Enhancement Shaman DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — The War Within (11.1.5)

Last updated on Apr 21, 2025 at 19:35 by Wordup 48 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Enhancement Shaman in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.1.5). 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 Enhancement Shaman talents.

1.

Best War Within Talent Builds for Enhancement Shaman

Note that these builds are popular build recommendations for various different damage profiles. For more specific recommendations for the Raid and Mythic+, check out the dedicated pages below.

2.

Enhancement Shaman Talent Cheat Sheet

Enhancement in Patch 11.1 changed a lot, and with recent changes just prior to the release of Patch 11.1.5 a slight shift in talent balance has also happened. Currently, both hero talents in Stormbringer and Totemic have extremely strong identities with different gameplay goals and strengths. As of the current patch, our recommendations are as follows:

  • Raid - Stormbringer provides more single-target throughput so long as the encounter allows for its 2-minute cooldown timers. Totemic however is extremely strong on any fight with burst AoE or cleave requirements.
  • Mythic+ - Totemic is the most universal option with very frequent burst AoE tools while still bring strong single-target. Stormbringer is much more competitive now, bringing powerful funnel tools and 2-minute bursts.

Enhancement is lucky in that both of its hero talents are strong performers in most encounter styles, and with a suitable build either can be played. Following the changes prior to Patch 11.1.5, it's really hard to make a hard push for either Totemic or Stormbringer as a dominant pick as they're truly neck-and-neck, with the edge coming down to damage cadence and cooldown timers. This means more-so than ever there's a lot of choice available, so any recommendations on this page are very loose, based mostly on how flexible the picks are.

Recommended Build Import Codes:

Raid / Single Target - Totemic
CcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMzMjZGGDzMzMzMbzMWGAAAAAAAAAAgFYBmxiGbDgZAbAwy0MzglFzMzMMmZ2GWmZmADzyMDAwA
Raid / Single Target - Stormbringer (Recommended)
CcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMzMDMzMDzMzMYbmxysNAAAAAAAAAAbA2MjhNYBmhhGsAALTzMDWWMzMzwYmZbYZmZCMMLzMAAjB
AoE / Mythic+ - Totemic (Recommended)
CcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMzMjZwMYmxMzMbmxyYGAAAAAAAAAAsAbwMW0YbAMDYDAzykZglFzMzMMjZ2GWmZmswywYmBAYGA
AoE / Mythic+ - Stormbringer
CcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMzMDMzDMDzMz8AzMLzMYZAAAAAAAAAA2AsZGDbwCMDDNYBAzykZglFzMzMMjZ2GWmZmswywYmBAYMA
Delves - Stormbringer
CcQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMzMDMzDMDzMz8AzMLzMYZAAAAAAAAAA2AsZGDbwGMDDNYBAzykBssYmZmhZMz2wyMzkFWGLjZGAgxA
3.

Enhancement Shaman Talent Builds

In the below section, we have split builds up between Hero Talents and and content types, with a loadout for each. You can use the navigation buttons to open up a loadout and explanation of the playstyle.

Anywhere you see the recommended icon on this page, this means it is the recommended choice

4.

The War Within Enhancement Shaman Talent Builds

Due to Hero Talents playing a major role, use the tool below to display builds for each tree
Hero Talents
Stormbringer recommended Totemic recommended
Use the boxes below to navigate builds

Raid / Single-Target

Mythic+ / AoE

Delves Build
5.

Raid / Single-Target

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

5.

Mythic+ / AoE

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

5.

Delves Build

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

4.1.

Raiding

While the above builds can be slotted into most encounters depending on what is required, some more bespoke tools may be required on some bosses. You can check out specific tips and builds for each of the raid encounters below:

4.2.

Mythic+

Mythic+ can potentially require a mix of particular AoE and Single-Target talents, depending on affixes and other variables. If you want more specific advice about the selections (especially those relating to Utility), check out the dedicated page below:

4.3.

Enhancement Shaman Hero Talents

Enhancement has two distinct Hero Talent choices available that, as covered in the above sections, drastically alter your build choices and gameplay loop depending on your selection. A brief description of each is:

  • Stormbringer - grants access to Tempest Icon Tempest, a supercharged version of Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt that deals heavy AoE damage. The tree has a heavy incentive to cycle Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon as much as possible due to Rolling Thunder Icon Rolling Thunder, so is more fast paced throughout.
  • Totemic - has Surging Totem Icon Surging Totem which deals constant pulsing damage while active. It can also be activated via Earthsurge Icon Earthsurge and Reactivity Icon Reactivity, placing a lot of focus on Hot Hand Icon Hot Hand windows during combat.

If you want to find more details regarding how each hero talent works, you can check our detailed hero talents page:

5.

PvP Talents (War Mode)

"War Mode" is an optional feature that enables open-world PvP encounters that confers some benefits when active:

  • Grants access to PvP talents in the open world.
  • 10% increase in World Quest rewards at max level.
  • 10% more experience gained while leveling.
  • Earn Conquest Points which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of 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 open yourself up to open-world PvP, so be aware of hostile enemy players who could interfere with you; this is a risk you will have to decide on your own if you want to take.

If you are interested in doing PvP as an Enhancement Shaman or want to look into how to deal with PvP encounters when playing it, please refer to our dedicated PvP guide.

5.1.

Enhancement Shaman War Mode Talents

Generally, these selections are made to optimize your ability to kill enemies faster, increasing your pace when moving through content.

  • Shamanism Icon Shamanism allows for more liberal Bloodlust Icon Bloodlust / Heroism Icon Heroism usage without having to worry about the 10-minute lockout. Great for solo and duo content.
  • Totem of Wrath Icon Totem of Wrath provides a moderate boost following Primordial Wave Icon Primordial Wave casts, increasing your Critical Strike damage and Healing by 15% for 15 seconds.
  • Burrow Icon Burrow gives you an emergency escape if you get into trouble with a 2-minute cooldown, and also deals massive Physical damage when you emerge from the ground.
  • Counterstrike Totem Icon Counterstrike Totem copies the damage you take and repeats it onto the enemy that dealt it, allowing you to turn dangerous enemies strong attacks against them!

Static Field Totem Icon Static Field Totem, Unleash Shield Icon Unleash Shield, Electrocute Icon Electrocute, and Grounding Totem Icon Grounding Totem have very limited PvE uses, being more focused on in-combat control. While these are very strong for some situations, they are much more suited to PvP engagements, and as such, are not recommended for efficient enemy killing. Stormweaver Icon Stormweaver should generally be avoided due to it locking out flexibility in when you self-heal, despite it being more efficient.

6.

Changelog

  • 21 Apr. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.1.5, adjusted recommendations to highlight how close both trees are.
  • 16 Mar. 2025: Updated with more universal Totemic Mythic+ talent set. Changed recommendation to Totemic across the board.
  • 04 Mar. 2025: Adjusted all talent builds to switch away from Flowing Spirits.
  • 24 Feb. 2025: Updated for Patch 11.1.0.
  • 15 Dec. 2024: Updated for Patch 11.0.7 with recommendation flags on key builds.
  • 05 Nov. 2024: Significant changes to recommended loadouts based on more tested 11.0.5 builds post-launch.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Updated for Patch 11.0.5, will require future updates following release.
  • 23 Sep. 2024: Updated for most recent hotfixes and Storm build switch.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Updated for Elemental Blast and Tempest hotfixes along with new Storm loadouts.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Updated for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Updated for Season 4.
  • 19 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed and touched up for Patch 10.2.5 and mid-season updates.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7, small restructuring and added Elementalist Funnel.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 and updated Storm Cleave in recommendations.
  • 09 May 2023: Updated to include Primordial Wave in Elementalist single target.
  • 01 May 2023: Fully updated for Patch 10.1 with revised new builds. Physical builds converted to Storm.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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