Shamans are quite unpopular in dungeons of World of Warcraft, but that would be unfounded and have no factual basis, says Blizzard.
The discussion about shamans does not die down, and that is now becoming a curse for this class. Many players avoid shamans in their groups and do not want to take them to dungeons. However, this is unfounded, according to Blizzard.
This is how Blizzard sees the shaman problem: The main issue according to community manager Ythisens is not the shaman itself, but the perception of the shaman within the community.
Elemental and enhancement shamans have had the reputation since patch 8.0 of not being able to deliver the same performance as other classes.
Once such an opinion has taken hold, it is difficult to change the community’s perception. That takes time.
However, Blizzard is also dissatisfied with the current situation and wants to pay more attention to how individual classes are perceived and then communicate better for all players when something has changed.
The last major patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance has made shamans a solid class again. According to Ythisens, for example, elemental shamans have a “very good cleave” (that is, damage to multiple opponents) and healing shamans are also popular.
This is how shamans see the problem: Many shaman players meanwhile have not only a problem with the perception of their class but also with the gameplay.
Aside from restoration shamans, the other specializations (enhancement and elemental) feel “not smooth” and provide little joy in playing.
Blizzard initially announced a major overhaul but mainly made changes to the numbers in patch 8.1. Now shamans are significantly better in terms of numbers, but their playstyle is still not satisfactory.
What is your perception of the different shamans? Do you like having them in your groups? Or do you play a shaman yourself and can report?
