Elemental Shaman DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Stormy 61 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Elemental Shaman in World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Elemental Shaman talents.

Remember that talents can now be freely modified wherever you are, with no need for a tome, codex, or a rest area.

1.

Talent Cheat Sheets for Elemental Shaman

Optimizing talents on a contextual basis is the highly recommended method of setting up your build. That being said, the builds listed below are very well-rounded and should give you good results. For Mythic+, your choices can depend somewhat on whether the key is Fortified Icon Fortified or Tyrannical Icon Tyrannical, although other affixes are also important. Either way, you should generally use the AoE/Cleave build as a baseline for dungeons.

2.

Best Talents for Elemental Shaman

Fire-focused single-target Talents (recommended with T31) Lightning-focused single-target Talents Fire-focused AoE/Mythic+ Talents (recommended with T31) Lightning-focused AoE/Mythic+ Talents Talents Explained
3.

This "Mountains Will Burn" build is optimal for pure single-target situations if using Shaman Elemental 10.2 Class Set 4pc Icon Shaman Elemental 10.2 Class Set 4pc.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!

We can also recommend a variant using Magma Chamber Icon Magma Chamber, Windspeaker's Lava Resurgence Icon Windspeaker's Lava Resurgence, Stormkeeper Icon Stormkeeper, Surge of Power Icon Surge of Power and Splintered Elements Icon Splintered Elements and without Icefury Icon Icefury, especially for builds without very high Mastery, and for encounters where cleavable adds are occasionally present. You can Copy the following Export String:

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Note that this purposefully ignores some utility talents such as Purge Icon Purge. You should adjust this recommendation depending on what utility will be used in each encounter. There is a reasonable amount of flexibility in our class tree, and you could choose to get Totemic Surge Icon Totemic Surge or two points in Totemic Focus Icon Totemic Focus.

While the proposed build is, on average, the best raw DPS for fire-builds, it has a high variance (though much less than before due to the changes to Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements), as Deeply Rooted Elements associated with Aftershock Icon Aftershock means your DPS will ebb and flow on the good graces of RNG. This is further compounded if you grab Oath of the Far Seer Icon Oath of the Far Seer and Further Beyond Icon Further Beyond. You will get unlucky pulls where your damage will be bad or with no procs in important moments. Picking Ascendance instead resolves this issue, although it comes at the cost of a lower DPS on average.

3.

Best Lightning-focused Single-Target Talents for Elemental Shaman

This build is optimal for pure single-target situations if you are using any T30 set bonuses.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!

Note that this purposefully ignores some utility talents such as Cleanse Spirit Icon Cleanse Spirit, Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm or Purge Icon Purge. You should adjust this recommendation depending on what utility will be used in each encounter. There is a reasonable amount of flexibility in our class tree, and you could choose to get Totemic Surge Icon Totemic Surge or two points in Totemic Focus Icon Totemic Focus, or to get Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall and Call of the Elements Icon Call of the Elements, for example. Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm and Thundershock Icon Thundershock might be worth considering for some encounters.

3.

This is our recommended "Bushfire" build for AoE scenarios, especially if you have Shaman Elemental 10.2 Class Set 4pc Icon Shaman Elemental 10.2 Class Set 4pc. This works well for AoE Fights in Raids, as well as most Mythic+.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!

There are many competing builds for non-single-target situations, and what is best will heavily depend on your stats and the specific combat situation. They are split into two main categories, "Lightning-focused" builds and "Fire-focused" builds. While Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast is very powerful, it makes using Echoes of Great Sundering Icon Echoes of Great Sundering more awkward and slow while forcing you to stay standing a lot more. Because of this, using Earth Shock Icon Earth Shock instead may be a good idea on some dungeons, at least during the (re)discovery phase, when you are not comfortable with pulls/enemy abilities yet.

Fire-focused builds require enemies that live for longer but are massively better against spread-out enemies and have better priority target damage. They can also spec into reliable burst of various duration or rely on Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements and have higher variance.

Note that the class tree assumes a non-specific dungeon situation, so for raid encounters, you can spec out some utility to grab more useful points, or you might have specific utility needs not covered by this general recommendation.

We recommend you also check out our Dedicated Mythic+ Page.

3.

Best Lightning-Focused AoE/Mythic+ Talents for Elemental Shaman

This is our recommended build for AoE scenarios if you have at least 2 pieces of the T30 tier set equipped. This works well for AoE Fights in Raids, as well as most Mythic+.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the best build directly into your game!

There are many competing builds for non-single-target situations, and what is best will heavily depend on your stats and the specific combat situation. They are split into two main categories, "Lightning-focused" builds and "Fire-focused" builds. While Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast is very powerful, it makes using Echoes of Great Sundering Icon Echoes of Great Sundering more awkward and slow while forcing you to stay standing a lot more. Because of this, using Earth Shock Icon Earth Shock instead may be a good idea on some dungeons, at least during the (re)discovery phase, when you are not comfortable with pulls/enemy abilities yet.

Fire-focused builds require enemies that live for longer but are massively better against spread-out enemies and have better priority target damage. They can also spec into reliable burst of various duration or rely on Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements and have higher variance.

Note that the class tree assumes a non-specific dungeon situation, so for raid encounters, you can spec out some utility to grab more useful points, or you might have specific utility needs not covered by this general recommendation.

We recommend you also check out our Dedicated Mythic+ Page.

2.1.

How To Use Elemental Shaman Talents

There are multiple talents that require a change to your rotation in order to use them optimally. You can find more information on how your rotation will look after selecting your talents on our Dedicated Rotation page.

3.

The Viability/Uses of Elemental Shaman Talents

The following sections will give the author's opinion on the viability of every talent, including whether some are "automatic picks" because there is no circumstance where you do not want them. Note that several of the starting talents are picked for you; you do not actually have a choice in the matter. The point requirements to reach the next rows of talents also sometimes force picks. Note that these opinions are mostly focused on PvE.

3.1.

Noteworthy Active Class Tree Abilities for Elemental Shaman

3.1.1.

Rows 1-4

Ability Description/Effect
Lava Burst Icon Lava Burst It is automatically acquired when specializing.
Astral Shift Icon Astral Shift It is your main defensive cooldown. It is an Automatic Pick. Its cooldown is reduced by Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning, which means that if you use it and Planes Traveler Icon Planes Traveler, you can expect to have it back up about a minute after it ends.
Chain Lightning Icon Chain Lightning It is automatically acquired when specializing.
Earth Elemental Icon Earth Elemental It is not quite an automatic pick, but it is close enough. Its only real downsides are a long cooldown, and the taunt can potentially backfire, so you have to carefully choose your moment. The additional health alone makes it worth picking. Note that since Patch 10.0.7, it cannot taunt or pulse threats to enemies that are not in combat yet, making it significantly more comfortable to use in dungeons.
Wind Shear Icon Wind Shear It is your "kick." It is fairly unique in that its 30-yard range and 12-second cooldown are shorter than most other ranged characters. This makes Wind Shear one of the best interrupts in the game, and you should use it is a lot. This is, again, not quite an automatic pick, as you will not need it in every raid fight. Outside of those, however, you should always pick it. Its cooldown can be massively reduced by Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning.
Frost Shock Icon Frost Shock Outside of Icefury Icon Icefury, you should only use this for movement when you have nothing else to cast when you need the slow or if you really need extra damage immediately. It is an automatic pick for any build using Icefury Icon Icefury, for obvious reasons.
Earth Shield Icon Earth Shield It is very strong for solo play, PvP and useful in most PvE circumstances. There are some things you may want to grab over it in raids and M+, but it should definitely be a default pick and probably alongside Elemental Orbit Icon Elemental Orbit for solo play and PvP.
Capacitor Totem Icon Capacitor Totem It is your only way to stun targets. It is of great value (and an automatic pick) almost everywhere outside of raids, and is even useful in some raid fights. It can do Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning significantly lowers its cooldown, allowing a very comfortable uptime in Mythic+ especially. It can backfire in PvP, however by putting stun diminishing returns on people when you do not want to.
Cleanse Spirit Icon Cleanse Spirit It is occasionally useful in solo play, very handy in PvP, regularly used in dungeons and rarely used in some raid encounters.
Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace It is an Automatic Pick It is a very helpful tool for movement which should be used to kite or to keep dealing damage when you have to move a lot. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning lowers its cooldown significantly. You might occasionally just want it for the movement speed to get somewhere quick, especially with Graceful Spirit Icon Graceful Spirit.
Tremor Totem Icon Tremor Totem It is mostly used in PvP and Mythic+. It has some use in solo play and rarely in raids, although when it works in raids, you definitely want it. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Purge Icon Purge It is occasionally handy in solo and rarely in raids, very useful in Mythic+ and PvP.
3.2.

Rows 5-7

Ability Description/Effect
Wind Rush Totem Icon Wind Rush Totem It is a fantastic tool in raids where it is an automatic pick unless you absolutely need Earthgrab Totem Icon Earthgrab Totem. It is handy in PvP and Mythic+, but not as much for solo play unless you combine it with Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace or Earthbind Totem Icon Earthbind Totem to kite things around. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Earthgrab Totem Icon Earthgrab Totem It is very handy in solo play, PvP, and Mythic+. Not so much in raids, with a few exceptions. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Hex Icon Hex It is an automatic pick for Mythic+, PvP and solo play. It is rarely used in raids, but when you can use it is often mandatory.
Healing Stream Totem Icon Healing Stream Totem It is nice to have for solo play and can make an appreciable difference in Mythic+ or raids. In fights where healing is a struggle, it can help a little. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown. You generally pick this if you have nothing more important to grab.
Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk It is very good in most circumstances. It competes with the more "fun." Gust of Wind Icon Gust of Wind, which has a much shorter cooldown. In practice, Spirit Walk tends to be overkill in PvE, but in some circumstances, you may favor it.
Gust of Wind Icon Gust of Wind It is back, and it sure feels nice. Unfortunately, it is competing with Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk, so depending on the fight, you may want to pick that instead. Unlike Spirit Walk, Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown. This means that in practice, instead of having half the cooldown of Spirit Walk, it should be closer to a third if playing a Lightning-focused build. It also allows you to break falls and reach otherwise unreachable locations, which are very nice for solo play. Overall, it is a default pick unless you specifically want Spirit Walk.
3.3.

Rows 8-10

Ability Description/Effect
Nature's Swiftness Icon Nature's Swiftness In my opinion an automatic pick in most circumstances. It is extra nice if you are using Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast as you otherwise always have to hard-cast it if Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace is not up. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm It is very good for solo play and PvP. It has niche uses in some raid fights and, especially combined with Thundershock Icon Thundershock, is very useful in Mythic+. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can massively lower its cooldown.
Lightning Lasso Icon Lightning Lasso It is a strong pick for PvP. It is very good for solo play but competes with the formidable Thundershock Icon Thundershock, making it unpickable in Mythic+. Since you are unlikely to need Thundershock in raids outside of specific circumstances, Lightning Lasso, can help lock out an add or deal a bit of damage while moving. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Ancestral Guidance Icon Ancestral Guidance Is an automatic pick with the talent tree rework, which made it much less costly to grab.
3.4.

Noteworthy Passive Class Tree Abilities for Elemental Shaman

3.4.1.

Rows 1-4

Ability Description/Effect
Planes Traveler Icon Planes Traveler It is neck and neck with its sister talent Astral Bulwark Icon Astral Bulwark; what is best entirely depends on the circumstances. It has more overall effective reduction in a vacuum and is available more often, but the notably weaker damage reduction might get you killed. Overall, prefer Astral Bulwark Icon Astral Bulwark
Astral Bulwark Icon Astral Bulwark It is a great default pick, especially if you are not very familiar with the content, or if you prefer having a strong panic button over a lighter one that is available more often.
Spirit Wolf Icon Spirit Wolf It is somewhat niche compared to Thunderous Paws Icon Thunderous Paws and should mostly be picked if you are going to stand in Ghost Wolf for several seconds in order to "tank" a powerful ability, like a Druid going into Bear Form Icon Bear Form. It can be nice during mechanics where you will not be doing any DPS, anyway. Because of the ever-increasing damage in high Mythic+, this talent becomes mandatory at certain thresholds in order to survive certain unavoidable damage instances.
Thunderous Paws Icon Thunderous Paws It is more generally useful than its sister talent and should be a default pick, although if you do not think you will need the extra speed, you can safely pick something else.
Fire and Ice Icon Fire and Ice It is an automatic pick.
Brimming with Life Icon Brimming with Life It is an automatic pick in every circumstance. Both benefits are very powerful.
Elemental Orbit Icon Elemental Orbit It is excellent for solo play and PvP. If you can spare the point, it is a nice way to provide a smidge of additional healing Mythic+ and Raids.
Ancestral Defense Icon Ancestral Defense It is not very powerful but is almost always handy. You should have this in most circumstances, and always if you use neither Tremor Totem Icon Tremor Totem or one of Capacitor Totem Icon Capacitor Totem's sub-talents.
Static Charge Icon Static Charge It is an automatic pick for Mythic+. Depending on timings, it might be worth picking if you need Capacitor Totem Icon Capacitor Totem for a raid encounter. Otherwise, you can mostly ignore it.
Guardian's Cudgel Icon Guardian's Cudgel It is mostly useful for solo play or some PvP compositions. Diminishing Returns on stuns make it much less useful if other people in your group also have stuns. It can backfire in PvP, however, by putting stun-diminishing returns on people when you do not want to.
3.4.2.

Rows 5-7

Ability Description/Effect
Swirling Currents Icon Swirling Currents Gives significant healing for solo play or PvP. For PvE, it is mostly picked with your leftover points if you do not need anything else, but it is a very nice boost if you can get it.
Nature's Fury Icon Nature's Fury It is an automatic pick. In and of itself, it would be a must-pick, but it is a required pick to keep going down this tree path, which you always do.
Elemental Warding Icon Elemental Warding It is an automatic pick. Most of the damage you will take is magic damage, especially outside of PvP.
Nature's Guardian Icon Nature's Guardian It is an automatic pick. There is no reason to ever not have this, especially for builds using Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning.
Voodoo Mastery Icon Voodoo Mastery It is mostly a PvP talent, although it might be handy on some specific M+ pulls and maybe a strong pick to deal with Incorporeal Icon Incorporeal.
Winds of Al'Akir Icon Winds of Al'Akir It is an automatic pick since it is required to grab Gust of Wind Icon Gust of Wind or Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk. It gives a lot of value for PvP, otherwise is quite forgettable.
3.4.3.

Rows 8-10

Ability Description/Effect
Graceful Spirit Icon Graceful Spirit It is an automatic pick outside of PvP, where its sister talent is the automatic pick. Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace is very useful; getting it more often, and moving even faster with it is always going to be useful.
Totemic Surge Icon Totemic Surge Tends to lose the opportunity cost battle to many stronger options. Still, something to be considered in PvP and M+ if you feel the extra cooldown will smooth out a route.
Go with the Flow Icon Go with the Flow It is hard to pass up for PvP. It is otherwise nice to have, but only required if you have specific timings/routes in mind. Still a default pick.
Mana Spring Icon Mana Spring Gives some Mana back to a few allies with a proximity requirement, and loses a lot of value if you do not use a Lava Burst Icon Lava Burst -centric build. Since the opportunity cost is only one point now, however, it is generally worth picking to help your healers a little bit. Multiple Mana Spring Totems' effects also do not stack.
Thundershock Icon Thundershock It is a formidable variant of Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm, turning it into a reliable crowd-control ability without moving enemies and risking attracting additional hostiles. While advanced Shaman players have learned to put the regular Thunderstorm to good use; newer players should probably always pick this. The additional reliable crowd control is very welcome in Mythic+, in other circumstances, you are likely better off with the regular version.
Call of the Elements Icon Call of the Elements It is generally taken along with Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall. This is very strong in PvP, and in PvE is mostly used to reset the cooldown of Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem. Generally, an automatic pick if you pick LMT and not worth the points if you do not. There are some possible exceptions, such as needing a second Wind Rush Totem Icon Wind Rush Totem or Poison Cleansing Totem Icon Poison Cleansing Totem.
3.5.

Niche or Undertuned Class Tree Abilities

Ability Description/Effect
Chain Heal Icon Chain Heal It is the only multi-target heal Elemental Shamans can get. It does not heal for much, but combined with Focused Insight Icon Focused Insight and/or Nature's Swiftness Icon Nature's Swiftness, possibly 1/2 Earth Shield Icon Earth Shields, Primordial Fury Icon Primordial Fury and even Master of the Elements Icon Master of the Elements, it can add up to a very handy point, especially for party play. Overall it is not something you would pick by default, however.
Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon Requires you to be in melee to have a chance at a tiny DPS gain occasionally. This is an enhancement talent that happens to be on the class tree, forget it exists.
Ancestral Wolf Affinity Icon Ancestral Wolf Affinity Might be worth something in PvP but is otherwise ignored.
Greater Purge Icon Greater Purge Has twice the Mana cost of Purge Icon Purge and a 12 seconds cooldown. Good for lazy people in PvP.
Spiritwalker's Aegis Icon Spiritwalker's Aegis It is an automatic pick for PvP and useless everywhere else.
Flurry Icon Flurry Like its parent talent, it is an enhancement talent that happens to be on the class tree, forget it exists.
Enfeeblement Icon Enfeeblement It is too niche to be picked over its sister talent. Maybe usable against some specific compositions in arenas.
Totemic Projection Icon Totemic Projection Can be somewhat useful for solo play or in Mythic+, for example, to position a Poison Cleansing Totem Icon Poison Cleansing Totem in the middle of a pack of Incorporeal Icon Incorporeal mobs. It has some niche uses in raids, but unless you have a specific reason to pick it should not be a default pick.
Totemic Focus Icon Totemic Focus Has potential niche uses, such as giving you a longer Poison Cleansing Totem Icon Poison Cleansing Totem to help with poisons in Algeth'ar Academy or making Tremor Totem Icon Tremor Totem or Wind Rush Totem Icon Wind Rush Totem stronger to better deal with certain abilities.
Surging Shields Icon Surging Shields It is nice to have in PvP and solo play, largely useless elsewhere.
Poison Cleansing Totem Icon Poison Cleansing Totem It is either very useful or not at all, depending on the opponents you face. It most likely will not see use in raids in part because of its hefty point requirements in Totemic Focus Icon Totemic Focus or Surging Shields Icon Surging Shields, but in dungeons where you will be facing enemies that poison a lot (Algeth'ar Academy) is going to be very useful, and when facing certain classes in PvP. Not worth it for solo play. Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall Its point requirements make it so you probably want to have a good reason to pick this talent. It has uses in most circumstances, but is probably most useful in Mythic+, for difficult solo encounters or for very specific uses in some raid encounters. DPS-wise, it is mostly used to resets the cooldown of Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem.
Stoneskin Totem Icon Stoneskin Totem It is used to help deal with a specific party/raid-wide damage abilities that deal physical damage, but those are few and far between. Potentially worth picking if tanks are getting demolished by physical hits or against multiple melee in PvP.
Tranquil Air Totem Icon Tranquil Air Totem It is pretty much exclusively usable in Battlegrounds or 5v5 Arenas.
Creation Core Icon Creation Core It is too deep in the tree to be worth going for unless you have a very specific purpose in mind for it.
3.6.

Active Elemental Tree Abilities

3.6.1.

Rows 1-4

Earth Shock Icon Earth Shock, Earthquake Icon Earthquake and either Fire Elemental Icon Fire Elemental or Storm Elemental Icon Storm Elemental are required picks. You cannot go down the tree without picking them all. Fire-focused builds take Fire Elemental, while lightning-focused builds take Storm Elemental.

3.6.2.

Rows 5-7

Ability Description/Effect
Icefury Icon Icefury It is a controversial ability because it is considered "hard." It is not actually particularly hard, and people should give it an honest try, especially considering it is currently optimal for single-target encounters and PvP and a contender for lightning-focused M+ builds. It is also quite comfortable to use for solo play.
Stormkeeper Icon Stormkeeper It is an automatic pick for lightning-focused builds and some hybrids, but the opportunity cost to path to it is too high for fire-focused builds. Its burst value remains significant, however, and it may be picked on a per-encounter basis. It is likely to remain a must-have for PvP.
3.6.3.

Rows 8-10

Ability Description/Effect
Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast Now does tremendous damage and synergizes well with most of our talents. It is picked by all our recommended builds, although it could feasibly be ignored in some circumstances if you prefer keeping the mobility of having an instant cast spender, like for solo play or PvP.
Primordial Wave Icon Primordial Wave It is now a staple of fire-focused builds and, along with its dedicated the path is picked for both raid encounters & Mythic+. It is debatable for solo play but is probably mandatory for PvP as well.
Ascendance Icon Ascendance While its sister talent Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements is on average superior, its unreliability can be enough that you want to use Ascendance itself instead, especially if you absolutely need to have reliable burst for specific packs or a specific boss/phase. With Further Beyond Icon Further Beyond on top, Ascendance is an extremely powerful cooldown that can potentially last for about a minute in AoE circumstances.
Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem It is an optional Mythic+ pick for fire-focused build. If you pick it you should also grab Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall and Call of the Elements Icon Call of the Elements from the class tree.
3.7.

Passive Elemental Tree Abilities

3.7.1.

Rows 1-4

Ability Description/Effect
Elemental Fury Icon Elemental Fury It is an automatic pick for every build.
Tumultuous Fissures Icon Tumultuous Fissures It is mostly nice in unorganized Mythic+. If you do not think Inundate Icon Inundate will give you enough value, and you want a bit more crowd-control and are pathing to Call of Thunder Icon Call of Thunder, get this.
Inundate Icon Inundate It is a nice boost for PvP, Mythic+, and solo play, but you only get it to the path to Call of Thunder Icon Call of Thunder. Better than its sister talent in most circumstances.
Primordial Fury Icon Primordial Fury It is picked when you are getting Flow of Power Icon Flow of Power but does not increase your damage.
Focused Insight Icon Focused Insight Default pick. It is a very noticeable effect in PvP but is nice all-around.
Refreshing Waters Icon Refreshing Waters It is great for solo play and PvP. Debatable in other circumstances, in raid, or if using Skybreaker's Fiery Demise Icon Skybreaker's Fiery Demise, you should mostly use Primordial Bond Icon Primordial Bond instead, assuming you are pathing to Lava Surge Icon Lava Surge.
Primordial Bond Icon Primordial Bond It is mostly picked in order to grab Lava Surge Icon Lava Surge. If you do not, you can ignore it.
Call of Thunder Icon Call of Thunder It is an automatic pick for lightning-focused builds and fire-focused builds making use of Stormkeeper Icon Stormkeeper.
Flow of Power Icon Flow of Power It is inherently much weaker in Mythic+ and often skipped for those builds. Otherwise a strong pick.
Lava Surge Icon Lava Surge Automatic pick for fire-focused builds but generally not worth the points for lightning-focused builds.
3.7.2.

Rows 5-7

Ability Description/Effect
Unrelenting Calamity Icon Unrelenting Calamity Automatic pick for lightning-focused builds and fire-focused builds making use of Stormkeeper Icon Stormkeeper.
Swelling Maelstrom Icon Swelling Maelstrom It is a nice quality of life or allows you to pool more Maelstrom. Helps not overcapping on multi-target builds. Picked in most PvE builds, although some fire-focused Mythic+ will skip this.
Echo of the Elements Icon Echo of the Elements Gives Lava Burst Icon Lava Burst an additional charge.
Call of Fire Icon Call of Fire Automatic pick for fire-focused builds, not picked otherwise.
Flux Melting Icon Flux Melting Part of our best single-target setup for raids. It can be an option for solo play or PvP.
Electrified Shocks Icon Electrified Shocks Makes Icefury Icon Icefury usable in Mythic+. Excellent to keep doing damage while moving, and can incidentally be an AoE slow or even an AoE root with a Surge of Power Icon Surge of Power proc. Highly recommended for lightning-focused Mythic+ builds.
Aftershock Icon Aftershock It is unreliable power but overall quite good in most circumstances, especially in AoE. It pairs well with Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast. Good default pick in most circumstances.
Surge of Power Icon Surge of Power It is a strong contender for Lightning-focused builds, giving stronger single-target and 6+ targets DPS. It also works nicely for Fire-focused builds although Aftershock Icon Aftershock is generally preferred when using Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast.
Flames of the Cauldron Icon Flames of the Cauldron It is an automatic pick for fire-focused builds and is otherwise ignored.
Flash of Lightning Icon Flash of Lightning It is an automatic pick for Lightning-focused builds and some Mythic+ Fire builds. Not so good in PvP where you cast too few Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolts. Usable for solo play as it gives all your tools slightly lower cooldowns but you will not be casting enough spells for it to matter much. Which cooldowns, Do you ask? Almost all of them. Here is the list:
  • Stormkeeper Icon Stormkeeper
  • Storm Elemental Icon Storm Elemental
  • Reincarnation Icon Reincarnation
  • Astral Shift Icon Astral Shift
  • Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm
  • Lightning Lasso Icon Lightning Lasso
  • Gust of Wind Icon Gust of Wind
  • Wind Shear Icon Wind Shear
  • Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace
  • Nature's Swiftness Icon Nature's Swiftness
  • Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall
  • Totemic Projection Icon Totemic Projection
  • Nature's Guardian Icon Nature's Guardian
  • Earth Elemental Icon Earth Elemental
  • Bloodlust Icon Bloodlust
  • Ancestral Guidance Icon Ancestral Guidance
  • Cleanse Spirit Icon Cleanse Spirit
  • Purge Icon Purge
  • Greater Purge Icon Greater Purge
  • Hex Icon Hex
  • Astral Recall Icon Astral Recall
  • ALL totems except Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem
  • It notably does NOT work on Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk
Eye of the Storm Icon Eye of the Storm It is an automatic pick apart from some fire-focused Mythic+ builds that do not use Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast either.
Power of the Maelstrom Icon Power of the Maelstrom It is quite strong for Lightning-focused builds and an automatic pick for them. For other builds, Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolts will not do enough damage for this to be worth the points, and you do not need it for pathing purposes.
Master of the Elements Icon Master of the Elements It is an automatic pick. Reliable damage buff that works on pretty much any build.
Improved Flametongue Weapon Icon Improved Flametongue Weapon Stacks with weapon runes. Very powerful in single-target and unless things change will be picked for single-target Fire-focused builds. It is quite a bit worse when there are many targets, but there may not be better talents to spend points on in order to reach the last talent tier.
3.7.3.

Rows 8-10

Ability Description/Effect
Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements It is your go-to for Fire-focused build. It is powerful in every circumstance, although its inherent unreliability has led to builds using it being called "gambling" builds. It has high highs and low lows; expect to have it refuses to proc for sometimes minutes. Not recommended for solo play or PvP.
Primal Elementalist Icon Primal Elementalist It is relatively weak compared to the competition. With Skybreaker's Fiery Demise Icon Skybreaker's Fiery Demise In Mythic+, you can have your elemental most of the time, making this talent significantly more powerful and most likely a must pick for Fire-focused Mythic+ builds, although those would also love to have Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem.
Echoes of Great Sundering Icon Echoes of Great Sundering It is strongly recommended for lightning-focused Mythic+ builds along with Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast. Alternating spenders on AoE is something a lot of people dislike, but it is a fairly easy rhythm to pick up and makes a lot more sense when using EB.
Elemental Equilibrium Icon Elemental Equilibrium Requires using either Icefury Icon Icefury, Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast or both. Since we recommend always using at least one of the two, this is an okay damage increase for lightning-focused builds and is mandatory for those not getting Echoes of Great Sundering Icon Echoes of Great Sundering, as you need one of the two in order to grab Lightning Rod Icon Lightning Rod.
Rolling Magma Icon Rolling Magma Massively reduces Primordial Wave Icon Primordial Wave's cooldown for Fire-focused builds, especially in multi-target situations. Automatic pick if you use Primordial Wave.
Echo Chamber Icon Echo Chamber It is a potentially very powerful damage increase if you can stack a lot of Mastery and/or for Lightning-focused builds using Surge of Power Icon Surge of Power. Not currently a go-to for Fire-builds until you can reach very high levels of Mastery, after which it becomes the right choice.
Oath of the Far Seer Icon Oath of the Far Seer It is a contender for Fire-focused builds, depending on a few things. It makes Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements variance even higher and, along with Further Beyond Icon Further Beyond can potentially give Ascendance Icon Ascendance crazy uptimes in multi-target situations.
Magma Chamber Icon Magma Chamber Scales up our spenders, especially in multi-target situations. Because Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast is much stronger than Earth Shock Icon Earth Shock, you generally want to pick them together.
Searing Flames Icon Searing Flames Gives you lots and lots of Maelstrom in multi-target situation, especially if you are using Liquid Magma Totem Icon Liquid Magma Totem. Not good enough for single-target situations, so this is only for fire-focused Mythic+ builds. Might be good for PvP outside of 2v2.
Lightning Rod Icon Lightning Rod It is an automatic pick for Lightning-focused builds and is otherwise ignored. Dubious for PvP apart from Battlegrounds.
Primordial Surge Icon Primordial Surge It is picked for raid encounters with fire-focused builds. In Mythic+, you want its sister talent Splintered Elements Icon Splintered Elements. Very strong in PvP as well. Generally, overkill for solo play.
Splintered Elements Icon Splintered Elements It is picked for Mythic+ with Fire-focused builds picking Primordial Wave Icon Primordial Wave. It is very strong for this niche but is not really usable in other situations.
Mountains Will Fall Icon Mountains Will Fall It is an automatic pick for Lightning-focused builds but has the similar strengths and problems as Echo Chamber Icon Echo Chamber. Once you get a lot of mastery, it is also best for Fire-focused builds as well, but until you do it is not good enough.
Further Beyond Icon Further Beyond Gives Ascendance Icon Ascendance crazy uptime in multi-target situations, both for the regular active cooldown and Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements. A strong contender in and of itself for DRE, but can also elevate its sister talent to a new level of power by giving you the ability to choose an extended burst period over-relying on RNG. Probably best in Mythic+ if you can keep extending multi-target pulls, or if there is a specific boss that needs to die quickly, or a specific phase in a raid where you do not want to gamble for DPS.
Windspeaker's Lava Resurgence Icon Windspeaker's Lava Resurgence It is an excellent addition to any build. Reliable damage and mobility is always nice, especially for Deeply Rooted Elements Icon Deeply Rooted Elements builds. Fine option for solo play and PvP.
Skybreaker's Fiery Demise Icon Skybreaker's Fiery Demise It is used in Mythic+ for Fire-focused builds that want to have an almost permanent Fire Elemental Icon Fire Elemental. Usually picked along with Primal Elementalist Icon Primal Elementalist, especially if you want more single-target damage. Not an option for other circumstances.
4.

PvP Talents (War Mode)

In the open world, you can go into "War Mode." Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

  • PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world.
  • 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level.
  • 10% more experience gained while leveling.
  • Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended to enable the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open-world PvP, and the possibility to be "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists. If you need advice on how to fight against other players, visit the link below.

4.1.

Elemental Shaman War Mode Talents

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo or small-group PvE content. Below is a ranking of Elemental Shaman-specific PvP talents to aid in PvE.

  1. Skyfury Totem Icon Skyfury Totem increases the critical effect of spells of allies within 40 yards by 20% for 15 seconds, 40-second cooldown. Good for solo play and excellent if you are doing outdoor content with others.
  2. Volcanic Surge Icon Volcanic Surge increased the damage of Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning Icon Chain Lightning by 25% and the damage of Lava Burst Icon Lava Burst by 45% Lava Surge Icon Lava Surge has an additional 100% chance to proc, and now, instead of its normal effect, reduces the cast time of your next Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning Icon Chain Lightning by 25%, stacking up to 2 times.
  3. Static Field Totem Icon Static Field Totem summons a totem at a target location that creates a circle of terrain that enemies cannot move through. It is extremely handy, versatile crowd control with a 1-minute cooldown.
  4. Burrow Icon Burrow Burrow beneath the ground, becoming unattackable, removing movement-impairing effects, and increasing your movement speed by 50% for 5 seconds. When the effect ends, enemies within 6 yards are knocked in the air and take Physical Damage. This ability has a 2-minute cooldown.
  5. Counterstrike Totem Icon Counterstrike Totem replicates and reflects damage you take for 15 seconds on a 45-second cooldown. This can be really strong when in a high-damage area to deal some chip damage to targets around you and convert your health pool into additional damage.
  6. Traveling Storms Icon Traveling Storms allows Thunderstorm Icon Thunderstorm to be cast on allies within 40 yards and additionally increases the knockback range by 25% and the slow effect by 60%. It also doubles the knock-up range of the Thundershock Icon Thundershock talent. This has pretty good potential uses in PvE and PvP both.
  7. Seasoned Winds Icon Seasoned Winds is mostly nice when facing a bunch of enemies doing similar damage types, and it is one of the few useful PvP talents that are not active, so it can be a good pick-up if you are not finding yourself use the active talents much.
  8. Grounding Totem Icon Grounding Totem can be handy in PvE but is mostly strong in PvP-exclusive activities.
  9. Unleash Shield Icon Unleash Shield is a 20-yard range, 30-second cooldown crowd-control ability, the effect of which depends on the type of elemental shield you are using. For Elemental, it will mostly be a knockback, which is always nice, but in our opinion, not really worth picking up for PvE.

We recommend picking 3 of the above talents, depending on what you value most. Personally, I recommend choosing Skyfury Totem Icon Skyfury Totem, Volcanic Surge Icon Volcanic Surge and Static Field Totem Icon Static Field Totem by default.

Precognition Icon Precognition is a new caster talent that rewards "fake-casting" by granting you 15% haste as well as interrupt and crowd control immunity for 4 seconds when an interrupt is used on you while you are not casting. As such, it is almost exclusively useful in PvP.

Tidebringer Icon Tidebringer reduces the cast time of your next Chain Heal Icon Chain Heal by 50% and increases its jump distance by 100% every 8 seconds, with a maximum of 2 charges. This talent requires taking Chain Heal Icon Chain Heal from your class, and unless you are group-leveling, you should not do that.

5.

Changelog

  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Updated with 10.2 builds, emphasizing T31 recommended builds.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Updated the page with new templates.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updated wording on Brimming With Life's recommendation.
  • 06 May 2023: Removed an outdated sentence, added a specific recommendation for Wildfire use and advice regarding whether you want to pick Elemental Blast or not.
  • 01 May 2023: Removed the Swelling Waves, Control of Lava and Spectral Recovery PvP talents, added the Volcanic Surge and Burrow PvP talents. Updated the default talent recommendations with T30. Updated commentary on talents and reordered them to align with the reworked class talent tree.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.7 changes. .
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Updated commentary on Mana Spring (Totem).
  • 13 Dec. 2022: Updated Electrified Shocks blurb.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Adjusted recommended fire build for dungeons for more AoE burst.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 18 Nov. 2022: Updated a few things, removed unnecessary export strings, removed a fire build embedded calculator to lessen clutter.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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