Koko's AoM Warden Guide

In-House Ethereal Farm 8/16/15, 400-500 ping hype!
Posting memorable moments after sleeping, but they include

Complaining about ping throughout the entire video (continuous, start to finish, sorry/not sorry)

Discuss using Winds of Salvation to block End Around and then completely forgetting to call for it (it was 2:00 am!)

Burning RC event heroic name #3 with three sleep deprived players with high ping to avoid the script

Lots of proactively managing timers by feel

No commentary this time, there is however, group banter.

PUG Ethereal Farm 8/18/15
When I stream PUGs there is a 100% chance of a fighter ethereal dropping, 2/2 nights.
Moments include:

Trying to AE pull RC #1 with monk/warden/no hate management (don't do this)

WTF knockback mechanics in Thresh #1

Whiff DP on HH #1

Overall very uneventful 6 zones (1 hour 11 minutes), edit fighter ethereal hype!

this was changed in 2005. mitigation is considered first and then the ward absorbs damage.

PUG Ethereal Farm 8/19/15
No fighter ethereal this time, /sad panda, I blame playing poorly (easily the worst performance so far).

Anywho, rebirth highlight time: RoM Name #2 (31:00)

31:30 I am randomly selected for script (port group to player, root player, player radiates death AE)

31:50 Another player is selected and I am ported to them, but am still rooted*

31:54 My root breaks

31:55 I die to radiating death AE after failing to obtain sufficient distance

I should not have died here. However the play that I made and the logic behind it were sound.

I found myself ported and rooted, neither of which made sense. Typically players are ported or rooted, and yet I had both. I concluded if I was rooted from the previous DoT everyone around me would be dead (apparently a false conclusion, as per video review, but a logical one!). From which I had two options:

1. Assume I'm unjustly rooted -> break the AE and run away

If right - I don't die to a rooted group member AE pulse

If wrong - I pulse AE and kill everyone within 5 m of me

2. Assume I'm unjustly ported -> attempt to move but do not break AE

If right - I pulse AE but everyone moved away safely

If wrong - I die to a rooted group member AE pulse

I went for option 2, hoping that if I were unjustly rooted it would break on its own and I could move to safety in a sufficient amount of time. Option 1 was correct, I was unjustly rooted, but I was unable to move sufficiently quickly and died (Q_Q). If I had paid attention to my detriment window, and recognized the detriments and their effects, I could have made the correct play.

tl;dr script borked rebirth fixed it. I'm overcritical of myself and, while the death was avoidable, the judgements for the unforeseen scenario which lead to its manifestation were sound. These scenarios happen, they are never "plan A," but they do and will occur.

Is Faerie Ally actually useful under any circumstances?

Rarely, I recall casting it on Grendish the Betrayer in ToV in the (humorous) hopes that it would fly off and assist our weakest group (est. 100+ m away).

It suffers from health pools being too small relative to damage dealt (as do most non-ward heals). If health pools were to drastically inflate (50~100x) current values, which would approach the heal power vs. health pool ratio of RoK, it would be a powerful skill again.

Faerie Ally is one of those things that might work, or might not. Since you aren't really conserving power...why not cast it? You just never know.

Duo Ethereal Farm 9/15/15

Highlights

One zone because ain't nobody got time for that

RC Event because belts are cool

Watch me not cast anything for a second near the end because I didn't know what to do

CAs/Spells were on cooldown

Likely should have cast a heal/thorns, oh well

Scout ethereal hype

I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your thread on AOM and wardens. I get so lost and confused with stats and AA's and gear and.....
Best of all your advice was the suggestion of taking rebirth. I'd of never done it otherwise and for my current playstyle, it's the best!
Hoping you may do an updated needed stats rundown for TOT someday! I know I'll read it, along with everyone's commentary!

Unfortunately the tl;dr version of said guide is "reroll a shaman". While it is possible to "force a druid to work" with a combination of death prevents/AE blocker/high DPS, content is trivial in comparison with a geared shaman. My recommendation is to retire from the class for the time being and, hopefully, health pools are considered relative to incoming damage and stat inflation in future content.

With the onset of ToT my playgroup transferred me to the DPS role and replaced me with a mystic.

Well said Koko. Ive healed everything but Masters with my fury, but the reality is a lesser geared shaman can do it much easier while putting out similar or more DPS. There are simply too many '1 shot' merchanics in the new zones which I cannot ward/death prevent through.

Ive read countless threads on Uzulu, everyone has their own theory on what causes the big 5 increment BOOM, but the reality is after testing high dps, low dps, position, etc it still seems pretty random. If you have a high dps group that means you eat less AEs, but in pugs thats not always possible. (Meanwhile its childs play on a shaman).

Tepid is similar, yes with temps and death prevents I can keep the tank up, but if we get adds or a mob turns the others in the group die instantly. Most shamans can ward right through it.