Are Elemental Shamans in Bad Shape for WoD?

[LittleDansonGuy 0]

The topic really says it all.

 

This is my first expansion for WoW. I have played on an off for years, but got serious and into HC Raiding in Mists. So, I'm not sure how to react to class changes across the board. Some folks are okay with it, some folks claim it will bring upon us The Rapture...

 

So, are Elemental Shamans in an okay place for Warlords? Are they viable for damage or are they just going to be a niche class that we die-hards will play and folks will laugh at us? Looking primarily at PvE, but I'm interested in the thoughts on PvP as well.

 

Thanks for your scientific thoughts!

[Mazukon 5]

Mechanically, Elemental looks quite solid. We basically have the same set of spells and rotation as on live and avoided the ability gutting that classes like hunters and warriors got. Minor changes involve adding complexity, searing totem is actually a relevant damage source, and Earthquake provides an interesting (albeit somewhat frustrating) way of increasing AOE dps. 

 

The only real knock against them is the lack of mobile lightning bolt. While this may feel worse, our actual dps numbers probably will not suffer as much as other casters since our new mastery is essentially a passive damage source that continues while moving. 

 

Our off-healing got nerfed pretty hard, no more Healing Tide and Guidance is half of what it used to be. Admittedly, Guidance was seriously overpowered though, on AOE phases, I could pull more healing in those 10 seconds than an equally geared healer. Tide was nice, but it was also a GCD that can now be spent doing DPS, because, you know, that is kind of our job. 

 

PVP wise, I am not optimistic. Elemental was already lower on the list of best pvp specs, and with no mobile lightning bolt, less burst with the change to Echo of the Elements, and the change to tremor totem, I really don't see much room for Elementals in the best Arena teams. Seems like PVP will be pretty melee dominated.

[InkSlug 0]

As of November 23rd, Elemental Shammys are being removed from dungeons and raids for low DPS.  I have yet to see an Elemental Shammy in any PvP grounds.  Restro Shammys are having a rough time healing.

If you take a gander through the WoW forums, you'll see the mass outcries of Shammys worldwide >> it's obvious that the Shaman class is quite broken.  Speaking for myself, I've never had such a difficult time as an Elemental; it is extremely frustrating trying to get more than one mob down at a time.  At level 98 in Nagrand, it is impossible to down more than two mobs at a time >> 3 mobs, and you are running for your life, thanks to the absence of mobile Lightning Bolt.

After main-ing my Shammy since WoTLK, I have had to bench my Shammy, and bring back my Pally tank, which thankfully, is much more fun to play, and a heck of a lot more proficient.

 

In summary, Shamans in WoD are BROKEN, plain and simple, with the exception of Enhancement >> I hear they are doing quite well.

[Stoove 347]

So, I don't want to get my moderator voice out but I should really say this. Discussing for information is really useful, in particular Mazukon's post. What I don't want here is the same echo-chamber effect that happens on the official WoW forums - I will actively shut down threads which are just complaining about "how broken" Shaman are. A good thing to do would be to discuss good ways of coping with the perceived "brokenness".

 

Personally, I am finding Resto Shaman to be perfectly playable. :)

[Stoove 347]

That's a pretty sweet change. To be honest, I'm surprised that there wasn't any Crit change during the Beta.

[Mahta 0]

So, I have a level 100 ele shaman, iLvl 607 what should me stats be at to know if I've balanced them well. My Int is 2586, Multistrike 28.09%, Mastery 70.49%, Crit 8.65%, Haste 11.68%, Versatility 0.42%. What is a good range for them to be in. Secondly, my DPS is very low, I'm using a set rotation and only getting 6K DPS. I'm watching for stuff to pop up, and filling with lightning strike. Any help on a rotation, what should my DPS be at?  I looked at Icy Veins, and all they have is a priority order. no actual numbers, and the rotation they show is only getting me 6K DPS, I know I am doing something wrong, but i'm guessing my stats are wrong.

[Crispytreats 0]

My ilvl is 632 and I'm dealing on average 12k up to a max of 15k on single target bosses. When I was in the ilvl 600-610's I could push 10k. I started off with searing totem always, Fshock, Eleblast, Unleash Flame, lava burst whenever it's off cd and use unleash flame before lava burst if possible. Only earth shock when it has 20 stacks. Always use earth shock when it has 20 stacks or else you're wasting ticks. And obviously make sure searing and fshock are always applied. Always use eleblast as it increases haste and always use unleash flame when they are off cd then lavaburst and lighting to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, you are stuck with whatever gear you get but at least you will always see upgrades. It wont really matter until you reach 630. Just make sure you have a solid amount of multistrike and keep mastery above 85% is what I would think. I haven't tried it but if the boss has many adds, you can substitute lighting bolt for chain lighting to acquire more ticks towards more earth shocks throughout the fight.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Crispytreats

[Uthedicia 3]

I actually think it would depend on your personal needs. So for example, if you have a raid group that already has decent AE (unholy DKs, frost and fire mages, balance druids, etc)... you might want to go for more single target. IN THAT CASE, your stat weights change a bit. I find that you'd end up wanting multistrike > haste > crit > mastery > versatility for the increase in casts. The haste would also help in helter-skelter type fights with consistent movement... since faster casts mean you're less sensitive to movement. IF, however, you are being counted on for solid AE DPS... then multistrike > crit > mastery = haste > versatility... since you want your AE spells hitting as hard and often as possible. 

 

On average, I usually go about 13K single target and anywhere from 38-50K AE. My priority is based on AE simply because my raid group will be lacking that necessary OOMPH on AE. So really, it just depends on what you need or your group needs. ALWAYS plug yourself into simcraft for the right push on stats unless you can do it blindfolded, and always be experimenting with your rotation and establishing your rotation. 

[Rag 16]

We certainly were to start, but after the buff my Ele has been pulling much better dps in H dungeons hanging with any class of equal ilvl. AoE we shine, and even with 2+ resilient enemies we have an edge, continue normal rotation but sub in chain for normal bolt and you're in great shape. PvP we're abysmal but resto is excellent in PvP for me right now. Also Resto is great in at least early normal raiding, was pulling top HPS and lowest overhealing through first three bosses in Highmaul before we were glitched out. Anyway, elemental is back to being viable and very fun with all of our utility and resto I find excels in most cases! I am a much happier shaman! And most classes have been well balanced right now at least for PvE. 

[mlvnk 0]

I certainly hope the buff would not be a % increase across the board thing but rather fix our mechanic. I definitely felt my dps is lacking in fight such as tectus and twin orgron but are doing ok in kargath / butcher type of fight.