Shammy - GFG or Icewurm Fang + Sarnak Shield?
 

Title says it all -- I just hit 44, have been using the GFG for a while. I had been planning on using GFG until epic, but now that I'm about to be of JBB level and will likely be facing even harder-hitting mobs, I'm thinking maybe I should go with a Sarnak Battle Shield + Runed Etched Icewurm Fang combo? Any thoughts from more senior shamans?

The fang is an overpriced item only really useful for twinks. It doesn't even have good stats for a ranged slot(howling harpoon being like 7-8 times cheaper with better stats).

If all you're going to spam dat JBB you're better off with a higher damage weapon since the ratio of the fang is going to be useless(and quite dangerous given how often mobs get a chance to riposte).

So I'd just get a cheapo option like the Dark Ember to pair with the SBS. If you're worried about face tanking, I'm thinking there are a bunch of better upgrades(ac/hp) you could be getting for those 8k you'd spend on the fang. This way you're doing a big swing with your GFG between each click.

What upgrades would you recommend instead? I'm rocking Arctic Wyvern Armor + GEB and Gauntlets of Iron Tactics + velium fire wedding rings + forest loops. And of course GFG, and then a howling harpoon in range.

Use 8k (or whatever amount) to get a plvl through 45

And ruin the extra fun of a hell level? no way!

Definitely start working on getting more AC gear. I'm thinking Phase spider Carapace, barbed dragonscale boots, then get some of those dragonspine bracers(high WIS/AC), basically start looking in ways to boost your HP/AC without sacrificing too much WIS. Tons of overfarmed Velious gear getting super cheap these days.

Check the wiki as well since what you want also depends on what race you picked. For instance I favoured some STR/HP/AC items over WIS with my iksar since I had more than enough mana to get the job done. Mana is good but you don't want to become a paper shaman.

Shaman melee damage is almost meaningless. Your poison DoT does more damage, your disease DoT does more damage, hell even your pet does more damage. The vast majority of the time your JBB will also do more damage, so really all your melee weapon is giving you is a very small amount of damage in-between casts/JBBs.

As others have said, spending a ton of money optimizing that minimal damage isn't ideal. So what should you get?

Mage Focus Weapon - any one of these will let you click it (from inventory) to cast Reclaim Energy (kill your pet and give you back your mana). By casting, conning your pet, and reclaiming him if he's too low level you can play with a higher level pet on average, "optimizing" your pet damage, and almost for free (the quests aren't hard to do yourself and only require one gem IIRC).

Ikky BP (or Fungi if you can somehow afford it) - More HP regen = more mana (via Cannabalize) = more DoTs = more damage.

Beyond that there's not a lot you can do to improve your offense, so then it makes sense to increase your defense (AC/HP and to a lesser extent Stamina and resists) ... but honestly even if you add 30 AC I doubt you'll actually notice a real difference. If it was me I'd just stop spending at that point and start saving: one of the only other ways you can improve DPS (your epic) is going to cost about 100k, as is Torpor when you hit 60.

Spending money on minor armor upgrades won't really make a noticeable difference, but having 8k (or 3k if you buy an Ikky BP) towards one of those big purchases will help.

P.S. Technically another way to add offense/DPS when in melee is to use a damage shield. I didn't mention that because your options are basically potions or the Jaundiced Bone Breastplate, and neither (IMHO) adds enough DPS to be worth their cost at your level.

Yeah put the 7-8k a Icewurm Fang costs towards an Iksar BP if you don't have any worn regen.

Around 45 is when shaman melee becomes a lot less efficient, but backing against a wall/slow/face tank/spamming JBB will get you from 45-50 super fast. The only real mana you're using is for slows/regen/hasting pet so you can chain pull and if you're spamming JBB back to back you'll barely be getting any melee swings in so an icewurm fang wouldn't make much difference.

Since you already have one, maybe just switch the Howling Harpoon to your primary and find a cheaper range spear. The occasional stun proc would probably be more beneficial than the negligible DPS your melee would be doing between JBB clicks.

That's what I did. I had a darksea harpoon in ranged slot then. Cheap and decent wis/mana.