Thinking of going with Enhance Shaman

[jjdejong0 0]

Hi guys,

 

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me a bit more about what its like to play an enhance shaman. I have read all the Icy Veins guides and although it explains the builds and how to play the class it doesnt really go over the fun points / not so fun points. So thought i would ask to get a general idea.

 

I like the idea of having some healing and being able to change into a wolf for movement. I also love RNG and hitting different procs etc so i thought this class would be perfect for me. In the past i have probably played every melee dps in the game, my favourite up to now being Frost DK. I dont know why but for some reason and after seeing videos and animations i really like the look of the Shaman. The only thing i am not so sure of is how the armour etc looks. Does anyone have some pics of some cool looking Enhancement Shamans?

 

All help greatly appreciated.

[jinsu2301 273]

Best thing to do would probably be to make a trial char and just test it yourself.

In terms of looks, Wowhead has a massive gallery for user-created tranmogs, so you can give that a browse.

[Seksi 208]

Enhance is super fun, especially in War Mode as they can get up to +40% damage from PvP talents alone!

The graphics / animations of shamans are amazing in general (that's why we are the Zappy Bois ? ) and enhancement is no exception.

Its a fast paced rotation where you always have things to press, often too many things and need to priorize between them!

Just make sure to give it a try yourself before setting in, as there's no replacement for that experience, have fun!

[OldYeko 0]

I've always enjoyed playing enhance! Lots of fun and mobility, quick in and out strikes and high burst (when the RNG hits a home run!) . Sometime survivability can be challenging but you have tons of utility abilities to play with! Like everyone else says, best is to make at trial character and try it yourself!

[Maven79 0]

I love it, and its really great this expac. I'm having trouble thinking of of another class/spec of mine that out-damages my shaman right now.

Out of every spec I have, its the most active. While it is very proc/rng heavy it is not like a fire-mage rng style where you are waiting for stuff to react to. Your procs and rng sort of enhance your damage and do not directly impact what you do next. One nice thing is enchance has a lot of great talents, that are mostly viable so you can tweak your playstyle a bit and don't have to go totally cookie cutter. Aoe and cleave also shine. The spec was great in wod, and all they did was trim some fat and make it even better this time around, imo.

It is not a hybrid class, so don't think of it like shaman or druid of the old days. Yes, you have a (one) heal spell but its extremely weak and is just enough to keep you up. Don't get me wrong you can take on 5 normal mobs at a time and tear through normal content without dying but you won't be off healing dungeons or anything. Blizz did away with that hybrid pally/druid/shaman stuff a few expacs ago. I mean you can go resto and heal but not while in enhance.

 

My 2 transmogs and a couple action shots. Combat is great. Your character is basically just a whirlwind of animation with procs of lightning and whirlwinds flying out of him/her nonstop.

https://ibb.co/do9Pse
https://ibb.co/fsO65z
https://ibb.co/gX0xCe
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https://ibb.co/hqkm5z

Edited August 19, 2018 by Maven79

[Tarazet 144]

When leveling up it will feel super fast and hectic. You generate so much Maelstrom that you can often stay at 2 charges of Rockbiter (your main resource builder) and still hit maelstrom cap every GCD while trying to spend it on Stormstrike and Lava Lash. That party will be over once you hit cap. It's not exactly resource starvation, but it definitely slows down.

Enhancement has a "build and spend" kind of playstyle similar to Warriors. You generate Maelstrom through using Rockbiter and through Windfury procs (which are out of your control). Then you spend it on Stormstrike and Lava Lash. Your main cleave ability is accessed by using Crash Lightning, which causes your subsequent single-target abilities to turn into AoE. Think of an Outlaw Rogue's Blade Flurry, it's a similar idea but a different flavor.

You get a lot of toys that are useful in group play, like a totem that dispels charm/fear/sleep, an AoE stun totem, a ranged CC, Bloodlust, and the ability to resurrect yourself upon death. You also have off-healing ability.

But the tradeoff is that survival is a constant challenge. Shamans are very squishy, and bringing them into melee range is dicey at best. Elemental is more manageable being able to do damage at range, as well as wearing a shield for some extra armor.