Enhancement Shaman DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.1
Welcome to our Enhancement Shaman guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.1. Here, you will learn how to play as an Enhancement 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 Enhancement Shaman guide.
Enhancement Shaman Overview
Enhancement is a melee specialization with a heavy emphasis on both Physical attacks and Elemental spells, weaving both together in a fast-paced combat style and an emphasis on effects that amplify the strength of different abilities.
The gameplay has 3 central pillars: juggling different ability cooldowns,
your stacks of the Maelstrom Weapon effect, and reacting to procs. This
means you will often be cycling your abilities on cooldown in order of priority,
with some excelling in different scenarios. We can adapt well to different
target counts and excel in single-target, funnel, and cleave situations. We
also come with a solid utility toolkit for dungeons, and
Windfury Totem
as an extra boost to other melee players in our party, granting us unique
damage-increasing utility.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Very versatile damage profiles, able to do well in almost all scenarios.
Specialist at 2-6 target cleave and AoE.
Has access to funnel tools, converting AoE damage into a priority target.
Powerful instant burst tools.
Free Cleave options that cost no single-target to use.
Powerful control toolkit for Mythic+.
Good mobility with a tool for most situations.
Off-healing tools to assist the group.
Windfury Totem boosts other melee in your group.
Limited uncapped AoE scaling.
Reliant on uptime, so you are heavily punished by high movement encounters or intermissions.
Punishing playstyle with a steep learning curve when getting started.
Requires many available keybinds to play effectively.
Less durable compared to other melee specializations.
Every build has an RNG factor to deal with.
Patch 10.1 Changes for Enhancement Shaman
For the launch of Season 2, Enhancement has received a small number of high impact changes on the talent tree, opening up new build options and combinations. Highlights include:
Static Accumulation now also has a passive active at all times (including outside of
Ascendance), that grants
Lightning Bolt and
Chain Lightning a 10/20% chance to refund all
Maelstrom Weapon stacks spent.
Thorim's Invocation also has a new passive that increases the damage of all
Lightning Bolt and
Chain Lightning casts by 20%.
Deeply Rooted Elements has had its proc mechanics altered. It now begins at 0% chance and increases by 1% per
Stormstrike cast until
Ascendance is triggered. After, it resets to 0% once again.
Fire Nova has been converted to Flamestrike (Fire and Physical) damage, and
Flame Shock has been converted to Volcanic (Fire and Nature) damage.
Windfury Weapon damage increased by 50%, and
Forceful Winds bonus per stack has been reduced to 20%.
Elemental Weapons now requires imbues to be active on your weapons to gain its full effect.
- The PvP talents
Spectral Recovery,
Swelling Waves,
Ethereal Form and
Thundercharge have been removed.
- Two new PvP talents have been added:
Burrow and
Stormweaver.
- A 5% aura buff has been applied, increasing the damage of all abilities by 5%.
Some small other tweaks have happened, but these are the biggest changes that have
the widest impact on our tree. In particular, the Static Accumulation and
Thorim's Invocation changes open up more build options for different situations,
and the
Fire Nova change also makes it more desirable in certain combinations.
You can find out more about these build swaps on our Talent page.
For a full breakdown of all Class Changes in Patch 10.1, check out our dedicated page below.
Patch 10.1 Guide Updates
For 10.1, the most important changes to the guide include updated talent builds
to account for changes. The previously named Physical build has also been
renamed to Storm to fit its theming, with full details on the talent page
itself. This also extends to the Rotation page, where some priorities
have shifted to incorporate these with the upcoming Season 2 set bonus. The
majority of changes are there, with details on new build variants, Static Accumulation
gameplay,
Ascendance for Elementalist, and how to play
with the new set bonus. The rotation tool has also mostly been overhauled to
display this more clearly. Alongside that, the gear page has been updated
to account for all new available items and the addition of Cataclysm Timewalking
trinkets.
Pending Changes
Mythic raid tips are still to be added with more details about each encounter now that the raid has settled and all Heroic encounters are covered.
Dragonflight Changes for Enhancement Shamans
Enhancement's core gameplay loops in Dragonflight are very similar to what
they were in previous expansions with some solid improvements along the way, so
anyone who has played the spec recently should be very familiar with them.
The biggest adjustment to the spec's priority and pacing revolves around the
changes made to Maelstrom Weapon and its associated spenders. Although
the base Maelstrom Weapon proc chance has been reduced, several
active methods of generating Maelstrom Weapon stacks have been added
to the tree, resulting in an overall increase in total Maelstrom Weapon
stack generation as well as an increase in its reliability. Additionally, our
Maelstrom Weapon spenders deal significantly more damage than
before, shifting our emphasis away from tightly managing ability cooldowns
and more toward optimizing their usage for high-damage attacks.
While the core of Enhancement's gameplay remains similar, almost every
aspect of the toolkit has been improved significantly. Notably, Enhancement
AoE damage has been significantly improved and diversified while still mostly
target capped. Additionally, the new class talent tree offers Enhancement a
wide suite of utilities, including several AoE crowd control options such as
Capacitor Totem,
Guardian's Cudgel,
Thunderstorm,
Thundershock, and
Sundering, making Enhancement a specialist
at AoE disruption, which is highly desirable in Mythic+. Finally, while the
Fire build remains mostly intact; the Physical side of our tree has seen the biggest
improvements allowing for more build diversity. In particular:
- Improved funneling damage is improved with a buffed
Gathering Storms, operating similarly to how
Ashen Catalyst does for Elementalist builds.
- Improved damage windows with the redesigned
Feral Spirit and
Legacy of the Frost Witch effects, similar to
Hot Hand and
Elemental Spirits windows
- Significantly improved Mastery scaling via the redesigned
Doom Winds effect, as well as the new
Storm's Wrath and
Stormblast talents.
We can now take combinations of previously impossible abilities, opening up extra possibilities when deciding how we specialize our toolkit. A large number of Shadowlands legendaries return as well, with several powerful effects that were mutually exclusive in the past. Examples include:
Legacy of the Frost Witch, which has also been improved to be a more significant Physical effect
Ashen Catalyst to provide more frequent access to empowered
Lava Lash
Witch Doctor's Ancestry that was previously unable to be combined with other options, allowing for significantly higher
Feral Spirit uptime to synergize with different portions of the toolkit.
Doom Winds as a powerful Physical damage cooldown that also provides truly uncapped AoE burst windows.
Deeply Rooted Elements as a passive proc option for our
Ascendance effect.
Splintered Elements that allows us to leverage
Primordial Wave casts for additional bursts of Haste when multiple enemies are present, increasing both our AoE and funnel potential.
Leveling an Enhancement Shaman
If you are interested in playing Enhancement but still need to get a Shaman at max level, we have a leveling guide with tips to help you along your journey.
After reaching max level, it can sometimes be difficult to immediately include new add-ons and UI elements you are not used to, and make the transition to end-game play is quite jarring. Due to that, we recommend grabbing some of the essential add-ons on our dedicated page when you are learning the spec to make the transition smoother when learning to play Enhancement.
Basics of Enhancement Shaman Gameplay
Enhancement gameplay revolves around several different interlinking gameplay loops that are often all happening at once, creating a fast-paced experience that is heavy on planning mixed with reactive decision-making. The three core loops it needs to maintain are:
- Manage your
Maelstrom Weapon stacks. This is especially important in Dragonflight, as our most powerful abilities consume this to become instant (
Elemental Blast,
Lava Burst,
Lightning Bolt, and
Chain Lightning). Moreso than ever, generating as much of this resource as possible and avoiding waste by going above 10 stacks is key to executing Enhancement correctly.
- Keep your rotational abilities on cooldown as much as possible. This is secondary to our Maelstrom management but is still very important as it is often the best source of generating stacks. This was previously the most important loop and remains a core part, requiring you to look forward in the rotation, consider where gaps may appear, and adjust your plan mid-flow. This is the main decision-making portion of the spec.
- React to procs. This is the last component
and what causes the rotation to fluctuate. Keeping up
with powerful procs like
Ascendance and
Hot Hand windows to get the most out of them is core to any build that uses them.
If you have never played Enhancement before or are new to the Dragonflight design, we recommend looking through our Spell Summary first, as that covers all of the individual abilities alongside our Easy Mode page, which provides a quick primer to get you started.
How to Gear Up as an Enhancement Shaman
While we always recommend simming yourself for ideal results, we do provide a dedicated Enhancement gearing page that lists some items to look out for alongside some Best in Slot picks for the first season of Dragonflight.
Once you have started to gear, you must ensure that you have the appropriate consumables, gems, enchants, and more. We have a dedicated page for exactly this, as shown below, and the stats page, where you can find more information on the possibility of a changing stat priority and the necessary changes you may need to make for consumables.
End-Game as an Enhancement Shaman
The end-game playstyle of Enhancement looks very different from the one you use to level due to the longer form of combat in the encounters you experience. Because of this, we provide Mythic+, Raiding, and PvP-focused guides that are aimed at each content type.
Improving as an Enhancement Shaman
Sometimes, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that is causing you to perform poorly, but do not worry; many of these questions come up for players. Because of this, we have set up pages that cover common questions and target frequent mistakes below.
Viability of Enhancement Shaman in the Current Patch
In Patch 10.1, Enhancement is likely to at least remain in the same high-value spot it was in Season 1, if not improve. All of the things that made us very
desirable in Mythic+ remains - our large control suite, varied damage profiles, and
ability to invest heavily into AoE without losing too much single-target. With
the addition of the new set bonus adding in a new burst window, this adds extra layers
of power into that mix that may elevate us even further. In raids, a similar story
is true thanks to more robust talent options that can suit most encounter types,
and Windfury Totem has not gone anywhere. Our only downside is our relative
lack of durability compared to other specs, which may potentially be an issue
further into the Season.
Changelog
- 25 May 2023 (gear page): Added section on Cataclysm Timewalking.
- 25 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Added Sarkareth tips.
- 10 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated to add an even simpler build for beginners that remains competitive.
- 09 May 2023 (gear page): Updated to adjust for trinket changes.
- 09 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated with tips and builds for all bosses except Sarkareth.
- 09 May 2023 (talents page): Updated to include Primordial Wave in Elementalist single target.
- 09 May 2023 (this page): Updated to highlight boss tips additions and gear changes.
- 04 May 2023 (rotation page): Tweaks to rotation tool, added warnings to false talent combinations.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
- 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
- 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, fixed Windfury Totem chart.
- 01 May 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1 and Season 2 release with new gear recommendations.
- 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.1 and new consumables.
- 01 May 2023 (stats page): Updated for 10.1 with adjusted notes about Storm build and Haste for Elementalist.
- 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1 and new Season 2 builds, alongside initial Tier set opener.
- 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Overhauled for Patch 10.1 updates, with Storm builds, rotation tool updates, T30 bonuses and added sections.
- 01 May 2023 (talents page): Fully updated for Patch 10.1 with revised new builds. Physical builds converted to Storm.
- 01 May 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.1 changes.
- 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.1 with a more beginner friendly build, and revised starter rotation.
- 01 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1 changes, added new highlight sections and expected performance.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1, no changes necessary.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added ready for tips to follow after Season 2 launch.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Primordial Gemstones hotfixes.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Primordial Stones hotfixes.
- 22 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated to account for Primordial Stones buff.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7 with link to Windfury Values.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Fleshed out with Mythic+ sim advice and Windfury Totem data for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7 with Onyx Annulet recommendations.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Added more commonly used macros, and reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed and added small improvements for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated for new Patch 10.0.7 class tree.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7 changes.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Large updates with Mythic tips added for all bosses.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed and improved rotation tool to align closer to current gameplay.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 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.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 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): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Added Tier Set section.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 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.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (addons 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 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents 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 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 21 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Cleaned up for Patch 9.2 release.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 17 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
- 13 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 25 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Updated for all bosses.
- 08 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page 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.
- 01 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Updated with notes for each boss.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 28 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Enhancement Shaman tips for Battle of Dazar'alor.
- 03 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Preliminary update for Uldir launch week.
- 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page created in preparation for the eventual Uldir release.
More Shaman Guides
Guides from Other Classes
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 also follow him on Twitter.
- Dragonflight Patch 10.1 Hotfixes, June 5th: Class Tuning
- Dragonflight Season 2 DPS Log Rankings for Aberrus, Week 4: the Mythic Switch
- Price Update on WoW Services & Subscription Options in Ukraine and Turkey
- Leveling Improvements Coming in Patch 10.1.5
- The Most Popular Specializations for Mythic+ in Dragonflight Season 2 (Week 4)
- Dragonriding Cups Coming to Old Expansion Zones
- Brackenhide Hollow +24 Cleared Without a Healer
- Gamebreaking +840% Movement Speed Increase with Azerite