Enhancement Shaman PvE guide: Maelstrom Weapon and Rage of the Farseer for raids

Overview

Level 60 · Enhancement Shaman · DPS in dungeons and raids.

Enhancement in Forever is a hybrid of melee and spells. Mental Dexterity turns Intellect into attack power and Mental Quickness turns it into spell damage, so the same gear feeds both halves. Maelstrom Weapon builds stacks from melee hits that make the next Lightning Bolt faster and cheaper, Stormstrike increases your Nature damage on the target, and Rage of the Farseer raises both attack speed and cast speed. Windfury and Flurry still carry the melee side, and totems still support your group.

Your job in the group

You deal melee and Nature damage while buffing the melee group with totems. Stand with Warriors and Rogues so Windfury Totem and Strength of Earth Totem reach them, keep Stormstrike on cooldown and weave Maelstrom Lightning Bolts between swings. When the raid needs it, you also carry interrupts with Earth Shock and a Purge for enemy buffs.

Why play it

• Group melee support. Your totems make every Warrior and Rogue near you hit harder.
• One stat pool for both halves. Mental Dexterity and Mental Quickness turn Intellect into attack power and spell damage.
• Burst windows. Rage of the Farseer speeds up both swings and casts at once.
• Spell damage in melee range. Maelstrom Weapon keeps Lightning Bolt cheap and quick without leaving the boss.

Weak points

• Complex priority: melee, shocks and Maelstrom Lightning Bolts compete for the same global cooldown.
• Gear conflict: you want Intellect, Strength and Agility at the same time.
• Unproven: the hybrid design is new to Forever; the right balance of melee and spell gear needs testing.
• Group spot: your totems help only the players nearby, so raid position matters.

Level 60 talent build

Elemental 17 / Enhancement 34 / Restoration 0, all 51 points. The talent tree above shows the finished build.

Enhancement (34)

• Thundering Strikes 5/5 — crit for melee and spells, which triggers Flurry and Elemental Fury.
• Ancestral Knowledge 5/5 — more Intellect, which Mental Dexterity and Mental Quickness convert.
• Mental Dexterity 3/3 — Intellect becomes attack power, and Flurry requires it.
• Elemental Weapons 3/3 — stronger Windfury Weapon and Flametongue Weapon.
• Shamanistic Focus 1/1 — cheaper shocks between Stormstrikes.
• Flurry 5/5 — attack speed after crits; one of the largest melee talents.
• Stormstrike 1/1 — a weapon strike that increases Nature damage taken for your Lightning Bolts and shocks.
• Spirit Weapons 1/1 — a parry chance and lower threat while you are not using Rockbiter Weapon.
• Mental Quickness 2/2 — Intellect becomes spell damage for Lightning Bolt and shocks; required for Rage of the Farseer.
• Improved Stormstrike 2/2 — mana regeneration while casting after Stormstrike.
• Maelstrom Weapon 5/5 — melee hits build stacks for a faster, cheaper Lightning Bolt.
• Rage of the Farseer 1/1 — attack speed and cast speed together for a burn window.

Elemental (17)

• Convection 2/5 — cheaper Lightning Bolts and shocks.
• Concussion 5/5 — more damage on Lightning Bolt and Earth Shock.
• Reverberation 1/5 — one point to reach the next row.
• Elemental Devastation 3/3 — spell crits give melee crit chance, linking the two halves.
• Elemental Focus 1/1 — a free spell after a Clearcasting proc.
• Elemental Fury 5/5 — bigger spell crits for Maelstrom Lightning Bolts and shocks.

Rotation and priority

1. Place your totems with Call of the Elements; Windfury and Strength of Earth are the usual melee group picks, but follow the raid’s totem plan.
2. Open with Stormstrike and keep it on cooldown so its Nature damage bonus covers your spells.
3. Cast Lightning Bolt when Maelstrom Weapon has built enough stacks to make it quick; the exact stack count worth waiting for needs testing.
4. Use Earth Shock or Flame Shock between Stormstrikes while the Stormstrike debuff is up.
5. Press Rage of the Farseer with trinkets at the start of a boss and again whenever it returns.
6. Keep Windfury Weapon on your weapon for the whole fight, and recast totems only when they expire or the group moves.

Resources

Mana is a real limit for Enhancement because Lightning Bolt and shocks cost mana. Improved Stormstrike, Shamanistic Focus and Convection keep it manageable. Rage of the Farseer is the only damage cooldown in the build, so line it up with trinkets and any raid haste buffs.

Stat priority

1. Hit for melee, then spell hit for Lightning Bolt.
2. Intellect, because Mental Dexterity and Mental Quickness convert it to attack power and spell damage.
3. Strength and Agility for attack power and crit.
4. Crit for Flurry and Elemental Devastation.
5. Slow two-handed or main-hand weapon damage for Windfury and Stormstrike.

Gear and set bonuses

The Enhancement Tier 1 set in the Forever data is The Spiritcaller’s Rage, with item names still withheld. Bonuses: 2 pieces 1% attack speed and casting speed, 3 pieces 10 yards more radius on beneficial Air and Earth totems, 4 pieces +36 attack power against Elementals, 5 pieces 0.5 sec off Stormstrike’s cooldown. The two-piece helps both halves of the build, and the three-piece makes Windfury and Strength of Earth reach a spread-out melee group. Before raids, the Forever version of The Five Thunders has a spell damage proc on melee and spellcasts.

Consumables and professions

• Melee: Elixir of the Mongoose and Juju Power or the Forever versions.
• Spells: an Intellect or spell damage elixir if you can afford both slots.
• Weapon: Windfury Weapon replaces a temporary enchant, so buy a permanent Crusader-style enchant instead.
• Relics: Totem of The Undergrove lowers Stormstrike’s cooldown when shocks hit Undead.
• Professions: Engineering for explosives, or Leatherworking and Skinning to supply mail and leather crafts.

Sources

Rotation, stat and matchup advice adapts these Classic 1.12 guides to the WoW Forever talent trees; talents, set bonuses and new abilities come from this site’s WoW Forever data.

• Icy Veins: Classic Enhancement Shaman DPS Guide
• Icy Veins: Classic Enhancement Shaman DPS Stat Priority
• Icy Veins: Classic Enhancement Shaman DPS Enchants and Consumables