Elemental Shaman PvE Guide

[Thelan]

Welcome to the World of Shamancraft! The purpose of this guide is to provide a basic reference for the new and experienced alike, but mostly for those who find Elemental confusing. I have added a Q&A section in the next post, should you have any questions after reading through.

[Changelog]
19.10.2011 - Initial Release for 4.0.6
- 20.10.2011 - Q&A section added.
- 20.10.2011 - Totems section broadened.
- 25.10.2011 - Enchants section added.

Now, onto the beefy parts!

First of all, the talent spec:32/9/0
Note: As of 4.0.6a Lava Flows (wowhead link) provide 30%(10%/rank) spell haste after Flame Shock has been dispelled.

I won't go into detail providing reasons for every talent, as most should be fairly self-explanatory. However, here's an explanation on some of them:
Reverberation (wowhead link) - Makes managing shock cooldowns a little easier.
Ancestral Swiftness (wowhead link) - While it is difficult to assign dps value to movement talents, instant Ghost Wolf (wowhead link) is an invaluable tool that will save your butt more often than you think. On top of that 15% speed increase frees us the boot enchant for haste or mastery.
Totemic Reach (wowhead link) - Increases the range of all totems, both beneficial and offensive. Handy, but not entirely necessary.
Convection (wowhead link) - Replacement for Totemic Reach, spec for it should you encounter mana issues during regular casting(which you shouldn't).


Glyphs:
Prime:
Glyph of Lightning Bolt - Large portion of Elemental dps comes from this spell, an obvious choice.
Glyph of Flame Shock - Makes juggling shock cooldowns a significantly easier.
Glyph of Lava Burst - Another bread and butter spell. Glyph made awesome thanks to Lava Surge.

Major:
Glyph of Lightning Shield - Mandatory, keeping Lightning Shield up at all times is one of the keys to Elemental dps.
Glyph of Chain Lightning - More reliable AoE? Yes please!
Glyph of Healing Stream Totem - Optional - Excellent boost for a very useful totem
Glyph of Thunder - Optional - Useful to AoE-heavy fights, make sure you get the matching minor glyph if you go with that.

Minor:
Glyph of Thunderstorm - To go with Glyph of Thunder.
Rest is up to you as they don't have any real impact on dps.


A Guide to Spells:
- Lightning Bolt (wowhead link) - The basic filler spell when nothing better can be cast
- Chain Lightning (wowhead link) - The Signature spell - a ranged cleave, offering the best burst AoE around.
- Flame Shock (wowhead link) - The Elemental DoT - provides decent damage and allows to keep a 100% crit rate of Lava Burst
- Lava Burst (wowhead link) - Excellent source of dps, always crits if the target is afflicated with Flame Shock.
- Earth Shock (wowhead link) - A new spell in Elemental Arsenal after Cataclysm - used to discharge surplus Lightning Shield charges, providing excellent burst.
- Earthquake (wowhead link) - The lacklustre 31-point talent. Provides modest channeled AoE.
- Fire Nova (wowhead link) - Based on an active fire totem, this spell is one of the basic AoE spells in our arsenal.
- Spiritwalker's Grace (wowhead link) - Allows casting while moving, 15s duration with a 2m cooldown. Plan your movement ahead if you want to use it to the fullest.
- Thunderstorm (wowhead link) - Provides 8% mana and knocks enemies back. Do not use on tanked trash unless glyphed.
- Elemental Mastery (wowhead link) - Provides a great boost to dps output, try to align it with your trinkets for greater effect. Otherwise use on cooldown.
- Heroism (wowhead link)/Bloodlust (wowhead link) - Massive raid-wide boost to haste for 40s. It's a good idea to make a macro announcing the cast.
- Unleash Elements (wowhead link) - Situationally useful, mostly in movement heavy fights where it can partially offset for Spiritwalker's Grace being on cooldown. Do not use it in any other scenarios.


Spell Priorities:
Like in WotLK, Elemental doesn't have a set rotation, but rather a priority list.

0. Keep Lightning Shield and Flametongue Weapon up at all times.
1. Fire a fire totem up(Fire Elemental, Searing)
2. Keep Flame Shock DoT up
3. Lava Burst
4. Earth Shock - when Lightning Shield has 8-9 charges
5. Lightning Bolt filler

Despite what a layman may think, the key to maintaining high dps lies with vigilant watching of Flame Shock, Lava Burst procs and Lightning Shield discharges through Earth Shock.

Note on importance of Lightning Shield: Lightning Shield doesn't only provide dps through Fulmination (wowhead link), but also is the main source of mana due to Rolling Thunder (wowhead link).

Note on Fire Elemental Totem (wowhead link): Use as a replacement for Searing every time it's off cooldown.



Couple of guidelines to go with that:

* Keeping a Fire Totem up is not only extremely important for your personal dps, but it also provides a massive boost for other casters (wowhead link). Keep an eye on those timers!
* Never cast Lava Burst if Flame Shock DoT isn't up. You should always strive to keep the DoT up 100% of the time.
* Each you spell cast while Lava Burst is up is a dps loss. That being said, never cancel a cast, it's even worse.
* Each Lightning Bolt you cast while having 9 Lightning Shield Charges is a dps loss.
* Chain Lightning is no longer a valid replacement for Lightning Bolt, use it ONLY in AoE situations.

Note on Flame Shock DoT: Cataclysm has changed the rules of reapplying DoTs. The duration resets after the next tick rather than immediately.
This means that recasting a DoT on a target with a single tick left causes no loss in DPS.


A Guide to Totems
The basic set of totems you should be using while solo:
Stoneskin (wowhead link) - Searing Totem (wowhead link) - Healing Stream (wowhead link) - Wrath of Air (wowhead link)

In Raid/Party situation, some of your totems may become obsolete due to benefits provided by other classes. Thus, here's a handy reference list which totem is duplicated by which buff.

- Wrath of Air Totem (wowhead link) - Moonkin Aura(Balance Druid), Mind Quickening(Shadow Priest)
- Windfury Totem (wowhead link) - Hunting Party(Survival Hunter), Improved Icy Talons(Frost DK)
- Stoneskin Totem (wowhead link) - Devotion Aura(Paladin, most often Protection)
- Strength of Earth Totem (wowhead link) - Horn of Winter(DK), Roar of Courage(Cat/Spirit Beast pet), Battle Shout(Warrior)
- Mana Spring Totem (wowhead link) - Blessing of Might(Paladin), Fel Intelligence(Felhunter - Affliction and Demonology warlocks)
- Elemental Resistance Totem (wowhead link) - Resistance Aura(Paladin) Note: Pally aura provides Shadow resistance instead of Nature.
- Totem of Tranquil Mind (wowhead link) - Concentration Aura(Paladin)

Totems that have completely unique effects:
- Healing Stream (wowhead link)
- Tremor (wowhead link) - sometimes useful, useless in most fights
- Grounding (wowhead link) - Finding a use for it requires loads of concentration better spent somewhere else.
- Earthbind (wowhead link) - Useful when kiting, in case your mages or hunters decide to inspect the floor.
- Searing (wowhead link)/Magma (wowhead link)/Elemental (wowhead link)

Always strive to help your group with the most varied set of buffs. But most of all, use common sense.


How to: AoE: There are two ways of providing AoE damage as an Elemental Shaman in 4.0.6.
First Method: Stick a Magma Totem in the middle of a pack, pop Fire Nova and hit them with Earthquake.
Second Method: Stick a Magma Totem in the middle of a pack, pop Fire Nova and Chain Lightning on cooldown. Lightning Bolt filler onto tanks target.

Being somewhat set in my ways I prefer the second method, but it's mostly down to personal preference and whether you can stand round and channel. In either scenario your AoE damage isn't going to on par with warlocks, mages, boomkins and shadow priests so don't be surprised.
(This is going to change in 4.2)


Stats:

Spirit/Hit (until capped - 17% or 1742 rating / 16% or 1640 for Draenei) >> Intellect > Haste = Mastery >> Crit

Note on Spirit/Hit: Thanks to Elemental Precision each point of Spirit translates to a point of Hit. If you are planning to having a resto offec always reforge for spirit rather than hit. This way you'll have hit as elemental and regen as Resto without swapping gear.

Note on Haste and Mastery: Both stats provide the nearly identical benefit of casting more spells within a given time frame. The actual difference is largely down to RNG.


Gems:
Red: Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Blue: Purified Demonseye if you're not hitcapped after reforging or if the socket bonus is attractive (Intellect, Haste or Mastery >= 15 per socket), otherwise go with Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Yellow: Reckless Ember Topaz if the socket bonus is attractive (Intellect, Haste or Mastery >= 15 per socket), otherwise go with Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Meta: Burning Shadowspirit Diamond is the only meta you should use.

Enchants:
- Head: 60 Int/35 crit
- Shoulders: 50 Int/25 haste
- Back - 50 Int (wowhead link)
- Chest - 20 stats (wowhead link)
- Wrists - 50 Int (wowhead link)
- Gloves - 50 haste (wowhead link)
- Legs - 95 Int/55 Spirit
- Boots - Run speed/35 mastery (wowhead link)
- Weapon - Power Torrent (wowhead link)
- Offhand - 40 Int (wowhead link)



Gear:
While Shamans excel at wearing Mail, the actual bonus isn't worth sacrificing your ilvl for. In other words, especially on new toons - just grab the highest ilvl caster gear you can get your hands on. After you've jumped over the initial gearing phase you should strive to wear mail gear only.

References: Elitist Jerks Elemental Discussion

[Thelan]

- Reserved for Q&A -


Balance Druid PvE Guide - Elemental Shaman PvE Guide

[HrN]

why healing stream totem and not tranquil mind?

in every encounter we have constat aoe damage recieved, tranquil mind totem is very, very useful

[Thelan]

The totems setup presented above is meant for solo play, not raiding. Edited OP to underline that.

As I've written, the setup is obviously subject to change depending on party/raid setup. In this case pally aura could work just as well as tranquil mind, while healing stream is quite unique.

Edit: as an afterthought I'll broaden the totems section, stay tuned.

Edit #2: Done.

[HrN]

you have a point, but the paladin has other useful auras that are better than healing stream totem, anyways, you said you meant solo play, really? what does pve solo play means? fighting boars in durotar?

no my friend, a pve guide must be meant to party/raid situations, that's how blizz makes the classes, for raiding, not solo pve

[Thelan]

Which auras to be exact? Devotion? Stoneskin totem down. Retri? Far less useful than Healing Stream. Resistance? Healing stream provides nearly the same benefits along with minor healing. Also, note that healadins are going to have concentration up anyway.

Add a resto shaman to the party and you'll keep Tranquil Mind up as two Healing Streams don't stack; add an enhancement shaman and he'll keep Tranquil Mind up as your Healing Stream will be stronger. Etc.

In any case, are you seriously expecting me to go over EVERY possible raid setup to satisfy your nitpicking? Now use your common sense for crying out loud.

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, PvE means everything involving mobs, yes, even fighting boars in Durotar or soloing Blackwing Lair for fun and profit. You may not agree with that, but hey, we're allowed to disagree.