to manage as a Shaman. (no need for 3+ sets of gear, all which have very different stats)
- Being able to tank didn`t matter to me since I have a pally that can do it.
- Flight form does put a heavy weight on the druid`s side of the balance.
- Shamans can resurect themselves(that is awesome as a healer)
-Both have low level traveling form
Hope that provided you with some thoughts
Enhancement actually *does* have an instant cast heal in the form of a five stack of Maelstrom Weapons. In a raid situation, a shaman will spend Maelstrom procs on Lightning Bolts and Chain Lightning... but while leveling, the combination of instant cast Healing Waves and the mana return from Shamanistic Rage means NO downtime. At all.
Feral druids are fun, efficient levelers as well -- but I personally find them too "spammy." My mangle finger literally hurts after an hour or so on my feral! Enhancement flows more like retribution, with the added bonus of benefiting from (and providing) both melee and caster buffs. In this respect, enhancement shamans are unique. No other class or spec is equal parts caster and melee in one (if you go Tauren) fluffy package.
(I know you said you're not asking for advice on which class to level up -- but you kind of are, by asking us to comment on your list. :p)
I'm biased towards Shamans (main) but both are fun to play and offer some interesting challenges.
On the other side druids have many of the same tools and level just as well.
A shamans abilities are spec dependent for things like instant cast heals and such. A druid being a true hybrid has all these tools available regardless of spec. Some of the more role specific ones are deep in the trees but for the most part they can do whatever they need to do decently enough to level or survive and get out of dodge.
It boils down to preference. A shaman is a very in your face beat the mob down with brute force leveling. There is no stealth or subtlety and they have about as much grace as a charging rhino going downhill. Druids give you a chance to finesse fights if you choose before ripping someones face off. So I guess it is what is your preference for leveling? do you like to just beat things down and power train to max level or do you want to have a varied and skilled leveling experience?
~Lodur
druids do have interupts though they just arent as readily available as something like a kick or a shock. Bash is an interupt but it is on a one min cooldown. Maim in kitty form is also an interrupt but you need to have combo points to use it. Also feral charge does interrupt mostcasting.
I find the best part about a druid however is the diversity. If someone needs one more for a heroic or a raid I know can fill that role and fill it very well. I use a hybrid spec for feral which has been more than sufficient for tanking and dps (I would really only gain a few % more dps or survivability if I changed my spec) and on my second spec I can go resto to heal. This makes getting groups for anything super easy.
Shammies will usually get into groups quite easily as well though. Everyone loves heroism/bloodlust and the totems are always awesome.
Regarding being better at PvP, it really depends on spec. If you like being a healer, you will be pretty good at PvP as a druid. Balance and feral specs are so-so. On the shaman end of things, all three specs seem to be viable (enhance seems particularly popular this arena season). If you want to dps in PvP I wouldn't advise it as a druid. I've yet to lose a match this season to a team with druid dps, but I can't say the same for a team with dps shaman. Don't forget that shaman have bloodlust/heroism.
Druids definitely have better options while leveling though. You could tank, dps, and heal for just about anything even if you're not specced for it (as long as you have the right gear) at least through middle of Outland, maybe further. My balance druid healed up until level 80 heroics, and even my lower level resto druid has proved capable of tanking in RFK (she's only 27 so I haven't gone farther with her).
Another note is that once you have Recall (lvl 30 spell) you'll have another bag spot opened up by no longer needing a hearthstone.
Play the Shaman! ^^
Seriously, what would you play when you level your druid? Feral because tanking is just a part of your playstyle?
Old habits are hard to kill so I would recommend a shaman where you cannot really tank (at least not without overgearing the content or in low level instances like scarlet).
Whatever you choose, have a lot of fun!
I point you to http://www.unbearably.net/blogfiles/simplecatdps.jpg
A hilarious diagram of how to dps as a cat that even blizzard acknowledged (the john madden part) at Blizzcon.