Shammy - Best spec to level

[Ninfetaz]

So the name of the thread says it all, I have a shaman lvl 35 since 1974 ( :P ) and now I'm finally going to level it.
I was wondering what is the best spec to level right now, so I can buy the heirloom items with my lvl 80's.
I would also like to ask if you guys think I should buy the 2H BoA Axe or buy 2 Maces/Daggers instead since I'm almost level 40 ( In case of the spec being Enh )

Cheers, Ninfeta.

[Vampiricdemise]

With the introduction of heirloom items and water shield available at leave 20, both specs of DPS are pretty much viable for a shaman. Elemental spec is really strong before level 40 because enhancement doesn't have dual-wielding talents yet. 40 is when Enhancement really catches up for leveling pace.

Now do you want to sit and make lightning bolts fly or be able to smash things in the face? The only downside is there is no heirloom shield for elemental for their offhand but there is at least a spellpower weapon that isn't the staff. If you go enhancement, pick up the 1H weapons since you are getting close to 40 for the talents.

[Embermoon]

If it's not in the FAQ that enhance is the easiest to level, then it should be.

As for the heirloom items, the FAQ will also tell you to stay away from 2-handers. Simply put, they fail.

Before I go on with any answers, did you read the FAQ?

[Benjamima]

Stay enhancement untill you collect some elemental gear in northrend and then elemental really shines :P

[Ninfetaz]

If it's not in the FAQ that enhance is the easiest to level, then it should be.

As for the heirloom items, the FAQ will also tell you to stay away from 2-handers. Simply put, they fail.

Before I go on with any answers, did you read the FAQ?

Link me the FAQ with that info, so I don't need to bother you anymore with my silly , newby shammy omgl2p questions.

To all the other posters, thank you for the input. xP

[Ninfetaz]

enh till 58 then go elemental. mobs, including elites, go down soooo fast as elemental, just drop earth elemental and nuke it hard. once you get lava burst you will be 1 shotting most mobs. having leveled every char apart from paladin, i can say that shamen is the most fun and easiest to do. have fun!

Hehe, I got 4 80's right now and all of them were pretty easy to level, thank you for the nice info mate, I will do so!

[ikit]

Resto!

[Wyn]

Enhancement all the way.

Its alot of fun, you can smash through mobs, and ur survivability becomes pretty high /w maelstrom weapon and feral spirits.
Caster specs and classes are always slower to level no matter how u look at it. The more you have to drink the slower it will be.

I leveled my shaman to 80 as ehn, switched to ele for about a day to see what it was like around the 75 level when u get lava burst.
Sure it was fun with a stronger CL, LB and Thunderstorm, but mobs didnt die as fast and i def didnt have the survivability of enh. I did most group quests solo as enh.(2-3ppl group quests like dragonblight ones)

[Dudits]

Lvling is pretty easy ether spec... Its more of a play style preference... But for end game something i found.. ele has a higher starting dmg in raids. but as classes start scaling up. the start to smash ele.. Enh i have found has a better scalablility in raids. Not at frist.. but once you get up in raiding you will pass ele in dmg.

[Embermoon]

Link me the FAQ with that info, so I don't need to bother you anymore with my silly, newby shammy omgl2p questions.

To all the other posters, thank you for the input. xP

Yeah, I didn't say L2P or anything of the sort - get yer knickers untwisted. What I did say was that the info you asked about is already covered in the FAQ (excluding the "easiest to level" bit). Both of your questions regarding two-weapons vs. two-handers, and weapon speed (you mentioned daggers, which are fast), are covered in there. It's the FAQ at the top of this forum.

Your response just confirmed my suspicion that you didn't read it. If that's a case of "oops, didn't see it," then no harm, no foul. If it's a case of "hey, I'm too lazy to read FAQs, when there are always a handful of helpful people to feed me the info (like this forum gets too much of)," then I'd tell you to get your lazy, twisted-knickered butt up there and read that FAQ.

NAO, Missy!

btw, the people who say to switch to elem at level 58 are mental ward escapees, and/or drunken carnies, and shouldn't be trusted or listened to. Enhance is the pure shaman spec. All other specs are pretenders to the holy light of shamanistic face-crushing, spleen-ripping goodness. Plus, it's easier than elem, AT ALL LEVELS, to level up.

[Ninfetaz]

I did read the FAQ, read about the weapons but the FAQ is pretty much for raiding weapons/rotation/blabla/Howto/ , not a leveling one.Two-handed could be better for leveling, I don't know, that's why I made this post.

About the switch to elemental and all the leetness of your opinions, your opinion is just as good as any other and I respect them all.

All my questions are answered, once again thank you everyone for the time spent.

Cheers, Ninfs.

[ralphie]

10-40 elemental
40-80 enhance

[Eyetotem]

This may not be what you are looking for but anytime someone asks about leveling I make the following post, I am lazy and do not want to do it all again so it may be more or less what you are looking for.

Enhancement is the way to go when you start out. I have leveled 2 different toons, 1 horde, 1 alliance. The alliance toon was 1st and I leveled him Ele, you have the ability to kill things very quickly but at low levels have very few "Oh Sh*t" things to do if you are OOM. As enhancement you can melee and get him down and save your mana for heals. The horde toon I leveled Enh and it went a lot faster. I do not know if it was due to the fact that I had been playing a Shaman for a long time at that point and just knew the class better or if it was because I could chain pull mobs without down time. Also at level 50 you get Shamanistic Rage which will make grinding a joke. With the Horde toon I stayed Enh untill after a couple months after we started raiding again (I am always the sucker that raises his hand when they say "Who will go resto so we can raid?")

as far as the Hierloom gear.
When going Enhancement you can not go wrong with
Champion Herod's Shoulder
Champion's Deathdealer Breastplate
& Duel Wield Venerable Mass of McGowan throw Enchant Weapon-Agility on those bad boys


A MUST is 2xSwift Hand of Justice.

The Elemental route you would want
2xDiscerning Eye of the Beast
Mystical Vest of Elements
Mystical Pauldrons of Elements&
Devout Aurastone Hammer and throw Formula: Enchant Weapon - Spell Power on it.


I know that seems like a lot but it is well worth it. If you are low on badges go for the shoulders and Chest 1st as the 10% EXP from each adds up fast.....and they do stack. This is the one thing in WoW that uses simple math lol. "So Little Johnny for every 10 monsters you kill it is like you killed 12" ( have to be a smartass every once in a while)

Oh, addons, I always use totemtimers IMO that is the be all end all of shaman addons. Totemus is nice and so are a few others, but with totem timers it has a bar that allows you to click on and scroll through and find the totems you want and it also has the new 4 totems at once button built into it.

If you stick with the shaman here is the link to a shaman blog that I recently found that has some usefull stuff Shields up!.

Good luck and FOR THE HORDE!



For the part about race...prolly Troll for PvE because the racial increases SP&AP I believe. I am Tauren, because I hated Warstomp when I was alliance PvPing. lol

[antifreeze]

i leveld as enh from first to last . but at last ele already)

[Embermoon]

Ninfs, Eyetotem summed it up pretty fantastically. As for the two-handers, they simply aren't viable for enhance shammies, at any time, in any situation. You'll have people who try to tell you that they are. When they do, remember that wise uncle Embermoon (and not some degenerate meth-addicted gypsy) was the one who pointed you to:

a) Elistist Jerks' forums have the fact that 2-handers are bad covered in more math detail than you could ever want
b) 2-handers stopped being viable in BC, but yet we still have the ability to train in them
c) A look at the various talents in the enhance tree indicates to anyone (other than a stubborn fool) that the spec is built for dual-wielding.

So, all through leveling, pvp, pve, end-game raiding, what have you, 2.60 speed axes, maces, and fists are your buddies. And, when you have rogues try to ninja them, stormstrike them in the nuts.

I like Eyetotem's post, and think I'll try to get Levva or Barrar to incorporate it into the FAQ.

Also, when it comes to my opinions, just remember that I know everything, and I'm always right. kkthx

[Ninfetaz]

Eyetotem, thank you a lot for you info, that is a really good post for all the starters indeed!
And thank you Embermoon aswell, I like you, just don't like when you treat me as a noob

Very kind of you to post it here, once again thank you for all who helped me.

[Sarkastic]

its honeslty a toss up till 40 because of DW. After that its Enhancment all the way. id recomend honstly when you first start out fill conviction and Elemental devistation then go all out enhanc. Id buy the 1h weps for when you hit 40 and just use w.e you can find for a 2hd or go pro and get everything and just use the 2hd BoA axe for another toon after

[Embermoon]

Eyetotem, thank you a lot for you info, that is a really good post for all the starters indeed!
And thank you Embermoon aswell, I like you, just don't like when you treat me as a noob

Very kind of you to post it here, once again thank you for all who helped me.

Heh heh - didn't mean to come off as a tool. Sorry bout that.

I'm old and cranky. It's what happens after you turn 30.

[Xiaz89]

Leveled as elemental myself, and its uber fun. When you get Lava Burst its godmode.

Leveled as enhancement myself, and its uber fun. When you get your wolves its godmode.

So yeah, ive got 2x 80 shamans, and both specs are fun to level with.

(ps, nothing is more godlike in pvp than a properly specced enhacement shaman at lvl 60 with wolves out, OP i say)