Quote:As far as elemental shaman go -I'm not trying to tell you how to play- but they seem to be the worst of the "magic damage healers" because they have no group utility and the talents have so little cross over utility.
Well, actually I have plenty of group utility. I have a good mana pool to totem with. I have quite a bit of +damage/heal to heal with, and can put on more +heal to heal with if I know that's what I need to be doing for the next time period. In small groups, I can easily be #2 DPS behind a mage/rogue/other pure damage dealer, and still help out on the healing side if things go south. I can carry ankhs. I feel you have a *very* narrow view of what is 'useful'. Glad I'm with people who find more things useful that my shaman can do, other than just another healbot. I wouldn't want to be a non-resto druid raiding with your bunch, either.
For the record, I *do* heal quite a bit in 40-mans, so I have no problem with my shaman healing when it is needed, but I"m not going to stand around and wait for healing that isn't needed on trash, when I can be using my mana more productively to the raid. Also, I don't go in to do damage as my primary thing, elemental or not. I know I can't keep up with the dedicated damage dealers. I play the flex-shaman role a lot. I add damage when I can, and add healing when I need to. Would it be more *efficient* to put someone more 'properly specced' in my place? In an idealized raid-guild environment, probably. But that's not the world I play in. If it's yours, that's your choice.
EDIT: a note added after GG's post: my shammy is elem/enhance, so yes, I can do some damage with my big 2h in between casts of heals or shocks or bolts. Elem/Resto isn't a great build, I agree.
--Mav