World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Elemental Shaman: PvP
How Elemental Shaman fights other players in the open world: where it ranks on the PvP tier lists, and why.
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
Battlegrounds are not rated yet; builds, matchups and battleground roles are being written for this spec. Honor, ranks, gear and the battlegrounds themselves are on PvP in World of Warcraft: Forever.
Verdict
- At 60
- Ranked 27 of 28 on Open-World PvP
A ranged caster with a strong burst window on a cast bar, but no hard control and no defensive cooldown.
- While leveling
- Ranked 27 of 28 on Open-World PvP Leveling
Earth Shock from level 4 and a slow from 6 give it a start, but it has little damage or defense until 
Lava Burst at 30. - Battlegrounds
- Not rated yet.
Profile
The rubric the lists score on, 1 to 5 on each line, with the weight each line carries. The class’s other specs are shown at 60 for comparison.
| Criterion | Weight | At 60 | While leveling | Enhancement | Restoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst and kill pressure | 25 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Survival and escapes | 20 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Control | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Fighting outnumbered | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Choosing the fight | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Sustain between fights | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Group fights | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Weighted score | 2.55 | 2.30 | 3.00 | 2.80 |
Strengths and weaknesses
At 60
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Largest burst window of the three Shaman | No hard crowd control |
| Earth Shock interrupt every 6 s at 20 yd | No defensive cooldown |
 Earthbound root and  Frost Shock slow | No self-heal talent |
 Chain Lightning and  Fire Nova on groups | All damage on a cast bar |
 Grounding Totem and  Reincarnation | Leather armor until 40 |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP
Elemental opens with Lava Burst, a 2.5 s cast on a 10 s cooldown that does more on a 
Flame Shock target, then Chain Lightning on three targets and Earth Shock. 
Elemental Fury adds 100% crit bonus, 
Lightning Overload is in the build, and 
Elemental Mastery at 40 speeds casts by 0.5 s and removes Chain Lightning's cooldown for 15 s. Control is Frost Shock's slow, Earthbind with Earthbound rooting nearby targets for 5 s, and an Earth Shock interrupt every 6 s, because Shaman have no stun, fear or other hard crowd control.
A gank is the weak point. 
Elemental Warding cuts Fire, Frost and Nature damage by 10%, 
Eye of the Storm cuts pushback by 70% and Grounding Totem redirects one harmful spell, but there is no defensive cooldown and armor is leather until 40. Against two it has Chain Lightning and Fire Nova and relies on Earthbound and dying slowly. 
Elemental Reach adds 6 yd of range and Earth Shock reaches 20 yd, so it can choose a fight at range, but 
Ghost Wolf takes a 3 s cast to leave one. 
Convection and 
Elemental Focus ease the mana, there is no self-heal talent, and its group role is ranged pressure on a carrier.
It is not C because it scores 2 on survival, outnumbered and sustain, with no defensive cooldown, no hard control and no self-heal talent. Its burst is held at 3 because Lava Burst and Elemental Mastery are projected, and how the spec performs after the 15 Oct rework is unconfirmed. 2.55 is 0.20 short of C.
While leveling
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Earth Shock interrupt from level 4 | Weak burst before 30 |
| Earthbind from 6 and Frost Shock from 20 | Little defense before 25 |
| Earthbound root at 25 | Poor against two |
| Range from Earth Shock and Elemental Reach | No self-heal talent |
| Convection and Elemental Focus mana | Ghost Wolf only at 20, on a 3 s cast |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP Leveling
Earth Shock is there from level 4 and interrupts with a 2 s lock, 
Earthbind Totem at 6 is the first slow, and Flame Shock arrives at 10. Convection and Concussion fit in the first 10 talent points, Frost Shock at 20 adds a 50% slow, and Earthbound at 25 lets the totem root nearby targets for 5 s. Burst stays weak until Lava Burst at 30, with Chain Lightning at 32 and Elemental Mastery at 40 beyond the beta.
Elemental Warding comes by 20 and Eye of the Storm at 25, so there is little to survive a gank with before then. Against two it has Fire Nova and 
Magma Totem and little else. Ghost Wolf arrives at 20 on a 3 s cast, so leaving a fight is slow, though Earth Shock's 20 yd range and Elemental Reach at 25 to 30 let it start at range. Convection at 10 to 14 and Elemental Focus at 20 ease the mana, but it has no self-heal talent and nothing for objectives before Ghost Wolf.
It is not C because burst is 2 until Lava Burst at 30, survival and outnumbered are weak, and sustain has no self-heal. The road to 30 is slow for it. 2.30 is 0.45 short of C.
Leveling timeline
The level each of Elemental’s PvP tools arrives. A talent shows at the earliest level a point can reach it; the Talented Legacy perk brings talents 5 levels sooner.
- Level 4 Earth Shock
- Level 6 Earthbind Totem
- Level 8
Lightning Shield - Level 12
Purge - Level 16
Cure Poison - Level 18
Tremor Totem - Level 20 Ghost Wolf, Frost Shock
- Level 22
Poison Cleansing Totem - Level 30 Grounding Totem
- Level 40 Elemental Mastery (talent)
Races
The Shaman’s races as Races PvP ranks them, best first.
Dwarf
StoneformHorde
Orc: 
Blood Fury is the strongest burst cooldown of any race, and 
Hardiness and 
Shatter Curse give some breaks and defense, but no mobility.
Tauren: 
War Stomp and 
Plainsrunning give the best mobility and 
Endurance adds health, but it breaks nothing and has the weakest burst.
Skyborne (Windshaper): 
Wind Blessed gives steady haste and 
Skysight a 30 second sprint, but it has no control break and no defensive.
Troll: 
Berserking is a burst for seven classes, but Troll has no control break or mobility and 
Rapid Regeneration works out of combat.
What we don’t know yet
At 60
Rated on assumptions:
- Everything at level 60 is projected from client data and the spec's own talent tree; nobody has played past the beta cap of 30.
- Lava Burst is a level-30 talent and Elemental Mastery a level-40, 31-point talent returned on 15 Oct; their PvP strength is unverified.
- Chain Lightning at 32 and the Elemental talents past 30 are client data, not played.
- Diminishing returns on stuns, fears and silences are not documented for Forever.
What would move it: Beta or level-60 play showing Lava Burst and Elemental Mastery landing in a fight, or Forever documenting diminishing returns that make Earthbound stronger.
While leveling
Rated on assumptions:
- Levels past the beta cap of 30 are projected from client data and the spec's own talent tree; nobody has played past 30.
- Lava Burst at 30 is the 21st talent point and Elemental Mastery at 40 the 31st; both are projected.
- Earthbound at 25 and Eye of the Storm at 25 are derived talent timings.
- Chain Lightning at 32 is client data, not played.
What would move it: Play past 30 showing Lava Burst and Chain Lightning making the middle levels fast, or beta play at 20 to 30 showing Elemental Warding and Eye of the Storm hold up.
PvP in the spell notes
- Elemental Mastery: Elemental could not be raised to its PvE damage without the talent making it too strong in PvP, so it was removed, then returned as the 31-point talent, live in the client: 0.5 seconds off Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst and no Chain Lightning cooldown for 15 seconds, 3-minute cooldown. Lava Burst is its prerequisite.