Ele vs Enh

[Menthos]

Hey fellow shamans!

I'm about to ding 90 in a few days and I'm wondering which spec I should pick as my main raiding choice. I'm currently leveling as enh and really like it, but I heard that being enh is better only on a few bosses in the current content, while enh shines on tank-and-spank encounters.

Can you give me a brief answer about pros and cons of each spec? And which one is more favoured in raids atm? I haven't played since late wotlk, so I may be missing some things btw :P

[Barky]

Which do you enjoy more? Seriously play that. Don't play what's better for the raid, because if it's the one you enjoy less you'll get annoyed with it faster, so pick the one you enjoy the most and stick with it. They're both doing alright in encounters, think Enh is higher than Ele at the moment, but thats with top end gear and everything, so....

[Larynx]

For some people, the class they enjoy is the class with the best performance. Don't tell him what to do.

[roflwaffle]

Which do you enjoy more? Seriously play that. Don't play what's better for the raid, because if it's the one you enjoy less you'll get annoyed with it faster, so pick the one you enjoy the most and stick with it. They're both doing alright in encounters, think Enh is higher than Ele at the moment, but thats with top end gear and everything, so....

this, plus for the most part aoe = ele single target = enh. in a very simplified perfect situation.

they both bring most of the same benefits other than the different buffs and melee vs ranged.

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For some people, the class they enjoy is the class with the best performance. Don't tell him what to do.

dont tell him what to do telling him what to do... what? lol

[Deleted]

I agree with the above, enjoyment over everything else. I level enhance and stayed with it for a bit of raiding. I swapped to ele just before the start of ToT, its abit easier for gearing if ur os is resto, and I swap specs a lot during raid nights.
If your wanting a more hardcore answer, ele is more flexible being ranged and all, and its one of the best aoe classes out there.
But I would suggest taking the time to get a set of gear for both specs and trying with both and see how it goes and what your like more.

[Menthos]

Thanks for the replies so far, I just wanted to say that I want to be able to solo some old content (like glory of Ulduar/ICC), would it even be possible? If so then which spec is better for this purpose? =D

[Barky]

For some people, the class they enjoy is the class with the best performance. Don't tell him what to do.

he's literally ASKING what we should tell him to do, I'm saying do what he enjoys the most, simple as that.

[asharia]

both are great

you should always just find the class/spec you like the best, and play that. any differences between classes is unnoticeable to anyone not world top 10.

[Raiju]

both are great

you should always just find the class/spec you like the best, and play that. any differences between classes is unnoticeable to anyone not world top 10.

No.

But I agree play what you like best, the specs aren't that far off.

[Deleted]

you should always just find the class/spec you like the best, and play that. any differences between classes is unnoticeable to anyone not world top 10.

More like world top 400.

And OT, ele is 10 times easier but less single target dps.
I have every class in the game and i must say that enhancement shaman is the most clunky and messy spec there is to play, it just doesn't feel fluid and you have to put in twice the work compared to other classes.

[Barky]

you have to put in twice the work compared to other classes.

Thats why I like it so much. Good enhancement shamans shine so much compared to bad ones.

[Menthos]

Ok I guess I'm gonna stay with enhancement Could you point me towards some good guides or even shaman-only (or enh-only) forums/resources? I know icy-veins, just wondering where else I should be checking to become the very best shaman on my realm ;p

[Rangar]

More like world top 400.

And OT, ele is 10 times easier but less single target dps.
I have every class in the game and i must say that enhancement shaman is the most clunky and messy spec there is to play, it just doesn't feel fluid and you have to put in twice the work compared to other classes.

Thats why I like it so much. Good enhancement shamans shine so much compared to bad ones.

I'm going with Barky on this one. Enh has a very different feel to it compared to many dps specs out there but that doesn't make it worse. It does feel clunky at first but with gear and experience things smooth out quite a bit. This does make it challenging than Ele but the fact that the skill cap is very high means that posting a top 100 log as an Enh shaman is an incredibly rewarding experience. Enh isn't for everyone, but to discount it because it's harder is a bit unfair, lots of us relish the challenge and believe me, the single target dps a well-played Enh shaman can bring is nothing to sneeze at.

Ok I guess I'm gonna stay with enhancement Could you point me towards some good guides or even shaman-only (or enh-only) forums/resources? I know icy-veins, just wondering where else I should be checking to become the very best shaman on my realm ;p

Icy Veins is a great starting point, also check out Totemspot.

[Deleted]

The only time I feel that Enhancement is clunky is when there's brief periods of downtime and the fact that our sustain is disgustingly overshadowed by our burst means that our dps over a long period of time looks weird. However, in terms of visual and tactile feedback, it has been the most fun spec I have ever played in WoW. You really do feel like you're playing (within the game) a unique concept and I wouldn't change spec even if we were nerfed into the ground.

[Oneleg]

I have only had two enh beat me as elemental, when I was enh, I only had two ele ever beat me. The dps differences is so minor that as others have said, pick what you like. Or build sets for both specs.

[Murderdoll]

For some people, the class they enjoy is the class with the best performance. Don't tell him what to do.

If he didnt want to be told what to do, he wouldnt post up a thread, asking what he should be doing...

If playstyle doesnt phase you and you dont have a preference for Melee vs Ranged, I would go for Ele. If you will be raiding, a ranged class will always be picked over a melee one. Both specs have their ups and downs but they are fairly even in performance, the buffs Enhance bring are covered far more easily whereas Spell Haste isnt and ranged are always preferred.