World of Warcraft

Hey there fellow shamans!

I just wanted to share some of my pov's considering enhancement pvp. I've been playing 2H enhancement shaman for quite some time now and I think I know how to play it as any other viable class. I reforged everything into crit ( ofc after capping hit, expertise ) and I can top the dps meter with ease. But above all, I love the gameplay. In my eyes, building up lava lash can be such a drag(queen) while my stormstrike (crits for 20K on a 4k+ resil target) and WF triple crits can outdamage lava lash any time. Also, since patch 4.3, getting maelstrom procs with a 2H is fast enough to get enough heals or chains of lightning out.

PVP these days, especially in BG's and rateds, consists of crucial moments that dont even take longer then 10 secs max. Within those 10 seconds I can do more damage with a 2H and a 2H playstyle, then when dual wielding. Especially when you got a healer to back you up, you can get a huge killing streak.

I will make a video to show you all how much fun I'm having. You can check my armory, but it wont be updated. Looks kinda dorky now. Got loads of new goodies yesterday :D

For those who always thought about it, but never tried it: I can really recommend it. It starts to pay off after you're average or above average geared.

* Stack Crit, after expertise and hit cap
* Dont really need spell penetration, as you'' re damage consists out of mellee. Rather take the +65Crit for on your cloak.
* Gem Agility , agility/resilience or agility/crit.
*Always open with an unleash weapon (ranged) first and then a stormstrike. This way you will proc WF faster, cause if you do it the other way around, you have a global cooldown after the SS which is really annoying.

So far duelling one on one ( which is ofc skill based ), I won from the following classes:

*Mage: won (same or better gear, its actually well known a 2H is better vs casters )
*Warlock : Won
*Hunter: Won 1/ lost one
* DK: Won
* Retadin: Won
*Shadowpriest : Lost, havent had the chance for a rematch )
* Warrior: won ( yup, I won. It was a skilled warrior, my axe just went straight thru its armor! boojaah! I guess he didnt see that coming)
* Elemental Shaman: Won

Tho, its still a spec thats for 50% based on luck, lucky crits, lucky WF crits. But I rate the spec and the playstyle VIABLE. Play arena in this spec on your own risks tho

However, I am Awesome.

Im working what i think is a better setup atm. Same crit style you say but i have these macros and rotation.

/use lava lash
/equip 2 hander

/use stormstrike
/equip off hand
/equip main hand


I have OH with FT and MH with FB. 2H has WF.

After stomping totems i emediatly open with lava lash, its better to use it and let the cd tick while searing stacks. After lava lash the weapon switches to 2 hander.. so i then do ES to put in some dmg while melee resets. Then i may UE if it is on cd (purely for the 125% dmg bonus to the 2 hander, its not bad dmg).. and then i SS. For some reason i only ever see WF procs during the white attacks and never on the SS so thats why i make sure i weave in ES and EU if possible after lava lash.

Now, after SS searing has 4-5 stacks so i repeat the rotation only this time with the obvius dmg increase on lash.. and by now SS debuf and FB debuf is up to increase ES/lb dmg and crit.

In short, my rotation pluss dmg on avg geared player

Lava lash - 20k crit give or take
Earth shock - 4k crit or so
White 2h melee dmg - seen around 6-8k crits
wf proc - seen around 12k crits
SS dmg - seen 20-30k crits

===second roation after debufs==
Lava lash 5 stack - upto 30k crits
Earth shock - 6-8k
White 2h dmg (bare in mind landlisde etc) seen 9-10k
wf proc - around 15k mark
SS - again similar 30k kinde crits

Most maelstroms go on healing so i will not factor it in.. but mainly at 8-15k crits given the lack of mastery and the opponents res etc.

If the 5 stack lava crits and i get a WF proc pluss SS crit.. it is 60 to 90k dmg dmg in space of 4.5 seconds or so, depending on the mitigation to melee ofc.

Also i forgot to add, UE on the 2 hander crits for around 10-17k if i remember right.

I have actually tried 2h pvp as well (if you look on the shaman forums you will probably find my thread about it somewhere) but my gear was lacking (a lot of my gear was still bloodthirsty s9, that obviously isn't going to work in s11) and that's why I thought the spec sucked...

Anyways, I have a few questions for you. Let's make a list here.

1) Do you use Reverberation spec or Focussed Insight spec? I would also like an explanation.
2) Do you seriously top the 'Damage Done' list in bg's? I can hardly believe it :P
3) Have you not experienced problems with sustained damage? I can remember when both Stormstrike and Unleash Elements were on cooldown and Windfury didn't proc, my damage output was practically non-existant.
4) When you are done making the video, can you post a link to it in this thread? I am very curious to see it.


Oh and:

In my eyes, building up lava lash can be such a drag(queen)

This made me laugh :P

no

15/12/2011 12:08Posted by Fulmie

no

You are not contributing to the topic.

Well about question if enh can top bg dmg i can answer yes , seen plenty of them being in top 3 damage , keep in mind that im always playing elemental in bgs and some enh shamans were just few thousands behind in damage in some cases.

I top BG dmg quite often actually as enhancement

EDIT: I remember another 2h topic from you Wattszap, thats the moment i started experimenting with 2h.
Great to see your still doing it :)

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2601190653#10

Thanks for all the replies! I am really very serious about ( as serious as one might be playing the game ) playing as a 2H shaman. So non-constructive replies are ignored.

15/12/2011 12:43Posted by Bengedoes

no

You are not contributing to the topic.

@ Bengedoes: You should go for reverberation, you need the wind shear CD reducement. ALso note that my spec has still nog been updated when you watch my profile. For instance: I first went for the increase of lightningshield and watershield damage etc, and skipped elemental devastation. Which is NEEDED, duh :P

And yes, I seriously have topped damage and kills, while I never farm and always play as part of a team. Of course, a factor that was important here was that I had a great back up of a healer etc. But that counts for all classes and specs. Even the best DK wont function well in a bad group...

'3) Have you not experienced problems with sustained damage? I can remember when both Stormstrike and Unleash Elements were on cooldown and Windfury didn't proc, my damage output was practically non-existant.'

- Nope, I never seem to have problems with that. I actually proc WF quite often, cause of the quick attack speed. After unleashing elements and Flurry, My attack speed is around 1,5. You got unleash elements, stormstrike, WF procs, your totems to take care of and before you even know it, your SS is ready. or unleash elements. Nope, I dont experience that problem often. There is also purge, healing.

I'll try to post a screenshot of my final damage, video will take a lil' longer.


btw @Notno: I have tried switching with macros, but I it takes way to long and I like to focus on other things. It didnt work for me as I dont see much of a difference in damage.

15/12/2011 23:08Posted by Wattszap

@ Bengedoes: You should go for reverberation, you need the wind shear CD reducement. ALso note that my spec has still nog been updated when you watch my profile. For instance: I first went for the increase of lightningshield and watershield damage etc, and skipped elemental devastation. Which is NEEDED, duh :P

Okay, but there are much more things to discuss here. Let's have a look at talents/glyphs first.

-Elemental Precision. You put one talent point in it (I don't know if this is still the case: you said your armory profile hasn't updated yet). But please note that while this talent might be decent for Dual Wield shamans, 2h shamans don't have Lava Lash. That makes this talent a lot less useful. You can kinda compare it to Mastery, dual wield needs it but 2h doesn't.

-Static Shock. Since 2h shamans cannot use Lava Lash, this talent says basically: 'Your stormstrike has a 45% chance to hit your target with a Lightning Shield charge.' We all know that the damage from Lightning Shield is insignificant, so I doubt it will be worth 3 points for a 2h spec. (The power of this talent gets basically cut in half because you do not have Lava Lash)

-Seasoned Winds. I have no experience with this talent so I should not judge it...but be honest with me now, has this talent ever really helped you? Everyone has Spell Penetration anyway. You will need to have a resistance totem active in order for this talent to be of any use.

-Searing Flames. Actually seems like a good talent to me, the damage from Searing Flames DOES indeed make a difference, I suggest you do spec it.

-Spark of Life. This talent is very strong and gives you a lot of survivability, I recommend you to spec it as well.

A better Reverberation spec to me seems this: http://www.wowhead.com/talent#hhbMZfcGcobGRho0h
Obviously you can swap a few points, the Searing Flames talent doesn't really need to be maxed out, 2/3 or maybe even 1/3 should also do the trick.
____________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to explain me why you chose your current talent build, so we can discuss it here. Moving on to glyphs now.

Assuming most Maelstroms in PvP will be used for healing (especially with Spark of Life talent), the Stormstrike Glyph loses a lot of its usefulness. Also, since a 2h shaman does not have Frostbrand Weapon, you will be using Frost Shock most of the time instead of Earth Shock, making the glyph even more of a bad option. I personally use Glyph of Shocking, but that is because there are no better options. It is still better than Stormstrike glyph though (in my opinion).

Still hoping to see the video soon, meanwhile I'm collecting better gear for my enhancement 2h offspec so I can be stronger in PvP. Two-Handed Shamans rejoice!

Hi there!

Great to see you spec into 2H to try it out. I've got some screenies that will make you very happy. Ill will explain them as well.

First: I specced into Stormstrike glyps cause of Elemental devastion. Shortly said: if I can increase my spell crit chance with SS, I increase the chance to get a mellee crit thru Elemental Devastation.

Second: I might actually spec spark of life:P I have only been playing 2H again for a few days now. I need some adjustments:P

Third: Searing Flames; I think I didnt pick this, cause it only attacks on target. I mostly play BG's and magma totem seems to be better for me. I just place new totems each time a group moves, but Searing flames require alot of building up. But you are indeed right that its has a 45% chance to deal one orb damage when you use SS and SS only... I think I might respec in searing flames:P

Fourth: Seasoned winds: yes I do use a resistance totem cause of huge amount of casters and not everyone has spell pen. But ill perhaps put some more points into the healing tree then.

Then, I got a question! Think the tree of spark talent increases healing recieved by your wolves as well?

Oke, here are some screens on the outcome:

http://dyp.im/lBAMDHY8p5
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/photo/view/87346/lBAMDHY8p5
-> I really think this isnt pure luck. Im beating high res geared warriors and there was this mage with whom I went head on. I won, as you can see. Third in total damage.

And another:

http://dyp.im/wMiEIWpT5F1B
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/photo/view/87347/wMiEIWpT5F1B
-> This is an honost screenshot; everyone has one of these matches that you are just ashamed for:P We had no healers and they killed us like we were ants on a hot day at the poolside. Though, what I want to point out is that I did manage to pull through and beat all my mates in damage. Horrible match tho :P

Third:
http://dyp.im/o4S8Jj
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/photo/view/87348/o4S8Jj
-> I just thought it was extraordinary to blend in a super awesome mage trio. Enough said.

And here another photo of me... Im so vain.
http://dyp.im/NzYrcVkQCp

and another:P

http://dyp.im/fq79mvtRoTu

as belf....bah pugh

First: I specced into Stormstrike glyps cause of Elemental devastion. Shortly said: if I can increase my spell crit chance with SS, I increase the chance to get a mellee crit thru Elemental Devastation.

Hmm, interesting. This does make sense, yes.

Second: I might actually spec spark of life:P I have only been playing 2H again for a few days now. I need some adjustments:P

Elemental Warding is also a very strong defensive talent, it depends on personal preference which of the two you like more.

Third: Searing Flames; I think I didnt pick this, cause it only attacks on target. I mostly play BG's and magma totem seems to be better for me. I just place new totems each time a group moves, but Searing flames require alot of building up. But you are indeed right that its has a 45% chance to deal one orb damage when you use SS and SS only... I think I might respec in searing flames:P

Lol, I actually completely forgot about Magma Totem. I don't really know which of the two is better, using Magma Totem does give you a few more talent points to spend, so I may also consider using Magma Totem instead of Searing Totem. I guess this also comes down to personal preference.

Fourth: Seasoned winds: yes I do use a resistance totem cause of huge amount of casters and not everyone has spell pen. But ill perhaps put some more points into the healing tree then.

I'm getting an idea right now....if you use the Resistance Totem, Seasoned Winds AND Elemental Warding, you will get A LOT of defence against casters. Very interesting, I'm definately trying that out.

16/12/2011 02:24Posted by Wattszap

Then, I got a question! Think the tree of spark talent increases healing recieved by your wolves as well?

Though I do not have any sources to prove it, I'm quite sure you do receive the 15% additional healing from them, but not the 6% (since it's the wolves doing the healing, not you). But, with Elemental Warding being available, it may be better to leave this talent out.

About those screenshots:
I also checked your TWO other threads about it :P Wasn't one thread enough for you? Anyways, I know I've said this a thousand times already but make sure to tell me when you have the video uploaded.

btw @Notno: I have tried switching with macros, but I it takes way to long and I like to focus on other things. It didnt work for me as I dont see much of a difference in damage.

Not so true. I did discover some problems with usind such macro as /cast storm strike /equip X.

Allot of times i would be behind the target or just slightly out of range etc.. with all the ducking and diving in pvp. So what i found would happen is allot of times the ability would fail to cast due to the above.. but the weapons would still change. This made things bad, very bad.

To counter that, what i do now is have a single macro to swap between 2H and fists. I now always start with 2H before attacking, drop totems etc.. UE-SS-ES- directly after hitting ES swap weapons using middle mouse as the button since its fastest for me personaly. Then i can lava lash, wait for ES to be back on cd.. use it then swap back again to 2H for the upcoming SS. It took some time to get use to, its allot to think about ontop of all the rest.. but it does get easier and then you see the benifits.

I also changed my imbues.

2H - WF
MH - WF
OF - FT

The reason i did this was purely for maelstrom procs. If WF did not proc during the "h phase then i atleast get it procing in the LL phase ontop of the slight delay before ES is used to swap back.

Now, it may mean that sometimes wf will proc and block it procing on the 2H.. but.. i am still happy to see a massive SS crit around 2 seconds after a massive LL crit.

The dmg now is basically rather the same as a normal duel wield.. with ofc some rng 1k dps higher/lower in both cases.. mostly down to landlisde procs and lucky crit streeaks etc (but that is enhance after all).

The big differance here is that i can see a LL crit of 15-20k+ (target dependent ofc).. and then a ES crit of 8k maybe.. followed by a SS crit of again 15-20K+. WF WILL proc somwhere in their.. if it is from the 1h or the 2h is still a little random.. but a 1 handed WF proc is still not something to sniff your nose at when combined with the above crits.. and it also keeps your maestrom healing going nicely.. that still counts for allot in my books. And when my gear allows for 45%+ crit.. i will have allot more reliable BURTS. Thisis as close as i can see any enhance getting to real good ''almost'' on demand burst.


EDIT- season winds is a IMBA ability.. im sick that i cant use it now (or can not justify it). For me going into the healing abilitys covers allot more areas of weakness than just frost/nature/fire dmg. To make seasoned work well enough it really needs 5 second WS imo.

I could still get it, but it meas i have to eaither lose 6% crit.. or lose 2 points on the stam ability + its mobility. Losing those would hinder my ability allot against all classes.. just to be better at killing mages (since thats really the only thing it counts for). Winds imo is not needed for locks or ele.. i do fine withought it. Although, in 3v3 with healer where you can afford to lose some tank, winds should be a manditory ability for all shamans.. its simply that good against mages, and mages in 3v3.... well..... i say no more ;p.

played 2h in season 10, it was fun, it worked, but now im back to the dualwielding stuff

17/12/2011 18:41Posted by Taurabunga

played 2h in season 10, it was fun, it worked, but now im back to the dualwielding stuff

Did you also try it in arena?

Video is uploading guys and gals! With some lovely 2H gameplay! First clip ever made, made it in 20 minutes:P It's not a crit video, but I do think it shows some nice gameplay!

it's at 5% now:P Ill post it on the forums tomorrow

Hello,

Some have asked me to make a vid about me playing a 2H shaman. Well, here it is! It is really quickly made, with not alot of material; only material of 2 bg's. Though you can really see how I play my 2H shaman Wattszap!

* Don't expect a crit video ( there are some here and there though )
* Don't expect too much cutting
* Don't expect good music, had nothing else on my computer:P

the ending hasnt got any music and is slowed down some how. It is worth watching however!

Have fun! ( watch at 1080! )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBv85vmnMk0&feature=youtu.be

Hello there form Germay! I am happy that I i am obviously not the only "2H BG Enhancer" out there. I found you talenc discussion very interesting.
What I love about 2H is the combination of Purge against Mages+Priest and Windfury+ Elemental Devastation+ Flurry+crit procs. It does bot happen often, but when it happens, it is worth playing an exotic spec that is not playable to begin with - beside fun 2H PVP BGs.

Glad to see another 2H shaman out there :)
I've been working on a video, like Wattszap.
Maybe you can check it out. I hope when i have full cataclysmic i can focus 2h pvp more again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2fRHnf0jAY&list=UUtpqCUdLEFwx2K5OzxfpnDg&index=1&feature=plcp

18/12/2011 02:12Posted by Bengedoes

Did you also try it in arena?

late awnser XD, yes i did, it worked, tho, im not much of an arena player, get bored quite quick xD

going for 2h again when i have full cata gear because i hate to see my lashes miss people or being dodged or absorbed etc xD