Enhancement Shaman DPS Vault of the Incarnates Raid Guide — Dragonflight 10.1
On this page, you will find tips, tricks, and strategies tailored to your Enhancement Shaman for each boss of the following raid: Vault of the Incarnates. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.1.
Introduction
Below, you can find class and spec-specific advice for every fight in Vault of the Incarnates. If you are looking for a general overview of the Raid that is not spec-specific, check out our dedicated Vault of the Incarnates guides.
On this page, you will find Enhancement Shaman specific information to deal with each boss in the Vault of the Incarnates raid. These are not complete encounter guides but specific tips for doing the bosses as a Enhancement Shaman.
This page assumes that you already understand most of the mechanics of each encounter. These can be found on the full raid guide, so what is contained here are details specifically tailored toward Enhancement Shaman and how you can deal with each fight as best as possible.
All recommendations are progression tips and aim to defeat the encounter as comfortably as possible, so they may not necessarily be the best strategy for the highest overall DPS.
Talent Cheatsheet
There are currently three builds that are generally seen within the raid: a Physical pure single-target build, an Elementalist single-target build, and an Elementalist Cleave/AoE build. These all have encounters where they are used depending on what is needed. Still, we recommend the Elementalist single-target/hybrid build for most cases.
Build Import Codes
Below are quick import codes that can be used for 3 sample builds, but each boss will also have a bespoke link tailored to the boss below based on recommendations. You can also use our Talent page to find out more about some of the builds being suggested here and why.
- Elementalist Single Target: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQOQiEI
- Elementalist AoE: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJISSISCUSkAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQOQiEI
- Physical Pure Single Target: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJHAkcARSSSQSiECAAAAAAAAAAAAoEhkQCKCk0SSKBA5AJSKI
Recommended General Build
We have opted to recommend the Elementalist build as a basic go to because it is less sensitive to random elements and specific timers, while having built-in cleave options. However, both this or the Physical builds should work, and We recommend looking at the Talents page for more details:
Eranog
While there are adds on this encounter, they tend to die so quickly that
you rarely get a good chance at doing real AoE to them. They can, however,
be used for a small amount of additional funnel via Splintered Elements,
and the burst provided by Elementalist builds makes it the recommendation.
Talents
While Physical builds can work here just purely to focus on boss damage, the flexibility of Elementalist opens up much more room to deal with the encounter mechanics should your group struggle.
- BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQSCBC
Tips
- Ideally, hold
Lava Lash when adds are about to spawn to spread
Flame Shock quickly and get a quick
Primordial Wave cast off to get more value out of
Splintered Elements.
Spirit Walk is best saved for getting out when dropping
Flamerift.
Wind Rush Totem can also help the raid get to a good position during
Army of Flame.
- Try to use high burst tools such as
Primordial Wave and pool some
Maelstrom Weapon stacks to deal with your chosen Primal Flame target quickly and pass through the ring.
- Use
Astral Shift if you are forced to move over any leftover
Lava Flow pools if space gets tight.
Mythic Specific Tips
- While adds will still die extremely quickly, the newly added Flamescale Captain
will usually last long enough to get value out of
Lashing Flames.
- Try to apply
Flame Shock to both adds you intend to kill during
Army of Flame to create a path.
For more information, please refer to our Eranog guide.
Terros
Terros is the raid's only pure single-target damage encounter. Due to its high potential, this is the only encounter we strongly recommend using a Physical build.
Talents
While Elementalist single-target builds work just fine here, there is no reason not to play Physical as it is a 100% uptime pure single-target fight.
- BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJHAkcARSSSQSiECAAAAAAAAAAAAoEhkQCKCk0SSKBAJJkCC
Tips
Wind Rush Totem is useful for helping your raid get clear of the
Resonating Annihilation cone.
Spirit Walk is generally the preferred movement tool here as more controlled movement over an extended period allows you to dodge multiple ground effects, and is less risky than
Gust of Wind.
Totemic Recall can be considered to reset
Wind Rush Totem for even more movement, as we have talent points to spare here.
Mythic Specific Tips
- Due to the most common strategies stacking up for the
Infused Fallout, there are minimal changes in this encounter on Mythic difficulty.
- There is an increased focus on damage taken here, so using
Astral Shift and
Planes Traveler for more frequent access to defense for on
Rock Blast soaks.
Mana Spring gets a lot of value for your healers here and is recommended.
For more information, please refer to our Terros guide.
The Primal Council
This is a relatively simple, pure AoE encounter at 4 targets. Both builds can work with the right talents. Still, we recommend Elementalist for its ease of use, taking an AoE-focused loadout.
Talents
As this is a 4-target encounter with sustained damage and uptime, we take an AoE focused Elementalist build to deal as much 4-target boss damage as possible:
- Elementalist: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJISSISCUSkAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQSCBC
Tips
Each boss must die within a few seconds of the others, or else you risk a
complete wipe. Because of the naturally high amount of funnel Enhancement does
due to its damage delivery being focused on an "anchor" target, it is wise to
cycle between targets manually to even out damage. This is naturally done
when optimizing your Lashing Flames uptime.
- Due to this being entirely AoE, we opt out of
Elemental Blast because all of our
Maelstrom Weapon stacks should be spent on
Chain Lightning. The
Hailstorm package is also always taken.
- Maintain
Lashing Flames on all targets as much as possible, as they should be stacked.
- Focus target either Kadros or Dathea and interrupt their repeat casts on cooldown to keep them in melee.
Wind Rush Totem can be used to get the group into a good position during
Meteor Axes to remove
Earthen Pillars.
Spirit Walk should be used to get into a good soak position for
Meteor Axes, or when you need to clear out
Primal Blizzard with fire patches.
- Position yourself to the side of the clump, ideally to avoid
Slashing Blaze and keep a good angle for
Crash Lightning.
Mythic Specific Tips
This encounter remains largely the same on Mythic compared to Heroic. In some cases, it is even less hectic due to the reduced number of fire patches, so it plays the same.
For more information, please refer to our The Primal Council guide.
Sennarth, the Cold Breath
While there are a lot of adds present here that provide opportunities
to activate Crash Lightning, the priority is boss and add burst
damage. We are excellent at both of these, and the AoE does not matter,
so using an Elementalist build allows us to leverage our funnel
tools.
Talents
We recommend Elementalist builds here to make use of Splintered Elements
and
Ashen Catalyst to funnel into important targets. Some movement
talents are also helpful here in dealing with the encounter.
- BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgmAJtkkWAQOQiEI
Tips
- Try to apply
Flame Shock to Caustic Spiderlings just before each
Primordial Wave if possible for additional Haste and funnel.
Gust of Wind works very well here, as you can jump just before each
Gossamer Burst when facing away from the boss to stay on the platform. This also can be used to counteract the
Repelling Burst, just be aware you retain momentum and slide across
Icy Ground if you are in it.
- Both
Thunderous Paws and
Spirit Walk can be used to remove any stacks of
Sticky Webbing, so long as you are not stunned.
Mythic Specific Tips
- Due to the ice on the pathway leading up to each new platform, it
can be awkward to move here. Using
Ghost Wolf to get ahead is ideal.
Astral Shift is handy for dealing with the
Chilling Blast casts that overlap with these transitions when positioning is more chaotic.
- The Frostbreath Arachnid needs to die quickly
on Mythic, so having
Primordial Wave ready to switch to it and burn it down is ideal. These spawn roughly 10 seconds after the boss settles at a new platform.
Gust of Wind can be used to readjust if you are knocked in a bad direction by
Gusting Rime.
Dathea, Ascended
Dathea is predominantly single-target focused but has add waves that are extremely important to deal with, so some AoE is necessary for both Heroic and Mythic difficulty. Thankfully, Enhancement can take enough AoE while still maintaining a primarily single-target profile to deal with the fight and does not necessarily need to invest in sustained AoE tools due to how short-lived the add portions are. Some extra movement and control tools, however, are great pickups.
Talents
Due to the fight rewarding versatile damage profiles, we strongly recommend using an Elementalist build here, as it can opt into a mostly single-target build and still do more than enough AoE to deal with the platforms with free cleave abilities.
- BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRICJapIQSLJpFgSEJAC
Tips
Wind Rush Totem is best used during
Cyclone to make sure you and your allies can stay out of the center.
Gust of Wind is preferable here as it allows you to adjust if you are ever knocked up, and after each, add
Blowback cast to readjust.
- Be very careful if using the above, though, as if targeted by
Conductive Mark you may spread it land on an ally.
Mythic Specific Tips
- On Mythic, you ideally want to ensure you have cooldowns ready
when you reach the platform. These are at either 90 seconds or
3 minutes depending on which group you are in, so as long as you do not
sit on
Primordial Wave, this should always be ready.
- Volatile Infuser spawns should also roughly allow you
to cast one
Primordial Wave on it during the main phase before the platform and then have it ready just after you arrive.
- Having
Capacitor Totem stun the platform and using
Ancestral Guidance to assist your healer is especially useful here as damage intake is high.
- We are also good for interrupting the Volatile Infuser
while in the air on the way over to the platform, thanks to
Wind Shear being ranged.
For more information, please refer to our Dathea, Ascended guide.
Kurog Grimtotem
The primary focus for Kurog is boss damage, and thus single-target is at a premium. Still, regardless of difficulty (though it increases significantly on Mythic), there are windows of cleave and AoE meaning that points can get tight to fit everything in here. Thankfully, Enhancement has access to some good options allowing it to contribute to every part of the fight.
Talents
Due to the fight changing target counts quite significantly in Mythic, we have provided separate builds depending on your difficulty. We recommend using Elementalist builds as they are better at dynamically switching between target counts.
- Normal/Heroic: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQSCBC
- Mythic: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJAJhIJJUSkAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkgiAJtkkSAQSCBC
Tips
- Be sure to interrupt the Frozen Destroyer's
Frost Binds cast with
Wind Shear when this add is active.
- Maintain
Lashing Flames on both adds as much as possible as efficient damage is most useful in the intermission.
Wind Rush Totem is helpful for the raid to weave in and out of the rings caused by
Erupting Bedrock.
- Quick self-healing with
Healing Surge can be useful to help healers if you are targeted by the
Enveloping Earth Heal absorb.
Mythic Specific Tips
- Due to the main phases spending extended periods at 2 targets dealing
with the associated elemental spawned, your build should try to find room to
fit in
Crash Lightning. We recommend dropping either
Windfury Weapon (and replacing it with a
Howling Rune), or
Swirling Maelstrom.
- Make sure to maintain
Lashing Flames on both the boss and adds, and keep
Crash Lightning active during the main phase.
- Making sure
Primordial Wave is ready for the Earth Breaker add spawns is critical here and should be paired with
Ancestral Guidance to assist the healers with removing the
Enveloping Earth absorbs.
For more information, please refer to our Kurog Grimtotem guide.
Broodkeeper Diurna
The Encounter will have two separate roles dictated to the DPS: pure boss damage or dealing with the frequent add waves. We are extremely good at both, and there are builds to support both. Regardless though, there will always be a portion of the fight in which you deal with just the boss alone (especially in Mythic), so a hybrid approach is suited.
Talents
Two different builds are an option here, depending on your assigned role: a Physical one if you are focused entirely on boss damage, or an Elementalist option if you are dealing with adds. The latter is generally much more flexible, and we are good candidates for add damage, so it is recommended.
- Elementalist Add Duty: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJISSISCUSkAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkQaiCJtkkSEAkQgA
- Physical Boss Duty: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJHAkcARSSSQSiECAAAAAAAAAAAAoEhkQCaCk0SSKBAJJkCC
Tips
- Due to the majority of the fight being spent with a large number of adds,
opting to drop
Elemental Blast and
Storm's Wrath to fit in both
Crash Lightning and
Crashing Storms provide the best increased overall.
- The first adds wave spawns roughly 40 seconds into the encounter,
so getting
Primordial Wave on cooldown early and using it on the first wave is ideal.
- During add waves only maintain
Lashing Flames on the priority adds - usually Juvenile Frost Proto-Dragon. Funnel as much damage as possible into these as
Chilling Tantrum is very dangerous.
- During these
Chilling Tantrum casts, use
Ancestral Guidance to assist the healers.
- Use
Capacitor Totem and
Wind Shear to help lockdown the Primalist Mages.
Purge is an option to deal with the
Cauterizing Flashflames, but this is better dealt with using AoE dispel tools. If your group is struggling, consider this.
- Movement tools are at a premium here, so
Wind Rush Totem,
Spirit Walk and
Go With the Flow are highly recommended if assigned to adds.
- Both
Thunderous Paws and
Spirit Walk can break the
Frozen Shroud.
- On add waves with Drakonid Stormbringer present save
Wind Shear to interrupt
Static Jolt.
Mythic Specific Tips
Frozen Shroud is significantly more dangerous in Mythic as it often overlaps with
Empowered Greatstaff of the Broodkeeper, so taking both
Thunderous Paws and
Spirit Walk is recommended.
- Movement is much more hectic here, so having
Totemic Projection is a consideration to keep
Windfury Totem with you and carry
Wind Rush Totem between packs.
- Use
Astral Shift if targeted by
Empowered Greatstaff of the Broodkeeper, especially those that overlap with
Wildfire casts.
For more information, please refer to our Broodkeeper Diurna guide.
Raszageth the Storm-Eater
Raszageth has many desirable damage profiles depending on your group and its struggles. We have many options that can be taken depending on what you need. On Mythic, however, some extra wrinkles require a more specific build.
Talents
Generally, on this encounter, we recommend Elementalist builds due to it having significantly more flexibility throughout the encounter and its different phases and the room to switch on the fly and contribute to each mechanic. Below is a link to a build for Normal/Heroic and a more bespoke Mythic build that takes additional utility options required to deal with the encounter.
- Normal/Heroic: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpEJgkEikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkQKiCJtkkSAEkQgA
- Mythic: BcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIJJpkkASCikkQJhAAAAAAAAAAAAAKRIJkokioQSLJpAoEkQgA
Tips
-
Wind Shear,
Purge,
Sundering,
Thunderstorm and
Capacitor Totem can all deal with the
Volatile Current adds, and many are at a premium due to being AoE.
-
Both
Spirit Walk and
Gust of Wind are useful here, with the former having more general applications and the latter allowing you to move quickly out of dangerous
Lightning Breath and
Lightning Devastation casts.
Go With the Flow can be considered to make sure you have it ready for every breath in the first intermission.
-
Astral Shift is best saved for situations where you are targeted by
Static Charge
-
Wind Rush Totem has applications throughout the encounter and should be used regularly. Discuss with your raid to cover important movement events.
-
Primordial Wave has several uses throughout the encounter and plays a large role in what makes Elementalist builds so good here:
- In the first intermission, this can be used on the first and third sets
of adds after spreading
Flame Shock from the Surging Ruiner, helping to clean them up quickly.
- Can be used for every
Stormsurge shield, which are cast roughly 80 seconds apart, so in some cases, you can get an extra cast in between.
- In the second intermission, you can make use of the Colossal Stormfiend
to spread and burst the small adds down while funneling into the large add with
the
Splintered Elements buff.
- In the first intermission, this can be used on the first and third sets
of adds after spreading
Mythic Specific Tips
-
The encounter requires a significantly higher amount of movement tools
to deal with
Hurricane Wing, and is the only encounter currently that requires you to take
Feral Lunge to stay on the platform. This is also useful for crossing the
Tempest Wing rings in Phase 2.
-
Because
Feral Lunge is required, you need to drop a damage talent to fit it in. We recommend either
Windfury Weapon (and replace it with a
Howling Rune) or
Swirling Maelstrom.
-
Gust of Wind can be taken here for some extra distance and instant displacement, useful both for these phases and to avoid
Lightning Devastation in the intermissions. When you are more comfortable, however,
Spirit Walk is more versatile.
-
Earthgrab Totem is an option to deal with Seeking Stormlings if needed, but
Wind Rush Totem is equally valuable.
-
A suite of crowd-control tools to deal with the Volatile Spark adds
is necessary here.
Capacitor Totem (and potentially
Static Charge which allows you to do every wave),
Thunderstorm, and
Purge are all useful.
Thundershock is also a consideration to interrupt Stormseeker Acolytes in the first intermission.
-
Astral Bulwark is a good idea here due to the sheer damage that
Static Charge deals if you are targeted.
-
If assigned to the Red side with Flamesworn Herald shields, you
should hold
Primordial Wave for the first and third shield, and if you have access to a
Manic Grieftorch use it on the second to break it. Discuss these assignments with your raid.
-
If assigned to the Blue side with Frostforged Zealot, use
Ancestral Guidance in tandem with your cooldowns to help get rid of the
Shattering Shroud debuff.
-
Both
Thunderous Paws and
Spirit Walk can be taken to remove the
Fulminating Charge root and can be taken if needed.
For more information, please refer to our Raszageth the Storm-Eater guide.
Changelog
- 01 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Large updates with Mythic tips added for all bosses.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Page added.
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.
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