WotLK Classic Elemental Shaman Stat Priority
On this page, you will find out the optimal PvE stat priority for your Elemental Shaman in WotLK Classic. We first present the stat priority, before delving into more complex explanations.
The Basics of Stats for Elemental Shamans
The stat priority for Elemental Shamans is as follows:
- Need 17% Hit before talents / Draenei to cap Spell Hit;
- Spell Power;
- Haste;
- Critical Strike;
- Intellect;
- Mp5.
Although you will generally want to hit the Spell Hit cap, and prioritize gemming / enchanting stats in the listed order, the real stat weights for your character depend heavily on your current gear.
Thus, we recommend using the Wowsims Elemental Shaman module, for personalized stats if you are interested in min-maxing your character.
Detailed Shaman Stat Explanations
Spell Hit
Spell Hit allows your spells to land more often, which is a huge DPS increase, and Spell Hit is generally plentiful on the caster gear you will be chasing. Depending on the level of your enemy, you might need more, or less Spell Hit to reach the 17% cap:
- For an enemy of the same level as you, 4% Spell Hit is needed to cap.
- For an enemy 1 level higher than you, 5% Spell Hit is needed to cap.
- For an enemy 2 levels higher than you, 6% Spell Hit is needed to cap.
- For an enemy 3 levels higher than you, such as Raid bosses, 17% Spell Hit is needed to cap.
Spell Power
Spell Power is applied to each spell based on their casting time.
The coefficient is calculated by dividing the cast time of a spell by 3.5. This is because a 3.5 second cast benefits from 100% of your gear's Spell Power. For example, if you have 20 additional Spell Power from gear, then this will simply affect your spells as follows:
- Damage Increase per spell cast = n * 20
- n = spell's coefficient
Instant single-target spells typically only get around 43% of the benefit, with
area-of-effect spells having an even greater penalty. Chain Lightning gets
about 71%, but a spell with a longer casting time such as
Lightning Bolt
gets more: roughly 86% of the Spell Power in your gear as added damage.
This means that 100 Spell Power on your gear would cause Lightning Bolt to deal
around 86 extra damage per cast, but
Chain Lightning would only deal 71 extra damage
to its main target, using the same gear.
Haste
Haste decreases your cast times, allowing you to shoot more Lightning Bolts
and other spells in a fight and accelerating
Flame Shock ticks. While its
exact value fluctuates with your gear, this is a very strong stat and often your
best EP value stat when compared on a 1 to 1 basis with other stats.
Critical Strike
Critical Strike allows your spells to occasionally deal extra damage.
Due to Elemental Fury, Elemental Shaman spell critical strikes deal
200% damage instead of the normal 150% value. Unfortunately,
Lava Burst
is always a critical strike under normal conditions, making it gain no benefit
from your Critical Strike chance, but your
Flame Shock is able to
crit in Wrath.
Intellect
Intellect increases total Mana pool, Critical Strike chance, and gives you some
Mp5 if you talented Unrelenting Storm, but has a generally low impact on
your DPS.
Mana every 5 seconds
Mana every 5 seconds, or simply Mp5, is a common stat found on healing gear and, while generally not recommended, can help you sustain your Mana over a long fight.
Other Shaman Stat Explanations
Spell Penetration
Spell Penetration allows your spells to deal more damage / hit more often against enemies with Magical Resistances by lowering their resistance by the spell penetration value on the item. This is mostly useful in PvP, as PvE enemies usually have fixed resistance values that cannot be lowered with this stat.
Spirit
For Elemental Shamans, Spirit provides Mana regeneration, but only when you have not cast a spell for 5 seconds or more, which will rarely be the case outside of leveling / soloing. Sitting (through the /sit command, or when eating or drinking) increases Spirit regeneration by 33%.
Stamina
Stamina is the only stat that will help you survive any type of attack and as such should always be valued.
Resilience
Resilience is a stat that is only found on PvP gear. It reduces your chance to
suffer a Critical Strike, as well as the damage you take from those, the
Mana burned by effects such as Mana Burn and the damage taken from
damage-over-time effects such as
Corruption. This is a great stat
in PvP as it makes you a lot more durable, increasing the value of your healing
in the process.
Resistance
Resistance, while inherently niche due to different bosses dealing different magical damage types, can be very useful while progressing specific bosses. Wearing resistance gear of a type makes you take less damage or even completely avoid damage when hit by that type of magical damage.
Changelog
- 18 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 12 Sep. 2022: Page added.
This guide has been written by Seksi, original vanilla player and multi-class player, currently playing on Gehennas Horde. You can find him on the Classic Shaman and Druid, as well as the Icy Veins Discord.
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