Enhancement Shaman PvE 4.3.4 Guide

Hello, I'm Kemisha of Frostwolf. Some of you might know me for some quite obscene damage in BGs, or playing pocket healer. However as a huge PvE fan and with the lack of a guide here (And the EJ one being outdated, badly coded thanks to changed in the WoWhead database) thought that I should throw up this little guide on how to be awesome at shaman. 

Contents:

1) Overview

2) Talents

a. Tree

b. Glyphs

c. Individual Talents

3) Gear

a. Gearing

b. Gems

c. Enchants

d. Professions

4) Playstyle

5) Macros

6) Addons

Shamans are the master of elements, the true earth mothers. Controlling every element in order to damage, control or heal. 

Restoration – Healer: Using the soothing energies of water to cleanse all injuries, awakening the spirits to aids those close to death. Resto Shamans are strong at aiding those who are about to die. 

Elemental – Ranged Damage: Calls upon the fire and nature elements in order to cause destruction from range. Storms are coming for Elemental shamans enemies.

Enhancement – Melee Damage: Imbuing their weapons with the forces, causing strong melee damage with the powers of Wind, Fire and Nature to unleash the ultimate fury. 

Picking your Race:

Alliance:

Dwarf – Racial more useful in a PvP situation, allowing you to reduce damage taken by 10% for 8s, this however might be quite good for PvE depending on how you use it. Also increased Expertise rating with Maces. 

Dreanei – The 1% hit rating is a good stat to enjoy, however this is Molten and it doesn't work. The Racial heal again like the Dwarf one is more PvP based, however might have a small use in PvE.

Horde:

Goblin – 1% haste rating, which is useless to Enhc Shamans.

Orc – On use Attack Power buff, expertise when using Axes. Hands down the best Shaman race of both factions. 

Tauren – AOE stun and an increased 5% Base HP. 

Troll – Small Bloodlust style haste boost, bit useless for shamans, Slow effect reduction (PvP mainly). 

Talents:

Talent Tree

Primary Glyphs

Glyph of Lava Lash - Increases the Damage of Lava Lash, should be your standard go to Enhc glyph

Glyph of Windfury Weapon - Increases the proc rate of your WF weapon, again a must have glyph.

then either:

Glyph of Stormstrike - This is preferential for when you have your T13 4set, since it works with increasing your damage with Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock.

Glyph of Shocking - Better if you don't have your T13 4set, since the reduced GCDs from shock help clear up a little downtime should you still have any.

Major:

Glyph of Shamanistic Rage - This is purly to help healers who are unable to dispel everyone at once on some fights, not to mention magical CCs, like Morchok trash. 

Glyph of Lightning Shield - Some fights there is a raid-wide damage going out, this can consume your lightning shield. Using this glyph stops that from happening. 

Minor: 

Glyph of Renewed Life - Allowing you to use Reincarnation without having to worry about Ankhs.

Individual Talents:

Most of the talents are fairly obvious as to why they would be taken. Some however you may question.You are even left over with a spare talent point which you can put wherever you find preferable, I throw it in Elemental Precision, just for that little extra boost to base damage. 

Elemental Talents

Reverberation - This talent is pretty brilliant, it reduces the CD of your shocks by 1s, which stop a lot of downtime within your rotation. Not only that but gives you a 5s kick. Great for things like Ultraxion event, where I normally just run around kicking the dragons clearing the way of fire. 

Elemental Precision - Ignoring the Hit from spirit because you don't actually have gear with spirit on. it's taken for the % damage increase from Nature and Fire. 

Enhancement Talents

Ancestral Swiftness - Its not a primary talent, but it is helpful. I would chose this just because I prefer the extra movement speed, with flights like Yj, or Madness where you have a bit of movement between phases it just speeds it up a little. 

Basic Stat Priority

Spell Hit (17%) > Agility > Mastery > Crit > Over Melee Hit Cap > Haste

*Expertise here on molten isn't working too well, neither is hit rating really, however I still advise you get your full 17% spell hit rating.

Gearing

There is always one thing to remember as a Enhc Shaman. You want to be getting slow 1h weapons. And nice as that dagger looks, and as much agility that is on it, it will never be as good as a strength 1h weapon. Daggers when combined with Windfury is like stabbing someone with toothpicks. Windfury however with slow 2.60+ weapon is like raining stones upon someone. Always take this into account and never equip a Dagger, even if said dagger is +20 Ilvl.. It's just not worth losing out on your Windfury to get. 

Another question you might as yourself upon seeing the BIS list... Why is it lower ilvl? Why am I wearing FL HC gear? You see, Mastery is our main stat, you want to be stacking this like 12YOs brag about stacking your mother... Every point in Mastery is a direct DPS increase. Most of the Agility gear in DS is aimed at Hunters and Rogues, with their fancy Crit+Haste, not Shamans. Which does make the Elements very sad. But Don't worry yourself, Sir Ragnaros, Lord of Fire, gives us a lot of juicy gear from his little domain. Isn't he kind?

Gems:

Red/Prismatic – Delicate Queen's Garnet (40 Agi)

Yellow – Adept Lava Coral (25 Agi + 25 Mastery) 

Meta - Agile Shadowspirit Diamond (54 Agi + 3% Crit Effect)

Enchants: 

Weapons: Landslide

Helm: +60 Agility and +35 Haste (Ramkahen Rep)

Shoulders: +50 Agility and +25 Mastery (Therazane Rep)

Back: +65 Crit Rating (Greater Critical Strike)

Chest: +20 Stats (Peerless Stats) 

Bracers: +65 Crit (Greater Critical Strike) / +50 Agility (Agility) / +130 Agility (LW Prof)

Gloves: +65 Mastery (Greater Mastery)

Belt: Ebonsteel Belt Buckle

Legs: +190 Attack Power +55 Crit (Dragonscale Leg Armor)

Boots: +50 Mastery

Professions:

Professions help you in many ways, whether it be a buff or an enchant, you’re going to get something out of taking up a profession. However not all them are beneficial to your role and class.

Blacksmithing – Two Gem Sockets on your Wrist/Gloves where you can put ANY Coloured gem in it, this is probably the best profession to take as a Enhc Shaman. So that’s +100 Agility. 

Enchanting - +80 Agility from the two ring enchants. 

Leatherworking – Your fur wrist enchants gain you +130 Agility on your bracers, it works out to be a +80 Agility Increase. 

Alchemy - +80 Agility Flask, increase on pots and flaskes used. 

These are the best ones to take. The rest you gain not a lot from in terms of helpful stats. Even Jewelcrafting when DS is released is bad, since there will be epic gems. 

BIS List:

A fair bit of this will require you doing FL HC. - Feel free to question my list, I do drop some HC DS items for lower ilevel due to the increase in Mastery over things such as Haste. 

Helm: Spiritwalker's Helmet (T13-DS)

Neck: Choker of the Vanquished Lord (FLHC-Rag)

Shoulders: Spiritwalker's Spaulders (T13-DS)

Back: Dreadfire Drape (FLHC-LRyho)

Chest: Spiritwalker's Cuirass (T13-DS)

Bracers: Bracers of Looming Darkness (DS-Ultra)

Gloves: Spiritwalker's Grips (T13-DS)

Belt: Belt of the Beloved Companion (DS-WMB)

Legs: Spiritwalker's Legguards (T13-DS)

Boots: Treads of Dormant Dreams (DS-Hag)

Ring: Seal of Primordial Shadow (DS-Shared)

Ring: Emergency Decent Loop (Valor)

Trinket: Wrath of Unchaining (DS-Spine)

Trinket: Matrix Restabilizer (FLHC-Rag)

Weapons: No'Kaled, the Element of Death (DS-MoD)

Relic: Covenant of the Flame (FLHC Token)

Priority System

Shamans do not have a rotation, instead like rets, we have a Priority System. Based on what you have on CD, what needs refreshing, what is going on in the fight.

Weapon Embues: 

Mainhand: Windfury - When proc'd instantly deals 3 attacks based on AP and Weapon Damage. 

Offhand: Flametongue - Passively increases LL damage, as well as when unleashed increases the damage of your next fire spell by 5%. 

Totems: (mainly depending on raid comps, however this is my standard CotE)

Searing Bolt Totem 

Strength of Earth Totem

Healing Stream Totem

Windfury Totem

Single Target:

Searing Totem - This should be down all the time, It's 1min uptime, I would highly suggest you get an addon to track this.

Lightning Bolt w/ 5 MW Stacks - This should be your main concern, spending your MW allows you to gain more again. Only with 5 is it instant cast. Should this ability miss due to lack of hit rating your MW stacks are not consumed.

Stormstrike - Keeps on your Nature Damage increase debuff, works for your LB and ES damage.

Flame Shock w/ Unleash Flame - Flame Shock is your base DOT, allows you to use FN which will AOE as well as direct dmg/

Lava Lash w/ 5 Searing - Consumes your Searing Bolt stacks to unleash a deadly amount of Fire damage. 

Unleash Elements - This unleashes your WF and FT imbues, which then I would use Fire Nova to consume FT if you don't need to reapply FS.

Earth Shock - Filler Shock, for when you have nothing else to press. Works with your SS debuff. 

Fire Nova - AOE damage on every target with Flame Shock on, great filler spell for empty GCDs since it does a fair amount of direct damage.

AOE Targets:

Magma Totem - AOE stacking Searing totem.

Flame Shock w/ Unleash - DoTs up on target with FS.

Lava Lash - Use to spread the Flame Shock to others around.

Fire Nova - Spam this off CD for the most beautiful AOE DPS outside of a Mages' Combustion spread. 

Chain Lightning /w 5 MW - Use Chain Lightning to spend your MW, however it does have a 8s CD. 

Stormstrike - To help build up MW stacks. 

The aim is to never have downtime and for every GCD you have available to you is used, while at the same time sticking to your priority system without having much error. 

There are not many macros involved with Enhc. The only major one I would suggest for PvE is a Stopcasting incase you button smash LB and it starts to cast without and MW.

Code:

/stopcasting

/cast Stormstrike

And maybe a Macro to use your wolves with a trinket (if your not lucky enough to own your two BIS trinkets)

Code:

/cast Feral Spirit

/cast Spirit Walk

/use 14

TotemTimers - Keeping track of you totems and uptimes.

Power Auras - for tracking procs and any other CD you wish. 

And Just so you can see, my UI. 

This is a copied post from Warmane Official Forum

Credits to: Faelarin