Spec Line Issues:
Augmentation
Endurance regeneration buff currently takes up 8 buff slots for a full group. This means a grouped shaman has to use 40% of his buffs to give a group end regen.
Damage add is a spec line buff for Shamans. At 44 Aug (Ultimate Force of the Deep), a Shaman’s DA is 4.6 DPS. This is far weaker then other realms baseline or spec non-chant damage add.
Spirit Shield has no indicator that it is up or down. This makes it very difficult to use in RvR.
Cave
Multiple cave Shamans in a group cancel each other out. Static spells do not stack.
The damage returned is low, especially now with master level abilities like Heal Font. It is very difficult or impossible to have high enough DoT damage to be effective. There is no spec line single target DoT spell.
The return on the Shaman direct damage spell is low due to the recast timer and damage done.
Mending
Low return for high mending spec. With 1.0x spec points, it is not wise to use your few points in this line.
By comparison, this line is so far inferior to a Healer that it is rarely specced in. (If your going to spec Mend why not make a Healer?)
Friggs has no use in RvR and only limited use in PvE. The amount of damage that can be dealt out in RvR renders this spell useless.
Realm Ability Issues
Ignore Pain
All classes except list casters and assassins receive this ability.
All secondary healers in other realms receive this ability. (Wardens, Friars, Bards)
Lack of Archetype RAs (For example Negative Maelstrom)
Shamans receive Vehement Renewal and Ichor of the Deep.
For IP purposes Shaman are treated as a list caster, but for Archetype RAs Shamans are treated as a secondary healing class.
Mystic Crystal Lore
The cost is too high for the return on this RA.
Master Level Abilities
Heal Font
Disease does not affect healing from heal fonts.
Heal fonts render Shaman DoTs useless, especially since they are not affected by disease.
Leaping Health
Shamans mend line is very poor and this master level ability does not help.
Rampant Healing
This ability works best with group instants that Shamans do not have.
This is another buff to the mend line for which Shamans are severely lacking.
New Issues
Shaman Cave Damage
With the advent of master level abilities and things like heal font, Shamans are not able output enough damage to be effective in New Frontiers.
Without a means for multiple cave Shamans to stack DoTs, either target or AE, they are just an annoyance in New Frontiers.
Wild Power
One of the defining abilities of Shamans, Disease, can no longer crit in RvR.
Realm Point Nerf
Players are penalized for fighting and killing lower realm rank players. However, these players are not able to pick and choose whom they get to fight.
With the amount of realm points needed to reach a high realm rank, the lower realm points only serves to prolong people from leveling in realm ranks.
Item Issues
Artifacts
Maddening Scalars and Guard of Valor are melee versions for Shamans.
The artifact cloaks only serve to point out seers in RvR. This makes those artifacts less desirable.
Other Issues
Heal fonts and Spread Heals are unaffected by disease.
Ichor of the Deep does not have a casting animation.