A few things to note:
- All totems have instant cast times.
- Up to four totems can be dropped at once.
- Only one totem per school may be used at one time per Shaman. This means that you personally cannot have two fire totems out at the same time, for example.
- Totem up time can be adjusted through the talent Totemic Focus - Restoration tree (Rank1/Rank2)..
- All totems are considered to be of the physical school.
Air Totems
Windfury
Use: Increases melee and ranged attack speed by 10%
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: None
Range: 40 yards
Party/Raid: Both
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 11% of base mana
Modifications: None
Typically this is the totem of choice for Enhancement Shamans or Shamans who find themselves in melee heavy groups. If you have a Death Knight with Improved Icy Talons or a Survival Hunter specced into Hunting Party near by, this totem is unnecessary. Feel free to double up though if the other air totems are not of use to you to help prevent range issues.
Wrath of Air
Use: Increases spell haste by 5%
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: None
Range: 40 yards
Party/Raid: Both
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 11% of base mana
Modifications: None
This is the favorite totem of the Restoration and Elemental type of Shaman, and may be used by an Enhancer if he/she finds themselves in a caster heavy group. It's unnecessary to use this totem if you find yourself grouped with a Shadow Priest or Balance Druid thanks to Shadowform/Moonkin Form. Just like with Windfury totem though, feel free to double up with this buff in the event that you feel range may present an issue.
Grounding
Use: Redirects one harmful spell cast at a nearby party member to itself. This act will destroy the totem. Does not work on area of effect (AoE) spells.
Duration: 45 seconds
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Range: "Nearby" (Assuming this is 20-40 yards)
Party/Raid: Party
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 5% of base mana
Modifications: Glyph of Grounding Totem
This totem is excellent against casters (and will also absorb certain spells from melee types as well) in PvP as well as great against mobs/bosses who toss out single target spells. Great situational usage to help negate incoming spell damage. Can be glyphed to reflect spells back at the caster, though the cooldown is extended to 45 seconds (recast of totem).
Earth Totems
Strength of Earth
Use: Increases Agility and Strength by 549.
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: None
Range: 40 yards
Party/Raid: Both
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 10% of base mana
Modifications: None
A bread and butter totem for Enhancement Shaman. Could also be used by a caster Shaman when they find themselves in a melee group missing melee buffs, or in a melee starved composition to help buff a tank. This buff is the same as a Warrior's Battle Shout, a Death Knight's Horn of Winter, and a Hunter's pet's Roar of Courage (cat). In theory there should not be any range issues with this buff seeing as though DKs should be always keeping up their HoW to help with Runic Power, likewise with Warriors keeping up BS for Rage (or just shier habit for either of these classes). A Hunter's cat will automatically refresh this buff to anyone in a 100 yard range, assuming it can stay alive.
Only double up with this buff if range issues become prevalent (this shouldn't be much of an issue honestly, especially with a Hunter's pet) or in the event a melee/tank dies and is not in range for a refresh from a Warrior/DK.
Stoneskin
Use: Increases armor by 4075.
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: None
Range: 40
Party/Raid: Both
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 10% of base mana
Modifications: None
This is a great totem to help reduce physical attacks on either yourself/group/raid (PvP) or your tanks (PvE). Paladins also offer this buff from Devotion Aura, and more than likely a Protection Paladin will have this aura active against physical damage dealing bosses. In the event that you don't have a Paladin running this aura though, or that you're outside of a Paladin's 40 yard range for some reason, feel free to pop this totem down to help reduce the damage your tank's face may take.
Stoneclaw
Use: Taunts nearby enemies, has a 50% chance to stun the enemies for 3 seconds. Also protects the user's other totems by giving them a shield that absorbs up to 4143 damage.
Duration: 15 seconds
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Range: 8 yards
Party/Raid: Self
Health: 6186
Mana Cost: 6% base mana
Modifications: Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem
This is the totem that will make fun of your - or anyone else's for that matter - mother. Pretty handy to have out if you're a young solo-er to help keep the mobs off your back, in PvP to help protect your other totems, and it can be glyphed so that it will also place a shield on you which is 4x the strength of the shields it gives to your totems.
Earthbind
Use: Slows the movement speed of enemies.
Duration: 45 seconds
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Range: 10 yards
Party/Raid: Bad Guys
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 5%
Modifications: Earth's Grasp (Rank1/Rank2), Earthen Power (Rank1/Rank2)
In the event that you must get away from enemies, slow them down! This totem is great for getting away from mobs/other players, and can also be very handy in kiting. If you place talent points into Earth's Grasp (Elemental talent tree) you have a 50%/100% chance to also root an enemy in place for 5 seconds. If you place talent points into Earthen Power (Enhancement talent tree) you have a 50%/100% chance to remove snare effects from yourself and all nearby friendly units. Very handy for PvP, but may also have some situational uses in PvE.
Tremor
Use: Shakes the ground to remove Fear, Charm, and Sleep effects. May be dropped while under previously mentioned effects.
Duration: 6 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute
Range: 30 yards
Party/Raid: Both (Was party only. If you can confirm raid wide, please let me know!)
Health: 5
Mana Cost: 2% of base mana
Modifications: None
Feared? Drop your Tremor Totem. Charmed? Drop your Tremor Totem. That lecture you're sitting through during class putting you to sleep? Drop your Tremor Totem!
This totem has practical uses in both PvE and PvP. Once upon a time this was a party only effect remover, but now it seems to be raid wide. It also used to last 5 minutes and pulse every 5 seconds and could not be dropped while under the effect it is made to help remove, but now that is no longer the case. Once a minute you may drop this totem to help release you from some ailment that makes you lose control of your character, and help you it will for a grand total of 6 seconds. Keep this totem key bound for those situational uses!
Earth Elemental
Use: Summons an elemental that protects the caster and his/her allies.
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Range: Longish (I'm assuming ~40 yards)
Party/Raid: Whoever he likes.
Health: Unknown (I'm assuming it scales with the caster's gear)
Mana Cost: 24% of base mana
Modifications: None
The Earth Elemental can be a Shaman's best friend in a sticky situation. He's our "tank" totem. He has a taunt and a semi decent health pool. You may want to keep an eye on his health though, he tends to be a bit squishy. The Earth Elemental (aka our Geodude of WoW) can live through a few hits from a boss, but I strongly suggest only pulling him out in emergency or pre-determined situations.
It is possible to have both the Earth Elemental and Fire Elemental out at the same time now, though even in big DPS cooldown situations I'd be highly cautious about dropping the rock guy. Please, summon your elementals responsibly!
Related Posts
Cataclysm Totem Guide: Part 1
Cataclysm Totem Guide: Part 3 (Fire and Water)
World of Saz 2011
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