Elemental Shaman DPS Azerite Traits/Powers and Armor — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1

1. Choosing Azerite Gear as an Elemental Shaman

Your choice of Azerite Gear pieces will almost always come down to the item level first, and the traits that it has second. Note that the traits you will look at when choosing gear are the Outer Ring traits, as these are the ones with the biggest impact on your gameplay.

The general rule is that if an item is a 15+ item level upgrade over another item, you should use it. If the difference between the two items is less than 15 item levels, then you should choose the one with the better Outer Ring trait. As we said, though, this is a general rule and there are exceptions; for example, if you are comparing a very bad trait ( Igneous Potential) to a very good one ( Blightborne Infusion). It is nearly impossible to take every single variable into account without using a tool like Raidbots to simulate the difference for yourself.

It is worth noting that if the difference between the traits is very small, then the higher item level pick will be more desirable. Azerite pieces have a high amount of Stamina, increasing your maximum health. A tiny difference in that regard can be the difference between dying and surviving, so item level is almost always king.

2. Choosing Azerite Traits as an Elemental Shaman

In the sections that follow, we will look at the best traits to choose. While the traits are ordered by power, this order is not a very strict priority, but more of a guideline.

2.1. Outer Ring

The Outer Ring traits are the first ones you unlock, and they are the most important from a DPS perspective. You can see the simulation comparison of these traits using Bloodmallet.com.

Blightborne Infusion is a powerful Critical Strike buff that lasts for 14 seconds. This is simply a good all-around option, benefiting both your single-target and AoE damage hugely. This is the best trait for most situations.

Dagger in the Back remains strong in pure single-target situations, especially if the boss consistently has his back to you, it is still worse than Blightborne Infusion however.

Laser Matrix and Archive of the Titans are essentially mandatory traits to have on your gear when raiding in Uldir on any difficulty. This is because having at least one of these traits will active Reorigination Array, a passive effect that vastly increases your highest secondary stat each week. Archive of the Titans is generally the best one, but it is not very important which one you have, as long as you have at least one in Uldir.

2.2. Middle Ring

The Middle Ring traits are generally weaker than the Outer Ring ones, but they are still important and must be chosen accordingly. You can see the simulation comparison of these traits using Bloodmallet.com.

Overwhelming Power has the highest DPS potential of the traits in this ring for every situation, but it will lose efficiency whenever you take damage, which can be very often in some raid encounters. That being said, unless you are constantly getting damaged it is far enough ahead that it is likely still best in every situation.

Gutripper is a solid single-target trait, second only to Overwhelming Power, especially to finish off enemies, but provides little cleave/AoE value.

Unstable Flames provides a solid damage increase in any situation, but falls behind the two previous traits.

Heed My Call is another strong trait, although far below Overwhelming Power if you are not losing more than a few stacks. It provides good stacked AoE, but Overwhelming Power remains the stronger trait even for these situations.

2.3. Inner Ring

The Inner Ring consists mostly of defensive or utility traits.

Longstrider is arguably the best "DPS" option in this tier. By increasing your movement speed, it allows you to close gaps and dodge things slightly faster.

Resounding Protection is an absorb shield that automatically gets applied every 30 seconds. This is one of the best defensive traits to have, as you will always be able to benefit from it.

Serene Spirit heals you when you cast Astral Shift, and again when its duration ends. This is a decent trait if you are struggling with surviving unavoidable damage, but you will very often waste a large part of its value.

Pack Spirit heals you while in Ghost Wolf form. This is a very niche trait that is however potentially useful on fights like Vectis or G'huun.

3. Azerite Traits Rotation Changes and Details for Elemental Shaman

There is generally no rotation changes linked to Azerite Traits in most situations for Elemental Shamans.

If you are using Lava Shock (usually not a very desirable trait), it becomes more desirable to hold onto Earth Shock a little bit more if priority adds are about to appear. This is fairly minor but can definitely help pushing that extra bit of damage on Vectis/Fetid Devourer adds for example.

4. Full list of Outer Ring Traits for Elemental Shaman

• Anduin's Dedication / Sylvanas' Resolve causes your spells to have a chance to increase your primary stat for 10 seconds. If an ally dies nearby you also instantly gain this effect. Note that this is a PvP trait.
• Archive of the Titans is an Uldir-specific trait. It gives you a small primary stat buff every 5 seconds which stacks up to 20 times. Stacks only decay when out of combat. It also gives the Reorigination Array buff, which you should always aim to have active while raiding in Uldir.
• Barrage Of Many Bombs gives you a chance to fire a clusterbomb at your current target. When the bomb gets close, it explodes into smaller bombs which do AoE damage when they hit the ground.
• Battlefield Focus / Battlefield Precision gives your abilities a chance to apply stacks of a debuff to the target. This debuff causes them to take more damage from all raid members. Note that this is a PvP trait.
• Blightborne Infusion causes your spells to have a chance to increase your Critical Strike for 14 seconds.
• Blood Rite causes your spells to have a chance to increase your Haste for 15 seconds. Killing enemies refreshes this effect.
• Champion of Azeroth gives your abilities a chance to increase all your secondary stats for a minute, stacking up to 4 times. Getting a new proc will refresh the duration, so you will keep this at 4 stacks throughout an entire fight.
• Collective Will / Stand As One causes your spells to have a chance to increase your primary stat and maximum health. This effect is also applied to up to 4 nearby allies. Note that this is a PvP trait.
• Combined Might / Stronger Together gives you and 4 allies a bonus to one of your secondary stats or to your Spellpower / Attackpower (depending on your role), chosen at random, for 10 seconds. Note that this is a PvP trait.
• Dagger in the Back gives your abilities a chance to shoot a dagger at your target, applying a damage over time effect for 12 seconds, stacking up to 4 times. If you shoot this dagger when behind the target, it will apply 2 stacks.
• Filthy Transfusion gives your damaging ability a chance to do damage over 6 seconds to the target, healing you for the damage done.
• Glory in Battle / Liberator's Might causes your spells to have a chance to grant Critical Strike and Haste for 10 seconds. Note that this is a PvP trait, and attacking a member of the opposing faction significantly increases this chance, making these traits are much stronger in PvP content.
• Incite the Pack causes you to occasionally increase your Mastery and that of up to two nearby allies for 20 seconds.
• Laser Matrix causes your spells to have a chance to unleash a barrage of lasers which deal damage and heal injured allies for a small amount which is further split among them. It also gives the Reorigination Array buff, which you should always aim to have active while raiding in Uldir.
• Last Gift / Retaliatory Fury causes your spells and abilities to have a chance to grant Mastery and an absorb shield . Note that this is a PvP trait; also, taking damage from a member of the opposite faction has a chance to activate this effect, making these traits much strong in PvP content.
• Liberator's Might gives your abilities a chance to give you Haste, and even more Critical Strike for 10 seconds.
• Meticulous Scheming causes you to gain a buff for 8 seconds that transforms into a 20-second Haste buff after you cast 3 different spells while it is active.
• Relational Normalization Gizmo causes your spells to have a chance to grant you a primary stat and maximum health buff or Haste and 50% movement speed for 10 seconds. This trait is only obtainable through crafting Engineering goggles.
• Retaliatory Fury gives your abilities a chance to give you a Mastery buff and a shield for 10 seconds.
• Rezan's Fury causes your damaging abilities to have a chance to summon a Child of Rezan, which deals Physical damage to your target and causes them to bleed for additional damage over 12 seconds.
• Ricocheting Inflatable Pyrosaw causes your spells to have a chance to heal up to 4 allies for a large amount. This trait is only obtainable through crafting Engineering goggles.
• Ruinous Bolt gives your abilities a chance to summon a Soul (pet) by your side for 14 seconds. The Soul deals Shadow damage to a random nearby target.
• Secrets of the Deep causes your spells to have a chance to spawn a Surging Droplet nearby, which you can collect to increase your primary stat for 18 seconds. Rarely, a Void Droplet will be created instead, which increases your primary stat for twice as much as Surging Droplet's when collected.
• Stand As One gives your abilities a chance to drop a Banner for 6 seconds, which buffs you and 4 nearby allies with their primary stat, and increases maximum Health.
• Stronger Together causes your abilities to have a chance to plant a factional banner for 6 seconds, empowering yourself and up to 4 allies with the spirit of the Alliance.
• Swirling Sands causes your spells to have a chance to increase your Critical Strike for 12 seconds. This duration can be extended by landing Critical Strikes up to a maximum of 18 seconds.
• Sylvanas' Resolve gives your abilities a chance to give you a decent amount of primary stat, for 10 seconds. You also get this buff if an ally dies near you.
• Synaptic Spark Capacitor gives your abilities a chance to put a debuff on your target. This debuff will deal damage to enemies within 8 yards of the target with the debuff, and causes them to do 5% less damage to you. This trait is only obtainable through crafting Engineering goggles.
• Thunderous Blast gives your damaging abilities a chance blast the target for extra Nature damage, and cause the target to take 20% more damage from your next blast. When the bonus damage reaches 100%, the next blast will Critically Strike, and reset the bonus damage back to 0%.
• Tidal Surge gives your damaging abilities a chance to deal some Frost damage to the target and slow it by 20%.
• Tradewinds causes your spells to have a chance to grant you Mastery for 15 seconds. When this buff expires, it jumps once to a nearby ally at half duration and amount.
• Unstable Catalyst causes your spells and abilities to have a chance to create a zone standing in which increases your primary stat.

Note that, when using at least 1 Uldir trait inside the Uldir raid, Reorigination Array grants you a buff that increases your highest secondary stat every 5 seconds, stacking up to 10. This power increases over time, in order to make Uldir raiding easier.

4.1. Spec-Specific Outer Ring Traits

Note that the numbers mentioned in this section scale with item level.

• Synapse Shock makes your Lightning Bolts and Chain Lightnings increase your Intellect by 5, per target hit, for 15 sec, stacking up to 5 times.
• Echo of the Elementals makes it so that when your Storm Elemental/ Fire Elemental expires, it leaves behind a Spark Elemental/Ember Elemental to continue attacking your enemies for 30 sec.
• Igneous Potential makes you deal 77 additional damage when you cast Lava Burst, and your Lava Surge chance is increased to 18%.
• Lava Shock makes Flame Shock ticks increase the damage of your next Earth Shock by 31, stacking up to 20 times. Note that this is a personal buff and that it works with multiple Flame Shocks.
• Tectonic Thunder replaces Rumbling Tremors. This new trait makes your Earthquakes casts do 537 additional Physical damage instantly, and give a 25% chance for your new Chain Lightning cast to be instant.
• Natural Harmony grants 10 Critical Strike for 12 seconds when you deal Fire damage, and 10 Mastery for 12 seconds when you deal Frost damage or Nature damage. This is shared with Enhancement.
• Ancestral Resonance gives your spells and abilities a chance to increase your Mastery by 107 for 20 seconds, and also increases the duration of Bloodlust/ Heroism/ Time Warp on you to 50 seconds. Note that this is shared with Enhancement.

5. Full List of Middle Ring Traits for Elemental Shaman

• Savior makes your heals on targets below 35% health have a chance to heal for an additional amount.
• Bracing Chill causes your heals to have a chance to apply Bracing Chill to the target. Healing a target with Bracing Chill will heal for an additional amount and move Bracing Chill to a nearby ally, up to 6 times.
• Blessed Portents grants your healing spells a chance to apply Blessed Portents to the target for 20 seconds. When the target falls below 35% health, Blessed Portents is consumed and heals them.
• Blood Siphon passively increases your Mastery and Leech.
• On My Way passively increases your Versatility and Speed.
• Earthlink increases your primary stat, with the exact amount cycling between a minimum value and maximum value every 6 seconds.
• Overwhelming Power causes your damaging spells to have a chance to increase your Haste. The amount of Haste granted decreases every second or whenever you take damage.
• Concentrated Mending causes your healing effects to have a chance to grant the target a HoT that heals every 2 seconds for 12 seconds. The amount healed doubles every 2 seconds.
• Elemental Whirl causes your damaging spells to have a chance to increase one of your secondary stats for 10 seconds.
• Woundbinder causes your healing effects to have a chance to increase your Haste for 12 seconds. Healing lower health targets will grant more Haste.
• Unstable Flames causes your damaging spells to have a chance to grant a Critical Strike buff for 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.
• Heed My Call gives your damaging abilities a chance to deal additional Nature damage to the target, and a smaller amount of damage to nearby targets.
• Azerite Globules gives your damaging abilities a chance to apply a debuff to your target. This debuff stacks up to 3 times, and when it reaches 3, the target explodes, doing AoE damage.
• Gutripper gives your damaging abilities a chance to deal additional Physical damage. This bonus damage occurs more often when the target is below 30% Health.
• Ephemeral Recovery gives you a significant amount of Mana back whenever you go below 20% Mana. Can only happen once every 3 minutes.

6. Full List of Inner Ring Traits for Elemental Shaman

• Personal Absorb-o-Tron grants you a chance, when taking damage, to gain a large absorb shield for up to 1 minute. This trait is only obtainable through crafting Engineering goggles.
• Impassive Visage heals you when you take damage. It can not occur more often than every 6 seconds.
• Resounding Protection causes you to gain an absorb shield every 30 seconds.
• Auto-Self-Cauterizer grants you a chance, when taking damage, to self-heal for a large amount and remove most bleed effects as well as slowing nearby enemies by 30% for 5 seconds. This trait is only obtainable through crafting Engineering goggles.
• Self Reliance causes you to be healed every 3 seconds while no enemies are within 12 yards of you.
• Longstrider increases your movement speed by a percentage of your highest secondary stat, with a maximum movement speed gain limit.
• Serene Spirit heals you when you cast Astral Shift, and again when its duration ends.
• Pack Spirit heals you while in Ghost Wolf form.
• Ancient Ankh Talisman increases your maximum life while Reincarnation is off cooldown. While at full Health Reincarnation cools down 50% faster
• Azerite Fortification heals you when you are stunned, immobilized, or knocked back.
• Gemhide causes you to gain Avoidance and Armor for 10 seconds when you take damage that exceeds 10% of your maximum health.
• Bulwark of the Masses causes you to gain a moderate absorb shield when surrounded by 4 or more enemies, but can only occur once every 15 seconds.
• Vampiric Speed causes you to self-heal and gain Speed for 6 seconds whenever an enemy you damaged dies.

7. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power

In the table below, you can see all of the Azerite gear available to your Elemental Shaman. By using the + button located next to each item, you can expand the list of Azerite powers that this item possesses (to collapse the list, simply click the - button).

If you want to filter items according to the powers that they offer, you can use the filters below.