This is the complete level 10–60 guide for Elemental, the ranged Shaman. Until now it was the one Shaman spec without its own post. It follows our Shaman starter guide and sits next to our Enhancement and Restoration guides. Elemental is the spec Blizzard rebuilt most on Oct 15, so most of what is online (including the stillsixty and Elitistgaming builds) describes a tree that no longer exists. We rebuilt this post on the current tree and flag every place where a source is stale. Forever launches Nov 4, 2026 with a level cap of 60. The beta is over, and it never went above level 30. Everything from 31 to 60 below comes from the client's talent data, trainer lists and guide authors' theorycraft, not from anyone playing it, and we flag where sources disagree.
Why Elemental, and what it costs
- Leveling is slower than Enhancement. Every guide we found levels a Shaman as Enhancement and respecs, and ForeverDB's Elemental page says plainly: "Level as Enhancement: it is the fastest Shaman spec." If you still want to level as Elemental, we give the order below.
- Mana is the limit. stillsixty says that without Mindfulness and Elemental Focus "you drink after every second pull." Convection and Mindfulness are the answer.
- It was the weakest spec in the level-30 beta, before the rework. ForeverDB says "its damage at level 30 was quite weak because Lava Burst was out of reach and base spell damage was lowered," and calls it the weakest spec in the level-30 beta before its rework, now untested. Nobody has played the reworked tree.
- Big crits pull threat in dungeons (stillsixty). Watch the tank's lead.
- You get the whole Shaman utility kit anyway: Earth Shock interrupt, Purge, Grounding Totem, Tremor Totem and Reincarnation.
What the Oct 15 build changed in the Elemental tree
All of these are in Blizzard's Oct 15 Beta Development Notes unless noted:
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lava Burst | Moved from row 7 to row 5 as the 21-point talent, no prerequisite, and a fourth rank was added, so ranks reflowed |
| Elemental Mastery | Returned as the 31-point talent: −0.5 sec cast on Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst and no Chain Lightning cooldown for 15 sec, 3 min cooldown. Lava Burst is its prerequisite. stillsixty's Sept 29 page lists it as gone |
| Call of Thunder | Removed |
| Elemental Fury | Now requires Lightning Overload |
| Lightning Overload | Now requires Elemental Alacrity |
| Elemental Alacrity | Moved from row 3 to row 2 (ForeverDB: renamed Lightning Mastery in the client) |
| Elemental Warding | Moved from row 2 to row 3 |
| Earthbound | Moved to row 4 as the 16-point talent |
| Elemental Reach | Now also takes 10/20 sec off Totemic Projection's cooldown |
| Call of Flame | Now also extends Flame Shock by 3/6/9 sec |
| Chain Lightning | Mana cost cut by about 35% on all four ranks |
| Fire Nova | Spell power coefficient cut from 0.214 to 0.143, with "significantly" lower base damage and mana cost. Clearcasting from Elemental Focus can no longer be spent on the same Fire Nova that triggers it |
| Lightning Overload | Procs no longer consume Clearcasting |
| Improved Fire Nova | Now called Trial by Fire (Blizzard: "the talent formerly known as Improved Fire Nova"). stillsixty: 2/2 cuts the Fire Nova cooldown to 6 sec and adds 20% damage |
Conflict to know about: stillsixty's spec page (Sept 29) says Elemental Mastery is "gone" and that Lava Burst is the tier-7 talent behind Lightning Overload 3/3. Elitistgaming's builds (client build 70338) still use Call of Thunder and put Lava Burst at the bottom of the tree. TopBuilds (updated Oct 24) and ForeverDB (client 70532) match the Oct 15 notes. Our order below uses TopBuilds'.
Talent order by level (TopBuilds, 10–60)
TopBuilds ends at 35 Elemental / 16 Restoration. All of its Elemental points are in by 44.
| Levels | Talent | Rank reached | Tree | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | Convection | 5/5 | Elemental | −10% mana cost on Shocks, Lightning Bolt, Lava Burst and Chain Lightning at 5/5 (it now covers Lava Burst) |
| 15–19 | Concussion | 5/5 | Elemental | +5% damage on Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Earth Shock at 5/5 (not the other shocks) |
| 20–22 | Elemental Alacrity | 3/3 | Elemental | Renamed Lightning Mastery in the client: −0.5 sec cast on Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Lava Burst at 3/3. Moved to row 2 on Oct 15 |
| 23 | Elemental Focus | 1/1 | Elemental | 10% chance after a Fire, Frost or Nature damage spell to make your next damage spell free. Fire Nova can no longer both trigger and spend it, and Lightning Overload procs don't spend it |
| 24 | Reverberation | 1/5 | Elemental | Shock cooldown −0.2 sec per rank, −1 sec at 5/5 |
| 25–27 | Eye of the Storm | 3/3 | Elemental | Flat 70% pushback cut at 3/3 while casting Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Lava Burst |
| 28–29 | Reverberation | 3/5 | Elemental | Shock cooldown −0.2 sec per rank, −1 sec at 5/5 |
| 30–32 | Lightning Overload | 3/3 | Elemental | New. 3/7/10% chance for Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning to repeat at half damage, free, with no threat. Needs Elemental Alacrity 3/3. Doesn't apply to Lava Burst |
| 33 | Lava Burst | 1/1 | Elemental | New. A 21-point talent since Oct 15, with a fourth rank and no prerequisite. 2.5 sec cast, 10 sec cooldown, +20% damage if your own Flame Shock is on the target |
| 34 | Elemental Devastation | 1/3 | Elemental | After a spell crit, +9% melee crit for 10 sec at 3/3. It is an Enhancement-minded talent: here it fills rows |
| 35–39 | Elemental Fury | 5/5 | Elemental | Needs Lightning Overload since Oct 15. +20% crit damage bonus per rank, +100% at 5/5 |
| 40 | Elemental Mastery | 1/1 | Elemental | The 31-point talent, back since Oct 15. Instant, 3 min cooldown: −0.5 sec cast on Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst and no Chain Lightning cooldown for 15 sec. Needs Lava Burst |
| 41–42 | Elemental Reach | 2/2 | Elemental | +6 yards on Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Fire Nova and Lava Burst, +15 yards on Flame Shock, and (since Oct 15–16) −10/20 sec on Totemic Projection |
| 43–44 | Elemental Devastation | 3/3 | Elemental | After a spell crit, +9% melee crit for 10 sec at 3/3. It is an Enhancement-minded talent: here it fills rows |
| 45–49 | Tidal Focus | 5/5 | Restoration | Restoration. −5% healing mana cost and +5% Hit at 5/5, and it opens row 2 of that tree |
| 50–54 | Totemic Focus | 5/5 | Restoration | Restoration. −25% mana cost on totems, Call of the Elements and Totemic Projection |
| 55–57 | Mindfulness | 3/3 | Restoration | Restoration. 17/33/50% of mana regeneration continues while casting |
| 58–59 | Natural Grace | 2/3 | Restoration | Restoration. −5% spell threat per rank, −15% at 3/3 (2/3 is the 10% Elitistgaming lists) |
| 60 | Tidal Mastery | 1/5 | Restoration | Restoration, +5% heal crit at 5/5. It does nothing for Elemental, so treat it as the last filler |
Source: TopBuilds' Elemental Shaman order, updated Oct 24, 2026. Two reading notes: TopBuilds spends its 21st point (level 30) on Lightning Overload and delays Lava Burst to level 33, whereas ForeverDB's PvP build takes Lava Burst as its 21st point at 30 and Elemental Mastery as the 31st at 40. And its last 16 points are Restoration ones for Hit, mana and threat, and the final Tidal Mastery doesn't help an Elemental Shaman.
Where the other guides differ
- ForeverDB's 1–60 leveling order (client 70532, "untested pick") ends 30 Elemental / 7 Enhancement / 14 Restoration and takes: Concussion 5, Reverberation 3, Elemental Alacrity 3, Call of Flame 3, Elemental Focus 1, Trial by Fire 2, Eye of the Storm 3, Earthbound 1, Elemental Reach 2, Lava Burst 1, Lightning Overload 3 and Elemental Fury 3 from Elemental, plus Thundering Strikes 5 and Improved Ghost Wolf 2 from Enhancement, and Tidal Focus 5, Mindfulness 3, Totemic Focus 5 and Water Shield from Restoration. It has no Convection in this order, and ForeverDB says Convection goes in where the tree allows.
- ForeverDB's level-30 build (tested in the beta) is 21/0/0: Convection 4, Concussion 5, Elemental Alacrity 3, Call of Flame 3, Elemental Focus 1, Trial by Fire 2, Eye of the Storm 2 and Lightning Overload 1. Lightning Overload needs 20 points under it, so the point freed by Call of Thunder's removal goes to a fourth Convection rank, which ForeverDB calls "a judgment call."
- Elitistgaming (build 70338, pre-rework) levels Concussion 10–14, Convection 15–19, Elemental Focus at 20, Elemental Alacrity 21–23, Call of Flame 1/3 at 24, Call of Thunder at 25, Eye of the Storm 26–28, Call of Flame 2/3 at 29, Lightning Overload 30–32, Elemental Reach 33–34, Elemental Fury 35–39, Lava Burst at 40, Call of Flame 3/3 at 41, then Thundering Strikes 42–46, Ancestral Knowledge 47–51, Improved Ghost Wolf 52–53, Shamanistic Focus at 54, Elemental Warding 55–57 and Reverberation 3/5 at 58–60. It ends at 38/13/0. Its Call of Thunder point no longer exists.
- stillsixty (Sept 29, pre-rework): its level-30 order is Convection 10–14, Concussion 15–19, Elemental Focus at 20, Elemental Alacrity 21–23, Call of Flame 24–26, Call of Thunder at 27 and Eye of the Storm 28–30. Its page gives builds, not an order, for 31–60.
- Raid builds at 60:
- ForeverDB "Standard Build" (current tree): 31/7/13 with Convection 4, Concussion 5, Elemental Alacrity 3, Call of Flame 3, Elemental Focus 1, Trial by Fire 2, Eye of the Storm 2, Elemental Reach 2, Lava Burst, Lightning Overload 3 and Elemental Fury 5 in Elemental, then Thundering Strikes and Improved Ghost Wolf, and Tidal Focus 5, Mindfulness 3 and Totemic Focus 5 in Restoration. It leaves Elemental Mastery out to keep these points and says taking it costs one point elsewhere, such as an Elemental Fury or Mindfulness rank. ForeverDB labels it beta theorycraft.
- ForeverDB "PvP" build: 34/7/10 adds Eye of the Storm 3/3, Earthbound and Elemental Mastery (its 31st point, at 40), with Lava Burst as the 21st point at 30, and swaps Totemic Focus for Improved Reincarnation 2/2.
- stillsixty (pre-rework): 31/7/13 with Convection, Concussion, Call of Flame, Elemental Focus, Elemental Alacrity, Call of Thunder, Elemental Reach, Lightning Overload 3/3, Elemental Fury 5/5 and Lava Burst, plus Thundering Strikes 5/5, Ancestral Knowledge 2/5, Totemic Focus 5/5, Tidal Focus 5/5 (+5% Hit) and Mindfulness 3/3.
- Elitistgaming (pre-rework): 32/0/19. All Elemental points to Lava Burst, and Improved Healing Wave, Tidal Focus, Mindfulness, Natural Grace and Water Shield from Restoration. It calls itself "a Forever sim preset build."
- TopBuilds' leveling order ends 35/0/16 and takes Elemental Mastery.
Levels 10–30: spells and the pull loop
The trainer list for levels 10–30 (stillsixty's Shaman page, Sept 29):
| Level | New abilities and ranks |
|---|---|
| 10 | Flame Shock, Flametongue Weapon, Searing Totem (needs the Fire Totem item) and Strength of Earth Totem. |
| 12 | Ancestral Spirit, Fire Nova, Healing Wave rank 3 and Purge. |
| 14 | Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt rank 3, Stoneskin Totem rank 2. |
| 16 | Cure Poison, Lightning Shield rank 2 and Rockbiter Weapon rank 3. |
| 18 | Flame Shock rank 2, Flametongue Weapon rank 2, Healing Wave rank 4, Stoneclaw Totem rank 2 and Tremor Totem. |
| 20 | A big one. Ghost Wolf, Call of the Elements, Totemic Recall, Frost Shock, Frostbrand Weapon, Healing Stream Totem (needs the Water Totem item), Lesser Healing Wave, Lightning Bolt rank 4 and Searing Totem rank 2. |
| 22 | Cure Disease, Fire Nova rank 2, Poison Cleansing Totem, Totemic Projection and Water Breathing. |
| 24 | Ancestral Spirit rank 2, Earth Shock rank 4, Frost Resistance Totem, Healing Wave rank 5, Lightning Shield rank 3, Rockbiter Weapon rank 4, Stoneskin Totem rank 3 and Strength of Earth Totem rank 2. |
| 26 | Far Sight, Flametongue Weapon rank 3, Lightning Bolt rank 5, Magma Totem and Mana Spring Totem. |
| 28 | Fire Resistance Totem, Flame Shock rank 3, Flametongue Totem, Frostbrand Weapon rank 2, Lesser Healing Wave rank 2, Stoneclaw Totem rank 3 and Water Walking. |
| 30 | Astral Recall, Call of the Ancestors, Grounding Totem, Healing Stream Totem rank 2, Nature Resistance Totem, Reincarnation, Searing Totem rank 3 and Windfury Weapon. Grounding Totem needs the Air Totem item. |
Train every Lightning Bolt rank. ForeverDB warns that downranking costs damage and Lightning Overload procs, because low ranks get less from spell power and proc talents less often.
Single pull (stillsixty):
- Drop Searing Totem near where the mob will die, then open with Lightning Bolt from 30 yards.
- Flame Shock as it closes (12 sec, so it keeps ticking while you cast).
- Keep casting Lightning Bolt. Eye of the Storm stops a hitting mob delaying your cast.
- Finish a low mob with Earth Shock once Flame Shock has run out, and Frost Shock a runner (−50% speed for 8 sec).
- Keep Lightning Shield up between pulls. Every Clearcasting proc from Elemental Focus is a free spell, so spend it on Lightning Bolt, your most expensive filler.
- Two mobs: drop Earthbind Totem between you and the second mob, kill the first with Lightning Bolt, then Flame Shock the second as it arrives. From 22, Fire Nova around your Searing Totem hits both.
- Healing Stream Totem at 20 and Mana Spring Totem at 26 last 5 minutes: drop them on the camp you're clearing, not on every pull. Heal yourself with Healing Wave between pulls only if you're above half mana. Below that, drink.
Mana: casting stops your mana regeneration for 5 seconds (ForeverDB), which is why stillsixty puts Convection first. Mindfulness (row 2 of Restoration) lets half your regeneration continue while casting, and TopBuilds takes it at 55–57.
Levels 31–60: what you train and how the build ends
stillsixty's trainer list from 30 to 60 (published Sept 29, so check it at your trainer):
| Level | New abilities and ranks |
|---|---|
| 30 | Astral Recall, Call of the Ancestors, Grounding Totem, Healing Stream Totem rank 2, Nature Resistance Totem, Reincarnation, Searing Totem rank 3 and Windfury Weapon. Grounding Totem needs the Air Totem item. |
| 32 | Chain Lightning, Fire Nova rank 3, Healing Wave rank 6, Lightning Bolt rank 6, Lightning Shield rank 4, Purge rank 2 and Windfury Totem. |
| 34 | Frost Shock rank 2, Rockbiter Weapon rank 5, Sentry Totem and Stoneskin Totem rank 4. |
| 36 | Ancestral Spirit rank 3, Earth Shock rank 5, Flametongue Weapon rank 4, Lesser Healing Wave rank 3, Magma Totem rank 2, Mana Spring Totem rank 2 and Windwall Totem. |
| 38 | Disease Cleansing Totem, Flametongue Totem rank 2, Frost Resistance Totem rank 2, Frostbrand Weapon rank 3, Lightning Bolt rank 7, Stoneclaw Totem rank 4 and Strength of Earth Totem rank 3. |
| 40 | Call of the Spirits, Chain Heal, Chain Lightning rank 2, Flame Shock rank 4, Healing Stream Totem rank 3, Healing Wave rank 7, Lightning Shield rank 5, Searing Totem rank 4 and Windfury Weapon rank 2. |
| 42 | Fire Nova rank 4, Fire Resistance Totem rank 2, Grace of Air Totem and Windfury Totem rank 2. |
| 44 | Lesser Healing Wave rank 4, Lightning Bolt rank 8, Nature Resistance Totem rank 2, Rockbiter Weapon rank 6 and Stoneskin Totem rank 5. |
| 46 | Chain Heal rank 2, Flametongue Weapon rank 5, Frost Shock rank 3, Magma Totem rank 3, Mana Spring Totem rank 3 and Windwall Totem rank 2. |
| 48 | Ancestral Spirit rank 4, Chain Lightning rank 3, Earth Shock rank 6, Flametongue Totem rank 3, Frostbrand Weapon rank 4, Healing Wave rank 8, Lightning Shield rank 6, Mana Tide Totem rank 2 (Restoration talent) and Stoneclaw Totem rank 5. |
| 50 | Healing Stream Totem rank 4, Lava Burst rank 2 (Elemental talent), Lightning Bolt rank 9, Riptide rank 2 (Restoration talent), Searing Totem rank 5 and Windfury Weapon rank 3. |
| 52 | Fire Nova rank 5, Flame Shock rank 5, Lesser Healing Wave rank 5, Strength of Earth Totem rank 4 and Windfury Totem rank 3. |
| 54 | Chain Heal rank 3, Frost Resistance Totem rank 3, Rockbiter Weapon rank 7 and Stoneskin Totem rank 6. |
| 56 | Chain Lightning rank 4, Flametongue Weapon rank 6, Grace of Air Totem rank 2, Healing Wave rank 9, Lightning Bolt rank 10, Lightning Shield rank 7, Magma Totem rank 4, Mana Spring Totem rank 4 and Windwall Totem rank 3. |
| 58 | Fire Resistance Totem rank 3, Flametongue Totem rank 4, Frost Shock rank 4, Frostbrand Weapon rank 5, Mana Tide Totem rank 3 and Stoneclaw Totem rank 6. |
| 60 | Ancestral Spirit rank 5, Earth Shock rank 7, Flame Shock rank 6, Grace of Air Totem rank 3, Healing Stream Totem rank 5, Healing Wave rank 10, Lava Burst rank 3, Lesser Healing Wave rank 6, Nature Resistance Totem rank 3, Riptide rank 3, Searing Totem rank 6, Strength of Earth Totem rank 5 and Windfury Weapon rank 4. |
What to skip (stillsixty, Elemental): every weapon imbue after Rockbiter rank 2, and every Stoneclaw Totem rank. Buy resistance totems, Windwall Totem, Sentry Totem and Far Sight only when a dungeon or quest needs them. Always buy Healing Wave, Lightning Bolt and Shock ranks.
Power spikes (stillsixty): 10 Flame Shock and Searing Totem. 20 Ghost Wolf, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Stream Totem and Call of the Elements ("the biggest training bill of the first half"). 26 Magma Totem and Mana Spring Totem. 30 Windfury Weapon, Reincarnation and Astral Recall. 32 Chain Lightning, Windfury Totem and Purge rank 2. 40 Mail armor, Chain Heal, Call of the Spirits and the Lava Burst talent on stillsixty's pre-Oct 15 build (it's a 21-point talent now, so it can come at 30). 50 and 60 bring new Lava Burst ranks for those who took it.
Level-60 loop (stillsixty, with ForeverDB):
- Call of the Elements before the pull: a caster group takes Mana Spring Totem plus Grounding Totem or Grace of Air Totem depending on who is in the group, Stoneskin Totem or Strength of Earth Totem, and a Fire totem. Move the whole set with Totemic Projection instead of recasting it.
- Flame Shock on the target (12 sec, and Lava Burst needs it).
- Lava Burst on every cooldown (10 sec) with your own Flame Shock up for +20%. It doesn't count another Shaman's Flame Shock.
- Chain Lightning when two or more enemies stand together or when you have Clearcasting.
- Lightning Bolt as filler.
- Earth Shock only to interrupt. It shares the shock cooldown with Flame Shock, and a missed Flame Shock costs you Lava Burst damage.
- If you took Elemental Mastery, use it on the pull: Lava Burst and Lightning Bolt cast 0.5 sec faster and Chain Lightning has no cooldown for 15 sec. Whether to take it is open (see below).
- Racials go with Lava Burst: press Blood Fury (15 sec) just as Lava Burst comes off cooldown so two land inside it, and use Berserking (10 sec) with a fresh Flame Shock and Lava Burst.
- Purge strips two magic buffs at rank 2. Keep it bound for raid trash.
Mana at 60: use a Major Mana Potion the first time you are down more mana than it restores, not at 10% (stillsixty). Stand in your own Mana Spring Totem's 30-yard range. Elemental Focus procs tend to land on Lava Burst and Chain Lightning, so spend them there.
Stat priority (stillsixty, written before Oct 15): leveling Spell Power, Intellect, Stamina, Spirit, Critical Strike. Raid Hit, Spell Power, Critical Strike, Intellect, Haste, Spirit. Dungeon Spell Power, Critical Strike, Intellect, Hit, Spirit, Stamina. Hit and Critical Strike are one stat each for spells and melee in Forever, so every caster Hit item counts. A missed Lava Burst is a whole cooldown lost. ForeverDB's order is Spell damage, Critical strike, Hit, Intellect, MP5, Spirit, Stamina. Healing gear also adds a third of its bonus as spell damage, so healing pieces make fine backups (both sources). A one-handed mace or axe and a shield is the default (Dwarves want the mace, Orcs the axe). Quest weapons roll Spell Power at the levels where physical classes get weapon upgrades, so a new caster weapon every 8–10 levels is normal (stillsixty).
Consumables (stillsixty): Brilliant Wizard Oil, Greater Arcane Elixir, Mageblood Elixir, Major Mana Potion and Flask of Supreme Power for progression bosses. Keep an Ankh in your bags for Reincarnation. Professions: stillsixty's pair for Elemental is Herbalism and Alchemy, or Engineering and Mining. For gold while leveling it suggests Herbalism and Skinning, with Ghost Wolf moving you between nodes.
Class quests and totems (ForeverDB). Each totem needs its element's item in your bags (Earth, Fire, Water and Air Totem). The Earth totem quest is at level 4, the Fire totem at 10, the Water totem at 20–23 (nine quests and 9,590 XP, and the new Dwarf chain is about two hours of travel), and the Air totem at 30. ForeverDB says no Alliance Air totem quest is in the data yet, so whether a Dwarf Shaman gets the Air Totem item for Grounding Totem at 30 is unconfirmed. Our Shaman starter has the quest routes. Keep an Ankh in your bags for Reincarnation, an hourly self-resurrection (ForeverDB). Keep Healing Wave on your bar: Elemental can off-heal for a few seconds while the healer drinks (stillsixty).
Group play and dungeons
- Your job: damage, totems and interrupts, in that order (stillsixty). Call of the Elements drops four totems at once, and you can bind two more sets to Call of the Ancestors at 30 and Call of the Spirits at 40: one for casters, one for melee, one for a fight that needs resistances.
- Raid-wide totems since Oct 15: Grace of Air, Strength of Earth, Windfury and Flametongue Totems now reach the whole raid, and Grace of Air stacks with Windfury and Flametongue Totems. Windfury and Flametongue Totems don't affect pets. Two Shamans' identical totems don't stack: agree who drops which before the pull.
- Interrupts: Earth Shock locks the school for 2 seconds on a 6-second cooldown (stillsixty). Assign yourself the healer mob on every pull with one.
- Purge, cleansing and Grounding: Purge removes one magic effect (rank 2 at 32 removes two). Poison Cleansing Totem and Disease Cleansing Totem clear the party every 5 seconds, and Tremor Totem clears Fear, Charm and Sleep. Grounding Totem eats one harmful spell every 10 seconds, so drop it before a boss's big single-target cast.
- Pack pulls (stillsixty's dungeon build, built before Oct 15): let the tank gather the pack, then drop Magma Totem or Searing Totem in the middle with Totemic Projection so the totem sits on the pack and not on you. Fire Nova every 6 seconds around it (with Trial by Fire), Chain Lightning on cooldown into the densest part, and Lava Burst on the kill target. Wait until the tank has hit every mob twice before your first Fire Nova. Fire Nova is weaker since Oct 15, so test it before you build around it.
- Staying off the tank's aggro: stillsixty's dungeon build is 31 Elemental / 10 Enhancement / 10 Restoration, trading Eye of the Storm for Improved Fire Nova, dropping Tidal Focus and taking Natural Grace 2/3 (10% less threat). Earth Shock's high threat pulls a caster to you, so call it before you press it. Drop Earthbind Totem under a pack that turns on the healer (Earthbound makes it root, if you took the talent).
- Threat with a Healer: Natural Grace 3/3 cuts spell threat by 15% (ForeverDB, Elitistgaming).
Dungeons you can run from 24 to 60
| Level | Dungeon | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24–29 | Excavation Site | Wetlands | New. Blizzard lists 24–29. The Oct 1 beta build ran it at 26–31 |
| 28–33 | City of Dalaran | Alterac Mountains | New. Needs an attunement quest chain: Alliance start with "An Alarming Request" (Emissary Jacques, Southshore), Horde with "Key to the City" and "Prison Break-In" (Magus Wordeen Voidglare, Tarren Mill) |
| 29–38 | Gnomeregan | Dun Morogh | |
| 29–38 | Razorfen Kraul | The Barrens | |
| 30–46 | Scarlet Monastery | Tirisfal Glades | Four wings, so the range is wide |
| 35–40 | The Drowned City | Off Stranglethorn Vale | New. Dive to find the entrance |
| 37–46 | Razorfen Downs | The Barrens | |
| 40–45 | Krol'dok Stronghold | Riverglades | New. Ogre fortress |
| 41–51 | Uldaman | The Badlands | |
| 44–54 | Zul'Farrak | Tanaris | |
| 46–55 | Maraudon | Desolace | |
| 48–53 | Alcaz Prison | Dustwallow Marsh | New. Defias and naga |
| 50–60 | Sunken Temple | Swamp of Sorrows | |
| 52–60 | Blackrock Depths | Blackrock Mountain | |
| 54–60 | Dire Maul | Feralas | |
| 55–60 | Blackmaw Hold | Azshara | New. Multiple routes and bosses |
| 55–60 | Lower Blackrock Spire | Blackrock Mountain | 10-player dungeon |
| 58–60 | Shaper's Terrace | Un'Goro Crater | New. You bring power crystals gathered in the zone |
| 58–60 | Scholomance | Western Plaguelands | |
| 58–60 | Stratholme | Eastern Plaguelands | |
| 59–60 | Upper Blackrock Spire | Blackrock Mountain | 10-player dungeon |
The new-dungeon ranges and locations are from Blizzard's dungeon overview. The Classic ranges are from stillsixty's dungeon page. Forever's ranges are wide and several start later than in Classic, so plan from this list and not from memory. Blizzard's overview doesn't say which dungeons open on day one. Third-party trackers (wowforever.ninja, LFCarry) list all nine new dungeons as available from Nov 4, but we haven't seen that from Blizzard itself, so treat it as likely and not confirmed.
Launch dates (Blizzard): character creation and name reservation opens Oct 27, the game launches Nov 4, 2026 (3:00 p.m. Pacific per Blizzard's announcement), and the first raids (Barrow Deeps for 10, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia's Lair for 40, which needs the Drakefire attunement) unlock on Dec 9.
Races (Oct 15–16 changes)
stillsixty's racial list predates Oct 15–16. The notes that changed them, according to ForeverDB's Shaman changes page:
| Race | Oct 15 change |
|---|---|
| Orc | Savage (+1% crit) replaced Axe Specialization. Shatter Curse changed from immunity and 15% less magic damage taken to dispelling Curses and Banes and 5% less magic damage taken. Blood Fury is +10% spell power for 15 sec every 2 minutes (stillsixty) |
| Troll | Regeneration doubled from 10% to 20% (health regeneration bonuses). Berserking is 10 sec of faster casting every 3 minutes (stillsixty) |
| Tauren | War Stomp cooldown 2 min to 90 sec. Endurance changed from +1% Hit to 2% critical damage and healing |
| Dwarf | Earth Fury (+2% critical damage and healing) replaced Mace Specialization. Stoneform removes Bleeds, Poisons and Diseases and cuts Physical damage taken by 10% for 8 sec (stillsixty) |
| Skyborne (Windshaper) | Wind Blessed changed from +1% haste to +3% haste |
Common mistakes
- Using Lava Burst without your own Flame Shock on the target. You lose the 20%.
- Earth Shock on cooldown instead of Flame Shock. Shocks share a cooldown.
- Following a pre-Oct 15 build. Call of Thunder is gone. Lava Burst has no prerequisite now.
- Recasting buff totems every pull. They last 5 minutes.
- Pulling with Fire Nova before the tank has hit every mob.
Still unclear
- Whether Elemental is viable at 60. ForeverDB called it the weakest spec in the level-30 beta before the rework, and the rework is untested. Nobody has played 31–60.
- Elemental Mastery. Whether it's worth a point (ForeverDB's standard build leaves it out, TopBuilds takes it at 40) is open.
- Where Lava Burst goes at 30–33. TopBuilds delays it to 33, ForeverDB's PvP build takes it at 30.
- Stale rotations. ForeverDB's rotation page still says "Lava Burst from 40" while its overview says it's a 21-point talent. We follow the overview and the Oct 15 notes.
- Fire Nova. Blizzard cut it on Oct 15, and the cut hasn't been tested against the older rotation advice.
- Dwarf Alliance Air totem quest. Not in any database yet (ForeverDB).
- Launch Nov 4: Blizzard words the 3:00 p.m. launch time inconsistently as PST and PDT, so check the launch page.
Sources
- TopBuilds: Elemental Shaman leveling order (updated Oct 24, 2026)
- ForeverDB: Elemental Shaman, its talents and builds, rotation, leveling and Shaman changes (client 1.60.1.70532, updated Oct 20, checked Oct 23)
- Arctium: Blizzard's Beta Development Notes mirror, Oct 15 (Elemental rework, Chain Lightning, Fire Nova, totems)
- stillsixty: Elemental Shaman spec page and Shaman class page (Sept 29; pre-rework)
- Elitistgaming: Elemental Shaman builds (build 70338, updated Oct 18; pre-rework)
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Raid Overview (Dec 9 raid unlock) and Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever (launch Nov 4)
- Blizzard forums: WoW Forever Beta Development Notes (Oct 1, Oct 8, Oct 15 and Oct 16 builds)
- Blizzard: Explore the New Dungeons of World of Warcraft: Forever (levels, locations and attunement for the nine new dungeons)
- stillsixty: Dungeons and Raids by Level (Classic dungeon ranges)
Images: header and talent card by Systematic, using the Systematic wallpaper and brand colours. Ability icons on the card © Blizzard Entertainment via Wowhead (Classic and Wrath icons used as stand-ins; Forever's may differ).
Fan community guide by Systematic. World of Warcraft © Blizzard Entertainment; we're not affiliated with Blizzard. Played the beta as this class? Share your build and what you'd change below!
Edited 1× by SystematicGuides
