Enhancement Shaman PvP Rotation and Playstyle — The War Within (11.0.5)

Last updated on Oct 21, 2024 at 21:00 by Tiqqle 14 comments

PvP requires you to perform various actions in the course of a duel, match, or battleground: interrupting/silencing enemies, damaging them, bursting them down, defending yourself, keeping yourself alive, etc.. It is a game mode that fully utilizes your kit, especially spells that are rarely used in PvE. On this page, we go through all the spells you need to use in PvP as an Enhancement Shaman, how you should use them, and we explain what your playstyle should be.

This page is part of our Enhancement Shaman PvP Guide.

1.

Playstyle for Enhancement Shaman

The Enhancement Shaman should focus on maximizing their damage as much as they can. Maximizing damage and using instant utilities like Wind Shear Icon Wind Shear and Grounding Totem Icon Grounding Totem will give windows where your team can do devastating damaging bursts.

1.1.

Before Gates Open

Have a plan for who you will be mainly using your crowd control on. Although Enhancement Shaman do lack crowd control, they still have Hex Icon Hex.

If you are playing against a team that has the ability to fear your healer, you can use Tremor Totem Icon Tremor Totem. This is a great utility spell.

Set your focus target to the main enemy team member who will be likely using crowd control like Polymorph Icon Polymorph or Fear Icon Fear.This will allow you to know when to use Wind Shear Icon Wind Shear and Grounding Totem Icon Grounding Totem to stop the crowd control.

Use Earth Shield Icon Earth Shield on your teammate who will be focused, which is usually the Enhancement Shaman.

Use Flametongue Icon Flametongue, and Windfury Weapon Icon Windfury Weapon on your weapons before the gates open. Buff yourself with Lightning Shield Icon Lightning Shield and Skyfury Icon Skyfury.

2.

Offensive Playstyle

2.1.

Sustained Damage

Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are not available.

  1. Use and maintain Flame Shock Icon Flame Shock on the enemy as you approach.
  2. Use Lava Lash Icon Lava Lash, generating Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon.
  3. Use Stormstrike Icon Stormstrike, generating Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon.
  4. Use Stormstrike Icon Stormstrike when you get a Stormsurge Icon Stormsurge proc.
  5. Use Tempest Icon Tempest if you have more than 8 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon stacks available.
  6. Use Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast if you have more than 8 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon stacks available.
  7. Use Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt if you have more than 8 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon stacks available, while Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast is on cooldown.
  8. If you cannot connect to your target use, Frost Shock Icon Frost Shock, Flame Shock Icon Flame Shock, or Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt.
  9. Use utility like Healing Stream Totem Icon Healing Stream Totem, Greater Purge Icon Greater Purge, Purge Icon Purge, Earthbind Totem Icon Earthbind Totem, Earthgrab Totem Icon Earthgrab Totem, or Earth Shield Icon Earth Shield.
  10. Use your burst rotation.
2.2.

Burst Damage

When you have the enemy healer in crowd control, and you are trying to kill an enemy, you use your burst damage. If you can, stun the kill target with Capacitor Totem Icon Capacitor Totem or have your team stun the target so they cannot move or use defensives.

  1. Once 10 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon.
  2. Use Feral Spirit Icon Feral Spirit.
  3. Use Static Field Totem Icon Static Field Totem on the kill target, if talented.
  4. Use Tempest Icon Tempest if you have more than 8 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon stacks available.
  5. Use Elemental Blast Icon Elemental Blast to spend all Maelstrom.
  6. Use Primordial Wave Icon Primordial Wave.
  7. Use Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt to spend all Maelstrom, and proc Primordial Wave.
  8. Use Lava Lash Icon Lava Lash on cooldown, ideally with Hot Hand Icon Hot Hand buff.
  9. Use Lightning Bolt Icon Lightning Bolt to spend all once it is available for more casts.
  10. Use Stormstrike Icon Stormstrike, to give more Maelstrom stacks.
  11. Use Ice Strike Icon Ice Strike, to give more Maelstrom stacks.
  12. Use Frost Shock Icon Frost Shock as filler.
3.

Defensive Techniques

Astral Shift Icon Astral Shift is the main and only defensive cooldown on a Enhancement Shaman. This cannot be used while stunned and reduces damage taken by 40% for 12 seconds.

Stone Bulwark Totem Icon Stone Bulwark Totem is a useful totem providing an absorption shield to the Shaman. This can be reset with Totemic Recall Icon Totemic Recall to be used back to back. In addition the actual totem can be relocated with Totemic Projection Icon Totemic Projection to avoid it being focused.

Healing Stream Totem Icon Healing Stream Totem should be used to provide low amounts of passive Healing, further buffed by Swirling Currents Icon Swirling Currents. This is also increased through the 20% benefit if Earth Shield Icon Earth Shield is on the target will provide significant side healing.

Healing Surge Icon Healing Surge should only be used with 5 or more Maelstrom Weapon Icon Maelstrom Weapon stacks to gain the benefit of the increased throughput. Try to only use Healing Surge on teammates with your Earth Shield Icon Earth Shield, and after pressing Healing Stream Totem Icon Healing Stream Totem with the Swirling Currents Icon Swirling Currents buff active.

Spirit Walk Icon Spirit Walk will mostly be used to break root effects to keep on a target or to move to safety.

4.

Macros

It is advised to use Macros to use abilities on enemies or allies without having to target them. For this reason, we have a page dedicated to them.

5.

Changelog

  • 21 Oct. 2024: Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for TWW Launch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for TWW pre-patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Updated for Dragonflight Season 4.
  • 19 Mar. 2024: Updated for Dragonflight 10.2.6.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Updated for Dragonflight 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Dragonflight 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Updated for Dragonflight 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updatedfor Dragonflight 10.1.5.
  • 23 May 2023: Updatedfor Dragonflight 10.1 start of season.
  • 06 May 2023: Updated for Dragonflight 10.1.
  • 21 Mar. 2023: Updated for Dragonflight 10.0.7.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight post-launch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 31 Jul. 2022: Updated for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 31 May 2022: Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 27 Feb. 2022: Updated for Patch 9.2 of Shadowlands.
  • 17 Nov. 2021: Updated for Patch 9.1.5 of Shadowlands.
  • 04 Jul. 2021: Updated based on Patch 9.1 of Shadowlands.
  • 19 Mar. 2021: Updated based on Patch 9.0.5 for Shadowlands.
  • 02 Dec. 2020: Updated in preparation for first PvP season of Shadowlands.
  • 18 Oct. 2020: Updated based on the 9.0.1 Pre-Patch for Shadowlands, and new author.
  • 12 Jul. 2020: Updated Burst and Sustained damage rotations.
  • 09 Mar. 2020: Updated Burst and Sustained Damage rotations.
  • 20 Jan. 2020: This page was checked for Patch 8.3 and no update was deemed necessary.
  • 05 Jan. 2020: Page added.
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