Ele shaman with a stave

[Aiurr]

Actually the 2 examples I gave had 1 healer using a staff (the Apostle), and all other caster (including boomkin & ele shaman) using the 3 staves in BT & Sunwell....because they did use those.

What you fail to realize is that the staff enchant gives 81 SP instead of the current 63. That 31 extra int (which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields) gives you 0.54% crit in addition to the 58 more crit rating from the staff for a loss of 80 haste.

As for your comment that no other caster dps & only noobs will want a staff instead of a mh/oh combo, that's your opinion and not that of the majority. Just because you can block & get armor from a shield doesn't mean that you'll be less squishy using a staff. If you're pulling agro neither of those things will save you from dying so that's not even a valid arguement. The only time a shield & more armor will save you is in pvp but even then its highly unlikely they will save you.

Elemental Shamans are brought to a raid to what? Deal damage.

What stats are needed in order to deal damage? Spell Power, Hit, Crit and Haste (to an extent)
What do the base stats do to increase Elemental Shamans damage? Int increases Crit chance by a minor amount

Staffs inherently have less mod stats than 1h/oh combo's, but what they lack in that they make up for in base stats. Base stats benefit healers more. (ie: Spirit for Druid and Priest healers, Int for Shaman and Paladin healers)

As well, Zhar'doom isn't best for Ele Shamans in BT. Take a look at Maelstrom's Fury + Atonidas's Aegis of Rapt Concentration.

What you also fail to mention as well is the Int to Shield enchant, which adds more mana and crit as well.

It's not about the armor for the shield, it's the fact that 1h+oh is more mod stats than a staff is, plus there's less enchants you can add when you only have a staff.

[Pantz]

Isnt Nexus Greatstaff ((think that's the correct name of it))off Malygos a great weapon for shammies?

[gaymer77]

What you also fail to mention as well is the Int to Shield enchant, which adds more mana and crit as well.

Really? I could have swore that I put in "which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields" in the un-edited post that you even quoted. Hmm yeah I totally failed to mention it...yup!

[Aiurr]

Really? I could have swore that I put in "which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields" in the un-edited post that you even quoted. Hmm yeah I totally failed to mention it...yup!

No need to be sarcastic. I missed that part and that's my mistake. The rest of my post still stands though.

[Gorsh]

Really? I could have swore that I put in "which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields" in the un-edited post that you even quoted. Hmm yeah I totally failed to mention it...yup!

Interesting response, considering you made a remarkably similar mistake in your previous post:

So... taking the staff would get us:
+ 58 Crit
- 80 Haste
- 37 Spellpower

Now we'll put the best gems into the staff: 2x 19 spellpower...
So now the staff has 1 spellpower more.
The new enchanting recipe gives another 18 spellpower..
So the staff gives us:
- for dps unimportent stamina
- for dps nearly unimportent intellect
- 58 crit rating
- 19 spellpower

On the contrary we lose 80 Haste rating...
So you'd trade 80 Haste rating for 19 spellpower and 58 crit rating. Let's see what other casters would get, using Rapture. (232 Staff)
They'd lose 37 spirit and get 37 spellpower, 23 crit AND two sockets.

What you fail to realize is that the staff enchant gives 81 SP instead of the current 63. That 31 extra int (which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields) gives you 0.54% crit in addition to the 58 more crit rating from the staff for a loss of 80 haste.

How about we drop the attitude, k brah?

[Tigercat]

Comments like this is what annoys the hell out of me about other people. Just because its got 1 stat on it you don't like, you feel that you shouldn't use it since its not 100% itemized for your class. Really who care? So if there was a 1h mace with 950 SP, 250 crit, 275 haste, 125 int, 300 stam, 350 mp5, and 1000 strength would you pass it up because you have no need for the strength and mp5? No you would get it because the other stats on it are great for your spec. Instead of bitching about a stat that doesn't benefit you, look at the bigger picture and think outside the box. From stuff that has been released on mmo so far, it does look like all of the casters are going to be switching to a staff with the exception of those healers that will get the legendary. The staves have amazing stats on them & the added SP from the new staff only enchants make them something more competitive with mh/oh combos. Pre-BC it was all about the staff for casters of all specs until you got to Naxx where it turned into a mh/oh combo. BC had mh/oh all the way until Illidan giving you Zhar'doom or either of the staves in Sunwell. Hell even resto shaman were picking up the Apostle becuase they drooled over the mp5 that was on it.

Actually, I would pass on it. I'd get the 1h mace with 1150 SP, 250 Crit, 100 Hit, 300 Haste, 200 Int, and 300 Stam that dropped off the next boss that had the same itemlevel.

[Sagamask]

I have always liked the benifets from using a 1h/shield combo I have used a staff before though, and I loved the raw stats that I got from using the staff till I tried a 1h/shield combo, and everything about the combo was better than any staff I saw and / or used.

@ DaDimi : I am pretty sure that there will be a better shield than the one KT drops but I could be wrong. I know in previous content you didn't recive an upgrade till quite a while after but we won't find out till they release all the items or till Uldaur hits live.

[Moohorn]

What really needs to happen is for another caster fist weapon to be added (or discovered). From the startling lack of shields, offhands and weapons in the Ulduar loot tables so far I'm willing to bet there's stuff on Agalon and Yogg Saron that's yet to be uncovered.

[Sarevokcz]

Actually the 2 examples I gave had 1 healer using a staff (the Apostle), and all other caster (including boomkin & ele shaman) using the 3 staves in BT & Sunwell....because they did use those.

What you fail to realize is that the staff enchant gives 81 SP instead of the current 63. That 31 extra int (which is 6 more int than the current int enchant for shields) gives you 0.54% crit in addition to the 58 more crit rating from the staff for a loss of 80 haste.

As for your comment that no other caster dps & only noobs will want a staff instead of a mh/oh combo, that's your opinion and not that of the majority. Just because you can block & get armor from a shield doesn't mean that you'll be less squishy using a staff. If you're pulling agro neither of those things will save you from dying so that's not even a valid arguement. The only time a shield & more armor will save you is in pvp but even then its highly unlikely they will save you.

and what you fail to realize, that crit is the least dps on our priority list stat out there, 80 haste >>>>>>> 19 SP and 58 crit, not to mention we can get int enchant on shield to compensate abit for this crit, also its comprasion of best ULDUAR staff vs best NAXX MH/OH and even then its not better, even tho staff is higher ilevel and has 2 sockets to customize.

short version: present staves arent worth it for shaman, are worse than MH/shield and have useles spirit.

[Akori]

and what you fail to realize, that crit is the least dps on our priority list stat out there, 80 haste >>>>>>> 19 SP and 58 crit, not to mention we can get int enchant on shield to compensate abit for this crit, also its comprasion of best ULDUAR staff vs best NAXX MH/OH and even then its not better, even tho staff is higher ilevel and has 2 sockets to customize.

short version: present staves arent worth it for shaman, are worse than MH/shield and have useles spirit.

^ What he said. Finally someone who says what i was just to lazy to log in and type.
Two thumbs up for you

[Majika]

It's not just that it's got Spirit, it's the fact that staffs are base stat heavy (ie: Stam, Int, Spirit) and lack the spell altering stats (crit, haste, SP etc.) compared to 1h/oh combos. Ele Shamans do not benefit as much from stacking Stam/Int/Spirit as opposed to stacking crit/haste/sp. Sure we can use them, but is it practical for us to use them? Hardly.

But in all your examples, you use Clothies and Resto Shamans. The topic here is dealing with Elemental, which is vastly different. The only people that should be using Staffs in Wrath are Resto Druids and Healing Priests. For Caster DPS, it is far more beneficial for a 1h/oh combo, since it provides a larger boost to their damage.

No offense, but you really should be careful making universal qualifiers like "the only people who should be using staffs (sic) in Wrath are resto druids and healing priests." That is just not true. Those stats are exactly what a shadow priest looks for for example. They get spellpower from spirit and their dots crit now so all of their spells benefit from crit. I believe also that warlocks and mages do get benefits from spirit now as well although to a lesser degree. Any sane shadow priest is going to roll on that staff in a heartbeat and warlocks and mages likely would as well unless something a lot better comes along.

Majika

[Aiurr]

No offense, but you really should be careful making universal qualifiers like "the only people who should be using staffs (sic) in Wrath are resto druids and healing priests." That is just not true. Those stats are exactly what a shadow priest looks for for example. They get spellpower from spirit and their dots crit now so all of their spells benefit from crit. I believe also that warlocks and mages do get benefits from spirit now as well although to a lesser degree. Any sane shadow priest is going to roll on that staff in a heartbeat and warlocks and mages likely would as well unless something a lot better comes along.

Majika

Thanks for correcting me, I should have worded that statement a bit better. :x