Enhancement short-ended every patch?

[HollyC 9]

Let me begin by stating that I'm not asking for help with my personal dps. I don't have time to commit to raiding, and I don't have a set 'main' toon these days.

What I'm concerned with is one thing. For a considerable time now, going as far back as at least the Molten Front, there's been a new batch of blacksmith-forgeable weapons with almost each major patch. 5.3, having no new tier of content, will probably be a notable exception, but blacksmiths have been able to forge new weapons for each new tier. These new weapons, of course, are no match for what raid bosses drop, but again-- I don't raid.

I look at the new batches each time they come out, and it's always the same. 1H +agility sword. 1H +strength weapons. 2H +agility mace. 2H +strength weapons. +agility daggers. 1H +intellect weapons, 1H +spirit weapons.

Enhancement shamans are the only class/spec combo that gets absolutely squat. Zilch. Zippo. (Or is there no new gun/crossbow weapons craftable by engineers, for hunters? I thought there was, but correct me if I'm wrong?)

Who's going to use a 2H +agility mace besides a feral/guardian druid? Who's going to use a +agility dagger except for rogues? And who's going to use a 1H +agility sword aside from a windwalker or brewmaster monk? Enhancement shamans can dual wield any 1H weapons EXCEPT swords. So why is it that the entire planet is guaranteed to come to an unspeakably horrific and cataclysmic (pun intended) end unless the available 1H +agility weapons are SWORDS, which monks and rogues can use but Enhancement shamans CAN'T? Would it kill Blizzard to change those specific weapons to axes or maces, which monks AND Enhancement shamans can use? Even rogues can use those weapons too, although they probably would choose not to since they have daggers available. Yes, Enhancement shamans can use daggers, but their overall DPS suffers because of the low weapon speed, which means insufficient damage on the flametongue imbuement for the off-hand weapon.

So unless engineers aren't getting any new schematics for guns and crossbows for the hunters, it appears that everyone EXCEPT Enhancement shamans gets some nice new "starter" weapons for each new tier.

My shaman is still level 89 as I decided to level a monk. Since then, the complete dearth of available weapons has made me wonder how my shaman will fare just in Isle of Thunder dailies. And when patch 5.4 comes out, what kind of new dailies will there be? How will my shaman be able to do those with pre 5.1 weapons that are no higher than ilvl 424?

I WILL NOT, I repeat, WILL *NOT* "PUG" random dungeons. The sheer magnitude of verbal abuse is just intolerable. I ask you to please let's just leave it at that, the specifics are not something I want to discuss here. So where am I going to get my shaman a better pair of weapons? Each and every new tier of craftable weapons leaves everyone EXCEPT an Enhancement shaman with something a little better. In the meantime of course there's a nice shiny new 1H +SPIRIT mace for a HEALER shaman... is Blizzard trying to tell me something? Heaven knows how many people I had to put on my ignore list for no reason OTHER than my not being a healer, so please let's not get into THAT, either.

I'm getting really frustrated by this, one single class/spec ends up with nothing but coal in the stocking each time Greatfather Winter comes. And exactly what question(s) am I asking, to be answered, here? I don't even really know. Draw your own conclusions, is the best I can offer. Maybe you've already done all you CAN do, just by having read this far, if you did.

[Stoove 347]

Yes I noticed that, too. Though I have to say I don't think my upset went quite that far. It's annoying, and I'm not sure why it happens. I always thought it didn't really make sense to stop Shaman using swords.

[Damien 1,514]

We can communicate with Blizzard in ways most players cannot. I did some research on the topic this morning and send them some feedback on the issue. Hopefully, that will help ;)

[Zagam 1,982]

I feel your pain, albeit in a different direction. Check out the number of rings for casters in Throne of Thunder that have Haste on them. ZERO. Except for a ring on Ra-den, but by then, who the hell cares what you're wearing? Rings have been a sore spot in loot tables on my Warlock for as long as I can remember just like shields for my Paladin. Usually one boss per tier has a shield...thankfully there are 2 this tier.

Might not go a long way to make you feel better, but Enhancement IS getting a sizeable buff :)

[Tarazet 144]

Without disagreeing with what you're saying - if weapons and armor are made available for some classes, they should be available for all - If you're not planning to pug random dungeons, and you're not raiding, the daggers should be just fine as a stopgap. They're not optimal, but they are serviceable.

[Damien 1,514]

By the way, there are new crafted weapons added in 5.3. There are 2 Agility Swords, but no Mace, Axe, or Fist Weapon :P

[HollyC 9]

Tarazet, I suppose you're right. Those daggers must be better than what my shaman has available to wield now. And Damien, what you said doesn't surprise me at all. I saw the weapons available in Atlasloot, I'm guessing they're 5.2 weapons, most of them are "upgraded" versions of old specialty blacksmith disciplines, the same skins and name, with "reborn" added. That's why I finally posted about the whole fiasco.

When 5.3 hits I'll see about getting a pair of daggers made. Through my monk's ranch, I can literally farm the ore and my shaman is a transmuting specced alchemist to transmute living steel. Since I'm not pursuing "BiS," I shouldn't be too concerned with lower flametongue procs if the overall hitting power is going to be superior.

[Tarazet 144]

Tarazet, I suppose you're right. Those daggers must be better than what my shaman has available to wield now. And Damien, what you said doesn't surprise me at all. I saw the weapons available in Atlasloot, I'm guessing they're 5.2 weapons, most of them are "upgraded" versions of old specialty blacksmith disciplines, the same skins and name, with "reborn" added. That's why I finally posted about the whole fiasco.

When 5.3 hits I'll see about getting a pair of daggers made. Through my monk's ranch, I can literally farm the ore and my shaman is a transmuting specced alchemist to transmute living steel. Since I'm not pursuing "BiS," I shouldn't be too concerned with lower flametongue procs if the overall hitting power is going to be superior.

These days, it's not the Flametongue thing. You get smaller procs, but you get more of them. The problematic part is that your attacks do a percentage of weapon damage, so you will do substantially less damage with a fast dagger than a slow mace or axe.

You could grind up Klaxxi rep, since there is a 463 Agility one-handed mace available for gold upon reaching Exalted. If you start questing in the Dread Wastes at 89, you'll get a jump on the rep and could even have the dailies unlocked upon reaching 90.

Edited May 10, 2013 by Tarazet

[Stoove 347]

By the way, there are new crafted weapons added in 5.3. There are 2 Agility Swords, but no Mace, Axe, or Fist Weapon

TWO of them? I... But... seriously wtf.

[Komatose 0]

Let's see...you don't do raids, you don't do dungeons, and since you didn't even mention PvP nor the GOOD weapons that are very easily attainable after grinding BGs for a day, I'm assuming you don't do that either....that leaves dailies and other quests. I guess I agree with Tarazet...you don't NEED good weapons for that.

[Stoove 347]

Let's assume I have an offspec which I don't have time to gear through time-intensive processes, but I would like to be able to raid with if needed. I think it's only truly fair to have a crafted weapon I can use if I can find the funds.

[Sveika 0]

My shaman is still level 89 as I decided to level a monk. Since then, the complete dearth of available weapons has made me wonder how my shaman will fare just in Isle of Thunder dailies. And when patch 5.4 comes out, what kind of new dailies will there be? How will my shaman be able to do those with pre 5.1 weapons that are no higher than ilvl 424?

It took me a very long time to get a decent weapon on my enh shammy, and that was with PUGs and LFR. It did hamper my progress and was really discouraging. I just hung in there, used valor upgrades and finally got an LFR drop that made things a little easier, but I can understand where you're coming from. It would be nice to see some equity on weapons.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Sveika

[Stoove 347]

Actually it's possible to do the IoT dailies in questing greens and some Heroic dungeon blues. Said from experience. It's not fast, but it's possible.