Really annoyed with constant spell swap (shaman)

Rogues aren't made to offtank. If they are offtanking they are not backstabbing, which means their already low dps just dropped even lower and the group is killing less quickly. The rogues that aren't offtanking are the ones doing their job, maximizing their dps for the group.

They do this on live servers. Play the version that fits.

That would be like moving to Chernobyl because the tomatoes grow fast...

That's a rather narrow view of things - it all depends on what else is going on. For example, in many situations (not all), I'd rather a rogue off-tank than the healer! If the healer dies and the group wipes, that dps isn't helping anyone.

The rogue has no ability to pull a mob off a healer effectively. No taunt, no aggro abilities, nothing. If you need something pulled off the healer, if you are in a full group, there are usually four other group members who will not only do a better and faster job of pulling the mobs off the healer, but also won't lose much dps doing it.

But at any rate, I was reacting to a poster who said it was lazy for rogues to just follow assist and dps the main mob. No, that's their job, and how they are most effectively played in most scenarios.

I find it funny that "nostalgicfool" is saying this. I'm guessing you didn't play a Shaman in classic? It is 10000 times better now with spell sets, macros, and the speed at which spells are mem'd.

HoS is a Luclin spell. It came long after Classic.

Make your spell sets then make a macro:

/memspells (xname of spell set)

have one that is BUFFS
have one that is SOLO
have one that is GROUP

etc...

always keep a heal, a root, and gate up on all 3 sets so make gem 1 a heal, gem 7 a gate and gem 8 a root...then swap the other 5 spots that way you're never caught out without the basics up..

GOD LUCK GOD BLESS

When you mem a spell are you hunting through your spellbook to find it? Or are you right clicking on a gem to find it in the context menu? You definitely want to be doing the latter. I don't bother deleting spells out of my spell book.

If you have all the spells you swap on the first page of your spell book it's faster to use the book then the right click menu, at least it is for me. My resolution is so large that the right click menu is tiny, harder to get to the spell for me than in the first page of book.

It's faster yet to click a hotkey with /memspellset x in it.

First and foremost, create spell sets, and make sure the always used spells never get swapped out in the spell sets (as everybody has already said).

Then create macros like the following:

1. /pause 35, /mem buffxyz (or what ever the spell set name is)
2. /pause 35, /cast 2 (or what ever spell gem number)
3. /pause 35, /cast 3
4. etc

If the spell set is already loaded, it will not hurt anything doing step 1. This way, when it's time to buff, target who ever you need to buff, hit the button, and sit back and wait for it to complete. When it's done, move to the next person, or hit your button to /mem main (or what ever you call your main spell set).
You can do the same with cures and what ever else you don't do often. For instance, if you don't want to keep cure up all the time, but you want an easy way to cast it on someone when you need to, make a macro like the following:

1. /pause 35, /mem curepoison
2. /pause 35, /cast 2 (or what ever spell gem number)
3. /pause 35, /mem main

Adjust the pause to what works for you of course. In this case, you hit one button, it automatically loads the cure poison spell (according to the spell set you created), casts the cure poison, and then reloads the main spell set.
It's not ideal for intense situations like raids, but if it annoys you doing it manually, then there's a way to do it.