The big shaman question.

[piootr]

Hey there everyone! Having gotten control over my account back, I've decided that now would be a good time to finally make a new character, as my pally has been getting stale.

I've always wanted a shaman, but here's the thing. I want 1 dps spec, which will be my main spec, and then resto as an off spec, as I've always wanted to heal, but I hated it on my Pally. So my question is:

Should I go Enhancement or Elemental for DPS?

Now I know this will always come down to personal choice in the end. However, I would like it if some of you experienced shamans can post some of the ups and downs of either spec, and general info.
Thanks!

[XemnasXD]

hmm kinda hard to say with the expansion coming out soon and it'll bring alot of much needed changes to both specs because theres alot that needs to be fix'd but here's a simple rundown

Enh Pros:
Dual Weilding is cool
Windfury crits are cool
Fast paced prioity rotation
Easy to level
Brings Str/Agi Buff, 20%melee/ranged haste, +10% AP, and mana spring
Enh Cons:
Suffers on any fight involving movement or adds.
Lack of on demand burst.
Very very RNG based even if you do everything right your DPS is for the most part out of your control.
Fast priority can be difficult for new players to master.
You will need a sim program to tell you if any item is an upgrade unless the difference is massive. Enh is very gear dependent, like tweaking a series of little knobs instead of most classes where you just worry about 1 or 2...

Ele Pros:
Lava Burst is fun
simple rotation
Brings SP buff, Spell Haste buff, and mana spring

Ele Cons:
Very gear dependent. Ele doesn't get SP from Int or spirit so all your SP comes from what you have.
Rotation is kind of boring.
Shares spot of the weakest caster spec in ICC with boomkin.


Like you said at the end of the day it will come down to personal taste. Do you like being up close and wailing on a target or staying far away and casting. Since neither spec is near the top of the pack in ICC (Enh is on ICC average lower than fury, ret, MM hunter, Mut rogue, and feral druid) whichever spec you choose to play choose it because its fun. Enh is the kind melee you want to play because your hands will get tired and you feel like you've done something. Ele is pretty cool to pop off some big numbers. Just do what feels right...

[Tig3ress]

Enhancement looks smexy

Elemental works better.

[piootr]

Thanks for the tips, I still can't decide. I don't even know which I want to level with =P.


Edit: Do you guys have any tips on which one is better to level with?

[XemnasXD]

Enh is easiest to lvl with. Little down time and casting LB is lower dps than just wailing on something with rockbiter or frost brand

[Tig3ress]

Outlands & beyond elemental is preferable imo.

[AngelEyes]

I leveled mine as Ele. My main is a pally, and I just wanted a change from being in melee all the time. I wanted to stand back and watch things die instead of having them beat on me in equal amounts.

[woutR]

Enh is without a doubt a faster leveller than ele.

[Heosphoros]

0 down time with enh if you know how to spam shamanistic rage, i also solo'ed most, if not all group quests because of spirit wolves. and windfury is OMG in pvp.