Elemental PvP 4.2 FAQ guide

[Paf]

Elemental Shaman PvP 4.2
Intro/FAQ

So, to anyone that has ever searched for an elemental PvP guide, you know for a fact that they do not exist. This is not an end-all guide, but hopefully it is a band-aid.

This is a simple question & simple answer beginners guide. It does not go into detail. It does not present comps or underground strategies. If you know something it does not know, then you quite obviously do not need this guide. Some has-been from 4.1 is not relevant here. Your l33t personal preferences are not either. Aside from that, gander, suggest, and ask away.

The guide contains minimal abbreviations and all the pure lists have links to refresh your memory. For example, you want to cut straight to the chase and find out something about Lightning Bolt, simply ctrl+f. There is no "LB". The general order of categories is as follows...

Stats
Gemming
Talents
Glyphs
Enchantments
FAQs



Stats

Intellect = Resilience* > 4% spell hit > Haste = Mastery* > Crit

You do need a minimum of 195 spell penetration... which can and should be covered entirely by a "spell penetration cloak or neck". 410 hit rating is the amount required for a 4% cap. 308 hit rating if you are a draenei due to the racial.

Intellect vs Resilience will be covered in the gemming section as that's the only place it is relevant. Aside from that, the only real discussion is haste vs mastery. The verdict? Both are pretty good. There are detailed comps, but in short mastery is completely RNG burst while haste is stable and contributes to healing.


Gemming

Red Socket: Brilliant Inferno Ruby (int) or Willful Ember Topaz (int/resil)
Yellow Socket: Mystic Ember Topaz (resil) or Willful Ember Topaz (int/resil)
Blue Socket: Veiled Demonseye (int/hit) or Purified Demonseye (int/spirit) (see Elemental Precision)

The above assumes to aim to hit socket bonuses. If you do not, then belligerently plug in whatever you want to stack. And yes, sockets are generally hit. At least yellow sockets for arena due to intellect and resilience being so close in value.

Intellect vs. Resilience
Intellect is not always king in PvP. One of the elemental shaman community's greatest gripes is the lack of a defensive cooldown. Quite simply put, we are a glass cannon. If you get trained as an elemental shaman, there is nothing between you and that axe except for your healer and your resilience. That is not to say we are completely defenseless, but we are decidedly lacking. Arenas are the more typical situation to gem resilience as your opponent's choice of targets is more limited than a rated battleground and you lack a good place to run. Either one you pick, intellect or resilience, the lesser will still be better than haste or mastery in terms of gemming for the yellow socket. Reason being is that if you valued haste or mastery over resilience, there's no reason not to be wearing PvE gear instead. In fact, wearing PvE gear would net you more of a gain than gemming away resilience due to the elevated item level of heroic pieces.


Talents

This is a rough cookie cutter. I will list all of the optional or less talents below. If a specific talent is not on said list, assume it is mandatory.


Acuity: This and Elemental Precision are brother and sister. 1% is 1% damage. However, Acuity has its pros and cons while Elemental Precision is rather stable and chill. Downside of Acuity is that it does nothing for Lava Burst. Upside is that we can boost our healing with it, but only ever so slightly. Pick your poison if the choice comes down between the two.

Convection: Yes, we can have mana problems in PvP. However, most of these problems can be solved by just not being a fool with your mana. If you truly feel you are having mana problems, spec it. Otherwise, I would refer you to lower in the guide where common mana sinks are listed and explained.

Reverberation: When push comes to shove, this is typically one of the higher end "optional" talents. However, it is still optional.

Elemental Precision: This talent receives a surprising amount of hate. Irony is that Acuity, which Elemental Precision is roughly equal to, is widely regarded as an acceptable talent. Most of this animosity stems from a tunnel vision of spirit text. Without any foolish prejudices, Elemental Precision is a perfectly acceptable 1/2 filler talent. It is also an acceptable 3/3 talent. However, if you choose to do the latter, you must take advantage of it.

With the advent of Cataclysm, mana regen was changed from five seconds with no casting to a simple in/out of combat. This may seem like a brick wall to the spirit advantage, but you do occasionally find yourself out of combat in PvP. The regen aside, as soon as you are able to convert spirit to hit, spirit becomes better than crit on that simple basis. All the areas, and the only areas, where this comes into play are your belt, ring, shield, relic, blue sockets and spellthread (leg enchant). If you take 3/3 Elemental Precision and do not use those items, you are simply wasting points.

Feedback: Pre-4.2 this is the lowest of the low talents. With 4.2 it is one of the top "optional" talents. It is one of the few talents that is completely subjective to how you do play and not how you want to play. Ask yourself if you plan to stay alive long enough to see Elemental Mastery refreshed. Ask yourself if you can cast enough Lightning Bolts to make it worthwhile. In the end, this is truly up to you.

Earthquake: Earthquake has no place in PvP under any conceivable circumstance. That is cardinal and final.

Totemic Reach: Snagging your opponents with Earthbind Totem from three yards further than normal is nifty, but that's about all Totemic Reach has going for it. There is no worthwhile reason to take this when compared to other talents.

Ancestral Resolve: If it were a simple 5% damage reduction, it would be glorious. Alas, it is not. You cannot cast while you are stunned, CC'd, or school locked, and your instant casts are not casts. Ancestral Resolve simply falls short more often than not.

Spark of Life: Do you enjoy living? This talent is technically optional, but strongly recommended. It is a massive amount of defensive bang for your buck. An area we are rather lacking in.


Glyphs

Prime
Glyph of Lava Burst: Damn near mandatory.
Glyph of Unleashed Lightning: Damn near mandatory.
Glyph of Flame Shock: It extends the duration of your Flame Shock. Saves you cooldowns. 'Nuff said.
Glyph of Lightning Bolt: Pre-4.2 this talent was absolutely trash. However, when combo'd with Glyph of Unleashed Lightning, it can actually churn out a substantial amount of damage over time.

Major
Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem: 16,572 absorb shield. Less than a quarter the cost of a Healing Surge. Instant. Can be cast while silenced. Can be macro'd with other totems. If there is a way this glyph is not mandatory it is beyond me.
Glyph of Thunder: 10sec off your Thunderstorm, one of your few defensive spells, is worth more than you might guess. It is one of the higher valued major glyphs.
Glyph of Hex: Subjective. In arenas is is more or less required, but it can sometimes become less impressive in rated battlegrounds where you aren't exactly using it on cooldown.
Glyph of Elemental Mastery: On the lower rung of things. Most times this is taken, it is taken over Glyph of Hex for certain rated battleground instances. Reason it's not often taken is because you're using Elemental Mastery first and foremost as an offensive cooldown, not a defensive. You typically don't use Elemental Mastery when you're likely to be stunned or interrupted. You use it when you have a clear shot and time enough to make good use. So, more often than not it's just an "oh, 20% reduction, that's nice" rather than life saving. The times it's useful is when you fully expect to take heaps of damage, but must deal as much of your own as you can. For example storming the flag room and attempting to burn down the carrier.
Lightning Shield: Do not take this glyph ever. With 4.2 elemental received a brand new PvP four-set bonus that both prevents stacks from falling off and instead gains you stacks from damage. The glyph is now redundant and therefore a waste.


Enchantments

Since Maelstrom Crystals are now the second to cheapest enchanting material, there are no "budget" options listed.

Head: Arcanum of Vicious Intellect (+60 int/+35 resil)
Shoulder: Greater Inscription of Vicious Intellect (+50 int/+25 resil)
Back: Greater Intellect (+50 int)
Chest: Mighty Resilience (+40 resil)
Wrists: Mighty Intellect (+50 int)
Hands: Greater Mastery (+65 mastery) or Haste (+50 haste) (for truly haste heavy build)
Legs: Powerful Enchanted Spellthread (+95 int/+80 stam) or Powerful Ghostly Spellthread (+95 int/+55 spirit) (Elemental Precision)
Feet: Haste (+50 haste) or Mastery (+50 mastery) or Lavawalker (+35 mastery/run speed) (if no Ancestral Swiftness)
Weapon: Power Torrent (+500 int for 12sec w/ 45sec ICD)
Off-Hand: Superior Intellect (+40 int)


FAQs

Mana
We do not have an infinite mana pool, but we also do not have a mana pool that evaporates if you shine a dim light on it. You can survive performing your standard DPS rotation with Shocks cast on cooldown for a very long time. To be more clear, the most mana abusive rotation you can possibly perform. That rotation is notably without Thunderstorm. Mix Thunderstorm into the bunch, and it's fairly safe to say that you can DPS without ever going out of mana. So, with that in light, you run out of mana by doing things unrelated to your standard DPS rotation with Shocks on cooldown.

Chain Lightning, while it may be cool to look like Sith lord, is not effective. As far as mana goes, you cannot use it on cooldown in PvE or you will empty your mana pool. So, it goes to stand that you can most certainly not use it on cooldown in PvP. On top of that, its damage isn't even that magnificent. Part of the reason it gets cast is because of the Wrath of the Lich King hey-day of infinite mana pools where you could chase a Lava Burst with a Chain Lightning for instantaneous burst and drain your opponent's whole health bar. Time has past. It is no longer Wrath. Chain Lightning is neither godly nor cost effective. Unless there are three clumped, it should likely not be cast.

Healing, unlike Chain Lightning, is something of a necessity. But that does not mean you have to heal just willy-nilly. One of the largest ways to negate this mana drain is to understand that Healing Surge is not your only heal. Greater Healing Wave is far more cost effective and heals the same amount as Healing Surge per second. Learn when to use one and not the other. Longer cast time is greater vulnerability for an interrupt, but there are ways to cast it and times to cast it.

Simply because you can cast four totems all at once does not mean you should. Far from it. Stoneskin, Strength of the Earth, and Wrath of Air are all mana hogs. On top of that, they all get replaced within seconds of casting by other, more utility, earth and air totems. They are a waste of mana. Instead of conveniently dropping Stoneskin/Searing Totem/Healing Stream Totem/Grounding Totem when all you needed was the Grounding Totem, simply... don't. It's an unequivocal waste. That doesn't mean don't do combo drops, but do it smart. On the topic of totems and mana, Fire Elemental Totem is a waste. It sucks nearly four times the amount of mana as Searing Totem would, and it's just as easily stomped by your opponent. It's both a waste of mana and of time.


Other FAQs:

"Totems should be able to be dropped while silenced, but I can't drop mine!"
Totems are not locked out when you are school-locked/silenced, but the "Call of the X" abilities are indeed considered normal spells and are thus locked out. Make sure you have separate keybinds for both a solo-drop of a key totem such as Earthbind Totem and a combo for when you can do so normally.

"Can/Should I use PvE gear to PvP?"
Just like the answer for the reverse is typically no, the answer for this is "typically no". Since resilience loses value the higher it gets past the hump, PvE gear will eventually be worn in 4.3. Right now we're still safe. The only PvE items that I am willing to condone wearing in 4.2 are a weapon of an elevated item level, the legendary staff Wrath of Tarecgosa, or Variable Pulse Lightning Capacitor. And only if you truly value damage output that much.

"Lightning Shield/Fulmination!"
Any question involving Lightning Shield or Fulmination probably references using the Glyph of Lightning Shield or if Fulmination is worth it at all. The elemental PvP four-set both prevents stacks from falling off and gains you charges instead. So, the default and final answer to each would be to not use Glyph of Lightning Shield and to always take the Fulmination talent.

"Can I do a 2/2 set bonus?"
No. That was changed with the release of 4.2. You must pick up the same-set four-set bonus now as the 2/2 set bonuses do not stack.

"Can/Should I use other weapon imbues besides Flametongue weapon?"
No. You never want be close enough to hit your opponent with Frostbrand Weapon or be not casting long enough to, and if you heal enough to make Earthliving Weapon worthwhile, you should just be a healer.

[Deleted]

Nicely done Paf, you've got pretty much everything covered. Requesting sticky!

[Endus]

Nicely done Paf, you've got pretty much everything covered. Requesting sticky!

Just to pre-empt any further of these; we're trying to minimize the number of sticky posts. However, I have added this to the Sticky Compendium sticky post, as well as putting a link in the Elemental FAQ sticky, near the top, since my guide is PvE-oriented. So it's as stickied as any post is going to be.

[Lurie]

To Paf: I stand by my opinion that your post on my thread was unnecessarily harsh, mocking the theory crafting of an admittedly inexperience PvPer. However, I'd have to be blatantly ignorant and small minded not to acknowledge that this is a fantastic summary of when and where you use talents/glyphs/stats/abilities and why. This guide, while simple, answers most of the significant questions regarding Elemental PvP that I could not find anywhere else. You were kind of an ass, but I am forced, at the very least, to retract anything I said regarding your time and intelligence.

[villenavos]

Thank you for taking time to write this guide down. I am not a great pvp freak, but I enjoy playing BGs on my elem chaman alt. It's really fun to play. Any advice regarding survivabilty and ways to escape melee classes? I'm pretty sure good players have tricks to escape rogues, warriors, and DK's. This is not my case

[Deleted]

Hi folks!
Just very briefly! Myself and a mate have been playing wow on and off since TBC, changing mains once in a while! He is playing disc atm, and me ele!
When it comes to 2v2's we seem to be doing ok! we do well against most comps, and when we lose to most teams is narrowly..

Now the problem is..
Holy paladin + Arms warrior/dk!
We just cannot beat this comp if either player is even moderately geared and a little bit skilled!

We have tried every thing, chain cc the dps mana burn paladin, hard nuke warrior, switches etc etc
Has anyone got any general tips because it is truly frustrating when we simply cannot do any thing!

[Mordret]

In fact Frostbrand weapon isn't that bad. Yes, you don't hit that much because of missing flametounge but unleash allows you to slow enemy by 50% for 5 sec which is quite a good amount, when you can't use frost shock.

[Radux]

In fact Frostbrand weapon isn't that bad. Yes, you don't hit that much because of missing flametounge but unleash allows you to slow enemy by 50% for 5 sec which is quite a good amount, when you can't use frost shock.

You could also attempt to slow them with Earthbind (assuming they don't destroy it).

[Mordret]

You could also attempt to slow them with Earthbind (assuming they don't destroy it).

Indeed but there is range diffrence between those 2 spells

[villenavos]

In fact Frostbrand weapon isn't that bad. Yes, you don't hit that much because of missing flametounge but unleash allows you to slow enemy by 50% for 5 sec which is quite a good amount, when you can't use frost shock.

Good to know. I'll try this one out.

[Paf]

In fact Frostbrand weapon isn't that bad. Yes, you don't hit that much because of missing flametounge but unleash allows you to slow enemy by 50% for 5 sec which is quite a good amount, when you can't use frost shock.

Any time I see an enemy not slowed, the first things that come to mind are...

"Ok."
"Damn, I wish that guy didn't have Hand of Freedom."
"Why the hell isn't my partner slowing anything?"

If you are having troubles slowing something, the issue is most likely you or your lack of an ally. The trade of 1045 spellpower and a 30% burst is for a 15sec cooldown "just in case" slow... is not a favorable one. You have three slows on more or less separate cooldowns. If you cannot peel melee off with those or catch up to a running enemy with a simple Frost Shock and Ghost Wolf, you need to reexamine what you are doing or accept the fact that the scenario cannot be changed with simply heaping slows.

This is a perfect example of "l33t personal preferences" that I clearly asserted in the original post as having no place here, never mind polluting the first page waters and achieving a response of "Good to know. I'll try this one out". I quite frankly do not care if you run with Frostbrand Weapon, if you pack along a Chimney Imp.dec to a tournament, if you are the monk who plays with swords, if you attempt to mass Battlecruisers. I wish you luck in your endeavor to have fun. I truly do, as that is what matters most. But I kindly ask that you leave them out of this thread just the same as the sign that says "Please do not walk on grass". There are other hills to roll on. Please don't roll on this one.

[Aleksej89]

Nicely done mate!

Only one thing tho, i thought healing spells now crit for 100% more healing instead of 50%?
Somewhere in your guide i think i saw you say that healing spells do 50% more healing on a crit, which i think is outdated.
I think.

---------- Post added 2011-10-21 at 12:16 PM ----------

Hi folks!
Just very briefly! Myself and a mate have been playing wow on and off since TBC, changing mains once in a while! He is playing disc atm, and me ele!
When it comes to 2v2's we seem to be doing ok! we do well against most comps, and when we lose to most teams is narrowly..

Now the problem is..
Holy paladin + Arms warrior/dk!
We just cannot beat this comp if either player is even moderately geared and a little bit skilled!

We have tried every thing, chain cc the dps mana burn paladin, hard nuke warrior, switches etc etc
Has anyone got any general tips because it is truly frustrating when we simply cannot do any thing!

You better make a separate thread for that question, since it is not ABOUT the guide in the opening post.
Ul find better answers if u were to post your own thread, i suppose.

---------- Post added 2011-10-21 at 03:44 PM ----------

Yea as far as i can understand these patch notes, heals do crit for 100% (not 50%):
"All healing critical strikes now heal for 2 times a normal heal (+100%), up from 1.5 times a normal heal (+50%)."
From Firelands patch notes on official USA wow website.

Aside from that tiny oversight, its a great guide!

[Paf]

Nicely done mate!

Only one thing tho, i thought healing spells now crit for 100% more healing instead of 50%?
Somewhere in your guide i think i saw you say that healing spells do 50% more healing on a crit, which i think is outdated.
I think.

Yup, you're absolutely correct... Reason I posted 50% is not so much that I was stuck in the past, but I twisted the present. I was somehow combining that enhancement and the rest don't get 100% damaging crits and attributing it as a blanket of "well, you're not X so you don't get 100% crits", when in fact we totally do. I'm updating it now. Thank you for the catch!

[Aleksej89]

@Paf

Glad i could help
I see you posting a lot around Shaman forums and anyone that can sacrifice their personal time to help out the community is awesome in my book, so i thank you!

[Slammin Shaman]

What meta should I use? Just started WoW back up again today, and with that I started ele pvp.

[Paf]

What meta should I use? Just started WoW back up again today, and with that I started ele pvp.

Burning Shadowspirit Diamond is most typical. I'll edit that and the other options in when I get a sec.

[Mexikinda]

I disagree with a number of points in this guide. You're speaking from a PvP standpoint, but really, you're focusing solely on 3v3 arena, and yes, arena is where most people place their focus. However, elemental has always been a spec that's been well-suited to 5s and (now) RBGs. So, I'd like to bring a few things up.

So, to anyone that has ever searched for an elemental PvP guide, you know for a fact that they do not exist.

They do, somewhat. You have to look for them. Blowi's "How To Shaman" on ArenaJunkies has a decent section on elemental.

It isn't as comprehensive, but they do exist. And honestly, if you want to check out "How To [Elemental] Shaman," follow Nuvoz's stream on Twitch and watch him arena. He's more or less the world's best PvP elemental shaman.

Intellect vs. Resilience
Intellect is not always king in PvP. One of the elemental shaman community's greatest gripes is the lack of a defensive cooldown. Quite simply put, we are a glass cannon. If you get trained as an elemental shaman, there is nothing between you and that axe except for your healer and your resilience. That is not to say we are completely defenseless, but we are decidedly lacking.

Strongly disagree. Intellect is *usually* king, and resilience is *usually* better than haste/mastery depending on comp. If you're rolling with a frost mage, then the only thing "between you and the axe" is your healer, your resilience, your earthbind, your thunderstorm, the frost mages novas, deep freezes, pet novas, cone of cold novas, all of your combined snares, your ghost wolf. I'm not saying ele defensive cooldowns are good, even comparable to other dps classes, but the point of an elemental shaman in 3s is to blow shit up in a global. Stacking haste and mastery instead of resilience in gem slots can make that happen. It depends on comp. Not providing for that point is a disservice to anyone who reads this. And Mage/Ele/Hpally or Disc is one of our most viable 3s.

This is a rough cookie cutter. I will list all of the optional or less talents below. If a specific talent is not on said list, assume it is mandatory.

Anyone who takes 3 pts. in elemental warding over reverberation is wrong. You know what's better than 4% magical damage reduction? Shearing a frost bolt or UA. 5 seconds is a big deal. A low cd shear is one of two things we bring to comps, along with tremor, that other casters don't. It is a necessity. It's a necessity for RBGs and 5s, too. I know you say it's a "high end 'optional'" talent. No, warding is optional. Reverb is mandatory.

Yes, we can have mana problems in PvP. However, most of these problems can be solved by just not being a fool with your mana. If you truly feel you are having mana problems, spec it. Otherwise, I would refer you to lower in the guide where common mana sinks are listed and explained.

"Just not being a fool with mana"? Whaaaaat? This is the reason I decided to respond to your post. Have you been in an arena game that's last longer than 5 minutes? Because there are many. And if you're elemental and find yourself in one, you will need to drink. Convection helps to hold that off for as long as possible. Your offensive spells -- LB, LvB, FS, WS -- don't cost too much mana (CL hitting one target excluded, obviously). It's the constant totem, hex spam that does. You spend more mana and globals dropping earthbinds, groundings, stoneclaws, etc. and (especially) casting purge than casting LBolts, usually. That's why you need Convection.

This talent receives a surprising amount of hate. Irony is that Acuity, which Elemental Precision is roughly equal to, is widely regarded as an acceptable talent. Most of this animosity stems from a tunnel vision of spirit text. Without any foolish prejudices, Elemental Precision is a perfectly acceptable 1/2 filler talent. It is also an acceptable 3/3 talent. However, if you choose to do the latter, you must take advantage of it.

There might be a lot of ele shams that take advantage of this talent. I don't know any. I certainly don't. Wasted points, imo. The spirit mana gain you could supposedly be getting would better spent in Convection, making sure you don't need them in the first place.

Pre-4.2 this is the lowest of the low talents. With 4.2 it is one of the top "optional" talents. It is one of the few talents that is completely subjective to how you do play and not how you want to play. Ask yourself if you plan to stay alive long enough to see Elemental Mastery refreshed. Ask yourself if you can cast enough Lightning Bolts to make it worthwhile. In the end, this is truly up to you.

It is optional. Usually, most people put in 2 points. Some put in 3. I suppose you might do entirely away with it, but if you're good and you're in a solid 3s comp, you're looking for that global to kill someone. That global usually involves Elemental Mastery. Not always. Usually. 55% of the time? If it's up, you wait for 9 stacks of LShield, and you set up a kill. Getting it up more often is advisable.

Earthquake has no place in PvP under any conceivable circumstance. That is cardinal and final.

Oh so very incorrect. And another reason I decided to respond. Earthquake is amazing in RBGs, situationally. It doesn't prevent flag caps from ticking damage, but it does clear out the flag of people you're afraid will cap. Of course, the knockdown DOES prevent flag caps. And the knockdown does scare people from the flag. It's an RBG talent. Exclusively. Yes, it has no place in arena, but it is advisable in RBGs. It is not cardinal. It is not final.

If it were a simple 5% damage reduction, it would be glorious. Alas, it is not. You cannot cast while you are stunned, CC'd, or school locked, and your instant casts are not casts. Ancestral Resolve simply falls short more often than not.

True. This is one of those "optional" talents. So optional, I'm surprised it's discussed. It's terrible. If you're taking damage, it usually involves being afraid of a melee interrupt. Pretty terrible.

Do you enjoy living? This talent is technically optional, but strongly recommended. It is a massive amount of defensive bang for your buck. An area we are rather lacking in.

The inverse of Earthquake. Necessary in arena. Meh in RBGs. Don't get me wrong. It's still good. And recommended if you can find the points, but I find Earthquake more consistently valuable in RBGs.

Major
Glyph of Stoneclaw Totem: 16,572 absorb shield. Less than a quarter the cost of a Healing Surge. Instant. Can be cast while silenced. Can be macro'd with other totems. If there is a way this glyph is not mandatory it is beyond me.
Glyph of Thunder:10sec off your Thunderstorm, one of your few defensive spells, is worth more than you might guess. It is one of the higher valued major glyphs.
Glyph of Hex:Subjective. In arenas is is more or less required, but it can sometimes become less impressive in rated battlegrounds where you aren't exactly using it on cooldown.
Glyph of Elemental Mastery: On the lower rung of things. Most times this is taken, it is taken over Glyph of Hex for certain rated battleground instances. Reason it's not often taken is because you're using Elemental Mastery first and foremost as an offensive cooldown, not a defensive. You typically don't use Elemental Mastery when you're likely to be stunned or interrupted. You use it when you have a clear shot and time enough to make good use. So, more often than not it's just an "oh, 20% reduction, that's nice" rather than life saving. The times it's useful is when you fully expect to take heaps of damage, but must deal as much of your own as you can. For example storming the flag room and attempting to burn down the carrier.

I can't imagine taking GoEM over Hex for rateds. One of the best things going for Hex is that it's a curse. You almost always find more Disc Priests and Pallys in RBGs than Druids and RShams. The DPS druids, mages and shams aren't usually on Curse Removal Detail until you get to a higher ranking, so more hexes = more cc'd targets. Always better for an RBG build pre-2000 ranking and usually better afterward.

You really should include a Minor Glyph portion, too. Glyph of Water Walk is necessary for RBGs.

Enchantments

Since Maelstrom Crystals are now the second to cheapest enchanting material, there are no "budget" options listed.

Shoulder: Greater Inscription of Vicious Intellect (+50 int/+25 resil)

As stated above, sometimes with the right comp and solid peeling 3s partner -- let alone in RBGs and 5s -- resilience isn't as good as haste/mastery. The PvE shoulder enchant is haste, so could be an option. The head is critical, and yes, critical isn't nearly as good as resilience in any PvP scenario.

FAQs

Mana
Chain Lightning, while it may be cool to look like Sith lord, is not effective. As far as mana goes, you cannot use it on cooldown in PvE or you will empty your mana pool. So, it goes to stand that you can most certainly not use it on cooldown in PvP. On top of that, its damage isn't even that magnificent. Part of the reason it gets cast is because of the Wrath of the Lich King hey-day of infinite mana pools where you could chase a Lava Burst with a Chain Lightning for instantaneous burst and drain your opponent's whole health bar. Time has past. It is no longer Wrath. Chain Lightning is neither godly nor cost effective. Unless there are three clumped, it should likely not be cast.

Chain Lightning is godly in RBG flag scenarios. With Earthquake, Magma Totem, Thunderstorm and Flame Shock/Fire Nova, Chain Lightning makes ele shams some of the best flag guards in game. You mention three people clumped. Good. I think reinforcing it by reminding people that every spam of chain lightning can result in multiple lightning shield procs, which means faster 9 stack fulmination earth shocks, is necessary.

Also, Chain Lightning is sometimes used in 3s for the final kill button. It's faster than LBolt and hits pretty hard. That's really the only time in 3s, though.

"Can/Should I use PvE gear to PvP?"
Just like the answer for the reverse is typically no, the answer for this is "typically no". Since resilience loses value the higher it gets past the hump, PvE gear will eventually be worn in 4.3. Right now we're still safe. The only PvE items that I am willing to condone wearing in 4.2 are a weapon of an elevated item level, the legendary staff Wrath of Tarecgosa, or Variable Pulse Lightning Capacitor. And only if you truly value damage output that much.

Again, not always true. I get that this guide is out of date, but even in Firelands, it wasn't always true. But now? Especially with DS trinks? Yes, in 3s, this is usually the case. The ~3% damage reduction you get from the PvP trinket is usually best. In RBGs, maybe not. And in general, I'd recommend staying away from the caster weapon that drops off Deathwing. The poison can prevent cc.

"Can/Should I use other weapon imbues besides Flametongue weapon?"
No. You never want be close enough to hit your opponent with Frostbrand Weapon or be not casting long enough to, and if you heal enough to make Earthliving Weapon worthwhile, you should just be a healer.

In RBGs, this is just bad advice. The ranged, physical (i.e., non-dispellable) snare from Frostbrand can be amazing, especially because it stacks with other frost snares (see: DKs, mages). And there are a few, very rare 3s occasions where it has value. Have a macro to swap weapon imbues.

I'll commend you for the post and the detail, but I think there are some major issues to address.

[oghammy]

the link doesnt work for the talents.

[notthebees]

take a wild guess why?