Not sure why people keep saying Shamans can't melee well past 20. They have the same offensive skill cap as warriors sub level 50. Couple that with their ability to haste themselves and buff their strength, they do more white damage than DoT damage until level 40, when mobs get a big boost to HP, AC, and Damage. Shaman DoTs really suck until you get Plague and Envenomed Bolt. They cost a lot of mana, have poor DPM, and get resisted. The priest damage table does suck, but a granite face grinder or poision wind censor will get you to the damage cap just fine, and they have relatively low delay for a 2H weapon.
The reason why non Torpor Shamans can tank well is because of Slow. That spell alone is reducing damage more effectively than the defensive capabilities of a tank. Shamans can also let their pets off tank because their HP pool is pretty good for a pet, and slow allows the doggo to last even longer.
No race is particularly better than the other in terms of outputting raw melee damage, since you can buff yourself anyway. Obviously an Ogre/Troll have more strength, but STR is one of the easiest stats to stack on cheap gear, and a haste item plus self haste is your main source of white damage increases anyway. And a good weapon of course.
I would personally advise against rolling Iksar due to the lack of JBB. I assume you are not twinking your toon to the teeth with an Epic. Barbarians are generally considered very fashionable. I disagree, but that is just my dislike of the kilts. Melee starts to get rough around the time you can use a JBB, and that item is the best leveling tool you can get to solo to 60. Epic is better, but costs about 100k when you can find it on the market.
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