#0 - Nov. 7, 2010, 4:06 p.m.
1) AoE. Still atrocious. It doesn't flow at all, and it feels like I'm being intentionally bottle-necked. I guess it should feel like that, because that's exactly what's happening. But it feels absolutely terrible, and if I were to make a list of mechanics that are completely devoid of being "fun", Enhancement's AoE would top the list with no contest.
2) Fire Elemental. Still a garbage cooldown. It has unreasonable restrictions that severely limit its usefulness. It's not a dps increase except in the most ideal of circumstances, and then barely noticeable. It also runs counter-intuitive to expected design - our AoE is the way is it is specifically because Fire Nova is walled off from the single target rotation.- yet Fire Elemental, a cooldown only useful in precisely such a situation, forces Enhancement to once again use Fire Nova. In short, this cooldown is completely and totally broken.
Matter of fact, Earth Elemental is terrible as well, but it never was anything else. Fire Elemental at least made a stab at usefulness in the final 2 raiding tiers, and seeing it become so utterly useless just makes me sad.
3) Magma Totem. I can't justify the existence of this totem. It does nothing except function as a revolving door for AoE situations, while also placing severe limitations on it. The fact that both Enhancement and Elemental want to use Searing Totem - along with Fire Elemental if it ever gets fixed - should be plenty of Fire totem use for the spec.
4) PvP - Searing Totem and Searing Flames. In PvE, it's fine. Works like its supposed to, overall, despite the totem AI still being funky. But in PvP, it's going to be completely unreliable, meaning Enhancement has a handicap on its biggest ability in a PvP environment. PvP is full of movement, and that presents problems for getting any sort of stack on the debuff when it relies on a stationary totem.
It'd be nice if Enhancement had an additional way to generate Searing Flames in a PvP environment. My solution would be to tack on a 20% chance for a Flametongue proc to generate Searing Flames through some talent so we could actually rely on it being present. Wouldn't hurt PvE either, since SF stacks fast enough for a fully powered Lava Lash already.
5) PvP - Strength of Earth Totem. Still going to be without my Agi/Str buff in PvP for the large majority of time due to needing Earth-utility totems. I understand my utility is powerful, but do I really need to pay for it with my best buff? Why can't a Shaman just have something for once?
Actually, though, instead of being able to use my SoE totem, I'd like other classes' buffs to be changed to be exclusive to utility. I want Anti-Magic Shell linked to Horn of Winter and Battle-Shout linked to Hamstring. That would be awesome.
6) PvP - Stoneclaw Totem. The Glyph needs to scale, period. Don't really care how its done, but it certainly needs to be done.
7) Physical damage - Enhancement's physical damage overall is in a pretty bad place right now. Almost every modifier to our physical stuff is gone, and what remains either doesn't scale (Windfury talent) or is pretty terrible in terms of investment (Focused Strikes). We desperately need some help in this department, if for no other reason than to prevent things the devs don't want to happen - IE caster mainhand weapons.
