Elemental Shaman Leveling Guide

Ranged burst caster with strong control and totem utility. Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning provide excellent kill speed with manageable downtime.

Updated 2026 Ranged Burst DPS Supports Classic / TBC / WotLK

Why Elemental in Classic?

High single-target burst with Elemental Mastery and Fire Nova totem AoE. Mana can be tight early, but Water Shield + clearcasting keeps you going.

Strengths

Big crits with Elemental Mastery.
Totems provide utility: Grounding, Tremor, Stoneskin.
Decent kiting with Frost Shock and Earthbind.

Weaknesses

Mana hungry until Water Shield.
Totem setup time on short pulls.
Gear reliant on spell power.

Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)

Early (10-29)

Convection/Concussion for mana/damage.
Improved Fire Totems/Call of Flame if using Fire Nova.
Elemental Focus (clearcasting) at 20.

Mid (30-44)

Reverberation for shorter shocks.
Elemental Fury for crit multiplier.
Call of Thunder for crit; Eye of the Storm for pushback.

Late (45-60)

Elemental Mastery at 40 for guaranteed crit.
Lightning Mastery for cast speed.
Restoration splash: Totemic Focus/Improved Reincarnation, Nature's Swiftness.

Open with LB → CL (if 2 targets) → Shock; use EM for instant crits on tough mobs; drop Searing/Fire Nova on stacked mobs.

Rotation & Playstyle

Single Target

Lightning Bolt spam; Earth Shock to finish.
Frost Shock to kite; EM + Chain Lightning for burst.
Keep Water Shield active to sustain mana.

AoE

Fire Nova + Magma totem on stacked packs.
Chain Lightning cleave; Stoneclaw to peel.
Earthbind to kite melee.

Survival

Use Grounding vs casters; Tremor vs fears.
Reincarnation as safety; Lesser Healing Wave for spot heals.
Carry mana pots; downrank Lightning Bolt if needed.

Zone Route (Classic)

Bracket	Zones	Notes
1-20	Starter → Barrens	Get Earthbind; early Searing totem usage.
20-35	Thousand Needles/Desolace	Water Shield at 20 if available; Wailing Caverns/SM.
35-50	STV/Tanaris	Elemental Mastery spike; ZF for totem AoE.
50-60	Un'Goro/Winterspring	LB/CL scaling; BRD/Strat for spell power.

Why Elemental in TBC?

Totem of Wrath, clearcasting, and strong scaling make Elemental great for 5-mans and questing. Mana issues ease with Water Shield + clearcasting.

Spec: Totem of Wrath, Lightning Mastery, Elemental Mastery, Unrelenting Storm. Restoration splash for Nature's Swiftness.

Talents by Level (TBC 60-70)

Early (60-63)

Elemental Focus, Concussion, Convection.
Lightning Mastery for cast speed.
Unrelenting Storm for regen.

Mid (64-67)

Elemental Mastery; Totem of Wrath.
Reverberation for shock CD.
Call of Thunder/Elemental Fury for crit.

Late (68-70)

Restoration: Nature's Swiftness, Totemic Focus.
Improved Shields for Water Shield value.
Ancestral Knowledge for mana pool if needed.

Rotation (TBC)

Single Target

LB spam; CL on cooldown.
Keep Water Shield; EM for burst.
Earth Shock rank appropriate to finish.

AoE

CL + Fire Nova/Magma on packs.
Stoneclaw totem to peel; Grounding vs casters.
Use NS + CL for instant burst on dangerous pulls.

Utility

Tremor/Poison Cleansing/Healing Stream situational.
Totem of Wrath for party hit/crit.
Purge/Interrupt (Earth Shock) key casts.

Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
60-62	Hellfire / Ramps / BF	Clearcasting + WS sustain mana.
62-65	Zangarmarsh / SP / UB	Totem of Wrath boosts party DPS.
65-68	Terokkar / Sethekk / SLabs	Grounding/Tremor to handle casters/fears.
68-70	Nagrand / Netherstorm / Mech	Badge gear; CL/Fire Nova for big packs.

Why Elemental in WotLK?

Lava Burst guarantees crits with Flame Shock, giving consistent burst. Thunderstorm adds mana + knockback. Excellent dungeon and quest pace.

Spec: Lava Burst, Elemental Oath, Lightning Mastery, Convection, Storm, Earth and Fire. Thunderstorm for mana/knockback; Restoration splash for NS.

Talents by Level (70-80)

Early (70-73)

Concussion/Convection, Elemental Focus.
Lava Burst + Flame Shock combo.
Storm, Earth and Fire for FS duration/snare.

Mid (74-77)

Elemental Oath for party crit buff.
Lightning Mastery/Overload for procs.
Unrelenting Storm for regen.

Late (78-80)

Thunderstorm for mana and control.
Restoration splash: NS, Improved Shields.
Shamanistic Rage not available—use Thunderstorm for mana.

Rotation (WotLK)

Single Target

Flame Shock → Lava Burst (guaranteed crit) → Lightning Bolt filler.
Chain Lightning when 2+ mobs; refresh Flame Shock.
Use Thunderstorm for mana and spacing.

AoE

CL + Magma/Fire Nova; Thunderstorm to reset packs.
Fire Elemental totem on big pulls; Earthbind to kite.
Keep Lightning Shield/Water Shield depending on mana needs.

Survival

NS + Healing Wave for emergency heal.
Grounding/Tremor/Poison Cleansing totems for mechanics.
Thunderstorm knockback to disengage.

Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
70-72	Howling Fjord / Borean	Use Thunderstorm for mana; Nexus/UK for SP gear.
72-75	Dragonblight / AN/OK	CL/Lava Burst great on dungeon packs.
75-77	Zul'Drak / Drak'Tharon	Fire Nova/Magma shine; watch for fears.
77-80	Storm Peaks / Icecrown	Heroics for badges; FS+LvB scales with crit.

Gear, Stats, and Enchants (All Versions)

Stat Priority

Spell Power > Hit (6-9% leveling) > Crit > Intellect/MP5 > Haste (more value in WotLK).
Elemental Oath rewards crit stacking; Intellect fuels mana.

Weapons

1H + shield/off-hand with spell power; staff is fine early.
Classic: SM/BRD caster weapons; AV shield.
TBC: Continuum Blade, Shockwave trinkets; crafted spell power weapons.
WotLK: Titansteel Guardian, quest/badge maces and shields.

Enchants

Classic: +Spell Power weapon; +Int to bracers.
TBC: Major Spell Power; +Int/+MP5 to shield.
WotLK: +63 SP/Black Magic; +Int to shield; Icewalker if hit is low.

Pro Tips & Utility

Leveling Speed

Keep Water/Lightning Shield up; use Thunderstorm on cooldown for mana (WotLK).
Use EM/NS for instant kills on dangerous mobs.
Chain pull with Searing totem ticking between mobs.

Group Utility

Tremor/Grounding/Poison Cleansing; Totem of Wrath (TBC).
Heroism/Bloodlust (if grouped) for boss bursts.
Reincarnation for wipes; Ankh always stocked.

Survival

Earthbind kiting; Stoneclaw to peel.
NS heal + pot saves lives; use Frost Shock to slow.
Carry mana pots/bandages to reduce downtime.

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