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Grounding Totem

Grounding Totem

5.9% of base mana

Instant	25 sec cooldown

Requires Shaman
Requires level 38

Summons an Air Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster that will redirect one harmful spell cast on a nearby party member to itself, destroying the totem. Will not redirect area of effect spells. Lasts 15 sec.

Spell Details

Duration

15 seconds

School

Nature

Mechanic

n/a

Dispel type

n/a

GCD category

Normal

Cost

5.9% of base mana

Range

0 yards (Self)

Cast time

Instant

Cooldown

n/a

GCD

1 second

Effect

Summon (Grounding Totem)
Value: 5

Flags

Guides

Elemental Shaman Guide

Elementals in
Draenor: A Guide
to Elemental Shaman

Enhancement Shaman Guide

Raid and Class
cooldown list.

Ranged DPS
Overview -
Tips and Specs

Restoration Shaman Guide

Warlords of Draenor
Shaman Changes

Comments

Comment by MSHempel

Placing a grounding totem is a must when you encounter a mage or warlock. When fighting a mage, the first thing they cast will probobly be polymorph. The grounding totem absorbs the polymorph spell and since it wasn't dealt damage, it still sits there, ready to absorb another spell in 10 seconds (8 if you specced the talent).

Also very useful to throw down right as a mage is casting a fireball or a warlock is casting a shadowbolt.

Comment by Gulorg

Use a grounding totem before you accept the duel (Wait about 15 sec until the cooldown is gone). If you do that the totem will absorb the next spell and you will be able to make a new grounding totem asap since the cooldown (15 seconds) is gone.
Grounding totem is very useful in PVE raids as well against caster mobs etc.

Comment by thakidd69

Very True , I am Specced Elemental and my buddy is DW with Stormstrike, always fun to fight a mage in AB when we lay double grounding totems, very fast kill with mine and his CL and SS combos on multiple casters. Grounding is indeed great cause it absorbs the poly and since its not a sheepable target it makes you and the totem immune

Comment by orsmshaman

Grounding Totem is one of those spells that you simply love, dropping it gives you immunity to the next offensive spell cast unless its an AoE, this includes polymorph, fear, daze, hunters mark, pyroball and all bolts, practically every spell you can think of. But be warned, certian abilities are NOT spells, such as sap, charge, hemmorage and cleave, but it does take hamstring and demoralising. A good combo to use when defending or camping is Ghostwolf and grounding, meaning that no one can CC you as it will be absorbed by the totem and sap wont be cast on you as you are considered a beast, happy pwning

Comment by Largos

We all know the classic battle Paladin vs. Shaman. The worst thing it's when you heal and they hammer you. Well, remember that Grounding Totem also redirect their hammer.

In PvE, this and Earth Shock makes almost any caster mob you find, useless.

Comment by Skrumchody

Keep these suggestions in mind for PvE group or soloing. The grounding totem will absorb more than direct damage spells. It will protect you against curses, mana drains, and other abilities you might not think of trying it on.

The comment on dropping it before entering a duel works the same as for regular PvE. Drop it before aggroing a caster, and you will be able to drop another one immediately or after your Earth Shock.

Comment by frmorrison

Grounding is obviously great in PvP, especially vs a Warlock. Since many of their spells don't do damage initially, with server lag the totem can eat up 2 non-damageing spells before the 10 second cooldown comes into effect (so 7 seconds later it can eat more spells).

Group with another Shaman for more grounding fun.

This totem is also key on the Lady Vashj fight (she does some big shocks spells) and in Kara to eat Repetance from Maidan.

Comment by Pepperspray

This totem is godly in PvP, especially in 2v2 arenas VS any dot class such as a Shadowpriest or a Warlock.. Speaking as a shadowpriest it's insanely unfair that I have practically no way to destroy this unless I use up my mind blast.. It'll absorb an infinite amount of dots until destroyed by a direct damage spell or manually targetting and ganking it... This needs to be fixed :|

Comment by Kouri

From the 2.3 patch notes:
Grounding Totem: This totem is now destroyed upon redirecting any spell to itself.

Also note that with the new 4-piece Vengeful Gladiator's Wartide set bonus combined with the Guardian Totems talent, you can reduce the cooldown on this totem to 11 seconds.

Comment by darkiller

Hi guys, I have a question:
can Grounding Totem redirect the Stormstrike?

Thanks :P

Comment by aredhel

Just wanted to let everyone know that Ground also takes Freezing Trap, which can be hilarious against hunters. :)

Comment by necos

does this is arc missiles?

Comment by Flameenix

As a mage, I find it especially frustrating when a shaman places this totem down while I'm trying to get a nice shatter combo going, either absorbing my 70% crit chance frost bolt, or ice lance.

So yes, a very useful totem, saving a shaman of what is very often from mages an easy 3-4k crit spell.

Comment by Dannyt

quick question will this work in encounters such as maiden to absorb her holy fire spell.

Comment by Iceleaf

Currently bugged. For some reason it takes damage/reflects spells from DK hits...your own party that is.
My friend was in group with me. He used death grip -> it was reflected to grounding totem.

Edit: No longer grips the totem

Comment by archmagespark

this totem can be destoyed by searing totem :)

Comment by Out2conqr

Did they change this totem? .... for the better?

Since 3.0.8, I'm noticing the grounding totem absorb multiple things when I'm in BGs.

At first I thought ok maybe my mods screwed (it reports what my grounding grounds); that was until the other day when I did Violet Hold heroic; I placed a grounding down to take those Arcane Streams, so I put one down and it ate one...but the totem stayed, then it ate the next one, stayed, and next one after that, and it kept eating magic spells until the duration was up!
Of course I noticed it had an internal cooldown of like 5seconds before it was up to eat the next thing (Indigestion I guess).

Comment by godsmacks

Still praying to read this some time in the patch notes "Glyph of grounding totem - 25% chance to reflect the spell back to the caster"

Comment by weekandaday

Deathgrip? Please tell me it redirects death grip. Just came back to my 60 shaman, and atm and he is surrounded by hostile dk's everywhere I go >< so to be honest I've been shying away from him since it's just an alt for fun...and constant DK beat downs ain't much fun :P it takes me away from my totems and out of range a lot, dropping em all again eats up valuable GCDs

Comment by Lutillian

Small question, everyone says grounding totem absorbs hex and sheep, but mine never does?

Comment by pnukup

It also can ground Paladins Stun: Hammer of Justice

Comment by Abomb

could it group a priests MC? probably not put that would be funny if it could imagine a priest thinking hes controlling a shammy only to find he cant move, or cast, or do anything them he sees a mage cast icelance at him and one shot him.

Comment by Arcerian

Shaman

Grounding Totem will now properly protect against the Death Grip spell.

3.2.2 notes.

Comment by wolftw

Even tough my fellow, orsmshaman, said most of it, there's still so many people wondering around just how many spells does it ground.

From mages - Absolutely everything. (Except AoE).
From Warlocks - Everything (Except AoE).
From DKs - Strangulate, DC, Death Grip, Mind Freeze was groundable, there have been some discussion if it was changed or not in the latest patches, but i think it still is.
From Paladins - Hammer of Justice (Does not ground Judgements).
From Priests - All Spells (Except AoE).
From Druids - All balance spells, Cyclone included (No AoEs).
From Shamans - Everything, Hex and Shear included.
From Hunters - Hunter's Mark, Freezing Trap.

Warrior, rogues, who can only do physical damage will do nothing. (Poisons will!)

If two spells are cast almost at the same time, they will both go to the grounding totem if he hasnt been destroyed yet.

Thanks for all of those who posted in this page, they helped me build up this info.

Comment by Sonofspree

This can also be glyphed to REFLECT spells instead of Absorbing them, but it does increase the cooldown on it, making it once a minute.

I cannot get enough of grounding Hammer of Justice only to reflect it in the Paladins' stupid wing blown face. :)

Comment by Metodi

They upped the CD on this totem from 15 to 25 seconds in 4.1. The glyphed version still has 1 min CD.

Comment by Sentiray

(PVP) An easy way to get rid of the Grounding Totem as a monk is to taunt(provoke) the shaman or any of his party members. It doesn't cost anything and it counts as a harmful effect which destroys the totem.

Comment by Magnatross

It doesn't absorb the Weakened Armor debuff from Faerie Fire. The magic debuff will fail to hit the target, but that target will still get 3 stacks of the armor debuff.

Grounding Totem

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