Cataclysm Classic Guide to Shaman's Best Macros

This guide will provide examples of macros and explain how to build them, so that you can configure your own macros as you need.

A macro is a button assignable to your bars and key binds that represents a sequence of commands entered into the WoW text box.

At its simplest, you can make a macro that reads:

• /cast Riptide

Which when pressed would do the same as simply casting Riptide from your spellbook or bars.

You can then evolve the macro slightly in order to cast on a mouseover target instead, which is usually not possible without addons or macros:

• /cast [@mouseover] Riptide

Which is quite helpful, but you can take it even further, such as having two buttons in one as displayed below:

• /cast [@mouseover,nodead,help] Riptide; Lightning Bolt

If you mouse over a target, it will still cast Riptide, but if you are not, it will cast Lightning Bolt instead!

Occasionally macros might also be used as part of weak auras, such as this one used for Enhancement weapon syncing.

• #showtooltip Albino Snake
• /run WeakAuras.ScanEvents("snek")

• #showtooltip
• /cast [@cursor] Healing Rain

This sort of macro can be used with any ground-targeting effects such as Healing Rain and will instantly cast them where you have your mouse cursor, saving you a click.

Here are all possible targeting modifiers:

• [@cursor] — Casts the spell at your cursor's position.
• [@player] — Casts the spell at your position.
• [@target] — Casts the spell at your target's position or on your target.
• [@focus] — Casts the spell at your focus target's position or on your focus target.
• [@mouseover] — Casts the spell at the target's position or at the target that is under your cursor's position. Contrary to [@cursor], this also works for single-target spells if you have nothing targeted.

• #showtooltip
• /castsequence reset=5 Lightning Shield, Flametongue Weapon

This macro will allow you to quickly buff yourself, saving one button in the process. Since you will have to refresh Lightning Shield much more often than Flametongue Weapon, the reset=5 condition allows you to do so efficiently, only doing the second quick press for Flametongue Weapon when it has expired. Replace with other imbues and shields as required.

• #showtooltip Stormstrike
• /petattack
• /cast Spirit Walk
• /cast Stormstrike

If you do not want to worry about controlling your wolves directly in PvE, this macro will automate the most common wolf control abilities together with Stormstrike, allowing you to just perform your rotation and still have the movement speed active when available and wolves attacking your current target.

• #showtooltip Wind Shear
• /stopcasting
• /cast [@arena1] Wind Shear

For 3v3 Arena players, you can use @arena1, @arena2, and @arena3 as a modifier on your macros to cast your spells at those players, in the order they appear on your Arena frames. This allows you to quickly react with your interrupts and crowd control without targeting or focus requirements.

We only recommend this kind of macro for 3v3 because focus and regular targeting should be enough for 2v2, and 5v5 would require too many key binds if you wanted to be able to target the full enemy team.

• #showtooltip Elemental Mastery
• /stopcasting
• /cast Berserking
• /use 10
• /cast Elemental Mastery
• /cast Lightning Bolt

With this macro you will use your gloves enchant Synapse Springs, Berserking, cast Elemental Mastery and then continue to spam Lightning Bolt, allowing you to do high burst damage and use your cooldowns with a single button.

• #showtooltip
• /stopcasting
• /cast Wind Shear
• /cqs

Stops casting for a quick Wind Shear. /cqs cancels queued spells, allowing you to immediately decide to cast a different spell after pressing this macro, regardless of what you were clicking before.

• #showtooltip Hex
• /cast [@focus] Hex
• /cqs

This macro crowd controls your focus target with Hex so you can set a focus target before combat and not worry about it again when refreshing.

Now that you have learned about macros, we recommend you to also learn about addons as both are closely interlinked and critical to improve your gameplay: