Talk me out of ogre shaman.

[Danth]

This thread mostly seems to discuss solo and raid roles...perhaps that's a subtle indicator of the influence Warcraft has had on the online game space. EQ's primarily a grouping game. Anyhow, you don't want to make an Ogre? Then don't make an Ogre. MMOG players are notorious for obsessing over a couple percent of effectiveness here or there, or for claiming that some inconsequential bonus is somehow "necessary" (ex. Daldaen's post above).

Bringing the hyperbole and exaggeration back down to reality, here's what Shaman races actually boil down to:

Barbarians level a little faster and have somewhat more convenient factions.
Trolls/Iksars have a modest advantage prior to obtaining Torpor, which evaporates to almost nothing with that spell.
Ogres have a slight advantage for high-end solo.
All races can ultimately do the same jobs and solo the same things that all other races can without all that much difference in effectiveness.

Danth