19 shaman solo with root

[Yttrium]

Just hit 19 on my shaman, currently in Oasis hunting croc-o-diles. I have pretty good gear for an un-twinked newbie and I have had success up to this point smashing things with some dots and healing up afterwards. At what point do I start to transition to root / dot scenario?

I tried this a bit in Kurns and root seemed unstable at best. Do I need to wait for higher level root? Should I be targeting lower level mobs? My dots at 19 tick away pretty slowly, I think if I can figure root out I can do 2-3 crocs at a time with root-dot-med rotation.

Thanks!

[RDawg816]

At 19-24 range I was rooting 2-3 mobs at a time, but I was in Guk and Highpass. I would usually root, dot (1 or 2), then re-root. If root was acting up I'd also slow the mob. Once it was under control, or I got an add I'd start on another. Usually good to be near a ZL in case you have to shine, and having a corner you can use to lock down casters helps too. Once you get regen/canni it gets a lot better.

[Pyrion]

Try to group. Your heal at 19 is good. Soloing will get better at 24 (though i would still prefer groups).

[Issar]

If you have the means (800p) I would recommend using a Poison Wind Censer and dot/face tank until 24, even up to 34. I prefer the root-rot play style, but you end up tanking quite a bit in those levels and meleeing with a PWC is quite efficient. Once you hit 34, root-rot becomes exponentially more viable. The nice thing about it is, you can easily sell the PWC for the same price when you're done, so it's just like borrowing it from the EC tunnel. This certainly isn't the only option, but figured I'd throw it out there. Part of the beauty of a shaman is that you have options.

Also, if you have play sessions that permit grouping, I'm with Pyr and Chloro and highly recommend it.

[Jimjam]

I don't think the level of the root makes a difference to the stability of the root, rather just the max duration that root can last for?

Guk is good for a low shaman, I did my troll there.

I did up to 24 on my barbarian shaman in permafrost. It was slower, possibly as barbarian is a weaker race and was much worse geared.

If you are a troll find a mid-high level druid to help you get your snare necklace. It's really useful in the teens!

[Yttrium]

Alright good advice. I am currently over in SK killing chickens. Tried Guk but it was too hard to solo and too spotty for groups. My play time is spotty so I need to be able to solo when I am on and group when I can. Currently doing a mix, root / dot / dot then rest. I reapply poison right before root breaks and melee the guy down.

Ogre so no necklace for me. Also currently at 11pp after my spell level. 800 will take some work.

Thanks for the tips!