I've acquired a lot of purple gear for an elemental off-spec but I was wondering if elemental shamans have the potential to put out respectable DPS in a raid setting. How do they compare to other classes and to enhancement shamans in terms of pure DPS? I understand that DPS really depends on the situation, gear, talent of the player, and so on; however, I'm speaking about raw potential.
A preemptive thanks to any solid input.
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Elemental off-spec and raiding dpsFollow
Elemental is very similar to enhancement in that you really are playing the proc game.
Both Enhance and Elemental have huge burst potential with Lightning Overload and Windfury respectively.
At entry level raiding and on into t5 you should keep up very well with similar to even better geared companions.
At higher level raid you end up falling behind on dps between gear itemization between yourself and others.
The key is the support part. Raids all the way up to Sunwell are using shammies for their ability to give buffs to not only their whole group, but soon the whole raid. Between totems and heroism/bloodlust, having a shammy around is great because we can increase the dps of the raid so dramatically that our slightly subpar dps is more than made up for.(studies have shown the group increase of dps more than exceeds the dps of bringing a different class with no group support)
I went 1-70 ele and always was tops or close to top on dps in 5's and 10's. I am now enhance and even with mostly blue's and the badge offhand and PVP mainhand fist weapons I am pushing over 600 dps every run. Most guilds would bring you for the support as long as you remain decent with your dps.
Both Enhance and Elemental have huge burst potential with Lightning Overload and Windfury respectively.
At entry level raiding and on into t5 you should keep up very well with similar to even better geared companions.
At higher level raid you end up falling behind on dps between gear itemization between yourself and others.
The key is the support part. Raids all the way up to Sunwell are using shammies for their ability to give buffs to not only their whole group, but soon the whole raid. Between totems and heroism/bloodlust, having a shammy around is great because we can increase the dps of the raid so dramatically that our slightly subpar dps is more than made up for.(studies have shown the group increase of dps more than exceeds the dps of bringing a different class with no group support)
I went 1-70 ele and always was tops or close to top on dps in 5's and 10's. I am now enhance and even with mostly blue's and the badge offhand and PVP mainhand fist weapons I am pushing over 600 dps every run. Most guilds would bring you for the support as long as you remain decent with your dps.
9 posts
Would you say an enhancement shaman is more desirable in a melee group than an ele shaman in a caster group? Also, do enh shamans have issues with itemization post T5 content? I know this is becoming a little like comparing apples to oranges but I would like to know which spec is generally more useful in a raid setting so that I could focus on going one way or the other.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Thanks for the quick reply.
My guild brings 4-6 Shammies to 25-mans usually. 1-2 healers, the rest split between Enh and Ele. We are in late T5 early T6 and there is usually a shaman in each group, plus on extra that get swapped into the caster group after the first has used his Bloodlust. I believe those two are elemental, and at least one other is too.
In early raiding, elemental shammeis can easily top charts. Pushing 1100-1200dps in nothing more than T4 purples, maybe not even with badge gear, is possible. Enhance shammies can't say that.
Enhance shammies scale better though. Take Brut for example - our enhance shammy breaks 2000dps, and that's dropping 100dps or so by not using Flame Shock (we're debuff capped on Brut :x). I might be wrong, but I don't think an elemental shammy can quite put out that much with equal gear (we don't raid with elemental shammies much atm, those we've recruited are either still gearing up or... well, leave things to be desired).
On the other hand, a resto shammy can provide 80% of what an elemental shammy bring to a group. However, compare a resto shammy's group buffs to melee with an enhancement shammy, and it's a lot bigger. Extra AP, extra Windfury, 10% more AP, and if the enhance shammy is good, an extra 88 agility too that the resto shammy isn't brining. All an elemental shammy has over rest is 3%crit 3% hit, which isn't anywhere near as important to have.
I'd like to have both in any raid, but if I had to choose between the two, enhance is better, especially as you get into T6+.
Enhance shammies scale better though. Take Brut for example - our enhance shammy breaks 2000dps, and that's dropping 100dps or so by not using Flame Shock (we're debuff capped on Brut :x). I might be wrong, but I don't think an elemental shammy can quite put out that much with equal gear (we don't raid with elemental shammies much atm, those we've recruited are either still gearing up or... well, leave things to be desired).
On the other hand, a resto shammy can provide 80% of what an elemental shammy bring to a group. However, compare a resto shammy's group buffs to melee with an enhancement shammy, and it's a lot bigger. Extra AP, extra Windfury, 10% more AP, and if the enhance shammy is good, an extra 88 agility too that the resto shammy isn't brining. All an elemental shammy has over rest is 3%crit 3% hit, which isn't anywhere near as important to have.
I'd like to have both in any raid, but if I had to choose between the two, enhance is better, especially as you get into T6+.
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Quote:
Enhance shammies scale better though. Take Brut for example - our enhance shammy breaks 2000dps, and that's dropping 100dps or so by not using Flame Shock (we're debuff capped on Brut :x). I might be wrong, but I don't think an elemental shammy can quite put out that much with equal gear (we don't raid with elemental shammies much atm, those we've recruited are either still gearing up or... well, leave things to be desired).
They're not godawfully far behind, but not quite in the same league. Our Elemental Shaman usually places around 8th-9th on Brut, which is respectable if not exactly topping the charts.
3 posts
ill tell u this im ele and my gear is not all that. i raid as ele now bt/hyjal and for most fight im top 5 and on trash ill be top 3. i will never go below 8-9 on meters full t6 shud do 2k dps. we have alot of down time compared to other classes due to refreshing totem evry 2min. we are there to support and buff our groups so refreshing totems is important.
Loosing 100 dps by not using Flame Shock??? Huh? I fail to see how going from FS to ES in the rotation would add up to 100 dps.
With full raid debuffs the dot from FS will be a significant portion of the damage from the cast. If you reach the debuff max, no dot. Though I do feel 100 dps being a bit steep (probably more like 50-80... but still).
Also, elemental shamans in T6 should be pushing 2000 dps. In mostly T4'ish gear... when I respec elemental I rather easily top 1k dps (keep in mind I'm doing lb spam instead of cl/lb rotation because of mana). In T5'ish they go up to about 1400-1500. T6 they go up to 1900-2000. The only issue with elemental shaman is this:
Elemental vs Resto buffs. Elemental only REALLY provides another +3% crit to casters. Though it's important, generally the +101 spell damage and mana regen from both doesn't warrant another 3% spell crit from just an elemental. The buffs are close. They should really allow elemental shamans to buff their wrath of air totem just like enhance can buff windfury totem etc. But with the expansion coming up, I know that won't happen. -.- Alas.
Elemental vs Enhancement buffs. Enhancement brings so many more buffs to a melee group. STR + AGI + mana(if you happen to be in a hunter group) or STR + Windfury (warrior/rogue group). Also, they can improve their windfury totem to buff it even more compared to other shamans. Then Unleashed Rage on top of totems. It just comes to being a bit OP in terms of buffs from an enhancement shaman for a melee group.
Imagine if an elemental shaman's criticals increased spell damage to all party members by 5%? (equivalent to 10% AP from enhancement shamans). Imagine if they could buff their wrath of air totem up to 130 with spec. I can't see giving them a buff to mana spring since that's a restorative totem in nature (and is buffed in resto tree). I'm glad totem of wrath is getting a nice buff in WotLK though. It'll put elemental buffs on par with what enhancement can do.
Also, elemental shamans in T6 should be pushing 2000 dps. In mostly T4'ish gear... when I respec elemental I rather easily top 1k dps (keep in mind I'm doing lb spam instead of cl/lb rotation because of mana). In T5'ish they go up to about 1400-1500. T6 they go up to 1900-2000. The only issue with elemental shaman is this:
Elemental vs Resto buffs. Elemental only REALLY provides another +3% crit to casters. Though it's important, generally the +101 spell damage and mana regen from both doesn't warrant another 3% spell crit from just an elemental. The buffs are close. They should really allow elemental shamans to buff their wrath of air totem just like enhance can buff windfury totem etc. But with the expansion coming up, I know that won't happen. -.- Alas.
Elemental vs Enhancement buffs. Enhancement brings so many more buffs to a melee group. STR + AGI + mana(if you happen to be in a hunter group) or STR + Windfury (warrior/rogue group). Also, they can improve their windfury totem to buff it even more compared to other shamans. Then Unleashed Rage on top of totems. It just comes to being a bit OP in terms of buffs from an enhancement shaman for a melee group.
Imagine if an elemental shaman's criticals increased spell damage to all party members by 5%? (equivalent to 10% AP from enhancement shamans). Imagine if they could buff their wrath of air totem up to 130 with spec. I can't see giving them a buff to mana spring since that's a restorative totem in nature (and is buffed in resto tree). I'm glad totem of wrath is getting a nice buff in WotLK though. It'll put elemental buffs on par with what enhancement can do.
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