The time has come, the patch we have all been waiting for is over...well, almost. We have a release date for patch 4.2 and the date is june 28th, 2011.
Rage of the firelands is very exciting for me, I always love new content and I look forward to killing Ragnaros once more. If only I could count the hours I put into Molten Core in vanilla, oh the memories!
Here is a short trailer,enjoy and get ready cause here comes the Pwneth!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
4.2 PTR Patch Notes - WoW Catalysm
General
New Quest Chain: Elemental Bonds
•A New quest line is now available to level-85 Horde and Alliance characters, bringing brave adventurers to Thrall's aid. The Call of the World-Shaman, the quest which will point players toward Thrall and The Nordrassil Summit, can be obtained in Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
New Raid: The Firelands
•Located within the Elemental Plane, the Firelands is an all-new 10- and 25-player raid featuring normal and Heroic difficulties! Battle-hardened veterans of the Horde and Alliance now have an opportunity to strike at Ragnaros the Firelord and his loyal servants by venturing into their domain via Sulfuron Spire in Mount Hyjal.
New Legendary Item: Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest
•Steadfast raiders have an opportunity to embark on a series of quests to create an all-new legendary caster staff. In order to begin the process of assembling the staff, players must first kill a Molten Lord in the Firelands. Once a Molten Lord is killed, players can accept the quest A Legendary Engagement from Ziradormi or Coridormi in Orgrimmar or Stormwind.
New User Interface Feature: Dungeon Journal
•A host of dungeon information is now built into the user interface via the all-new Dungeon Journal. This feature can be accessed via a new button in the Navigation tray from anywhere in the world. Boss background story, encounter details, abilities, and loot can be viewed with the Dungeon Journal for all bosses which have been integrated into the new system (this includes bosses for all Cataclysm dungeons and raids). Additional dungeons are planned to be incorporated in future updates.
Dungeons & Raids
•Raid Profiles have been added which allow players to save the raid window user interface layout based on type of content (i.e. 10-player raids, 25-player raids, Battlegrounds, etc.) for future use.
•Players can select PvE, PvP, specialization, and group size. Each Raid Profile type will then automatically setup going forward.
•The pullout panel will be available for 5-player content as well when Show Raid Frames is selected.
•Raid Profiles can list groups horizontally as well as vertically.
•A Raid button has been added to the Navigation tray which will bring players straight to the Raid window in the Social pane.
Valor Points
•The maximum number of Valor Points which can be earned in a week from any and all applicable dungeons and raids is now 980, down from 1250.
•The maximum number of Valor Points awarded for completing Rise of the Zandalari dungeons remains at 980.
•The maximum number of Valor Points awarded for completing Heroic dungeons remains at 490.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing a boss in the Firelands is 70 in 10-player mode, and 90 in 25-player mode.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing Occu'thar in Baradin Hold is 35 in 10-player mode, and 45 in 25-player mode.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing a boss on Heroic difficulty in The Bastion of Twilight, Blackwing Descent, and Throne of the Four winds is 35 in 10-player mode, and 45 in 25-player mode.
Baradin Hold
•Occu'thar has broken free from his cage and presents an all-new boss challenge to players in 10- and 25-player arrangements who control Tol Barad.
PvP
Battlegrounds
•New PvP ground mounts, the Vicious War Wolf (Horde) and Vicious War Steed (Alliance), will be awarded to players for completing achievements to win 75, 150, and 300 Rated Battlegrounds respectively, rather than for being in the top .5% of the ladder at the end of each season as with Arenas. This award system is to better compliment the spirit of Battlegrounds. One account-bound mount will be awarded for each achievement unlocked, allowing players who obtain 150 and 300 Rated Battleground wins to earn this mount a second and third time. The additional mounts earned can then be sent to alt characters, given they’re account-bound. These mounts are awarded as soon as an associated achievement is unlocked and do not correspond with end-of-season rewards.
•The individual Matchmaking Rating column has been removed from the Rated Battleground scoreboard and replaced with a team Matchmaking Rating.
War Games
•Many improvements have been made to the War Games interface. It now has its own panel for ease of use and raid/group leaders are the only ones who can challenge another group to War Games.
Death Knight (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Unholy
•Unholy Might now increases Strength by 10% 20%, up from 5%.
Druid (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Feral
•Druids now gain 1 attack power per point of Strength, down from 2. They continue to gain 2 attack power per point of Agility while in Cat Form or Bear Form. In addition, Cat Form’s scaling rate from gear upgrades was slower than other classes, which was causing them to fall behind in damage with higher item levels. To counter the Strength change and improve scaling, the following changes have been made. All numbers cited are for level-85 druids.
•Mangle (Cat) damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 530% 540% weapon damage, up from 460%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 302.
•Rake initial damage on hit now deals the same damage as each periodic tick (and is treated the same for all combat calculations). Periodic damage now gains 14.7% of attack power per tick, up from 12.6%, and base damage per tick has been lowered from 557 to 56. There is a known issue with Rake’s tooltip being incorrect from this change will be corrected in a future patch.
•Ravage damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 975% 950% weapon damage, up from 850%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 532.
•Savage Roar now grants 80% increased damage to melee auto attacks, up from 50%. The Glyph of Savage Roar remains an unchanged bonus of 5% to that total.
•Shred damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 520% 540% weapon damage, up from 450%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 302.
Balance
•Starfire damage has been increased by approximately 23%.
•Wrath damage has been increased by approximately 23%.
Set Bonuses
•The 4-piece Balance druid tier 11 PvE set bonus, Astral Alignment, now provides a total of 15% critical strike chance with 3 charges, decreasing by 5% per charge, instead of 99% decreasing by 33% per charge. This change was made because the set bonus proved so valuable it was not possible to upgrade out of the set into tier 12. To compensate, changes have been made to Starfire and Wrath (listed at the top of the druid class section).
Paladin (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Holy
•Illuminated Healing (Mastery) has been adjusted slightly so that if a paladin refreshes an existing copy of his or her own Illuminated Healing on a target, the new absorption amount will be added into the old absorption amount and the duration will be reset. The total absorption created can never exceed 1/3 of the casting paladin's health.
Retribution
•Inquiry of Faith now increases Inquisition duration by 66/133/200%, up from 50/100/150%.
Guilds
Guild Finder
•Long comments will now work and not be cut off in the display.
User Interface
•The User Interface panels have been resized so there is no more need for scroll bars.The
•Addons will no longer be able to intelligently swap items by working with the built-in Equipment Manager.
•Character talent specializations can now be viewed on mouseover of the Battlegrounds Scoreboard.
•There is now a Dismiss Pet option on unit frames.
•The durability character display will now show items as yellow when they are below 20% durability, instead of when items have 5 durability or less.
•The Macros window and Spellbook can now both be open at the same time to allow for more intuitive macro creation. In addition, the Macros window has a Save/Cancel button.
•It is now easier to change the language of the game client to any language available in the region.
•A target or focus target can be selected within the mini-map tracking (does not include enemy players).
•Vendors now display currency types they use.
New Quest Chain: Elemental Bonds
•A New quest line is now available to level-85 Horde and Alliance characters, bringing brave adventurers to Thrall's aid. The Call of the World-Shaman, the quest which will point players toward Thrall and The Nordrassil Summit, can be obtained in Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
New Raid: The Firelands
•Located within the Elemental Plane, the Firelands is an all-new 10- and 25-player raid featuring normal and Heroic difficulties! Battle-hardened veterans of the Horde and Alliance now have an opportunity to strike at Ragnaros the Firelord and his loyal servants by venturing into their domain via Sulfuron Spire in Mount Hyjal.
New Legendary Item: Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest
•Steadfast raiders have an opportunity to embark on a series of quests to create an all-new legendary caster staff. In order to begin the process of assembling the staff, players must first kill a Molten Lord in the Firelands. Once a Molten Lord is killed, players can accept the quest A Legendary Engagement from Ziradormi or Coridormi in Orgrimmar or Stormwind.
New User Interface Feature: Dungeon Journal
•A host of dungeon information is now built into the user interface via the all-new Dungeon Journal. This feature can be accessed via a new button in the Navigation tray from anywhere in the world. Boss background story, encounter details, abilities, and loot can be viewed with the Dungeon Journal for all bosses which have been integrated into the new system (this includes bosses for all Cataclysm dungeons and raids). Additional dungeons are planned to be incorporated in future updates.
Dungeons & Raids
•Raid Profiles have been added which allow players to save the raid window user interface layout based on type of content (i.e. 10-player raids, 25-player raids, Battlegrounds, etc.) for future use.
•Players can select PvE, PvP, specialization, and group size. Each Raid Profile type will then automatically setup going forward.
•The pullout panel will be available for 5-player content as well when Show Raid Frames is selected.
•Raid Profiles can list groups horizontally as well as vertically.
•A Raid button has been added to the Navigation tray which will bring players straight to the Raid window in the Social pane.
Valor Points
•The maximum number of Valor Points which can be earned in a week from any and all applicable dungeons and raids is now 980, down from 1250.
•The maximum number of Valor Points awarded for completing Rise of the Zandalari dungeons remains at 980.
•The maximum number of Valor Points awarded for completing Heroic dungeons remains at 490.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing a boss in the Firelands is 70 in 10-player mode, and 90 in 25-player mode.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing Occu'thar in Baradin Hold is 35 in 10-player mode, and 45 in 25-player mode.
•The number of Valor Points awarded for killing a boss on Heroic difficulty in The Bastion of Twilight, Blackwing Descent, and Throne of the Four winds is 35 in 10-player mode, and 45 in 25-player mode.
Baradin Hold
•Occu'thar has broken free from his cage and presents an all-new boss challenge to players in 10- and 25-player arrangements who control Tol Barad.
PvP
Battlegrounds
•New PvP ground mounts, the Vicious War Wolf (Horde) and Vicious War Steed (Alliance), will be awarded to players for completing achievements to win 75, 150, and 300 Rated Battlegrounds respectively, rather than for being in the top .5% of the ladder at the end of each season as with Arenas. This award system is to better compliment the spirit of Battlegrounds. One account-bound mount will be awarded for each achievement unlocked, allowing players who obtain 150 and 300 Rated Battleground wins to earn this mount a second and third time. The additional mounts earned can then be sent to alt characters, given they’re account-bound. These mounts are awarded as soon as an associated achievement is unlocked and do not correspond with end-of-season rewards.
•The individual Matchmaking Rating column has been removed from the Rated Battleground scoreboard and replaced with a team Matchmaking Rating.
War Games
•Many improvements have been made to the War Games interface. It now has its own panel for ease of use and raid/group leaders are the only ones who can challenge another group to War Games.
Death Knight (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Unholy
•Unholy Might now increases Strength by 10% 20%, up from 5%.
Druid (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Feral
•Druids now gain 1 attack power per point of Strength, down from 2. They continue to gain 2 attack power per point of Agility while in Cat Form or Bear Form. In addition, Cat Form’s scaling rate from gear upgrades was slower than other classes, which was causing them to fall behind in damage with higher item levels. To counter the Strength change and improve scaling, the following changes have been made. All numbers cited are for level-85 druids.
•Mangle (Cat) damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 530% 540% weapon damage, up from 460%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 302.
•Rake initial damage on hit now deals the same damage as each periodic tick (and is treated the same for all combat calculations). Periodic damage now gains 14.7% of attack power per tick, up from 12.6%, and base damage per tick has been lowered from 557 to 56. There is a known issue with Rake’s tooltip being incorrect from this change will be corrected in a future patch.
•Ravage damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 975% 950% weapon damage, up from 850%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 532.
•Savage Roar now grants 80% increased damage to melee auto attacks, up from 50%. The Glyph of Savage Roar remains an unchanged bonus of 5% to that total.
•Shred damage at level 80 and above has been increased to 520% 540% weapon damage, up from 450%, and bonus damage has been lowered to 302.
Balance
•Starfire damage has been increased by approximately 23%.
•Wrath damage has been increased by approximately 23%.
Set Bonuses
•The 4-piece Balance druid tier 11 PvE set bonus, Astral Alignment, now provides a total of 15% critical strike chance with 3 charges, decreasing by 5% per charge, instead of 99% decreasing by 33% per charge. This change was made because the set bonus proved so valuable it was not possible to upgrade out of the set into tier 12. To compensate, changes have been made to Starfire and Wrath (listed at the top of the druid class section).
Paladin (Forums / Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)
Holy
•Illuminated Healing (Mastery) has been adjusted slightly so that if a paladin refreshes an existing copy of his or her own Illuminated Healing on a target, the new absorption amount will be added into the old absorption amount and the duration will be reset. The total absorption created can never exceed 1/3 of the casting paladin's health.
Retribution
•Inquiry of Faith now increases Inquisition duration by 66/133/200%, up from 50/100/150%.
Guilds
Guild Finder
•Long comments will now work and not be cut off in the display.
User Interface
•The User Interface panels have been resized so there is no more need for scroll bars.The
•Addons will no longer be able to intelligently swap items by working with the built-in Equipment Manager.
•Character talent specializations can now be viewed on mouseover of the Battlegrounds Scoreboard.
•There is now a Dismiss Pet option on unit frames.
•The durability character display will now show items as yellow when they are below 20% durability, instead of when items have 5 durability or less.
•The Macros window and Spellbook can now both be open at the same time to allow for more intuitive macro creation. In addition, the Macros window has a Save/Cancel button.
•It is now easier to change the language of the game client to any language available in the region.
•A target or focus target can be selected within the mini-map tracking (does not include enemy players).
•Vendors now display currency types they use.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
How to Farm Capture Firefly Pet 4.1
So you've decided to hunt for the mysterious Captured Firefly from Zangramarsh huh? Well let me first start by wishing you goodluck!
There is no easy trick, but there are a few tips that will make your hunt easier and more enjoyable.
First thing to do is to get a rythm, going from east to west at the top of zangramarsh seems to be the easiest way to kill the most Firefly, to gain the Captured Firefly non combat pet .
Here is a script that will count how many you have killed per session, but remeber it only works if you keep the carapaces and legs in your bag.
/script local count = GetItemCount(25434)
local count2 = GetItemCount(25436)
print("Needlers Killed: " .. (count + count2))
***ALSO, if you are a tank, you can get the pet from the " Satchel of Exotic Mysteries" when Q'ing for dungeons as a tank.
Good luck and have fun, may you capture the firefly soon!
There is no easy trick, but there are a few tips that will make your hunt easier and more enjoyable.
First thing to do is to get a rythm, going from east to west at the top of zangramarsh seems to be the easiest way to kill the most Firefly, to gain the Captured Firefly non combat pet .
Here is a script that will count how many you have killed per session, but remeber it only works if you keep the carapaces and legs in your bag.
/script local count = GetItemCount(25434)
local count2 = GetItemCount(25436)
print("Needlers Killed: " .. (count + count2))
***ALSO, if you are a tank, you can get the pet from the " Satchel of Exotic Mysteries" when Q'ing for dungeons as a tank.
Good luck and have fun, may you capture the firefly soon!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tier 12 WoW Armory Sets 4.2
The Tier 12 WoW Armor sets are now avaialble for preview. If I might add, they look pretty sweet, but if you dont agree, please comment and let me know what you don't like about them!
I personally think the best looking and well designed piece of teir 12 is the paladin shoulders and head piece. Mmmmm sexy. I want.
For the rest of the pictures , please visit the World of Warcraft website at
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/2705803
Easy Leveling as a Prot Paladin in 4.1
Who is this for?
This wall of text is for players who are starting out or working on leveling a paladin. New players or old players should (hopefully) be able to make use of this information as a guideline. Note that this is just a guideline document. Just because I wrote a massive guide doesn't meant that I'm right or that there isn't a different way of doing things. That said, if you find any mistakes, or have a suggestion, please let me know right away and I'll do my best to correct the mistake and/or adjust the 'guide'. This is not a questing/zone/gearing guide, this deals with specs/glyphs/rotations. The end goal of this is to have you ready to read the guides listed at the bottom of the post and fully understand them.
OPENING Q&A
Q. Wow, this guide looks horrible and is aesthetically displeasing to me!
A. That doesn't seem to be a question, but you're probably right. I did write the bulk of this in Notepad while I was *coughcough* supposed to be working...
Q. Who are you???
A. Baneoftruth. You might remember me from posts on the official WoW forums such as "Leveling Prot 101" and "Leveling Prot 101". Next question?
Q. No, really, who are you?
A. Alright...I've been playing WoW since 1.0 (Beta installer is on my portable), didn't really pick up the paladin until early TBC, been "main" tanking ever since. I've also been as active as I can be on these forums to try to spread any bits of knowledge or advice I can share to the rest of the community.
Q. Why should I listen to you?
A. If you find a better guide, by all means, use it. If not, might want to give me a shot here. I will never claim to be an expert or superior to anyone else, and I am more than happy to admit when I am wrong or to defer to a more knowledgeable person. Also, I have candy.
Q. I want to tank. Should I play a paladin or a warrior/dk/druid?
A. Pick the class that you feel that you would enjoy. Each class has their own variations and abilities. If you ask a warrior what to tank as, you'll be told, "play a warrior". Ask a druid, you'll get "play a druid". Same goes for paladins/dk's. Each class is fun (trust me), but if you want my personal preference, I will always choose a paladin. I prefer the paladin cooldowns, raid support, and threat abilities/mechanics versus those of a warrior. As I haven't played my DK/Druid yet in Cata, I can't speak against those yet, but I know for me, my heart will always be with my paladin.
Q. But I want to be the main tank!
A. Honestly, the best attitude you can have is to understand that the idea of "main tank" and "off tank" is a little out-dated. Think of it as being a member of a tanking team and there will be a lot less friction between tanks.
Q. What stats should I go for while leveling up?
A. For base stats: Stamina > Strength > Agility. You do NOT need Spirit or Intellect (Spirit fingers won't save a tank, and Intellect doesn't actually make you any smarter or nimble...)
For other stats: Mastery (level 80+) > Dodge/Parry > Expertise > Hit (this order puts survival over threat)
Q. Do I need crit/haste?
A. Crit/haste won't hurt you, but you shouldn't aim to obtain them.
Q. Do I need Spell Power and/or a Spell Power weapon?
A. No, do not directly seek out Spell Power. There are conversions that happen behind the scenes that provide you with Spell Power based on your Attack Power.
Q. I r pal-uh-din, so I can heal myself while tanking, right?
A. Um, no. The only heal you should be using on yourself or anyone else is Word of Glory. Don't ever use anything with a cast time while you have enemies swinging at you.
Q. What professions should I use?
A. I can only make recommendations here. If this is your first character and you don't have another source of income, two gathering professions (Mining + skinning/herbalism) will help you make some extra cash. Otherwise, in terms of net gains by 85...
>JC'ing offers a stam bonus of 123, but you need to use special gems, so this can get annoying at times
>The stam bonus from Mining = Enchanting = Blacksmithing (if you put stam gems in the BS sockets) = 120 stam at max level
>LW'ing gives you a cheap leg enchant and 195 stam to bracers (155 stam higher than the highest stam bracer enchant)
>Inscription offers a cheap shoulder enchant that is 120 stam higher than the Exalted Therazane enchant
>Alchemy gives you the capability to make an "OK" trinket and boosts the duration of flasks (meh)
>Engineering...lolengineering... you can get some "meh" tinkers and a high ilvl helm that will probably be worthless come the next tier of content
>Herbalism doesn't really offer anything, nor does Tailoring
>Skinning gives crit rating, which doesn't really help as a tank (help a bit for threat, but meh)
End advice... Take Mining/JC'ing, Mining/Blacksmithing, or Blacksmithing/JC'ing
For those who were away:
Q. What happened to weapon skills? / Do I still have to "level up" my weapon proficiencies? A. Weapon skills were essentially removed. You no longer have to spend hours upon hours grinding out points of weapon skill.
Q. What happened to Seal of Light/Wisdom? A. Replaced by Seal of Insight Q. What happened to Blessing of Wisdom? A. It was rolled into Blessing of Might Q. What happened to Blessing of Sanctuary? A. The mana restored by BoS is now granted through talents and supplemented from Judgement Q. What happened to Blessing of Light? A. Holy crap you're old school! BoL was baked into HL/FoL back in TBC. Q. What happened to Divine Intervention? A. Blizzard removed DI with the comment of, "Raid zones are shorter than they were in Vanilla, and teleporters/mounts allow you to get back in position faster, so wipe recovery options aren't really needed." In other words, you'll never see a healer write out in raid chat, "I can't res anyone, it says I'm stunned!" /sadface Q. Should I still be stingy with LoH? A. No, Lay on Hands is down to a 10 minute cooldown, baseline. 7 minute with a glyph. Q. Does Avenger's Shield still slow down pulls with a daze? A. No, Avenger's Shield still silences on hit, but no longer dazes unless you glyph for it. Q. Does our "shield wall" still prevent us from using Avenging Wrath? A. No, Divine Protection no longer causes Forbearance or reduces your damage output. You can stack Avenging Wrath with it. Q. Can I still bubble+hearth? A. 99% no. I'm told that if you're wearing 4pt9 and the gods are smiling on you that you can successfully bubble+hearth. Q. Do I still need to worry about Crushing Blows? A. Yes and no. "Crushing Blows" have not been a concern in a proper raid environment since WotLK came out. It is important to note that you can still suffer a Crushing Blow from a creature that is 4+ levels over you. Come level 85, an unmitigated (unblocked) hit can somewhat be considered the new "Crushing Blow". Your new goal is to stack mastery high enough to get as close to our old friend 102.4% as possible. Q. What happened to Defense Rating? A. It was removed as an antiquated and "annoying" stat. Crit immunity is now acquired via talents for all 4 tanking classes. Q. Do I still need to carry reagents around? A. No. DI was removed, and our Blessings now last an hour without requiring a reagent. Also, Blessings apply group/raid-wide, they're no longer class-restricted. __________ LEVELS 1-10 New Spells: Crusader Strike (CS) - Baseline at level 1 single-target attack. By level 9, this will start generating Holy Power. Use this on cooldown. Judgement (J) - Ranged attack that debuffs your target and causes you to regen mana. Use this on cooldown. Seal of Rigtheousness (SoR) - A 30 minute buff that causes your melee swings to cause additional damage. Always have this active. Devotion Aura (Devo) - A static "aura" that increases your armor. The more armor you have, the less damage you take, so always have this active. Hammer of Justice (HoJ) - A stun. You can use this to interrupt/stun casters. Word of Glory (WoG) - Our "free" heal. WoG is your friend, and you should use it often. Parry - Allows you to parry attacks. A parry is the same as a dodge or a miss with one change...you get a parry-hasted weapon attack right after parrying. Holy Power (HP) - This is our new resource that's used for several abilities. The more charges of HP you have (up to 3), the more powerful the ability that you use to consume the HP will be. Basic theory so far: Use CS, & J on cooldown (Judgement provides you with mana regen), make sure that you have Devotion Aura and SoR active, and use WoG to heal yourself (note that WoG has a 20s cooldown, so try to wait for 3HP to get the biggest bang for your buck). LEVELS 11-17 Use your talents points in this fashion: Divinity (1/3), Divinity (2/3), Divinity (3/3), Eternal Glory (1/2), Eternal Glory (2/2) New spells: Avenger's Shield (AS) - You get this by spec'ing into the Protection tree. This spell is a ranged attack that will 'bounce' to 2 targets after hitting the first. This will NOT break CC. Redemption - You can now ressurect people. Start carrying water if you aren't already. Righteous Fury (RF) - This is your tanking buff, keep this active at all times Hand of Reckoning - This is our single-target taunt... if a mob is targetting someone else, you can use this to force the mob to target you Lay on Hands (LoH) - This is your first big "oh crap" cooldown. Using this one yourself will heal you to full and give you the Forbearance debuff. For now, this debuff doesn't really effect you. Holy Light/Flash of Light - These are healing spells, do not use this while tanking unless you don't have anything actively attacking you. Keep in mind that this spell is not mana efficient for protection; try to stick to WoG for heals. Basic theory so far: Make sure that you have Righteous Fury active to tank. Righteous Fury now persists through death, so you don't need to worry about turning it on should you die. Use Avenger's Shield on cooldown. Try to target casters when using AS, as it will silence them for a couple seconds. Rotation: Single target: AS > CS > Judge > CS > WoG or /flex > CS
*note: It's better to open on single targets with J than with AS if possible, but this will require that you get much closer to the target prior to attacking (J=10 yards, AS=30 yards at the moment). If you feel more comfortable opening with AS from a range, you can.
AoE: AS > CS > Judge > CS > WoG or /flex > CS
___________
LEVELS 18-27
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Judgements of the Just (1/2), Judgements of the Just (2/2), Toughness (1/3), Toughness (2/3), Toughness (3/3)
At level 25, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Crusader Strike (*note* You may choose to hold off on getting this glyph and wait until level 29 for the Hammer of the Righteous glyph.)
Major: Lay on Hands
Minor: Blessing of Kings
New Spells:
Exorcism (Exo) - This is a ranged spell (30 yards) that inflicts Holy damage. If the target is undead/Demon, it will always be a critical hit. You can use this spell to initiate pulls or to try to finish off a fleeing mob (as long as nothing is actively swinging at you.)
Hand of Protection (HoP) - Protects a party member (or you) from physical attacks for 10 seconds. Causes Forbearance (conflicts with Lay on Hands). This is your "oh crap, everything is charging the healer!" ability. Immunity from HoP essentially makes a target "disappear" for the duration of the spell. Once the spell wears off, though, that target is vulnerable again.
Blessing of Kings (BoK) - Increases Str/Agi/Stam/Int by 5% and magical resists by X (X changes based on your level). This buff is identical to a Druid's Mark of the Wild. If there is a druid in your group, only one of you need to buff...let the druid do it. You'll get another buff later on that you'll use when you have a druid in your group, so you may as well get into the habit now of letting the druid buff.
Consecration (Cons) - Eats 55% of your mana to deal holy damage to enemies within 8 yards for 10 seconds. Use this only when you are fighting groups of 4+ mobs. This spell WILL break crowd control (Sheep, sap, etc.)
Retribution Aura - Causes damage to targets upon striking you. You *can* use this for AoE threat, but bear in mind that Devotion Aura will reduce your damage intake during AoE tanking (and many mobs attacking you = lots of damage coming in, so more mitigation is good!), and it will also "accidentally" generate threat if a mob hits a group member. Note that Retribution Aura generates threat on whoever is struck, so if your healer gets hit, he gains the threat, not you.
Basic theory so far:
Make sure that you keep Blessing of Kings. You can use Exo to pull (I use this on bosses). An advanced pull method that I use for larger groups is... target mob #5 w/ Exo, hit mobs #2/3/4 with AS, Judge onto mob #1. Drop Consecrate only for large groups.
Rotation:
Single target: AS > CS > Judge > CS > Cons > CS > WoG > CS
*note: Same range rule applies here that applied in the prior level bracket. AS=30 yards, Judge=10 yards, but you have a new option. You can cast Exorcism at 30 yards, then Judge on the way in. This is actually my recommended course of action.
AoE: AS > CS > Judge > CS > Cons > CS > WoG > CS
LEVELS 28-37
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Hammer of the Rigtheous (1/1), Sanctuary (1/3), Sanctuary (2/3), Sanctuary (3/3), Wrath of the Lightbringer (1/2)
Note that you can replace your Crusader Strike Prime glyph with a Hammer of the Righteous Prime glyph for additional AoE threat.
New Spells:
Hammer of the Righteous (HotR) - The AoE replacement for CS. This will hit multiple targets around you (I believe this caps at 10 targets) and will grant you 1 HP.
Holy Wrath (HW) - The "new" primary AoE threat spell. This will hit up to 10 targets, evenly dividing damage between them, for Holy damage. Undead and demons will be stunned for 3 seconds. (You can and will glyph this later to also stun Dragonkin/Elementals.) This spell WILL break Crowd Control.
Divine Protection - The Paladin version of a Warrior's Shield Wall. This will reduce all damage you take (spell/physical) by 20% for 10 seconds. This is on a short 1 minute cooldown, so don't be afraid to use it often, and even use it on trash pulls in instances. For the "older" players, this spell does not reduce your damage output or cause Forbearance anymore.
Seal of Insight - Allows your melee hits to restore health and mana to you. Use this in lieu of Seal of Righteousness only when you're struggling to stay alive. Personally, I switch to this Seal the moment the healer dies.
Cleanse - Removes 1 poison and 1 disease effect. It's always a good idea to remove poisons/diseases from yourself, as your healer may be busy, or simply unaware that you are afflicted.
Righteous Defense (RD) - Our second "taunt" ability. This one works by targetting a player/friendly target (npc), or targetting mobs. If you target a player/friendly target (npc), up to 3 of the mobs attacking that player/friendly target (npc) will be taunted on to you. If you target a mob, the system on the back-end will determine who that mob is targetting and taunt the mob you targetted plus up to two other mobs that were also targetting that player/friendly target (npc).
Basic theory so far:
You now have two new abilities available for your rotation. Use Hammer of the Righteous ONLY when you are fighting more than 1 target. Use Crusader Strike for single target. If you have a threat meter installed (this would be an addon, as I haven't covered addons in this guide I'll just mention that Omen is a good threat meter to use) and see that you have a decent threat lead over the dps and/or your healer is struggling, just switch to Seal of Insight.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 38-47
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Shield of the Righteous (1/1), Wrath of the Lightbringer (2/2), Grand Crusader (1/2), Grand Crusader (2/2), Hallowed Ground (1/2)
New Spells:
Shield of the Righteous (ShotR) - The primary Holy Power "finisher" move. This will consume HP to slam the enemy with your shield. Damage increases per charge of HP, and this is only worthwhile at 3 HP.
Concentration Aura - This is an aura to help casters/healers, you should never have to use it.
Divine Plea - For now, this just restores 10% of your mana and reduces the strength of your healing spells by 50% for the duration of the Divine Plea buff (15 seconds)
Seal of Truth (SoT) - This is your new tanking seal, replacing SoR
Hammer of Wrath (HoW) - This is your new finishing move, use this on cooldown as soon as your target is below 20% health
Basic theory so far:
You now have a new use for Holy Power. Shield of the Righteous does a sizeable chunk of damage and threat, but is only truly worthwhile with 3HP. Keep in mind that just because you can use ShotR doesn't mean you always should. If you have a decent threat lead on your target, or if you are taking heavy damage, you should continue to use WoG on yourself instead of ShotR. Substitute HoW in for J/AS/HW/Cons on cooldown as soon as your target is below 20% health. Do not substitute HoW for CS/HotR.
Using the AS triggered by a Grand Crusader proc will now generate 1 HP. If you can, sub in a proc'd AS for a Judge or HW, but don't otherwise break your rotation.
It's also important to note that Avenger's Shield will apply the DoT from SoT to every target it hits. This means that you should probably allow the CC to go out first, wait for the spell effect to show that the mob is CC'd, then throw your shield. If you throw AS the moment he CC is cast, the server does not yet know that the target is CC'd, and your shield will bounce to that target and break what was just CC'd.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > ShotR/WoG > HotR
LEVELS 48-57
Use your talent points as such:
Holy Shield (1/1), Vindication (1/1), Guarded by the Light (GbtL) (1/2), GbtL (2/2), Hallowed Ground (2/2)
At level 50, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Seal of Truth - Grants you 10 Expertise just for having SoT active
Major: Glyph of Holy Wrath - Your Holy Wrath spell now also stuns Dragonkin and Elementals
Minor: Seal of Truth - Reduces the mana cost of Seal of Truth by 50%
New Spells:
Holy Shield (HS) - A passive ability that increases the amount of damage you block by 10%. This means when you block a melee hit while HS is active, the damage is reduced by 40%.
Divine Shield (DS) - The full immunity bubble. You should only use this while tanking for a split second to remove debuffs (on rare occassions you will use it for longer). Using DS will effectively make whatever you are tanking run loose killing your dps/healer, as mobs ignore immune targets.
Plate Specialization - You can equip Plate as of level 40, so try to have plate equipped into every slot to gain a 5% boost to your primary attribute (in this case, stamina).
Hand of Freedom - Remove/prevents movement impairing effects for 6 seconds. Use this to get out of snares/roots/etc.
Rebuke - This will interrupt spell casting and prevent casting for 4 seconds. This cannot miss, so don't worry about hit rating for spell interrupt purposes.
Blessing of Might (BoM) - Increases Attack Power by 10% and restores mana. This buff should only be used when you have a druid in your group.
Basic theory so far:
Use Rebuke to interrupt casters as much as possible. This will reduce incoming dmg.
With 2/2 GbtL, you should always remember that your WoG overheals (only on yourself) will never be wasted. Overhealing with WoG and 2/2 GbtL will create a protective shield around you for a few seconds.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 58-67
Use your talent points as such:
Shield of the Templar (ShotT) (1/3), ShotT (2/3), ShotT (3/3), Sacred Duty (SD) (1/2), SD (2/2)
New Spells:
Crusader Aura - You can now move faster while mounted, hooray! Just don't forget to switch back to Devotion Aura before combat!
Divine Light - Another Holy/healer spell, similar to Holy Light/Flash of Light. Don't use this
Seal of Justice - PvP seal, reduces maximum run speed to 100%
Hand of Salvation - This will reduce the total threat of the effected target by 2% every second for 10 seconds. Use this if you have a dps that's chasing you on threat
Basic theory so far:
Your Divine Plea now generates 3HP (Thanks to 3/3 ShotT), so use DP before a pull so that you can ShotR right away. The initial ShotR will give you a nice threat lead and cause Holy Shield to activate.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > ShotR > Judge > CS > HW> CS > Judge> CS > WoG > CS
AoE: DP > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 68-77
Use your talent points as such:
Ardent Defender (1/1), Improved Judgement (1/2), Improved Judgement (2/2), Crusade (1/3), Crusade (2/3)
At level 75, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Shield of the Righteous - 10% increase of ShotR damage is a no-brainer
Major: Your choice here...Divine Protection (I'm not a fan of this one, but others are), Hammer of Wrath, Ascetic Crusader (this is what I use)
Minor: Glyph of Blessing of Might or Glyph of Insight
New Spells:
Ardent Defender (AD) - This is another "oh crap" ability to put on your bars. Pop this if you see your life dropping low and you have the thought of, "I think I'm going to die in the next 10 seconds. AD will save you and put you up to 15% health.
Avenging Wrath (AW) - Increases your damage/healing output by 20% for 20 seconds. Use this early in pulls to gain a threat lead.
Resistance Aura - Increases your (and your party's) resistances to magical damage. Use this while fighting large groups of casters.
Basic theory so far:
Pop AW on pulls for more threat. Your Judgement now has a 30 yard range, so the range issue between AS and J is no longer an issue. However, you should still open with an Exo prior to the Judge.
If AD is clearly going to proc (you're going to "die"), try to have 3HP saved up so that you can hit yourself with a 3HP WoG right after the proc.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > AW > ShotR > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG
AoE: DP > AW > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > AS > ShotR/WoG
LEVELS 78-85
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Crusade (3/3), Pursuit of Justice (1/2), Pursuit of Justice (2/2), Rule of Law (1/3), Rule of Law (2/3), Rule of Law (3/3)
New Spells:
Turn Evil - Fears an undead/demon target for 20 seconds. Has a cast time, and a feared target may accidentally pull a second group of mobs. You'll likely never ever use this spell.
Hand of Sacrifice - Transfers 30% of the damage taken by the target to you for 12 seconds or until the caster has transferred 100% of their maximum health. The damage transferred is reduced by your passive damage reduction from armor and any damage reduction spells you may have active (Divine Shield, Divine Protection)
Mastery - Increases your chance to block melee attacks by 18%. Each point of mastery increases block chance by 2.25%. This is your new best friend.
Inquisition - Another ability that is fueled by Holy Power. Increases Holy damage by 30%. Each HP used for this ability increases the duration by 4 seconds (lasts for 4/8/12 seconds). Use this ONLY for extra AoE threat with HotR/AS/AW/Cons. Do not bother with this for single target.
Holy Radiance - Another Holy spell, but this one has no cast time. Sure, it won't heal you or anyone else for much, but every little bit adds up. Have this one on your bars and use it during AoE's to help your healer a little bit.
Guardian of Ancient Kings - The new uber damage reduction ability. Reduces damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds, 3 minute cooldown.
Basic theory so far:
I advise adjusting your spec sometime at or after level 80.
http://www.wowhead.com/talent#sZhrhcRddRRucbr:kosqbRMmz
If you want, you can pull a point from PoJ to get 3/3 Rule of Law.
If you re-spec as suggested, you'll have a new spell to help your group - Divine Guardian. This is like a shield wall for your entire group/raid, minus yourself. It's not so important in normal 5-man's, but it's awesome in heroics and raids.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > AW > ShotR > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG
AoE: DP > AW > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > AS > ShotR/WoG
The end - Guide written by Baneoftruth
This wall of text is for players who are starting out or working on leveling a paladin. New players or old players should (hopefully) be able to make use of this information as a guideline. Note that this is just a guideline document. Just because I wrote a massive guide doesn't meant that I'm right or that there isn't a different way of doing things. That said, if you find any mistakes, or have a suggestion, please let me know right away and I'll do my best to correct the mistake and/or adjust the 'guide'. This is not a questing/zone/gearing guide, this deals with specs/glyphs/rotations. The end goal of this is to have you ready to read the guides listed at the bottom of the post and fully understand them.
OPENING Q&A
Q. Wow, this guide looks horrible and is aesthetically displeasing to me!
A. That doesn't seem to be a question, but you're probably right. I did write the bulk of this in Notepad while I was *coughcough* supposed to be working...
Q. Who are you???
A. Baneoftruth. You might remember me from posts on the official WoW forums such as "Leveling Prot 101" and "Leveling Prot 101". Next question?
Q. No, really, who are you?
A. Alright...I've been playing WoW since 1.0 (Beta installer is on my portable), didn't really pick up the paladin until early TBC, been "main" tanking ever since. I've also been as active as I can be on these forums to try to spread any bits of knowledge or advice I can share to the rest of the community.
Q. Why should I listen to you?
A. If you find a better guide, by all means, use it. If not, might want to give me a shot here. I will never claim to be an expert or superior to anyone else, and I am more than happy to admit when I am wrong or to defer to a more knowledgeable person. Also, I have candy.
Q. I want to tank. Should I play a paladin or a warrior/dk/druid?
A. Pick the class that you feel that you would enjoy. Each class has their own variations and abilities. If you ask a warrior what to tank as, you'll be told, "play a warrior". Ask a druid, you'll get "play a druid". Same goes for paladins/dk's. Each class is fun (trust me), but if you want my personal preference, I will always choose a paladin. I prefer the paladin cooldowns, raid support, and threat abilities/mechanics versus those of a warrior. As I haven't played my DK/Druid yet in Cata, I can't speak against those yet, but I know for me, my heart will always be with my paladin.
Q. But I want to be the main tank!
A. Honestly, the best attitude you can have is to understand that the idea of "main tank" and "off tank" is a little out-dated. Think of it as being a member of a tanking team and there will be a lot less friction between tanks.
Q. What stats should I go for while leveling up?
A. For base stats: Stamina > Strength > Agility. You do NOT need Spirit or Intellect (Spirit fingers won't save a tank, and Intellect doesn't actually make you any smarter or nimble...)
For other stats: Mastery (level 80+) > Dodge/Parry > Expertise > Hit (this order puts survival over threat)
Q. Do I need crit/haste?
A. Crit/haste won't hurt you, but you shouldn't aim to obtain them.
Q. Do I need Spell Power and/or a Spell Power weapon?
A. No, do not directly seek out Spell Power. There are conversions that happen behind the scenes that provide you with Spell Power based on your Attack Power.
Q. I r pal-uh-din, so I can heal myself while tanking, right?
A. Um, no. The only heal you should be using on yourself or anyone else is Word of Glory. Don't ever use anything with a cast time while you have enemies swinging at you.
Q. What professions should I use?
A. I can only make recommendations here. If this is your first character and you don't have another source of income, two gathering professions (Mining + skinning/herbalism) will help you make some extra cash. Otherwise, in terms of net gains by 85...
>JC'ing offers a stam bonus of 123, but you need to use special gems, so this can get annoying at times
>The stam bonus from Mining = Enchanting = Blacksmithing (if you put stam gems in the BS sockets) = 120 stam at max level
>LW'ing gives you a cheap leg enchant and 195 stam to bracers (155 stam higher than the highest stam bracer enchant)
>Inscription offers a cheap shoulder enchant that is 120 stam higher than the Exalted Therazane enchant
>Alchemy gives you the capability to make an "OK" trinket and boosts the duration of flasks (meh)
>Engineering...lolengineering... you can get some "meh" tinkers and a high ilvl helm that will probably be worthless come the next tier of content
>Herbalism doesn't really offer anything, nor does Tailoring
>Skinning gives crit rating, which doesn't really help as a tank (help a bit for threat, but meh)
End advice... Take Mining/JC'ing, Mining/Blacksmithing, or Blacksmithing/JC'ing
For those who were away:
Q. What happened to weapon skills? / Do I still have to "level up" my weapon proficiencies? A. Weapon skills were essentially removed. You no longer have to spend hours upon hours grinding out points of weapon skill.
Q. What happened to Seal of Light/Wisdom? A. Replaced by Seal of Insight Q. What happened to Blessing of Wisdom? A. It was rolled into Blessing of Might Q. What happened to Blessing of Sanctuary? A. The mana restored by BoS is now granted through talents and supplemented from Judgement Q. What happened to Blessing of Light? A. Holy crap you're old school! BoL was baked into HL/FoL back in TBC. Q. What happened to Divine Intervention? A. Blizzard removed DI with the comment of, "Raid zones are shorter than they were in Vanilla, and teleporters/mounts allow you to get back in position faster, so wipe recovery options aren't really needed." In other words, you'll never see a healer write out in raid chat, "I can't res anyone, it says I'm stunned!" /sadface Q. Should I still be stingy with LoH? A. No, Lay on Hands is down to a 10 minute cooldown, baseline. 7 minute with a glyph. Q. Does Avenger's Shield still slow down pulls with a daze? A. No, Avenger's Shield still silences on hit, but no longer dazes unless you glyph for it. Q. Does our "shield wall" still prevent us from using Avenging Wrath? A. No, Divine Protection no longer causes Forbearance or reduces your damage output. You can stack Avenging Wrath with it. Q. Can I still bubble+hearth? A. 99% no. I'm told that if you're wearing 4pt9 and the gods are smiling on you that you can successfully bubble+hearth. Q. Do I still need to worry about Crushing Blows? A. Yes and no. "Crushing Blows" have not been a concern in a proper raid environment since WotLK came out. It is important to note that you can still suffer a Crushing Blow from a creature that is 4+ levels over you. Come level 85, an unmitigated (unblocked) hit can somewhat be considered the new "Crushing Blow". Your new goal is to stack mastery high enough to get as close to our old friend 102.4% as possible. Q. What happened to Defense Rating? A. It was removed as an antiquated and "annoying" stat. Crit immunity is now acquired via talents for all 4 tanking classes. Q. Do I still need to carry reagents around? A. No. DI was removed, and our Blessings now last an hour without requiring a reagent. Also, Blessings apply group/raid-wide, they're no longer class-restricted. __________ LEVELS 1-10 New Spells: Crusader Strike (CS) - Baseline at level 1 single-target attack. By level 9, this will start generating Holy Power. Use this on cooldown. Judgement (J) - Ranged attack that debuffs your target and causes you to regen mana. Use this on cooldown. Seal of Rigtheousness (SoR) - A 30 minute buff that causes your melee swings to cause additional damage. Always have this active. Devotion Aura (Devo) - A static "aura" that increases your armor. The more armor you have, the less damage you take, so always have this active. Hammer of Justice (HoJ) - A stun. You can use this to interrupt/stun casters. Word of Glory (WoG) - Our "free" heal. WoG is your friend, and you should use it often. Parry - Allows you to parry attacks. A parry is the same as a dodge or a miss with one change...you get a parry-hasted weapon attack right after parrying. Holy Power (HP) - This is our new resource that's used for several abilities. The more charges of HP you have (up to 3), the more powerful the ability that you use to consume the HP will be. Basic theory so far: Use CS, & J on cooldown (Judgement provides you with mana regen), make sure that you have Devotion Aura and SoR active, and use WoG to heal yourself (note that WoG has a 20s cooldown, so try to wait for 3HP to get the biggest bang for your buck). LEVELS 11-17 Use your talents points in this fashion: Divinity (1/3), Divinity (2/3), Divinity (3/3), Eternal Glory (1/2), Eternal Glory (2/2) New spells: Avenger's Shield (AS) - You get this by spec'ing into the Protection tree. This spell is a ranged attack that will 'bounce' to 2 targets after hitting the first. This will NOT break CC. Redemption - You can now ressurect people. Start carrying water if you aren't already. Righteous Fury (RF) - This is your tanking buff, keep this active at all times Hand of Reckoning - This is our single-target taunt... if a mob is targetting someone else, you can use this to force the mob to target you Lay on Hands (LoH) - This is your first big "oh crap" cooldown. Using this one yourself will heal you to full and give you the Forbearance debuff. For now, this debuff doesn't really effect you. Holy Light/Flash of Light - These are healing spells, do not use this while tanking unless you don't have anything actively attacking you. Keep in mind that this spell is not mana efficient for protection; try to stick to WoG for heals. Basic theory so far: Make sure that you have Righteous Fury active to tank. Righteous Fury now persists through death, so you don't need to worry about turning it on should you die. Use Avenger's Shield on cooldown. Try to target casters when using AS, as it will silence them for a couple seconds. Rotation: Single target: AS > CS > Judge > CS > WoG or /flex > CS
*note: It's better to open on single targets with J than with AS if possible, but this will require that you get much closer to the target prior to attacking (J=10 yards, AS=30 yards at the moment). If you feel more comfortable opening with AS from a range, you can.
AoE: AS > CS > Judge > CS > WoG or /flex > CS
___________
LEVELS 18-27
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Judgements of the Just (1/2), Judgements of the Just (2/2), Toughness (1/3), Toughness (2/3), Toughness (3/3)
At level 25, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Crusader Strike (*note* You may choose to hold off on getting this glyph and wait until level 29 for the Hammer of the Righteous glyph.)
Major: Lay on Hands
Minor: Blessing of Kings
New Spells:
Exorcism (Exo) - This is a ranged spell (30 yards) that inflicts Holy damage. If the target is undead/Demon, it will always be a critical hit. You can use this spell to initiate pulls or to try to finish off a fleeing mob (as long as nothing is actively swinging at you.)
Hand of Protection (HoP) - Protects a party member (or you) from physical attacks for 10 seconds. Causes Forbearance (conflicts with Lay on Hands). This is your "oh crap, everything is charging the healer!" ability. Immunity from HoP essentially makes a target "disappear" for the duration of the spell. Once the spell wears off, though, that target is vulnerable again.
Blessing of Kings (BoK) - Increases Str/Agi/Stam/Int by 5% and magical resists by X (X changes based on your level). This buff is identical to a Druid's Mark of the Wild. If there is a druid in your group, only one of you need to buff...let the druid do it. You'll get another buff later on that you'll use when you have a druid in your group, so you may as well get into the habit now of letting the druid buff.
Consecration (Cons) - Eats 55% of your mana to deal holy damage to enemies within 8 yards for 10 seconds. Use this only when you are fighting groups of 4+ mobs. This spell WILL break crowd control (Sheep, sap, etc.)
Retribution Aura - Causes damage to targets upon striking you. You *can* use this for AoE threat, but bear in mind that Devotion Aura will reduce your damage intake during AoE tanking (and many mobs attacking you = lots of damage coming in, so more mitigation is good!), and it will also "accidentally" generate threat if a mob hits a group member. Note that Retribution Aura generates threat on whoever is struck, so if your healer gets hit, he gains the threat, not you.
Basic theory so far:
Make sure that you keep Blessing of Kings. You can use Exo to pull (I use this on bosses). An advanced pull method that I use for larger groups is... target mob #5 w/ Exo, hit mobs #2/3/4 with AS, Judge onto mob #1. Drop Consecrate only for large groups.
Rotation:
Single target: AS > CS > Judge > CS > Cons > CS > WoG > CS
*note: Same range rule applies here that applied in the prior level bracket. AS=30 yards, Judge=10 yards, but you have a new option. You can cast Exorcism at 30 yards, then Judge on the way in. This is actually my recommended course of action.
AoE: AS > CS > Judge > CS > Cons > CS > WoG > CS
LEVELS 28-37
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Hammer of the Rigtheous (1/1), Sanctuary (1/3), Sanctuary (2/3), Sanctuary (3/3), Wrath of the Lightbringer (1/2)
Note that you can replace your Crusader Strike Prime glyph with a Hammer of the Righteous Prime glyph for additional AoE threat.
New Spells:
Hammer of the Righteous (HotR) - The AoE replacement for CS. This will hit multiple targets around you (I believe this caps at 10 targets) and will grant you 1 HP.
Holy Wrath (HW) - The "new" primary AoE threat spell. This will hit up to 10 targets, evenly dividing damage between them, for Holy damage. Undead and demons will be stunned for 3 seconds. (You can and will glyph this later to also stun Dragonkin/Elementals.) This spell WILL break Crowd Control.
Divine Protection - The Paladin version of a Warrior's Shield Wall. This will reduce all damage you take (spell/physical) by 20% for 10 seconds. This is on a short 1 minute cooldown, so don't be afraid to use it often, and even use it on trash pulls in instances. For the "older" players, this spell does not reduce your damage output or cause Forbearance anymore.
Seal of Insight - Allows your melee hits to restore health and mana to you. Use this in lieu of Seal of Righteousness only when you're struggling to stay alive. Personally, I switch to this Seal the moment the healer dies.
Cleanse - Removes 1 poison and 1 disease effect. It's always a good idea to remove poisons/diseases from yourself, as your healer may be busy, or simply unaware that you are afflicted.
Righteous Defense (RD) - Our second "taunt" ability. This one works by targetting a player/friendly target (npc), or targetting mobs. If you target a player/friendly target (npc), up to 3 of the mobs attacking that player/friendly target (npc) will be taunted on to you. If you target a mob, the system on the back-end will determine who that mob is targetting and taunt the mob you targetted plus up to two other mobs that were also targetting that player/friendly target (npc).
Basic theory so far:
You now have two new abilities available for your rotation. Use Hammer of the Righteous ONLY when you are fighting more than 1 target. Use Crusader Strike for single target. If you have a threat meter installed (this would be an addon, as I haven't covered addons in this guide I'll just mention that Omen is a good threat meter to use) and see that you have a decent threat lead over the dps and/or your healer is struggling, just switch to Seal of Insight.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 38-47
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Shield of the Righteous (1/1), Wrath of the Lightbringer (2/2), Grand Crusader (1/2), Grand Crusader (2/2), Hallowed Ground (1/2)
New Spells:
Shield of the Righteous (ShotR) - The primary Holy Power "finisher" move. This will consume HP to slam the enemy with your shield. Damage increases per charge of HP, and this is only worthwhile at 3 HP.
Concentration Aura - This is an aura to help casters/healers, you should never have to use it.
Divine Plea - For now, this just restores 10% of your mana and reduces the strength of your healing spells by 50% for the duration of the Divine Plea buff (15 seconds)
Seal of Truth (SoT) - This is your new tanking seal, replacing SoR
Hammer of Wrath (HoW) - This is your new finishing move, use this on cooldown as soon as your target is below 20% health
Basic theory so far:
You now have a new use for Holy Power. Shield of the Righteous does a sizeable chunk of damage and threat, but is only truly worthwhile with 3HP. Keep in mind that just because you can use ShotR doesn't mean you always should. If you have a decent threat lead on your target, or if you are taking heavy damage, you should continue to use WoG on yourself instead of ShotR. Substitute HoW in for J/AS/HW/Cons on cooldown as soon as your target is below 20% health. Do not substitute HoW for CS/HotR.
Using the AS triggered by a Grand Crusader proc will now generate 1 HP. If you can, sub in a proc'd AS for a Judge or HW, but don't otherwise break your rotation.
It's also important to note that Avenger's Shield will apply the DoT from SoT to every target it hits. This means that you should probably allow the CC to go out first, wait for the spell effect to show that the mob is CC'd, then throw your shield. If you throw AS the moment he CC is cast, the server does not yet know that the target is CC'd, and your shield will bounce to that target and break what was just CC'd.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > ShotR/WoG > HotR
LEVELS 48-57
Use your talent points as such:
Holy Shield (1/1), Vindication (1/1), Guarded by the Light (GbtL) (1/2), GbtL (2/2), Hallowed Ground (2/2)
At level 50, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Seal of Truth - Grants you 10 Expertise just for having SoT active
Major: Glyph of Holy Wrath - Your Holy Wrath spell now also stuns Dragonkin and Elementals
Minor: Seal of Truth - Reduces the mana cost of Seal of Truth by 50%
New Spells:
Holy Shield (HS) - A passive ability that increases the amount of damage you block by 10%. This means when you block a melee hit while HS is active, the damage is reduced by 40%.
Divine Shield (DS) - The full immunity bubble. You should only use this while tanking for a split second to remove debuffs (on rare occassions you will use it for longer). Using DS will effectively make whatever you are tanking run loose killing your dps/healer, as mobs ignore immune targets.
Plate Specialization - You can equip Plate as of level 40, so try to have plate equipped into every slot to gain a 5% boost to your primary attribute (in this case, stamina).
Hand of Freedom - Remove/prevents movement impairing effects for 6 seconds. Use this to get out of snares/roots/etc.
Rebuke - This will interrupt spell casting and prevent casting for 4 seconds. This cannot miss, so don't worry about hit rating for spell interrupt purposes.
Blessing of Might (BoM) - Increases Attack Power by 10% and restores mana. This buff should only be used when you have a druid in your group.
Basic theory so far:
Use Rebuke to interrupt casters as much as possible. This will reduce incoming dmg.
With 2/2 GbtL, you should always remember that your WoG overheals (only on yourself) will never be wasted. Overhealing with WoG and 2/2 GbtL will create a protective shield around you for a few seconds.
Rotation:
Single target: Exo (only on pull) --> AS > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > WoG > CS
AoE: AS > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 58-67
Use your talent points as such:
Shield of the Templar (ShotT) (1/3), ShotT (2/3), ShotT (3/3), Sacred Duty (SD) (1/2), SD (2/2)
New Spells:
Crusader Aura - You can now move faster while mounted, hooray! Just don't forget to switch back to Devotion Aura before combat!
Divine Light - Another Holy/healer spell, similar to Holy Light/Flash of Light. Don't use this
Seal of Justice - PvP seal, reduces maximum run speed to 100%
Hand of Salvation - This will reduce the total threat of the effected target by 2% every second for 10 seconds. Use this if you have a dps that's chasing you on threat
Basic theory so far:
Your Divine Plea now generates 3HP (Thanks to 3/3 ShotT), so use DP before a pull so that you can ShotR right away. The initial ShotR will give you a nice threat lead and cause Holy Shield to activate.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > ShotR > Judge > CS > HW> CS > Judge> CS > WoG > CS
AoE: DP > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > WoG > HotR
___________
LEVELS 68-77
Use your talent points as such:
Ardent Defender (1/1), Improved Judgement (1/2), Improved Judgement (2/2), Crusade (1/3), Crusade (2/3)
At level 75, you unlock your glyph capability. 1 Prime, 1 Major, and 1 Minor can now be used. Locate the following Glyphs:
Prime: Glyph of Shield of the Righteous - 10% increase of ShotR damage is a no-brainer
Major: Your choice here...Divine Protection (I'm not a fan of this one, but others are), Hammer of Wrath, Ascetic Crusader (this is what I use)
Minor: Glyph of Blessing of Might or Glyph of Insight
New Spells:
Ardent Defender (AD) - This is another "oh crap" ability to put on your bars. Pop this if you see your life dropping low and you have the thought of, "I think I'm going to die in the next 10 seconds. AD will save you and put you up to 15% health.
Avenging Wrath (AW) - Increases your damage/healing output by 20% for 20 seconds. Use this early in pulls to gain a threat lead.
Resistance Aura - Increases your (and your party's) resistances to magical damage. Use this while fighting large groups of casters.
Basic theory so far:
Pop AW on pulls for more threat. Your Judgement now has a 30 yard range, so the range issue between AS and J is no longer an issue. However, you should still open with an Exo prior to the Judge.
If AD is clearly going to proc (you're going to "die"), try to have 3HP saved up so that you can hit yourself with a 3HP WoG right after the proc.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > AW > ShotR > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG
AoE: DP > AW > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > AS > ShotR/WoG
LEVELS 78-85
Use your talent points in this fashion:
Crusade (3/3), Pursuit of Justice (1/2), Pursuit of Justice (2/2), Rule of Law (1/3), Rule of Law (2/3), Rule of Law (3/3)
New Spells:
Turn Evil - Fears an undead/demon target for 20 seconds. Has a cast time, and a feared target may accidentally pull a second group of mobs. You'll likely never ever use this spell.
Hand of Sacrifice - Transfers 30% of the damage taken by the target to you for 12 seconds or until the caster has transferred 100% of their maximum health. The damage transferred is reduced by your passive damage reduction from armor and any damage reduction spells you may have active (Divine Shield, Divine Protection)
Mastery - Increases your chance to block melee attacks by 18%. Each point of mastery increases block chance by 2.25%. This is your new best friend.
Inquisition - Another ability that is fueled by Holy Power. Increases Holy damage by 30%. Each HP used for this ability increases the duration by 4 seconds (lasts for 4/8/12 seconds). Use this ONLY for extra AoE threat with HotR/AS/AW/Cons. Do not bother with this for single target.
Holy Radiance - Another Holy spell, but this one has no cast time. Sure, it won't heal you or anyone else for much, but every little bit adds up. Have this one on your bars and use it during AoE's to help your healer a little bit.
Guardian of Ancient Kings - The new uber damage reduction ability. Reduces damage taken by 50% for 12 seconds, 3 minute cooldown.
Basic theory so far:
I advise adjusting your spec sometime at or after level 80.
http://www.wowhead.com/talent#sZhrhcRddRRucbr:kosqbRMmz
If you want, you can pull a point from PoJ to get 3/3 Rule of Law.
If you re-spec as suggested, you'll have a new spell to help your group - Divine Guardian. This is like a shield wall for your entire group/raid, minus yourself. It's not so important in normal 5-man's, but it's awesome in heroics and raids.
Rotation:
Single target: DP > Exo (only on pull) --> AS > AW > ShotR > CS > Judge > CS > HW > CS > ShotR/WoG
AoE: DP > AW > AS > ShotR > HotR > Judge > HotR > HW > HotR > AS > ShotR/WoG
The end - Guide written by Baneoftruth
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Resto Shaman PvE Guide 4.1 - 4.2
Edited by Secretgarden on 5/7/11 12:14 PM (PDT) Section 1: Talents and Glyphs
I'll be listing talents as either Required or Optional. Take the word at base value. Rather than giving a complete talent guide, I'm going to quickly give you all of the required talents with quick explainations and then spend time on the "controversial" ones. Now, before you even put in your first talent point, you get these:
Earth Shield
Detailed below with the spell section.
Purification
Increases healing done and makes HW/GHW faster.
Meditation
Standard 50% mana regen from Spirit talent.
Mastery
More on this fun thing in Stats.
Required Talents:
Restoration Talents: Tier One
Tidal Focus
Flat efficiency increase.
Spark of Life
Flat healing increase, stacks on yourself for a 21.9% boost.
Tier Two
Improved Water Shield
Crits with HW, GHW, and RT give back mana equal to a WS orb. 60% chance with HS, 30% chance with CH.
Totemic Focus
Makes Mana Tide last longer. This is the only reason we bother with it.
Tier Three
Ancestral Healing
When you crit with a spell, the target gets a buff for 15 seconds that cuts physical damage taken by 10%.
Nature's Swiftness
Two minute cooldown that makes one spell instant. Primarily used with GHW or CH when someone screws up and takes damage too fast.
Nature's Blessing
Increases healing on the tank (who has ES) by 15%.
Works with everything except ES itself, ELW, and HR.
Tier Four
Soothing Rains
Increases healing done by HST and HR massively.
Improved Cleanse Spirit
Lets you dispel magic effects - which are everywhere, by the way.
Tier Five
Ancestral Awakening
When you crit with HW, GHW, HS, or the Riptide initial hit, someone is healed for an additional 30% of that heal, which will be the lowest percentage health group/raid member.
Mana Tide Totem
3 minute cooldown, increases spirit regen dramatically for 16.8 seconds talented. This no longer applies to dynamic spirit buffs such as on-use or random proc trinkets.
Spirit Link Totem
Discussed in the spell section.
Tier Six
Tidal Waves
Guaranteed buff off RT and CH casts - makes HW/GHW faster and HS more likely to crit. Two charges per proc. This is our version of Chakra and Beacon of Light, for those of you who play other healing classes - it makes our spells interact with each other and brings several mechanics together.
Blessing of the Eternals
When below 35%, ELW always procs except from Chain Heal and Healing Rain.
Tier Seven = Riptide
Detailed in the spell section.
Elemental Talents Tier One - Acuity
Flat crit increase. Yum. Will likely be phased out in later gear levels.
Enhancement Talents Tier One
Elemental Weapons
Increases passive healing done by ELW and ups the healing increase from UE from 20% to 30%. It's more static spell power and small efficiency than anything.
Improved Shields
Makes WS orbs count for more mana (IWS, anyone?) and makes Earth Shield tick harder.
Tier Two - Ancestral Swiftness
This makes you run faster, replacing the run speed buff on your shoes, and makes Ghost Wolf instant. More mobility means more versatility to boss mechanics and less time spend moving means more time healing
Optional Talents:
Restoration Talents
Ancestral Resolve
10% damage taken reduced while casting. I'd recommend Cleansing Waters for a dungeon spec and this for a raid spec.
Cleansing Waters
Reduces the cost of Cleanse Spirit by 40% and includes a heal when you dispel something. Roughly heals for the same as Riptide's initial heal, but with a 6s ICD.
This talent used to be awesome for entering 5-mans when dispelling sucked all of your mana. Now that the heal is on a huge ICD, however, its usefulness is greatly diminished. Damn PvP nerfs. =\
Telluric Currents
Restores 40% of the damage done by Lightning Bolt as mana when it damages a target.
It is a mana return, and this is a valid place to put points. This is a very good talent on fights when you're standing around doing nothing or when there's a burn phase/weakened phase and your DPS is useful, or if you burn mana on inefficient heals and use this to regen during downtime. If you're not going to use the talent, then don't take it. Simple.
Glyphs
Prime - Earth Shield and Water Shield
ES glyph makes it heal better. WS glyph gives more mana, which is your lifeline for now.
Riptide or ELW?
Riptide glyph makes the spell more efficient and it lets it sit on 3 group members at a time. By increasing the duration, the healing done by a single Riptide, without any crits, rises to the amount of a GHW. The glyph for ELW is suited towards raid healing when you have ELW bouncing on everyone and the last ticks of Riptide are usually overheal.
Major - Chain Heal and HST
Chain Heal is no longer a one-hit wonder: that spell needs to bounce repeatedly for it to be effective and this glyph, provided the heal bounces like it should, is worth the 10% initial cut.
HST glyph makes the resistance totem useless and gives incentive to use it over Mana Stream - HST is far too efficient to not use even without Might to replace the lost Mp5.
SCT, Hex, or Healing Wave Glyph?
Hex has a fairly long cool-down and a chance to randomly break - when you're CC'ing, Hex is a fairly good glyph choice. However, Stoneclaw Totem's shield on you absorbs roughly one GHW worth of damage and even with the cost to replace the previous totem factored is twice as efficient. This will also scale up with gear. Then, Healing Wave glyph will heal you for half of a HW every time you heal someone else with HW - essentially you get 20% more out of the spell, assuming your personal heal isn't overhealing.
SCT or HW is mostly personal choice and style - whether or not to take Hex depends on how much you're CC'ing.
Minor Glyphs are choice mandated - None of these have impact performance or play style.
Talent Specs
Resto specs are dynamically amendable and are not cookie cutter unless that is your choice. You're going to be healing in different roles at different times, and certain talents are better for different roles.
However, after the nerf to Cleansing Waters, there is only one choice – TC or no TC?
The glyph choices are highlighted above and completely depend upon what situation you use them in. Mandatory ones are strongly recommended at the present time.
No TC: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hbZbhMZfGbMsdcosd:dsZ0c
TC: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMZfGbMsdcRsd:dsZ0c
There is another spec with TC that invests in Elemental Precision at the cost of Enhancement tree synergetic talents, but the spec requires a huge investment in Spirit to make 2/3 EP function and it exists purely as a raid spec for those who will swear up and down by TC, so therefore its merits are best discussed next door.
Edited by Secretgarden on 5/7/11 12:30 PM (PDT) Section 2 - Stat Priority and Gearing
Wearing only mail gear gives you a 5% intellect bonus. Never use anything other than mail.
Intellect - Primary stat. It increases your mana pool and spell power, and it gives mp5 through replenishment. Prioritize this with gemming, profession perks, and enchants. Primary stats are static on gear so you can't really "gear int" per-se, except with trinkets.
Spirit - Spirit is a base mana restore mechanic that returns mana regardless of action taken by the player (Passive). Spirit is free mana that you can and will gear for – generally, you need as much as you can get on gear.
Critical Strike - Critical Strikes increase the efficiency of your heals by causing them heal for more for free and cause certain effects, such as Ancestral Awakening (30% heal) and IWS (mana return). Compared to Haste and Mastery, this is a significantly less effective HPS stat, but much more efficient and therefore is best used for HPM.
Mastery - As the target takes more damage, our Mastery (Deep Healing) causes the target to take more healing* from us. This stat is not situational in any way: you only heal people who took damage, and this increases your healing on people who have taken damage. As of 4.1, this now affects every heal effect that's in our spell book or talent tree.
Haste - Haste makes spells cast faster and makes HoT effects heal faster. 916 Haste will get you an extra tick with all of your HoT effects (or 780 for Goblins) and is the number to aim for at minimum. Haste is pure throughput and it makes your life generally easier to have faster heals. Waste of stats for dungeons when you need moar spirit and crit but for raids this competes with Mastery depending on the situation.
Dungeon Stat Priority - Int >> Spirit > Crit
Raid Healing Stat Priority - Int >> Spirit > Mastery > Haste
Tank Healing Stat Priority – Int >> Spirit > Mastery > Crit
Note: Because of increased chance to gain mana from IWS, switch out some Spirit for Crit.
For a detailed stat explanation, go to Jynus's guide (in the link list).
Gearing
For gearing up to get to the ilvl 329 heroic minimum, you should grab whatever PvE gear you can get your hands on that has crit/spirit and then start destroying heroics. I have a BiS list down below that you can shop for in heroics, but once your stats are "okay" to raid, I say go ahead and start picking up purples if you can handle the content.
You can, and should, polish off your gear while you raid.
Fresh 85 - Pre-Heroic:
Stack int and spirit with any crit you can get. You have no room in your ilvl budget for anything else.
Generally, ilvl trumps itemization unless it's something silly like mastery/haste. You want Crit/Spirit secondary stats above anything else, but going from something like ilvl 316 crit/spirit to ilvl 333 crit/haste is perfectly acceptable. Bigger ilvl = more int.
Heroic Time:
Your goal is to gear for raiding. You want to start shaving off crit for ilvl 346 pieces with haste or mastery, because those are your stats for raiding.
You want a haste number of no less than 916 (or 780 for Goblins) so that all of your HoT spells (and Healing Rain) get a bonus tick. Then start mobbing on mastery or haste, depending on your choice.
Raiding Gear:
Your stat balance doesn't change. Just get more of what you already have.
To summarize:
Gearing to get into heroics: Stack int/crit/spirit.
Gearing to get into raids: Stack int/spirit, get 916 (780 Goblin) haste, 2k spirit or more, and pick a stack stat.
Gearing when in raids: Stack int, get more of everything. Pick a stat to stack to prioritize and reforge everything else. http://i56.tinypic.com/6prtr7.jpg (Courtesy of Paf <3)
Section 3 - Pre-Raid BiS List
Legend:
[V] - JP Vendor
[H] - Heroic Dungeon
[C] - Crafted
[R] - Rep
I will list items with both Mastery and Haste - if you only want Haste, stick to Haste/Spirit pieces and reforge anything else to Haste, but if you want Mastery, you have to mix and match a bit to stay around the 916 haste mark. Therefore, reforging and gemming will be an individual call and I cannot say exactly what to do - you have to figure it out yourself.
In addition, because it's impossible to make a set with purely spirit/stat x with some haste tossed in, you're going to have to take some of another stat sooner or later, which is actually good considering how well our secondary stats interact and the bonuses we receive from properly balancing them.
All gear choices are designed with the intent to maximize your amount of spirit and your secondary stat of choice. At this point, due to the minor ilvl budget increase between 346 and 359, a 346 piece with mastery/haste and spirit will out-do an epic piece with crit and no spirit. This would include every non-raid epic currently in the game. They're nice for band-aid pieces but if you want to min-max, go back to heroics and pick up optimized blue pieces.
Helm:
[C] Energized Bio-Optic Killshades - Requires Engineering (525)
[H] Cowl of the Unseen World - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Neck::
[R] Lightning Flash Pendant - Wildhammer Clan Exalted
[H] Quicksilver Amulet - Blackrock Caverns, Karsh Steelbender
Shoulder:
[H] Burden of Lost Humanity - Shadowfang Keep, Lord Walden
[V] Seafoam Mantle - 1650 JP
Note that the Burden slightly edges out the Mantle by 20 points.
[H] Fallen Snow Shoulderguards - Vortex Pinnacle, Grand Vizier Ertan
Back:
[H] Solar Wind Cloak - Halls of Origination, Rajh
Chest:
[H] Chromis Chestpiece - Throne of the Tides, Commander Ulthok
[C] Twilight Scale Chestguard - Leatherworking
[H] Breastplate of the Stilled Heart - Shadowfang Keep, Commander Springvale
Wrist:
[H] Shackles of the Betrayed - Deadmines, Vanessa VanCleef
Hands:
[H] Old Friend's Gloves - Deadmines, Helix Gearbreaker
[V] Gleaning Gloves 1650 JP
Waist:
[C] Stormleather Sash - Leatherworking
[H] Belt of the Still Stream - 1650 JP
[R] Sash of Prophecy - Ramkahen Revered
Legs:
[R] Wilderness Legguards - Guardians of Hyjal Revered
[H] Chaotic Wrappings - Halls of Origination, Setesh
Boots:
[H] Dark Iron Chain Boots - Grim Batol, Forgemaster Throngus
[R] Earthmender's Boots - Earthen Ring Exalted
Rings:
[H] Kibble - Blackrock Caverns, Beauty
[H] Veneficial Band - Lost City of the Tol'vir, Lockmaw
Or
[R] Diamant's Ring of Temperance - Therazane Revered
[H] Rose Quartz Band - The Stonecore, Slabhide
Trinkets: In order of desirability.
[C] Darkmoon Card: Tsunami - Tsunami Deck, Inscriptor-Made
[C] Vibrant Alchemist Stone - Alchemy
[C] Tyrande's Favorite Doll - Archaeology
[H] Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
[H] Witching Hourglass - Blackrock Caverns, Ascendant Lord Obsidius
Weapon:
[H] Torturer's Mercy - Blackrock Caverns, Rom'ogg Bonecrusher
[H] Scepter of Power - Halls of Origination, Setesh
Off-Hand:
[C] Elementium Stormshield - Blacksmith
Relic:
[H] Captured Lightning - Vortex Pinnacle, Asaad
Section 4 - Gems, Enchants, Trinkets
Gems
You have options with gems now - it isn't just brainlessly zerging your primary stat. Your gem choices depend on your stat priorities. Good socket bonuses ought to be gemmed for now. What constitutes as a good bonus? Just about anything with an Intellect or Spirit bonus of at least 10 or a bonus for your stack stat of at least 20. This means more hybrid gems. You need two yellows to activate your Meta.
Meta: Ember Shadowspirit Diamond
Red - Intellect: Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Yellow - Crit: Potent Ember Topaz
Yellow - Mastery: Artful Ember Topaz
Yellow - Haste: Reckless Ember Topaz
Purple - Int/Spirit: Purified Demonseye
Enchants
Head - Int/Crit: Arcanum of Hyjal
Shoulder - Int/Haste: Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone
Cloak - Intellect: Enchant Cloak - Intellect
Upgraded: Enchant Cloak - Greater Intellect
Chest - Stats: Enchant Chest - Mighty Stats
Upgraded: Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats
Bracers - Spirit: Enchant Bracer - Exceptional Spirit
Bracers - Haste: Enchant Bracer - Speed
Upgraded: Enchant Bracer - Greater Speed
Bracers - Intellect Enchant Bracer - Mighty Intellect
Gloves - Haste: Enchant Gloves - Haste
Gloves - Mastery: Enchant Gloves - Mastery
Upgraded: Enchant Gloves - Greater Mastery
Belt - Socket: Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
Legs - Int/Spirit: Ghostly Spellthread
Upgraded: : Powerful Ghostly Spellthread
Boots - Mastery: Enchant Boots - Mastery
Boots - Haste: Enchant Boots - Haste
OH - Intellect: Enchant Off-Hand - Superior Intellect
Weapon - Heartsong: Enchant Weapon - Heartsong
Upgraded - Power Torrent: Enchant Weapon - Power Torrent
I present multiple stat options for your enchants on purpose - it's up to you, based on your current raiding situation, to decide how to balance your stats based on what secondary stat after spirit you want the most. The only option above I would currently list as mandatory would be Spirit on bracers and to have at least something on everything.
Haste:
If you're short of a breakpoint, you can swap in Haste to bridge the gap if you're stacking Crit or Mastery and want to stay as close to the 916 point as possible. Generally the procedure will be:
20 Haste - 1 Gem
40 Haste - 2 Gems
50 Haste - 1 Enchant
60 Haste - 3 Gems
65 Haste - 1 Upg. Enchant
70 Haste - 1 Gem, 1 Enchant
80 Haste - 4 Gems
85 Haste - 1 Gem, 1 Upg. Enchant
90 Haste - 2 Gems, 1 Enchant
100 Haste - 5 Gems or 2 Enchants
For the sake of maintaining the highest enchant stat gain - if you want Mastery, switch your Bracer enchant. If you want Crit, switch your Boot enchant.
Trinkets
I was overwhelmed at first by all the trinkets out there. The key is recognizing which ones are actually good - unless it's an interesting effect like Shard of Woe, generally trinkets with passive intellect and a spirit proc or stacking buff will be the most useful. Early on, however, your main priority will just be getting a setup that works, so generally min/maxing goes out the window.
Pre-Heroic: In order of desirability
Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Blood of Isiset - Halls of Origination, Isiset
Rainsong - Vortex Pinnacle Zone Drop(BoE)
Talisman of Sinister Order - Quest Reward, Firing Squad (Uldum)
As long as you have either Tear of Blood or Blood of Isiset and one other trinket, you'll be fine. The last two listed are the only decent non-spirit trinkets I can find, and even then they're thoroughly "meh".
Heroic:
Figurine - Dream Owl - JC Only
Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Spirit trinkets aren't as powerful as they were before the MTT change, but they still yield sizable mana regeneration for their uptime.
Witching Hourglass - Blackrock Caverns, Ascendant Lord Obsidius
Gale of Shadows - Grim Batol, Erudax
The hourglass is pretty much the only viable throughput trinket out there at the moment. The Gale isn't terrific as a pure throughput trinket, primarily serving as a band-aid if you're significantly behind the 916 haste breakthrough and need something to catch up.
Raid Level: Courtesy of Remiri - Blade's Edge
The raid trinkets work odd. If you have the cash to sink into it, you can get both of your BiS trinkets before you even hit 85.
Darkmoon Card: Tsunami - Tsunami Deck, Darkmoon Cards (Inscriptor-made)
Special note: spirit buff currently works with MTT.
Vibrant Alchemist Stone - Alchemy
If you don't want to switch your professions around for the Stone, then you can sink some time into Archaeology and pick up:
Tyrande's Favorite Doll - Archaeology, Night Elven Find
After that comes your two trinkets that you actually invest raid time into but rank at the bottom:
Fall of Mortality - Bastion of Twilight, Cho'gall
Core of Ripeness - 1650 Valor Badges.
I left off the JAR (Jar of Ancient Remedies) very pointedly. For an explanation, go here: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/1577519250?page=13#256
Section 5 - Professions and Consumables
I ripped much of this from Reesi's thread because I liked the formatting, most of the information was right there, and most importantly I have no shame. At least I gave my source!
Note: The "pick a stat" items only choose primary stats. In that regard, Spirit is not considered and so those items will always give Intellect. Which you want, because Int > Spirit anyway.
Professions
Alchemy
Mixology - Increases the effectiveness of Flasks and Elixirs. You need to know the recipe.
Flask of Enhancement - This is used as a way for Alchemists to always keep their profession bonuses when not raid flasked.
Flask of the Draconic Mind - 80 Bonus Intellect
Ghost Elixir - 40 Bonus Spirit
Flask of Battle - 80 Bonus Intellect
Blacksmithing
Socket Bracer and Socket Gloves - 80 Bonus Intellect
Enchanting
x2 [Enchant Ring - Intellect] -80 Bonus Intellect
Engineering
Lightweight Bio-Optic Killshades - Equal to tier 11, depending on stats.
Cogwheels:
Fractured Cogwheel
Quick Cogwheel
Smooth Cogwheel
Sparkling Cogwheel
So long as Spirit is always used as a Cogwheel, you can pair it with any of your choosing. Go by your gearing choices.
Tinkers:
Synapse Springs - These find your highest attribute (Intellect) and increase it by 480. Used on CD, it's roughly equal to the other 80 stat bonuses.
Herbalism
Lifeblood - On-use Haste rating with a small heal. It's at least something for choosing a gathering stat.
Inscription
Felfire Inscription - 80 Bonus Intellect
Jewelcrafting
Chimera's Eyes once again provide the strongest bonuses for stats.
3x Brilliant Chimera's Eye - 81 Bonus Intellect
Leatherworking
Draconic Embossment - Intellect - 80 Bonus Intellect.
Mining
Toughness - 120 Bonus Stamina
Skinning
Master of Anatomy - 80 Bonus Critical Strike Rating
Tailoring
Tailoring is ... iffy. The intellect proc is technically superior to other profession enchants, but the problem is that its a random proc with a 45s ICD, so it may proc when its useful or useless.
Lightweave Embroidery - 580 Intellect for 15s, 45s ICD.
Consumables
Food Buffs
Seafood Magnifique Feast - Standard raid food, assuming your guild fisherpeople aren't lazy.
Fortune Cookie - If feasts are unavailable, this is the number one choice.
COOKIE MONSTER WAS HERE!
Severed Sagefish Head - If your scribes are lazy too, then use this one.
Flasks and Elixirs
Flask of the Draconic Mind - The best flask option for any healer. Default choice.
Flask of Flowing Water - If you're utterly desperate for more Spirit, use this one.
Flask of Battle - Gives Intellect - there's no way to rig it for Spirit.
Potions
There's only two options for potions.
Potion of Concentration - If you can manage the full 10 seconds, you get more mana than the Mythical.
Mythical Mana Potion - The alternative.
Section 7 - Principles of Healing
Healing Wave - Slow, super efficient, heals for little.
Greater Healing Wave - Slow, efficient, heals for a lot.
Healing Surge - Fast, inefficient, heals for slightly less than GHW.
Chain Heal - Slow, efficient with multiple bounces, heals total for around the same as a GHW.
Riptide - Instant, super efficient heal. Initial heal is around the same as a healing wave with a HoT component - when glyphed, heals for more than a GHW. Procs Tidal Waves on use and when followed up with a Chain Heal will give a 30% boost.
Healing Rain - After a short cast, puts down a circle where targets standing within the circle are continually healed over 10 seconds. Super efficient on 5+ people for the full duration.
Healing Stream Totem - Water Totem. When placed down, provides a small, ongoing HoT to party members within range and resistances to group/raid members.
Earth Shield - Places a shield on the target that heals the target whenever it takes damage. Causes the target to take 15% increased healing from you while active. 9 charges.
Water Shield - Places a shield on yourself that provides a steady source of mana regeneration while giving mana back whenever you take damage or when Improved WS is procced.
Unleash Elements (Earthliving) - Heals the target instantly for a small amount and leaves you with a short buff upping your next heal by 30%. Does not affect HR.
Spiritwalker's Grace - Lets you cast while moving for 15 seconds. Use it in emergencies.
Spirit Link Totem - Reduces damage taken by those within its radius by 10% and every second readjusts the health percentages of players in its range to be equal. Note that it drops at your feet.
Strategies:
Never panic when healing. Stay calm.
Keep Earth Shield on the tank.
Keep Water Shield on yourself.
Always have your totems placed.
If you use a temporary totem put your long-term totem back afterwards.
Triage - meaning if someone is about to die, don't waste time topping up the random person who took a tick of damage from Fire and heal the player about to die. Burn mana on HS if you have to. However, once everyone is over the threshold that they need to be to survive, use your efficient heals.
Party members are responsible for their own health pools. The occasional screw-up is going to happen for everyone, but if you end up carrying people, you need to correct that.
Don't let people tell you it's your fault if it's not. Avoidable damage is not your problem.
Basic techniques:
If you have the opportunity to dispel something nasty off someone and someone won't die in that GCD, do so.
Don't stress healing someone up to full - HST or any number of procs might heal them to full.
Try your best to not waste mana by refreshing Riptide on a target that has it - Riptide someone else and use TW.
Use UE on cool-down with GHW or CH if you won't waste any of the heal.
Keep an idea of how much Mana Tide will regenerate for you over its duration and aim to use it in two situations: when you've lost that much mana and aren't doing much, or will spend that much mana over its duration and never cap your mana during it.
Use HW whenever you can get away with it. It's basically free healing.
GHW is a massive heal - you can heal a lot at once with it, but the mana cost is higher at the same time. Preferably, use it with TW to speed it up.
HS is a fast heal for emergencies. Only use it when the .3 or so seconds that you save instead of using GHW is the difference between life or death for someone, or it's wasted.
If you need to move but the group/tank is taking a lot of damage, use SWG and keep healing.
Spirit Link Totem:
Use SLT to reduce damage taken overall and equalize health so you can use AoE heals to top everyone off. It also serves to split burst damage between all players in its radius after the spell hits that player, which means people can still die under SLT if they can't survive the initial hit.
Tank Healing:
Never over-ride ES, but refresh it immediately when it falls off unless the tank is going to die without a heal. Then refresh it afterward.
Always maintain a Riptide buff on the tank.
Keep Ancestral Healing buffed on the tank.
Try to stick with HW, only using GHW when the tank is taking damage too quickly to stay alive with HW. Either way, use Riptide on cooldown for the haste buffs to both spells.
Group Healing:
It is always more efficient to dispel a dot instead of healing through it.
HR and CH only work when people group together. Nail it in the group's head that they group together when you're AoE healing or they die.
Section 8 - FAQ, LFAQ, and Misc. Info
F.A.Q: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does my CC break randomly?
A: "Heartbeat Resists" check your hit rating every three seconds or so for breaks. As we're healers, we have no hit rating, so every three seconds we have a ~6% chance that our CC randomly breaks. Don't CC if you can avoid it.
Q: Why do Elitist Jerks and this forum disagree with the stat priorities?
A: It's a very long story that because of a character limit on posts, I can't fit in its entirety here. The dirty laundry is over in Jynus's thread somewhere, I believe. Either way, Jynus has finally gotten in there so hopefully they will soon hear the good word of Mastery.
Q: I can't keep up with all the damage! /le sob
A: /tissue
Alright, you need to ask yourself these questions:
Is the tank adequately geared for this instance?
Is the tank doing something wrong, like not using cooldowns properly?
Are the DPS standing in things they're not supposed to or not interrupting?
Is the group using CC when feasible?
Does the group know what to do for the fight?
Are you adequately geared for this instance?
Are you geared correctly?
If the answer to any of those questions is "no" then fix it. If you still have problems, post them.
Q: I manage to keep up with the damage ... until I run OOM.
A: See above.
Now, does WS have less than a 99% uptime?
Are you not stacking Spirit until you bleed it?
Are you using HS/GHW/HR when you could use HW/RT/CH?
Are you using HS, period, when someone wouldn't die otherwise?
If the answer to any of those questions is "yes" then stop it. If you still have problems, post them.
L.F.A.Q: Less Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What addons, if any, should I use?
A: That's determined by what your computer can take. There are many smaller addons with very useful features that I'd reccomend anyone have, and some larger ones that are very useful but aren't totally essential to use and you can get by without.
You can find a list of what I use in Section 9. You can either look at my UI for reference and pick what you like or fish around on your own and find your own goodies.
If you need to cut addon memory, I would stick to Grid, Clique (to dispel), and ShieldsUp. Probably would toss in Skada just because of how wide-range its use is.
Q: What are "mouseovers" and "click to cast" and why does everyone use them?
A: A mouseover is a spell macro that allows you to move your mouse over a raid frame and press the key that the mouseover is bound to and cast the spell. Click to cast means using Clique to click a button on your mouse and cast a spell, sometimes in combination with modifier keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt).
Mouseovers and C2C will for most people dramatically increase your reaction time and for the few that it won't, it very much improves your quality of life and still has a minor improvement to your performance. I for a long time opposed change to mouseovers, but I made the change recently and I'm enjoying it.
Q: How are people managing to break their freeze on Ozruk?
A: When he casts his spell reflect, cast Flame Shock. When he uses Paralyze, your DoT breaks it. Dispel group. Profit.
Links:
Elitist Jerks Shaman - http://elitistjerks.com/f79
Jynus Raid Guide - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2369739879
Shaman Macro Archive - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2369739861
Misc. Macro Listings:
Using this macro, when you press HR repeatedly, it doesn't remove the targeting reticle:
#showtooltip healing rain
/cast !healing rain
Mouseover macro. Substitute GHW for whichever spell you're currently adding.
#showtooltip Greater Healing Wave
/cast [target=mouseover,help,nodead][help][target=player] Greater Healing Wave
Taken from SecretGarden Steamweedle
I'll be listing talents as either Required or Optional. Take the word at base value. Rather than giving a complete talent guide, I'm going to quickly give you all of the required talents with quick explainations and then spend time on the "controversial" ones. Now, before you even put in your first talent point, you get these:
Earth Shield
Detailed below with the spell section.
Purification
Increases healing done and makes HW/GHW faster.
Meditation
Standard 50% mana regen from Spirit talent.
Mastery
More on this fun thing in Stats.
Required Talents:
Restoration Talents: Tier One
Tidal Focus
Flat efficiency increase.
Spark of Life
Flat healing increase, stacks on yourself for a 21.9% boost.
Tier Two
Improved Water Shield
Crits with HW, GHW, and RT give back mana equal to a WS orb. 60% chance with HS, 30% chance with CH.
Totemic Focus
Makes Mana Tide last longer. This is the only reason we bother with it.
Tier Three
Ancestral Healing
When you crit with a spell, the target gets a buff for 15 seconds that cuts physical damage taken by 10%.
Nature's Swiftness
Two minute cooldown that makes one spell instant. Primarily used with GHW or CH when someone screws up and takes damage too fast.
Nature's Blessing
Increases healing on the tank (who has ES) by 15%.
Works with everything except ES itself, ELW, and HR.
Tier Four
Soothing Rains
Increases healing done by HST and HR massively.
Improved Cleanse Spirit
Lets you dispel magic effects - which are everywhere, by the way.
Tier Five
Ancestral Awakening
When you crit with HW, GHW, HS, or the Riptide initial hit, someone is healed for an additional 30% of that heal, which will be the lowest percentage health group/raid member.
Mana Tide Totem
3 minute cooldown, increases spirit regen dramatically for 16.8 seconds talented. This no longer applies to dynamic spirit buffs such as on-use or random proc trinkets.
Spirit Link Totem
Discussed in the spell section.
Tier Six
Tidal Waves
Guaranteed buff off RT and CH casts - makes HW/GHW faster and HS more likely to crit. Two charges per proc. This is our version of Chakra and Beacon of Light, for those of you who play other healing classes - it makes our spells interact with each other and brings several mechanics together.
Blessing of the Eternals
When below 35%, ELW always procs except from Chain Heal and Healing Rain.
Tier Seven = Riptide
Detailed in the spell section.
Elemental Talents Tier One - Acuity
Flat crit increase. Yum. Will likely be phased out in later gear levels.
Enhancement Talents Tier One
Elemental Weapons
Increases passive healing done by ELW and ups the healing increase from UE from 20% to 30%. It's more static spell power and small efficiency than anything.
Improved Shields
Makes WS orbs count for more mana (IWS, anyone?) and makes Earth Shield tick harder.
Tier Two - Ancestral Swiftness
This makes you run faster, replacing the run speed buff on your shoes, and makes Ghost Wolf instant. More mobility means more versatility to boss mechanics and less time spend moving means more time healing
Optional Talents:
Restoration Talents
Ancestral Resolve
10% damage taken reduced while casting. I'd recommend Cleansing Waters for a dungeon spec and this for a raid spec.
Cleansing Waters
Reduces the cost of Cleanse Spirit by 40% and includes a heal when you dispel something. Roughly heals for the same as Riptide's initial heal, but with a 6s ICD.
This talent used to be awesome for entering 5-mans when dispelling sucked all of your mana. Now that the heal is on a huge ICD, however, its usefulness is greatly diminished. Damn PvP nerfs. =\
Telluric Currents
Restores 40% of the damage done by Lightning Bolt as mana when it damages a target.
It is a mana return, and this is a valid place to put points. This is a very good talent on fights when you're standing around doing nothing or when there's a burn phase/weakened phase and your DPS is useful, or if you burn mana on inefficient heals and use this to regen during downtime. If you're not going to use the talent, then don't take it. Simple.
Glyphs
Prime - Earth Shield and Water Shield
ES glyph makes it heal better. WS glyph gives more mana, which is your lifeline for now.
Riptide or ELW?
Riptide glyph makes the spell more efficient and it lets it sit on 3 group members at a time. By increasing the duration, the healing done by a single Riptide, without any crits, rises to the amount of a GHW. The glyph for ELW is suited towards raid healing when you have ELW bouncing on everyone and the last ticks of Riptide are usually overheal.
Major - Chain Heal and HST
Chain Heal is no longer a one-hit wonder: that spell needs to bounce repeatedly for it to be effective and this glyph, provided the heal bounces like it should, is worth the 10% initial cut.
HST glyph makes the resistance totem useless and gives incentive to use it over Mana Stream - HST is far too efficient to not use even without Might to replace the lost Mp5.
SCT, Hex, or Healing Wave Glyph?
Hex has a fairly long cool-down and a chance to randomly break - when you're CC'ing, Hex is a fairly good glyph choice. However, Stoneclaw Totem's shield on you absorbs roughly one GHW worth of damage and even with the cost to replace the previous totem factored is twice as efficient. This will also scale up with gear. Then, Healing Wave glyph will heal you for half of a HW every time you heal someone else with HW - essentially you get 20% more out of the spell, assuming your personal heal isn't overhealing.
SCT or HW is mostly personal choice and style - whether or not to take Hex depends on how much you're CC'ing.
Minor Glyphs are choice mandated - None of these have impact performance or play style.
Talent Specs
Resto specs are dynamically amendable and are not cookie cutter unless that is your choice. You're going to be healing in different roles at different times, and certain talents are better for different roles.
However, after the nerf to Cleansing Waters, there is only one choice – TC or no TC?
The glyph choices are highlighted above and completely depend upon what situation you use them in. Mandatory ones are strongly recommended at the present time.
No TC: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hbZbhMZfGbMsdcosd:dsZ0c
TC: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMZfGbMsdcRsd:dsZ0c
There is another spec with TC that invests in Elemental Precision at the cost of Enhancement tree synergetic talents, but the spec requires a huge investment in Spirit to make 2/3 EP function and it exists purely as a raid spec for those who will swear up and down by TC, so therefore its merits are best discussed next door.
Edited by Secretgarden on 5/7/11 12:30 PM (PDT) Section 2 - Stat Priority and Gearing
Wearing only mail gear gives you a 5% intellect bonus. Never use anything other than mail.
Intellect - Primary stat. It increases your mana pool and spell power, and it gives mp5 through replenishment. Prioritize this with gemming, profession perks, and enchants. Primary stats are static on gear so you can't really "gear int" per-se, except with trinkets.
Spirit - Spirit is a base mana restore mechanic that returns mana regardless of action taken by the player (Passive). Spirit is free mana that you can and will gear for – generally, you need as much as you can get on gear.
Critical Strike - Critical Strikes increase the efficiency of your heals by causing them heal for more for free and cause certain effects, such as Ancestral Awakening (30% heal) and IWS (mana return). Compared to Haste and Mastery, this is a significantly less effective HPS stat, but much more efficient and therefore is best used for HPM.
Mastery - As the target takes more damage, our Mastery (Deep Healing) causes the target to take more healing* from us. This stat is not situational in any way: you only heal people who took damage, and this increases your healing on people who have taken damage. As of 4.1, this now affects every heal effect that's in our spell book or talent tree.
Haste - Haste makes spells cast faster and makes HoT effects heal faster. 916 Haste will get you an extra tick with all of your HoT effects (or 780 for Goblins) and is the number to aim for at minimum. Haste is pure throughput and it makes your life generally easier to have faster heals. Waste of stats for dungeons when you need moar spirit and crit but for raids this competes with Mastery depending on the situation.
Dungeon Stat Priority - Int >> Spirit > Crit
Raid Healing Stat Priority - Int >> Spirit > Mastery > Haste
Tank Healing Stat Priority – Int >> Spirit > Mastery > Crit
Note: Because of increased chance to gain mana from IWS, switch out some Spirit for Crit.
For a detailed stat explanation, go to Jynus's guide (in the link list).
Gearing
For gearing up to get to the ilvl 329 heroic minimum, you should grab whatever PvE gear you can get your hands on that has crit/spirit and then start destroying heroics. I have a BiS list down below that you can shop for in heroics, but once your stats are "okay" to raid, I say go ahead and start picking up purples if you can handle the content.
You can, and should, polish off your gear while you raid.
Fresh 85 - Pre-Heroic:
Stack int and spirit with any crit you can get. You have no room in your ilvl budget for anything else.
Generally, ilvl trumps itemization unless it's something silly like mastery/haste. You want Crit/Spirit secondary stats above anything else, but going from something like ilvl 316 crit/spirit to ilvl 333 crit/haste is perfectly acceptable. Bigger ilvl = more int.
Heroic Time:
Your goal is to gear for raiding. You want to start shaving off crit for ilvl 346 pieces with haste or mastery, because those are your stats for raiding.
You want a haste number of no less than 916 (or 780 for Goblins) so that all of your HoT spells (and Healing Rain) get a bonus tick. Then start mobbing on mastery or haste, depending on your choice.
Raiding Gear:
Your stat balance doesn't change. Just get more of what you already have.
To summarize:
Gearing to get into heroics: Stack int/crit/spirit.
Gearing to get into raids: Stack int/spirit, get 916 (780 Goblin) haste, 2k spirit or more, and pick a stack stat.
Gearing when in raids: Stack int, get more of everything. Pick a stat to stack to prioritize and reforge everything else. http://i56.tinypic.com/6prtr7.jpg (Courtesy of Paf <3)
Section 3 - Pre-Raid BiS List
Legend:
[V] - JP Vendor
[H] - Heroic Dungeon
[C] - Crafted
[R] - Rep
I will list items with both Mastery and Haste - if you only want Haste, stick to Haste/Spirit pieces and reforge anything else to Haste, but if you want Mastery, you have to mix and match a bit to stay around the 916 haste mark. Therefore, reforging and gemming will be an individual call and I cannot say exactly what to do - you have to figure it out yourself.
In addition, because it's impossible to make a set with purely spirit/stat x with some haste tossed in, you're going to have to take some of another stat sooner or later, which is actually good considering how well our secondary stats interact and the bonuses we receive from properly balancing them.
All gear choices are designed with the intent to maximize your amount of spirit and your secondary stat of choice. At this point, due to the minor ilvl budget increase between 346 and 359, a 346 piece with mastery/haste and spirit will out-do an epic piece with crit and no spirit. This would include every non-raid epic currently in the game. They're nice for band-aid pieces but if you want to min-max, go back to heroics and pick up optimized blue pieces.
Helm:
[C] Energized Bio-Optic Killshades - Requires Engineering (525)
[H] Cowl of the Unseen World - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Neck::
[R] Lightning Flash Pendant - Wildhammer Clan Exalted
[H] Quicksilver Amulet - Blackrock Caverns, Karsh Steelbender
Shoulder:
[H] Burden of Lost Humanity - Shadowfang Keep, Lord Walden
[V] Seafoam Mantle - 1650 JP
Note that the Burden slightly edges out the Mantle by 20 points.
[H] Fallen Snow Shoulderguards - Vortex Pinnacle, Grand Vizier Ertan
Back:
[H] Solar Wind Cloak - Halls of Origination, Rajh
Chest:
[H] Chromis Chestpiece - Throne of the Tides, Commander Ulthok
[C] Twilight Scale Chestguard - Leatherworking
[H] Breastplate of the Stilled Heart - Shadowfang Keep, Commander Springvale
Wrist:
[H] Shackles of the Betrayed - Deadmines, Vanessa VanCleef
Hands:
[H] Old Friend's Gloves - Deadmines, Helix Gearbreaker
[V] Gleaning Gloves 1650 JP
Waist:
[C] Stormleather Sash - Leatherworking
[H] Belt of the Still Stream - 1650 JP
[R] Sash of Prophecy - Ramkahen Revered
Legs:
[R] Wilderness Legguards - Guardians of Hyjal Revered
[H] Chaotic Wrappings - Halls of Origination, Setesh
Boots:
[H] Dark Iron Chain Boots - Grim Batol, Forgemaster Throngus
[R] Earthmender's Boots - Earthen Ring Exalted
Rings:
[H] Kibble - Blackrock Caverns, Beauty
[H] Veneficial Band - Lost City of the Tol'vir, Lockmaw
Or
[R] Diamant's Ring of Temperance - Therazane Revered
[H] Rose Quartz Band - The Stonecore, Slabhide
Trinkets: In order of desirability.
[C] Darkmoon Card: Tsunami - Tsunami Deck, Inscriptor-Made
[C] Vibrant Alchemist Stone - Alchemy
[C] Tyrande's Favorite Doll - Archaeology
[H] Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
[H] Witching Hourglass - Blackrock Caverns, Ascendant Lord Obsidius
Weapon:
[H] Torturer's Mercy - Blackrock Caverns, Rom'ogg Bonecrusher
[H] Scepter of Power - Halls of Origination, Setesh
Off-Hand:
[C] Elementium Stormshield - Blacksmith
Relic:
[H] Captured Lightning - Vortex Pinnacle, Asaad
Section 4 - Gems, Enchants, Trinkets
Gems
You have options with gems now - it isn't just brainlessly zerging your primary stat. Your gem choices depend on your stat priorities. Good socket bonuses ought to be gemmed for now. What constitutes as a good bonus? Just about anything with an Intellect or Spirit bonus of at least 10 or a bonus for your stack stat of at least 20. This means more hybrid gems. You need two yellows to activate your Meta.
Meta: Ember Shadowspirit Diamond
Red - Intellect: Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Yellow - Crit: Potent Ember Topaz
Yellow - Mastery: Artful Ember Topaz
Yellow - Haste: Reckless Ember Topaz
Purple - Int/Spirit: Purified Demonseye
Enchants
Head - Int/Crit: Arcanum of Hyjal
Shoulder - Int/Haste: Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone
Cloak - Intellect: Enchant Cloak - Intellect
Upgraded: Enchant Cloak - Greater Intellect
Chest - Stats: Enchant Chest - Mighty Stats
Upgraded: Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats
Bracers - Spirit: Enchant Bracer - Exceptional Spirit
Bracers - Haste: Enchant Bracer - Speed
Upgraded: Enchant Bracer - Greater Speed
Bracers - Intellect Enchant Bracer - Mighty Intellect
Gloves - Haste: Enchant Gloves - Haste
Gloves - Mastery: Enchant Gloves - Mastery
Upgraded: Enchant Gloves - Greater Mastery
Belt - Socket: Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
Legs - Int/Spirit: Ghostly Spellthread
Upgraded: : Powerful Ghostly Spellthread
Boots - Mastery: Enchant Boots - Mastery
Boots - Haste: Enchant Boots - Haste
OH - Intellect: Enchant Off-Hand - Superior Intellect
Weapon - Heartsong: Enchant Weapon - Heartsong
Upgraded - Power Torrent: Enchant Weapon - Power Torrent
I present multiple stat options for your enchants on purpose - it's up to you, based on your current raiding situation, to decide how to balance your stats based on what secondary stat after spirit you want the most. The only option above I would currently list as mandatory would be Spirit on bracers and to have at least something on everything.
Haste:
If you're short of a breakpoint, you can swap in Haste to bridge the gap if you're stacking Crit or Mastery and want to stay as close to the 916 point as possible. Generally the procedure will be:
20 Haste - 1 Gem
40 Haste - 2 Gems
50 Haste - 1 Enchant
60 Haste - 3 Gems
65 Haste - 1 Upg. Enchant
70 Haste - 1 Gem, 1 Enchant
80 Haste - 4 Gems
85 Haste - 1 Gem, 1 Upg. Enchant
90 Haste - 2 Gems, 1 Enchant
100 Haste - 5 Gems or 2 Enchants
For the sake of maintaining the highest enchant stat gain - if you want Mastery, switch your Bracer enchant. If you want Crit, switch your Boot enchant.
Trinkets
I was overwhelmed at first by all the trinkets out there. The key is recognizing which ones are actually good - unless it's an interesting effect like Shard of Woe, generally trinkets with passive intellect and a spirit proc or stacking buff will be the most useful. Early on, however, your main priority will just be getting a setup that works, so generally min/maxing goes out the window.
Pre-Heroic: In order of desirability
Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Blood of Isiset - Halls of Origination, Isiset
Rainsong - Vortex Pinnacle Zone Drop(BoE)
Talisman of Sinister Order - Quest Reward, Firing Squad (Uldum)
As long as you have either Tear of Blood or Blood of Isiset and one other trinket, you'll be fine. The last two listed are the only decent non-spirit trinkets I can find, and even then they're thoroughly "meh".
Heroic:
Figurine - Dream Owl - JC Only
Tear of Blood - The Stonecore, High Priestess Azil
Spirit trinkets aren't as powerful as they were before the MTT change, but they still yield sizable mana regeneration for their uptime.
Witching Hourglass - Blackrock Caverns, Ascendant Lord Obsidius
Gale of Shadows - Grim Batol, Erudax
The hourglass is pretty much the only viable throughput trinket out there at the moment. The Gale isn't terrific as a pure throughput trinket, primarily serving as a band-aid if you're significantly behind the 916 haste breakthrough and need something to catch up.
Raid Level: Courtesy of Remiri - Blade's Edge
The raid trinkets work odd. If you have the cash to sink into it, you can get both of your BiS trinkets before you even hit 85.
Darkmoon Card: Tsunami - Tsunami Deck, Darkmoon Cards (Inscriptor-made)
Special note: spirit buff currently works with MTT.
Vibrant Alchemist Stone - Alchemy
If you don't want to switch your professions around for the Stone, then you can sink some time into Archaeology and pick up:
Tyrande's Favorite Doll - Archaeology, Night Elven Find
After that comes your two trinkets that you actually invest raid time into but rank at the bottom:
Fall of Mortality - Bastion of Twilight, Cho'gall
Core of Ripeness - 1650 Valor Badges.
I left off the JAR (Jar of Ancient Remedies) very pointedly. For an explanation, go here: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/1577519250?page=13#256
Section 5 - Professions and Consumables
I ripped much of this from Reesi's thread because I liked the formatting, most of the information was right there, and most importantly I have no shame. At least I gave my source!
Note: The "pick a stat" items only choose primary stats. In that regard, Spirit is not considered and so those items will always give Intellect. Which you want, because Int > Spirit anyway.
Professions
Alchemy
Mixology - Increases the effectiveness of Flasks and Elixirs. You need to know the recipe.
Flask of Enhancement - This is used as a way for Alchemists to always keep their profession bonuses when not raid flasked.
Flask of the Draconic Mind - 80 Bonus Intellect
Ghost Elixir - 40 Bonus Spirit
Flask of Battle - 80 Bonus Intellect
Blacksmithing
Socket Bracer and Socket Gloves - 80 Bonus Intellect
Enchanting
x2 [Enchant Ring - Intellect] -80 Bonus Intellect
Engineering
Lightweight Bio-Optic Killshades - Equal to tier 11, depending on stats.
Cogwheels:
Fractured Cogwheel
Quick Cogwheel
Smooth Cogwheel
Sparkling Cogwheel
So long as Spirit is always used as a Cogwheel, you can pair it with any of your choosing. Go by your gearing choices.
Tinkers:
Synapse Springs - These find your highest attribute (Intellect) and increase it by 480. Used on CD, it's roughly equal to the other 80 stat bonuses.
Herbalism
Lifeblood - On-use Haste rating with a small heal. It's at least something for choosing a gathering stat.
Inscription
Felfire Inscription - 80 Bonus Intellect
Jewelcrafting
Chimera's Eyes once again provide the strongest bonuses for stats.
3x Brilliant Chimera's Eye - 81 Bonus Intellect
Leatherworking
Draconic Embossment - Intellect - 80 Bonus Intellect.
Mining
Toughness - 120 Bonus Stamina
Skinning
Master of Anatomy - 80 Bonus Critical Strike Rating
Tailoring
Tailoring is ... iffy. The intellect proc is technically superior to other profession enchants, but the problem is that its a random proc with a 45s ICD, so it may proc when its useful or useless.
Lightweave Embroidery - 580 Intellect for 15s, 45s ICD.
Consumables
Food Buffs
Seafood Magnifique Feast - Standard raid food, assuming your guild fisherpeople aren't lazy.
Fortune Cookie - If feasts are unavailable, this is the number one choice.
COOKIE MONSTER WAS HERE!
Severed Sagefish Head - If your scribes are lazy too, then use this one.
Flasks and Elixirs
Flask of the Draconic Mind - The best flask option for any healer. Default choice.
Flask of Flowing Water - If you're utterly desperate for more Spirit, use this one.
Flask of Battle - Gives Intellect - there's no way to rig it for Spirit.
Potions
There's only two options for potions.
Potion of Concentration - If you can manage the full 10 seconds, you get more mana than the Mythical.
Mythical Mana Potion - The alternative.
Section 7 - Principles of Healing
Healing Wave - Slow, super efficient, heals for little.
Greater Healing Wave - Slow, efficient, heals for a lot.
Healing Surge - Fast, inefficient, heals for slightly less than GHW.
Chain Heal - Slow, efficient with multiple bounces, heals total for around the same as a GHW.
Riptide - Instant, super efficient heal. Initial heal is around the same as a healing wave with a HoT component - when glyphed, heals for more than a GHW. Procs Tidal Waves on use and when followed up with a Chain Heal will give a 30% boost.
Healing Rain - After a short cast, puts down a circle where targets standing within the circle are continually healed over 10 seconds. Super efficient on 5+ people for the full duration.
Healing Stream Totem - Water Totem. When placed down, provides a small, ongoing HoT to party members within range and resistances to group/raid members.
Earth Shield - Places a shield on the target that heals the target whenever it takes damage. Causes the target to take 15% increased healing from you while active. 9 charges.
Water Shield - Places a shield on yourself that provides a steady source of mana regeneration while giving mana back whenever you take damage or when Improved WS is procced.
Unleash Elements (Earthliving) - Heals the target instantly for a small amount and leaves you with a short buff upping your next heal by 30%. Does not affect HR.
Spiritwalker's Grace - Lets you cast while moving for 15 seconds. Use it in emergencies.
Spirit Link Totem - Reduces damage taken by those within its radius by 10% and every second readjusts the health percentages of players in its range to be equal. Note that it drops at your feet.
Strategies:
Never panic when healing. Stay calm.
Keep Earth Shield on the tank.
Keep Water Shield on yourself.
Always have your totems placed.
If you use a temporary totem put your long-term totem back afterwards.
Triage - meaning if someone is about to die, don't waste time topping up the random person who took a tick of damage from Fire and heal the player about to die. Burn mana on HS if you have to. However, once everyone is over the threshold that they need to be to survive, use your efficient heals.
Party members are responsible for their own health pools. The occasional screw-up is going to happen for everyone, but if you end up carrying people, you need to correct that.
Don't let people tell you it's your fault if it's not. Avoidable damage is not your problem.
Basic techniques:
If you have the opportunity to dispel something nasty off someone and someone won't die in that GCD, do so.
Don't stress healing someone up to full - HST or any number of procs might heal them to full.
Try your best to not waste mana by refreshing Riptide on a target that has it - Riptide someone else and use TW.
Use UE on cool-down with GHW or CH if you won't waste any of the heal.
Keep an idea of how much Mana Tide will regenerate for you over its duration and aim to use it in two situations: when you've lost that much mana and aren't doing much, or will spend that much mana over its duration and never cap your mana during it.
Use HW whenever you can get away with it. It's basically free healing.
GHW is a massive heal - you can heal a lot at once with it, but the mana cost is higher at the same time. Preferably, use it with TW to speed it up.
HS is a fast heal for emergencies. Only use it when the .3 or so seconds that you save instead of using GHW is the difference between life or death for someone, or it's wasted.
If you need to move but the group/tank is taking a lot of damage, use SWG and keep healing.
Spirit Link Totem:
Use SLT to reduce damage taken overall and equalize health so you can use AoE heals to top everyone off. It also serves to split burst damage between all players in its radius after the spell hits that player, which means people can still die under SLT if they can't survive the initial hit.
Tank Healing:
Never over-ride ES, but refresh it immediately when it falls off unless the tank is going to die without a heal. Then refresh it afterward.
Always maintain a Riptide buff on the tank.
Keep Ancestral Healing buffed on the tank.
Try to stick with HW, only using GHW when the tank is taking damage too quickly to stay alive with HW. Either way, use Riptide on cooldown for the haste buffs to both spells.
Group Healing:
It is always more efficient to dispel a dot instead of healing through it.
HR and CH only work when people group together. Nail it in the group's head that they group together when you're AoE healing or they die.
Section 8 - FAQ, LFAQ, and Misc. Info
F.A.Q: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does my CC break randomly?
A: "Heartbeat Resists" check your hit rating every three seconds or so for breaks. As we're healers, we have no hit rating, so every three seconds we have a ~6% chance that our CC randomly breaks. Don't CC if you can avoid it.
Q: Why do Elitist Jerks and this forum disagree with the stat priorities?
A: It's a very long story that because of a character limit on posts, I can't fit in its entirety here. The dirty laundry is over in Jynus's thread somewhere, I believe. Either way, Jynus has finally gotten in there so hopefully they will soon hear the good word of Mastery.
Q: I can't keep up with all the damage! /le sob
A: /tissue
Alright, you need to ask yourself these questions:
Is the tank adequately geared for this instance?
Is the tank doing something wrong, like not using cooldowns properly?
Are the DPS standing in things they're not supposed to or not interrupting?
Is the group using CC when feasible?
Does the group know what to do for the fight?
Are you adequately geared for this instance?
Are you geared correctly?
If the answer to any of those questions is "no" then fix it. If you still have problems, post them.
Q: I manage to keep up with the damage ... until I run OOM.
A: See above.
Now, does WS have less than a 99% uptime?
Are you not stacking Spirit until you bleed it?
Are you using HS/GHW/HR when you could use HW/RT/CH?
Are you using HS, period, when someone wouldn't die otherwise?
If the answer to any of those questions is "yes" then stop it. If you still have problems, post them.
L.F.A.Q: Less Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What addons, if any, should I use?
A: That's determined by what your computer can take. There are many smaller addons with very useful features that I'd reccomend anyone have, and some larger ones that are very useful but aren't totally essential to use and you can get by without.
You can find a list of what I use in Section 9. You can either look at my UI for reference and pick what you like or fish around on your own and find your own goodies.
If you need to cut addon memory, I would stick to Grid, Clique (to dispel), and ShieldsUp. Probably would toss in Skada just because of how wide-range its use is.
Q: What are "mouseovers" and "click to cast" and why does everyone use them?
A: A mouseover is a spell macro that allows you to move your mouse over a raid frame and press the key that the mouseover is bound to and cast the spell. Click to cast means using Clique to click a button on your mouse and cast a spell, sometimes in combination with modifier keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt).
Mouseovers and C2C will for most people dramatically increase your reaction time and for the few that it won't, it very much improves your quality of life and still has a minor improvement to your performance. I for a long time opposed change to mouseovers, but I made the change recently and I'm enjoying it.
Q: How are people managing to break their freeze on Ozruk?
A: When he casts his spell reflect, cast Flame Shock. When he uses Paralyze, your DoT breaks it. Dispel group. Profit.
Links:
Elitist Jerks Shaman - http://elitistjerks.com/f79
Jynus Raid Guide - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2369739879
Shaman Macro Archive - http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2369739861
Misc. Macro Listings:
Using this macro, when you press HR repeatedly, it doesn't remove the targeting reticle:
#showtooltip healing rain
/cast !healing rain
Mouseover macro. Substitute GHW for whichever spell you're currently adding.
#showtooltip Greater Healing Wave
/cast [target=mouseover,help,nodead][help][target=player] Greater Healing Wave
Taken from SecretGarden Steamweedle
Enhancement Shaman Gearing for Raids - 4.1 4.2
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Gearing by Item Slot
3. Reputation, and what they mean to Enhancement
4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement
5. Valor and Justice Points
6. Craftable Items
7. Rise of the Zandalari
8. Other notes
1. Introduction
As of this post, the Cataclysm Beta just came to a close, and I decided to build a Cataclysm gear "wish list." While doing so, I searched through all of the known Cataclysm drops for items I might be interested in acquiring, and made a list. Since I had already done half the work, I figured why not help a few others save some time by writing a guide with the information I compiled.
If you have any questions or if you see any corrections that need to be made, feel free to post and let me know. Everything below I learned either by running heroic dungeons on the Cataclysm Beta or by searching through the item database at Wowhead.com and mmo-champion.com. Due to much of the information being directly from personal experience in Beta, it is subject to change for the live version. I will keep these posts as up to date as I am able.
What you will find here: Gearing options that don't involve raiding, item lists of various types, listing by item slot, by location, as well as including craftable, BoE, and vendor items. I will include some recommendations with the item-by-slot list.
What you will not find here: Item specific Gemming, Enchanting and Reforging strategies. Due to the fact that what you should do with any given item changes depending on what your overall gear set looks like, it's impossible for me to tell you whether you should reforge that Haste rating to Mastery, Expertise or Hit rating.
When gearing for entry level raiding as Enhancement, you'll need to keep a few things in mind. We need hit rating. Lots and lots of hit rating. So much hit rating, that you'll likely need to reforge all of your early gear for hit, and after doing so, you'll still very likely be short of your caps. You need 1742 Hit rating, to be exact (1639 for Draenei.) Hit and expertise combined, we need more total rating to cap our active abilities than anyone else. We also need 541 Expertise rating (451 as a Dwarf with Maces or an Orc with Axes/Fists), making it a total of 2283 rating to hit a boss with our strikes and spells without fail... assuming you're behind the boss. And you should be.
Roughly, our stat weights rank in this order: Agility > Hit rating to spell cap = Expertise Rating to dodge cap > Mastery > Critical strike rating >= Haste rating. Crit and Haste are coming in at the bottom by a wide margin. Of course, after reaching the spell hit and expertise caps, those become the least desirable stats to have more of.
With the coming changes, Agility will always remain substantially better than Mastery. Crit and Haste ratings are literally less than half as valuable as Mastery. Because of this, pieces of gear with both Hit and Mastery are extremely attractive, and will be very difficult to replace, even by items of a much higher level. Basically, if a piece of gear doesn't have Hit, Expertise or Mastery on it, it's not likely to even be worth looking at, and I have exluded many such pieces from this list for that reason.
As far as reforging goes, your first priority is getting to the Hit cap. Once you're there, reforge for the Expertise cap. After that, you want to acquire as much Mastery as you possibly can - if you have a Haste/Crit piece, reforge whichever stat is higher into Mastery (or, usually, Haste into Mastery if they are equal).
Hopefully I can be of some help for where you should be on the lookout for gear early on at 85, as well as pointing out craftable and BoE items you can pick up with minimal time spent. All blue items I refer to will be the heroic version, if a heroic version exists, unless otherwise stated. All gear listed here can be obtained without you personally stepping foot inside a raid instance.
2. Gearing by Item Slot
Here, I'll list as many options for each item slot as I can without going into the Haste/Crit variety more than I need to, and provide some suggestions on what you should do. Keep in mind, like all things in World of Warcraft, this is subject to change.
Helm
Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Craftable (Engineering - BoP)
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Drop (Daakara - ZA)
Renouncer's Cowl - Drop (Corla, Herald of Twilight - BRC)
Windhome Helm - Wildhammer/Dragonmaw
Worgen Hunter's Helm - Drop (Lord Godfrey - SFK)
If you are an engineer, you can give yourself a very big head start in the Hit and Expertise rating department. Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades allow you to place two different Cogwheel gems in the unique Engineer-only sockets. Cogwheels give a +208 rating bonus to two secondary stats of your choosing, but Cogwheels are unique, so you can't choose two Rigid Cogwheels or two Precise Cogwheels. You can have one of each, though.
If the Engineering goggles aren't an option for you, you'll want to try to acquire the Renouncer's Cowl from Corla, Herald of Twilight in Blacrock Caverns until a time comes when you're able to do Zul'Aman or the tier 11 helm token is available to you. If you're desperate, go ahead and pick up the Wildhammer/Dragonmaw helm, but it's not very good for us, and you have better reputations to be going after first.
Neck
Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace - World Drop
Amulet of the Watcher - Drop (Bloodlord Mandokir - ZG)
Mouth of the Earth - Drop (Earthrager Ptah - HoO)
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto - Drop (Ozruk - SC)
Mouth of the Earth, from Earthrager Ptah in Halls of Origination is the most well itemized neck slot item for us in Cataclysm content. Don Rodrigo's is a world drop epic, but probably isn't much better than Mouth of the Earth, so it's up to you. Both will eventually be outdone by Necklace of Strife due to sheer item levels, but Mouth of the Earth is very comparable to the normal version, at least. Definitely pick this one up if you are able.
Shoulder
Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Drop (Nalorakk - ZA)
Bloodpetal Mantle - Drop (Ammunae - HoO)
Wrap of the Valley Glades - Justice Points
For your shoulder slot, the most well itemized piece you can acquire are the Spaulders of the Raging Elements, but until you're in a position where acquiring the token is likely, you'll want to pick up either Bloodpetal Mantle from Halls of Origination, or Wrap of the Valley Glades from Justice Points, and upgrade to Pauldrons of Nalorakk once ZA/ZG are open to you.
Back
Dory's Finery - World Drop
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim - Drop (Nalorakk timed chest - ZA)
Viewless Wings - Valor Points
Kaleki Cloak - Drop (General Husam - LC)
Cape of the Brotherhood - Drop ("Captain" Cookie - DM)
Cloak of Thredd - Drop (Helix Gearbreaker - DM)
Softwind Cape - Earthen Ring reputation
Kaleki Cloak, from General Husam in the Lost City of the Tol'vir is easily the best option for early on. If you're unable to wrest it from him, Cape of the Brotherhood and Cloak of Thredd (both conveniently from heroic Deadmines) and Softwind Cape from The Earthen Ring are acceptable alternatives. Viewless Wings should be one of your last Valor point purchases. Dory's Finery is a world drop epic that will likely last you until heroic raids if you get your hands on it, but Kaleki is very comparable. The Zul'Aman cloak is another acceptable alternative, but it's not really good enough to be worth going out of your way for if you have the Kaleki Cloak.
Chest
Dragonkiller Tunic - Craftable (Leatherworking - BoE)
Cuirass of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Drop (Halazzi - ZA)
Vest of the True Companion - Justice Points
Here is where you have a few options. The chest slot is one of only two armor slots you can fill using a craftable, bind on equip epic. Dragonkiller Tunic and Vest of the True Companion are very comparable depending on your current gear - Vest of the True Companion works out to better in almost all gear sets. Dragonkiller Tunic is only better if you're swimming in hit rating and can't reforge or regem any of it to mastery.. but that's pretty unlikely. Depending on how much gold you want to spend or time you want to spend farming, it's really up to you. Both the Halazzi drop and tier 11 pieces are superior to both, so pick up one of those when you are able.
Wrist
Wristguards of the Predator - Drop (Akil'zon - ZA)
Elementium Scale Bracers - Drop (Ozruk - SC)
There aren't many bracer options for us. The only noteworthy blue are the Ozruk drop in Stonecore, but unless you're really lacking hit rating, pick up Wristguards of the Predator as soon as you can.
Gloves
Grips of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Handguards of the Tormented - Drop (Cache of Madness - ZA)
Gloves of the Passing Night - Justice Points
Traitor's Grips - Drop (Baron Ashbury - SFK)
Wrasse Handwraps - Drop (Lady Naz'jar - TotT)
There are quite a few options for your glove slot. None of them are particularly amazing, but the best option outside raiding and Valor Points is the easiest to get - Gloves of the Passing Night which are purchaseable with Justice Points. Due to the cheaper cost of glove slot items, you'll probably want to make Grips of the Raging Elements your first or second purchase with Valor points.
Belt
Corded Viper Belt - Craftable (Leatherworking - BoE)
Waistband of Hexes - Drop (Hex Lord Malacrass - ZA)
Belt of the Dim Forest - Justice Points
Hail-Strung Belt - Drop (Altairus - VP)
Your belt is the second slot you can fill with a Bind on Equip, craftable item. Corded Viper Belt is significantly better than the Coil of Ten-Thousand Screams that you acquire in normal difficulty raids (in fact, it's better than the heroic version), so I'd strongly recommend buying or having one crafted. If you're cheap, or don't have a lot of gold or farming time to spare, the Belt of the Dim Forest is easy to acquire via Justice Points and Waistband of Hexes will serve you well as well.
Legs
Legguards of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Balkar's Waders - Drop (High Prophet Barim - LC)
Arrowsinger Legguards - World drop
Arrowsinger Legguards are a world drop BoE that are extremely good for us. Pick them up if you are able, you will not replace them until heroic raiding.
Balkar's Waders, from High Prophet Barim in the Lost City of the Tol'vir are the most useful blue leggings you'll find in Cataclysm. If you're desperate, though, there's a pair of Haste/Crit leggings from the Justice Point vendor or a drop from Zanzil in ZG, but I don't recommend sticking with either of those. Due to the other four pieces of Raging Elements being very nice, you might want to opt out of getting the legs... or at least save them for last. Once you're raiding, Leggings of Lethal Force are better, and for the most part, none of the other Raging Elements pieces are able to be replaced by non set gear. If you won't be raiding, or are having bad luck with drops, the set piece isn't a bad option.
Feet
Treads of Malorne - Guardians of Hyjal
Boots of Crumbling Ruin - Drop (Anraphet - HoO)
Haunting Footfalls - Drop (Commander Springvale - SFK)
Here's one of the easiest to fill slots with a very high quality piece of gear. Treads of Malorne from the Guardians of Hyjal faction are extremely well itemized for us, and will make a strong case for best-in-slot until tier 12 arrives. Heroic Boots of Vertigo are probably a little better, but not a lot better. Get the Treads as soon as possible, they will serve you well. Until then, there are some options from Halls of Origination and Shadowfang Keep to hold you over. There is a pair of boots available from Valor Points, but Treads of Malorne are so much better and easier to acquire that they aren't worth getting your hands on.
Finger
Signet of the Elder Council - Earthen Ring
Gilnean Ring of Ruination - World drop
Hornet-Sting Band - Valor Points
Quickfinger Ring - Drop (ZA Trash)
Arlokk's Signet - Drop (High Priestess Kilnara - ZG)
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Therazane
Band of Blades - Craftable (Jewelcrafting - BoE)
Ring of Blinding Stars - Drop (Isiset - HoO)
Ring of Dun Algaz - Drop (Forgemaster Throngus - GB)
Elementium Destroyer's Ring - Craftable (Jewelcrafting - BoE)
Tons of options for rings! Terrath's Signet of Balance will be competitive with most item level 359 epics. Signet of the Elder Council from the Earthen Ring will serve you well as well. There is a world drop and valor point ring, as well as a Zul'Aman BoE trash drop that should be very cheap, though the valor point one you probably want to save for last. There are two craftable rings you can make use of, as well as a handful of drops from various dungeons (no pun intended).
Trinket
Fluid Death - 1650 Valor Points
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Craftable (Inscription - BoE)
Unsolvable Riddle - Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Skardyn's Grace - Drop (General Umbris - GB)
Tia's Grace - Drop (Siamat - LC)
Grace of the Herald - Drop (Corla, Herald of Twilight - BRC)
Key to the Endless Chamber - Drop (Corborus - SC)
Left Eye of Rajh - Drop (Rahj - HoO)
Schnottz's Medallion of Command - Uldum quest reward
Figurine - Demon Panther - Dropped quest (JC only)
Trinkets have always been the hardest slot to fill. This may or may not be the case anymore, Blizzard stated they felt that through Wrath certain specs had a difficult time finding suitable trinkets. They've always been the hardest items to get, but that seems to no longer be a problem.
Fluid Death is an excellent use for Valor points, but you might want to wait until you have at least your tier 10 two-piece bonus. Darkmoon Card: Hurricane is an excellent option if you have loads of resources to spend on acquiring it. Unsolvable Riddle can be acquired from Baradin's Wardens at exalted. There are drops in Grim Batol, Lost City, Blackrock Caverns, Stonecore and Halls of Origination that will all suffice. A quest reward, Schnotzz's Medallion of Command would also likely hold you over until raids. Tia's Grace specifically is an excellent option and compares to heroic raid level trinkets (though your best options are Fluid Death and Darkmoon Card: Hurricane.)
Weapons
Maimgor's Bite - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Torment - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Agony - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Arlokk's Claws - Drop (Renataki - ZG)
Thekal's Claws - Drop (Hazza'rah - ZG)
Mace of the Sacrificed - Drop (Daakara - ZA)
Fist of Pained Senses - Drop (Corborus - SC)
Elementium Gutslicer - Craftable (Blacksmithing - BoE)
Lightning Whelk Axe - Drop (Lady Naz'jar - TotT)
Ravening Slicer - Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Windslicer - Justice Points
Hammer of Sparks - Drop (Siamat - LC)
Cookie's Tenderizer - Drop (Captain Cookie - DM)
Vicious Gladiator's Left Ripper - 950 Conquest Points
Vicious Gladiator's Right Ripper - 2450 Conquest Points
There are plenty of options here. It's hard to run heroics for very long without finding a suitable pair of weapons.
It's worth noting that Cookie's Tenderizer, despite being a strength weapon, is an excellent choice. It's the slowest one-hander in Cataclysm, meaning your Lava Lash will hit very hard with it in the off-hand, and it's very solid in the main hand as well.
The Vicious Gladiator's fist weapon off-hand is very cheap and easy to get - You can win 2 rated battlegrounds or 4 2v2 matches and have enough Conquest Points for it. The main hand fist weapon, mace or axe are a bit more expensive (the one you pick up is purely cosmetic), but would only take 2-3 weeks to acquire and may be worth doing. They will be better for you than blues, but not as good as most of the epic drops.
Maimgor's Bite, and the set Torment and Agony are all Bind on Equip. Since slow agility off-hands are rarely used by anyone other than Enhancement Shamans, if you're on a server with a lot of active raid groups, you might be able to get Maimgor's Bite for a reasonable price if you're lucky. There are also 3 weapon options in the Zandalari heroics, which are as valuable as their 353 item level would suggest.
Relic
Relic of Golganneth - 700 Valor Points
Sandshift Relic - Drop (Ascendant Lord Obsidius - BRC)
Relic of Arathor - Drop (Lord Godfrey - SFK)
Silver Inlaid Leaf - Craftable (Inscription - BoE)
There are very few options for the relic slot. Sandshift Relic from Ascendant Lord Obsidius in Blackrock Caverns is your best-in-slot relic. Relic of Golganneth is close enough that it may be worth picking up when you get to a point that you're swimming in Valor Points, but prioritize that last, relics tend to give the least benefit.
That should be everything as far as pre raid gearing goes. You're not going to get all of it. You'll likely get epics from raids for a slot or two before you get the appropriate blue for that slot. Some pieces may simply never drop. The best advice I can give is try to focus on what you need most now rather than what the best possible setup is. Immediate improvement leads to faster progression. You never know what will drop or when, saving for a very specific setup isn't going to be worth it most of the time.
3. Reputations, and what they mean to Enhancement
Listed in order of importance (in my opinion)
Therazane
Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal - Exalted
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Revered
Ramkahen
Arcanum of the Ramkahen - Revered
Guardians of Hyjal
Treads of Malorne - Exalted
The Earthen Ring
Signet of the Elder Council - Exalted
Softwind Cape - Revered
Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Ravening Slicer - Revered
Unsolvable Riddle - Exalted
Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan
Windhome Helm / Snarling Helm - Revered
4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement
Blackrock Caverns:
Renouncer's Cowl
Grace of the Herald
Sandshift Relic
Halls of Origination:
Mouth of the Earth
Bloodpetal Mantle
Boots of Crumbling Ruin
Ring of Blinding Stars
Left Eye of Rajh
Throne of the Tides:
Wrasse Handwraps
Lightning Whelk Axe
Stonecore:
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto
Elementium Scale Bracers
Key to the Endless Chamber
Fist of Pained Senses
Lost City of the Tol'vir:
Kaleki Cloak
Balkar's Waders
Mirage Ring
Tia's Grace
Hammer of Sparks
Shadowfang Keep:
Traitor's Grips
Haunting Footfalls
Relic of Arathor
Worgen Hunter's Helm
Deadmines:
Cape of the Brotherhood
Cloak of Thredd
Cookie's Tenderizer
Grim Batol:
Ring of Dun Algaz
Skardyn's Grace
Vortex Pinnacle:
Hail-Strung Belt
5. Valor and Justice Points
Justice Points, and what you can acquire
These, as I'm sure you know, are acquired by defeating bosses in Heroic 5 player dungeons, as well as doing a normal random dungeon. There is a vendor to redeem your points in Stormwind and Orgrimmar, depending on your faction.
Wrap of the Valley Glades - 1650
Vest of the True Companion - 2200
Gloves of the Passing Night - 1650
Belt of the Dim Forest - 1650
Windslicer - 950
Valor Points, and their rewards
Valor points are the currency earned in the most recent tier of raids in Cataclysm, and can be redeemed for the best gear. A set amount can be acquired once per day by completing a random heroic dungeon, and will be earned by raiding Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight, Baradin Hold, and Throne of the Four Winds. As new content patches are released, your Valor Points and their rewards will eventually be converted into Justice Points, and the latest content will have new rewards for Valor Points, which will then only be earned in the new raids or random heroics once per day. There is a limit on how many Valor Points you can acquire per week.
Viewless Wings - 1250
Cuirass of the Raging Elements - 2200
Grips of the Raging Elements - 1650
Legguards of the Raging Elements - 2200
Fluid Death -1650
Relic of Golganneth - 700
6. Craftable items
Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Engineering - BoP
Dragonkiller Tunic - Leatherworking - BoE
Corded Viper Belt - Leatherworking - BoE
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Inscription - BoE
Band of Blades - Jewelcrafting - BoE
Elementium Destroyer's Ring - Jewelcrafting - BoE
Figurine - Demon Panther - Jewelcrafting - BoP
Elementium Gutslicer - Blacksmithing - BoE
Silver Inlaid Leaf - Inscription - BoE
7. Rise of the Zandalari
These two new heroic-only dungeons require an average item level of 346 to enter via the Dungeon Finder. All of the drops contained within are item level 353 epics, and there are a lot of items that are hard to replace. Please keep in mind that any piece of gear from these instances with both haste and crit is not worth using over a 346 blue that has one better secondary stat. (Balkar's Waders are superior to Zombie Walker Legguards for example.)
Zul'Gurub
Required bosses: High Priest Venoxis, High Priestess Kilnara, Bloodlord Mandokir, Zanzil, Jin'do the Godbreaker
Optional bosses - Edge of Madness - one party member must have 525 Archaeology to summon: Gri'lek, Wushoolay, Hazza'rah, Renataki. There are also numerous other named mobs with many non-gear drops. "Cache of Madness" means it can drop from any Edge of Madness boss despite what the tooltip tells you.
Arlokk's Claws - Renataki
Thekal's Claws - Hazza'rah
Handguards of the Tormented - Cache of Madness
Amulet of the Watcher - Bloodlord Mandokir
Arlokk's Signet - High Priestess Kilnara
Zul'Aman
Zul'Aman, unlike Zul'Gurub, is nearly identical in layout to the original. That's not a bad thing, to me at least, the original Zul'Aman was one of the most fun raid zones ever released, and it's hard to improve on something that was so exceptional. Like the original, there are extra rewards for killing the first 4 bosses quickly. The first (Akil'zon) always gives a bag of gold coins. The second and third (Nalorakk, Jan'alai) always have pieces of gear, and the fourth (Halazzi) always has the new recolored Amani Bear. While the bosses aren't as difficult as the original, the trash definitely can be. Getting the bear isn't impossible by any stretch, but it won't be easy either until you significantly out gear it.
Wristguards of the Predator - Akil'zon
Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Nalorakk
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Halazzi
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim - Nalorakk timed chest
Waistband of Hexes - Hex Lord Malacrass
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Daakara
Mace of the Sacrificed - Daakara
Quickfinger Ring - Trash
Taken from Ashunera
1. Introduction
2. Gearing by Item Slot
3. Reputation, and what they mean to Enhancement
4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement
5. Valor and Justice Points
6. Craftable Items
7. Rise of the Zandalari
8. Other notes
1. Introduction
As of this post, the Cataclysm Beta just came to a close, and I decided to build a Cataclysm gear "wish list." While doing so, I searched through all of the known Cataclysm drops for items I might be interested in acquiring, and made a list. Since I had already done half the work, I figured why not help a few others save some time by writing a guide with the information I compiled.
If you have any questions or if you see any corrections that need to be made, feel free to post and let me know. Everything below I learned either by running heroic dungeons on the Cataclysm Beta or by searching through the item database at Wowhead.com and mmo-champion.com. Due to much of the information being directly from personal experience in Beta, it is subject to change for the live version. I will keep these posts as up to date as I am able.
What you will find here: Gearing options that don't involve raiding, item lists of various types, listing by item slot, by location, as well as including craftable, BoE, and vendor items. I will include some recommendations with the item-by-slot list.
What you will not find here: Item specific Gemming, Enchanting and Reforging strategies. Due to the fact that what you should do with any given item changes depending on what your overall gear set looks like, it's impossible for me to tell you whether you should reforge that Haste rating to Mastery, Expertise or Hit rating.
When gearing for entry level raiding as Enhancement, you'll need to keep a few things in mind. We need hit rating. Lots and lots of hit rating. So much hit rating, that you'll likely need to reforge all of your early gear for hit, and after doing so, you'll still very likely be short of your caps. You need 1742 Hit rating, to be exact (1639 for Draenei.) Hit and expertise combined, we need more total rating to cap our active abilities than anyone else. We also need 541 Expertise rating (451 as a Dwarf with Maces or an Orc with Axes/Fists), making it a total of 2283 rating to hit a boss with our strikes and spells without fail... assuming you're behind the boss. And you should be.
Roughly, our stat weights rank in this order: Agility > Hit rating to spell cap = Expertise Rating to dodge cap > Mastery > Critical strike rating >= Haste rating. Crit and Haste are coming in at the bottom by a wide margin. Of course, after reaching the spell hit and expertise caps, those become the least desirable stats to have more of.
With the coming changes, Agility will always remain substantially better than Mastery. Crit and Haste ratings are literally less than half as valuable as Mastery. Because of this, pieces of gear with both Hit and Mastery are extremely attractive, and will be very difficult to replace, even by items of a much higher level. Basically, if a piece of gear doesn't have Hit, Expertise or Mastery on it, it's not likely to even be worth looking at, and I have exluded many such pieces from this list for that reason.
As far as reforging goes, your first priority is getting to the Hit cap. Once you're there, reforge for the Expertise cap. After that, you want to acquire as much Mastery as you possibly can - if you have a Haste/Crit piece, reforge whichever stat is higher into Mastery (or, usually, Haste into Mastery if they are equal).
Hopefully I can be of some help for where you should be on the lookout for gear early on at 85, as well as pointing out craftable and BoE items you can pick up with minimal time spent. All blue items I refer to will be the heroic version, if a heroic version exists, unless otherwise stated. All gear listed here can be obtained without you personally stepping foot inside a raid instance.
2. Gearing by Item Slot
Here, I'll list as many options for each item slot as I can without going into the Haste/Crit variety more than I need to, and provide some suggestions on what you should do. Keep in mind, like all things in World of Warcraft, this is subject to change.
Helm
Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Craftable (Engineering - BoP)
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Drop (Daakara - ZA)
Renouncer's Cowl - Drop (Corla, Herald of Twilight - BRC)
Windhome Helm - Wildhammer/Dragonmaw
Worgen Hunter's Helm - Drop (Lord Godfrey - SFK)
If you are an engineer, you can give yourself a very big head start in the Hit and Expertise rating department. Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades allow you to place two different Cogwheel gems in the unique Engineer-only sockets. Cogwheels give a +208 rating bonus to two secondary stats of your choosing, but Cogwheels are unique, so you can't choose two Rigid Cogwheels or two Precise Cogwheels. You can have one of each, though.
If the Engineering goggles aren't an option for you, you'll want to try to acquire the Renouncer's Cowl from Corla, Herald of Twilight in Blacrock Caverns until a time comes when you're able to do Zul'Aman or the tier 11 helm token is available to you. If you're desperate, go ahead and pick up the Wildhammer/Dragonmaw helm, but it's not very good for us, and you have better reputations to be going after first.
Neck
Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace - World Drop
Amulet of the Watcher - Drop (Bloodlord Mandokir - ZG)
Mouth of the Earth - Drop (Earthrager Ptah - HoO)
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto - Drop (Ozruk - SC)
Mouth of the Earth, from Earthrager Ptah in Halls of Origination is the most well itemized neck slot item for us in Cataclysm content. Don Rodrigo's is a world drop epic, but probably isn't much better than Mouth of the Earth, so it's up to you. Both will eventually be outdone by Necklace of Strife due to sheer item levels, but Mouth of the Earth is very comparable to the normal version, at least. Definitely pick this one up if you are able.
Shoulder
Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Drop (Nalorakk - ZA)
Bloodpetal Mantle - Drop (Ammunae - HoO)
Wrap of the Valley Glades - Justice Points
For your shoulder slot, the most well itemized piece you can acquire are the Spaulders of the Raging Elements, but until you're in a position where acquiring the token is likely, you'll want to pick up either Bloodpetal Mantle from Halls of Origination, or Wrap of the Valley Glades from Justice Points, and upgrade to Pauldrons of Nalorakk once ZA/ZG are open to you.
Back
Dory's Finery - World Drop
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim - Drop (Nalorakk timed chest - ZA)
Viewless Wings - Valor Points
Kaleki Cloak - Drop (General Husam - LC)
Cape of the Brotherhood - Drop ("Captain" Cookie - DM)
Cloak of Thredd - Drop (Helix Gearbreaker - DM)
Softwind Cape - Earthen Ring reputation
Kaleki Cloak, from General Husam in the Lost City of the Tol'vir is easily the best option for early on. If you're unable to wrest it from him, Cape of the Brotherhood and Cloak of Thredd (both conveniently from heroic Deadmines) and Softwind Cape from The Earthen Ring are acceptable alternatives. Viewless Wings should be one of your last Valor point purchases. Dory's Finery is a world drop epic that will likely last you until heroic raids if you get your hands on it, but Kaleki is very comparable. The Zul'Aman cloak is another acceptable alternative, but it's not really good enough to be worth going out of your way for if you have the Kaleki Cloak.
Chest
Dragonkiller Tunic - Craftable (Leatherworking - BoE)
Cuirass of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Drop (Halazzi - ZA)
Vest of the True Companion - Justice Points
Here is where you have a few options. The chest slot is one of only two armor slots you can fill using a craftable, bind on equip epic. Dragonkiller Tunic and Vest of the True Companion are very comparable depending on your current gear - Vest of the True Companion works out to better in almost all gear sets. Dragonkiller Tunic is only better if you're swimming in hit rating and can't reforge or regem any of it to mastery.. but that's pretty unlikely. Depending on how much gold you want to spend or time you want to spend farming, it's really up to you. Both the Halazzi drop and tier 11 pieces are superior to both, so pick up one of those when you are able.
Wrist
Wristguards of the Predator - Drop (Akil'zon - ZA)
Elementium Scale Bracers - Drop (Ozruk - SC)
There aren't many bracer options for us. The only noteworthy blue are the Ozruk drop in Stonecore, but unless you're really lacking hit rating, pick up Wristguards of the Predator as soon as you can.
Gloves
Grips of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Handguards of the Tormented - Drop (Cache of Madness - ZA)
Gloves of the Passing Night - Justice Points
Traitor's Grips - Drop (Baron Ashbury - SFK)
Wrasse Handwraps - Drop (Lady Naz'jar - TotT)
There are quite a few options for your glove slot. None of them are particularly amazing, but the best option outside raiding and Valor Points is the easiest to get - Gloves of the Passing Night which are purchaseable with Justice Points. Due to the cheaper cost of glove slot items, you'll probably want to make Grips of the Raging Elements your first or second purchase with Valor points.
Belt
Corded Viper Belt - Craftable (Leatherworking - BoE)
Waistband of Hexes - Drop (Hex Lord Malacrass - ZA)
Belt of the Dim Forest - Justice Points
Hail-Strung Belt - Drop (Altairus - VP)
Your belt is the second slot you can fill with a Bind on Equip, craftable item. Corded Viper Belt is significantly better than the Coil of Ten-Thousand Screams that you acquire in normal difficulty raids (in fact, it's better than the heroic version), so I'd strongly recommend buying or having one crafted. If you're cheap, or don't have a lot of gold or farming time to spare, the Belt of the Dim Forest is easy to acquire via Justice Points and Waistband of Hexes will serve you well as well.
Legs
Legguards of the Raging Elements - Valor Points
Balkar's Waders - Drop (High Prophet Barim - LC)
Arrowsinger Legguards - World drop
Arrowsinger Legguards are a world drop BoE that are extremely good for us. Pick them up if you are able, you will not replace them until heroic raiding.
Balkar's Waders, from High Prophet Barim in the Lost City of the Tol'vir are the most useful blue leggings you'll find in Cataclysm. If you're desperate, though, there's a pair of Haste/Crit leggings from the Justice Point vendor or a drop from Zanzil in ZG, but I don't recommend sticking with either of those. Due to the other four pieces of Raging Elements being very nice, you might want to opt out of getting the legs... or at least save them for last. Once you're raiding, Leggings of Lethal Force are better, and for the most part, none of the other Raging Elements pieces are able to be replaced by non set gear. If you won't be raiding, or are having bad luck with drops, the set piece isn't a bad option.
Feet
Treads of Malorne - Guardians of Hyjal
Boots of Crumbling Ruin - Drop (Anraphet - HoO)
Haunting Footfalls - Drop (Commander Springvale - SFK)
Here's one of the easiest to fill slots with a very high quality piece of gear. Treads of Malorne from the Guardians of Hyjal faction are extremely well itemized for us, and will make a strong case for best-in-slot until tier 12 arrives. Heroic Boots of Vertigo are probably a little better, but not a lot better. Get the Treads as soon as possible, they will serve you well. Until then, there are some options from Halls of Origination and Shadowfang Keep to hold you over. There is a pair of boots available from Valor Points, but Treads of Malorne are so much better and easier to acquire that they aren't worth getting your hands on.
Finger
Signet of the Elder Council - Earthen Ring
Gilnean Ring of Ruination - World drop
Hornet-Sting Band - Valor Points
Quickfinger Ring - Drop (ZA Trash)
Arlokk's Signet - Drop (High Priestess Kilnara - ZG)
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Therazane
Band of Blades - Craftable (Jewelcrafting - BoE)
Ring of Blinding Stars - Drop (Isiset - HoO)
Ring of Dun Algaz - Drop (Forgemaster Throngus - GB)
Elementium Destroyer's Ring - Craftable (Jewelcrafting - BoE)
Tons of options for rings! Terrath's Signet of Balance will be competitive with most item level 359 epics. Signet of the Elder Council from the Earthen Ring will serve you well as well. There is a world drop and valor point ring, as well as a Zul'Aman BoE trash drop that should be very cheap, though the valor point one you probably want to save for last. There are two craftable rings you can make use of, as well as a handful of drops from various dungeons (no pun intended).
Trinket
Fluid Death - 1650 Valor Points
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Craftable (Inscription - BoE)
Unsolvable Riddle - Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Skardyn's Grace - Drop (General Umbris - GB)
Tia's Grace - Drop (Siamat - LC)
Grace of the Herald - Drop (Corla, Herald of Twilight - BRC)
Key to the Endless Chamber - Drop (Corborus - SC)
Left Eye of Rajh - Drop (Rahj - HoO)
Schnottz's Medallion of Command - Uldum quest reward
Figurine - Demon Panther - Dropped quest (JC only)
Trinkets have always been the hardest slot to fill. This may or may not be the case anymore, Blizzard stated they felt that through Wrath certain specs had a difficult time finding suitable trinkets. They've always been the hardest items to get, but that seems to no longer be a problem.
Fluid Death is an excellent use for Valor points, but you might want to wait until you have at least your tier 10 two-piece bonus. Darkmoon Card: Hurricane is an excellent option if you have loads of resources to spend on acquiring it. Unsolvable Riddle can be acquired from Baradin's Wardens at exalted. There are drops in Grim Batol, Lost City, Blackrock Caverns, Stonecore and Halls of Origination that will all suffice. A quest reward, Schnotzz's Medallion of Command would also likely hold you over until raids. Tia's Grace specifically is an excellent option and compares to heroic raid level trinkets (though your best options are Fluid Death and Darkmoon Card: Hurricane.)
Weapons
Maimgor's Bite - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Torment - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Agony - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Arlokk's Claws - Drop (Renataki - ZG)
Thekal's Claws - Drop (Hazza'rah - ZG)
Mace of the Sacrificed - Drop (Daakara - ZA)
Fist of Pained Senses - Drop (Corborus - SC)
Elementium Gutslicer - Craftable (Blacksmithing - BoE)
Lightning Whelk Axe - Drop (Lady Naz'jar - TotT)
Ravening Slicer - Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Windslicer - Justice Points
Hammer of Sparks - Drop (Siamat - LC)
Cookie's Tenderizer - Drop (Captain Cookie - DM)
Vicious Gladiator's Left Ripper - 950 Conquest Points
Vicious Gladiator's Right Ripper - 2450 Conquest Points
There are plenty of options here. It's hard to run heroics for very long without finding a suitable pair of weapons.
It's worth noting that Cookie's Tenderizer, despite being a strength weapon, is an excellent choice. It's the slowest one-hander in Cataclysm, meaning your Lava Lash will hit very hard with it in the off-hand, and it's very solid in the main hand as well.
The Vicious Gladiator's fist weapon off-hand is very cheap and easy to get - You can win 2 rated battlegrounds or 4 2v2 matches and have enough Conquest Points for it. The main hand fist weapon, mace or axe are a bit more expensive (the one you pick up is purely cosmetic), but would only take 2-3 weeks to acquire and may be worth doing. They will be better for you than blues, but not as good as most of the epic drops.
Maimgor's Bite, and the set Torment and Agony are all Bind on Equip. Since slow agility off-hands are rarely used by anyone other than Enhancement Shamans, if you're on a server with a lot of active raid groups, you might be able to get Maimgor's Bite for a reasonable price if you're lucky. There are also 3 weapon options in the Zandalari heroics, which are as valuable as their 353 item level would suggest.
Relic
Relic of Golganneth - 700 Valor Points
Sandshift Relic - Drop (Ascendant Lord Obsidius - BRC)
Relic of Arathor - Drop (Lord Godfrey - SFK)
Silver Inlaid Leaf - Craftable (Inscription - BoE)
There are very few options for the relic slot. Sandshift Relic from Ascendant Lord Obsidius in Blackrock Caverns is your best-in-slot relic. Relic of Golganneth is close enough that it may be worth picking up when you get to a point that you're swimming in Valor Points, but prioritize that last, relics tend to give the least benefit.
That should be everything as far as pre raid gearing goes. You're not going to get all of it. You'll likely get epics from raids for a slot or two before you get the appropriate blue for that slot. Some pieces may simply never drop. The best advice I can give is try to focus on what you need most now rather than what the best possible setup is. Immediate improvement leads to faster progression. You never know what will drop or when, saving for a very specific setup isn't going to be worth it most of the time.
3. Reputations, and what they mean to Enhancement
Listed in order of importance (in my opinion)
Therazane
Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal - Exalted
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Revered
Ramkahen
Arcanum of the Ramkahen - Revered
Guardians of Hyjal
Treads of Malorne - Exalted
The Earthen Ring
Signet of the Elder Council - Exalted
Softwind Cape - Revered
Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Ravening Slicer - Revered
Unsolvable Riddle - Exalted
Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan
Windhome Helm / Snarling Helm - Revered
4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement
Blackrock Caverns:
Renouncer's Cowl
Grace of the Herald
Sandshift Relic
Halls of Origination:
Mouth of the Earth
Bloodpetal Mantle
Boots of Crumbling Ruin
Ring of Blinding Stars
Left Eye of Rajh
Throne of the Tides:
Wrasse Handwraps
Lightning Whelk Axe
Stonecore:
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto
Elementium Scale Bracers
Key to the Endless Chamber
Fist of Pained Senses
Lost City of the Tol'vir:
Kaleki Cloak
Balkar's Waders
Mirage Ring
Tia's Grace
Hammer of Sparks
Shadowfang Keep:
Traitor's Grips
Haunting Footfalls
Relic of Arathor
Worgen Hunter's Helm
Deadmines:
Cape of the Brotherhood
Cloak of Thredd
Cookie's Tenderizer
Grim Batol:
Ring of Dun Algaz
Skardyn's Grace
Vortex Pinnacle:
Hail-Strung Belt
5. Valor and Justice Points
Justice Points, and what you can acquire
These, as I'm sure you know, are acquired by defeating bosses in Heroic 5 player dungeons, as well as doing a normal random dungeon. There is a vendor to redeem your points in Stormwind and Orgrimmar, depending on your faction.
Wrap of the Valley Glades - 1650
Vest of the True Companion - 2200
Gloves of the Passing Night - 1650
Belt of the Dim Forest - 1650
Windslicer - 950
Valor Points, and their rewards
Valor points are the currency earned in the most recent tier of raids in Cataclysm, and can be redeemed for the best gear. A set amount can be acquired once per day by completing a random heroic dungeon, and will be earned by raiding Blackwing Descent, Bastion of Twilight, Baradin Hold, and Throne of the Four Winds. As new content patches are released, your Valor Points and their rewards will eventually be converted into Justice Points, and the latest content will have new rewards for Valor Points, which will then only be earned in the new raids or random heroics once per day. There is a limit on how many Valor Points you can acquire per week.
Viewless Wings - 1250
Cuirass of the Raging Elements - 2200
Grips of the Raging Elements - 1650
Legguards of the Raging Elements - 2200
Fluid Death -1650
Relic of Golganneth - 700
6. Craftable items
Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Engineering - BoP
Dragonkiller Tunic - Leatherworking - BoE
Corded Viper Belt - Leatherworking - BoE
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Inscription - BoE
Band of Blades - Jewelcrafting - BoE
Elementium Destroyer's Ring - Jewelcrafting - BoE
Figurine - Demon Panther - Jewelcrafting - BoP
Elementium Gutslicer - Blacksmithing - BoE
Silver Inlaid Leaf - Inscription - BoE
7. Rise of the Zandalari
These two new heroic-only dungeons require an average item level of 346 to enter via the Dungeon Finder. All of the drops contained within are item level 353 epics, and there are a lot of items that are hard to replace. Please keep in mind that any piece of gear from these instances with both haste and crit is not worth using over a 346 blue that has one better secondary stat. (Balkar's Waders are superior to Zombie Walker Legguards for example.)
Zul'Gurub
Required bosses: High Priest Venoxis, High Priestess Kilnara, Bloodlord Mandokir, Zanzil, Jin'do the Godbreaker
Optional bosses - Edge of Madness - one party member must have 525 Archaeology to summon: Gri'lek, Wushoolay, Hazza'rah, Renataki. There are also numerous other named mobs with many non-gear drops. "Cache of Madness" means it can drop from any Edge of Madness boss despite what the tooltip tells you.
Arlokk's Claws - Renataki
Thekal's Claws - Hazza'rah
Handguards of the Tormented - Cache of Madness
Amulet of the Watcher - Bloodlord Mandokir
Arlokk's Signet - High Priestess Kilnara
Zul'Aman
Zul'Aman, unlike Zul'Gurub, is nearly identical in layout to the original. That's not a bad thing, to me at least, the original Zul'Aman was one of the most fun raid zones ever released, and it's hard to improve on something that was so exceptional. Like the original, there are extra rewards for killing the first 4 bosses quickly. The first (Akil'zon) always gives a bag of gold coins. The second and third (Nalorakk, Jan'alai) always have pieces of gear, and the fourth (Halazzi) always has the new recolored Amani Bear. While the bosses aren't as difficult as the original, the trash definitely can be. Getting the bear isn't impossible by any stretch, but it won't be easy either until you significantly out gear it.
Wristguards of the Predator - Akil'zon
Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Nalorakk
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Halazzi
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim - Nalorakk timed chest
Waistband of Hexes - Hex Lord Malacrass
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Daakara
Mace of the Sacrificed - Daakara
Quickfinger Ring - Trash
Taken from Ashunera
Best Shaman Leveling Guide - Cataclysm 4.1 - 4.2
------------------------------
1. Leveling style
------------------------------
The most frequently asked question of those looking to level a shaman has to be: "What spec is the best for leveling?" The answer is simple: the one you enjoy most. As WoW has aged, Blizzard has made the leveling process considerably smoother and easier than it used to be. Better itemization at lower levels, higher quest and mob experience, smarter zone design, and clearer breadcrumb trails between questing hubs have greatly improved the overall leveling experience. With the revamping of our talent trees in 4.01 and the redesign of starting zones in Cataclysm, leveling should be in better shape than it has ever been before.
There was a time when Enhancement was arguably the best leveling spec, but those days have likely passed. Elemental and Enhancement both start out with excellent passive talents now, meaning both should be viable choices for quick leveling. Restoration is, as a healing spec, going to lag behind in terms of raw killing power; however, as most people who level in a healing spec do so for group leveling or fast queues in the Looking for Dungeon tool, this should balance out the weaker damage of the spec.
All three are now viable and decently quick leveling specs, so don't feel the need to choose one solely because you've heard it's "faster"; Leveling is fast regardless of spec, but the best leveling experience is the one you enjoy and that teaches you about the class. Choose your spec based on what you like or what you want to try out, what heirlooms you have available, etc. Having fun and being smart about leveling are going to make leveling a better experience than picking a spec recommended solely for its supposed advantages in terms of speed.
Since there are always a few "Help me" threads on the shaman forums, this guide is aimed at answering those questions in a general manner. This guide covers leveling from 1-85 as each spec. There's a lot of information to cover, even on a basic level, so feel free to make suggestions or ask if there's something you don't see. At the same time, do try to be thorough when searching the guide; asking questions covered in stickies generally gets you flamed as often as answered on these forums.
I'm also no master of shaman leveling, and the game has changed a lot since I leveled my own shaman. What I provide here is a basic outline of what are considered the "best practices" commonly. My choices are not beyond critique, by any means; as I wrote this guide, I sat and tried to make decisions that made the most sense for the given level. I ended up changing my mind many, many times, an indication of how difficult it can be to estimate effectiveness for talents while leveling. Take everything here with a grain of salt, because it's inevitable that your mileage will vary. It's a general leveling guide, not dictates from a deity handed down from on high.
I strongly suggest that, if you don't have a current PvE/PvP plan when you roll a shaman, think about it as you get close to 80; then, start reading up about the spec/playstyle beforehand so when you hit 80 you can start working towards it.
So anyways! Onwards with the guide! --the author
Note: this guide is written primarily for traditional solo and mixed dungeon play. Those who choose to level mostly or exclusively via LFD or spend a lot of time in PvP may want to tweak talents or playstyle for this differing approach.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:55 PM (PDT) ------------------------------
a. ELEMENTAL
------------------------------
Elemental is the shaman caster DPS spec. While this used to be among the weakest specs in the game for leveling, changes have made it among the strongest, especially in terms of burst damage and AoE. As hybrids, shamans have a wide range of tools at their disposal, making them a great “jack of all trades” class and strong in situational adaptation.
Passive bonuses:
Thunderstorm
Elemental Fury
Shamanism
Mastery: Elemental Overload
Weapon imbue choice: Flametongue
Shield to use: Lightning Shield, Water shield
[NB: see 7 below (post# 11) for AoE leveling strategies. Changes in 3.3 have added this powerful possibility for leveling, arguably faster than enhancement and among the fastest leveling specs in the game.]
Main stats (in no particular order)
Intellect: Increases our spell power, mana, and spell crit chance. This is your main stat, so grab as much of it as you can.
Stamina: Increases our health (10 per point).
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with attacks (spells and melee).
Hit rating: Increases the chance to hit with an attack (spells and melee).
Haste rating- Decreases the cast time of spells, and melee swing time.
Spirit: grants mana regeneration. Also grants spell hit via Elemental Precision.
Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I indicate; it’s completely up to you. Note that, in most cases, I opt for damage over mana; if you find yourself struggling with mana, pick up more mana management talents when you can.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhhStart off by maxing out Concussion, then Acuity.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0hoFill out Elemental Precision, then put a point into Call of Flame; after that, put a point into Elemental Focus. Reverberation is a possible choice as well, but generally you’ll be casting lightning bolts with the occasional shock, limiting the value of this talent. The point in EF is good because it will provide mana conservation, which is likely the biggest concern you have at this point. Rolling Thunder is a strong alternative if you are fine on mana and use Lightning Shield. The linked build goes with EF, as it is probably the safest baseline. Regardless, you’ll pick up whichever one you don’t take with the next level, so it’s not a big deal.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0GRoFill out Rolling Thunder and Elemental Reach. The last point here is dropped into Elemental Oath, a nice boost made even nicer by the acquisition of Lava Burst at 34, guaranteeing you a crit for Clearcasting.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0GRfzTop off EO, then fill in Lava Flows. The last point here is really a toss up; I go with Elemental Mastery, but Fulmination is probably just as good. Totemic Wrath, because it requires a fire totem that you may not be dropping that often, is probably the weakest. You’ll get them all with the next few points, so it won’t make much difference.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzzPick up Fulmination and Totemic Wrath. Now, go back and finish CoF and drop a point into Reverberation. This will open up the next tier, where you now take Lava Surge.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzGoFinish Lava Surge, fill up Feedback, and then grab Earthquake. EQ isn’t exactly a stellar leveling talent, but it’s probably a good idea to get it and learn how it works, especially if you plan on sticking with ele.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzGobhGrab Elemental Weapons and Imp Shields from Enhancement.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hGGMGRfkzGobhMGet Ancestral Swiftness (trust me, you'll love it) and top off Reverb. Now, you've got a choice: mana or health conservation? If you choose health, put points into Ancestral Resolve in the Resto tree; if mana, take Convection. The linked build goes with Convection for better mana efficiency.
At this point, you’ll probably want to respec to an endgame build, PvP spec, or to whichever other tree you might want to play instead. The stickied FAQs on these forums and the various articles at Elitist Jerks can help you choose builds for whatever your plans are.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:41 PM (PDT) Rotation
The initial rotation is pretty simple: lightning bolt. You can toss a shock in if you want (Flame Shock early so it ticks, Earth Shock if you have to move or to kill a mob causing spell pushback, Frost Shock for kiting), but chances are it’s best to lean on LB for most of your damage. Once you hit level 34, however, life gets better, as you get Lava Burst. Now you’ll want to make sure Flame Shock is up and that you use LvB whenever possible—LvB on a target with FlS is a guaranteed crit, which has great effects when combined with the various on crit effects like EF and EO. Once you get Fulmination, Earth Shock is also a source of good burst damage. Elemental has been pretty boring in the past; now, with all these new toys, it’s interesting and fun. Check out some of the endgame guides for more information on rotations.
Glyphs
Prime:
Flame Shock, Flametongue Weapon, Lava Burst, Lightning Bolt, Shocking, Water Shield.
Lava Burst is probably your best choice, but since you don’t get that spell until 34, Lightning Bolt is a good first choice, either to be replaced by LvB when you get it or added when your next slot opens. Flametongue Weapon is really the only other option during leveling, since most mobs will die fast enough that the extra ticks of FlS are wasted and you likely won’t be using Waster Shield enough to justify glyphing it.
Major:
Lightning Shield, Ghost Wolf, Thunder, Stoneclaw Totem, Totemic Recall, Elemental Mastery, Chain Lightning.
Thunder is probably the first major to snag; while LS looks good, it won’t really shine until you get Fulmination, with the earliest level for that being 49. Besides Thunder and LS, the rest are mostly defensive or utility: Ele Mastery and Stoneclaw are both handy for taking less damage, great if you AoE a lot or solo elites; Totemic Recall is a mana regen talent; GW is nice but probably not very valuable for a spec without instant GW standard (not to mention mounts are available so early now); CL is a decent AoE glyph. As with all major glyphs, these aren’t make or break for your DPS; they are “quality of life” glyphs and entirely up to you.
Minor:
Astral Recall, Renewed Life, Arctic Wolf, Water Walking, Water Breathing, Thunderstorm.
Other than Astral Recall (available at 30), these glyphs are simply convenience or aesthetic enhancers. Water walking is probably the most generally useful, although Renewed Life might be a good choice if you instance a lot. Thunderstorm may or may not be something you want, since it ups mana but removes TS’s knockback effect; consider well the value of the knockback to your playstyle before choosing this one.
Heirlooms
I will list what I believe will be beneficial for the elemental specced shaman while leveling. You don’t need everything here, but I suggest getting both the chest/shoulders if you can. Really speeds up the leveling.
Mystical Pauldrons of Elements: This is a must. Gives int, stamina, and some crit. It also gives you +10% experience so it’s great for leveling.
Mystical Vest of Elements: Another must due to giving more exp. It also gives stamina and intellect, plus some crit rating. Unlikely you’ll find anything better.
Dignified Headmaster's Charge: A lot of people like to go 1h/shield with a shaman, but as of now there is no shield from heirlooms, and you’re not going find a weapon with stats like this throughout your entire leveling career, even on the other heirloom items.
Discerning Eye of the Beast: I’ve heard that this trinket is amazing to use while leveling. It apparently stacks it’s effect, and procs off killing small things like totems. You could definitely use 2 of them till outlands, and beyond if you wanted. It will really help you out when grinding and saving mana. Plus the extra spell power at lower levels is nice.
------------------------------
b. ENHANCEMENT
------------------------------
Enhancement is the shaman melee spec. While enhancement shamans use a number of spells regularly—shocks, lightning bolt, and heals when necessary—these are cast from melee rather than range. Enhancement focuses on a blend of physical and magical damage, making it a strong DPS spec for a variety of situations. As with all shamans, enhancement has a decent bag of tricks, giving it good flexibility and an array of toys for different kinds of encounters.
Passive bonuses:
Lava Lash
Mental Quickness
Dual Wield
Primal Wisdom
Mastery: Enhanced Elements
Weapon imbue: flametongue, windfury/flametongue when available
Shield to use: Lightning Shield
Stats (in no particular order)
Agility: You get 2 Attack Power from it, it increases melee critical strike chance, and even gives us spell power. Our best stat for leveling.
Hit rating: Increases the chance to hit with an attack (spells and melee). A great stat when available.
Expertise rating: Removes mob chances to parry and dodge melee attacks. Important because we have several DPS abilities tied to melee hits. A good stat when available.
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with attacks (spells and melee).
Stamina: Increases health (10 per point). It’s another stat that we should have on our gear so we can survive.
Haste rating: Decreases spell cast time, and melee swing time. A pretty bad stat for enhancement, at least at later levels.
A note on strength: Shamans currently receive 1 AP from strength. At higher levels, strength is almost nonexistent on mail gear because both hunters and shamans use Agi as their primary stat; however, while leveling you may run across mail items with strength, especially random enchantment greens. If you end up with better overall stats with a piece that has strength, don't be afraid to grab it until something better comes along. Items "of the Tiger" (Agi and Str) are especially nice if you can take the stamina loss.
Weapon note: Remember with enhancement and dual wielding: Slow weapons. SLOW SLOW SLOW!
Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. If I tell you to grab a talent then assume I mean max it out, I will tell you otherwise when not to.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZf0oPick up Focused Strikes, then Elemental Weapons. Start into Flurry.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZf0G0oFinish Flurry; then you have a choice to make. The linked spec goes Ancestral Swiftness, as it provides a run speed and instant Ghost Wolf--both are great while leveling, even with mounts available so early. This also gives you a short path to Stormstrike. The alternative is to put points into Elemental Devastation, a decent DPS talent. However, with low spell crit rates and generally quick mob deaths, this isn't the most efficient use of points for leveling.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZfMG0sPick up Static Shock, then go back and begin filling out Elemental Devastation.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZfcG0s0hzFinish Ele Dev. Fill out Searing Flames--this is probably the fire totem you'll use most. Imp Fire Nova is a viable option if you AoE a lot, so you might take it if you do instances often (without CC, of course!). You'll need to drop a point into SF to hit the next tier if you take Imp FN.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:58 PM (PDT) At 47, you'll have another choice to make: Shamanistic Rage or Unleashed Rage (it's an angry tier). The linked build goes with UR, as it adds DPS immediately, and is useful for both solo and group play. SR gives you a defensive CD and free abilities while it's up. I personally think UR is the better choice.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZffG0s0hRzFinish UR, then snag SR. Now, go all the way back to tier 1 (do not pass go, do not collect $200) and drop 2 points into Imp Shields. You can also fill out Imp FN if you AoE often and didn't take it earlier, but Imp Shields will provide better single target DPS and probably overall be more useful. If you DID take Imp FN earlier, finish out Searing Flames instead of 2/3 Imp Shields.
Drop the next point into Imp Lava Lash, as this will start to be a major DPS source when combined with Searing Totem. Mobs will die before SF stacks too high, but dropping ST will probably get you at least one buff of SF on a mob, so you'll have 10% stronger LL hits. Not too shabby.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZffG0s0hRGoTop off Imp LL, then fill out Maelstrom Weapon. MSW will be a major source of DPS, but since it won't provide instant casts until 3/3, I opted to go with LL first, since it will generally be easier to use (provided you drop Searing Totem). Regardless, you'll end up with both filled out. Plus, you'll get Feral Spirits! The wolves are great, give you some handy utilities and self healing, and give you the ability to solo a lot of group quests and elites (especially when you add in SR's damage reduction).
That's it for the Enhance tree. Wasn't that fun? Just in time for Northrend...
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhbZffG0s0hRGoDrop 3 into Acuity, then the last 2 points into Concussion. You can really put these in any order you want, but Acuity is the better talent overall (hence only 2/3 for Concussion).
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGMZffG0s0hRGoTop off Concussion, Call of Flame, and Reverberation. You can take these talents in any order, since they are all relatively minor DPS increases.
The build you have now is a decent single target DPS build for PvE. If you find a lot of AoE situations, where you'd rather have more AoE power, you can respec to http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGMZfcG0sMhRGo. There are other variations (such as dropping AS for Imp Shields or Totemic Reach) that provide a little more utility or DPS, but they're all relatively close in potential. I'll add other builds as they emerge, including the "cookie cutter" specs when the game ages enough to establish them.
Rotation
The changes in 4.01 have made enhancement leveling a lot more interesting that it used to be. Your main rotation will be Primal Strike/Storm Strike, Lava Lash, and Earth Shock; most mobs will be dead pretty quickly with all this. You can also use Lightning Bolt or a shock (typically Earth or Flame) to pull if you want range, and Frost Shock to snare and kite or buy time. After 81, you get Unleash Elements, allowing you to toss some extra DPS at range and provide buffs for your attack speed and FS; be sure to toss Unleash Flame prior to FS to boost its DPS and Unleash Wind while running into melee.
A lot of people get confused about Primal Strike and Storm Strike--Primal Strike is replaced by Storm Strike, so once you get SS you won't cast PS anymore. Enhancement used to have no (literally zero) melee specials prior to level 40, when SS became available; Blizz added PS to give them something to do until SS, along with LL. Once you get Storm Strike, you will no longer use Primal Strike.
Note that getting the full benefit of Flame Shock means getting all of its 18 seconds of ticks to run their course. If the target isn't going to live long enough for that to happen, you're probably better off getting the direct damage of Earth Shock. Most non-elites will not live long enough for FS to tick down, so you'll generally be using ES during normal questing. In instances, you'll probably see enough time for FS on bosses, maybe occasionally on some trash. The short version: if the target will live for 18 seconds, use Flame Shock; if it won't, use Earth Shock.
You’ll generally want to use Flametongue on your weapons until lvl 30, when you go to WF/FT. While conventional knowledge has been to go WF/WF in the past, the changes granting us LL at lvl 10 make FT a more attractive offhand enchant, especially considering Glyph of Lava Lash is the first available prime for enhancement. At endgame, you’ll definitely want to use WF/FT. These changes also emphasize the necessity of having a slow offhand to maximize LL damage.
Once you get MSW, add Lightning Bolt (or Chain Lightning, if there are multiple mobs) when you get a 5 stack for instant casts. Use Feral Spirits and Shamanistic Rage if you’re in trouble or soloing a tough mob.
Glyphs
Prime:
Lava Lash, Stormstrike, Windfury, Feral Spirits.
Lava Lash is available at lvl 25, and considering how hard Lava Lash hits with a slow weapon (you’ve got a slow offhand, right?), it’s not a bad choice for your initial prime glyph. LL does not scale that well at low levels, however, so chances are you'll find Stormstrike (available at 29) to be a better option due to its effects on Earth Shock. Windfury becomes available at 32; LL is probably the better choice for the next time a prime slow opens up, since you'll start to have talent support for it. Depending on how often you use Feral Spirits, that glyph may or may not be better than Windfury. If you use FS on cooldown, solo a lot of tough mobs, like elites, or do a lot of instancing, FS is probably a good choice once you can get it. If you don’t, WF is probably a more useful, more consistent payoff for your glyph investment.
Major:
Lightning Shield, Ghost Wolf, Shamanistic Rage, Stoneclaw Totem.
While there are plenty of major glyphs that add utility and could feasibly be good choices, these four are probably the best for leveling. LS and GW are available at 25, SR at 49, and SCT at 58. LS and GW are great glyphs for convenience, with LS perhaps edging out GW simply because mounts will cover a lot of the travel that would make FW more useful. SR removes magic effects when glyphed, a handy thing to be able to do while leveling. SCT gives you a shield when you drop Stoneclaw, a potentially lifesaving utility if you solo big groups or elites. These glyphs aren’t going to directly impact your DPS; they are “quality of life” glyphs and entirely up to you.
Minor:
Astral Recall, Renewed Life, Arctic Wolf, Water Walking, Water Breathing.
Other than Astral Recall (available at 30), these glyphs are simply convenience or aesthetic enhancers. Water walking is probably the most generally useful, although Renewed Life might be a good choice if you instance a lot.
Heirlooms
The following heirloom items are great for enhancement shamans. You don’t have to get them, of course, but the chest and shoulders are especially helpful because of the bonus experience.
Champion Herod's Shoulder
Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate
Venerable Mass of McGowan: these are excellent for enhance—slow (2.8!), one-handed so they can be dual wielded, and providing good stats. Get one. Hell, get two. With DW now coming baseline at level 10, there’s no reason not to snag these if you can.
Swift Hand of Justice: the least desirable heirloom overall, but a decent thing to have if you have the badges to burn. Trinkets are often a weakness while leveling, so having anything is better than nothing.
------------------------------
c. RESTORATION
------------------------------
Restoration is the shaman healing tree. Resto shamans are one of the best all-around healers—they can tank heal and raid heal effectively, whereas other classes tend to be better suited to one or the other. Like other shaman specs, resto has a deep bag of tricks and buffs that make them flexible and a great addition to a group. While it’s a pretty bad tree for soloing due to weaker DPS than ele or enh, resto is a great tree for leveling through dungeons or with a friend.
Passive bonuses:
Earth Shield
Meditation
Purification
Mastery: Deep Healing
Weapon imbue: Earthliving and Flametongue
Shield to use: Water Shield
Stats(in no particular order)
Intellect: Increases spell power, mana, and spell crit chance. This is resto’s main stat.
Stamina: Increases our health (10 per point).
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with abilities (spells and melee). Also provides mana regeneration via talents. A strong stat for resto.
Haste rating: Decreases the cast time of spells, and melee swing time.
Spirit: Provides mana regeneration.
Edited by Marashka on 4/13/11 1:09 PM (PDT) Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. Since the majority of resto talents impact healing or other healing-related tasks, it won’t make a huge difference in solo or group effectiveness, since optimal conditions are rare while leveling.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZdh
Drop points into Ancestral Resolve and Spark of Life. Since resto will typically be casting offensive spells, immediately taking less damage probably trumps waiting a few levels for it. Increasing the healing you do AND take is also nice, especially when you’ll be healing yourself often and you don’t have a sizable health pool. Start into Tidal Focus. If you are leveling in a group or through dungeons, you'll probably want to fill TF instead of AR, since you won't be getting hit as often.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfub
Finish TF, then take Totemic Focus, since you’ll typically be dropping totems more often as resto than the other two specs. Now, you have a choice. If you mainly solo or PvP, Focused Insight is probably a good choice, since you’ll be casting shocks and healing with enough frequency that the mana savings will be useful. If you mostly run groups, Imp Water Shield is probably a better investment. Since most people who choose to level resto do so in a group or by running dungeons, the linked build goes with IWS.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGb0s
Finish IWS, grab Nature’s Swiftness, and top out Nature’s Blessing.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszoo
Go ahead and grab Imp Cleanse Spirit for one point—it’;s useful enough to take. Fill out Ancestral Healing. At this point, you need one more point to get to the next tier. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you put it, as all the available talents are situational or of limited use. I’m going to toss it into Cleansing Waters. Put the next point into Mana Tide Totem.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsR
This is a weird tier. Telluric Currents is probably the best choice to take first unless you do nothing but heal, period; if you ever cast lightning bolts, TC is probably worth it as your initial points. Ancestral Awakening is doubly damned in leveling by requiring a crit to trigger and only healing for a percentage of heals that may frequently be pretty weak. You’ll end up with both of them regardless, so it’s really your choice where to go first.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsRuo
Fill out Tidal Waves, drop a point into Blessing of the Eternals, then snag Riptide.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhZfGbMszsRuo
The last series of choices are a bit up for grabs. Imp Shields in Enhancement is a decent investment, as is Elemental Weapons. On the other hand, Acuity’s bonus to crit is pretty attractive, considering how many talents resto has that rely on crit. I’ve gone with Imp Shields and EW, but you can mix and match depending on gear and preferences for these last few points.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMbZfGbMszsRGo
The real gem is the always fun Ancestral Swiftness; other than that, it's more of the same tossup of points. The linked build goes for Totemic Reach (better range on totems) and the last point of Blessing of the Eternals; tossing 3 points into Acuity is another option.
The good news is, you’ve survived to 85 as a resto shaman. The bad news: you’ll probably want to respec. Check out the shaman resto guides stickied here, at EJ, or at Totemspot for good build ideas.
For PvP…this is mainly a PvE guide. You’re on your own!
Rotation
For DPS, the rotation you will have while leveling is pretty similar to elemental, except that you do a lot less damage; the tradeoff for this is greater survivability. This is probably the only spec that you will want to put totems down for on a consistent basis, especially mana spring and a fire totem. If you’re soloing or otherwise doing DPS for the majority of the time, use FT on your weapon to up your damage. Depending on your mana, Lightning Shield or Earth Shield are alternatives to Water Shield for better DPS or survivability, respectively.
As a healer, you don’t generally have a set rotation except in some specific encounters. There are combinations of spells that are sometimes good due to synergy from talents (Riptide for Tidal Waves, which buffs your next HW, GHW, or HS, for instance), but in general you use the spell that fits the situation. We have a large toolbox of spells at our disposal; learn the strengths of each as you level and you’ll be a much better healer for it.
Edited by Marashka on 4/13/11 1:09 PM (PDT) Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. Since the majority of resto talents impact healing or other healing-related tasks, it won’t make a huge difference in solo or group effectiveness, since optimal conditions are rare while leveling.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZdh
Drop points into Ancestral Resolve and Spark of Life. Since resto will typically be casting offensive spells, immediately taking less damage probably trumps waiting a few levels for it. Increasing the healing you do AND take is also nice, especially when you’ll be healing yourself often and you don’t have a sizable health pool. Start into Tidal Focus. If you are leveling in a group or through dungeons, you'll probably want to fill TF instead of AR, since you won't be getting hit as often.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfub
Finish TF, then take Totemic Focus, since you’ll typically be dropping totems more often as resto than the other two specs. Now, you have a choice. If you mainly solo or PvP, Focused Insight is probably a good choice, since you’ll be casting shocks and healing with enough frequency that the mana savings will be useful. If you mostly run groups, Imp Water Shield is probably a better investment. Since most people who choose to level resto do so in a group or by running dungeons, the linked build goes with IWS.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGb0s
Finish IWS, grab Nature’s Swiftness, and top out Nature’s Blessing.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszoo
Go ahead and grab Imp Cleanse Spirit for one point—it’;s useful enough to take. Fill out Ancestral Healing. At this point, you need one more point to get to the next tier. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you put it, as all the available talents are situational or of limited use. I’m going to toss it into Cleansing Waters. Put the next point into Mana Tide Totem.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsR
This is a weird tier. Telluric Currents is probably the best choice to take first unless you do nothing but heal, period; if you ever cast lightning bolts, TC is probably worth it as your initial points. Ancestral Awakening is doubly damned in leveling by requiring a crit to trigger and only healing for a percentage of heals that may frequently be pretty weak. You’ll end up with both of them regardless, so it’s really your choice where to go first.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsRuo
Fill out Tidal Waves, drop a point into Blessing of the Eternals, then snag Riptide.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhZfGbMszsRuo
The last series of choices are a bit up for grabs. Imp Shields in Enhancement is a decent investment, as is Elemental Weapons. On the other hand, Acuity’s bonus to crit is pretty attractive, considering how many talents resto has that rely on crit. I’ve gone with Imp Shields and EW, but you can mix and match depending on gear and preferences for these last few points.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMbZfGbMszsRGo
The real gem is the always fun Ancestral Swiftness; other than that, it's more of the same tossup of points. The linked build goes for Totemic Reach (better range on totems) and the last point of Blessing of the Eternals; tossing 3 points into Acuity is another option.
The good news is, you’ve survived to 85 as a resto shaman. The bad news: you’ll probably want to respec. Check out the shaman resto guides stickied here, at EJ, or at Totemspot for good build ideas.
For PvP…this is mainly a PvE guide. You’re on your own!
Rotation
For DPS, the rotation you will have while leveling is pretty similar to elemental, except that you do a lot less damage; the tradeoff for this is greater survivability. This is probably the only spec that you will want to put totems down for on a consistent basis, especially mana spring and a fire totem. If you’re soloing or otherwise doing DPS for the majority of the time, use FT on your weapon to up your damage. Depending on your mana, Lightning Shield or Earth Shield are alternatives to Water Shield for better DPS or survivability, respectively.
As a healer, you don’t generally have a set rotation except in some specific encounters. There are combinations of spells that are sometimes good due to synergy from talents (Riptide for Tidal Waves, which buffs your next HW, GHW, or HS, for instance), but in general you use the spell that fits the situation. We have a large toolbox of spells at our disposal; learn the strengths of each as you level and you’ll be a much better healer for it.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 7:08 PM (PDT) ------------------------------
2. Mixed specs while leveling
------------------------------
As stated above, there was a time when certain specs were better for leveling than others; now, with the redesign of talent trees in 4.01 and the advent of dual specs and the random dungeon finder, all three specs are viable choices for going from 1-85. In terms of efficiency, dual spec ele/resto is probably tough to beat: since the specs can share gear, questing and leveling as ele and instancing as resto gives you the best of all worlds without requiring a lot of extra gear. If you aren’t able to afford dual spec but still plan on instancing and want fast queues, ele is probably your best bet because you can queue as a healer; having caster gear will help improve your healing ability, where as trying to heal as enhancement will demand another set of gear to be effective.
If you’re not worrying about queue times or instancing, either of the two DPS specs will be fine. In the past, it was sometimes a good idea to switch between the two for various level ranges, as there were dead spots in gearing that made it better to be enh or ele for a given set of levels. The complete redesign of the leveling areas of 1-60 in Cataclysm, along with the better itemization of the two previous expansions and the availability of heirlooms, means that these gearing problems are likely a thing of the past.
In general, elemental is probably going to be the best all around spec for leveling. The advantages of being at range are handy while leveling and in instances; caster also generally scale better at lower levels than melee and are typically less gear dependent. Having caster gear also means you’ll have the mana and spellpower to heal decently enough if you wish. Even with these advantages the difference won’t be extreme by any means, so you should still play whatever spec seems the most fun. Also don’t be afraid to mix it up and try the other specs…just don’t forget that gear is important, so keep that in mind when rating a spec’s performance.
------------------------------
3. Totems and their usage while leveling
------------------------------
Dropping totems while leveling is going often to be a waste of mana, especially if you’re dropping all four for killing only a mob or two. If you’re taking on large groups, an elite, or are in an instance, it may or may not be worth it; as you level, you’ll figure just when it’s worth it and when it isn’t. Resto will probably be the only spec to consistently drop multiple totems, but again, your experience will help you get a feel for their worth.
In instances, dropping totems will often depend on the buffs available from the other members of the group. Instances often move fast and have limited down time, so the mana investment to drop a full totem loadout on trash is a bit dicey; it’s definitely worth it on bosses, however.
Here’s the typical totem set used by each spec; keep in mind that different situations will call for different totems, so learning to use ALL your totems when they’re called for is a good idea. Don’t forget to use Stoneclaw for its taunt and shield (if glyphed), Earthbind for kiting, Tremor for fears and sleep, and Grounding to help mitigate caster damage.
Enhancement: Strength of Earth, Windfury, Healing stream, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. Enhancement will have very few to no mana issues, so dropping totems is less of a problem for enh than for other specs.
Elemental: Stoneskin, Wrath of Air, Mana spring, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. Mana may or may not be an issue, so monitor the returns of dropping all or a couple of totems. Drop none if you have severe mana issues and are traveling from mob to mob more than hitting packs.
Resto: Stoneskin, Wrath of Air, Mana spring, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. As with Elemental, monitor costs and see if totems are worth the mana. Chances are that resto’s weaker killing power means totems will be a little more worth it, especially Searing and Mana spring.
------------------------------
4. Races
------------------------------
**NOTE: this section is being revised for more accuracy**
In general, as with specs it's best to play what you enjoy; the benefits for any race are minimal at best.
In terms of pure min/max:
Alliance: PvE- Draenei; PvP- Dwarf.
Horde: PvE-Orc (enh), Troll (ele/resto); PvP- All are good, although Tauren's Warstomp is generally a favorite.
A note on goblins: they have interesting racials, many of which are convenient more than beneficial to actual game play. The jury will be out for a while on the real value of goblin racials in PvE and PvP, although they have the potential to be excellent for both.
------------------------------
5. Professions
------------------------------
There is a lot of controversy as to what professions you should take while leveling. Personally I believe you should take moneymaking professions when leveling, and then get the ones you want at a higher level. If done right you can make a ton of money while leveling. For instance, Liax said in the previous version of this guide that he had a level 44 paladin who has taken skinning and herbing and had over 200 gold without help of a main, or playing the auction house, all without really trying to play the AH. That was a few years ago, and other players are reporting good returns on selling mats, so gathering is the way to go if you want money.
Probably the two best professions to take for money purposes while leveling are mining and herbing. 4.01 added the ability to track multiple items at the same time, so some of the inconvenience of trying to level two gathering professions has been removed. The downside is that mining is harder to level than herbalism. I suggest, for convenience, taking skinning and mining/herbing. Skins sell decently, and a lot of the herbs sell for a really high price. Mining will also net you a pretty penny when leveling, but it can be fairly annoying to try to level compared to other professions.
If you don’t want to do the work of leveling moneymaking professions or don’t need to, going to other professions to benefit you at 80 is a good idea. The generally accepted min/max is blacksmithing and jewelcrafting, as it gives you great flexibility with extra sockets and better gems. Enchanting and alchemy are both beneficial to raiding as well. It’s up to you if you want to try to level both of those professions (better have a lot of cash), or if you want to pick up its secondary profession to make it easier. If you have access to a ton of cash, holding off and leveling professions after you hit the level cap is also an option, as working on profs can be expensive and slow leveling considerably depending on your time commitment to it.
In the end, Blizz has done a decent job or balancing professions, so there will be few times when the choice is really going to matter much. Some are just more difficult or more expensive to level (Enchanting, Blacksmithing, Engineering); it's a good idea to check out which ones provide you good endgame benefits for what you want to do, since some are stronger in one area than others.
------------------------------
6. Gemming
------------------------------
While leveling, gemming is pretty straightforward. It’s not really beneficial to gem for hit caps or such, so your primary stat is going to be the best option.
Elemental- Intellect is now the spellpower stat, so go for this. If you’re trying for a socket bonus needing a yellow, go for Int/haste or possibly Int/mastery when it becomes available. You might also consider hit or int/hit gems for desirable blue sockets or if you spend a decent amount of time casting at mobs 2 to 3+ levels higher than you.
Enhancement- Agility; agi/haste for bonuses needing a yellow. Hit and agi/hit can be useful as well, although hit's value can vary a decent amount while leveling.
Restoration- Intellect. If you’re trying for a socket bonus needing a yellow, go for Int/haste.
7. AoE Leveling: Better Leveling through Fire
For those looking to try something different, the changes to Fire Nova in 3.3 open up the possibility of elemental AoE leveling. 4.0 has bumped the availability of this up a bit to higher levels and likely cut into its effectiveness, but it's still something the curious may want to give a shot.
The main ingredients are: Magma Totem (now available at level 36; previously 26); Fire Nova (available at 28; because Fire Nova cannot be used with Searing Totem, prior to level 36 you would have to use Flametongue Totem); Chain Lightning; Stoneclaw (or Earthbind, for any necessary kiting).
Optional items: Glyph of Fire Nova (adds 5 yards to the range); Glyph of Chain Lightning; Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem. CL glyph will probably be the strongest overall, but this can vary based on how big the pulls are, how often you get hit, etc.
This method is mana intensive, so attention should be paid to Water Shield and Mana Spring uptimes. Additionally, the availability of the BoA caster trinket Discerning Eye of the Beast, which restores mana on killing mobs and can be stacked, drastically reduces down time, even possibly eliminating it.
As forum poster Homitu says (this was for 3.3),
I recently leveled a 2nd shaman as elemental and I adamantly feel that it is currently one of the fastest leveling specs in the game (only behind affliction locks). Elemental was definitely slow pre-BoA gear, pre-Fire Nova change, and pre-Glyphs, but now it's a mana efficient AoE powerhouse.
I find many shamans here still recommend the once superior enhance spec for leveling, since enhance was undoubtedly faster when they last leveled a shaman. However, times have changed, and ele is extremely potent at the moment.
As far as talent builds go, I would recommend this to begin with:
This is for level 27, right before you can effectively start AoEing with FN. I've chosen to fill out Convection because mana will likely be a concern; if you find it is not once you start AoEing at level 28, consider moving the points to Ele Precision to up damage by a couple of percent. Take whatever talents look good after that: Ele Reach adds more range to FN and CL, EP adds some damage, etc. There are no longer elemental talents that directly affect FN after this point, so take the normal talents going forward, based on mana or damage, whatever seems to be more useful.
An example pull following this method would go: Aggro as many mobs as you can handle (5-6 for starters)-> Drop Stoneclaw + Magma/Flametongue totem-> Fire Nova-> Flame Shock-> Fire Nova-> Refresh Water shield-> Fire Nova = all mobs dead. CL can also be added depending on mana, especially if you choose to glyph it. Note that careful use of these ideas can also provide excellent DPS in dungeons while leveling, but take care with aggro and mana use. Don't forget that Thunderstorm also does AoE damage, and toward the end of the road you'll have the option for Earthquake; when/where/if you want to use these will be up to you and how you feel they fit into your AoEing strategy.
Whether or not AoE leveling is the new "best" way to level is debatable with the inclusion of BoAs, the LFD system, and improved experience gains from questing. It'll be up to the individual whether he or she thinks it is worth it; I present it here as an alternative to more traditional single-target based leveling.
A Note on AoE past level 80: while AoEing mobs is a viable tactic up to the end of WotLK content, mobs in Cataclysm generally have more health and hit much harder than those form previous content. As such, you'll most likely want to give up on AoE or very carefully test its viability in Cata leveling. While it may ultimately be doable, whether or not the returns will be worth the effort will be your call. Also note that Blizzard poster Nethaera has stated that reduced experience gains have been implemented, making it undesirable to attempt to AoE grind older content once you hit an applicable level cap; this change may also discourage AoE leveling in Cataclysm. Posted here:.
**Special thanks to Homitu for this information in 3.3; I have updated as much as possible while keeping general information that still applies.
------------------------------
8. Useful information for leveling
------------------------------
This section will always be a work in progress, as I add whatever I happen to run into as good advice, useful general info, etc.
1. Shaman trainers:
Stuck out in the world and wondering where the closest trainer is? Check the above link, sorted by faction.
2. Frost shock kiting: I suggest you get decent at kiting and practice it. It will help you in PvP and when you need to run away from mobs. Kiting as a shaman (as any spec) can be done with 3 spells. Frost shock and earthbind are the kiting moves, and if you have improved ghost wolf you’re able to run away better, but it’s not required.
In PvP (such as being jumped while leveling) your best bet is to frost shock kite, as earthbind is likely going to be destroyed quickly (feel free to plant it, just don’t rely on it). Frost shock kiting works equally as well with mobs, but earthbind can be reliable too since mobs rarely attack the totem.
Frost shock kiting is easy to do. Start off by casting frost shock on the target, then immediately jump and turn yourself 180 degrees (or whichever degree you need to do). It is important to jump and turn instead of just running the 180 degrees. This way you won’t lose running time. This is all it is. While running away, jump and turn to the enemy, frost shock and return to the direction you were running. It can be done in all one jump, this way you don’t lose running time at all, and the target is continuously slowed.
Practice this on mobs that are lower level (green) than you, starting at close (but not melee range) and frost shock, and run then repeat the steps above. It shouldn’t take more than a a couple tries to master and you are better off doing this in case of too many mobs aggroing, or some other player trying to jump you . Earthbind is your panic button if they get close with frost shock on CD.
------------------------------
9. Enchants
------------------------------
Enchants are purely optional based on cash available/effort you want to go through. I always suggest enchanting as it will quicken leveling and may save you from dying from time to time, but it's not a huge necessity. Other than heirloom items you'll be replacing gear fairly quickly.
I'm not going to bother going through each piece of gear to enchant since the enchanting options, while leveling, are much slimmer, and some items can't be enchanted until higher levels.
Resto
Spell power, int, crit, and stat enchants are your friend. The changes to Int mean it's likely going to come out ahead in most cases, but it's a good idea to compare. There are very few crit, and stat enchant choices, but it's possible to get them.
For weapon, Int looks like the better choice, and it's usually cheaper.
Enhance
Agility, stats, attack power. Specifically I know agi can go on bracers gloves, and boots. I would always take agi over any other type of enchant.
For weapons dual crusader is amazing. Agility is also acceptable though. Crusader does stack when dual wielding.
Elemental
Elemental is the same as resto basically. Get spell power, crit, or int enchants. Stats on the chest.
Weapon is the same, go for Int.
------------------------------
10. Helpful online resources
------------------------------
Although some are aimed at endgame theorycraft, they usually provide good information for players of all levels and skills.
TotemSpot (http://totemspot.com/): a community site by some of the best theorycrafters and shaman players.
Elitist Jerks, Shaman Section (http://elitistjerks.com/f79/): the premier theorycraft site's shaman class mechanics section. Individual sections for each spec (ele:, enh: , resto: ).
A new enhance post is up and running for 85 at EJ, courtesy of Cochice:
Wowhead (http://www.wowhead.com): a WoW database, providing info on virtually every aspect of the game. Curious about dungeons in your level range? Gear in the next zone? Where you can find profession recipes? It's all here.
Shaman section at WoWInsider (http://wow.joystiq.com/category/shaman/): a blogging site featuring our very own Elam (Josh Myers). Weekly columns from knowledgeable shamans on a variety of subjects.
1. Leveling style
------------------------------
The most frequently asked question of those looking to level a shaman has to be: "What spec is the best for leveling?" The answer is simple: the one you enjoy most. As WoW has aged, Blizzard has made the leveling process considerably smoother and easier than it used to be. Better itemization at lower levels, higher quest and mob experience, smarter zone design, and clearer breadcrumb trails between questing hubs have greatly improved the overall leveling experience. With the revamping of our talent trees in 4.01 and the redesign of starting zones in Cataclysm, leveling should be in better shape than it has ever been before.
There was a time when Enhancement was arguably the best leveling spec, but those days have likely passed. Elemental and Enhancement both start out with excellent passive talents now, meaning both should be viable choices for quick leveling. Restoration is, as a healing spec, going to lag behind in terms of raw killing power; however, as most people who level in a healing spec do so for group leveling or fast queues in the Looking for Dungeon tool, this should balance out the weaker damage of the spec.
All three are now viable and decently quick leveling specs, so don't feel the need to choose one solely because you've heard it's "faster"; Leveling is fast regardless of spec, but the best leveling experience is the one you enjoy and that teaches you about the class. Choose your spec based on what you like or what you want to try out, what heirlooms you have available, etc. Having fun and being smart about leveling are going to make leveling a better experience than picking a spec recommended solely for its supposed advantages in terms of speed.
Since there are always a few "Help me" threads on the shaman forums, this guide is aimed at answering those questions in a general manner. This guide covers leveling from 1-85 as each spec. There's a lot of information to cover, even on a basic level, so feel free to make suggestions or ask if there's something you don't see. At the same time, do try to be thorough when searching the guide; asking questions covered in stickies generally gets you flamed as often as answered on these forums.
I'm also no master of shaman leveling, and the game has changed a lot since I leveled my own shaman. What I provide here is a basic outline of what are considered the "best practices" commonly. My choices are not beyond critique, by any means; as I wrote this guide, I sat and tried to make decisions that made the most sense for the given level. I ended up changing my mind many, many times, an indication of how difficult it can be to estimate effectiveness for talents while leveling. Take everything here with a grain of salt, because it's inevitable that your mileage will vary. It's a general leveling guide, not dictates from a deity handed down from on high.
I strongly suggest that, if you don't have a current PvE/PvP plan when you roll a shaman, think about it as you get close to 80; then, start reading up about the spec/playstyle beforehand so when you hit 80 you can start working towards it.
So anyways! Onwards with the guide! --the author
Note: this guide is written primarily for traditional solo and mixed dungeon play. Those who choose to level mostly or exclusively via LFD or spend a lot of time in PvP may want to tweak talents or playstyle for this differing approach.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:55 PM (PDT) ------------------------------
a. ELEMENTAL
------------------------------
Elemental is the shaman caster DPS spec. While this used to be among the weakest specs in the game for leveling, changes have made it among the strongest, especially in terms of burst damage and AoE. As hybrids, shamans have a wide range of tools at their disposal, making them a great “jack of all trades” class and strong in situational adaptation.
Passive bonuses:
Thunderstorm
Elemental Fury
Shamanism
Mastery: Elemental Overload
Weapon imbue choice: Flametongue
Shield to use: Lightning Shield, Water shield
[NB: see 7 below (post# 11) for AoE leveling strategies. Changes in 3.3 have added this powerful possibility for leveling, arguably faster than enhancement and among the fastest leveling specs in the game.]
Main stats (in no particular order)
Intellect: Increases our spell power, mana, and spell crit chance. This is your main stat, so grab as much of it as you can.
Stamina: Increases our health (10 per point).
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with attacks (spells and melee).
Hit rating: Increases the chance to hit with an attack (spells and melee).
Haste rating- Decreases the cast time of spells, and melee swing time.
Spirit: grants mana regeneration. Also grants spell hit via Elemental Precision.
Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I indicate; it’s completely up to you. Note that, in most cases, I opt for damage over mana; if you find yourself struggling with mana, pick up more mana management talents when you can.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhhStart off by maxing out Concussion, then Acuity.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0hoFill out Elemental Precision, then put a point into Call of Flame; after that, put a point into Elemental Focus. Reverberation is a possible choice as well, but generally you’ll be casting lightning bolts with the occasional shock, limiting the value of this talent. The point in EF is good because it will provide mana conservation, which is likely the biggest concern you have at this point. Rolling Thunder is a strong alternative if you are fine on mana and use Lightning Shield. The linked build goes with EF, as it is probably the safest baseline. Regardless, you’ll pick up whichever one you don’t take with the next level, so it’s not a big deal.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0GRoFill out Rolling Thunder and Elemental Reach. The last point here is dropped into Elemental Oath, a nice boost made even nicer by the acquisition of Lava Burst at 34, guaranteeing you a crit for Clearcasting.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhu0GRfzTop off EO, then fill in Lava Flows. The last point here is really a toss up; I go with Elemental Mastery, but Fulmination is probably just as good. Totemic Wrath, because it requires a fire totem that you may not be dropping that often, is probably the weakest. You’ll get them all with the next few points, so it won’t make much difference.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzzPick up Fulmination and Totemic Wrath. Now, go back and finish CoF and drop a point into Reverberation. This will open up the next tier, where you now take Lava Surge.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzGoFinish Lava Surge, fill up Feedback, and then grab Earthquake. EQ isn’t exactly a stellar leveling talent, but it’s probably a good idea to get it and learn how it works, especially if you plan on sticking with ele.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGzGRfkzGobhGrab Elemental Weapons and Imp Shields from Enhancement.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hGGMGRfkzGobhMGet Ancestral Swiftness (trust me, you'll love it) and top off Reverb. Now, you've got a choice: mana or health conservation? If you choose health, put points into Ancestral Resolve in the Resto tree; if mana, take Convection. The linked build goes with Convection for better mana efficiency.
At this point, you’ll probably want to respec to an endgame build, PvP spec, or to whichever other tree you might want to play instead. The stickied FAQs on these forums and the various articles at Elitist Jerks can help you choose builds for whatever your plans are.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:41 PM (PDT) Rotation
The initial rotation is pretty simple: lightning bolt. You can toss a shock in if you want (Flame Shock early so it ticks, Earth Shock if you have to move or to kill a mob causing spell pushback, Frost Shock for kiting), but chances are it’s best to lean on LB for most of your damage. Once you hit level 34, however, life gets better, as you get Lava Burst. Now you’ll want to make sure Flame Shock is up and that you use LvB whenever possible—LvB on a target with FlS is a guaranteed crit, which has great effects when combined with the various on crit effects like EF and EO. Once you get Fulmination, Earth Shock is also a source of good burst damage. Elemental has been pretty boring in the past; now, with all these new toys, it’s interesting and fun. Check out some of the endgame guides for more information on rotations.
Glyphs
Prime:
Flame Shock, Flametongue Weapon, Lava Burst, Lightning Bolt, Shocking, Water Shield.
Lava Burst is probably your best choice, but since you don’t get that spell until 34, Lightning Bolt is a good first choice, either to be replaced by LvB when you get it or added when your next slot opens. Flametongue Weapon is really the only other option during leveling, since most mobs will die fast enough that the extra ticks of FlS are wasted and you likely won’t be using Waster Shield enough to justify glyphing it.
Major:
Lightning Shield, Ghost Wolf, Thunder, Stoneclaw Totem, Totemic Recall, Elemental Mastery, Chain Lightning.
Thunder is probably the first major to snag; while LS looks good, it won’t really shine until you get Fulmination, with the earliest level for that being 49. Besides Thunder and LS, the rest are mostly defensive or utility: Ele Mastery and Stoneclaw are both handy for taking less damage, great if you AoE a lot or solo elites; Totemic Recall is a mana regen talent; GW is nice but probably not very valuable for a spec without instant GW standard (not to mention mounts are available so early now); CL is a decent AoE glyph. As with all major glyphs, these aren’t make or break for your DPS; they are “quality of life” glyphs and entirely up to you.
Minor:
Astral Recall, Renewed Life, Arctic Wolf, Water Walking, Water Breathing, Thunderstorm.
Other than Astral Recall (available at 30), these glyphs are simply convenience or aesthetic enhancers. Water walking is probably the most generally useful, although Renewed Life might be a good choice if you instance a lot. Thunderstorm may or may not be something you want, since it ups mana but removes TS’s knockback effect; consider well the value of the knockback to your playstyle before choosing this one.
Heirlooms
I will list what I believe will be beneficial for the elemental specced shaman while leveling. You don’t need everything here, but I suggest getting both the chest/shoulders if you can. Really speeds up the leveling.
Mystical Pauldrons of Elements: This is a must. Gives int, stamina, and some crit. It also gives you +10% experience so it’s great for leveling.
Mystical Vest of Elements: Another must due to giving more exp. It also gives stamina and intellect, plus some crit rating. Unlikely you’ll find anything better.
Dignified Headmaster's Charge: A lot of people like to go 1h/shield with a shaman, but as of now there is no shield from heirlooms, and you’re not going find a weapon with stats like this throughout your entire leveling career, even on the other heirloom items.
Discerning Eye of the Beast: I’ve heard that this trinket is amazing to use while leveling. It apparently stacks it’s effect, and procs off killing small things like totems. You could definitely use 2 of them till outlands, and beyond if you wanted. It will really help you out when grinding and saving mana. Plus the extra spell power at lower levels is nice.
------------------------------
b. ENHANCEMENT
------------------------------
Enhancement is the shaman melee spec. While enhancement shamans use a number of spells regularly—shocks, lightning bolt, and heals when necessary—these are cast from melee rather than range. Enhancement focuses on a blend of physical and magical damage, making it a strong DPS spec for a variety of situations. As with all shamans, enhancement has a decent bag of tricks, giving it good flexibility and an array of toys for different kinds of encounters.
Passive bonuses:
Lava Lash
Mental Quickness
Dual Wield
Primal Wisdom
Mastery: Enhanced Elements
Weapon imbue: flametongue, windfury/flametongue when available
Shield to use: Lightning Shield
Stats (in no particular order)
Agility: You get 2 Attack Power from it, it increases melee critical strike chance, and even gives us spell power. Our best stat for leveling.
Hit rating: Increases the chance to hit with an attack (spells and melee). A great stat when available.
Expertise rating: Removes mob chances to parry and dodge melee attacks. Important because we have several DPS abilities tied to melee hits. A good stat when available.
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with attacks (spells and melee).
Stamina: Increases health (10 per point). It’s another stat that we should have on our gear so we can survive.
Haste rating: Decreases spell cast time, and melee swing time. A pretty bad stat for enhancement, at least at later levels.
A note on strength: Shamans currently receive 1 AP from strength. At higher levels, strength is almost nonexistent on mail gear because both hunters and shamans use Agi as their primary stat; however, while leveling you may run across mail items with strength, especially random enchantment greens. If you end up with better overall stats with a piece that has strength, don't be afraid to grab it until something better comes along. Items "of the Tiger" (Agi and Str) are especially nice if you can take the stamina loss.
Weapon note: Remember with enhancement and dual wielding: Slow weapons. SLOW SLOW SLOW!
Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. If I tell you to grab a talent then assume I mean max it out, I will tell you otherwise when not to.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZf0oPick up Focused Strikes, then Elemental Weapons. Start into Flurry.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZf0G0oFinish Flurry; then you have a choice to make. The linked spec goes Ancestral Swiftness, as it provides a run speed and instant Ghost Wolf--both are great while leveling, even with mounts available so early. This also gives you a short path to Stormstrike. The alternative is to put points into Elemental Devastation, a decent DPS talent. However, with low spell crit rates and generally quick mob deaths, this isn't the most efficient use of points for leveling.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZfMG0sPick up Static Shock, then go back and begin filling out Elemental Devastation.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZfcG0s0hzFinish Ele Dev. Fill out Searing Flames--this is probably the fire totem you'll use most. Imp Fire Nova is a viable option if you AoE a lot, so you might take it if you do instances often (without CC, of course!). You'll need to drop a point into SF to hit the next tier if you take Imp FN.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 6:58 PM (PDT) At 47, you'll have another choice to make: Shamanistic Rage or Unleashed Rage (it's an angry tier). The linked build goes with UR, as it adds DPS immediately, and is useful for both solo and group play. SR gives you a defensive CD and free abilities while it's up. I personally think UR is the better choice.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZffG0s0hRzFinish UR, then snag SR. Now, go all the way back to tier 1 (do not pass go, do not collect $200) and drop 2 points into Imp Shields. You can also fill out Imp FN if you AoE often and didn't take it earlier, but Imp Shields will provide better single target DPS and probably overall be more useful. If you DID take Imp FN earlier, finish out Searing Flames instead of 2/3 Imp Shields.
Drop the next point into Imp Lava Lash, as this will start to be a major DPS source when combined with Searing Totem. Mobs will die before SF stacks too high, but dropping ST will probably get you at least one buff of SF on a mob, so you'll have 10% stronger LL hits. Not too shabby.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZffG0s0hRGoTop off Imp LL, then fill out Maelstrom Weapon. MSW will be a major source of DPS, but since it won't provide instant casts until 3/3, I opted to go with LL first, since it will generally be easier to use (provided you drop Searing Totem). Regardless, you'll end up with both filled out. Plus, you'll get Feral Spirits! The wolves are great, give you some handy utilities and self healing, and give you the ability to solo a lot of group quests and elites (especially when you add in SR's damage reduction).
That's it for the Enhance tree. Wasn't that fun? Just in time for Northrend...
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhbZffG0s0hRGoDrop 3 into Acuity, then the last 2 points into Concussion. You can really put these in any order you want, but Acuity is the better talent overall (hence only 2/3 for Concussion).
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGMZffG0s0hRGoTop off Concussion, Call of Flame, and Reverberation. You can take these talents in any order, since they are all relatively minor DPS increases.
The build you have now is a decent single target DPS build for PvE. If you find a lot of AoE situations, where you'd rather have more AoE power, you can respec to http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhGMZfcG0sMhRGo. There are other variations (such as dropping AS for Imp Shields or Totemic Reach) that provide a little more utility or DPS, but they're all relatively close in potential. I'll add other builds as they emerge, including the "cookie cutter" specs when the game ages enough to establish them.
Rotation
The changes in 4.01 have made enhancement leveling a lot more interesting that it used to be. Your main rotation will be Primal Strike/Storm Strike, Lava Lash, and Earth Shock; most mobs will be dead pretty quickly with all this. You can also use Lightning Bolt or a shock (typically Earth or Flame) to pull if you want range, and Frost Shock to snare and kite or buy time. After 81, you get Unleash Elements, allowing you to toss some extra DPS at range and provide buffs for your attack speed and FS; be sure to toss Unleash Flame prior to FS to boost its DPS and Unleash Wind while running into melee.
A lot of people get confused about Primal Strike and Storm Strike--Primal Strike is replaced by Storm Strike, so once you get SS you won't cast PS anymore. Enhancement used to have no (literally zero) melee specials prior to level 40, when SS became available; Blizz added PS to give them something to do until SS, along with LL. Once you get Storm Strike, you will no longer use Primal Strike.
Note that getting the full benefit of Flame Shock means getting all of its 18 seconds of ticks to run their course. If the target isn't going to live long enough for that to happen, you're probably better off getting the direct damage of Earth Shock. Most non-elites will not live long enough for FS to tick down, so you'll generally be using ES during normal questing. In instances, you'll probably see enough time for FS on bosses, maybe occasionally on some trash. The short version: if the target will live for 18 seconds, use Flame Shock; if it won't, use Earth Shock.
You’ll generally want to use Flametongue on your weapons until lvl 30, when you go to WF/FT. While conventional knowledge has been to go WF/WF in the past, the changes granting us LL at lvl 10 make FT a more attractive offhand enchant, especially considering Glyph of Lava Lash is the first available prime for enhancement. At endgame, you’ll definitely want to use WF/FT. These changes also emphasize the necessity of having a slow offhand to maximize LL damage.
Once you get MSW, add Lightning Bolt (or Chain Lightning, if there are multiple mobs) when you get a 5 stack for instant casts. Use Feral Spirits and Shamanistic Rage if you’re in trouble or soloing a tough mob.
Glyphs
Prime:
Lava Lash, Stormstrike, Windfury, Feral Spirits.
Lava Lash is available at lvl 25, and considering how hard Lava Lash hits with a slow weapon (you’ve got a slow offhand, right?), it’s not a bad choice for your initial prime glyph. LL does not scale that well at low levels, however, so chances are you'll find Stormstrike (available at 29) to be a better option due to its effects on Earth Shock. Windfury becomes available at 32; LL is probably the better choice for the next time a prime slow opens up, since you'll start to have talent support for it. Depending on how often you use Feral Spirits, that glyph may or may not be better than Windfury. If you use FS on cooldown, solo a lot of tough mobs, like elites, or do a lot of instancing, FS is probably a good choice once you can get it. If you don’t, WF is probably a more useful, more consistent payoff for your glyph investment.
Major:
Lightning Shield, Ghost Wolf, Shamanistic Rage, Stoneclaw Totem.
While there are plenty of major glyphs that add utility and could feasibly be good choices, these four are probably the best for leveling. LS and GW are available at 25, SR at 49, and SCT at 58. LS and GW are great glyphs for convenience, with LS perhaps edging out GW simply because mounts will cover a lot of the travel that would make FW more useful. SR removes magic effects when glyphed, a handy thing to be able to do while leveling. SCT gives you a shield when you drop Stoneclaw, a potentially lifesaving utility if you solo big groups or elites. These glyphs aren’t going to directly impact your DPS; they are “quality of life” glyphs and entirely up to you.
Minor:
Astral Recall, Renewed Life, Arctic Wolf, Water Walking, Water Breathing.
Other than Astral Recall (available at 30), these glyphs are simply convenience or aesthetic enhancers. Water walking is probably the most generally useful, although Renewed Life might be a good choice if you instance a lot.
Heirlooms
The following heirloom items are great for enhancement shamans. You don’t have to get them, of course, but the chest and shoulders are especially helpful because of the bonus experience.
Champion Herod's Shoulder
Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate
Venerable Mass of McGowan: these are excellent for enhance—slow (2.8!), one-handed so they can be dual wielded, and providing good stats. Get one. Hell, get two. With DW now coming baseline at level 10, there’s no reason not to snag these if you can.
Swift Hand of Justice: the least desirable heirloom overall, but a decent thing to have if you have the badges to burn. Trinkets are often a weakness while leveling, so having anything is better than nothing.
------------------------------
c. RESTORATION
------------------------------
Restoration is the shaman healing tree. Resto shamans are one of the best all-around healers—they can tank heal and raid heal effectively, whereas other classes tend to be better suited to one or the other. Like other shaman specs, resto has a deep bag of tricks and buffs that make them flexible and a great addition to a group. While it’s a pretty bad tree for soloing due to weaker DPS than ele or enh, resto is a great tree for leveling through dungeons or with a friend.
Passive bonuses:
Earth Shield
Meditation
Purification
Mastery: Deep Healing
Weapon imbue: Earthliving and Flametongue
Shield to use: Water Shield
Stats(in no particular order)
Intellect: Increases spell power, mana, and spell crit chance. This is resto’s main stat.
Stamina: Increases our health (10 per point).
Crit rating: Increases the chance to get a critical hit with abilities (spells and melee). Also provides mana regeneration via talents. A strong stat for resto.
Haste rating: Decreases the cast time of spells, and melee swing time.
Spirit: Provides mana regeneration.
Edited by Marashka on 4/13/11 1:09 PM (PDT) Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. Since the majority of resto talents impact healing or other healing-related tasks, it won’t make a huge difference in solo or group effectiveness, since optimal conditions are rare while leveling.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZdh
Drop points into Ancestral Resolve and Spark of Life. Since resto will typically be casting offensive spells, immediately taking less damage probably trumps waiting a few levels for it. Increasing the healing you do AND take is also nice, especially when you’ll be healing yourself often and you don’t have a sizable health pool. Start into Tidal Focus. If you are leveling in a group or through dungeons, you'll probably want to fill TF instead of AR, since you won't be getting hit as often.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfub
Finish TF, then take Totemic Focus, since you’ll typically be dropping totems more often as resto than the other two specs. Now, you have a choice. If you mainly solo or PvP, Focused Insight is probably a good choice, since you’ll be casting shocks and healing with enough frequency that the mana savings will be useful. If you mostly run groups, Imp Water Shield is probably a better investment. Since most people who choose to level resto do so in a group or by running dungeons, the linked build goes with IWS.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGb0s
Finish IWS, grab Nature’s Swiftness, and top out Nature’s Blessing.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszoo
Go ahead and grab Imp Cleanse Spirit for one point—it’;s useful enough to take. Fill out Ancestral Healing. At this point, you need one more point to get to the next tier. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you put it, as all the available talents are situational or of limited use. I’m going to toss it into Cleansing Waters. Put the next point into Mana Tide Totem.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsR
This is a weird tier. Telluric Currents is probably the best choice to take first unless you do nothing but heal, period; if you ever cast lightning bolts, TC is probably worth it as your initial points. Ancestral Awakening is doubly damned in leveling by requiring a crit to trigger and only healing for a percentage of heals that may frequently be pretty weak. You’ll end up with both of them regardless, so it’s really your choice where to go first.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsRuo
Fill out Tidal Waves, drop a point into Blessing of the Eternals, then snag Riptide.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhZfGbMszsRuo
The last series of choices are a bit up for grabs. Imp Shields in Enhancement is a decent investment, as is Elemental Weapons. On the other hand, Acuity’s bonus to crit is pretty attractive, considering how many talents resto has that rely on crit. I’ve gone with Imp Shields and EW, but you can mix and match depending on gear and preferences for these last few points.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMbZfGbMszsRGo
The real gem is the always fun Ancestral Swiftness; other than that, it's more of the same tossup of points. The linked build goes for Totemic Reach (better range on totems) and the last point of Blessing of the Eternals; tossing 3 points into Acuity is another option.
The good news is, you’ve survived to 85 as a resto shaman. The bad news: you’ll probably want to respec. Check out the shaman resto guides stickied here, at EJ, or at Totemspot for good build ideas.
For PvP…this is mainly a PvE guide. You’re on your own!
Rotation
For DPS, the rotation you will have while leveling is pretty similar to elemental, except that you do a lot less damage; the tradeoff for this is greater survivability. This is probably the only spec that you will want to put totems down for on a consistent basis, especially mana spring and a fire totem. If you’re soloing or otherwise doing DPS for the majority of the time, use FT on your weapon to up your damage. Depending on your mana, Lightning Shield or Earth Shield are alternatives to Water Shield for better DPS or survivability, respectively.
As a healer, you don’t generally have a set rotation except in some specific encounters. There are combinations of spells that are sometimes good due to synergy from talents (Riptide for Tidal Waves, which buffs your next HW, GHW, or HS, for instance), but in general you use the spell that fits the situation. We have a large toolbox of spells at our disposal; learn the strengths of each as you level and you’ll be a much better healer for it.
Edited by Marashka on 4/13/11 1:09 PM (PDT) Talent Spec
Specs are going to be shown on a basis of 10 levels, with a *usually* short explanation of how to pick up the talents. You don’t have to go by this by the book, and you can reverse getting talents in the order I said to if you want, it’s completely up to you. Since the majority of resto talents impact healing or other healing-related tasks, it won’t make a huge difference in solo or group effectiveness, since optimal conditions are rare while leveling.
10-19- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZdh
Drop points into Ancestral Resolve and Spark of Life. Since resto will typically be casting offensive spells, immediately taking less damage probably trumps waiting a few levels for it. Increasing the healing you do AND take is also nice, especially when you’ll be healing yourself often and you don’t have a sizable health pool. Start into Tidal Focus. If you are leveling in a group or through dungeons, you'll probably want to fill TF instead of AR, since you won't be getting hit as often.
20-29- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfub
Finish TF, then take Totemic Focus, since you’ll typically be dropping totems more often as resto than the other two specs. Now, you have a choice. If you mainly solo or PvP, Focused Insight is probably a good choice, since you’ll be casting shocks and healing with enough frequency that the mana savings will be useful. If you mostly run groups, Imp Water Shield is probably a better investment. Since most people who choose to level resto do so in a group or by running dungeons, the linked build goes with IWS.
30-39- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGb0s
Finish IWS, grab Nature’s Swiftness, and top out Nature’s Blessing.
40-49- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszoo
Go ahead and grab Imp Cleanse Spirit for one point—it’;s useful enough to take. Fill out Ancestral Healing. At this point, you need one more point to get to the next tier. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter where you put it, as all the available talents are situational or of limited use. I’m going to toss it into Cleansing Waters. Put the next point into Mana Tide Totem.
50-59- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsR
This is a weird tier. Telluric Currents is probably the best choice to take first unless you do nothing but heal, period; if you ever cast lightning bolts, TC is probably worth it as your initial points. Ancestral Awakening is doubly damned in leveling by requiring a crit to trigger and only healing for a percentage of heals that may frequently be pretty weak. You’ll end up with both of them regardless, so it’s really your choice where to go first.
60-69- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZZfGbMszsRuo
Fill out Tidal Waves, drop a point into Blessing of the Eternals, then snag Riptide.
70-79- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhZfGbMszsRuo
The last series of choices are a bit up for grabs. Imp Shields in Enhancement is a decent investment, as is Elemental Weapons. On the other hand, Acuity’s bonus to crit is pretty attractive, considering how many talents resto has that rely on crit. I’ve gone with Imp Shields and EW, but you can mix and match depending on gear and preferences for these last few points.
80-85- http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hZbhMbZfGbMszsRGo
The real gem is the always fun Ancestral Swiftness; other than that, it's more of the same tossup of points. The linked build goes for Totemic Reach (better range on totems) and the last point of Blessing of the Eternals; tossing 3 points into Acuity is another option.
The good news is, you’ve survived to 85 as a resto shaman. The bad news: you’ll probably want to respec. Check out the shaman resto guides stickied here, at EJ, or at Totemspot for good build ideas.
For PvP…this is mainly a PvE guide. You’re on your own!
Rotation
For DPS, the rotation you will have while leveling is pretty similar to elemental, except that you do a lot less damage; the tradeoff for this is greater survivability. This is probably the only spec that you will want to put totems down for on a consistent basis, especially mana spring and a fire totem. If you’re soloing or otherwise doing DPS for the majority of the time, use FT on your weapon to up your damage. Depending on your mana, Lightning Shield or Earth Shield are alternatives to Water Shield for better DPS or survivability, respectively.
As a healer, you don’t generally have a set rotation except in some specific encounters. There are combinations of spells that are sometimes good due to synergy from talents (Riptide for Tidal Waves, which buffs your next HW, GHW, or HS, for instance), but in general you use the spell that fits the situation. We have a large toolbox of spells at our disposal; learn the strengths of each as you level and you’ll be a much better healer for it.
Edited by Marashka on 4/11/11 7:08 PM (PDT) ------------------------------
2. Mixed specs while leveling
------------------------------
As stated above, there was a time when certain specs were better for leveling than others; now, with the redesign of talent trees in 4.01 and the advent of dual specs and the random dungeon finder, all three specs are viable choices for going from 1-85. In terms of efficiency, dual spec ele/resto is probably tough to beat: since the specs can share gear, questing and leveling as ele and instancing as resto gives you the best of all worlds without requiring a lot of extra gear. If you aren’t able to afford dual spec but still plan on instancing and want fast queues, ele is probably your best bet because you can queue as a healer; having caster gear will help improve your healing ability, where as trying to heal as enhancement will demand another set of gear to be effective.
If you’re not worrying about queue times or instancing, either of the two DPS specs will be fine. In the past, it was sometimes a good idea to switch between the two for various level ranges, as there were dead spots in gearing that made it better to be enh or ele for a given set of levels. The complete redesign of the leveling areas of 1-60 in Cataclysm, along with the better itemization of the two previous expansions and the availability of heirlooms, means that these gearing problems are likely a thing of the past.
In general, elemental is probably going to be the best all around spec for leveling. The advantages of being at range are handy while leveling and in instances; caster also generally scale better at lower levels than melee and are typically less gear dependent. Having caster gear also means you’ll have the mana and spellpower to heal decently enough if you wish. Even with these advantages the difference won’t be extreme by any means, so you should still play whatever spec seems the most fun. Also don’t be afraid to mix it up and try the other specs…just don’t forget that gear is important, so keep that in mind when rating a spec’s performance.
------------------------------
3. Totems and their usage while leveling
------------------------------
Dropping totems while leveling is going often to be a waste of mana, especially if you’re dropping all four for killing only a mob or two. If you’re taking on large groups, an elite, or are in an instance, it may or may not be worth it; as you level, you’ll figure just when it’s worth it and when it isn’t. Resto will probably be the only spec to consistently drop multiple totems, but again, your experience will help you get a feel for their worth.
In instances, dropping totems will often depend on the buffs available from the other members of the group. Instances often move fast and have limited down time, so the mana investment to drop a full totem loadout on trash is a bit dicey; it’s definitely worth it on bosses, however.
Here’s the typical totem set used by each spec; keep in mind that different situations will call for different totems, so learning to use ALL your totems when they’re called for is a good idea. Don’t forget to use Stoneclaw for its taunt and shield (if glyphed), Earthbind for kiting, Tremor for fears and sleep, and Grounding to help mitigate caster damage.
Enhancement: Strength of Earth, Windfury, Healing stream, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. Enhancement will have very few to no mana issues, so dropping totems is less of a problem for enh than for other specs.
Elemental: Stoneskin, Wrath of Air, Mana spring, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. Mana may or may not be an issue, so monitor the returns of dropping all or a couple of totems. Drop none if you have severe mana issues and are traveling from mob to mob more than hitting packs.
Resto: Stoneskin, Wrath of Air, Mana spring, Searing. Magma +Fire Nova for AoE or large packs. As with Elemental, monitor costs and see if totems are worth the mana. Chances are that resto’s weaker killing power means totems will be a little more worth it, especially Searing and Mana spring.
------------------------------
4. Races
------------------------------
**NOTE: this section is being revised for more accuracy**
In general, as with specs it's best to play what you enjoy; the benefits for any race are minimal at best.
In terms of pure min/max:
Alliance: PvE- Draenei; PvP- Dwarf.
Horde: PvE-Orc (enh), Troll (ele/resto); PvP- All are good, although Tauren's Warstomp is generally a favorite.
A note on goblins: they have interesting racials, many of which are convenient more than beneficial to actual game play. The jury will be out for a while on the real value of goblin racials in PvE and PvP, although they have the potential to be excellent for both.
------------------------------
5. Professions
------------------------------
There is a lot of controversy as to what professions you should take while leveling. Personally I believe you should take moneymaking professions when leveling, and then get the ones you want at a higher level. If done right you can make a ton of money while leveling. For instance, Liax said in the previous version of this guide that he had a level 44 paladin who has taken skinning and herbing and had over 200 gold without help of a main, or playing the auction house, all without really trying to play the AH. That was a few years ago, and other players are reporting good returns on selling mats, so gathering is the way to go if you want money.
Probably the two best professions to take for money purposes while leveling are mining and herbing. 4.01 added the ability to track multiple items at the same time, so some of the inconvenience of trying to level two gathering professions has been removed. The downside is that mining is harder to level than herbalism. I suggest, for convenience, taking skinning and mining/herbing. Skins sell decently, and a lot of the herbs sell for a really high price. Mining will also net you a pretty penny when leveling, but it can be fairly annoying to try to level compared to other professions.
If you don’t want to do the work of leveling moneymaking professions or don’t need to, going to other professions to benefit you at 80 is a good idea. The generally accepted min/max is blacksmithing and jewelcrafting, as it gives you great flexibility with extra sockets and better gems. Enchanting and alchemy are both beneficial to raiding as well. It’s up to you if you want to try to level both of those professions (better have a lot of cash), or if you want to pick up its secondary profession to make it easier. If you have access to a ton of cash, holding off and leveling professions after you hit the level cap is also an option, as working on profs can be expensive and slow leveling considerably depending on your time commitment to it.
In the end, Blizz has done a decent job or balancing professions, so there will be few times when the choice is really going to matter much. Some are just more difficult or more expensive to level (Enchanting, Blacksmithing, Engineering); it's a good idea to check out which ones provide you good endgame benefits for what you want to do, since some are stronger in one area than others.
------------------------------
6. Gemming
------------------------------
While leveling, gemming is pretty straightforward. It’s not really beneficial to gem for hit caps or such, so your primary stat is going to be the best option.
Elemental- Intellect is now the spellpower stat, so go for this. If you’re trying for a socket bonus needing a yellow, go for Int/haste or possibly Int/mastery when it becomes available. You might also consider hit or int/hit gems for desirable blue sockets or if you spend a decent amount of time casting at mobs 2 to 3+ levels higher than you.
Enhancement- Agility; agi/haste for bonuses needing a yellow. Hit and agi/hit can be useful as well, although hit's value can vary a decent amount while leveling.
Restoration- Intellect. If you’re trying for a socket bonus needing a yellow, go for Int/haste.
7. AoE Leveling: Better Leveling through Fire
For those looking to try something different, the changes to Fire Nova in 3.3 open up the possibility of elemental AoE leveling. 4.0 has bumped the availability of this up a bit to higher levels and likely cut into its effectiveness, but it's still something the curious may want to give a shot.
The main ingredients are: Magma Totem (now available at level 36; previously 26); Fire Nova (available at 28; because Fire Nova cannot be used with Searing Totem, prior to level 36 you would have to use Flametongue Totem); Chain Lightning; Stoneclaw (or Earthbind, for any necessary kiting).
Optional items: Glyph of Fire Nova (adds 5 yards to the range); Glyph of Chain Lightning; Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem. CL glyph will probably be the strongest overall, but this can vary based on how big the pulls are, how often you get hit, etc.
This method is mana intensive, so attention should be paid to Water Shield and Mana Spring uptimes. Additionally, the availability of the BoA caster trinket Discerning Eye of the Beast, which restores mana on killing mobs and can be stacked, drastically reduces down time, even possibly eliminating it.
As forum poster Homitu says (this was for 3.3),
I recently leveled a 2nd shaman as elemental and I adamantly feel that it is currently one of the fastest leveling specs in the game (only behind affliction locks). Elemental was definitely slow pre-BoA gear, pre-Fire Nova change, and pre-Glyphs, but now it's a mana efficient AoE powerhouse.
I find many shamans here still recommend the once superior enhance spec for leveling, since enhance was undoubtedly faster when they last leveled a shaman. However, times have changed, and ele is extremely potent at the moment.
As far as talent builds go, I would recommend this to begin with:
This is for level 27, right before you can effectively start AoEing with FN. I've chosen to fill out Convection because mana will likely be a concern; if you find it is not once you start AoEing at level 28, consider moving the points to Ele Precision to up damage by a couple of percent. Take whatever talents look good after that: Ele Reach adds more range to FN and CL, EP adds some damage, etc. There are no longer elemental talents that directly affect FN after this point, so take the normal talents going forward, based on mana or damage, whatever seems to be more useful.
An example pull following this method would go: Aggro as many mobs as you can handle (5-6 for starters)-> Drop Stoneclaw + Magma/Flametongue totem-> Fire Nova-> Flame Shock-> Fire Nova-> Refresh Water shield-> Fire Nova = all mobs dead. CL can also be added depending on mana, especially if you choose to glyph it. Note that careful use of these ideas can also provide excellent DPS in dungeons while leveling, but take care with aggro and mana use. Don't forget that Thunderstorm also does AoE damage, and toward the end of the road you'll have the option for Earthquake; when/where/if you want to use these will be up to you and how you feel they fit into your AoEing strategy.
Whether or not AoE leveling is the new "best" way to level is debatable with the inclusion of BoAs, the LFD system, and improved experience gains from questing. It'll be up to the individual whether he or she thinks it is worth it; I present it here as an alternative to more traditional single-target based leveling.
A Note on AoE past level 80: while AoEing mobs is a viable tactic up to the end of WotLK content, mobs in Cataclysm generally have more health and hit much harder than those form previous content. As such, you'll most likely want to give up on AoE or very carefully test its viability in Cata leveling. While it may ultimately be doable, whether or not the returns will be worth the effort will be your call. Also note that Blizzard poster Nethaera has stated that reduced experience gains have been implemented, making it undesirable to attempt to AoE grind older content once you hit an applicable level cap; this change may also discourage AoE leveling in Cataclysm. Posted here:
**Special thanks to Homitu for this information in 3.3; I have updated as much as possible while keeping general information that still applies.
------------------------------
8. Useful information for leveling
------------------------------
This section will always be a work in progress, as I add whatever I happen to run into as good advice, useful general info, etc.
1. Shaman trainers:
Stuck out in the world and wondering where the closest trainer is? Check the above link, sorted by faction.
2. Frost shock kiting: I suggest you get decent at kiting and practice it. It will help you in PvP and when you need to run away from mobs. Kiting as a shaman (as any spec) can be done with 3 spells. Frost shock and earthbind are the kiting moves, and if you have improved ghost wolf you’re able to run away better, but it’s not required.
In PvP (such as being jumped while leveling) your best bet is to frost shock kite, as earthbind is likely going to be destroyed quickly (feel free to plant it, just don’t rely on it). Frost shock kiting works equally as well with mobs, but earthbind can be reliable too since mobs rarely attack the totem.
Frost shock kiting is easy to do. Start off by casting frost shock on the target, then immediately jump and turn yourself 180 degrees (or whichever degree you need to do). It is important to jump and turn instead of just running the 180 degrees. This way you won’t lose running time. This is all it is. While running away, jump and turn to the enemy, frost shock and return to the direction you were running. It can be done in all one jump, this way you don’t lose running time at all, and the target is continuously slowed.
Practice this on mobs that are lower level (green) than you, starting at close (but not melee range) and frost shock, and run then repeat the steps above. It shouldn’t take more than a a couple tries to master and you are better off doing this in case of too many mobs aggroing, or some other player trying to jump you . Earthbind is your panic button if they get close with frost shock on CD.
------------------------------
9. Enchants
------------------------------
Enchants are purely optional based on cash available/effort you want to go through. I always suggest enchanting as it will quicken leveling and may save you from dying from time to time, but it's not a huge necessity. Other than heirloom items you'll be replacing gear fairly quickly.
I'm not going to bother going through each piece of gear to enchant since the enchanting options, while leveling, are much slimmer, and some items can't be enchanted until higher levels.
Resto
Spell power, int, crit, and stat enchants are your friend. The changes to Int mean it's likely going to come out ahead in most cases, but it's a good idea to compare. There are very few crit, and stat enchant choices, but it's possible to get them.
For weapon, Int looks like the better choice, and it's usually cheaper.
Enhance
Agility, stats, attack power. Specifically I know agi can go on bracers gloves, and boots. I would always take agi over any other type of enchant.
For weapons dual crusader is amazing. Agility is also acceptable though. Crusader does stack when dual wielding.
Elemental
Elemental is the same as resto basically. Get spell power, crit, or int enchants. Stats on the chest.
Weapon is the same, go for Int.
------------------------------
10. Helpful online resources
------------------------------
Although some are aimed at endgame theorycraft, they usually provide good information for players of all levels and skills.
TotemSpot (http://totemspot.com/): a community site by some of the best theorycrafters and shaman players.
Elitist Jerks, Shaman Section (http://elitistjerks.com/f79/): the premier theorycraft site's shaman class mechanics section. Individual sections for each spec (ele:
A new enhance post is up and running for 85 at EJ, courtesy of Cochice:
Wowhead (http://www.wowhead.com): a WoW database, providing info on virtually every aspect of the game. Curious about dungeons in your level range? Gear in the next zone? Where you can find profession recipes? It's all here.
Shaman section at WoWInsider (http://wow.joystiq.com/category/shaman/): a blogging site featuring our very own Elam (Josh Myers). Weekly columns from knowledgeable shamans on a variety of subjects.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
