Enhancement Shaman 10.2.6 Guide
Introduction
This guide presents an in-depth view of the Shaman's Enhancement Specialization in WoW Dragonflight patch 10.2.6! You will learn everything about the spec, such as how to level, gear, prepare, and then min-max your Enhancement Shaman for the most challenging PvE content in World of Warcraft, Season 3.
First, we'll check out the specialization's particularities and see how well the Enhancement Shaman performs in Dragonflight's latest season. Then you'll learn how to gear your shaman, what stats to prioritize, and the best leveling spec, talents, and rotation that will get you to max level in no time.
Finally, we'll discuss min-maxing your character for the end-game content and teach you what gear to use for Mythic Raiding and Mythic Plus dungeons. By the end of the guide, you will become a master of the Enhancement specialization! Sounds good, right? Let's get started!
Table of Contents
- Enhancement Shamans: Strengths and Weaknesses
- How to gear your Enhancement Shaman
- How to level your Enhancement Shaman. Leveling tips
- Best Enhancement Shaman talents for end-game content
- Enhancement Shaman in Dragonflight - FAQ
Enhancement Shamans in Dragonflight: Strengths and Weaknesses
In World of Warcraft, the Shaman class has three specializations: Elemental, Enhancement, and Restoration. The Enhancement Shamans cover the melee DPS role and use Mana as their spending resource.
The Enhancement Shaman represents one of the better DPS classes for Mythic Dungeons and Mythic Raiding in Dragonflight Season 3. It's a perfect choice if you are a classic battle-mage gaming playstyles fan.
In terms of weapons, the Enhancement Shaman uses a wide selection of weapons such as fists weapons, maces, axes, and, situationally, daggers and shields. As for raid gear, the shaman shares the Protector Tier Token with Warriors, Hunters, and Monks for legacy content. In the Dragonflight;s latest expansion raid, they share the Venerated Tier Token with Paladins and Priests.
In the table below, we present the Enhancement spec's strengths and weaknesses:
Advantages | Disadvantages |
+ Array of a multitude talent builds allowing you to customize your playstyle and cooldown loadout | - Requires a lot of keybinds, AoE capped at 6 targets with limited options for higher counts |
+ Strong single-target, specialized in Cleave or Funnel playstyles with 2-6 targets | - No naturally regenerating resource paired with CDR mechanics to maintain the rational flow |
+ A lot of AoE CC tools and low CD ranged interrupt + a lot of offensive and defensive dispelling options | - No immunity and long cooldown defensives |
+ Powerful healing + mobility buffs | - a high degree of unavoidable RNG |
How to gear an Enhancement Shaman
In World of Warcraft, gearing is one of the most important aspects that enhances your character's overall performance by providing massive amounts of stats, armor, procs, and set bonuses. This guide will teach you how to properly gear up for the most challenging content in WoW Dragonflight, Mythic Raiding, and Mythic+ Dungeons.
We'll start with the basics and cover the Enhancement Shaman's stats priority, check out the tier set bonuses, and finally, the best in slot gear you can get from mythic raids and dungeons.
Enhancement Shaman stat priority
Regardless of the class and spec you roll into in World of Warcraft, the stats are a key component when gearing up and min-maxing your character for the end-game content. Enhancement Shamans wear Mail gear with Agility as the main stat.
As a DPS shaman, the Agility stat increases the power of your spells and abilities, in other words - the damage you are dealing to the enemies. Also, please note that a higher and adequate item level will better impact your character's performance than a perfect stat distribution, so always keep an eye on the gear's item level!
The Elementalist Enhancement Shaman stats priority looks like this:
- 1. Agility
- 2. Mastery
- 3. Haste
- 4. Critical Strike = Versatility
So as an Enhancement Shaman, you will primarily value item level for Agility as the primary stat, then Mastery, followed by Haste, Critical Strike, and Versatility as secondary stats.
In other words: Agility > Mastery > Haste > Critical Strike > Versatility. And here's why:
The Physical Enhancement Shaman stats priority looks like this:
- 1. Agility
- 2. Haste
- 3. Mastery
- 4. Critical Strike = Versatility
So as an Enhancement Shaman, you will primarily value item level for Agility as the primary stat, then Haste, followed by Mastery, Critical Strike, and Versatility as secondary stats.
In other words: Agility > Haste > Mastery > Critical Strike > Versatility. And here's why:
Agility: Increases your attack power and, therefore, all the damage you are dealing to your enemies
Haste: Increases your attack speed and your spell casting speed. It also reduces your cooldowns
Mastery: Increases the effectiveness of Mastery: Enhanced Elements
Critical Strike: Increases the chance for extra effectiveness on your attacks and heals
Versatility: Increases healing and damage dealt and reduces damage taken
Enhancement Shaman Tier Set Bonus
To start with, what is a tier set in World of Warcraft?
In WoW, a tier set is a unique class armor set with powerful 2-set and 4-set specific bonuses for each specialization of that particular class. Tier set bonuses change based on the character's active talent specialization, ensuring that the bonus is appropriate and useful to that spec.
So to recap, tier sets are unique pieces of armor that, when equipped simultaneously, provide you with a bonus, different for each spec of the chosen class. This bonus is based on the number of pieces from the set you have equipped, with most tier sets providing bonuses when equipping 2 or 4 pieces.
How to get the Enhancement Shaman Tier Set in Dragonflight Patch 10.2.6
There are three ways you can get tier set items in WoW in the Dragonflight expansion:
- Raids: You can get tier set items found as class tokens from specific bosses in the Dragonflight raids.
- Revival Catalyst: You can craft Tier armor from non-set pieces of the same item level using the Revival Catalyst crafting system.
- Great Vault: You can obtain tier set items from all activities that typically reward Great Vault, such as raiding, Mythic+ dungeons, and PvP.
The fastest way to obtain tier set items is to take advantage of these three sources that can reward you with the tier set items for your Enhancement Shaman. The best advice is to complete the raid weekly - this is probably the fastest way to get your hands on the desired tier armor. In case you don't have a team to raid with, complete some Mythic+ Dungeons or some PvP matches.
Mythic dungeons and PvP are highly beneficial because even if you can't drop the set items while participating in these activities, you increase the chances of getting your set items at the Great Vault or the Revival Catalyst console in Thaldraszus. At the revival catalyst console, you can convert the non-set pieces obtained in dungeons or PvP into tier set items.
Let's have a closer look at the Great Vault feature:
And this is what the Revival Catalyst looks like:
Back to our Enhancement Shaman Tier Set. Now that you learned how to obtain the tier set, let's see some set bonuses and particularities, shall we?
The Shaman Tier set is called Vision of the Greatwolf Outcast. For the Enhancement spec, it comes with the following bonuses for two pieces and four pieces equipped:
- 2-Set: Casting Primordial Wave also summons a single Feral Spirit wolf imbued with Crackling Surge, increasing all Nature damage you deal by 20% for 15 seconds.
- 4-Set: Each Feral Spirit wolf you summon from any source reduces the cooldown of Primordial Wave by 7 seconds.
In the table below, we present you the sources for Enhancement Shaman Tier Set items:
Slot | Tier Piece | Source |
Helm | Greatwolf Outcat's Jaws | Tindral Sageswift |
Shoulders | Greatwolf Outcat's Companions | Smolderon |
Chest | Greatwolf Outcat's Harness | Nymuew, Weaver of the Cycle |
Gloves | Greatwolf Outcast's Grips | Igira the Cruel |
Legs | Greatwolf Outcast's Fur-Lined Kilt | Larodar |
The remaining tier set items (Cloak, Wrists, Waist, and Boots) can be obtained by using the Revival Catalyst in Thaldraszus.
As previously stated, you unlock the tier set bonuses for your shaman when you equip any two or four pieces of the Vision of the Greatwolf Outcast set. For itemization and build optimization, your four pieces of tier set as an Enhancement Shaman will be the Shoulders, Chest, Helm, and Gloves.
Raid Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Enhancement Shamans
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from the raids as an Enhancement Shaman:
Slot | Item Name | Encounter |
Helm | Greatwolf Outcast's Jaws | Tindral Sageswift |
Neck | Eye of the Rising Flame | Tindral Sageswift |
Shoulders | Greatwolf Outcast's Companions | Smolderon |
Cloak | Mantle of Blazing Sacrifice | Smolderon |
Chest | Greatwolf Outcast's Harness | Nymue, Weaver of the Cycle |
Wrists | Twisted Flamecuffs | Larodar, Keeper of the Flame |
Gloves | Greatwolf Outcast's Grips | Igira the Cruel |
Waist | Forlorn Leaf Clasp | Gnarlroot |
Legs | Aerwynn's Ritual Sarong | Council of Dreams |
Boots | Cleats of the Savage Claw | Council of Dreams |
Ring #1 | Band of Burning Thorns | Larodar, Keeper of the Flame |
Ring #2 | Daydreamer's Glimmering Ring | Amirdrassil Drop |
Trinket #1 | Cataclysmic Signet Brand | Smolderon |
Trinket #2 | Pip's Emerald Friendship Badge | Council of Dreams |
One-Hand | Igira's Flaying Hatchet | Assault of the Zaqali |
One-Hand | Thorncaller Claw | Council of Dreams |
Mythic+ Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Enhancement Shamans
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from the Mythic+ Dungeons as an Enhancement Shaman:
Slot | Item Name | Location |
Helm | Greatwolf Outcast's Jaws | Revival Catalyst |
Neck | Chain of the Green Flight | Darkheart Thicket |
Shoulders | Greatwolf Outcast's Companions | Revival Catalyst |
Cloak | Drape of the Raven Lord | Black Rook Hold |
Chest | Greatwolf Outcast's Grips | Revival Catalyst |
Wrists | Slaughterhouse-Chain Bracers | Waycrest Manor |
Gloves | Greatwolf Outcast's Grips | Revival Catalyst |
Waist | Reality-Warping Waistband | Dawn of the Infinite: Murozond's Rise |
Legs | Rockhide Leggings | The Everbloom |
Boots | Whelp Handler's Lined Boots | Darkheart Thicket |
Ring #1 | Arch-Druid's Tainted Seal | Darkheart Thicket |
Ring #2 | Band of Twisted Bark | Darkheart Thicket |
Trinket #1 | Porcelain Crab | Throne of the Tides |
Trinket #2 | Whitherbark's Branch | The Everbloom |
Off-Hand | Soulrending Claw | Atal'Dazar |
Alternative | Fallen Drake's Bonesplitter | Dawn of the Infinite: Galakrond's Fall |
Best in Slot (BiS) Trinkets for Enhancement Shamans
The best Enhancement Shaman trinkets for end-game content are:
Tier | Item Name | Location |
S | Pip's Emerald Friendship Badge | Council of Dreams |
S* | Cataclysmic Signer Brand | Smolderon |
S | Porcelain Crab | Throne of the Tides |
S* | Witherbark's Branch | The Everbloom |
A+ | Augury of the Primal Flame | Fyrakk, the Blazing |
A+ | Mirror of Fractured Tomorrows | Dawn of the Infinite |
A | Accelerating Sandglass | Dawn of the Infinite |
A | Ember of Nullification | Black Rook Hold |
A | Coiled Serpent Idol | Volcoross |
A+ | My'das Talisman | Atal'Dazar |
A+ | Bandolier of Twisted Blades | Igira the Cruel |
B+ | Fyrakk's Tainted Rageheart | Fyrakk, the Blazing |
B | Nightmare Egg Shell | Darkheart Thicket |
B | Idol of the Earth-Warder | Crafted with Jewelcrafting |
C+ | Ashes of the Embersoul | Smolderon |
C+ | Alacritous Alchemist Stone | Crafted with Alchemy |
C | Darkmoon Deck Box: Dance | Crafted with Inscription |
This wraps up everything you should know about gearing your Enhancement Sham: the stats priority, how to obtain the tier set, and what items to use in the end-game activities. Moving on to the next section of our guide, we'll teach you how to level your Enhancement Shaman in Dragonflight patch 10.2.6. Sounds good, right? Let's dive in!
How to level your Enhancement Shaman. Leveling tips
Before leveling your shaman, you must first create and customize the character. That brings us to the first question: what race should you go for when creating the character? Let's find out, shall we?
Best Enhancement Shaman Races
When it comes to races, with so many options to choose from, you are probably wondering what would be the best race for your shaman. In World of Warcraft, each race has different racial abilities and spells, but no races offer an immediate advantage compared to others regarding the Enhancement spec. I highly recommend choosing the race you like the most, aesthetically speaking.
However, in the table below, you can see the top 10 best races for Enhancement Shamans based on performance gain:
Race | Performance Gain |
Goblin | +2.13% |
Troll | +2.11% |
Dwarf | +1.63% |
Orc | +1.62% |
Tauren | +1.60% |
Draenei | +1.60% |
Kul Tiran | +1.54% |
Highmountain Tauren | +1.51% |
Zandalari Troll Paku | +1.50% |
Pandaren | +1.38% |
Now, if you want to make an idea of what race players generally choose for their Enhancement Shamans:
- For Alliance: Draenei, Dwarf, Dark Iron Dwarf, and Pandaren.
- For Horde: Orc, Troll, Tauren, Vulpera, and Goblin.
Best Enhancement Shaman Leveling Talents in Dragonflight 10.2.6
The best talents to use while leveling to level 60 as an Enhancement Shaman are:
Enhancement Shaman Leveling Rotation in Dragonflight
Let's check out how you should prioritize your abilities. Here is the single target leveling rotation for an Enhancement Shaman:
- Enhancement Shamans in Dragonflight become masters of elemental fury while leveling. Their damage rotation revolves around building and spending Maelstrom Weapon stacks.
- Against single targets, prioritize unleashing Frost Shock if you have active Hailstorm stacks and the Hailstorm buff for maximum damage.
- When the Primordial Wave buff is active and you have at least 5 Maelstrom Weapon stacks, Lightning Bolt becomes your go-to spell.
- Always aim to use Lava Burst whenever you have 5 or more Maelstrom Weapon stacks. If Lava Burst is on cooldown and you're nearing the maximum stacks, unleash Lightning Bolt to avoid capping out.
- To maintain the Primordial Wave buff, use Primordial Wave with minimal Maelstrom Weapon stacks if necessary.
- Always keep Flame Shock active on your target for consistent damage over time. Don't forget to unleash the cooldowns of Feral Spirit and Doom Winds whenever available for a burst of damage.
- As for filling gaps in your rotation, use Ice Strike and Stormstrike as soon as they come off cooldown, and weave in Sundering to reduce enemy armor.
- If you need to spend Maelstrom Weapon but lack higher priority options, use Lava Lash or Crash Lightning.
- Finally, use Frost Shock or Flame Shock to fill any remaining gaps, prioritizing Frost Shock unless you specifically need to refresh Flame Shock.
Let's check out how you should prioritize your abilities. Here is the multi target rotation for an Enhancement Shaman:
- Enhancement Shamans in Dragonflight transform into a storm of destruction against groups of enemies while leveling. Their core principle is maximizing Maelstrom Weapon spending and Flame Shock application.
- The ultimate damage dealer is Lightning Bolt when you have 10 Maelstrom Weapon stacks, an active Primordial Wave buff, and the maximum number of Flame Shocks on enemies.
- If you have Hailstorm stacks, prioritize Frost Shock for maximum impact.
- Whenever you have 5 or more Maelstrom Weapon stacks, unleash Chain Lightning to electrocute multiple foes. To maximize your AoE damage potential, use Crash Lightning if the buff isn't active.
- Maintaining buffs is also crucial. Use Primordial Wave preferably on an enemy without Flame Shock to spread the buff and potentially gain Maelstrom Weapon.
- Keep Flame Shock active on all enemies whenever possible. Refresh Lava Lash if Flame Shock is about to expire on a target or if it's not applied to the maximum number of enemies.
- Don't forget the power of cooldowns! Unleash Feral Spirit and Doom Winds whenever available for a burst of AoE damage.
- Weave in Sundering to reduce enemy armor. If Doom Winds is active, prioritize Crash Lightning to benefit from the buff.
- Use Ice Strike and Frost Shock as soon as they come off cooldown.
- As a general filler, use Lava Lash or Crash Lightning to spend Maelstrom Weapon.
- Finally, use Frost Shock to fill any gaps in your rotation, keeping the storm of damage rolling.
In the next section of our Enhancement Spec Guide, we'll present the best talents to use for PvE end-game content, such as raiding and Mythic+ dungeons. In the end game, it's crucial to use the right talents and prioritize the skills you use depending on the activity. Choosing the best talents will significantly impact your performance as a DPS!
Best End-game Talents for Enhancement Shamans
From the PvE perspective, there are two main end-game activities we'll take into consideration: Mythic raiding and Mythic+ Dungeons. We'll treat them separately to keep things clear and avoid confusion.
Best Talents for Mythic Raiding in Season 3 (patch 10.2.6)
In the pictures below, you can see the best talents for mythic raiding as an Enhancement Shaman:
Elementalist Single Target build
Elementalist AoE build
The abilities on the 3rd and 5th rows are situational, so you can choose whatever would fit better for you.
Best Talents for Mythic+ Dungeons in Season 3 (patch 10.2.6)
As an Enhancement Shaman, these are the talents you must use to maximize your damage in M+ Dungeons:
Elementalist Mythic+/AoE build
Storm Mythic+/AoE build
Enhancement Shaman in Dragonflight - FAQ
1. Are Enhancement Shamans good in Dragonflight 10.2.6?
Yes, Enhancement Shaman represents one of the strongest specs in WoW Dragonflight, Season 3.
2. Is Enhancement Shaman easy to play?
The Enhancement specialization qualifies as one of the easier specs in WoW Dragonflight.
3. What is the stats priority for Enhancement Shamans?
The stats priority for Shaman's Enhancement specialization is: Elementalist - Agility > Mastery > Haste > Critical Strike = Versatility and for Physical - Agility > Haste > Mastery > Critical Strike = Versatility
4. Which shaman spec is best for leveling in patch 10.2.6?
The Elemental Specialization is the best spec for shaman leveling.
5. What is the best race for Enhancement Shamans in Dragonflight?
- Alliance's best Enhancement Shaman races are Dwarf, Draenei, and Kul Tiran.
- Horde's best Enhancement Shaman races are Goblin, Troll, Orc, and Tauren.
Final thoughts
This wraps up everything you should know regarding the Shaman's Enhancement specialization in World of Warcraft Dragonflight for Season 3, patch 10.2.6. By reading this guide, you should now better understand the Enhancement Shaman's spec and particularities and how they perform in certain circumstances and different end-game activities. It's one of the game's strongest specs in Dragonflight, so I encourage you to try it!