Elemental Shaman DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents - The War Within Pre-Patch (2024)

Lightning single-target Talents (recommended)Fire single-target TalentsHybrid AoE/Mythic+ Talents (recommended)Fire AoE/Mythic+ TalentsTalents Explained

This build is optimal for pure single-target situations.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the bestbuild directly into your game!

Note that Earth Shock is now close to Elemental Blast and onfights with a lot of movement, it is probably a good idea to pick Earth Shock. Ifyou pick Elemental Blast you should grab Elemental Equilibriuminstead of Searing Flames.

Note that this class tree purposefully ignores some utility talents, such as Purge. You should adjust this recommendation depending on whatutility will be used in each encounter. There is a reasonable amount offlexibility in our class tree; you can and should adapt your utility toolkit tothe content you intend on doing.

This build is optimal for pure single-target situations.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the bestbuild directly into your game!

Note that Earth Shock is now close to Elemental Blast and onfights with a lot of movement, it is probably a good idea to pick Earth Shock.

Note that currently the difference between optimal single-target andAoE/Cleave builds is one or two points, namely, dropping Elemental Equilibrium for Liquid Magma Totem loses littlesingle-target and is an enormous AoE gain. If enough targets are going to bestacked regularly, Echoes of Great Sundering is also a tremendous gain,though you do lose Magma Chamber which hurts your single-target.

Note that this class tree purposefully ignores some utility talents, such as Purge. You should adjust this recommendation depending on whatutility will be used in each encounter. There is a reasonable amount offlexibility in our class tree; you can and should adapt your utility toolkit tothe content you intend on doing.

This Hybrid build is currently our strongest option for AoE/Cleave damage, thoughit is weaker than Fire-dominant builds for spread cleave.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the bestbuild directly into your game!

Note that this, by default, grabs some utility talents such as Cleanse Spiritor Purge. You should adjust this recommendationdepending on what utility will be used in each encounter.

This build is powerful for significant multi-target situations, meaning Mythic+and raid fights where important packs of adds will live for some time. Currentlyif you are speedfarming Awakened Raids, it is pretty much just Diurna because otheradds just die too fast or are not important enough. For most raid fights that includeAoE/Cleave elements, I would recommend dropping Echoes of Great Sundering for Magma Chamber, as you will simply not cast enough Earthquakes overthe duration of the encounter.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the bestbuild directly into your game!

Note that the class tree assumes a non-specific dungeon situation, so forraid encounters, you can spec out some utility to grab more useful points, oryou might have specific utility needs not covered by this generalrecommendation.

We recommend you also check out our Dedicated Mythic+ Page.

There are multiple talents that require a change to your rotation in order touse them optimally. You can find more information on how your rotation will lookafter selecting your talents on our Dedicated Rotation page.

The following sections will give the author's opinion on the viability ofevery talent, including whether some are "automatic picks" because there is nocirc*mstance where you do not want them. Note that several of the startingtalents are picked for you; you do not actually have a choice in the matter.The point requirements to reach the next rows of talents also sometimes forcepicks. Note that these opinions are mostly focused on PvE.

Ability	Description/Effect
Chain Heal	It is never picked or used.
Lava Burst	It is automatically acquired when specializing.
Astral Shift	It is your main defensive cooldown. It is an Automatic Pick.Its cooldown is reduced by Flash of Lightning, which means that if you use itand Planes Traveler, you can expect to have it back up about a minute afterit ends.
Chain Lightning	It is automatically acquired when specializing.
Earth Shield	It is very strong for solo play PvP and useful in most PvEcirc*mstances. There are some things you may want to grab over it in raids and M+,but it should definitely be a default pick and probably alongside Elemental Orbitfor solo play and PvP.
Wind Shear	It is your "kick." It is fairly unique in that its 30-yardrange and 12-second cooldown are shorter than all other ranged characters.This makes Wind Shear one of the best interrupts in the game, and you should useit a lot. This is, again, not quite an automatic pick, as you will not need it inevery raid fight. Outside of those, however, you should always pick it. Its cooldowncan be massively reduced by Flash of Lightning.
Frost Shock	Outside of Icefury, you should only use this for movement whenyou have nothing else to cast, when you need the slow, or if you really need extradamage immediately. It is an automatic pick for any build using Icefury,for obvious reasons.
Capacitor Totem	It is your only way to stun targets. It is of great value(and an automatic pick) almost everywhere outside of raids and is even useful in someraid fights. Flash of Lightning significantly lowers its cooldown, allowinga very comfortable uptime in Mythic+ especially. It can backfire in PvP, however,by putting stun-diminishing returns on people when you do not want to.
Spirit Walk	It is very good in most circ*mstances. It competes with the more "fun." Gust of Wind, which has a much shorter cooldown. In practice, Spirit Walktends to be overkill in PvE, but in some circ*mstances, you may favor it.
Gust of Wind	It is competing with Spirit Walk, so depending on the fight,you may want to pick that instead. Unlike Spirit Walk, Flash of Lightning cansignificantly lower its cooldown. This means that in practice, instead of havinga third of the cooldown of Spirit Walk, it should be closer to a quarter ifplaying a Lightning-focused build. It also allows you to break falls and reachotherwise unreachable locations, which is very nice for solo play. Overall, it isa default pick unless you specifically want Spirit Walk.
Healing Stream Totem	It is nice to have for solo play and can make an appreciable differencein Mythic+ or even raids. In fights where healing is a struggle, it can help a little. Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown. You generallypick this if you have nothing more important to grab or because you need to pathto Elemental Warding.
Earthgrab Totem	It is very handy in solo play, PvP, and sometimes in Mythic+. Not somuch in raids, with a few exceptions. Flash of Lightning can significantlylower its cooldown.
Purge	It is occasionally handy in solo and rarely in raids, very useful inMythic+ and PvP.
Greater Purge	It is very handy in PvP but is otherwise never picked.
Earth Elemental	It is an automatic pick. Its only real downsides are a long cooldown,and the taunt can potentially backfire, so you have to carefully choose yourmoment. The additional health alone makes it worth picking.Note that since Patch 10.0.7, it cannot taunt or pulse threats toenemies that are not in combat yet, making it significantly more comfortableto use in dungeons.

Ability	Description/Effect
Cleanse Spirit	It is occasionally useful in solo play, very handy in PvP,regularly used in dungeons and rarely used in some raid encounters.
Tremor Totem	It is mostly used in PvP and Mythic+. It has some use in soloplay and rarely in raids, although when it works in raids, you definitely want it. Flash of Lightning can significantly lower its cooldown.
Hex	It is an automatic pick for Mythic+, PvP and solo play. It is rarelyused in raids, but when you can use it is often mandatory.
Wind Rush Totem	It is a fantastic tool in raids where it is an automatic pickunless you absolutely need Earthgrab Totem. It is handy in PvP and Mythic+,but not as much for solo play unless you combine it with Spiritwalker's Graceor Earthbind Totem to kite things around. Flash of Lightning cansignificantly lower its cooldown.

Ability	Description/Effect
Spiritwalker's Grace	It is an Automatic Pick. It is a very helpful tool for movementwhich should be used to kite or to keep dealing damage when you have to move alot. Flash of Lightning lowers its cooldown significantly. You mightoccasionally just want it for the movement speed to get somewhere quick,especially with Graceful Spirit.
Ancestral Guidance	Is an automatic pick with the talent tree rework, which made it muchless costly to grab.
Thunderstorm	It is very good for solo play and PvP. It has niche usesin some raid fights and, especially combined with Thundershock, is very usefulin Mythic+. Flash of Lightning can massively lower its cooldown.
Lightning Lasso	It is a strong pick for PvP. It is very good for solo play butcompetes with the formidable Thundershock, making it unpickable inMythic+. Since you are unlikely to need Thundershock in raids outside ofspecific circ*mstances, Lightning Lasso, can help lock out an add or deal a bitof damage while moving. Flash of Lightning can significantly lower itscooldown.
Totemic Projection	It is occasionally useful in PvP or to replace your Wind Rush Totemin raids. You often do not have anything better to grab while pathing to Stone Bulwark Totem.
Poison Cleansing Totem	It is theoretically useful in PvP or against certain enemies in Mythic+.
Totemic Recall	It is more or less an automatic pick and has three main uses: resettingyour Liquid Magma Totem for heavy AoE situations, resetting your Stone Bulwark Totem totem for better survivability or gettinganother Wind Rush Totem for your raid. It can be used with anytotem, so the potential is vast.
Stone Bulwark Totem	It is an automatic pick. It is a very powerful cooldown that also synergizeswith all our other defensive abilities.
Nature's Swiftness	In my opinion, it is an automatic pick in most circ*mstances. It is extra niceif you are using Elemental Blast as you otherwise always have to hard-castit if Spiritwalker's Grace is not up. Flash of Lightning cansignificantly lower its cooldown.

Ability	Description/Effect
Planes Traveler	It is neck and neck with its sister talent Astral Bulwark. What isbest entirely depends on the circ*mstances. Overall, if you are not surewhat you need, Astral Bulwark is a better default pick. Advanced playersmay prefer this one, though.
Astral Bulwark	It is a great default pick, especially if you are not very familiar with the content,or if you prefer having a strong panic button over a lighter one that is available moreoften.
Spirit Wolf	It is somewhat niche compared to Thunderous Paws and should mostlybe picked if you are going to stand in Ghost Wolf for several seconds in orderto "tank" a powerful ability, like a Druid going into Bear Form. It can be nice during mechanics when you will not be doingany DPS, anyway. Because of the ever-increasing damage in high Mythic+,this talent can become mandatory at certain thresholds in order to survive certainunavoidable damage instances.
Thunderous Paws	It is more generally useful than its sister talent and should be a defaultpick, although if you do not think you will need the extra speed, you can safelypick something else.
Winds of Al'Akir	The bonus is too small/niche to have much use unless you really havea spare point and regular burst movement is important.
Elemental Orbit	It is excellent for solo play and PvP and becomes an automatic pick inall content if using Lightning Conduit unless you really need the pointsfor other utility and end up dropping Earth Shield altogether.If you can spare the point, it is a nice way to provide a modicum of additionalhealing in Mythic+ and Raids.
Fire and Ice	It is an automatic pick. You always pick damage.
Ancestral Wolf Affinity	Might be worth something in PvP but is otherwise ignored.
Encasing Cold	Unlikely to ever be picked, even if it was buffed.
Arctic Snowstorm	Unlikely to ever be picked, even if it was buffed.
Brimming with Life	It is an automatic pick in every circ*mstance. Both benefits arevery powerful.
Static Charge	It is a strong pick for Mythic+. Depending on timings, it might beworth picking if you need Capacitor Totem for a raid encounter.Otherwise, you can mostly ignore it.
Guardian's Cudgel	Alright for very low stakes Mythic+ but mostly useful for solo play orsome PvP compositions. Diminishing returns on stuns make it much less usefulif other people in your group also have stuns. It can notably backfire in PvPby putting stun-diminishing returns on people when you do not want to.

Ability	Description/Effect
Elemental Resistance	You will probably pick this up to path to Elemental Warding unlessyou need Tremor Totem or Cleanse Spirit, but it is unlikelyto make a difference as it is a very low duration, small situation buff, andits application is somewhat random. Badly designed.
Nature's Guardian	It is an automatic pick. There is no reason to ever not have this,especially for builds using Flash of Lightning.
Nature's Fury	It is an automatic pick. Major damage talent.
Refreshing Waters	Good for solo play or PvP, nice to have in other situations if you havespare points. You will always get Elemental Warding, so it is neverneeded to path to Spiritwalker's Grace.
Elemental Warding	It is an automatic pick. Most of the damage you will take is magic damage,especially outside of PvP, and it is a required pick to get Ancestral Guidance
Primordial Bond	It is an automatic pick. In Fire builds especially, that is going to beclose to 5% permanent damage reduction.
Voodoo Mastery	It is mostly a PvP talent, although it might be handy on somespecific M+ pulls.
Totemic Focus	Generally nice to have, but unless the radius is really handy, like on araid boss where you really want a larger Tremor Totem or Wind Rush Totemradius, it is definitely a low priority.
Ascending Air	Useful if you need Wind Rush Totem more often or would benefitfrom a slightly longer effect. It is not a default pick unless you have a goodreason for it but a solid upgrade nonetheless.
Jet Stream	The snare removal is potentially extremely powerful, and it is very niceon encounters where Wind Rush Totem is valued like Rasha'nan.
Enhanced Imbues	As long as you are picking either Improved Flametongue Weapon, Lightning Conduit or Thunderstrike Ward, which should be always,you will pick this, making this functionally an automatic pick.

Ability	Description/Effect
Graceful Spirit	It is an automatic pick outside of PvP, where its sister talent is theautomatic pick. Spiritwalker's Grace is very useful; getting it moreoften, and moving even faster with it is always going to be useful.
Spiritwalker's Aegis	It is an automatic pick for PvP and useless everywhere else.
Totemic Surge	Unless you will benefit from Seasoned Winds it is required topath to Totemic Recall, making it an automatic pick. It is a decenttalent by itself and can really make the difference in getting key totemsback when you need them, especially as it synergizes with Flash of Lightning.
Seasoned Winds	It is a niche talent, but when it ends up useful, it is VERY strong.We will detail its specific uses in our dedicated M+ and Raid pages. Very strongfor PvP as well, especially now that it does not have the opportunity cost ofbeing a dedicated PvP talent anymore.
Mana Spring	Gives some Mana back to a few allies with a proximityrequirement, and loses a lot of value if you do not use a Lava Burst-centric build. It is an okay default pick if Mana ends up being a concern at all,Note that multiple Mana Spring Totems' effects also do not stack.
Thundershock	It is a formidable variant of Thunderstorm, turning it into areliable crowd-control ability without moving enemies and risking attractingadditional hostiles. While advanced Shaman players have learned to put theregular Thunderstorm to good use; newer players should probably always pickthis. The additional reliable crowd control is very welcome in Mythic+, inother circ*mstances, you are likely better off with the regular version.
Traveling Storms	Has a lot of potential but, unfortunately, only works on players. Not a defaultpick, but will definitely see some use.
Call of the Elements	More or less an automatic pick, though in raid situations, you may notneed the extra cooldown.
Creation Core	Unless you have a very specific purpose in mind for it, get Call of the Elementsinstead.

Earth Shock/ Elemental Blast, Earthquake and either Fire Elementalor Storm Elemental are required picks. You cannot go down the tree withoutpicking them all. Fire-focused builds take Fire Elemental, while Hybridbuilds take Storm Elemental.

Elemental Blast is now only slightly stronger than Earth Shockwhich means that the talents are very close, but with mobility being a concern once again; we recommend using Earth Shock unless movement requirements are very low. It isalso an automatic pick in PvP because interrupts exist.

Fire Elemental is currently your default pick and is superior in mostways to Storm Elemental unless you are using a Hybrid build,in which case you likely have to use the latter.

Ability	Description/Effect
Icefury	Has been overhauled and is now much easier to use. It is fairly strong forsingle-target but hard to justify for AoE/Cleave unless movement requirementsare crazy.
Thunderstrike Ward	Is a strong generic damage increase for hybrid builds.It's not really usable for fire-dominant builds.

Ability	Description/Effect
Ascendance	Is currently an automatic pick for every build.
Stormkeeper	It is an automatic pick for Hybrid buildsbut the opportunity cost to path to it is too high for most fire-dominant builds.It has significant synergies with other talents and can deal good single or multi-targetburst. It is likely to remain a must-have for PvP.
Primordial Wave	It is a staple of fire-dominant builds and is an automatic pick forthose in every situation, as well as being a key pick for most Hybrid builds as well.
Liquid Magma Totem	It is an automatic pick for Fire-dominant builds when any kind ofsignificant stacked Cleave/AoE scenario will occur. If you pick ityou can also grab Totemic Recall and Call of the Elements fromthe class tree if you did not already have them.

Ability	Description/Effect
Elemental Fury	It is an automatic pick for every build.
Flash of Lightning	It is an automatic pick in almost all situations.Not so good in PvP where you cast too few Lightning Bolts, but youwant Icefury anyway. It reduces almost all your cooldowns.Here is the list: Primordial Wave Stone Bulwark Totem Stormkeeper Storm Elemental Reincarnation Astral Shift Thunderstorm Lightning Lasso Gust of Wind Wind Shear Spiritwalker's Grace Nature's Swiftness Totemic Recall Totemic Projection Nature's Guardian Earth Elemental Bloodlust Ancestral Guidance Cleanse Spirit Purge Greater Purge Hex Astral Recall ALL totems except Liquid Magma Totem It notably does NOT work on Spirit Walk
Lava Surge	Automatic pick for fire-dominant builds but generally not worth the points forhybrid builds.
Aftershock	It is unreliable and requires reactivity and playstyle adjustments,but overall, it is very strong in most circ*mstances, especially in AoE.It pairs well with Elemental Blast. Currently, the default pick inmost circ*mstances.
Surge of Power	It has been greatly weakened by the rework and is currently very difficultto justify unless you want additional Flame Shock spreading withoutpicking Liquid Magma Totem.
Echo of the Elements	It is an Automatic pick for every build.
Unrelenting Calamity	It is an automatic pick for every build, if only as a pathing node.
Master of the Elements	It is an automatic pick. Reliable damage buff that works on any buildand mandatory to path to multiple mandatory talents.

Ability	Description/Effect
Fusion of Elements	It is an automatic pick when using Icefury but now that it doesnot interact with most of our other talents and had its bugs fixed it is goodbut not crazy good anymore. Currently, an automatic pick for single-target buildsonly.
Storm Frenzy	It is an automatic pick for lightning-dominant/hybrid builds but is not pickedotherwise.
Swelling Maelstrom	It is an automatic pick. It is a great quality of life that allows you topool more Maelstrom and not overcap, and now it also buffs your damage.
Flow of Power	It is an automatic pick for fire-dominant builds, but hybrid builds havestronger alternatives.
Elemental Unity	It is an automatic pick.
Flux Melting	It is not good enough to be played at the moment.
Lightning Conduit	It is an automatic pick, even for fire-dominant builds, if only becauseyou want it to path to Eye of the Storm.
Power of the Maelstrom	It is required to path to Echo Chamber and Stormkeeper,making it an automatic pick for lightning-dominant/hybrid builds.
Improved Flametongue Weapon	Does not stack with weapon runes. Automatic pick if you are playing a fire-dominantbuild but not for hybrid builds.
Everlasting Elements	Strong pick for lightning-dominant/hybrid builds. It is a solid talent,but points are tight, and in multi-target scenarios especially, fire-dominantbuilds already have a permanent Fire Elemental thanks to Skybreaker's Fiery Demise.
Flames of the Cauldron	It is an automatic pick for fire-dominant builds and is otherwise ignored.
Eye of the Storm	It is an automatic pick apart from some fire-focused Mythic+builds that do not use Elemental Blast either.
Echo Chamber	It is an automatic pick for lightning-dominant/hybrid builds, but the opportunitycost is too high for fire-dominant builds.
Searing Flames	It is an automatic pick for fire-dominant builds and is not picked otherwise.
Earthen Rage	It is a decent single-target increase, picked for lightning-dominant/Hybridbuilds but not for fire-dominant builds.

Ability	Description/Effect
Elemental Equilibrium	Requires using either Icefury, Elemental Blast orboth. Builds using neither will never want this; while it is a reasonable, albeitinconsistent pick of other builds.
Echo of the Elementals	It is an automatic pick for fire-dominant builds, even though it is notparticularly powerful, you simply want it to path to Skybreaker's Fiery Demise.It is also a strong pick for lightning-dominant/hybrid builds that want more Storm Elemental uptime.
Mountains Will Fall	It has been weakened by the overload changes but is still okay. It isa good default pick that is largely spec-agnostic and is mandatory to pathto Echoes of Great Sundering.
First Ascendant	It is currently not good enough to compete with Preeminenceunless the timing is absolutely perfect for the burst periods you want.
Preeminence	It is an automatic pick whenever you pick Ascendance.
Skybreaker's Fiery Demise	It is an automatic pick for fire-dominant builds, largely because ofits extremely strong synergy with Elemental Unity Allows you to get permanent Fire Elemental in multi-target scenarios. It is also very powerful forlightning-focused/hybrid builds as Storm Elemental uptime is now even morecrucial.
Magma Chamber	It remains quite strong, but the competition makes it difficult to justifyfor multi-target/cleave encounters for fire-dominant builds that also need Liquid Magma Totem and all the other fire talents. Automatic pickfor lightning-dominant/hybrid builds, however.
Splintered Elements	It is an automatic pick whenever you are picking Primordial Wave,so for any fire-dominant build and most hybrid builds. It is a large portion ofthe power of Primordial Wave.
Echoes of Great Sundering	It is a strong pick whenever regular significant AoE/Cleave willbe in play for all builds, however, there are simply not enough points to goaround and the "awkwardness" of not always using Earthquake when you havethe Maelstrom can be problematic..
Deeply Rooted Elements	Remains too strong to ignore and is an automatic pick with all fire-dominantand some hybrid builds, regardless of the target profile.
Lightning Rod	It is an automatic pick for lightning-dominant and most hybrid builds andis otherwise ignored.
Primal Elementalist	It is now reasonably strong and is worth grabbing for some hybrid builds,especially if the timing on enemy adds works nicely with the Primal Elemental'scooldowns..