Elemental Shaman
PvE guide, updated for Patch 12.1.5
Assisted Highlight Rotation
How to play Elemental Shaman in each rotation style: the full rotation SimulationCraft sims play by default, and the game’s Assisted Highlight and One Button rotations beside it.
Rotation style comparison
How Elemental Shaman’s DPS compares when using the game’s assisted modes instead of the full rotation, based on Single Target simulations.
- Full rotationBaseline
- Assisted Highlight-6.6%
- One Button-11.2%
Assisted Highlight is the game’s rotation help: it lights the next ability to press on your action bars. Its priority list is SimC’s copy of the game’s, with the cooldowns SimC presses beside it, read here for one build and one kind of fight.
Rotation
Beta12 abilities- 1Racial abilityPress yourselfWhen ready
- 2AscendancePress yourselfWhen ready
- 3Lightning Shield
- 4Thunderstrike Ward
- 5TempestWhen ready
- 6Lightning BoltWhen ready
- 7Stormkeeper
- 8Flame Shock
- 9Lava BurstWhen ready
- 10Ancestral Swiftness
- 11Elemental BlastWhen ready
- 12Earth ShockWhen ready
Every step also needs the ability off cooldown and affordable. Range checks are left out. A blank Targets cell means any number of targets. Steps tagged Press yourself come from SimC’s cooldown list, which runs ahead of the game’s. The sim presses each as it comes ready, so its results assume you do too.
Before the pull
Things to do before entering combat.
Cooldowns
When each cooldown was used across the sample fight, so you can see how often each comes back and which ones line up.
- Light's Potential2
- On-use items3
- Ascendance3
- Lightning Shield1
- Stormkeeper9
- Ancestral Swiftness11
Sample opener
One simulated fight from the start, played by the list above, the potion and trinkets it hides included. Procs and timing change the order from fight to fight, so use it to get a feel for the start rather than as a script.
The full priority list
simc@710c240Everything above is read from this SimulationCraft list, including the steps the page hides (the potion and on-use items) and the branches your build and fight leave out.
# Executed before combat begins. Accepts non-harmful actions only. actions.precombat=snapshot_stats actions.precombat+=/flametongue_weapon,if=talent.flametongue_weapon # Executed every time the actor is available. actions=call_action_list,name=cooldowns actions+=/call_action_list,name=assisted_combat # This is the default action priority list from the game's Assisted Combat system. actions.assisted_combat=lightning_shield,if=buff.lightning_shield.down actions.assisted_combat+=/thunderstrike_ward,if=buff.thunderstrike_ward.down # This is for Blizzard automation and is not included in the game's Assisted Combat system. actions.assisted_combat+=/ascendance actions.assisted_combat+=/chain_lightning,if=active_enemies>3&buff.stormkeeper.up&buff.stormkeeper.remains<=3 actions.assisted_combat+=/tempest,if=buff.stormkeeper.up&buff.stormkeeper.remains<=3 actions.assisted_combat+=/lightning_bolt,if=buff.stormkeeper.up&buff.stormkeeper.remains<=3 actions.assisted_combat+=/flame_shock,if=talent.voltaic_blaze&active_enemies>2&!talent.purging_flames&!dot.flame_shock.ticking actions.assisted_combat+=/flame_shock,if=talent.voltaic_blaze&active_enemies>2&talent.purging_flames&buff.purging_flames.down actions.assisted_combat+=/stormkeeper,if=buff.stormkeeper.down actions.assisted_combat+=/flame_shock,if=!dot.flame_shock.ticking&active_enemies<=2 actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst,if=talent.master_of_the_elements&buff.master_of_the_elements.down&dot.flame_shock.ticking&active_enemies<=2 actions.assisted_combat+=/earthquake,if=active_enemies>3&1 actions.assisted_combat+=/earthquake,if=active_enemies>3&1 actions.assisted_combat+=/ancestral_swiftness,if=action.elemental_blast.cost_affordable&cooldown.elemental_blast.ready actions.assisted_combat+=/elemental_blast actions.assisted_combat+=/earth_shock actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst,if=active_enemies>2&buff.purging_flames.up actions.assisted_combat+=/chain_lightning,if=buff.stormkeeper.up&active_enemies>3 actions.assisted_combat+=/tempest,if=buff.stormkeeper.up actions.assisted_combat+=/lightning_bolt,if=buff.stormkeeper.up actions.assisted_combat+=/ancestral_swiftness,if=active_enemies>3&cooldown.chain_lightning.ready actions.assisted_combat+=/chain_lightning,if=active_enemies>3,cooldown_allow_casting_success=1 actions.assisted_combat+=/ancestral_swiftness,if=cooldown.lava_burst.ready actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst,if=charges>=2,cooldown_allow_casting_success=1 actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst,if=buff.master_of_the_elements.down&talent.master_of_the_elements actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst,if=!talent.master_of_the_elements actions.assisted_combat+=/tempest,cooldown_allow_casting_success=1 actions.assisted_combat+=/lightning_bolt,cooldown_allow_casting_success=1 actions.assisted_combat+=/lava_burst # Some cooldowns are not used by the Assisted Combat system. This simple default cooldown usage has been provided by simc. actions.cooldowns=use_items actions.cooldowns+=/potion actions.cooldowns+=/blood_fury actions.cooldowns+=/berserking actions.cooldowns+=/fireblood actions.cooldowns+=/ancestral_call actions.cooldowns+=/ascendance
Turning on Assisted Highlight
In game, open Options > Gameplay > Gameplay Enhancements and check Assisted Highlight under Combat Assistant. Your next suggested ability glows on your action bars as you play.
Is this rotation built for your talents?
The rotation follows your talent build. Sim your highest-DPS build on your own gear, for the mode and rotation style you play.