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re: Shaman Megathread 3.2 - Not One but Four Totems

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Table of Contents
Links
The Shaman Class
Races
Shaman Math
Leveling a Shaman
Builds
Rotations and Information
Trade Skills
Miscellaneous Notes
Shaman Megathread 3.2: Not One but Four Totems

The below links are resources, not forums
ElitistJerks Elemental Think Tank
ElitistJerks Enhancement Think Tank
ElitistJerks Restoration Think Tank



2. The Shaman Class
Shaman are a mail wearing hybrid class with two offensive specializations and one support specialization. Shaman call upon fire, nature, and frost spells to survive and deal overwhelming damage at range and in melee. Our most unique feature is our Totems, four commandable emplacements that provide increases to our abilities or additional utility. Like paladins, shaman are a support class that provide unique or semi-unique buffs like Bloodlust, Windfury, Totem of Wrath, and Earth Shield.

Elemental
Elemental Shaman are a ranged DPS class that offer substantial buffs to all nearby magical classes. On their own they deal incredible damage even just after reaching the level cap.
Enhancement
Enhancement Shaman are a duel wielding melee DPS class that imbue their weapons and deal substantial damage while buffing nearby melee classes.
Restoration
Restoration Shaman are a healing class that specialize in group healing. Restoration Shaman heal for significant amounts and are capable of negating large amounts of raidwide damage very quickly
3. Races
Below is a list of applicable and useful racial bonuses to shaman.
Alliance
Draenei:
Gemcutting: increases jewelcrafting skill by 5
Gift of the Naaru: instant heal-over-time based on your level
Heroic Presence: increases chance to hit by 1% for you and your party
Horde
Orc
Blood Fury: increases attack/spell power for 15 seconds on a cooldown of two minutes, based on level
Hardiness: 15% resistance to stuns
Axe and Fist Specialization: +5 expertise when using an axe or fist weapon
Command: increases pet damage by 5%
Troll
Berserking: increases attack/casting speed by 20% for 10 seconds on a cooldown of 2 minutes
Beast Slaying: increases damage done to beasts by 5%
Da Voodoo Shuffle: reduces the duration of movement impairing effects by 15%
Tauren
Endurance: increases base health by 5%
War Stomp: Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds on a cooldown of 2 minutes
Cultivation: increases herbalism skill by 15

4. Shaman Math
Spell Coefficients are easy, it is just the base cast time of a spell divided by 3.5
code:
Example: Healing Wave. 3 Second cast time divided by 3.5
3/3.5 = ~0.857 healing per point of bonus spellpower
Common Shaman Coefficients
code:
Lightning Bolt .794
Chain Lightning .641
Earth/Frost shock .386
Flame Shock (initial) .150
Flame Shock (Dot) .52

Healing Wave .857
Lesser Healing Wave .428
Chain Heal .714
Earth Shield .286
General Conversion Chart
code:
1% haste = 32.79 haste rating
1% critical strike = 45.91 critical strike rating
1% Spell hit = 26.23 hit rating
1% Physical hit = 32.79 hit rating
1 expertise = 8.2 expertise rating
Hit Rating
Draenei have an advantage when it comes to hit rating since they require 1% less. If you are raiding with a Shadow Priest or a Moonkin, reduce these amounts by 3 percent accordingly (12 percent for elemental/14 for enhancement). All shown calculations are for Boss level 83 mobs.

Elemental Spell Hit cap: 15 percent or Horde 368/Alliance 342
Enhancement Spell Hit cap: 17 percent or Horde 446/Alliance 420
Expertise Cap: 26 or 214 expertise rating

Enhancement shaman have a second hit cap called the Special, or Yellow Hit cap. This number is much lower than 446. Just because you reach or exceed the Yellow Hit cap does not mean you don't need any more hit. Indeed hit can be a dps increase even after reaching the H446 Spell Cap. That is because the Normal, or White Hit cap is 886, an entirely unreachable goal. You will see a dps increase moving past H446 but it will become geometrically less of a dps increase as you proceed. Also, Enhancement shaman you must be using slow one-handed weapons usually over 2.5 second speed. This slow speed increases damage done by flametongue, stormstrike, lava lash, and windfury because these spells are very un-normalized in that weapon speed or damage range directly correlate with damage output.

5. Leveling a Shaman
As Enhancement
The most efficient spec to level a shaman as is Enhancement. Imbue your 2-hander with Rockbiter until you get Windfury. When you receive dual wielding use Windfury/Windfury until you have 5/5 Elemental Fury when you should switch your offhand to Flametongue.
code:
10-12: Enhancing Totems
13-14: Ancestral Knowledge
15-16: Thundering Strikes
17-18: Improved Ghostwolf
19-21: Thundering Strikes (Complete)
22 : Shamanistic Focus
23-25: Elemental Weapons
26-30: Flurry
31-32: Improved Windfury Totem
33-35: Mental Dexterity
36-38: Unleashed Rage
39 : Spirit Weapons
40 : Dual Wield
41 : Stormstrike
42-44: Dual Wield Specialization
45 : Lava Lash
46-48: Improved Stormstrike
48-49: Weapon Mastery
50 : Shamanistic Rage
51 : Weapon Mastery (Complete)
52-54: Mental Quickness
55-59: Maelstrom Weapon
60 : Feral Spirit
Your spec should end up like this spec at 80. This is my recommendation, you do not need to follow it exactly.

If you already have a level 80 character I strongly recommend getting two Venerable Mass of McGowans, Champion Herod's Shoulder, and Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate to make leveling as enhancement a breeze.

As Elemental
A much slower method of leveling is as elemental. Gear is sparse and you will be casting lightning bolt and only lightning bolt for 76 levels. Imbue your weapon with Flametongue. Also, don't level this way, heh.
code:
10-14: Convection
15-19: Concussion
20 : Elemental Focus
21-25: Elemental Fury
26-28: Eye of the Storm
28-29: Whatever you want
30 : Call of Thunder
31-33: Unrelenting Storm
34 : Whatever you want
35-37: Elemental Precision
38-42: Lightning Mastery
43 : Elemental Mastery
44-46: Storm, Earth, and Fire
47-49: Lightning Overload
50-51: Elemental Oath
52 : Totem of Wrath
53-55: Lava Flows
56-60: Shamanism
61 : Thunderstorm
62-66: Ancestral Knowledge
67-71: Thundering Strikes
72 : Shamanistic Focus
73-75: Elemental Weapons
76-78: Improved Shields
79-80: Elemental Reach or whatever is left
If you already have a level 80 character I strongly recommend getting a Dignified Headmaster's Charge, Mystical Pauldrons of Elements, and Mystical Vest of Elements to make leveling as elemental about the same level of god awful, heh.

6. Builds
Enhancement
PVE 20/51/0
Differences from 3.1:
Frost DKs will be more common, so no need for Imp Windfury totem
Shamanistic Rage changed to create more regen
Moved talents to Reverberation
Second PVE 16/55/0
More general spec
This spec takes more mana regeneration talents
PVP 15/56/0
Created in 3.2 Subject to change/discussion
Windfury/Frostbrand, no point in lava lash
Elemental
PVE 54/13/0 with 4 floating points
No Changes from 3.1
Once you gain the T9 4-piece set bonus, switch the Glyph of Wrath to Glyph of Lava for a small dps increase.
PVP 59/12/0
Removal of Totem of Wrath from PVE spec
No real changes from 3.1 PVP spec
Second PVP 56/15/0
Restoration
PVE 0/16/55
Healing Way is now strongly recommended
PVP 0/14/57
No Changes from 3.1

7. Rotations
------------------------------------
Elemental
The basic rotation for Elemental is mind-numbingly simple.
Forum Image

Basic Rotation is:
Flameshock, Lava Burst, 3-5x Lightning Bolts, Lava Burst, 3-5x Lightning Bolts, Lava Burst, repeat.

Reach the hit rating first
Gem for Spellpower
Chaotic Skyflare meta
------------------------------------
Enhancement
The basic rotation for Enhancement is based on a priority system.
Used Enhancement abilities and their priority
Lightning Bolt with 4 or 5 Maelstrom charges
Shamanistic Rage
Feral Spirit
Stormstrike
Earth Shock
Magma Totem
Lightning Shield
Lava Lash
Basic Rotation is:
Stormstrike, Earth Shock, Magma Totem, Lava Lash, Stormstrike, Earth Shock, Lightning Shield, Lava Lash, repeat.
This rotation should be peppered with Lightning bolts where necessary
Main Hand should be imbued with Windfury, offhand imbued with Flametongue

Reach the Hit/Expertise cap first
Gem your gear with Haste with lower level gear (Naxx and Below), Attack power -- Or Crit, use Enhsim below to balance the two -- with high level gear (Ulduar and beyond)
Relentless Earthsiege meta
Vesparian has created a Best-in-slot Gear page at Elitistjerks.com
Please use Enhsim to calculate your personal stat weights
------------------------------------
Restoration
Cast Earth Shield on a tank
Use Chain heal for group healing
Use Healing Wave for huge heals (ulduar/crusader)
Use Lesser Healing Wave when huge heals are not needed (normal instances/heroics/naxx)
Use Riptide to keep Tidal Waves rolling when heavy raid healing isn't required

Gem for Intellect if you are having trouble with mana regen
Current discussion on T9 healing indicates that gemming for Haste is more beneficial than gemming for SP, but there is little data on haste over crit. Haste versus crit should be decided on a personal gear level.
Insightful Earthsiege meta

8. Professions
3.2 buffed all professions to accommodate the buff of Epic gems. Recommended again is Jewelcrafting/blacksmithing with tailoring a close third if you are elemental. No substantial changes from 3.1 in terms of order of best professions.

The two best contributions to your dps/healing will be the professions Jewelcrafting and Blacksmithing in that order. Jewelcrafting lets you forget about meta requirements with hefty prismatics that are +27 to a main stat (intellect/expertise/haste/hit) or 32 to spell power and 54 to attack power. This is true for both PVP and PVE. Jewelcrafting also has a crafted trinket for elemental/restoration that has a large amount of mana regen for cheap. Tailoring has made a surprising comeback in 3.1 with the change of Lightweave embroidery to a 50% proc of 250 spellpower, this equates to 75-85 spell power, which makes it a great choice for elemental/restoration shamans.

Alchemy is in fourth in PVE, which double effectiveness of potions/flasks and gives a pretty good trinket for starting out.

Behind that is a tight match between Leatherworking, Enchanting, and Inscription.

In the distance behind are Mining, Herbalism, Skinning, and engineering.

Sorry Engineering, you will always be doomed.

9. Miscellaneous notes.
Do not buy a Greatness trinket for Enhancement. Mirror of truth is superior and far easier to get
PVPing as Enhancement and Elemental are still shaky in this season, Arena at your own risk.
You don't need to just buy the mail variation of heirloom items, if you are leveling enhancement then rogue gear should be fine. Cloth gear is fine for leveling elemental but you won't benefit from the haste on it.


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