Bolshka's Shamanistic PVP

Admin Number of posts : 178 Registration date : 2008-06-27

Bolshka:

Matt had the idea of gearing up some epics through PvP, which isn't a bad idea at all. The one caveat I will offer is that PvP gear is... well, geared towards PvP - not PvE. Much of that gear is superb, mind you, so don't shy away from it.

Just be cautious of going all-out for something like +resilience when yer a Resto/Elemental spec since that will be near-USELESS to you while PvE.

For Shamans it is an interesting gambit. Your tactics will need to vary quite wildly depending on your spec... and so will your gear.

No matter what your class or spec - the general rule of thumb for PvP is to deal the most amount of damage in the shortest amount of time. This means your gear/spec should not bother with things to keep you alive or topped off with mana.

There is one exception to this rule: Restoration. A full-out Resto Shaman can be damn-near unkillable in PvP... if you play your cards right. Earth Shield coupled with Nature's Guardian coupled with near-uninterruptible heals? Yowza.

Enhancement PvP is typically a suicide bomb with 2H for high-end spike damage using Stormstrike with a followup pair of Earthshocks. You are meant to hit HARD and die QUICK.

Elemental is rather lacking for PvP since your main DPS focuses around Lightning Bolt, which is a 1.5 sec cast when speced right. With interruptions that can be crazy, so your key is to kite enemies using Frostshock and Earthbind Totem - toasting with Chain Lightning whenever possible.

If you are a caster, your gear should focus around +crit first and then +damage. EVERYTHING ELSE is superfluous. When you run out of mana, just suicide into a group and rez. It's faster than drinking Wink

If you are melee, get a 2H and focus on high AP and Crit. Your mana pool can be a joke since you won't live long anyway.

Here are some example specs for Shaman PvP:
• Restoration - 20/00/41
• Enhancement/Elemental - 30/31/00
• Elemental/Restoration - 40/00/21
• Elemental/Enhancement - 36/25/00

Some other hints:
• If your frame rate is hitching turn down the level of spell detail. People love to spam AoE in there and it can really slow you down.
• Don't be afraid to die, your gear isn't damage in PvP.
• Use your totem pets!
• Use rank 1 Earthshock for interrupting spells
• GROUNDING TOTEM FTW

Admin Number of posts : 178 Registration date : 2008-06-27

Bolshka:

Sidenote: There is alot of debate over Shaman dual-wielding over two-handers. Both camps have some merit to a certain degree.

Two-handers have a broader spike-range for critical hits, which means your abilities such as Stormstrike or Windfury will hit MUCH harder. The same holds true for Arms-spec Warriors with Mortal Strike (who will own you, btw).

Dual-wielding generally deals the same amount of damage in a given amount of time but usually over a more even spread when compared to a two-hander.

With the Windfury nerf that slaps a cooldown on it's triggering, you will NOT get more procs using dual-wielding. Plain fact, sorry.

For that reason, people tend to favor two-handers in PvP. It's much harder to heal through a 2K Windfury followed up by a 1.5K Stormstrike followed up by a 1.5K Earthshock.

Also note... as a Shaman, unless you are speced into Enhancement far enough to get Flurry 5/5 and have Str/Agi to spare away from melee if you can.