Elemental Shaman DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.0.7
Welcome to our Elemental Shaman guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.0.7. Here, you will learn how to play as an Elemental Shaman in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.
If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Elemental Shaman guide.
Elemental Shaman Overview
Elemental Shaman is a damage dealing spellcaster with a rich and flexible toolkit. Elemental Shamans can approach a multitude of environments without feeling compromised. The specialization has unmatched utility in many scenarios and can be customized to provide serious AoE burst damage or reliable highly mobile single-target DPS. Overall, this specialization has a tool or talent for every scenario, although the relative strength of its sustained single-target damage is currently unclear.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Talent choices allow for excellent flexibility and varied playstyles.
Unmatched utility outside of Raids.
Can specialize into massive burst/sustained AoE or solid multiDoTting.
Some talent builds are very straightforward to play.
With some builds, Elemental has the highest degree of mobility the specialization has seen since Mists of Pandaria.
Most of its utility is rarely relevant in raid fights.
Tends to be outclassed by other specializations outside of specific situations.
10.0.7 Changes for Elemental Shaman
Patch 10.0.7 brings a light overhaul to our class tree as well as some significant changes, many fixes, and UI improvements:
Electrified Shocks duration increased to 9 seconds (was 6 seconds). This is a significant buff to the talent, making it much more comfortable to use and increasing the uptime on the debuff.
Earth Elemental and its Primal version no longer taunt or pulse threat to enemies the Shaman is not in combat with. Great change!
Astral Shift duration increased to 12 seconds (was 8 seconds). Well-needed buff to our defenses, especially when compounded with the next change.
Astral Bulwark now reduces damage taken by an additional 20% (was 15%). Now the default pick in most situations.
Planes Traveler no longer increases the duration of
Astral Shift.
- The Improved Lightning Bolt talent has been removed, but
Lightning Bolt damage is increased by 20%. We free up 2 points from this mandatory DPS tax.
Go with the Flow now reduces the cooldown of
Spirit Walk by 10/20 seconds (was 7.5/15 seconds). It makes Spirit Walk slightly more attractive.
Thunderous Paws can trigger once every 20 seconds (was 60 seconds). We will greatly increase our burst mobility if we do not need
Spirit Wolf to survive .
Poison Cleansing Totem now removes all Poison effects from the target (was 1). Finally, this totem is worth using in some situations, like in Algeth'ar Academy.
Enfeeblement now applies during
Hex and lasts 6 seconds after Hex ends. A powerful buff, but it remains very niche. It might be worth it in PvP.
Ancestral Wolf Affinity has moved to the class tree and is replaced by
Focused Insight. You do not want to pick either of those talents now...
Swirling Currents has been redesigned - Increases the healing done by
Healing Stream Totem by 40/80%. This is a nerf to burst/panic healing but gives us stronger healing over time to assist with healing without losing too much damage.
- Several talents have moved positions in the class tree. Some things are easier to pick up overall, mostly due to Improved Lightning Bolt going away.
Earthgrab Totem now replaces
Earthbind Totem.














Moreover, a hotfix shortly before Patch 10.0.7 brought the following buffs:
Lightning Bolt damage has been increased by 10%
Lava Burst damage has been increased by 6%
Earth Shock damage has been increased by 6%
Elemental Blast damage has been increased by 6%
Icefury damage has been increased by 80%
Frost Shock damage has been increased by 15%
Frost Shocks buffed by Icefury now generate 14 Maelstrom (from 8)
Note that the damage buffs are PvE only and that these changes do not impact
our rotation significantly. However, proper use of Icefury is now significantly
more beneficial.
10.0.5 Changes for Elemental Shaman
The main change of the patch is making Mana Spring Totem into a passive
effect, (
Mana Spring) and doubling its mana gain. It was negligible before
and not worth the talent and GCD cost. It is still not powerful but is probably
worth considering on any healing intensive fight where mana may be a concern,
especially if you have some floating talent points.
Beyond this change, Totemic Surge now reduces the cooldowns of your
totems by 3/6 seconds instead of 2/4 seconds. This makes it quite a bit more usable
if you want totems for specific timings, but it remains mostly a luxury talent
unless the cooldown reduction enables specific timings.
Healing Surge received at 15% buff.
Finally, several abilities received a 10% buff:
This does not change our rotations.
Notable Dragonflight Changes for Elemental Shaman
Dragonflight Changes for Shamans
We are maintaining a list of changes for Shamans, so you can see what changes with every patch of Dragonflight.
The largest and most expansive change to Shaman and Elemental in particular is the consolidation of several systems (notably Shadowlands Legendary Powers) into the new Class and Specialization Talents Trees. The additions and changes are extensive and we go into a lot of detail about them in our dedicated Spell Summary, explaining how they work (the tooltips are generally clear enough) and Talents Page, discussing their viability.
The most notable additions to all Elemental Shamans' arsenal are
Thundershock,
Nature's Swiftness,
Greater Purge,
Spirit Walk or
Gust of Wind (you can only have one of the two),
Electrified Shocks,
Flash of Lightning,
Searing Flames,
Mountains Will Fall,
Further Beyond, the comeback of
Lightning Rod, the reworked
Elemental Blast and
Lightning Lasso being a regular talent available in instanced PvE.
We discuss all these in detail in the aforementioned pages, however we will
highlight that Thundershock is a game changer in dungeons, fixing
Thunderstorm's awkward knock-back and making it a strong crowd control
effect that does not pull packs on accident.
Nature's Swiftness is a
lovely talent that can either smooth out your DPS by making a hard-cast instant
or give you an instant, mana-free heal. This is a great addition to Elemental's
tool-belt in just about every circumstance. It is important to note that both
of these abilities have their cooldown reduced significantly by
Flash of Lightning.
Speaking of which, Flash of Lightning is a very powerful talent whose
cooldown reduction work on just about every ability Shamans have. We have a
whole list on our talent page, but most importantly it works on:
Stormkeeper,
Storm Elemental,
Astral Shift,
Reincarnation,
Spiritwalker's Grace,
Wind Shear,
Thunderstorm,
Nature's Swiftness, and just about every totem we
have (but not
Liquid Magma Totem).
Elemental's mobility gets a variety of boosts. You can now pick between
Spirit Walk or
Gust of Wind, potentially with some cooldown
reduction from
Go with the Flow (and from
Flash of Lightning in
Gust of Wind's case). Additionally,
Lightning Lasso is now potentially
an option in raids, giving you an additional way to deal some damage in raid
fights requiring heavy movement, and its cooldown is also reduced by Flash of
Lightning. It does not do much damage in raids, however.
Electrified Shocks allows
Icefury to be used in both single
and multi-target, especially with a fully stacked
Lightning build with
Lightning Rod. Who says you have to choose between
good AoE and good priority target damage?
Mountains Will Fall and its parent talent
Echo Chamber makes
Mastery more valuable across the board. Previously Mastery was a problematic
stat because it gave very little value in AoE and did not affect spenders.
This is not the case anymore with this talent. Similarly,
Further Beyond makes it so using spenders during
Ascendance will actually feel good.
Finally, Searing Flames, associated with other
Flame Shock-enhancing talents, greatly enhances the potential of
multi-DoTting builds.
Elemental viability in Dragonflight
First, the usual disclaimers: major tuning is happening regularly, simulations are only now starting to function somewhat, several things still do not work properly, and nobody can give accurate relative rankings of DPS classes without many assumptions and guesswork.
That being said, it is quite clear that Elemental's utility, which was already very good, is now probably unmatched in many situations in PvP, Mythic+ and solo play, from a large variety of customizable crowd control effects to serious mobility, better healing potential than before, and the ability to get rid of almost any debuffs.
The amount of customization and real choices available to Elemental Shaman is the best it has ever been, and is definitely on the top end of classes in that regard.
Many build variants seem potentially viable and hopefully Blizzard will
balance things so you actually get to customize your build often. Lightning &
Fire builds are pretty close and what is best will depend on a variety of
things. Playstyles also vary a lot, the main Lightning builds have more static
rotations with decent complexity, Fire builds are generally more
straightforward & mobile in single-target. In addition, Elemental Blast
is currently very strong and worth using for AoE purposes on up to 3 targets,
which is somewhat counter-intuitive and awkward, and lowers your mobility
potential.
On the plus side, both Fire & Lightning builds are currently competitive damage-wise, especially in Mythic+. Sustained AoE (with bonus crowd control for free), burst AoE, priority target with cleave/AoE, spread target multi-DoTting and strong sustained single-target are all on the menu.
Leveling an Elemental Shaman
If you want to play an Elemental Shaman, but currently do not have one at max level, you can check out our leveling guide for tips on your journey.
After the leveling phase, you may want to optimize your performance by using one or several addons. In order not to be overwhelmed, we recommend you start using at least some of our recommended addons during the leveling of your Shaman, so you can get acquainted with them and configure/customize them to your liking.
Basics of Elemental Shaman Gameplay
Elemental Shaman is a spec with simple fundamentals for both single-target and AoE, with a wide array of customization available from your talents. Some talents allow for Elemental to be very easy to play, or very complex and rewarding.
Most of your time will be spent casting Lightning Bolt and
Lava Burst, while maintaining
Flame Shock and casting
Earth Shock once you have enough Maelstrom. Beyond these fundamentals,
gameplay largely depends on your talent choices.
If you are just starting as an Elemental Shaman and are interesting in learning the basics of the spec, visit the Spell Summary first, then the Easy Mode page below.
If you already know how Shamans work, head directly to the Talents and Rotation pages in order to find out more detailed information.
How to Gear Up as an Elemental Shaman
Gearing is not as simple as it once was, although the easy access to simulations are extremely helpful. Our gearing page will help you learn about how best to gear your Elemental Shaman.
After you have acquired some gear, you must then use the right enchants, gems and consumables. Visit our dedicated page, as well as our stats page so you get a better idea which stats you should look for.
End-Game as an Elemental Shaman
While your core gameplay loop is accessible early on, max level gameplay can be wildly different than during leveling. Our Mythic+ and PvP guides will help you fine tune your gameplay in any end-game content. We highly recommend using some of the macros in our Addon page as well.
Improving as an Elemental Shaman
If you are struggling with doing good DPS and are unsure what you are doing wrong, visit the pages below in order to find answers and advice.
Changelog
- 21 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated the Primordial Stone Gems section following a last minute buff on the gems.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated recommended phial for M+ and added a warning on gem socketing with Elemental Lariat, added a section on Primordial Stone Gems.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7 changes. .
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated some wording.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated talent tree for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Added a section about Onyx Annulets.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated many talents descriptions for the Patch 10.0.7 changes.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Updated trinket section, updated info on Voidmender's Shadowgem. .
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Updated Mana Spring and Totemic Surge descriptions for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Updated commentary on Mana Spring (Totem).
- 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Updated for patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 29 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated embellishment section.
- 29 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Forgot to add purge to the list of things that can deal with Volatile Sparks.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated trinket & jewelry sections.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated wording on council recommendations, added Razsageth recommendation.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Added dedicated lines for Lava Surge and Windspeaker's Lava Resurgence. Adjusted a couple other lines.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated Runes not stacking with Improved Flametongue Weapon anymore.
- 15 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Removed a duplicate line from from the multi-target rotation.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated Electrified Shocks blurb.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Adjusted talent recommendations on Eranog and Sennarth, added an additional option on Dathea.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Added checkboxes to the opener section.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Added a couple trinkets to the trinket section, updated the section about Elemental Lariat. .
- 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1 launch.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for week 3. Added a note on Tiered Medallion Settings.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Adjusted recommended fire build for dungeons for more AoE burst.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Small fix to multitarget rotation.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Adjusted some wording on multitarget rotation.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Adjusted recommended fire build for dungeons for more AoE burst.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated build & earthquake sections.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 18 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated several sections. .
- 18 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated with a disclaimer on the new fire builds.
- 18 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated with a new build.
- 18 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated a few things, removed unnecessary export strings, removed a fire build embedded calculator to lessen clutter.
- 07 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Added Lightning Bolt with Surge of Power to multi-target rotation (2 targets only).
- 03 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Further fixes to several talent toggle issues, modification in the Master of the Elements section.
- 02 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Fixed a variety of issues, mostly with talent toggles, improved several lists, added some information on build viability.
- 31 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Removed the obsolete Harden Skin macro, updated a couple others to be more useful.
- 26 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated the Flame Shock section.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 07 Mar. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Removed mentions of the now defunct "machine gun" build.
- 19 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated for the latest PTR changes.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 05 Jan. 2022 (rotation page): Overhauled several parts of the single-target priority list to be more precise, fixed a couple of oversights.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 13 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Removed PTR mentions, all 9.1 changes are now live.
- 03 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated with 9.1 live information.
- 25 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviwed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviwed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviwed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 15 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Filled guide with boss by boss recommendations.
- 09 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Guide added.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 31 Jan. 2019 (Uldir page): Updated talent recommendations.
- 31 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated talent recommendations, added a couple more tips.
- 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Battle of Dazar'alor advice for Elemental Shaman.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated talent recommendations for 8.1 changes.
- 31 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Added Uldir guide.
- 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Added placeholder page for now.
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This guide has been written by Stormy, Elemental main since Wrath of the Lich King and member of the Storm, Earth and Lava Elemental theorycrafting team.
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