So my Shaman hit 60 recently. Finally. I went the usual route of leveling enhance which was an unbelieveable amount of fun from 41-60.
But I'm torn and a little confused. I rolled her for healing so I want to start moving there and Ele gear seems a good hybrid in that direction (especially with the WotLK changes and Spellpower). But then, is Ele really as viable? It hurts to pick the Ele gear over the Enhance gear on quest rewards on a guess. Maybe I'm just not that familiar with how an Ele Shaman is played? And a little dubious as to why that's so much better in Outland than an Enhance shammy.
I know you've probably been over this but searching for it hasn't really yielded anything for me and the FAQ is a bit lacking in this regard.
I'm not asking which is better or which way I should go, I'm wondering why Ele is the spec of choice for Outland and, if you're feeling generous, why that actually works better. I'll make my own decision from there.
Thanks!
(oh and this is my highest level toon on this faction on this server so buying a bunch of gear/different talents is not really that viable so I'm looking for a little info first. Again, thanks.)
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Well, you will start seeing mail spell dmg gear once you reach outlands but there isn't any mail strength gear, only a bunch of hunter gear (from my memory).
Personally, I leveled as enhance all the way to lvl 69 then respec elem. Sorry, can't help you anymore than this, perhaps some other forum lurker who had leveled as elem 60 - 70 can help you more here.
Edited, Sep 1st 2008 5:42am by Lecanthi
Personally, I leveled as enhance all the way to lvl 69 then respec elem. Sorry, can't help you anymore than this, perhaps some other forum lurker who had leveled as elem 60 - 70 can help you more here.
Edited, Sep 1st 2008 5:42am by Lecanthi
Elemental is not the better spec thru 70. Enhancement is.
My advice, take it or leave it: Stay Enhancement until you ding 70 (Because it's simply easier). Run some regular instances(enough to get honored with the 5 Heroic mode dungeons) and battlegrounds but OPT for Elemental or Restoration Gear (whichever you favor doing raids/heroics as)for all your drops and S2(PvP) gear. After you have a decent amount of purple and blue Elemental/Healing gear, respec and run battlegrounds to get the feel for the new tree.
By the time you have enhanced your toon to the point where you are Karazhan viable you will have a good enough understanding to move through the game and enhance your skills.
My advice, take it or leave it: Stay Enhancement until you ding 70 (Because it's simply easier). Run some regular instances(enough to get honored with the 5 Heroic mode dungeons) and battlegrounds but OPT for Elemental or Restoration Gear (whichever you favor doing raids/heroics as)for all your drops and S2(PvP) gear. After you have a decent amount of purple and blue Elemental/Healing gear, respec and run battlegrounds to get the feel for the new tree.
By the time you have enhanced your toon to the point where you are Karazhan viable you will have a good enough understanding to move through the game and enhance your skills.
Celcio wrote:
I'm not asking which is better or which way I should go, I'm wondering why Ele is the spec of choice for Outland and, if you're feeling generous, why that actually works better. I'll make my own decision from there.
Elemental is not and never has been the "spec of choice" in Outland in terms of raw leveling efficiency. It does not and never has "worked better" than Enhancement. It just works differently. Since most people grind from 1-60 as Enhancement, they're usually looking for a change of pace about the time they hit Outland. Elemental becomes viable, the class is new and fresh again, and basically, because of that, it gets hyped as "better" because people want to believe it's better.
Bottom line is, once you hit Outland for the gear and Water Shield, either DPS spec works for grinding/questing/instance DPS-ing. The choice pretty much comes down to whether you want to stay the course with maximum speed/efficiency (Enhancement) or play the spec you enjoy (which could be either). Unfortunately, it's not really something you can advise on beyond that. You'll have to try Elemental for yourself and decide whether or not you like it better than Enhancement.
I think this is the same situation like talking about different healers or tanks. Everyone who has some idea of the game knows that all speccs and classes are playable but with some differences. In the question about specc after hitting outland I think the biggest consern people have is the gear.
As elemental shaman you have to use cloth expecially before OL. After this you will run into some elemental mail gear and therefore people might change specc after hitting outland. When changing specc one should always gather new gear for that new specc before drinking to forget those talents. Unless you have some decent starting gear for elemental you will regret those first 10 quests when mobs are beating you silly.
I made it to outland with enhacement and at 60 I respecced resto to get a taste of it before 70. Though running quite a few instances I felt more safe than enha but it was also a lot slower. I can finish most fights with full mana and hp ot at least near that but I also wont be seing any huge crits.
After hitting 70 and running for the first SSO dailys I felt unsecure cos mobs are "higher" lvl there. But after few pulls I got the feeling and was once again pulling 3 or 4 mobs simultaneously. When heal stream is ticking for 125-127 every 2 sec and at half hp throw earth shield and watch your hp go up... I'm not bringing them down fast but you can be sure that neither are they.
As elemental shaman you have to use cloth expecially before OL. After this you will run into some elemental mail gear and therefore people might change specc after hitting outland. When changing specc one should always gather new gear for that new specc before drinking to forget those talents. Unless you have some decent starting gear for elemental you will regret those first 10 quests when mobs are beating you silly.
I made it to outland with enhacement and at 60 I respecced resto to get a taste of it before 70. Though running quite a few instances I felt more safe than enha but it was also a lot slower. I can finish most fights with full mana and hp ot at least near that but I also wont be seing any huge crits.
After hitting 70 and running for the first SSO dailys I felt unsecure cos mobs are "higher" lvl there. But after few pulls I got the feeling and was once again pulling 3 or 4 mobs simultaneously. When heal stream is ticking for 125-127 every 2 sec and at half hp throw earth shield and watch your hp go up... I'm not bringing them down fast but you can be sure that neither are they.
DarkRein wrote:
Elemental is not the better spec thru 70. Enhancement is.
I completely disagree. Neither is better or worse.
I levelled enhancement all the way to 60, got tired of it (with already having an "in-your-face" rogue) and went elemental from then on until I respecced at 70 to resto. There was NO real difference. The only difference was the fact that I was fighting mobs from at range rather than up close. I had the same downtime (after fighting about 6-7 mobs), and the same damage.
Sure, at later stages of 70, when you see these enh shammies become awesome at dpsing, it's different. You hardly ever see an elemental shaman in end game (I have yet to see one).
The thing is, a lot of people (I've noticed), plan on going resto at 70, so they change specs at 60 to "practice." Perhaps Blizz noticed this, but realized that levelling resto the rest of the way was slow going, so they made the gear toward the elemental spec with some heals to "help out" a bit. Just a guess.
I hate you for necromancing this argument, Celcio.
This is exactly what I mean. Yes, there is a difference. Of course there's a difference. There is a difference between Combat, Assassination, and Subtlety for Rogues, and they're a class for which all three trees are melee DPS. You don't honestly believe that two specs that play completely differently to the point that one is a ranged caster and one is a meleeer are going to move at exactly the same speed, do you?
The degree to how effectively they level may be put up for debate; Elemental may be fast enough and close enough that it makes no real difference to anyone, but we're not talking about subjectivity here. (By the way, you don't know. If you leveled from 60-70 as Elemental then you have no idea how Enhancement would have moved from 60-70.) If you are looking for the absolute fastest, most effective to the millisecond spec for leveling, it's Enhancement. That's it. End of discussion.
xNocturnalSunx wrote:
I levelled enhancement all the way to 60, got tired of it (with already having an "in-your-face" rogue) and went elemental from then on until I respecced at 70 to resto. There was NO real difference. The only difference was the fact that I was fighting mobs from at range rather than up close. I had the same downtime (after fighting about 6-7 mobs), and the same damage.
This is exactly what I mean. Yes, there is a difference. Of course there's a difference. There is a difference between Combat, Assassination, and Subtlety for Rogues, and they're a class for which all three trees are melee DPS. You don't honestly believe that two specs that play completely differently to the point that one is a ranged caster and one is a meleeer are going to move at exactly the same speed, do you?
The degree to how effectively they level may be put up for debate; Elemental may be fast enough and close enough that it makes no real difference to anyone, but we're not talking about subjectivity here. (By the way, you don't know. If you leveled from 60-70 as Elemental then you have no idea how Enhancement would have moved from 60-70.) If you are looking for the absolute fastest, most effective to the millisecond spec for leveling, it's Enhancement. That's it. End of discussion.
I would say that it all depends on the gear that you're finding. I went ele from about 63 to 70 simply because I was finding more spell damage/crit gear than I was melee gear. Enhance is probably a bit faster in general and will have less downtime due to water shield and shammy rage, but make sure to keep those nice slow weapons you'll find from time to time. Trust me, hit up the AH to find some 2.6 weapons with decent stats, they might just last you a long time. Bottom line is that if you havent respeced 20 times already, a respec back is cheap and easy. Collect multiple sets of gear and do whatever you like more!
***** Ele and stick to Enh. I did and not having any problem with it. Even respecced resto for a couple of instance runs along the way. The only difference really is ele uses some of the same gear and stats as resto. I have no problem keeping 2 sets of gear or upgrading both sets along the way.
Resto/Enh
Especially if you enjoy enh. I know I do and that's why I stayed with it.
Resto/Enh
Especially if you enjoy enh. I know I do and that's why I stayed with it.
If anything elemental only becomes viable once you hit outlands you can go deep enough into its talent tree for it to be worth it finally, you gain access to actual gear for the spec so like guadion said its more or less just a new option for shamans in outlands.
The only thing I would say that is nice about elemental from 60-70 is if you are asked to heal you shouldn't have to have a set of resto gear since your elemental set should be more or less up for the job.
personally I didn't play elemental until 70 in outlands so in reality I don't know but I still have a feeling enhancement is better even if it is just slightly better.
Both specs do heavy burst but enhancement gets to ssave some of there mana to squeeze in heals, sure an elemental can too but there mana is there downtime, and enhancement shaman can heal themselves and get back to smashing face pretty quickly.
Either way play what you prefer its you who has to level to 70 no sense playing a spec you don't prefer as much as the other.
The only thing I would say that is nice about elemental from 60-70 is if you are asked to heal you shouldn't have to have a set of resto gear since your elemental set should be more or less up for the job.
personally I didn't play elemental until 70 in outlands so in reality I don't know but I still have a feeling enhancement is better even if it is just slightly better.
Both specs do heavy burst but enhancement gets to ssave some of there mana to squeeze in heals, sure an elemental can too but there mana is there downtime, and enhancement shaman can heal themselves and get back to smashing face pretty quickly.
Either way play what you prefer its you who has to level to 70 no sense playing a spec you don't prefer as much as the other.
'Lecanthi' wrote:
Well, you will start seeing mail spell dmg gear once you reach outlands but there isn't any mail strength gear, only a bunch of hunter gear (from my memory).
Funny, hunters say it's all shammy gear. :p
Ieatrocks wrote:
Funny, hunters say it's all shammy gear. :p
Well, no one's ever said 99% of Hunters aren't borderline retarded. Probably the easiest class in the game to play but the hardest to master, which is why so many of them are so completely incapable of taking advantage of the OP-ness of their class.
Ieatrocks wrote:
'Lecanthi' wrote:
Well, you will start seeing mail spell dmg gear once you reach outlands but there isn't any mail strength gear, only a bunch of hunter gear (from my memory).
Funny, hunters say it's all shammy gear. :p
I'm still pretty sure it's mostly mail gear with +agi and +AP stats (or the spell dmg ones) when I was 60-70 in outlands. Most of the +str mail gears for PVE shaman can only be found in the tier sets and filler gear in SSC onwards (or pvp gear).
*edited for clarity
Edited, Sep 4th 2008 3:48am by Lecanthi
13 posts
What is really funny is that I have leveled from 1-52 as Elemental without any trouble at all. Infact it has been a blast!
There is gear for the ele shaman out there pre-tbc its just not as easy to come by as enh is, an no you do not have to wear CLOTH! Will you have as good of spell damage gear, or crit gear as a mage? NO and you never will. Is there more gear for the Enh spec shaman pre-tbc? YES but it doesn't make it better, just easier gear wise. You also will most likely have a little less downtime due to mana regen with the enh spec.
The fact remains that Ele spec is viable before 60-70 it all just depends on the person.
I say gratz to you for trying something new on your shaman take your best shot at the gear that drops for you and if you choose wrong its all good. In the end you will replace all your lower 60's gear with better from Instances/raids and pvp as well as just by questing.
I would recommend you to just remember what really counts for an ele shaman. Spell dmg, mana, spell crit. Find your "of the eagle" and as much others as you can find to add to the crit and spell damage and you will do just fine. If you can I would also recommend throwing in a little extra AGI when possible as you don't do all your damage with spells and being able to throw down a melee crit is always nice.
Good luck and have fun!
There is gear for the ele shaman out there pre-tbc its just not as easy to come by as enh is, an no you do not have to wear CLOTH! Will you have as good of spell damage gear, or crit gear as a mage? NO and you never will. Is there more gear for the Enh spec shaman pre-tbc? YES but it doesn't make it better, just easier gear wise. You also will most likely have a little less downtime due to mana regen with the enh spec.
The fact remains that Ele spec is viable before 60-70 it all just depends on the person.
I say gratz to you for trying something new on your shaman take your best shot at the gear that drops for you and if you choose wrong its all good. In the end you will replace all your lower 60's gear with better from Instances/raids and pvp as well as just by questing.
I would recommend you to just remember what really counts for an ele shaman. Spell dmg, mana, spell crit. Find your "of the eagle" and as much others as you can find to add to the crit and spell damage and you will do just fine. If you can I would also recommend throwing in a little extra AGI when possible as you don't do all your damage with spells and being able to throw down a melee crit is always nice.
Good luck and have fun!
The elemental tree is AMAZING if you always quest with a shadow priest.
Shields help with pushback, and the priest feeds you mana. You can switch to healing for elite pulls, and the majority of group quests that you encounter while leveling can be handled by just the two of you.
Shields help with pushback, and the priest feeds you mana. You can switch to healing for elite pulls, and the majority of group quests that you encounter while leveling can be handled by just the two of you.
1 post
Lol my first post......I love my Ele shammy.....pvp is getting viable.....(with gear). As far as rading goes, I only have 900 spell dmg 20% spell crit and can still hold right at 900-1200 dps with buffs food etc. easily . I do know that if you lvl to say 69 and want to switch to Ele they are QUITE diferent, hence long cast time's on lightning.
Pvp with a Ele shammy can be fun if ya dont mind dying alot....again with gear and some res. it can be alot of fun....Just be prepared when you chain lightning crit 3 ppl that they prolly are all gonna focus on you.....
Pvp with a Ele shammy can be fun if ya dont mind dying alot....again with gear and some res. it can be alot of fun....Just be prepared when you chain lightning crit 3 ppl that they prolly are all gonna focus on you.....
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