PS2: Champions: Return to Arms:
Iskar Shaman Guide
Intro:
Due to the feedback I received about my Shadowknight guide, I
decided to make a Shaman guide. I've read the current Shaman
guide on the Gamefaqs website and was a little disappointed with
it. It did have some useful info on what the spells can get
worked up to, but there was also a lot of un-nessessary
information. So I am creating this guide to hopefully go a
little more in depth. The Shaman is one of those characters who
is relatively weak in the beginning but can become extremely
powerful with the careful planning. So without further ado,
here we go:
Strengths:
-Supposedly heals faster than other classes, though I don't
really notice that much of a difference.
-Primarily a magic user but can wield any 2 handed weapons
except for swords. Can also use shields.
-Almost all spells are useful.
-Has Bind Wound and Healing powers which enables him to be a
decent melee character.
-Has a really mean long range spell (Planar Wind).
-Many spells that stun, slow or interrupt enemy movements.
-Most spells are fairly cheap to cast.
-Great Health and Mana Regeneration capabilities.
Weaknesses: (not many)
-Cannot use all Armor (I think?).
-Doesn't really become all that powerful until level 25 or so.
-Cannot use a bow and arrow.
Where to Allocate Points:
There are basically 2 ways to go about this. My personal
preference is all out magic. I just sink everything into
intelligence. I'm not a big melee guy with magic users, since a
lot of the spells can make melee confusing. It might be good to
sink a couple into Strength in the beginning, since the spells
won't do a ton of damage. You can also make him a melee Shaman
if you wish, or a little of both. Here is how I would
distribute for these builds:
Like I said, all out Intelligence is my preference. But if you
choose to be a melee guy, you still will want some magic. I'd
toss 2 into Strength and 1 into Intelligence for this build. If
you want a more balanced Shaman with melee and magic I'd do 2 in
Intelligence and 1 into Strength.
Dexterity is useless, for you cannot use a bow and arrow, and I
doubt you will use many throwing weapons.
Stamina is up to you. I wouldn't because I never have any
problems staying alive. You also get a heal spell and Bind
Wound. I would stay away unless you really die a lot.
Skill Tree:
There are a lot of great skills that the Shaman can obtain, here
are my thoughts on each:
Blunt/Slashing Weapons: I always go Slashing because there are
way more Slashing weapons in the game, and more often then not
they dish out the most damage (generally axes are the best).
But if you like Blunt weapons then go for it, but I would highly
advise against putting points into both, unless you've already
filled everything you want.
Poison Bolt: This will be your ranged spell in the beginning of
the game. It is quite helpful, for it creates a poison cloud
which generally will stun enemies a little or at least slow them
down. Higher levels create a massive poison cloud and when you
max it out it will hit for around 100 damage. You can cast it
numerous times quickly, and it is probably the cheapest spell.
You can keep an enemy at bay with a higher level poison shot
cast numerous times, for the multiple clouds will be so huge
that the enemy will be pretty much engulfed in them.
Concentration: This is the most important skill. Always put
all of your available points into it until the level required is
too high. Once this is maxed out, at 420% regeneration (which
is insane) you will be able to put more points into other
spells.
Drowsy: This spell is better than you would think. I like to
toss 3-4 points into it fairly early on. Once it effects 3 or
more guys it becomes quite useful, especially in multiplayer.
It basically slows enemies down a lot when it works. You can
cast it numerous times until the enemies are actually effected
by it because it is relatively cheap. Melee is a cinch when the
enemies are slowed down, especially the bigger and quicker
enemies. I'd invest heavily in this if you are playing with a
more inexperienced player who dies a lot, so they can fight
enemies at a slower pace. Whenever you encounter a new enemy on
the screen, quick cast it and slow them down right away. If
worked up to higher levels you will be able to put 9 or so
enemies to sleep with about a 60-70% chance of effectiveness.
Very nice. If you like Root better you may want to avoid this
skill, though I prefer Drowsy. The enemies can still move, so
they will clump together easier, which is more beneficial for
the Shaman due to his many group damaging magic attacks.
Tagar's Insects: This spell is definately a must have.
Basically it's a Pestilence spell like the Horsemen have. It
does costs a decent amount, especially at the beginning. It'd
keep it at 1 point for a while, and cast it numerous times. It
goes through any structures so you can shoot it through walls
and pillars and such. It effects the enemies for a few seconds
and has a chance to stun them for a second. Great on archers.
Once you have a ton of mana and regeneration powers, I would
upgrade this so it effects 3 enemies or so for about 6 seconds.
I generally like to cast it so that all the enemies are
effected. Then when the effects wear off, I cast it again, so
they are always Pestilized (is that a word?).
Endurance: I like sinking some points into endurance fairly
early because I hate gate scrolling. It's your choice.
Obviously you will sacrifice some skill investments, but I'd
rather do that then gate every 5 minutes because your too full.
It's all preference.
Minor Healing: Always useful. Toss 1 point into it to activate
it. It will serve you will for a while. When you have more
health, I'd toss a couple more. Another good one to have worked
up with a weaker player in a multiplayer game. You can also
cast it out of healing range of your teammate and then run the
"aura" to them to get them healed. Basically I mean that the
healing aura lasts a little while so you don't need to be
"right" next to them, you can run to them while it is cast. Just
know that the healing light temporarily blinds you from the
direction your facing, so arrows sometimes sneak through and hit
you if you aren't blocking.
Poison Weapons: I'd stay away from this for a while. I do sink
1 point into it eventually, to get other skills. I don't melee
a ton with the Shaman, and you have to keep casting this over
and over because you never switch weapons. I suppose you could
switch over to a cocktail or a throwing weapon to conserve the
poison on your melee weapon, but it's kind of a pain in the ass.
If you are a melee Shaman it could prove useful. Also if your
teammates would like poison on their weapons, it might be a good
investment once your other primary spells are set up. Remember,
you need an empty slot on a weapon to use this. It does work
with "Blue" weapons empty slots as well. But if you want enemies
poisoned, I'd just fire a few poison bolts, though the extra
damage can be handy.
Summon Badger: Once again, like the Skeleton, useless. If you
have trouble early in the game, it might be wise to sink 1 point
into him, just so you can activate him. But at higher
difficulties the Badger will be demolished in 1 swing even if he
is worked up with 20 skill points. Stay away from this one.
Spirit Shield: I haven't worked this one up before, but I bet
it gets to be pretty decent. Not very useful at lower levels
because you will have to cast it multiple times. It would be
more useful for a melee Shaman. I'd work this one up if you
have trouble staying alive, but for the most part I'd wait until
you had spare points. I'd imagine if this is worked up, it
would probably last 25-30 seconds and evade damage about 40 to
50% of the time, which is pretty damn good. So if you are
playing on higher difficulties, or a melee Shaman, this may be
for you.
Pus Storm: Contrary to what the other Shaman guide says, this
spell is sweet. It can be used in a few ways. One is to run
away from some enemies and quick cast it as your running (it
takes some fancy controller fingering though, unless you set it
to a button for casting). It kind of works like Disease Trail
in this way. The cool thing about this one is that you can cast
it over and over, and a new Puss Shower comes on top of the old
one. Basically you don't have to wait until the old Puss Storm
is finished. This can make for some nasty Puss Showers if you
have like 5 going at once. It is also fairly cheap to cast.
Definately put 1 point into it for activation purposes when you
get that high. It diseases enemies, and slows them down, so
they get hit by it quite often.
Bind Wound: Always useful. More useful if your a melee Shaman,
but nonetheless I'd activate it as soon as it's available to get
an extra 20% health regeneration. After that it goes up 5%
each, so toss some into it every now and then.
Giant Growth: A cool concept but it doesn't last very long.
The duration never changes, only the size increase, so it isn't
as useful as it sounds. If you want some extra punch in you
attacks I'd use it. Just putting 1 point into it will be worth
it for a while. I might work it up more if I was a melee
Shaman. Good for boss battles.
Planar Wind: This spell is basically a means to an end. This
is what your working for, then once you have it, you'll notice
that it's insanely dominating. It's the best ranged spell of
any character in my opinion. Just sink 1 point into it as soon
as you hit level 24. You should have a ton of magic by then and
be able to cast it numerous times. Basically the best thing
about this spell is that it hits "all" the enemies for 200'ish
damage. So the best strategy is to line multiple enemies up,
and shoot 1 Plane that goes through all of them. It also tends
to knock enemies back or even on their asses. Casting it
multiple times and you can dominate a large group of enemies.
It annihilates archers, and if you are on elevated ground you
can hit just about anything. The beam only gets wider and the
damage only gets greater as it is worked up. This spell is too
good.
Root: Always a useful spell. It holds enemies at their current
position when effected. They can still attack you, but cannot
move. Much more effective when worked up to rooting 3 or more
enemies for around 5 or more seconds. This spell is a bit like
Drowsy. I'd work it up eventually, especially if you are
playing multiplayer, but I wouldn't dive into it right away.
Wait until the essentials are done, for points are better spent
elsewhere.
Which Skills to Invest In:
If you go the magic route with the Shaman, I generally work my
build like this: First off, I toss points into Mana
Regeneration and Slashing weapons. I work those up first. Then
once Tagar's Insects is availble I sink 1 point into that. I
then keep working with the regeneration and slashing weapons.
Then once healing is available I toss one into Drowsy (to get to
healing) and then 1 into the Healing spell. Keep working
Slashing and Mana Regeneration, regeneration being the most
important one. Then when Pus Storm is available, I throw 1
point into that. If there are spare points anywhere at this
point, and slashing and regeneration cannot be worked up
anymore, I might toss one into the Poison Bolt. Then it go to
Bind Wound after this. Now to get to Bind Wound and Pus Storm I
think you need to go through a couple of skills, so just sink 1
into those for now.
Now as far as Slashing Weapons goes, I like to max it out after
Mana Regeneration. But if you are a heavy, heavy magic user, it
could probably wait. It's personal preference.
Now at around this point, maybe around level 15-18, I might toss
a few into Tagar's Insects to get it to effect 2 enemies. I
might also get Drowsy up to around 3 enemies effected if there
are spare points. Once Mana Regeneration is complete with
Slashing Weapons, try to max out Bind Wound. As soon as Planar
Wind is available, toss one into it. This is key. Now that
Planar Wind is obtained, the rest is just filling in the blanks.
I like to work Drowsy, Insects, and Pus Storm to around 8 when
your around level 30 or so. Then I try to max out Poison Bolt,
(of course after Bind Wound) though some people may not use this
as much as I do. Then from there on it's all preference. You
should have a ton of magic, figure out which spells you like the
most and put points into them.
If your going for a melee Shaman, I'd suggest you build Drowsy,
Insects, and Spirit Shield up. Giant Lizard can also be
beneficial as would Poison Weapons. Like I said, I don't play
the Shaman like this so you will have to figure out the right
balance between straight up magic attacks and melee enhancing
attacks.
Strategies to Attack With Shaman:
In the earlier stages of the game the Shaman can be a little
rough to start out with depending on your skill level. You will
need to rely heavily on melee in the beginning. What I do is
shoot a couple poison bolts at enemies, toss in a swing, use the
hold Block (R1) and tap (L1) to hop back and blast another few
bolts and repeat. The Shaman's retreating hop is much more
beneficial when you are a magic user. If you like to melee it
is kind of annoying to use it. But it is good to learn to use
this technique early on so you can master it for later when you
have a wider variety of spells and can still incorporate melee
into your attack mode.
Once you acquire the essential "early on" spells such as
Insects, Drowsy and Heal you can use a little more finesse.
Your Regeneration should be fairly high, perhaps around 10 or
so, but only have 1 point in each so you can cast it multiple
times. Toss an insect at each of your enemies. Then cast
Drowsy to try to get a couple to sleep. Shoot poison bolts at
the "non" drowsy enemies, then melee the effected ones, since
they are slowed. Once they "wake up" or you get surrounded, do
the hop back and repeat the process. Later when you get Pus
Storm, you will have a high damaging spell to utilize with your
attack.
Once you get all of your attacking spells you are ready to
dominate. When Poison Bolt, Drowsy, Insects, and Pus Storm have
6-8 skill points, 4 in Healing, and 1 in Planar Wind, as well
as Regeneration/Bind Wound maximized, you are golden. When
facing enemies, shoot a few sets of insects (depending on how
many there are) out to Pestilize them. Then cast Drowsy a few
times to make them all fall asleep. Fire off a few Poison
Bolts, or a wind shot if they are bunched, and move towards the
enemies. When they are a good 5-7 "game feet" away from you,
start casting Pus Storm. When they come just within melee
range, hop back and fire some Planar Wind shots for they should
all be grouped together. Repeat if needed, or go in and get
some melee swings. This will be your basic attacking guideline
for dealing with multiple enemies. Obviously you should heal
yourself if you are taking a beating. Use Spirit Shield/Giant
Growth when fighting tougher enemies, and Poison Weapons if you
have an empty slot on your weapon.
Find creative ways to use a lot of spells. If enemies are
Pestilized, then being hit with a Poison Cloud, and Pus Stormed,
then hit with a wind shot, they are taking damage from numerous
spells all at once. Thus increasing the total damage you are
doing, as opposed to just firing off 1 spell over and over. It
takes some practice and speed on the quick cast, but if used
like this, the Shaman will be unstoppable.
Setting Up Your Spell Book:
Having your spells placed in the right order is crucial for the
Shamans attack. I always have Planar Wind on Triangle, and
Poison Bolt on Circle. The rest of the spells I quick cast.
Pus Storm on Circle can be helpful too, for it's easier to cast
a bunch of storms quickly, but I usually stick with the quick
cast. Now, as for the order of the spells, here is how I go
about it. Any spells that you will quick cast a lot, such as
Insects, Pus Storm, and Drowsy I place in a non-diagonal slot.
It is much easier to cast a spell Up, Down, Left or Right than
Diagonally, on the fly.
I generally set up my spell book like this:
On the upper slot I have Healing. It's pretty easy for me to
hit Up and Square faster than any others, since Healing the
spell you must react quickest to cast and use immediately. On
the right slot I have Tagar's Insects. I use this spell a lot,
so it's a quick push to the right and hitting square to fire it
off. On the Down setting I have Drowsy, and on the left slot I
have Pus Storm. If I do need a diagonal quick cast, I find it
easier to cast spells on the right side. This means I toss on
Poison Weapons, Spirit Shield, Giant Growth, or Root, depending
on which of those you like to use the most. I sometimes just
cycle between them, it's your preference. On the diagonally
left slots I have the spells that have button settings. This
means Planar Wind and Poison Bolt are always over there, since
it's harder to quick cast, so you should have your Button spells
over on that side.
When approaching new enemies I have a system in which I cast. I
hold the quick cast direction right for the insects, cast twice,
then down for Drowsy, cast twice, then left for Pus Storm, cast
twice. If you get in a bind, just do a quick cast in the
clockwise order from right to left, so you can cast 4 or 5
different damaging spells in a row, without really thinking what
you are casting.
General Info:
If you don't have the patience to work the Shaman up from
scratch, or any character for that matter, start a new, 2 player
game with a current character on a higher difficulty, say
Champion or Legendary. Use 3-4 players if you have a multi-tap
and want to upgrade numerous new characters. Now let all the
new characters die, and just play solo with your beefed up,
hopefully level 50 or so existing character. It takes some
controller fodder to manuevar each of the guys at new save
points, but if you progress through a higher difficulty game,
the new characters should level up fairly quickly, even while
dead. So if you play through 2-3 Planes, you should have
characters built up to around level 10-15 in no time. This way
you can progress through the game with a current character and
still make experience progress with others.
I did this with my buddy while we played, and I imported the
Shaman, who was level 17 into a Courageous game, beefed him up a
little to around 30, and imported him into Legendary mode. Once
the Shaman becomes more powerful, he gets a little ridiculous,
so it's much more fun to play on a harder difficulty.
What to Equip:
Basically for the Shaman your going to want to customize your
armor/weapons in the following ways:
Any rings, earrings, and chokers I like to have Intelligence on
them, or Mana Regeneration. A Strength one couldn't hurt if you
like to melee, or carry more items. I'm not a big fan of
resistances, but it is nice to hold on to some for certain
situations, such as Cold for fighting the Yeti, or Fire for
fighting the Dragon etc. Generally though, I just want magic,
and more of it.
On weapons it is more of a preference thing. If I can find some
Mana Regen Stones or Star Glyphs, I like to toss them on a
weapon. I don't melee a ton with him, so Whetstones and Misty
Globes don't benefit me as much, but if you like to melee, I'd
suggest using some. Sometimes I'll leave a slot open for my
Poison Weapons Spell. If you find yourself getting hurt a lot,
throw a Carapace on for more armor.
On Armor I tend to put on anything I can get. Sometimes I will
throw on some Cold/Fire/Poison resistances if I have extra room.
I always put stat enhancers on, mainly Star Glyphs, sometimes a
Stamina bonus or Bull Runes. Don't bother with any Dexterity,
for once again, it is worthless to the Shaman. Like I said in
my Shadowknight guide, Mana and Health Bonuses are worthless for
they don't even work. Regenerations and Rejuvenations do work
though, and are very helpful. Basically just put on what you
want to enhance.
For Weapons and Armor, obviously, items with more Slots are
better. I like to use a Shield, for thats just another item you
can put Intelligence bonuses on, and since I don't melee much, I
don't have as much use for a 2 handed weapon.
I almost always choose stat enhancers over better armor, but
there is a fine line between it, it's all preference. Generally
I'd take a helmet with 50 Intelligence but only 100 armor over a
helmet with 200 Armor and a cold resistance for example, but
that's if you are good at keeping yourself alive.
Closing Thoughts:
So that does it for the Shaman Guide. Thanks for all the
amicable responses on my Shadowknight guide, which motivated me
to create this one. My strategies, and the way I play with most
characters has more of a finesse style, then a straight up
button smashing style. It may take some practice to master it,
but there are also ideas that help support the button masher
style in this guide. The Shaman, I believe, is meant to be
played as a pure spell caster, and he sure is a hell of a lot
more fun that way. Hopefully this guide helps. Thanks for
reading.
Anyone who wishes to use this guide, or my Shadowknight guide
for that matter has my permission, as long as you drop me an
email and tell me where it is being used. Once again, any
feedback or questions let me know:
[email protected]
