Taurrus spawned this idea in my head; there's so little information about PvPing as a DPS spec, that I thought I'd give a little more direction than what's currently available.
That, and I'm bored.
Keep in mind that both of these specs are usually mainly useful in 3v3 and 5v5, as they both suffer a bit for not having any CC as a DPS class, and that I'll be looking at them as such.
Mentality:
(or, How I Got Over The Preconception of "Resto or GTFO" and Started Melting Faces)
Now, first thing to note is that DPS shamans are fairly squishy. I say "fairly" because there are classes that are much more squishy. Hunter being one (they can't really wear big honking shields, can they?), druids being another, and any mage bust a frost mage for a third. Thus, you're more often than not going to be the primary focus target for the other team. It also has to do with the fact that you give the single strongest buff in the game (and the second for warriors/ret pallies), but who cares about buffs, right?
Basically what you're brought for, whether enhancement or elemental, is damage, offensive dispelling, and buffs (in that order, pretty much). You're not brought to heal, you're not brought to be a focus target that soaks damage, you're brought to do exactly those things.
Shaman damage is insane. Let me repeat that again, in case anyone doubts me.
Shaman damage is insane.
The burst potential of enhancement on a team with a rogue using Expose Armor and a Warrior basically demolishes clothies so fast that a paladin will be lucky to get a BoP off (even so, you can Purge it
). Elemental shamans don't even rely on WF. They just put out damage, plain and simple. I've seen an elemental shaman put out 80k damage before we killed him in a 45 sec to 1.5 min arena game, where either I or the warrior/feral on my team is doing 22-35k.
So your mentality should mainly be: lay down totems (generally will be grounding/WF/searing/earthbind/poison cleansing, grounding/WF will be pretty much up to you to learn which to use, as you'll want to time your grounding instead of just dropping it randomly), do damage, Purge out significant buffs like BoP, BoF, etc, and use Heroism/Bloodlust at an opportune time.
Before any shaman defeatists get their panties in a twist, this whole thread should be considered my opinion. I've not played a shaman extensively at 70 (but yes, I have an alt shaman at 70), and most of my knowledge comes from teaming with and playing against shamans.
Specs:
So, there are two specs for DPS shaman in arena: 40/0/21 and 0/48/13. There's a bit of fudge room on a few talents in enhancement, but it should end up similar.
Not really much to say beyond that. Let's talk about each individual spec and how they perform on a team.
Enhancement PvP:
Enhancement is very gear-reliant. If you don't like grinding gear--well, let's be honest--you're probably playing the wrong game.
Always always always get two of the main hand PvP weapons, unless you're talking about S3, where Blizzard put in a reduced cost OH that's 2.60 speed. Always always always use double WF.
Get a shield, and make a macro to swap between the two. I suggest this:
WoWwiki wrote:
/equipslot [equipped: One-Hand] 17 *shield to equip*
/equipslot [equipped: Shields] 17 *OH name*
/equipslot [equipped: Shields] 17 *OH name*
That way with one button push, it'll cycle your OH to either a shield or your OH weapon. Keep in mind that you'll incur a GCD by switching weapons, so keep that in mind.
With that macro in mind, if you get focused and you're getting raped (likely), you're going to want to slap a shield on as long as there are melee attacking you. There are some teams that prefer to split DPS, so slapping that shield on and nerfing your DPS output and not taking less damage is pretty stupid, right?
The most common team comp with this spec is generally WRSH(X). That's Warrior, Rogue, Shaman (you), Holy Paladin, and one unknown. I prefer a mage in that spot personally, as they add considerable burst and control to a team, and it gives opportunities for the other team to split damage or train on the mage off the bat, as if you ride in with a shield + healing weapon, they'll think you're resto. Priest is another option that I prefer, almost more than a mage. With Pain Suppression, Mass Dispel, and heals, it's hard to beat for matches that may get drawn out (there won't be many with good offensive dispelling).
Other than that, PvP is pretty easy. Attack the focus target, shock casts (as you'll probably be on a squishy target), Purge your heart out, and don't die without using Bloodlust.
If you want my suggestion too, if you're a blacksmith (and you should be as enhancement), get dual Dragonstrikes.
Elemental PvP:
This is the true face melting spec. I absolutely love elemental shamans and hate them, too. Their damage is quite honestly frightening, even with Cloak of Shadows.
The main thing about this spec as opposed to enhancement, is that you have a shield on at all times.
The downside to that though, is that caster weapons look majorly different than healer weapons. You're gonna draw focus very early on.
My main advice to playing this spec is using NS offensively instead of defensively.
I can't tell you how many shamans I see blow NS on themselves to heal instead of dumping more damage while their paladin is casting a heal on them. It really, honestly, makes me sad.
Of course for this famous caster DPS, you've got a few options as far as cookie-cutter teams go.
Eurocomp is my personal fav, being a rogue. Eurocomp is RDiMLS. Rogue, disc priest, mage, shaman, lock.
2345 is an infamous comp, as it's generally considered a "no-skill" comp. WDiHSM. Pop Bloodlust, focus target, collect rating.
2346 is basically the same thing, but you swap a mage for a lock. Gives the team a little more survivability in addition to a felpuppy at the price of a bit of damage.
Summary:
Overall, you'll notice that both specs are put in a burst/buffing role, meaning that you're going to be:
a) focused first, and
b) healed first.
This is both good and bad, as opposing teams will probably have warriors, rogues, and the like on you ele shamans kicking and pummeling away. This is why every single team has a paladin on it for BoP.
For Enhancement, you'll notice I paired you up with a warrior and rogue. With a rogue using EA and a warrior getting WF, it's insanely easy to melee train a caster, even through a BoP. I strongly suggest a disc priest for the 5th in that comp, adding mass dispel for Ice Blocks, Pain Suppression to help keep you up, and additional dispels and heals, since you've got incredible damage already. Mage is a decent alternative, but lacks the offensive dispelling and defensive buffs for you.
I'd appreciate advice on making this post clearer or easier to understand. I'm all about promoting the viability of DPS shamans, as I think you guys do well in all of your roles, provided good gear and specs.