TBC Classic Guide
Shaman class icon

Elemental Shaman

Ranged DPS high demand

A burst-oriented caster that deals Lightning and Fire damage while providing powerful caster totems.

How It Feels to Play

Elemental Shaman is the 'lightning turret' spec. You stand at range and hurl Lightning Bolts and Chain Lightnings at your enemies, with occasional Flame Shocks and Earth Shocks mixed in. When Elemental Mastery procs (guaranteed crit on your next spell), you unleash a massive Lightning Bolt that hits like a freight train. The burst moments are incredible.

Your sustained DPS is middle-of-the-pack, but your value goes beyond personal damage. Totem of Wrath increases spell crit and spell hit for your entire party, which is a huge buff for caster groups. Combined with Bloodlust, you're a walking buff machine that also does respectable damage.

The biggest challenge is mana management. Lightning Bolt is expensive, and Elemental Shamans are notorious for going OOM on longer fights. You'll need to use Mana Spring Totem, mana potions, and sometimes downrank your spells to last through a fight. The spec gets better as your gear improves and you can sustain your casting longer.

Complexity

Strengths

  • Strong burst damage with Elemental Mastery
  • Totem of Wrath is a massive buff for caster groups
  • Bloodlust/Heroism is the best cooldown in the game

Pain Points

  • Severe mana issues on long fights
  • Middle-of-the-pack sustained DPS
  • Totem management adds complexity and GCD usage

Demand & Supply

high demand

Totem of Wrath is a significant buff for caster groups, and Bloodlust alone makes Shamans essential. Most raids want 1-2 Elemental Shamans in caster groups.

Talent Build

Standard Elemental DPS

41/0/20
Totem of Wrath
Summons a Fire Totem that increases the spell crit chance of all party members by 3% and spell hit by 3%
Elemental Mastery
Your next spell has a 100% crit chance and costs no mana. Big burst moment
Lightning Mastery
Reduces the cast time of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning by 1 second
Elemental Fury
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of Searing, Magma, and Fire totems and all Fire, Frost, and Nature spells by 100%

41 into Elemental for Totem of Wrath, 20 into Restoration for Totemic Focus (mana cost reduction) and Nature's Guidance (3% spell hit). Totem of Wrath is your main raid utility: 3% spell crit and 3% spell hit for your party. Cast Lightning Bolt as your primary nuke, Chain Lightning when there are 3+ targets, and use Elemental Mastery on cooldown for a guaranteed crit.

Stat Priority

Spell Hit Rating (16% cap / 202 rating)
100
Spell Damage
90
Spell Critical Strike Rating
80
Intellect
70
Spell Haste Rating
60
MP5
55

Spell hit cap is 16% against raid bosses. Elemental has 3% from talents (Nature's Guidance), bringing the needed rating to 152. Spell Damage scales all your lightning spells. Crit procs Elemental Devastation and Clearcasting. Intellect helps with mana management.

Pre-Raid Best in Slot

Slot Item Source
head Spellstrike Hood Spellstrike Hood Crafted - Tailoring Crafted - Tailoring
neck Brooch of Heightened Potential Brooch of Heightened Potential Harbinger Skyriss - The Arcatraz Harbinger Skyriss - The Arcatraz
shoulders Mana-Etched Spaulders Mana-Etched Spaulders Nethermancer Sepethrea - The Mechanar Nethermancer Sepethrea - The Mechanar
back Sethekk Oracle Cloak Sethekk Oracle Cloak Darkweaver Syth - Sethekk Halls Darkweaver Syth - Sethekk Halls
chest Mana-Etched Vestments Mana-Etched Vestments Quest - Wanted: Pathaleon the Calculator's Head Quest - Wanted: Pathaleon the Calculator's Head
wrists Bracers of Havok Bracers of Havok Crafted - Tailoring Crafted - Tailoring
hands Gloves of the Deadwatcher Gloves of the Deadwatcher Exarch Maladaar - Auchenai Crypts (Heroic) Exarch Maladaar - Auchenai Crypts (Heroic)
waist Belt of Depravity Belt of Depravity Keli'dan the Breaker - The Blood Furnace (Heroic) Keli'dan the Breaker - The Blood Furnace (Heroic)
legs Spellstrike Pants Spellstrike Pants Crafted - Tailoring Crafted - Tailoring
feet Shattrath Jumpers Shattrath Jumpers Quest - Undercity Informant (Shattrath) Quest - Undercity Informant (Shattrath)
ring Cobalt Band of Tyrigosa Cobalt Band of Tyrigosa Aeonus - The Black Morass (Heroic) Aeonus - The Black Morass (Heroic)
ring Ashyen's Gift Ashyen's Gift Exalted - Cenarion Expedition Exalted - Cenarion Expedition
trinket Icon of the Silver Crescent Icon of the Silver Crescent 41 Badges - G'eras (Shattrath) 41 Badges - G'eras (Shattrath)
trinket Quagmirran's Eye Quagmirran's Eye Quagmirran - The Slave Pens Quagmirran - The Slave Pens
main hand Shockwave Truncheon Shockwave Truncheon Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth (Heroic) Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth (Heroic)
off hand Khadgar's Knapsack Khadgar's Knapsack The Mechanar (Heroic) The Mechanar (Heroic)
ranged Totem of the Void Totem of the Void Harbinger Skyriss - The Arcatraz Harbinger Skyriss - The Arcatraz

Rotation & Priority

41 into Elemental for Totem of Wrath, 20 into Restoration for Totemic Focus (mana cost reduction) and Nature's Guidance (3% spell hit). Totem of Wrath is your main raid utility: 3% spell crit and 3% spell hit for your party. Cast Lightning Bolt as your primary nuke, Chain Lightning when there are 3+ targets, and use Elemental Mastery on cooldown for a guaranteed crit.

Progression Path

1
Level to 70

Quest through Outland, run dungeons for gear along the way.

2
Normal Dungeons

Farm reputation to Revered for Heroic keys. Replace leveling greens.

3
Heroic Dungeons

Collect your Pre-Raid BiS gear and Badge of Justice items.

4
Karazhan & T4

Enter your first raid. Collect Tier 4 tokens and epic drops.

5
T5 & Beyond

Progress into SSC, Tempest Keep, Black Temple, and Sunwell.

View the full dungeon progression guide →

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