DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Elemental Shaman abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: The War Within (11.2).

Single Target

Cast Storm Elemental, Fire Elemental, and Stormkeeper before the pull.

• Flame ShockView detailsEnsure it is active on the target.
• Lava BurstView detailsUse when Flame Shock is active.
• Earth ShockView detailsUse when Maelstrom is near cap.
• Elemental BlastView detailsUse when Maelstrom is near cap.
• IcefuryView detailsUse and consume its charges with Frost Shock.
• Lightning BoltView detailsUse when empowered by Stormkeeper.
• Frost ShockView detailsUse while moving or with Icefury charges.

Maintain Flame Shock on the target and prioritize Lava Burst. Use Earth Shock or Elemental Blast to avoid Maelstrom capping. Utilize Icefury and consume its charges with Frost Shock. Use Lightning Bolt when empowered by Stormkeeper.

AoE

Cast Storm Elemental, Fire Elemental, and Stormkeeper before engaging.

• Chain LightningView detailsUse for 2+ targets.
• EarthquakeView detailsUse when Echoes Of Great Sundering is active.
• Liquid Magma TotemView detailsUse for AoE damage.
• Primordial WaveView detailsUse to spread Flame Shock.
• IcefuryView detailsConsume charges with Frost Shock.
• Frost ShockView detailsUse while moving or with Icefury charges.

For AoE, prioritize Chain Lightning for multiple targets and Earthquake with Echoes Of Great Sundering. Use Liquid Magma Totem and Primordial Wave for additional AoE damage. Utilize Icefury and consume its charges with Frost Shock.

Cooldowns

• AscendanceView detailsSync with Bloodlust, trinkets, and Stormkeeper.
• Storm ElementalView detailsUse before Ascendance for synergy.
• Fire ElementalView detailsUse before Ascendance for synergy.
• StormkeeperView detailsUse on cooldown or delay for AoE scenarios.

Use Ascendance during burst phases with Bloodlust and trinkets. Cast Storm Elemental and Fire Elemental before Ascendance for synergy. Use Stormkeeper on cooldown or delay for AoE opportunities.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.