Elemental FAQ (updated for 4.3)

[Weerra]

I just wear my resto 4t13 as ele too
I think it plus raw ilvl beat 2 and 4 t12 (normal)

[Judgmental]

The conversation was started by someone asking whether they should buy rings, relic or trinket next. I suggested Cape and Relic, and that anyone starting out should buy those first. Your right, if you're only just getting valor now, you're unlikely to be raiding so replacing gear isn't likely to happen, but this was advice for raiders, say if your guild only just started raiding or if you changed mains/just dinged or something. Its outdated info now, but still true.

As for the fact the rings are low drop chance, thats because they can drop from multiple sources rather than one. Also, sure they are hard to get hold of, but they are easier to get hold of than a replacement relic or cape, because there isn't one.

Actually I dont think I asked which to buy next... I just commented that I had those left to buy... and as for why I did not purchase the Relic or Cloak first it was because I was wearing a 346 helm... and that was my first purchase, because it was a HUGE upgrade... way better than replacing my 378 relic. And I also noted that I only have access to LFR at this time, so virtually all VP gear is a better choice than what will drop in LFR, except for tier gear... and yes I know that the helm is tier... but I guess I was lucky and got the other four tier tokens so I can still wear my VP helm.

[Deleted]

Well since the buff is not dependent on the itemlevel of the pieces, you can easily use your raidfinder-pieces. I think a lot of people are decked out in them.

If you manage to get 4 spare pieces of gear from LFR then hell yeah do this. I personally am still stuck 3/4 in t13 for Ele (LFR gloves/helm, NM legs), with LFR legs for Resto. Im trying to get 4pt13 for Resto anyway for offspec, but yeah its deffinatley a little something extra you can do, macro a gear swap macro to your pre-pot button for nice DPS =) Make your tank sweat hehe

[Wunhunglo]

I dont know how helpful this is but, using the resto 4 set (activating SWG) and switching to dps gear before pulling the boss assures that you can get the 30% haste buff for 10 to 15 seconds at the start of the fight.

LOL @ the people who try this and end up having to do the entire fight in their Resto set (not that is is terribly bad Ele 4set vs Resto 4set Sims) because they didn't time it correctly.

[Deleted]

LOL @ the people who try this and end up having to do the entire fight in their Resto set (not that is is terribly bad Ele 4set vs Resto 4set Sims) because they didn't time it correctly.

That is fine if you magically hit the hit cap with your resto set.

I'm resto main and if I don't reforge and plan carefully I have 19-21% hit with my resto set (dd trinkets without hit/spirit). I'm at 17,15% now and really low on spirit as resto, but TC fixes that problem

I still use the resto pieces even if I happen to have 19% hit because of the much higher itemlevel.

[Pope]

That is fine if you magically hit the hit cap with your resto set.

Since most people run with up to 3000 spirit, I guess that's doable.

[Deleted]

I've been playing resto for most of the expansion but my guild requires me to play as elemental and I could really use some help.
This is my armory - http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/characte...orish/advanced

How should I be reforging? (Which is the one I should be stacking? Mastery/haste?)
Is there anything I could change to improve?

Thanks

[Weerra]

Since most people run with up to 3000 spirit, I guess that's doable.

But that's also a loss of ~1300 stats for Elemental, meaning that it pushes the gear down. The bis comparison was precise at hitcap and it showed resto gear barely holding up, with that extreme spirit it's way lower.

[Pope]

But that's also a loss of ~1300 stats for Elemental, meaning that it pushes the gear down. The bis comparison was precise at hitcap and it showed resto gear barely holding up, with that extreme spirit it's way lower.

Oh don't get me wrong, I find it quite insteresting how good the Resto-set compares.

[Deleted]

hey,

I'm orc and an engineer so i have those two additional cooldowns (where engineer glove enchant(1min CD) is the same as other professions at average)

should I wait with using the engineer gloves for elemental mastery coming of cooldown? because i can use EM nearly every 1,5min I wait half a minute to use the gloves...
same problem with my orc racial(2min CD): should i wait till the ~3min mark (so this would be the third time using EM) to have the racial during an EM timeframe?

[Pope]

hey,

I'm orc and an engineer so i have those two additional cooldowns (where engineer glove enchant(1min CD) is the same as other professions at average)

should I wait with using the engineer gloves for elemental mastery coming of cooldown? because i can use EM nearly every 1,5min I wait half a minute to use the gloves...
same problem with my orc racial(2min CD): should i wait till the ~3min mark (so this would be the third time using EM) to have the racial during an EM timeframe?

I'd say use your cooldowns on cooldown, because delaying them might actually a dps-loss.

[Weerra]

hey,

I'm orc and an engineer so i have those two additional cooldowns (where engineer glove enchant(1min CD) is the same as other professions at average)

should I wait with using the engineer gloves for elemental mastery coming of cooldown? because i can use EM nearly every 1,5min I wait half a minute to use the gloves...
same problem with my orc racial(2min CD): should i wait till the ~3min mark (so this would be the third time using EM) to have the racial during an EM timeframe?

No, that's too damn much waiting. You are losing very big parts of those CDs values. Use them right away.

[lkonig]

Hello Gang.

My alt is a shaman and I read everything which is great help so thank you. It seems though when I single target my dps just goes blahhhh. When I AOE I am screaming with high end DPS. Here is a link to my Shaman but I just got the gear that isn't gemed or enchanted so i know I have to do that.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...oluul/advanced

I keep my Flame Shock up and hit lava burst on cooldown and spam lightening bolt. Do you guys put up earthquake all the time and keep it up? I also keep up Ele mastery

Any help is appreciated

[Radux]

Actually he isn't wrong, just inaccurate.

Please note that it wasn't actually their post - it was a copy/paste of someone else's post earlier in the thread. That's how bots try to quickly get around the spam filter.

[Weerra]

Hello Gang.

My alt is a shaman and I read everything which is great help so thank you. It seems though when I single target my dps just goes blahhhh. When I AOE I am screaming with high end DPS. Here is a link to my Shaman but I just got the gear that isn't gemed or enchanted so i know I have to do that.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...oluul/advanced

I keep my Flame Shock up and hit lava burst on cooldown and spam lightening bolt. Do you guys put up earthquake all the time and keep it up? I also keep up Ele mastery

Any help is appreciated

EQ is only used as an AOE on 5+ mobs. It's a waste of cast time for single target.

[Deleted]

EQ is only used as an AOE on 5+ mobs. It's a waste of cast time for single target.

I believe as long as the targets stay in it for the entire duration, Endus (I think Endus did the math) mathed that 3 targets is actually enough to make it worth it, not 5. Might have been Bink that did it now I think about it... either way point still stands. 3 Targets if its a full duration, any more than that and even if its not full duration still EQ.

[Weerra]

I believe as long as the targets stay in it for the entire duration, Endus (I think Endus did the math) mathed that 3 targets is actually enough to make it worth it, not 5. Might have been Bink that did it now I think about it... either way point still stands. 3 Targets if its a full duration, any more than that and even if its not full duration still EQ.

Maybe. I've read it in pre-patch napkin mathing by Endus and I think it was 5. Maybe it was incorrect for live or I remember it wrong.
Still a waste on single-target.

[Deleted]

Maybe. I've read it in pre-patch napkin mathing by Endus and I think it was 5. Maybe it was incorrect for live or I remember it wrong.
Still a waste on single-target.

Indeed 100% waste on single target. I pretty sure I saw the end of the math for live saying it was 3 for a full duration, but honestly would need Endus or Dink to confirm. Im working on coursework atm else I would bother to do it myself rofl.

[Endus]

Maybe. I've read it in pre-patch napkin mathing by Endus and I think it was 5. Maybe it was incorrect for live or I remember it wrong.
Still a waste on single-target.

It definitely wasn't 3 targets. I think it was about on par with Chain Lightning at 4 targets, and a definite higher damage per cast time at 5, so using it with 4 targets wouldn't be an issue but you could also just use CL spam, but at 5+ you definitely want to be using EQ if things will live the full duration.

CL's a cleave-type effect that's balanced around 2-3 targets baseline, and the glyph pushes that to 2-5. EQ's an AoE that's based on 5+. You see the same kind of thing with other specs and their AoEs, a lot of the time.

[Deleted]

It definitely wasn't 3 targets. I think it was about on par with Chain Lightning at 4 targets, and a definite higher damage per cast time at 5, so using it with 4 targets wouldn't be an issue but you could also just use CL spam, but at 5+ you definitely want to be using EQ if things will live the full duration.

CL's a cleave-type effect that's balanced around 2-3 targets baseline, and the glyph pushes that to 2-5. EQ's an AoE that's based on 5+. You see the same kind of thing with other specs and their AoEs, a lot of the time.

Fair enough, I remembered wrong then =) Theres no fights with only 3 targets anyway except trash, and on trash I just faceroll chain lightning cos its easy anyway. Thanks for clearing that up, my bad =)