Do Druids have anything over Shammy other then ports?

[Pyrocat]

Originally Posted by soup [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Ehhhhhhh I don't know about that one. They might be among the best money makers for a new player, but as far as in the long run, I'd have a hard time buying that.

Necros and Enchanters are probably the best at making money because they can solo so well and have a plethora of utility spells to allow them to reach named mobs without fighting through.

[soup]

Originally Posted by Pyrocat [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Necros and Enchanters are probably the best at making money because they can solo so well and have a plethora of utility spells to allow them to reach named mobs without fighting through.

This I can buy.

[Kika Maslyaka]

the only truly benefit of a druid being able to buy things cheaply in EC, then port to Gfay or go to EverFrost area (rich people camping Igs) and auction your wares there - this is how I made 20k before my first char ever hit level 30 =)
Making money was way easier than leveling [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[VincentVolaju]

See Id like to believe that its just a bad rep Kimm but, when you look @ what I have to offer compared to what the Shaman has its like basically, I get a Dmg shield, while he gets stat buffs, haste buff, slow debuff and self manastone. Not to mention gets all the same spells we get, but at a sooner level =/.

I just cant decide if being able to port is worth losing all those extra spells/abilities. I mean I really do like my Druid but I hate soloing with it, and I hate feeling like I am just a weaker version of another class. Which sucks cause traveling around as a Shaman is going to suck lol >_>, assuming I do just reroll Shammy.

[Trademaster]

If you enjoy being a druid, then stick with it. You won't feel gimped so long as you paly your class well. It all depends on what you find enjoyable about druids over Shamen. If it's just the travel thing, then Heck, go Shaman, and carry coin for ports.

[Zanti]

Well now... on live snare and evacs mattered and were even required for success in dungeons. Here they usually are not needed at all.

[Shrubwise]

Originally Posted by Zanti [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Well now... on live snare and evacs mattered and were even required for success in dungeons. Here they usually are not needed at all.

Agreed. As a druid, I never use snare. I just quad kite mobs running at full speed. No problem.

[Enderenter]

Originally Posted by Zuranthium [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Prior to level 24 Shaman are one of the worst classes in the game at soloing, actually.

Not sure if you are assuming twinked or non-twinked, but either way, I'd think that Shamans would be better than most... certainly better than any melee.

[Zuranthium]

Well they are definitely worse than any other caster class and also worse than Bards. So that puts them in the lower 50% at least, if not assuming twinking. If you do assume twinking, then all of the melee classes gain more than a Shaman does and should solo at least as good as a Shaman if not better (except for Rogues of course).

Even without twinking, I'd say SK, Paladin, and Monk are just as good overall in that pre-24 range. As soon as the SK can fear kite at 15 they become better than a Shaman and the Paladin should be just as good as a Shaman when they get meditate at 12, and then become better at 15 when they get the undead nuke. Then level 20-23 those classes should be WAY better than a Shaman because of getting Double Attack and the damage cap being removed. Monks have a higher bind wound + mend + avoidance + a lot more damage. Should put them on equal ground to a Shaman.

[Hithrohir]

To be fair, SK fear-kiting doesn't really become very viable until the 20s, probably closer to 30. For one thing, Clinging Darkness is shit in both duration and snare percentage, and you don't get Engulfing until level 22. Then comes the mana cost, and the thing to consider here is that, unlike kiters, you don't get to meditate while doing damage. A typical fear kite will take an Engulfing Darkness (60 mana) and up to three Fears (40 mana each), and that's a considerable amount of medding that has to be done afterwards. Then add the occasional lifetap as you take some damage while re-fearing the mob. I'd still call it a reasonable soloing method, especially for a tank, but it'll never really approach that of an actual soloing class. Even shamans under level 24.

Shamans solo alright in the lower levels. It isn't great, you won't grind non-stop like a magician or abuse bind wounds and mend like a monk can while his base hp is still nearly doubled from 55hp rings and HBC and such, but it works out alright. You have heals, you have SoW, you have dots that are reasonable enough even at that level, and you have the ability to tank adequately through your teens in just banded armor. With any kind of decent weapon, you can dot-and-tank your way to the early 20s with relative ease, and from then on you grow steadily better at soloing.