Uploaded with permission from the original author
Originally written by Tealdres @ Burning Blade, EU
1. Foreword
2. What's the best leveling spec?
3. Talents
4. Abilities and Rotations.
5. Tips.
6. Stats.
7. Gear
8. Totem Quests.
9. Glyphs
10. Addons
1. Foreword
This is a guide which will tell which talents are the best to choose while leveling, also what rotation you should do, what kind of stats you should be focus'ing on and some tips.
2. What's the best leveling spec?
The best (solo) leveling spec for the shaman is Enhancement. This is because it's the most mana efficient tree there is, while it still maintains a lot of damage, in fact the shaman deals the most damage with minimum mana useage (with duel wield, that is). This only counts after level 40, though, and before that you might try Elemental. Elemental is our Casting spec, with it, we boost our Lightning Bolt, Chainlightning, Shocks and Totem.
I could write an Elemental leveling guide, but thats not needed. Browsing at the Wowhead forums brought me a guide for elemental leveling. Read WoWHead's Elemental Leveling Guide if you choose to level as Elemental. That guide can take you to level 80.
If you want to level as Enhancement all the way, then read further. Otherwise, you could pick up the guide from level 40.
3. The spec:
10 - 14:
Ancestral Knowledge - 5/5.
15 - 19:
Thundering Strikes - 5/5
20:
Shamanistic Focus - 1/1
21 - 22:
Improved Ghost Wolf - 2/2
23 - 24:
Elemental Weapons - 2/3 (only 2)
25 - 29:
Flurry - 5/5
30:
Spirit Weapons
31 - 33:
Mental Dexterity - 3/3
34:
Elemental Weapons - 3/3.
35 - 39:
Unleashed Rage - 5/5
40:
Stormstrike - 1/1
41:
Duel Wield: 1/1
42 - 44:
Duel Wield Specialization - 3/3
45:
Lava Lash - 1/1
46 - 47:
Improved Stormstrike - 2/2
48 - 49:
Weapon Mastery - 2/3 (only 2)
50:
Shamanistic Rage - 1/1
51:
Weapon Mastery - 3/3
52 - 54:
Mental Quickness - 3/3
55 - 59:
Maelstrom Weapon - 5/5
60:
Feral Spirit - 1/1
We are now moving to the Elemental tree.
61 - 65:
Concussion - 5/5
66 - 68:
Elemental Devastation - 3/3
69 - 70:
Convection - 2/3
71 - 75:
Elemental Fury - 5/5
76:
Elemental Focus - 1/1
77 - 80:
Reverberation - 4/5
4. Abilities and Rotations
Always take the slowest weapon available
1 - 9:
- Until you gain Earthshock, simply spam Lightning Bolt.
- When you get Earthshock, use it when available, but stop using Lightning Bolt.
- Use Lightning Shield always.
- Enchant your weapon with Rockbitter
- Use the best DPS weapon, be it 1H + shield or 2H (the slow weapon part does not apply here)
Rotation: Auto attack + Earth shock when possible. Always keep up Lightning Shield.
10 - 19:
- Same as above but:
- Use Flametongue instead of Rockbitter.
Rotation: Auto attack + Earth shock when possible. Always keep up Lightning Shield.
20 - 29
- Same as above but:
- Use Water Shield always.
Rotation: Same as above. Always keep up Water Shield.
30 - 39
- Use Water Shield if you need mana, otherwise, use Lightning Shield.
- Use Windfury weapon.
- Always take a 2H weapon with a speed of 3.0 or more.
Rotation: Auto attack + Earthshock. Always keep up Water Shield
I know it may sound tedious, Windfury change's this a bit, but from 40 and beyond, you will be amazed
40 - 49
- Start duelwielding at level 44 because you will miss to much without the hit talents.
- Same as above.
Rotation: Stormstrike > Earthshock > Lava Lash > Water Shield. or [/b]Lightning Shield[/b].
Windfury has a 3 second hidden cooldown, if you want to, you can wait 'till the cooldown finished and then use Stormstrike or Lava Lash. This, however, doesn't matter all that much, though, because there is not a difference in damage.
50 - 75.
- Keep up Water Shield always.
- Use windfury weapon enchant.
- Use Shamanistic Rage when you're out of mana.
Solo Rotation: Stormstrike > Earthshock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Watershield / Lightning Shield.
Bosses rotation:Stormstrike > Fire Shock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Rotation: Stormstrike > Earthshock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Repeat.
Whenever you have 5/5 Mealstrom Weapon, use Lightning Bolt, if you don't, skip it, but use it as soon as possible.
75 - 80
- Keep up Water Shield if you need mana, otherwise, use Lightning Shield.
- Use Windfury weapon enchant on main hand and Flametongue on your off-hand. You can use a fast off-hand for more Flametongue procs, or a slow off-hand for more damage from the procs. Just choose what you prefer.
- Use Shamanistic Rage at 50% mana, or at least close to. And always use it when your about to start a fight.
Solo Rotation: Stormstrike > Earthshock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Watershield or Lightning Shield.
Raids/bosses rotation:Stormstrike > Fire Shock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Rotation: Stormstrike > Earthshock > Lava Lash > 5/5 MW Lightning Bolt* > Repeat.
Also, this build is made to follow for leveling, not to raid with. You can, but you won't bring as much as you could.
5. Tips
Instances
- Use Earthliving if you are going to heal for an instance.
- Whenever you are at a boss fight, drop: Strenght of Earth, Flametongue totem, Windfury and Healing/Mana stream totem.
Solo
- Just heal yourself with Lesser Healing Wave whenever you need to heal.
- Bandages help as well, use this if you have the feeling you are using to much mana (to heal).
- Like mentioned in the rotations, keep up watershield. Always.
- Never use totems on single mobs, only use them whenever you are at an elite or tough mob.
Professions
- The best options are Skinning/Mining, they make lots of money, skinning gives critical strike rating and mining gives health (this little bonus was added in patch 3.0). These bonuses are small and not needed at all, there just a good choice.
6. Stats
In the following order: Stamina > Agility >Intellect > ManaPer5Sec > Strength .
Stamina: Needed for health.
Agility: Needed for Attack Power and Critical strike chance, also gives armor.
Intellect: Needed for mana, also gives spell critical strike chance. Needed for the heals and other spells.
Mana Per 5 Seconds: You won't see this alot until outland, but Water Shield gives this, it basicly gives you a certain amount of mana every five seconds.
Strength: Needed for Attack Power.
7. Gear.
Here I will show some gear you can pick up while leveling, although this guide is aimed at solo gameplay, you can let someone boost you for these items.
Weapons & Shield's
Combinations have the same color, and are under each other.
Also, these weapons are chosen for there DPS
Weapons must always be as slow as possible, this is because your windfury, stormstrike and lava lash wil do more damage.
10 - 20:
Lvl 15 - 2H - Rhahk'Zor's Hammer
Lvl 18 - 2H - Taskmaster Axe
20 - 30:
Lvl 20 - 2H - Arced War Axe
Lvl 20 - 1H - Butcher's Cleaver
Lvl 20 - Shield - Commander's Crest
Lvl 27 - 2H - Corpsemaker
Lvl 27 - Shield - Heart of Agamaggan
Lvl 30 - 1H - Pronged Reaver
30 - 40:
Lvl 37 - 2H - Ravager
40 - 50(Dont forget you can Duel Wield now).
Lvl 43 - 1H - The Hand of Antu'sul
Lvl 45 - 1H - Ripsaw
50 - 60:
Lvl 50 - 1H - Grizzle's Skinner
[PvP-Alliance]Lvl 60 - 1H - Grand Marshal's Handaxe
[PvP-Horde]Lvl 60 - 1H - High Warlord's Bludgeon
8. Totem quests.
Im not going to write a walkthrough for every quest, but I give the links to first part of the quests.
Call of Earth.
The earth totem quest for Orcs/Trolls
The earth totem quest for Taurens
The earth totem quest for Draenei's
Call of Fire
The fire totem quest for Orcs/Trolls
The fire totem quest for Draenei's
The fire totem quest for Tauren's
Call of Water
The water totem quest for Orcs/Trolls
The water totem quest for Taurens
The water totem quest for Draenei's
Call of Air
The air totem quest for Orcs/Trolls
The air totem quest for Taurens
If you by accident accept the quest that will teleport you on a mountain, don't be afraid and jump off the wooden plank, you will be teleported back to the quest giver!
The air totem quest for Draenei's
9. Glyph's
Glyph's...? Have a look here
Click here for a list of Shaman glyphs (if any of the links under here aren't working, use this one)
The following glyph's are a good choice for enhancement:
Major - Glyph of Windfury Weapon
Major - Glyph of Water Mastery
Major - Glyph of Stormstrike
Minor - Glyph of Ghost Wolf
Minor - Glyph of Water Shield
Minor - Glyph of Water Walking
Why would I want a removal of my Water Walking Reagent...? Because its the last one that's actually useful.
10. Addons
Here are some addons specific for the shaman.
Call of Element's
An addon which shows bars for your totems, tells you when you need to pull a totem, tells when your totems are destroyed and tells you when your weapon enchant is expired.
ShieldsUp
An addons which tells you when your Water/Lightning/Earth shield fade's.
Windfury Cooldown Timer
This addon shows the invisible cooldown of windfury, use Lava Lash/Stormstrike only when it's off the cooldown.
Click here for a list of shaman addons.
