Enhancement Shaman Frequently Asked Questions — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1

1. Should I Worry About Maelstrom Waste?

Currently, Enhancement has a serious problem with being able to actually make use of the high fluctuations in resource gain, and unfortunately there is not much that can be done. As long as you are not wasting any Stormstrike casts or Stormbringer procs by waiting an unnecessary amount of time to use them, you are doing as much as you can to increase your damage. This is especially true during high generation periods, such as during your Feral Spirit and Lightning Shield effects being active.

2. Should I Put My Highest Item Level Weapon in the Off-Hand?

Much like in Warlords of Draenor, this question has appeared again and the answer is a firm no. Since then, we have shifted even further toward the Main Hand, and the highest portion of damage we deal is sourced from there.

3. Should I Be Using Earth Elemental as a DPS Cooldown?

Generally speaking, this is also a no. The amount of damage it will deal, assuming it has full uptime on a target and is able to live the entire duration will be a marginal increase over an alternative cooldown. However, it is also prone to dying, poor AI, or disrupting a group with its taunt. It is much more beneficial to simply save it as an emergency defense tool in case something goes wrong, when the gain is so marginal. This is however slightly altered if you have any points in the Rumbling Tremors Azerite trait, which does turn it into a DPS cooldown — albeit not a very strong one.

4. Should I Play Around Elemental Spirits?

This is something that could change in the future, but as of right now no. The effects Elemental Spirits provide are all relatively neutral and tend to grant their bonus passively, with the exception of Molten Weapon. This should not be played around in single target, but if you can fit a Sundering cast into this window, it will gain from the bonus and is especially strong in AoE if they line up.

5. Should I Use Crash Lightning in Single Target?

Only if you have Crashing Storm selected. This will push it over the edge of being more valuable than a Lava Lash cast as a filler, and should therefore slot into the rotation just above as a Maelstrom spender. Otherwise, this is an exclusively Cleave and AoE tool.

6. What Piece is Better, X or Y?

The answer to this question in any context will always be to simulate it. This is because what is an upgrade for you may not be an upgrade for someone else. In other words, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all answer, even when talking about 2 completely identical comparisons from you to another person. Everything in your gear has an effect on everything else.

This applies to gear, set bonuses, trinkets, Azerite traits, and in certain circumstances, talents.

The only exception to this rule is when a specific fight dictates a certain set of optimal talents and gear pieces that enhance their strength. If you are curious about what kind of setup to go for a specific fight, WarcraftLogs.com's rankings and statistics are a good place to see what others are doing.

We have a guide on how to sim yourself here:

7. How Much of X Stat Should I Have?

For Enhancement, there is no strict "amount" or breakpoint of any stat that you are required to reach. Nor are there any points at which a stat stops being desirable. In the majority of cases, the specific secondary you have is less important than the volume. This is however, another case of a situation in which a simulation done to check your ideal gear pieces and stat values will provide you invaluable information.

8. Changelog