Elemental Shaman DPS Gear and Best in Slot — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1

1. The Importance of "Simming Yourself"

At this stage in the game, there are so many variables and so many layers of optimization that you can apply to your character, that there is no way for a guide or anything else to tell you exactly what gear you should wear. This is why we always recommend simulating your own character using Raidbots. The website can help you choose set bonuses, Azerite traits, trinkets and combinations thereof in a way that is tailored completely to your specific character. Learning to use this tool is essential to maximizing your potential, as there is simply no other way to take all the variables into account.

2. Evaluating Upgrades

The easiest way, and also the method we suggest, to compare multiple items is to use Raidbots Top Gear. Here you can input an export from the Simcraft AddOn , select the items to compare, and it will find out which of the items are best.

3. Azerite Gear for Elemental Shaman

Because the Azerite Traits scale in strength with the item level of the item equipped, and with the possibility of Titanforging items, an exact list of best items is impossible to make. Azerite gear can drop from loads of content, like World Quests, Dungeons, Warfronts, PvP, reputations, etc, so you should try to do all possible content. Below we have listed some good items to look for based on how to obtain them and the Azerite Traits they have on them. The listed items are all pre-raid, as in, before the first raid opens. After that, most of your gear will come from the first raid (Uldir) and Mythic+.

3.1. Helms

• Soulscarred Headgear — Gorak Tul in Waycrest Manor
• Visage of Bloody Horrors — Unbound Abomination in The Underrot
• Hood of the Dark Reaper — Overseer Korgus in Tol Dagor
• Sethraliss' Fanged Helm — Avatar of Sethraliss in Temple of Sethraliss
• Dread Gladiator's Chain Helm or Dread Gladiator's Chain Helm — PvP

3.2. Shoulders

• Hook-Barbed Spaulders — Viq'Goth in Siege of Boralus
• Cannoneer's Mantle — Overseer Korgus in Tol Dagor
• Azerothian Champion's Spaulders — Exalted with the Champions of Azeroth faction
• Spaulders of the Enveloping Maw — World Boss Warbringer Yenajz in Stormsong Valley
• Dread Gladiator's Chain Shoulderguards or Dread Gladiator's Chain Shoulderguards — PvP
• Crashguard Spaulders — Mogul Razdunk in The MOTHERLODE!!

3.3. Body Armors

• Loa-Blessed Chestguard — King Dazar in Kings' Rest
• Corrupted Hexxer's Vestments — Plague Doctor in Temple of Sethraliss
• Shrapnel-Dampening Chestguard — Mogul Razdunk in The MOTHERLODE!!
• Sharpshooter's Chainmail Hauberk for Alliance, Scalemail Battle Harness for Horde — Arathi Highlands' faction World Bosses

4. Trinkets for Elemental Shaman

Due to the prevalence of high item level trinkets and Titanforged rewards from Mythic+ dungeon grinding, there are a variety of suitable options when it comes to trinkets.

Visit Bloodmallet's site for in-depth trinket simulations.

Many trinkets are currently very close and their actual value will greatly depend onthe situation. On-use trinkets giving a 10- to 15-second stat boost are very good with Ascendance, for example.

5. Pre-Raid Best in Slot Items for Elemental Shaman

This is a list of some of the best available items for Elemental Shamans at the current stage of the game, outside of Uldir. This can vary with different talent setups, Azerite traits and so on. If you could have the gear you wanted on a whim, this is what you should choose. Note that Azerite Gear and Trinkets are absent, they have their own sections above.

Slot	Item	Source
Cloak	Cloak of Questionable Intent	Rixxa Fluxflame (The MOTHERLODE!!)
Wrists	Raoul's Barrelhook Bracers	Captain Eudora (Freehold)
Gloves	Water Shapers	Aqu'sirr (Shrine of the Storm)
Belt	Waistguard of Sanguine Fervor	Elder Leaxa (The Underrot)
Legs	Mistscale Leggings	Leatherworking Craft
Boots	Mistscale Boots	Leatherworking Craft
Ring #1	Seal of Questionable Loyalties	Captain Eudora (Freehold)
Ring #2	Ritual Binder's Ring	Mchimba the Embalmer (King's Rest)
Staff	Seabreeze	Galecaller Faye (Shrine of the Storm)
Main Hand	Galvanized Stormcrusher	Galvazzt (Temple of Sethraliss)
Off Hand	G0-4W4Y Crowd Repeller	Coin-Operated Crowd Pummeler (The MOTHERLODE!!)

6. Changelog