Elemental Shaman DPS Gear and Best in Slot — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1.5

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 items are listed in rough order of preference.

3.1. Helms

• Hood of the Dark Reaper — Overseer Korgus in Tol Dagor
• Dreadmire Helm — Azerite Armor Cache
• Deadwash Headguard — Azerite Armor Cache
• Sethraliss' Fanged Helm — Avatar of Sethraliss in Temple of Sethraliss

3.2. Shoulders

• Pauldrons of Ancestral Vengeance — Champion of the Light in Battle of Dazar'alor
• Sinister Gladiator's Chain Spaulders or Sinister Gladiator's Chain Spaulders — Darkshore
• Sinister Aspirant's Chain Spaulders or Sinister Aspirant's Chain Spaulders — Darkshore
• Forest Protector's Shoulderguards or Forest Protector's Shoulderguards — Ivus the Decayed in Darkshore
• Hook-Barbed Spaulders — Viq'Goth in Siege of Boralus

3.3. Chest Armors

• Mistfire Raiment — Jadefire Masters in Battle of Dazar'alor
• Hailstone Hauberk — Hailstone Construct in Drustvar
• Bone Collector's Chestcage — Xu'ba in Nazmir
• Kaldorei Archer's Chainmail or Blightguard's Chainmail — Darkshore

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.

Note that the new Incandescent Sliver sims very well, but is very conditional, and may not always be ideal, especially on fights forcing you to be close to other people, like Jaina.

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

5. Best in Slot Items for Elemental Shaman

If you have read the previous section, you should now understand that static Best in Slot lists are always misleading, and it is best to use the tools at your disposal, notably Raidbots Top Gear and its new Droptimizer options.

It is recommended to fill your gaps with items crafted with Titan Residuum, as if you have enough materials, you can choose your stats.

6. Changelog