Inconspicuous Totem

[Tordail]

It didn't take long for the first "they stole our ability" thread to crop up on the disaster that is the EQLive forums. The rant is if anyone is interested in reading. For myself, I openly wonder how a totem that looks like Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo is inconspicuous.

[Sowslow]

Played with it a few times yesterday on live and noticed something odd. I was pulling one of the named in brells mission. After grabbing him and lots of adds, got to a safe spot to hit totem then got an ae right after I hit it and wiped totem. Since I was out of agro range of mobs, none reaggroed. Not sure if aes are supposed to overwrite totem or not.
On the actual usefulness of this, I am still mixed. Since you are not invis after hitting this, it is in no way equivalent to fade, escape or even fd. Invis pots could help with this, but I still don't know if this will actually be a useful pulling tool or anything else.

[Tordail]

Edit: Never mind, was told totem overwrites pact.

[Gunner]

We've had FD since PoS.

[Tordail]

Yep. Tell the rogues that, though. /shrug.

[Maccuul]

Pact blocks totem for me.

Had to click Pact off before totem would fire.

Hopefully that is being addressed next patch.

[Tordail]

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=7095
I posted on the 12/15 bug thread at EQ Live and also PM'd Elidroth. He hasn't replied, yet.

[anaskesia]

I've basically had to stop using pact. They need to fix this, and pronto. I like pact, but I like not dying when the tank and other healer have died alot more.

[Ughbash]

[Retron]

[Brohg]

No it doesn't. It's just two charges at a time, and has many more ways to fail (can't use while running, getting cast on stands you up, "fell to the ground"). Inconspicuous Totem is a much better ability almost all the time.

[Retron]

[Brohg]

4 charges is still finite. Not something casually blown just to try a long pull, leading to 20 minute delays while you run around spending plat to get the next four tries at it. Besides, I'm not going to carry a 1-slot box (the other slot is the battery it needs) around on me all the time. My inventory is limited enough as it is by the inability to click items that are inside bags.

Monster casting does not break IT.

15% is 1 in 8, meaning it's likely to happen on average once per two trips to Plane of Sky.

It works almost all the time running, but it can also fail "You have moved and are no longer feigning death."- thx for wasting your charge. I've tried it and seen it, lots, and that's why I say that it's not reliable while running.

I have the ring, have had it going on 8(?) years now. Inconspicuous Totem was the first thing I bought, and I can't imagine what 12 UF aa appear more useful to you.

[Retron]

[dohrian]

Totem saved my hide at least 5 times when soloing (VP breaking, adds, ...) and also saved my group from a wipe.

Too bad it is still bugged (once I was not able to get out of it, it was permanent totem, CotH saved me) and also not stacking with Wolf (which means 500 HP less...)

It is far easier to get than PoS ring.

I took it with canni and the 2 spell gems as soon as UF opened, and I do not regret it.

My 2 cents

[anaskesia]

I didn't buy IT right away (for brohg: healing adept was much more useful for the 12 aa!) BUT when I did buy it I found it to be very useful almost immediately.

I use it routinely while traveling (see-invis saw you? run like hell to where you're going, then click it and its no problem!).

I have also used it while the group is wiping to adds about 5 times to help the group get up and running faster. I'm normally the type to fight to the death, but when I just spent 2 hours getting INTO the Search for Suck (er, Saunk) mission and the group gets swarmed as soon as we zone in I'll be damned if I'm going to die and do it all over again.

Besides, 12 AA is -nothing-. Even just doing MMs, you'd get that in 2 days. If you actually do the progression missions and fight the mobs in the new expansion you'll get 12 AA in no time. The experience is actually pretty good this time around.

I can see not buying IT until you get more important things, but not buying it at all would be a big mistake.

PS: Did they fix the spirit call dogs? I thought I saw a post from Retron saying that the new ranks were weaker than the old ranks and/or not kicking/bashing/whatever.

[Maccuul]

I have been stuck in totem as well. It was recounting the last tick over and over.
Had to relog to clear it. No idea what caused it.
I havent been able to duplicate it.

And something does break totem. I watched a fellow Shaman die while in totem.
No idea what caused it but it did happen.

Overall was a great choice to spend aa as it has saved me from alot of deaths already.
Totem and Preincarnation are my new best friends this expansion.

[dohrian]

[Retron]

[eqjunkie]

Wish they'd up the charge count on the Sky ring. 2 is too low, 5 is a nice figure considering all the work in getting the ring in the first place

[Finori]

[dohrian]

[Retron]

[Brohg]

I've had none of those issues.

[dohrian]

Retron is right about the dot (re)aggro after totem, but he is wrong, it is NOT useless, even with the dot reaggro I was able to use it when a roamer added in CC, romer left, mob was still VP'ed and I finished it after. I think, if you do not have the PoS ring, that this is the best UF AA for shaman.

[Maccuul]

Worst problem I have had with totem minus the stacking issue has been a casting mob breaking the totem mez.

Hopefully we can convice a dev, if not to fix totem so casting doesnt break it, to at least give us an aa in the next expansion that resisted spells wont break it or something.

Other than that its saved me dozens of times even with the FD ring which is now relegated to backup duty.

[Brohg]

The totem is near infinitely more useful to me than the Sky ring (which I've had for "some" years now), due to unlimited usage and convenience. Ring requires fishing around in inventory and equipping that often takes too long to save you at all, and is subject to failure at least as often, from the same spell casting but also from "falls to the ground". Best UF AA with or without sky ring.

[Retron]

[Kumudil]

As long as the devs don't can fix the "infinite totem" bug caused by the illusion when to close to other geometries, you might as well use it as an advantage: Group is swarmed and wiping. Run against wall befor firing Totem may give you the "extended" version and you must not be afraid if the 30 seconds will be enought for the adds to go out of camp. (and/or wait until dots ran their course to avoid reaggro). Once mobs are gone /ex and log back and you can recover the group

In reallity I don't like to get frozen that way. But as some conspiracy theory says its much more likely a bug gets fixed fast, if its considered to be too beneficial, I thought it might help to share the idea

My first attempt to use it ended up with a dead shaman. I fired it right where I was when wipe was inc. My problem was that the mob has been snared and after 30 seconds smashed me to dead.

The totem is no 100% guaranty to survive. But in most situations its easy to get a little out of camp prior to fire up the totem. In that way you avoid brakes possibly caused from mobs aes or reaggro if mobs decide to corpsecamp your fellows (r get snared). I personally havn't had any reaggro (aka mezzbreak from mobs casts) until it didn't run its full length. It has already saved me serveral times.

All the other AAs are "just" a litte more from what we already have. The Totem is a new ability. I never got the ring mainly due to the fact that it can fail.

I got it as first when expansion launched and I still like it.

[Gunner]

Well, it now works while in pact of wolf. You keep the wolf illusion and buff. So the first time I used it I didnt think it worked. I like it.

[Thovos]

@ Retron:

Ironically. the one time it failed me, with getting dotted by a banshee in CC, as you seemed to have had happen I think it has something to do with the DoT on you.

You probably already figured out..you CAN solo them, and the zombies, if you have a spot where you can be max range and keep VPing them away or equal distance from you. its nervewracking tho

I love this ability irregardless...im way more bold these days ;p

[Jaybizzer]

Inconspicuous Totem is basically a self-mez....it's not a Fade type AA like some people say it is. If you have a dot on you, you will be woken up from the mez. It's nice on Zek as you can have someone in your group just hit you to wake you up from it instead of waiting for the timer to wear out.

[wheel]

My biggest problem with Totem (which I absolutely love), is that other classes aren't as aware of what it does. Sure the core people that I play with know, understand and love it, but outside of the core group, I have to hit totem, then try to explain to anyone still alive that I need the mobs MOVED away from me. Doing this in 30 seconds of time isn't alway easy.

I know I can set up a hotkey to tell the group the necessary information, but I'd also like the hotkey to cast Totem for me in the process. Has anyone figured out what the /alt activate # is for it yet?

I read the /alt activate thread, and it appears that this may be searchable, but it also sounds like it crashes EQ sometimes (and I'm at work, so I can't test it). Any information on this would be awesome, thx!

Wheel

[wheel]

The /alt list command worked.

/alt activate 9504 is what you need for totem.