Enhancement Shaman 8.2

An Enhancement Shaman specializes in dealing Melee damage for which he uses brutal power combined with magic of Nature, Fire, Frost.

Basic information on the spec:

Enhancement uses one main combat resource – Maelstrom, and an auxiliary mana. Hence all the abilities are devoted to collecting and spending Maelstrom.

Let’s take a closer look at the weakest and the strongest aspects of this specialization:

Advantages:

• Nice damage on a single target, although it is a bit unpredictible.
• Lossless target switch.
• Increased damage on a single target due to secondary abilities.
• A wide variety of probabilities for a group, i.e. stuns, slowdowns, dispersing magic of your enemies, cancelling spells on your allies.

Disadvantages:

• Rather weak AoE.
• Since it lacks DoT mechanics, it is strongly dependent on constant being in the Melee zone.
• No immunes

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Glossary

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Main abilities

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Talents

General information. On achieving several new levels you’ll get access to new talent ‘Tiers’. Talents may have different effect on abilities: add new features, replace old ones, modify passively different effects and spells. Talents can be changed in Sanctuaries or any recreational zones. However, if you don’t have any of those places nearby you can use the Codex of the Tranquil Mind which allows you to switch channels within a minute. You can’t change talents in combat. You can’t change a talent if the talent you’ve picked in the last Tier is on Cooldown. You’ll have to wait until it’s restored first.

Tier 1. Lvl 56.

• Boulderfist. Rockbiter’s recharge time is reduced by 15% and it deals 35% more damage.
• Hot hand. Melee attacks with Flametongue active have a chance to make your next Lava lash cost no Maelstrom and deal 100% increased damage.
• Lightning shield. Surround yourself with a shield of lightning for 1 hour.  Melee attackers have a chance to suffer Nature damage, and add a charge to your shield. Can gain up to 20 charges and at maximum charges the shield overcharges  causing you to deal an additional Nature damage with each attack for 10 sec.

Lightning shield is a default choice. If you have a trait Primal primer then use Hot hand.

Tier 2. Lvl 30.

• Landslide. Rockbiter has a 40% chance to increase the damage of your next Stormstrike by 100%.
• Forceful winds. Windfury causes each successive attack within 15 seconds to increase the damage of Windfury by 80 % and Maelstrom generated by 1 ,stackin up to  5 times.
• Totem mastery. Summons 4 totems for 2 minutes that increase haste by 2%, Flame shock damage  by 10%, chance for Lightning Bolt and Chain lightning to trigger mastery by 5% and generates 1 Maelstrom every 1 sec. The range of totems is 40 yards.

*Totem mastery is your choice- if you have Primal primer. Otherwise take Forceful winds.

Tier 3. Lvl 45.

• Spirit Wolf. While transformed in Ghost wolf, you gain 5% increased movement speed and 5% damage reduction every 1 se, stacking up to 4 times.  
• Earth Shield. Protect the target with earthen shield, increasing your healing on them by 10% healing them when they take damage. Has 9 charges. This effect can only occur once every few seconds.  Earth shield can only be placed on one target at a time.
• Static Charge. Reduces the cooldown of Capacitor totem  by 5 sec for each enemy it stuns. (up to 20 sec) .

* You should use Spirit Wolf,  because it is the most effective survivability and moving talent. In the open world Earth Shield could be better. In dungeons you might need to stun enemies so Static Charge could work.

Tier 4. Lvl 60.

• Searing assault. Flametongue  now causes the target to burn for Fire damage over 6 sec.
• Hailstorm. Frostbrand is now also enhances your weapon like  Flametongue, causing each your attack to also deal Frost damage.
• Overcharge. “Lightning bolt” now consumes up to 40 Maelstrom for up to 1200%  increased damage, but has a 9 sec cooldown.

* Searing assault. is a default choice. If you have a trait Natural harmony then you should take Hailstorm.

Tier 5. Lvl 75.

• Nature’s Guardian. When your health is brought below 35%, you instantly heal for 20% of your maximum health. Cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.  
• Feral lunge. Lunge at your enemy that is within 8-25 yards. 30 sec cd.
• Wind Rush Totem. Summons a totem at the target location for 15 sec, continually granting all allies who pass within 1 0 yards 50^ increased movement speed for 5 sec. 2 minutes  cd.

* Your choice by standard is – Nature’s Guardian. If  your group or raid needs sprint then take Wind Rush Totem. If you want to have bursting mobility or an opporutnity to interrupt knock effects then take Feral lunge.

Tier 60. Lvl 90.

• Crashing storm. “Crash lightning”  electrifies the ground for 6 sec dealing Nature damage.
• Fury of air.  Creates a vortex of wind 8 yards around you dealing nature damage every 1 sec to enemies caught in the storm, and slowing them by 30% for 3 sec.
• Sundering. A shatters earth in front of you for 20 Maelstrom, dealing damage to all enemies and incapacitating any enemy hit for 2 sec.  

* Sundering is the only choice in this tier for any situation.

Tier 7. Lvl 100.

• Elemental spirits. Reduces the cooldown of Feral spirit by 30 seconds and causes it to be imbued with Fire, Frost, or Lightning damage. Lava Lash now leaves a dot for 4 sec. This effect sums up and refreshes.
• Earthen spike. Deals great physical damage to an enemy for 20 Maelstrom and Increases physical and natural damage you deal to this target by 20% for 10 sec. За 20 sec cd.
• Ascendance. Transforms you into an air Ascendant for 15 sec reducing the cooldown and cost of stormstrike by 66%  and transforming you auto attack and stormstrike into wind attacks which bypass armor and have a 30 yards range. 3 minutes cd.

* “Ascendance” is a very strong talent for bursting the priority target. Earthen spike is equally good to but bounds you to one target.  Elemental spirits is a standard AOE choice or if you have a trait Primal primer Elemental spirits becomes your choice for any situation. So the build looks like this:

1. Lightning shield  / Hot hand (with Primal primer)
2. Forceful winds / Totem mastery (with Primal primer)
3. –
4. Searing assault / Hailstorm (with Natural harmony)
5. –
6. Sundering
7. Ascendance / Elemental spirits (with Primal primer)

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Azerite Traits

Azerite traits are additional improvements for your character that are available as 3 special azerite armor pieces – helmet, chest and shoulders. In Battle for Azeroth you will not find other amor with such slots.

Your talents and azerite traits are the basics of your build. Having Primal prime as 3 will synergies with Hot hand, Totem mastery, Elemental spirits. If you have a few Natural Harmony traits then you should use Hailstorm. Roiling storm  is a great trait for any talent. Apart from these there are good common traits like Treacherous covenant and minor traits. The best among them are : Overwhelming power, Unstable flames, Gutripper and Heed my call.

We recommend to use Herodamage and AzeritePowerWeight addon. Import the addon command from the site in the game and you can compare azerite right there.

( AzeritePowerWeights:2:"herodamage.com - Stacks_1T_T24":7:263: 416=10, 575=8.63, 420=8.48, 526=7.59, 193=7.54, 522=7.52, 562=7.01, 447=7.01, 82=7.01, 196=6.83, 479=5.58, 192=5.52, 488=5.41, 494=5.41, 501=5.38, 530=5.36, 157=5.29, 504=5.17, 505=4.92, 483=4.89, 478=4.87, 485=4.77, 492=4.71, 486=4.71, 179=4.64, 195=4.57, 482=4.54, 30=4.51, 480=4.45, 481=4.42, 521=4.39, 523=4.38, 495=4.38, 489=4.38, 194=4.36, 561=4.08, 137=3.88, 498=3.54, 576=3.18, 156=2.93, 223=2.82, 459=2.75, 31=2.68, 500=2.58, 487=2.54, 493=2.54, 21=2.33, 560=2.32, 22=2.32, 38=2.17, 499=2.03, 497=1.78, 491=1.78, 18=1.77, 541=1.61, 461=1.58, 462=1.58, 496=1.51, 490=1.51, 448=-0.11: )

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Essences

Rotation

The whole dealing damage process as Enhancement shaman is based on proper Maelstrom management, effective burst usage and maintaining positive effects.

Basic priority in combat

1. Totem mastery, if you have it
2. “Crash lightning”, if it hits 2+ targets just to get an effect.
3. “Windstrike” while using Ascendance
4. “Flametongue” to keep up the buff
5. “Feral spirit” every cd
6. Earthen spike every cd
7. “Frostbrand” if you have Hailstorm to keep up the buff. (there is no point to refresh it if the effects duration is more than 4.5 seconds)  
8. Ascendance
9. “Stormstrike” every proc
10. “Lava lash” with a proc of  Hot hand
11. Stormstrike
12. “Crash lightning”, if it hits 3+ targets
13. “Flametongue to apply  Searing assault
14. Sundering
15. Rockbiter”if you have less than 70 Maelstrom and 2nd charge will soon refresh  
16. “Lava lash” if you have more than 40 Maelstrom
17. Rockbiter’

Shaman has a lot of abilities that do not deal great damage but used together make up a good dps. You need a  bit of practice, well set interface and you will manage to keep up all priorities automatically with time.

Start of the fight

1. Prepotion
2. Rockbiter
3. Fury of air if you have it
4. “Flametongue”
5. “Frostbrand”, if you have “Hailstorm”
6. Feral spirit
7. Earthen spike if you have it
8. “Stormstrike”
9. Ascendance if you have it  to reset cooldown on Stormstrike or if  “Stormbringer” is active
10. Windstrike
11. Follow the usual priority  using “Stormstrike” / Windstrike” in time  and keepin up the buffs in between..

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Stats

Basic stat priority looks like this:

Haste> Versatility = Crit > Mastery > Agility

Having Primal primer makes Mastery more important.

This specialization’s Mastery increases all the Fire, Frost and Nature damage as well as the chance of activating Windfury and Stormbringer.

This is just the basic priority. But when you earn more of a characteristic, be prepared to see a picture where the stats that you have in lesser proportions are more valuable. This may slightly alter the basic proportion. That’s why is recommended, once you receive new equipment, you use Simcraft or Raidbots.com. There is no way to get a more precise answer to which stat to focus on first, but through a simulation.

Based on the aforementioned characteristics and results of your character’s own simulation results, you can draw conclusions on Gems, Chants and Raid Chemicals.

1. Gems

• Leviathan’s Eye of Agility
• Quick Sand Spinel 60 haste by default
• Masterful Sea Currant 60 mastery  when having Primal primer

2. Chants

• Rings: Accord of Haste / Accord of Mastery
• Weapons: Enchant Weapon – Quick Navigation + Enchant Weapon – Force Multiplier

3. Food

• Raid feast for 131 main stat or Baked Port Tato for haste

4. Flasks and Potions

• Greater Flask of the Currents 360 agility for 1 h
•  Superior Battle Potion of Agility – Most versatile for all situations
•  Potion of Unbridled Fury – Single Target encounters
•  Potion of Empowered Proximity – Consistent 4+ target AoE situations

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Macros

Kick with a modifier, with the Shift key held, the ability is applied on a remembered target, without – on the current one.

/cast [mod:shift,@focus][]Wind Shear

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What’s next?

1. Leveling. If your character has been inactive since the previous expansions, the best  option to level up it is by Timewalking dungeons. You will gain a lot of experience, but there is one big disadvantage of leveling this way. Timewalks are available only for one week during a month, but Overgear is always here.
2. Equipment. At high level, the most important thing for you will become your gear. WoW is a multiplayer game, that’s why we recommend for you to play it with your friends, or to find a new friends for mythic+ runs. If you have any trouble with it – Overgear may help you to find not just friends for a run, but a complete well geared and experienced group that also will be glad to trade all the loot you need.
3. Raids. Raids are the top-tier PvE content in the game. That’s why the equipment’s base ilvl is higher than anywhere else. These dungeons require knowing all the tactics and have a good gear to kill the bosses. The possibilities of Overgear might let you skip those criteria.

Azerite. It is also not the best idea to forget about the Heart of Azeroth and not to feed it with more Azerite. Ignoring this won’t make your character stronger. The easiest way to do it – just complete all the world quests with Azerite rewards everyday. You can get extra azerite from Island Expeditions. Companions can be found at Overgear.