Enhancement Shaman DPS Gear and Best in Slot — 12.1.5

Welcome to our Gear and BiS Page for Enhancement Shaman for Midnight! Check this page to learn everything you need to know about gearing an Enhancement Shaman, including the BiS Gear from all sources, Raiding, and Mythic+, information on the best Trinkets, Tier Sets, and much more.

Upgrading gear in Midnight continues to use the Crest system, allowing you to increase the item level of gear along tracks relating to the level of content it was obtained from. Harder content drops gear on higher level tracks, thus reaching higher Item Levels. For more information, read up on our dedicated page on how the gearing system works in Midnight.

The 12.1.5 update brings with it the release of Ascendant Venomstones, allowing 334 Weapons, Trinkets, and Necklaces to be upgraded all the way to 340 item level. Additionally, it brings the new boss Kith'ix, which drops powerful new loot, with some big pick-ups on offer for Enhancement.

Patch 12.1.5 Gearset Notice

Kith'ix introduces multiple new cantrip items that are worth equipping, meaning some slots need to be adjusted to fit into the stat budget. Bear that in mind when looking at catalyst pieces linked below.

OverallMythic+Raid

The list below contains gear from all possible endgame sources, including Raids, Mythic+, Crafting, Delves and The Great Vault. It aims to provide the absolute best possible setup, but bear in mind that each individual item may not be the strongest in your particular gear setup. Tier pieces have the drop locations of ideal Catalyst pieces listed if they're stronger than the standard version.

Note that in Season 2, gearing is quite complicated. We want Critical Strike to be just above Mastery for Potion of Recklessness, and then get Mastery and Haste as close as possible underneath it.

FAQWhich Items Do I Use in the Catalyst?

In Midnight Season 2, the Catalyst now retains the secondary stats and cantrips of any item you convert. Therefore, it doesn't matter which slots you use to activate your set bonus, and instead what matters is the items you input.

The absolute best pieces currently available to Catalyze in each slot are:

• Helm – Serpent Crown of the Ophidian Oracle from Twin Fangs
• Shoulders – Soulslither Spaulders from Coiled Altar
• Chest – Awoken Dreadfang Cuirass from Ula'tek
• Gloves – Aberrant Commander's Gauntlets from Kith'ix
• Legs – Cuisses of the Uncoiled Union from Coiled Altar

Similar to Season 1, your number one priority is to acquire the 4-piece bonus through any means to unlock Catalyst Unbound for Season 2.

FAQAre There Any High Priority Great Vault or Voidcore Items to Look Out For?

Any of the cantrip items available in Season 2 raids are extremely valuable, even if they aren't at item level 344 from Mythic. The following items are strongly worth considering even from a Heroic Vault, and are even worth using Voidcores on to obtain if you don't expect to progress Mythic quickly:

1. Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance – Coiled Altar
2. Voracious Heart of Ula'tek – Ula'tek
3. Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique – Coiled Altar
4. Aqirbane Reliquary – Ula'tek
5. Awoken Dreadfang Cuirass – Ula'tek
6. Aberrant Commander's Gauntlets – Kith'ix

All three new Kith'ix items are also quite strong, making it a good Voidcore candidate. Items in this pool are strong enough that if you aren't killing any Mythic bosses for higher vault rewards, you always have the option to pick up a Voidcore from your Great Vault if none of these show up.

FAQDo I put my Highest Item Level Weapon in the Main or Off-Hand?

Enhancement always puts its highest item-level weapon in the Main-Hand regardless of your Hero Tree choice. While Lava Lash only scales with your Off-Hand and some builds use it extensively, everything else gains more from your Main-Hand scaling.

Enhancement Shaman

1.1.

Overall Best in Slot

Serpent Crown of the Ophidian Oracle Helm

Twin Fangs Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Hexing Grips of the Ophidian Oracle Hands

Catalyst from Kith'ix

Aqirbane Reliquary Neck

Ula'tek

Serpentine Mixing Belt Waist

Vashnik

Hissing Mantle of the Ophidian Oracle Shoulders

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Amirdrassil's Grace

Leggings of the Ophidian Oracle Legs

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Forest Hunter's

Silken Voodoo Drape Cloak

Coiled Altar

Boots of the Reckless Wayfarer Feet

Lost Explorers Lynx's Dexterity

Fanged Raiment of the Ophidian Oracle Chest

Catalyst from Ula'tek Mark of the Worldsoul

Apex Brute's Claw Ring Ring

Sszorak Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Band of the Swarmcaller Ring

Kith'ix Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Voracious Heart of Ula'tek Trinket

Ula'tek

Farstrider's Plated Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Leatherworking

Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique Trinket

Coiled Altar

Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance Main Hand

Coiled Altar Rite of the Hash'ey

Farstrider's Chopper Off Hand

Crafted by Blacksmithing Rite of the Hash'ey

The gearset below contains the best items available from Mythic+, using gear only available from dungeons in the Season 2 pool, alongside your ideal Tier Set catalyst locations and Crafted items for Embellishments. Note that this is a list of the best items available from Mythic+ dungeons, not a strict list of what you should be using in Mythic+ content.

FAQWhich Items Do I Use in the Catalyst?

In Midnight Season 2, the Catalyst now retains the secondary stats and cantrips of any item you convert. Therefore, it doesn't matter which slots you use to activate your set bonus, and instead what matters is the items you input.

The best Dungeon only pieces to Catalyze in each slot are:

• Helm – Voidscarred Crown from Voidscar Arena
• Shoulders – Spaulders of Prime Emperor from King's Rest
• Chest – Chestguard of Corroded Scales from Altar of Fangs
• Gloves – Galerattle Gauntlets from Ruby Life Pools
• Legs – Legguards of the Awakening Brood from Temple of Sethraliss

Similar to Season 1, your number one priority is to acquire the 4-piece bonus through any means to unlock Catalyst Unbound for Season 2.

TipsWhich Dungeons Should I Farm?

All of Enhancement's strongest pieces are sourced from Raids in Season 2, but there are some worthwhile alternatives to hunt while you wait to get hold of them:

1. Vile Vial of Volatile Venom - Altar of Fangs
2. Band of the Amani Warlord - Altar of Fangs
3. Voidscarred Crown - Voidscar Arena
4. Sickening Signet of Atroxus - Voidscar Arena

Enhancement Shaman

1.2.

Best Gear from Mythic+

Serpent Crown of the Ophidian Oracle Helm

Catalyst from Voidscar Arena Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Hexing Grips of the Ophidian Oracle Hands

Catalyst from Ruby Life Pools

Graft of the Domanaar Neck

Voidscar Arena

Tribal Defender's Cord Waist

Den of Nalorakk

Hissing Mantle of the Ophidian Oracle Shoulders

Catalyst from King's Rest Amirdrassil's Grace

Leggings of the Ophidian Oracle Legs

Catalyst from Temple of Sethraliss Forest Hunter's

Bloodthorn Burnous Cloak

Blinding Vale

Sabatons of Coruscating Energy Feet

Temple of Sethraliss Lynx's Dexterity

Fanged Raiment of the Ophidian Oracle Chest

Catalyst from Altar of Fangs Mark of the Worldsoul

Sickening Signet of Atroxus Ring

Voidscar Arena Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Band of the Amani Warlord Ring

Altar of Fangs Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Vile Vial of Volatile Venom Trinket

Altar of Fangs

Farstrider's Plated Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Leatherworking

Resonant Bellowstone Trinket

Murder Row

Hulking Handaxe Main Hand

Voidscar Arena Rite of the Hash'ey

Farstrider's Chopper Off Hand

Crafted by Blacksmithing Rite of the Hash'ey

The gearset below is your raid Best-in-Slot list, using gear from only raid drops, as well as ideal Tier Set pieces (or items to use in the Catalyst) and crafted items to activate Embellishment effects. Note that this is a list of the best items available within the Raid, not a strict list of what you should be using inside the raid.

FAQWhich Items Do I Use in the Catalyst?

In Midnight Season 2, the Catalyst now retains the secondary stats and cantrips of any item you convert. Therefore, it doesn't matter which slots you use to activate your set bonus, and instead what matters is the items you input.

The best Raid only pieces to Catalyze in each slot are:

• Helm – Serpent Crown of the Ophidian Oracle from Twin Fangs
• Shoulders – Soulslither Spaulders from Coiled Altar
• Chest – Awoken Dreadfang Cuirass from Ula'tek
• Gloves – Aberrant Commander's Gauntlets from Kith'ix
• Legs – Cuisses of the Uncoiled Union from Coiled Altar

Similar to Season 1, your number one priority is to acquire the 4-piece bonus through any means to unlock Catalyst Unbound for Season 2.

TipsWhat Are My Top Items To Chase?

Enhancement has some extremely high value cantrip picks available in Season 2 raids, weighted heavily toward the final two bosses of The Venomous Abyss. Nearly all of these items are worth obtaining due to their increased item level, but some are particularly strong:

1. Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance – Coiled Altar
2. Voracious Heart of Ula'tek – Ula'tek
3. Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique – Coiled Altar
4. Aqirbane Reliquary – Ula'tek
5. Awoken Dreadfang Cuirass – Ula'tek
6. Aberrant Commander's Gauntlets – Kith'ix

It's worth noting that all three new Kith'ix items are strong. Gloves are always used, although Band of the Swarmcaller requires some gearing around. Lastly, Twisted Horror's Tendril is more suited to AoE in your trinket slot, but most importantly there are no misses on the loot table.

Enhancement Shaman

1.3.

Best Gear from Raid

Serpent Crown of the Ophidian Oracle Helm

Twin Fangs Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Hexing Grips of the Ophidian Oracle Hands

Catalyst from Kith'ix

Aqirbane Reliquary Neck

Ula'tek

Serpentine Mixing Belt Waist

Vashnik

Hissing Mantle of the Ophidian Oracle Shoulders

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Amirdrassil's Grace

Leggings of the Ophidian Oracle Legs

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Forest Hunter's

Silken Voodoo Drape Cloak

Coiled Altar

Boots of the Reckless Wayfarer Feet

Lost Explorers Lynx's Dexterity

Fanged Raiment of the Ophidian Oracle Chest

Catalyst from Ula'tek Mark of the Worldsoul

Apex Brute's Claw Ring Ring

Sszorak Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Band of the Swarmcaller Ring

Kith'ix Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Voracious Heart of Ula'tek Trinket

Ula'tek

Farstrider's Plated Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Leatherworking

Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique Trinket

Coiled Altar

Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance Main Hand

Coiled Altar Rite of the Hash'ey

Farstrider's Chopper Off Hand

Crafted by Blacksmithing Rite of the Hash'ey

Itemization

Enchants and Stat Priority

Looking to optimize your character? Check out our Enchant and Stat Priority guides for more information!

EnchantsStats

Enhancement ideally wants to get one on-use trinket to pair with the strong cooldowns used by each respective Hero Tree - Surging Totem or Ascendance - alongside a passive trinket.

Aim to pick up one trinket from each of these categories as a pair:

Trinkets to Hunt in Midnight

On-Use – Voracious Heart of Ula'tek
Passive – Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique or Twisted Horror's Tendril

You can click below to open a ranking chart for other trinkets, in case you've picked something else up and are looking to check how it stacks up.

Click for Enhancement Season 2 Trinket Rankings

Ranking	Trinket
S Tier	Voracious Heart of Ula'tek - Click for Details This is by far the best on-use option available in Season 2, despite being on an awkward 1m30s cooldown. No other option comes close in power, so this is one of your big chase items. Always hold it to line up with your Ascendance or Surging Totem window. Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique - Click for Details A stock-standard direct damage trinket, but gets stronger when paired with the cantrip weapon, Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance. This has fewer uses in AoE content, but for single-target and especially cleave within the raid it's the strongest passive option available. Twisted Horror's Tendril - Click for Details New in Patch 12.1.5, this is the strongest passive AoE trinket, and can even compete with Guillotine Technique if enough targets are present. Falls slightly behind in 1-2 target situations especially, but absolutely worth getting hold of for Mythic+.
A Tier	Vile Vial of Volatile Venom - Click for Details Definitely not as strong as Voracious Heart, but a good alternative if you're in need of an on-use. When using it and Potion of Recklessness together, make sure to pot before activating this to avoid increasing the wrong stat. Keeper's Seething Core - Click for Details Provides extremely frequent bulk Haste, which makes up for the fact that we can't really stack it above Critical Strike in Season 2 and prefer temporary procs instead. Great to use if you can't get hold of one of the S Tier passive options. Gebbo's Bottomless Bag - Click for Details Triggers a variety of different stat boosting effects, and different buffs can overlap. While it does have a negative proc in the pool, it's the best passive stat option available, making it a good pick for AoE heavy encounters and dungeons. Void Execution Mandate - Click for Details Try to always use this on a target that will live long enough for you to stack up the Crit buff, otherwise most of its value is lost. Resonant Bellowstone
B Tier	Lustrous Golden Plumage Freightrunner's Flask - Click for Details Hold to line up with Ascendance / Surging Totem depending on build. When using Potion of Recklessness, make sure to pot before using your trinket to avoid setting it to Crit. Lightspire Core - Click for Details While this is tuned well and Mastery is desirable, staying within the zone of the proc is extremely restrictive, especially in Season 2. Due to both the large arenas in raid encounters and the hectic movement in dungeons, your mileage may vary in reality when using it. Drum of Renewed Bonds - Click for Details Go to the Jan'alai altar in Zul'Aman to set this to Mastery. Glorious Crusader's Keepsake Vashnik's Sanguine Rancor
C Tier	Font of Venomous Rage - Click for Details This deals an extremely large amount of burst damage to your primary target when used, alongside some bonus AoE. While it struggles against other options due to it being a channel with a long cooldown, its unique potential to be useful to deal with key enemies means it might be worth looking at in certain edge cases in Season 2. Fiber of Living Agony Sapling of the Dawnroot Effigy of Ula'tek's Faithful Tiny Electromental in a Jar Void-Reaper's Libram Tattered Amani War Banner - Click for Details Hold to line up with Ascendance / Surging Totem depending on build.
D Tier	Ophidian Bone Whistle Spirit-Rending Poison Darkmoon Dominion: Hunt - Crafted Trinket Details While these trinket options aren't bad, Embellishments are stronger in Season 2 compared to before. That means the opportunity cost of using them is too high, and they've fallen even further behind than they already were. Darkmoon Dominion: Blood Darkmoon Dominion: Rot Darkmoon Dominion: Void Magister's Alchemist Stone Sylvan Wakrapuku Lost Idol of the Hash'ey

Season 2 brings forward the bonus roll system introduced in Season 1, providing a way to target big ticket items:

Nebulous Voidcores can be spent after completing endgame dungeons or defeating raid bosses, granting you an item at random from its respective loot table. Once an item has been received through Voidcore rolls, it cannot appear again. In Season 2, one Voidcore is used to roll on dungeon loot or individual raid bosses, granting loot equivalent to the item level you'd receive from a weekly Great Vault reward.

One can be acquired each week from Orin Straylight next to the Catalyst, following the release of Patch 12.1.5. Additionally, one can be selected from The Great Vault instead of an item, provided you unlocked three total rewards.

Which item you should target is strongly influenced by what pieces you already have access to, items available through the Great Vault, and what bosses you have currently killed. While they are now more freely available following the addition of weekly rewards in Patch 12.1.5, taking one from The Vault should be treated as a consolation prize in the event that nothing better appears.

When it comes to where you should use Voidcore rolls when you do pick one up however, the answer is quite simple:

Season 2 Voidcore Uses

1. Ula'tek (Heroic/Mythic)
   • Voracious Heart of Ula'tek
   • Aqirbane Reliquary
   • Awoken Dreadfang Cuirass
2. The Coiled Altar (Heroic/Mythic)
   • Aman'muso, Warlord's Vengeance
   • Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique
3. Kith'ix (Heroic/Mythic)
   • Aberrant Commander's Gauntlets
   • Band of the Swarmcaller
   • Twisted Horror's Tendril

Following the release of Patch 12.1.5, you can now acquire Ascendant Venomstones, allowing you to upgrade specific item slots all the way up to item level 340 (or 338 for crafted pieces). Using these follows a similar priority to your crest usage:

1. Main-Hand Weapon first, always.
2. On-Use Trinket second, ideally Voracious Heart of Ula'tek.
3. Passive Trinket third.
4. Off-Hand Weapon fourth.
5. Necklace last.

You also want to prioritize Myth track items over Hero track pieces, unless you don't expect to acquire a Myth track variant of the piece you're upgrading. The exception to this is one of the most difficult items to obtain from Ula'tek in The Venomous Abyss - Voracious Heart of Ula'tek. As this is our strongest on-use option by far, it's worth the investment even on a lower track.

Crafted gear provides one of the easiest ways to pick up high value items in a season, allowing you to target key pieces to fill out your gearset. With the release of Season 2, each craft requires two Spark of Tides.

Unless secondary stats are already assigned by the item, you should use Thalassian Missive of the Feverflare for Haste and Mastery. Depending on your gear's stat balance, sims may offer different results - always follow your own character's results when optimizing.

Enhancement Crafting Order

Farstrider's Chopper ➜ Farstrider's Plated Bracers ➜ Optional Crafts

• Craft a weapon first, as it has the biggest impact early. It doesn't matter if you craft an Axe, Mace or Fist Weapon, but make sure your choice comes with Agility. With the newly added Hunter's Ritual Stone, this lasts into endgame gear setups, swapping over to your Off-Hand when you get upgrades.
• Craft an off-piece second - we recommend Farstrider's Plated Bracers in the Wrist slot. Attach Arcanoweave Lining as your second embellishment.
• Following this, craft items based on gaps in your current gear.

Once you have your two main Embellishment crafts, you should have a solid setup. Your priority when optimizing your gear further should be toward crafting high item-level pieces to cover holes in your gear. A good candidate is a ring, as while there are unique strong options available, they're often extremely contested.

For more information about crafting gear you can visit our Professions page.

Early into the season, or if you have just started playing an alt, you will have limited access to upgrade crests such as Myth Mistcrest. These can be used to upgrade gear to higher item levels. Crests are limited to 100 per week, and upgrades cost 20 crests regardless of the slot. Due to that, you should prioritize your usage of these on items you don't plan on replacing any time soon, or specific slots that offer larger stat benefits:

Enhancement Shaman Crest Upgrade Priority

Weapon (Main-Hand) ➜ Trinkets ➜ Helmet/Chest/Legs ➜ Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots

These are not the only items worth upgrading, of course. They simply offer the highest DPS gain early into the tier when your upgrade currency is limited. Note that exceptions are possible, such as special cantrip items that have additional procs attached to them, for example Aqirbane Reliquary.

While all Rings and Necklaces come with one socket by default, three additional sockets can be acquired on the Helmet, Belt and Bracer slots as a bonus when they drop. These can also be added manually using the Miasmic Jewelbinder consumable, which can be purchased using 6 Thalassian Token of Merit, the pity currency from The Great Vault.

When using these, it's always best to put them on pieces you don't expect to ever replace. This means Mythic items, or any crafted pieces in these slots, since they can't have them added in any other way. Due to them being a very limited currency, if you have these, it's best to plan long term before using any.

Throughout this page and elsewhere in our guide, we regularly refer to the importance of simming yourself on Raidbots. This is because every character is unique, and each gear piece you have access to can change what is best right now for you.

While we do offer recommendations for gear and trinkets, these are not complete replacements for simming yourself. The only way to truly optimize your character to that degree is by making use of the tools available!

Optimization

Simulations and Tools

For further reading on how to truly maximize your character's potential, check out our guide on Raidbots!

Go to Guide

Wordup

Guide Author

Follow Wordup

This guide has been written by Wordup, a frequent theorycrafter involved in a number of class communities. He is also an experienced player who has been in the world top 100 since the days of Sunwell, currently raiding in Echoes. You can follow him on Twitter.

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