Midnight Season 2
Ranged DPS

Shaman · Elemental

Elemental is a caster that generates Maelstrom with Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst and spends it on Earth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake, bursting under Stormkeeper, Ancestral Swiftness, and Ascendance.

Checked 5 Sept 2026· 12.1.0. Last checked 39 days ago. No patch has landed since, but it is due another look.Last checked 39 days ago. No patch has landed since, but it is due another look.

Built from Blizzard Game Data APIsWarcraft LogsSimulationCraft

Guide contents
Spec briefing

How Elemental Shaman wins

Elemental is a caster that generates Maelstrom with Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst and spends it on Earth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake, bursting under Stormkeeper, Ancestral Swiftness, and Ascendance.

Role
Ranged DPS
Stat lead
Item Level / Intellect then Mastery
Single target
Farseer
Cleave / AoE
Stormbringer
Patch 12.1.0Updated Sep 5, 2026

Strong when

  • Strong burst and cleave
  • Great ranged utility (Bloodlust, totems, tremor)
  • Off-healing flexibility

Plan around

  • Maelstrom management
  • Movement-sensitive casts
  • Ramp inside burst windows
Patch 12.1.0

What changed for this spec

Blizzard's notes say Elemental burst inside the Ascendance window was higher than intended because the Elemental Overload boosts from Ascendance and the Apex talents compounded with each other, and that they are spreading more damage into the spells themselves to deal consistently higher damage while still getting a spike during Ascendance. Ascendance now increases Elemental Overload damage by 30% (was 75%), and the bonus Lava Bursts on activating it are 50% of their normal value (was 100%). Lava Burst and Lightning Bolt damage are up 30%, which does not apply to PvP combat; Chain Lightning and Flame Shock are up 60%; Tempest direct damage is down 20%. Power of the Maelstrom is redesigned: Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning have a 15% chance to cause your next Lava Burst to deal 20% increased damage, stacking up to 2 times, and Lava Burst consumes one stack at a time. Stormkeeper no longer causes Lightning Bolt to generate an additional Elemental Overload, and the Stormbringer talent Supercharge is redesigned so that Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, and Tempest overloads deal 10% additional damage. Molten Wrath now increases Lava Burst damage by 10% (was 15%). Apex Talent: Feedback Loop Rank 1 now increases Elemental Overload damage by 10% (was 35%) and also increases Elemental damage done by 10%, and Rank 2 now grants a 15%/30% critical damage bonus (was 25%/50%).

2 things on this page name abilities the patch changed

These are flagged, not corrected. Rewriting a priority list needs a source this page does not have, so what is shown is where the guide and the patch notes disagree.

  • Stormkeeper (rotation) The notes say "Stormkeeper has been updated - No longer causes Lightning Bolt to generate an additional Elemental Overload.", so the effect this rotation action was built around is gone.
  • Stormkeeper (talents) The notes say "Stormkeeper has been updated - No longer causes Lightning Bolt to generate an additional Elemental Overload.", changing what this talent does.

Source: Blizzard, Curse of Ula'tek content update notes (https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24293281). Transcript: docs/apps/wow-god/research/patch-12.1/12.1.0-CLASSES-section.txt

Not re-verified for Season 2. This ordering was checked for patch 12.0.7. Patch 12.1 raised max-level player health and creature damage by 25% and deliberately moved power out of cooldowns into steady-state damage, either of which can move secondary weights. Open question: no Season 2 sim source has been checked, so the order below is last season's and is shown unchanged rather than guessed at.

Character setup

Stat priority and consumables

Item level and effect strength still matter. Use this ordering to break close choices, then re-check it after major gear swaps.

  1. 1.Item Level / Intellect
  2. 2.Mastery
  3. 3.Farseer: Haste
  4. 4.Stormbringer: Critical Strike
  5. 5.Versatility

Farseer: Mastery > Haste > Versatility > Crit. Stormbringer: Mastery >= Crit > Haste > Versatility. Lava Burst naturally crits against Flame Shock targets, so profile-specific sims matter more than a generic caster order.

Consumables

Flasks, food, potions, weapon oils, and runes for this build.

2 rows
FlaskFlask of the MagistersDefault caster flask.Combat PotionLight's PotentialUse with Ascendance and Stormkeeper.

Priority order is from patch 12.0.7 and has not been re-derived for 12.1. Individual lines naming an ability that 12.1 removed or redesigned are annotated above; lines that 12.1 only retuned are unchanged, because a damage number moving does not by itself reorder a priority list.

Combat

Opener and priority

Use these as decision priorities, not a rigid cast sequence. Re-evaluate whenever targets, resources, procs, or mechanics change.

Core principles

  • Avoid Maelstrom waste: the resource enables your spenders - Earthquake and Earth Shock or Elemental Blast - so waste as little of it as possible.
  • Always be casting: Elemental lacks mobility cooldowns, so know when you can pre-move or simply not move, use Spiritwalker's Grace and Nature's Swiftness for movement events, and ask your group to set up external tools such as Time Spiral.
  • React to procs: Ascendance strongly buffs spells cast during it, so sync cooldowns and pool Maelstrom or Tempest procs into it, while Lava Surge procs grant Master of the Elements, which you spend on your highest-damage spells such as Tempest.
FarseerAncestors spawned by Stormkeeper and Ancestral Swiftness duplicate your casts; the burst window is Stormkeeper, Ancestral Swiftness, Voltaic Blaze, then Ascendance.

Single-target priority

  1. 1.Stormkeeper - on cooldown
  2. 2.Ancestral Swiftness - on cooldown
  3. 3.Ascendance - roughly on cooldown, but always after Stormkeeper
  4. 4.Elemental Blast - if you are less than 15 Maelstrom from capping
  5. 5.Elemental Blast - if Master of the Elements is active
  6. 6.Lava Burst - if you do not have Master of the Elements active
  7. 7.Lightning Bolt - to consume Master of the Elements
  8. 8.Voltaic Blaze - to refresh Flame Shock within the pandemic window (30% of its maximum duration) if you do not have Master of the Elements active
  9. 9.Lightning Bolt - as your filler

AoE priority

  1. 1.Stormkeeper - on cooldown
  2. 2.Ancestral Swiftness - roughly on cooldown
  3. 3.Ascendance - roughly on cooldown, but always after Stormkeeper
  4. 4.Earthquake - against 4 or more targets
  5. 5.Elemental Blast - against 3 or fewer targets
  6. 6.Lava Burst - if Purging Flames is active
  7. 7.Voltaic Blaze - on cooldown
  8. 8.Chain Lightning - as your filler - AoE starts at 3 targets, where Chain Lightning replaces Lightning Bolt

Opener

  1. 1.Cast Stormkeeper.
  2. 2.Cast Lava Burst.
  3. 3.Cast Ascendance.
  4. 4.Cast Ancestral Swiftness.
  5. 5.Cast Lava Burst.
  6. 6.Cast Lightning Bolt twice, then continue with the normal priority.
StormbringerPlays around Tempest and Master of the Elements consumption, with Voltaic Blaze handling Flame Shock upkeep.

Single-target priority

  1. 1.Stormkeeper - on cooldown
  2. 2.Ascendance - roughly on cooldown, but always after Stormkeeper
  3. 3.Voltaic Blaze - to refresh Flame Shock within the pandemic window (30% of its maximum duration) if you do not have Master of the Elements active
  4. 4.Lava Burst - if you do not have Master of the Elements active and will not overcap
  5. 5.Tempest - to consume Master of the Elements
  6. 6.Lightning Bolt - buffed by Stormkeeper, to consume Master of the Elements
  7. 7.Elemental Blast
  8. 8.Lightning Bolt or Tempest - as your filler

AoE priority

  1. 1.Stormkeeper - on cooldown
  2. 2.Ascendance - roughly on cooldown, but always after Stormkeeper
  3. 3.Earthquake - against 4 or more targets
  4. 4.Elemental Blast - against 3 or fewer targets
  5. 5.Voltaic Blaze - to refresh Flame Shock
  6. 6.Chain Lightning or Tempest - as your filler - AoE starts at 3 targets, where Chain Lightning replaces Lightning Bolt

Opener

  1. 1.Cast Stormkeeper.
  2. 2.Cast Lava Burst.
  3. 3.Cast Ascendance.
  4. 4.Cast Lava Burst.
  5. 5.Cast Tempest.
  6. 6.Cast Lightning Bolt, then continue with the normal priority.

Pre-combat checks

  • Apply your weapon imbue: Flametongue Weapon if you run the talent. With Instinctive Imbuements this happens automatically when you cast Lightning Shield.
  • Cast Skyfury to buff you and your party with Mastery and additional weapon strikes.
  • Apply your shield: Lightning Shield with Lightning Capacitor, otherwise Earth Shield - or both with Elemental Orbit. Instinctive Imbuements applies them automatically.

Major cooldowns

Stormkeeper

  • Your main short cooldown: the next 2 Lightning Bolts deal 150% more damage and trigger one additional Overload each, while Chain Lightning instead triggers an additional Overload on every target hit.
  • The tier set upgrades it to 3 buffed casts - up to 175% for Lightning Bolt and an extra 25% for Chain Lightning - and grants Haste when you activate it.
  • Sync it with Ascendance, which buffs the resulting Overloads substantially.
  • As Farseer it also spawns an Ancestor, significantly increasing the cooldown's effective damage.

Ascendance

  • On cast it applies Flame Shock to up to 6 enemies you are in combat with; while active it buffs your Overloads by 75% and makes every spell that can Overload do so exactly one additional time.
  • With Call of Fire it also spawns a Fire Elemental that buffs Flame Shock duration and tick rate - the Elemental only appears after the initial Flame Shocks land, so recast Flame Shock in the global at the end of the Elemental's duration, after Ascendance expires.
  • Use spells that add Overloads before entering it: Stormkeeper always, and Voltaic Blaze in AoE when specced into Purging Flames.

Advanced tips

Farseer Ancestors

  • Ancestors duplicate your actual spell casts: Lava Burst for single-target casts, Chain Lightning for AoE casts - Overloads are ignored.
  • The exception is anything that applies Flame Shock (Voltaic Blaze, Ascendance): Ancestors react by sending a Lava Burst at each target.
  • Line the burst window up as Stormkeeper, then Ancestral Swiftness, then Voltaic Blaze, then Ascendance - keeping Voltaic Blaze outside the Ascendance window.
  • Lava Surge procs roughly track one per Purging Flames without cooldown-reduction talents; with Crackling Fury you will need to hardcast some Lava Bursts.

How randomness works

  • Most procs (Tempest, Routine Communication) use a deck-of-cards system with strong bad-luck protection, normalizing proc rates and limiting variance.
  • Lava Surge is also strongly normalized: hold Maelstrom when you can feel a proc coming, and know that a fresh Lava Surge proc effectively cannot be overwritten for the first 3 or so seconds.

Purging Flames min-maxing

  • Purging Flames echoes your next Lava Burst to up to 5 other targets with Flame Shock and can never hit your main target.
  • If at least one extra target lacks Flame Shock and fewer than 6 Flame Shocks are active, casting Lava Burst at the unshocked target yields one more echo - at the cost of the guaranteed crit on the main cast.
  • This is very situational and not something most players should play around.

Import strings were built for patch 12.0.7 and have NOT been re-verified for 12.1. Nobody authoritative publishes import strings, so none was rewritten here rather than invented. Patch 12.1 moved or removed talents in several trees, so a string may import a build that no longer exists. Check the listed key talents against the 12.1 changes above before importing.

Build

Talents and hero trees

Use Farseer for the single-target profile below and Stormbringer when cleave or adds make its toolkit more valuable.

Recommended starting profiles

Single-target: Farseer

Farseer adds Call of the Ancestors for stronger single-target and sustained damage.

  • Farseer hero tree
  • Stat priority: Intellect > Critical Strike
  • Interrupt: Wind Shear

Multi-target: Stormbringer

Stormbringer adds Tempest and Lightning synergy for the biggest AoE and cleave.

  • Stormbringer hero tree
  • Prioritize AoE and add-swap talents
  • Interrupt: Wind Shear

Talent builds and import strings

Start with the profile matching your content. Boss and dungeon tabs in the gear section show the exact loadout used for each ranked result. A build with no import string has not had one exported for this patch; the key talents below are the build.

Open talent calculator

Stormbringer - Raid

Overload- and Tempest-driven build for current raid damage profiles.

StormbringerTempestAftershockStormkeeperAscendanceElemental BlastFlame Shock
In-game import string
CYQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAzMbbzMzMzMLbbDMmZAAAAAgNzYYDWgZ0QjNAY2mZmZGbLz0CzALzMzMmhZZGLmZYmFAgBwMDMMMA
Open in talent calculator →Raid BiS equipment ↓

Farseer - Priority and movement

Alternative raid and dungeon profile when Ancestor duplication, Ancestral Swiftness, and a more mobile burst sequence fit the encounter better. Build around Stormkeeper before Ascendance and use Earthquake from four targets.

FarseerAncestral SwiftnessStormkeeperAscendanceElemental BlastEarthquakeVoltaic Blaze
Open in talent calculator →Raid BiS equipment ↓

Complete talent referenceshow

Every class, specialization, and hero-tree talent from Blizzard game data. Active and choice talents stay open; passive nodes remain searchable and expand on demand.

Build a custom loadout
Talent type

Shaman class tree

Shared class talents, including throughput, control, defensives, and movement.

55 of 55 shown

Active and choice talents

Chain HealActiveHeals the friendly target for 874, then jumps up to 20 yards to heal the 3 most injured nearby allies. Healing is reduced by 30% with each jump.Lava BurstActiveHurls molten lava at the target, dealing 692 Fire damage. Lava Burst will always critically strike if the target is affected by Flame Shock and its damage is increased by your critical strike chance.Chain LightningActiveHurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 440 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Affects 3 total targetsEarth ShieldActiveProtects the target with an earthen shield, increasing your healing on them by 20% and healing them for 330 when they take damage. This heal can only occur once every 3 sec. Maximum 9 charges. Earth Shield can only be placed on one target at a time. Only one Elemental Shield can be active on the Shaman.Spirit WolfChoiceWhile transformed into a Ghost Wolf, you gain 5% increased movement speed and 5% damage reduction every 1 sec, stacking up to 4 times.Thunderous PawsChoiceGhost Wolf removes snares and increases your movement speed by an additional 25% for the first 3 sec. May only occur once every 20 sec.Frost ShockActiveChills the target with frost, causing 277 Frost damage and reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 6 sec.Spirit WalkChoiceRemoves all movement impairing effects and increases your movement speed by 60% for 8 sec.Gust of WindChoiceA gust of wind hurls you forward.Astral ShiftActiveShift partially into the elemental planes, taking 40% less damage for 12 sec.Encasing ColdChoiceIncreases the cooldown of Frost Shock by 15 sec, but Frost Shock now freezes targets in place for 4 sec.Arctic SnowstormChoiceEnemies within 10 yds of your Frost Shock are snared by 30%.Healing Stream TotemActiveSummons a totem at your feet for 15 sec that heals an injured party or raid member within 40 yards for 257 every 1.8 sec. If you already know Healing Stream Totem, instead gain 1 additional charge of Healing Stream Totem.Planes TravelerChoiceReduces the cooldown of Astral Shift by 30 sec.Astral BulwarkChoiceAstral Shift reduces damage taken by an additional 20%.Wind ShearActiveDisrupts the target's concentration with a burst of wind, interrupting spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 4 sec.Earthgrab TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location for 20 sec. The totem pulses every 2 sec, rooting all enemies within 8 yards for 8 sec. Enemies previously rooted by the totem instead suffer 50% movement speed reduction.Capacitor TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location that gathers electrical energy from the surrounding air and explodes after 2 sec, stunning all enemies within 8 yards for 3 sec.Cleanse SpiritActiveRemoves all Curse effects from a friendly target.Wind Rush TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location for 15 sec, continually granting all allies who pass within 10 yards 40% increased movement speed for 5 sec.Earth ElementalActiveCalls forth a Greater Earth Elemental to protect you and your allies, generating high threat and taunting enemies periodically for 30 sec.PurgeChoicePurges the enemy target, removing 1 beneficial Magic effect.Greater PurgeChoicePurges the enemy target, removing 2 beneficial Magic effects.Ascending AirChoiceWind Rush Totem's cooldown is reduced by 30 sec and its movement speed effect lasts an additional 2 sec.Jet StreamChoiceWind Rush Totem's movement speed bonus is increased by 10% and now removes snares.HexActiveTransforms the enemy into a frog for 1 min. While hexed, the victim is incapacitated, and cannot attack or cast spells. Damage may cancel the effect. Limit 1. Only works on Humanoids and Beasts.Spiritwalker's GraceActiveCalls upon the guidance of the spirits for 15 sec, permitting movement while casting Shaman spells. Castable while casting.Totemic ProjectionActiveRelocates your active totems to the specified location.Graceful SpiritChoiceReduces the cooldown of Spiritwalker's Grace by 30 sec and increases your movement speed by 20% while it is active.Spiritwalker's AegisChoiceWhen you cast Spiritwalker's Grace, you become immune to Silence and Interrupt effects for 5 sec.Tremor TotemChoiceSummons a totem at your feet that shakes the ground around it for 10 sec, removing Fear, Charm and Sleep effects from party and raid members within 30 yards.Poison Cleansing TotemChoiceSummons a totem at your feet that removes all Poison effects from a nearby party or raid member within 30 yards every 1.5 sec for 6 sec.Therazane's ResilienceChoiceEarth Shield no longer loses charges and is 115% effective.Reactive WardingChoiceWhen refreshing Earth Shield, your target is healed for 1,038 for each stack of Earth Shield they are missing. Additionally, Earth Shield can consume charges 1.0 sec faster.Nature's SwiftnessActiveYour next healing or damaging Nature spell is instant cast and costs no mana.

Passive talents

Ancestral Wolf AffinityPassiveCleanse Spirit, Wind Shear, Purge, and totem casts no longer cancel Ghost Wolf.Fire and IcePassiveIncreases all Fire and Frost damage you deal by 3%.Elemental OrbitPassiveIncreases the number of Elemental Shields you can have active on yourself by 1. You can have Earth Shield on yourself and one ally at the same time.Nature's GuardianPassiveWhen your health is brought below 35%, you instantly heal for 40% of your maximum health. Cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.Winds of Al'AkirPassive2 ranksIncreases your movement speed by 6% and the movement speed bonus of Ghost Wolf by an additional 10%.Brimming with LifePassive2 ranksStamina increased by 15%. While you are at full health, Reincarnation cools down 100% faster.Elemental ResistancePassiveHealing from Healing Stream Totem reduces Fire, Frost, and Nature damage taken by 6% for 3 sec.Spiritual AwakeningPassiveMastery increased by 3%.Enhanced ImbuesPassiveThe effects of your weapon and shield imbues are increased by 30%.WindveilPassiveInterrupting a spell with Wind Shear reduces all spell damage taken by 15% for 12 sec.Refreshing WatersPassiveYour Healing Surge is 25% more effective on yourself. Static ChargePassive2 ranksReduces the cooldown of Capacitor Totem by 20 sec.Nature's FuryPassive2 ranksIncreases the critical strike chance of your Nature spells and abilities by 4%.Primordial BondPassiveYour Earth Elemental no longer taunts nearby enemies or generates threat and instead increases your maximum health by 15% while active.Elemental WardingPassiveReduces all magic damage taken by 8%.Totemic FocusPassiveIncreases the radius of your totem effects by 15%. Increases the duration of your Earthbind and Earthgrab Totems by 10 sec. Increases the duration of your Healing Stream, Tremor, Poison Cleansing, and Wind Rush Totems by 3.0 sec.Mana SpringPassiveYour Lava Burst casts restore 22 mana to you and 4 allies nearest to you within 40 yards. Allies can only benefit from one Shaman's Mana Spring effect at a time, prioritizing healers.Voodoo MasteryPassiveYour Hex target is slowed by 70% during Hex and for 6 sec after it ends. Reduces the cooldown of Hex by 15 sec.Totemic SurgePassiveReduces the cooldown of most totems by 5 sec.Instinctive ImbuementsPassiveLightning Shield increases your Intellect by 3%. Casting Lightning Shield now applies your weapon imbuements. Earth Shield is also applied if you have the Elemental Orbit talent.

Elemental specialization tree

Every Elemental talent currently exposed by Blizzard game data.

49 of 49 shown

Active and choice talents

Earth ShockChoiceInstantly shocks the target with concussive force, causing 2,999 Nature damage.Elemental BlastChoiceHarnesses the raw power of the elements, dealing 755 Elemental damage and increasing your Critical Strike or Haste by 3% or Mastery by 6% for 10 sec.EarthquakeChoiceCauses the earth within 8 yards of your target to tremble and break, dealing 1,462 Nature damage over 6 sec and has a 5% chance to knock the enemy down. Multiple uses of Earthquake may overlap. This spell is cast at your target.EarthquakeChoiceCauses the earth within 8 yards of the target location to tremble and break, dealing 1,444 Nature damage over 6 sec and has a 5% chance to knock the enemy down. Multiple uses of Earthquake may overlap. This spell is cast at a selected location.Tectonic CollapseChoiceEarth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake deal 20% increased damage.AftershockChoiceEarth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake have a 25% chance to refund all Maelstrom spent.Molten WrathChoiceLava Burst deals 10% additional damage.Master of the ElementsChoiceCasting Lava Burst increases the damage or healing of your next Nature, Physical, or Frost spell by 15%.StormkeeperActiveCharge yourself with lightning, causing your next 2 Lightning Bolts to be instant cast and deal 150% more damage, or cause your next 2 Chain Lightings to be instant cast and trigger an Elemental Overload on every target.Flametongue WeaponActiveImbue your weapon with the element of Fire for 1 hour, increasing the damage of your Fire spells by 5.0%.Fury of the StormsChoiceCasting Stormkeeper summons a Greater Storm Elemental to hurl gusts of wind at your enemies for 10 sec.Herald of the StormsChoiceReduces the cooldown of Stormkeeper by 15 sec.Elemental ResonanceChoiceAll Elemental damage increased by 3%.Thunderstrike WardChoiceImbue your shield with the element of Lightning for 1 hour, giving Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning a chance to call down 2 Thunderstrikes on your target for 271 Nature damage.AscendanceActiveTransform into a Flame Ascendant for 15 sec, instantly casting a Flame Shock and a 50% effectiveness Lava Burst at up to 6 nearby enemies. While ascended, Elemental Overload damage is increased by 30% and spells affected by your Mastery: Elemental Overload cause 1 additional Elemental Overload.Voltaic BlazeActiveInstantly shocks the target and 5 enemies within 10 yds with blazing thunder, applying Flame Shock and dealing 1,536 Nature damage. Always critically strikes. Generates 1 stack of Maelstrom Weapon.First AscendantChoiceThe cooldown of Ascendance is reduced by 60 sec.PreeminenceChoiceYour haste is increased by 25% during Ascendance and its duration is increased by 3 sec.Feedback LoopActiveDamage of your spells and abilities increased by 10%. Elemental Overload damage increased by 10%.

Passive talents

Elemental FuryPassiveYour damaging critical strikes deal 250% damage instead of the usual 200%.Echo of the ElementsPassiveLava Burst has an additional charge.Flash of LightningPassiveIncreases the critical strike chance of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning by 10%.Lightning CapacitorPassiveWhile Lightning Shield is active, your Nature damage dealt is increased by 8%.Storm FrenzyPassiveReduces the cast time of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning by 15%.Swelling MaelstromPassiveIncreases your maximum Maelstrom by 50. Increases Earth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake damage by 5%.Primordial FuryPassiveElemental Fury increases critical strike damage by an additional 25%.Flames of the CauldronPassiveReduces the cooldown of Flame Shock and Voltaic Blaze by 1.5 sec. Flame Shock deals damage 15% faster.Amped UpPassiveIncreases your haste by 3%.Path of the SeerPassiveIncreases your Intellect by 3%.Elemental UnityPassiveWhile a Fire Elemental is active, your Fire damage dealt is increased by 6%. While a Storm Elemental is active, your Nature damage dealt is increased by 6%.Searing FlamesPassiveFlame Shock damage has a chance to generate 2 Maelstrom.Power of the MaelstromPassiveChain Lightning and Lightning Bolt have a 15% chance to cause your next Lava Burst deal 20% extra damage, stacking up to 2 times.EarthshatterPassiveIncreases Earth Shock and Earthquake damage by 8% and the stat bonuses granted by Elemental Blast by 25%.Storm InfusionPassive Elemental Resonance All elemental damage is increased by an additional 2%. Thunderstrike Ward Increases the chance for Thunderstrikes to occur by 30% and increases Thunderstrike damage by 75%.Echo ChamberPassiveIncreases the damage dealt by your Elemental Overloads by 25%.Everlasting ElementsPassiveIncreases the duration of your Elementals by 20%.Earthen RagePassiveYour damaging spells incite the earth around you to come to your aid for 6 sec, repeatedly dealing 159 Nature damage to your most recently attacked target.Lava FlowsPassiveLava Burst damage increased by 5%. Lava Burst and Lava Burst Overload generate 1 additional Maelstrom.Fusion of ElementsPassiveConsuming Power of the Maelstrom additionally fires an Elemental Blast at your target at 40% effectiveness.Eye of the StormPassiveReduces the Maelstrom cost of Earth Shock and Earthquake by 5. Reduces the Maelstrom cost of Elemental Blast by 10.Inferno ArcPassiveLightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Earth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake deal 10% increased damage to targets affected by Flame Shock.Flames of the FirelordPassiveFlame Shock damage increased by 100%.Lightning RodPassiveLightning Bolt and Chain Lightning make your target a Lightning Rod for 8 sec. Lightning Rods take 10% of all damage you deal with Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning.Mountains Will FallPassiveEarth Shock, Elemental Blast, and Earthquake can trigger your Mastery: Elemental Overload at 50% effectiveness. Overloaded Earthquakes do not knock enemies down.Call of FirePassiveAscendance summons a Greater Fire Elemental to rain destruction on your enemies for 20 sec. While the Fire Elemental is active, Flame Shock deals damage 33% faster, and newly applied Flame Shocks last 100% longer. Charged ConduitPassiveIncreases the duration of Lightning Rod by 4 sec and its damage bonus by 25%.Primal ElementalistPassiveYour Earth, Fire, and Storm Elementals are drawn from primal elementals 80% more powerful than regular elementals, with additional abilities, and you gain direct control over your Primal Fire Elemental.Crackling FuryPassive2 ranksVoltaic Blaze's cooldown is reduced by 6 sec and its instant damage is increased by 100%.Purging FlamesPassiveVoltaic Blaze unleashes volcanic rage, causing your next Lava Burst to also fire at 5 additional targets with your Flame Shock at 80% effectiveness with reduced Maelstrom generation. Lava Burst damage increased by 10%.

Totemic

Totemic hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

18 of 18 shown

Active and choice talents

Oversized TotemsChoiceIncreases the size and radius of your totems by 15%, and the health of your totems by 30%.Swift RecallChoiceSuccessfully removing a harmful effect with Tremor Totem or Poison Cleansing Totem, or controlling an enemy with Capacitor Totem or Earthgrab Totem reduces the cooldown of the totem used by 5 sec. Cannot occur more than once every 20 sec per totem.Pulse CapacitorChoiceIncreases the healing done by Surging Totem by 10%.Supportive ImbuementsChoiceLearn a new weapon imbue, Tidecaller's Guard. Tidecaller's Guard Imbue your shield with the element of Water for 1 hour. Your healing done is increased by 2.0% and the duration of your Healing Stream Totem is increased by 3.0 sec. Amplification CoreChoiceWhile Surging Totem is active, your damage and healing done is increased by 3%.OversurgeChoiceSurging Totem deals 50% more damage while Ascendance or Healing Tide Totem is active.Surging TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location that creates a Tremor immediately and every 5.4 sec for 43 Flamestrike damage. Damage reduced beyond 5 targets. Lasts 25 sec.Totemic CoordinationChoiceChain Heals from Lively Totem and Totemic Rebound are 25% more effective.EarthsurgeChoiceAllies affected by your Earthliving effect receive 15% increased healing from you.

Passive talents

Imbuement MasteryPassiveIncreases the duration of your Earthliving effect by 3 sec. SplitstreamPassiveYour Healing Stream Totems heals an additional ally at 30% effectiveness. Healing Tide Totem healing increased by 25%.Whirling ElementsPassiveElemental motes orbit around your Surging Totem. Your abilities consume the motes for enhanced effects. Water: Your next Healing Wave also heals an ally inside of your Healing Rain at 50% effectiveness. Air: The cast time of your next healing spell is reduced by 40%. Earth: Your next Chain Heal applies Earthliving at 150% effectiveness to all targets hit.Lively TotemsPassiveWhen you summon a Healing Tide Totem, Healing Stream Totem, or Spirit Link Totem you cast a free instant Chain Heal at 100% effectiveness.Totemic ReboundPassiveChain Heal now jumps to a nearby totem within 20 yards once it reaches its last target, causing the totem to cast Chain Heal on an injured ally within 30 yards for 853. Jumps to 2 nearby targets within 20 yards.Wind BarrierPassiveIf you have a totem active, your totem grants you a shield absorbing 1,833 damage for 30 sec every 30 sec.Primal CatalystPassiveHealing Stream Totem and Healing Tide Totem healing has a 8% chance to apply Earthliving to allies it heals.Elemental AttunementPassiveMastery increased by 2%.Totemic MomentumPassiveReduces the cooldown of Healing Stream Totem by 3 sec.

Stormbringer

Stormbringer hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

17 of 17 shown

Passive talents

Awakening StormsPassiveStormstrike has a small chance to upgrade your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest.Conductive EnergyPassiveGain the effects of the Lightning Rod talent: Lightning Rod Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning make your target a Lightning Rod for 8 sec. Lightning Rods take 10% of all damage you deal with Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning.Voltaic SurgePassiveCrash Lightning and Chain Lightning damage increased by 15%.Arc DischargePassiveTempest causes your next Chain Lightning to be instant cast, deal 40% increased damage, and cast an additional time. Can accumulate up to 2 charges.Unlimited PowerPassiveSpending Maelstrom Weapon stacks grants you 1% haste for 15 sec. Multiple applications may overlap.Rolling ThunderPassiveDoom Winds summons a Nature Feral Spirit for 12 sec. Feral Spirit An Elemental Spirit infused with Nature magic, granting the summoner with 5% increased Nature damage and 5% Physical damage for 12 sec.TempestPassiveEach Maelstrom Weapon spent has a 2.00% chance to upgrade your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest. StormcallerPassiveIncreases the critical strike chance of your Nature damage spells by 5% and the critical strike damage of your Nature spells by 5%.Descending SkiesPassiveCasting Ascendance upgrades your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest.Natural GiftPassiveNature damage is increased by 2%StormwellPassiveStorm Elemental lasts 2 sec longer, and Stormkeeper generates 10 Maelstrom.

Farseer

Farseer hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

17 of 17 shown

Active and choice talents

Natural HarmonyChoiceReduces the cooldown of Nature's Guardian by 15 sec and causes it to heal for an additional 10% of your maximum health.Earthen CommunionChoiceEarth Shield has an additional 3 charges and heals you for 25% more.Latent WisdomChoiceYour Ancestors' spells are 25% more powerful.Ancient FellowshipChoiceAncestors have a 20% chance to call another Ancestor for 8 sec when they depart.Heed My CallChoiceAncestors last an additional 4 sec.Routine CommunicationChoiceRiptide has a 15% chance to call an Ancestor to your side for 8 sec.Ancestral SwiftnessActiveYour next healing or damaging spell is instant, costs no mana, and deals 10% increased damage and healing. If you know Nature's Swiftness, it is replaced by Ancestral Swiftness and causes Ancestral Swiftness to call an Ancestor to your side for 8 sec.

Passive talents

Primordial CapacityPassiveIncreases your maximum mana by 10%. Tidal Waves can now stack up to 3 times.Spiritwalker's MomentumPassiveUsing spells with a cast time increases the duration of Spiritwalker's Grace and Spiritwalker's Aegis by 1 sec, up to a maximum of 4 sec.Elemental ReverbPassiveLava Burst gains an additional charge and deals 10% increased damage.Final CallingPassiveWhen an Ancestor departs, they cast Hydrobubble on a nearby injured ally. Hydrobubble Surrounds your target in a protective water bubble for 15 sec. The shield absorbs the next 1,795 incoming damage, but the absorb amount decays fully over its duration.Maelstrom SupremacyPassiveIncreases the healing done by Healing Wave, Downpour, and Chain Heal by 25%.Offering from BeyondPassiveWhen an Ancestor is called, they reduce the cooldown of Riptide by 2 sec.Call of the AncestorsPassiveUnleash Life calls an Ancestor to your side for 12 sec. Whenever you cast a healing or damaging spell, the Ancestor will cast a similar spell.Mystic KnowledgePassiveIncreases the chance for Lava Surge to occur by 20%.WindspeakerPassiveThe cast times of Healing Surge, Chain Heal and Lava Burst are reduced by 10%.Ancestral InfluencePassiveYour Intellect is increased by 1.0% for each Ancestor active.
Gear

Boss and dungeon loadouts

Switch between raid and Mythic+ to inspect the top player for every available encounter: exact talents, source link, item level, enchant and socket counts, and the player's gear.

Season 2 class set

datamined. Read out of the game's spell data and republished by Wowhead. Blizzard does not publish set bonus text, so there is no first-party version to compare it against.
2-piece
Earth Shock, Earthquake, and Elemental Blast damage increased by 25%.
4-piece
When Stormkeeper or Ascendance fade, your next 2 Lightning Bolts, Chain Lightnings, or Lava Bursts deal 25% increased damage and cause your next Earthquake, Earth Shock, or Elemental Blast to cost 100% less Maelstrom.

Source: Wowhead spell pages, retrieved 2026-09-05. spell 1296625, spell 1296626. Third party, not Blizzard. If one of these is wrong, check the overview page and tell us.

Loading verified raid results

Pulling the top Warcraft Logs result, exact talents, and equipment for each boss.

Editorial acquisition targets

Use these slot targets when planning drops and crafted pieces. The encounter explorer above remains the source for the exact gear worn by each ranked player.

Season 1 acquisition targets, not re-verified for Season 2. The rows below name Season 1 items at their Season 1 item levels and are accurate as that; they are not Season 2 recommendations. Season 2's raid is The Venomous Abyss (8 bosses, Nek'zali the Soulcoiler through Ula'tek). Confirmed Season 2 raid item levels run 279 (Raid Finder, first boss) to 344 (Mythic, last two bosses and Very Rare drops), with Normal 292-302, Heroic 305-315 and the Great Vault paying 292/305/318/334 by difficulty. Open question: per-slot best-in-slot for Season 2 needs a sim source, and none was reachable.

Raid acquisition targets

7 slots
Locus of the Primal Core
Head
298
TierEmpowered Rune of Avoidance
Catalyst / Lightblinded Vanguard
Rotmire's Sporeheart
Neck
298
Socketed neckIndecipherable Eversong Diamond
Sporefall
Tempests of the Primal Core
Shoulder
298
TierFlight of the Eagle
Catalyst / Fallen-King Salhadaar
Guardian of the Primal Core
Back
298
Tier
Catalyst
Embrace of the Primal Core
Chest
298
TierMark of the Worldsoul
Catalyst / raid
Gaze of the Alnseer
Trinket
298
Top raid trinket
Chimaerus
Vaelgor's Final Stare
Trinket
298
On-use burst
Vaelgor & Ezzorak

Season 1 acquisition targets, not re-verified for Season 2. The dungeons named below are the Season 1 pool and are not in Season 2 rotation. Season 2 runs Altar of Fangs (new in 12.1), Murder Row, Den of Nalorakk, The Blinding Vale, Voidscar Arena, Temple of Sethraliss, Kings' Rest and Ruby Life Pools. Confirmed Season 2 keystone item levels: +2 through +3 pay 295 end-of-run and 305 in the vault, rising to 311 end-of-run and 318 in the vault at +10 and above. Open question: per-slot best-in-slot for Season 2 needs a sim source, and none was reachable.

Mythic+ acquisition targets

6 slots
Locus of the Primal Core
Head
298
TierEmpowered Rune of Avoidance
Catalyst / raid
Barbed Ymirheim Choker
Neck
298
Socketed neckIndecipherable Eversong Diamond
Pit of Saron
Tempests of the Primal Core
Shoulder
298
TierFlight of the Eagle
Catalyst / raid
Embrace of the Primal Core
Chest
298
TierMark of the Worldsoul
Catalyst / raid
Heart of Wind
Trinket
298
Haste proc
Windrunner Spire
Solarflare Prism
Trinket
298
Key option
Skyreach
Enhancements

Enchants

Choose enhancements after your equipment is settled. Secondary-stat enchant choices move with your current stat mix and the content you are preparing for.

Recommended enchants
5 recommendations
Acuity of the Ren'doreiWeapon enchant - +53 Primary Stat for 15 sec when Might of the Void triggersWeapon - Baseline caster weapon enchant.EnchantingEmpowered Rune of Avoidance+30 Avoidance - Outdoor kills in Midnight zones grant a burst of movement speedHelmFlight of the EagleShouldersMark of the Worldsoul+50 Primary StatChestselect Mastery, Haste, or Critical Strike from current gearRings
Enhancements

Gems

Socket into the current stat priority, then re-check after major equipment swaps rather than treating a gem choice as permanent.

Crafting

Embellishments

Crafted effects are capped at two equipped embellishments. Lock these in only after deciding which crafted slots survive your next raid or Mythic+ upgrades.

Survival and control

Utility, defensives, and movement

Your Shaman toolkit is part of the rotation whenever it prevents lost uptime, lethal damage, or an enemy cast.

Defensives

Utility & CC

Movement

Bloodlust/Heroism plus situational totems make Shaman one of the deepest utility classes.

Interrupt: Wind Shear - grab a focus-interrupt macro on the Elemental macros page.

Execution

Interface and macros

Use interface changes only when they expose a decision sooner: resources, procs, defensives, dispels, interrupts, and encounter assignments.

Better Blizzplates - cleaner, threat-colored nameplates with cast bars and cooldown text - the nameplate upgrade nearly every top player runs.
OmniCD - party and enemy defensive/utility cooldown tracking - the biggest information edge the base UI still does not show.
Mythic Dungeon Tools - build and follow pull-by-pull Mythic+ routes.
Details! (optional) - deep damage/healing breakdowns and Warcraft Logs uploads beyond Midnight's built-in meter.
Hekili - optional priority helper - great for learning a new spec's rotation.

Focus interrupt

#showtooltip Wind Shear
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Wind Shear
Full addon guide →Elemental macros →Keybind setups →

Written for patch 12.0.7. Patch 12.1 increased max-level player health and creature damage by 25% and made crowd-control diminishing returns reset after 20 seconds instead of 16, so defensive timing and crowd-control advice on this page is the most likely to have moved. Source: Curse of Ula'tek content update notes, https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24293281.

Execution review

What improves results

Self-review

Common mistakes

FAQ

1 quick answers

Which races are best?

Racial damage differences are small. Choose movement and defensive utility for the content you play; Dwarf's Stoneform and Goblin movement are useful practical options.

Arena Talent Planning

Talents by enemy class

Pick an opponent to see the pressure your PvP build must answer. The baseline comes from this spec's current arena build when one is published.

Open full matchup guide
Their pressure

Grip setups, anti-caster pressure, and sustained melee uptime.

Talent focus

Mobility, anti-slow, and physical or magic mitigation.

Game plan

Keep an answer for grip-based isolation and do not spend movement before the Death Knight commits their control chain.

No reviewed PvP baseline is published for this spec yet. Use the live tree to apply the matchup focus above rather than treating a PvE build as an arena answer.

Comments

Comments load when you reach this section.

Loading comments...