Enhancement Shaman Melee DPS Guide & Best Runes – Phase 4 Season of Discovery (SoD)

Welcome to the SoD Phase 4 Enhancement Shaman Melee DPS Guide!

This guide focuses exclusively on the Enhancement specialization, exploring key components such as Runes, Talent Trees, Stat Priorities, Rotations & Abilities, Best Professions, BiS (Best in Slot) items, and Race Choices. The new Rune System introduced in the Season of Discovery has added a huge versatility to how Enhancement Shaman plays, offering multiple unique effects that offer a new flavor to the specialization. Whether you choose to play an Enhancement Shaman that focuses on Dual Wielding and throwing wave after wave of lightning or on heavy Two-Handed elementally-imbued weapons and empowered shock spells, you’ll now have many ways of enjoying Enhancement Shaman DPS in the Season of Discovery.

Talents

• Standard Talent Build (No Ghost Wolf-Two Handed Build)
• Standard Talent Build (Ghost Wolf-Dual Wield)

Runes

• Helm: Mental Dexterity
• Cloak: Feral Spirit/Storm, Earth, and Fire
• Chest: Two-Handed Mastery/Dual Wield Specialization
• Wrist: Rolling Thunder/Static Shock
• Hands: Lava Lash
• Waist: Maelstrom Weapon
• Legs: Greater Ghost Wolf/Ancestral Guidance
• Feet: Spirit of the Alpha
• Ring: Nature Specialization
• Ring: Fire Specialization/Axe Specialization/Mace Specialization

Stat Priority

1. Hit Chance
2. Critical Strike Chance
3. Strength
4. Intellect
5. Agility
6. Attack Power
7. Spell Damage
8. Stamina

Rotations & Abilities

Single-Target Rotation

1. Cast Windfury Weapon and maintain it
   • Cast Windfury Weapon on both weapons if you are Dual Wielding
2. Cast Lightning Shield and maintain it
3. Place Totems and prioritize Searing Totem, Windfury Totem, and Strength of Earth Totem
   • Reposition totems when needed with Totemic Projection
4. If you choose the Feral Spirit rune
   • Cast Feral Spirit right before reaching your target
5. Cast Stormstrike or Lava Lash to trigger Mental Dexterity as soon as possible
   • Upkeep Mental Dexterity at all times!
6. Cast Flame Shock and aim to upkeep it as much as possible
7. Cast Lightning Bolt on 5 x stacks of Maelstrom Weapon
   • Aim to cast Lightning Bolt while Stormstrike‘s debuff is active on the target
8. If you choose the Rolling Thunder rune
   • Cast Earth Shock to unleash Lightning Shield charges created by Rolling Thunder
9. Cast Stormstrike on cooldown
10. Cast Lava Lash on cooldown
11. Cast Shamanistic Rage to regenerate mana

AoE Rotation

1. Cast Windfury Weapon and maintain it
   • Cast Windfury Weapon on both weapons if you are Dual Wielding
2. Cast Lightning Shield and maintain it
3. Cast Stormstrike or Lava Lash to trigger Mental Dexterity as soon as possible
   • Upkeep Mental Dexterity at all times!
4. Place Fire Nova Totem on cooldown
5. Place Magma Totem after Fire Nova Totem expires
6. Cast Chain Lightning on 5 x stacks of Maelstrom Weapon
7. Cast Stormstrike on cooldown
8. Cast Lava Lash on cooldown
9. Spread Flame Shock on as many targets as possible

Best Professions

Leatherworking

Leatherworking is among the top professions for a class such as Shaman, providing the ability to craft Leather Armor and Mail Armor. Moreover, Leatherworking provides access to special epic recipes in the Season of Discovery, granting Enhancement Shaman powerful equipment that will greatly increase overall performance.

Engineering

Being known as one of the top professions in both PvE and PvP in the Classic Era, Engineering’s reputation remains true in the Season of Discovery as well. It grants access to powerful bombs, various gadgets, and even specially crafted equipment that can be used to enhance your overall performance.

Enchanting

Enchanting grants the ability to imbue equipment with special effects while also allowing you to disenchant any item into magical essences. In the Season of Discovery, Enchanting grants access to powerful sigils which can be used to gain a large amount of Spell Power and Attack Power.

Skinning

Skinning is a viable alternative for both gold and material generation in case you pick Leatherworking. This profession is one of the easiest to grind as all you have to do is kill mobs in the world and skin their pelts.

Best Races

The Shaman Class can only be picked by the Horde faction, being available for 3 specific races. The best possible option is a pick between Orc and Troll with both races offering strong racial effects. Blood Fury is slightly better than Berserking for the Enhancement Melee DPS Shaman making it the stronger option. Berserking would only be better if you picked the Spellhance version of the build.

Orc

• Blood Fury, Command, Hardiness, Axe Specialization

Undead

• Will of the Forsaken, Shadow Resistance, Cannibalize, Underwater Breathing

Troll

• Berserking, Beast Slaying, Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization, Regeneration