Stoneclaw Totem

Stoneclaw Totem is a totem. Shamans can drop it to take aggro from nearby mobs and occasionally stun them. It also protects all other totems by placing a protective shield on them. Combined with Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem, this totem plays an important role in PvP.

The totem is sometimes affectionately referred to as the "Angry Stick".

Talents
Talents that can improve the totem:
 * Totemic Focus
 * Earth's Grasp
 * Mental Quickness

Functionality
This totem is used to draw aggro from nearby mobs. However, the totem does not produce any damage to nearby mobs and enemy players - instead it pulses a weak aggro threat (weaker than taunting abilities) every 2 seconds. Since the totem lacks any damage output, it is very easy for any player to peel a mob from the totem with only using his/her auto-attack, and it is highly unlikely that the totem will regain aggro on its own. Thus, this totem is ill-suited for any type of aggro management during combat. Foolish shaman players never use this totem since they think it does not affect greatly the player's gameplay in different situations, however when you get an extra unexpected addition when fighting this totem is a reasonably form of temporary crowd control, providing a weak "offtank".

Some shaman players, however, do use this totem skillfully. Since it still has a weak aggro threat, it can still peel away the initial aggro from a mob that has not been engaged by any player. Also, the caster has to take into consideration that once the totem is destroyed by the mob(s) (like any other totem) they will instantly pursue the caster, unless the caster is out of their pursuit range before the totem dies.

In Patch 2.0.1, Stoneclaw was given a 50% chance of afflicting whatever hits it with a stun. The stun is initially a 3 second stun, but is affected by diminishing returns. The hit points of the totem were not increased with the patch, nor the duration, so it is unlikely that the totem survives long enough to make a target immune to further stuns. It should be noted, however, that Stoneclaw Effect shares a stun type with other stuns, so any stuns inflicted by the totem may limit other crowd control abilities substantially.

Tips

 * As it is all too easy to gain more aggro than this totem, it tends to be useful only on opponents you have not engaged. Since they will destroy it quickly, this is really only useful as a distraction tactic. For example: Tauren shaman Abras gets killed in an instanced dungeon. On the way back to her body (and the rest of the group), she spots an ectoplasm blocking her path. Knowing (from experience) that she cannot kill this mob by herself, she drops one of these totems, waits for the ectoplasm to engage it, then runs past it. Note that this will not work in instances as if a mob anywhere in the dungeon destroys or otherwise engages the totem, the shaman and nearby party members will be put into combat and be unable to drop it until they have exited the instance, killed the mob, or died.


 * When pulling more than one mob, it's a good idea to drop this totem after the initial aggro, particularly if you haven't planned on pulling more than one. This will pull the extra mobs off you, meaning you can often kill one before the totem dies, greatly increasing your chances of surviving the combat and reducing downtime after it. Be sure you wait until the mobs reach you before dropping the totem so you can maximize the duration of the totem. The totem will pull aggro on the adds (assuming you haven't damaged or otherwise caused threat to them) immediately after you drop it.


 * This totem is useful in group PvP to lose aggro of enemy pets. Opponents who switched to another target after sending their pet after you would likely not re-target you. Pets who have been directly ordered to attack a player will not be affected by Stoneclaw. Therefore, Stoneclaw is rather ineffective against Warlock and Hunter pets (unless the pet has engaged on its own). However, timed correctly, the totem will attract the attention of druid Treants and snakes from a Hunter's Snake Trap who do not have well-established aggro on a target. For example, if a druid uses Force of Nature on a priest, a shaman may drop Stoneclaw and the treants will be diverted to the totem. However, if the priest has done anything after the initial summoning (shielding, healing, etc.), it is unlikely that the totem will produce enough aggro to draw the treants away (Fade does help). A priest's Shadowfiend is highly resistant to the effects of Stoneclaw.


 * This totem is useful to allow you to get in a few hits on a single mob before it attacks you. You drop the totem, let it pulse once or twice, then get in a few spells or hits and by the time the totem is gone, the mob is down to half health and you can finish it off easily. You can solo a lot and this allows less down time between battles because your health doesn't drop as much.


 * When running away from a mob or moving through a group of mobs you don't want to fight, drop this totem and continue moving. By the time the mob(s) kill the totem, you're often so far away that you can avoid combat entirely. If you select the mob and have show-target's-target enabled, you can watch the health of the totem and drop an Earthbind Totem just before or after it dies.


 * The Stoneclaw Totem is very useful for escort quests, especially if your shaman is doing it solo. Drop this totem when large group of enemies just appeared and you have few seconds to reduce their numbers without worring about health of NPC you are trying to save.


 * It's useful when fleeing or kiting enemies in PvP, especially if you've been using Earthbind Totem. They often don't look at what totem they're attacking, and it's a nasty shock when you try to kill their totem and end up stunned.

Trivia

 * Stoneclaw Totem is one of the four totems that have a chance to be summoned by a Shaman's "Totemic Call" Hero Power in Hearthstone.