Must be playing with really bad players. Shms are amazing in melee groups. Bard/shm/4 melee dps just destroy things if playing with good players.
Have you tried playing with a shaman as the healer since 2000? It was rough when their best heal was Greater Heal, but they're now incredible group healers. I do avoid the ones that ask me to pop a merc healer so they can dps, but the ones that want to heal are very worth grouping with.
