Enhancement Shaman DPS Artifact Talents/Traits and Relics (Legion 7.2.5)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.2.5 Changes
  • 3. Patch 7.2 Changes
  • 4. Strengths
  • 5. Weaknesses
  • 6. Viability in the Current Patch
  • 7. Contents
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resource
  • 3. Basic Abilities
  • 4. Important Procs
  • 5. DPS Cooldowns
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheet
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• ×Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression
    • 1.1. Early Progression
    • 1.2. Patch 7.2 Post 35 Trait Path
  • 2. Artifact Ability
  • 3. Relic Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Ability Priority List
    • 1.1. Opening Rotation
  • 2. Important Notes
    • 2.1. Doom Winds
    • 2.2. Crash Lightning Explained
    • 2.3. Tier 2 Talents
    • 2.4. Tier 5 Talents
    • 2.5. 7.2.5 Ascendance vs. Earthen Spike
    • 2.6. Pandemic
    • 2.7. Healing Surge
    • 2.8. Lightning Bolt
  • 3. Core Concepts
    • 3.1. Maelstrom Management
    • 3.2. Buff Uptimes & Proc Management
  • 4. Tier 19 Set Bonuses
  • 5. Tier 20 Set Bonuses
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
    • 1.1. Breakpoints & Ratios
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
  • 2. Enchants
  • 3. Consumables
    • 3.1. Potion Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Addons
    • 1.1. ElvUI
    • 1.2. Weak Auras
    • 1.3. Boss Mods
      • 1.3.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.3.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.4. Name Plates
      • 1.4.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.4.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.5. Damage Meters
      • 1.5.1. Skada
      • 1.5.2. Details
    • 1.6. Extra AddOns
      • 1.6.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.6.2. Death Note
      • 1.6.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.6.4. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros
    • 2.1. Generic Macros for Shamans
    • 2.2. Wind Shear
    • 2.3. Purge
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Raid Best in Slot List
    • 1.1. Tier 19 & 20 Bonus Combinations
    • 1.2. Evaluating Upgrades with dynamic Item Levels
  • 2. Racial Bonuses
  • 3. Legendaries
    • 3.1. 7.1.5 Legendaries
    • 3.2. 7.2 Legendaries
    • 3.3. 7.2.5 Legendaries
    • 3.4. Recommended Choices
  • 4. Loot Competition
  • 5. ChangeLog

General Information

This page shows you how to level up the Artifact and how to choose the right Relics for your Enhancement Shamans. It is updated for World of Warcraft Legion 7.2.5.

The other pages of our Enhancement Shaman guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Wordup, a frequent theorycrafter involved in a number of class communities. He is also an experienced player who has been in the world top 100 since the days of Sunwell, currently raiding in Echoes. You can also follow him on Twitter.

1. Artifact Progression

The Doomhammer branches out early into two different sides, and you have the option of pursuing either depending on what your early goal is. Ideally, however, going up the left side and grabbing Feral Spirit related traits is optimal, and then pathing out toward golden traits from there.

1.1. Early Progression

The goal of the path is to grab Alpha Wolf and Doom Wolves on the way toward Unleash Doom. Strong 1-point traits will be grabbed along the way. From there, we fill out other points to the third golden trait, Doom Vortex, and finishing up all other filler traits from the start of the Artifact to unlock Earthshattering Blows for the initial 35 points.

1. Doom Winds
2. Hammer of Storms
3. Gathering Storms
4. Wind Strikes
5. Alpha Wolf
6. Spiritual Healing
7. Doom Wolves
8. Elemental Healing
9. Stormflurry
10. Raging Storms
11. Spirit of the Maelstrom
12. Unleash Doom
13. Weapons of the Elements
14. Wind Surge
15. Forged in Lava
16. Doom Vortex
17. Gathering of the Maelstrom
18. Earthshattering Blows

This path aims to reach the power traits in Alpha Wolf and Doom Wolves as early as possible to power up Feral Spirit, which is a huge boost. It opts for the left path due to the strength of Wind Strikes, which is the strongest 3-point trait on the tree. Following that, powerful 1-point traits in Stormflurry and Raging Storms are picked up on the way to Unleash Doom. After that, it grabs other traits in descending order of power, whilst avoiding the weakest traits such as Gathering of the Maelstrom until the end.

1.2. Patch 7.2 Post 35 Trait Path

Following Patch 7.2 additional traits have been added upon reaching 35 traits in your current Artifact. This includes 4 additional new traits, a 4th rank in each of the previous Relic traits, and finally a new Paragon trait in Concordance of the Legionfall which all additional Artifact Power will be spent on.

The Enhancement path has some powerful one point traits that can be powered up to a 4th rank early if desired, but ideally rushing through the new traits to the newly added golden trait Lashing Flames will serve you best, not only opening up new options in builds but also increasing the strength of some other traits.

1. Might of the Earthen Ring
2. Four points in Crashing Hammer
3. Winds of Change
4. Lashing Flames
5. Fourth rank of Wind Strikes
6. Fourth rank of Forged in Lava
7. Fourth rank of Weapons of the Elements
8. Fourth rank of Wind Surge
9. Fourth rank of Gathering of the Maelstrom
10. Fourth rank of Gathering Storms
11. Personal choice filling out Spiritual Healing, Elemental Healing and Spirit of the Maelstrom
12. Concordance of the Legionfall

2. Artifact Ability

The Enhancement Artifact opens up with the active ability, Doom Winds. When activated this causes all Windfury damage to be increased by 200%, and all auto attacks — including off-hand strikes — to have a 100% chance to trigger Windfury. This provides a high burst of on demand damage, alongside some burst Maelstrom generation if needed. This works well with Stormbringer providing more instances for the effect to be triggered.

3. Relic Choice

With Patch 7.2.5 the Relic choices have been blown wide open with much more options available for viable use.

1. Wind Strikes provides the greatest benefit of traits available, increasing our damage both in single target and AoE due to the high Maelstrom bonus and additional triggers for Stormbringer each Crash Lightning cast provides. With a completed Artifact this is worth approximately 3 actual weapon item levels.
2. Wind Surge, Gathering of the Maelstrom, Weapons of the Elements, Forged in Lava all compete at roughly 1-2 weapon item levels, and are very similar in value. Grabbing any of these is a solid choice in standard gear.
3. Crashing Hammer performs excellently in AoE and as such if you are provided with the option of grabbing this trait, I would advise it due to its versatility without much of a downside compared to other traits.
4. Gathering Storms also is worth over 1 weapon item level at all times, scaling up in multi-target situations, so has its uses too.

Note that when using Akainu's Absolute Justice, the Forged in Lava gains value, alongside when using Smoldering Heart you will see gains from Gathering of the Maelstrom due to the additional Maelstrom availability. With the amount of flexibility in Relic options this patch, in many cases it lands on personal choice and the weapon item level of the Relic itself.

Other traits are generally not powerful enough to warrant sacrificing item level for, as weapon damage scaling is very strong going into patch 7.2

To evaluate the strength of a Relic, take the traits number value from above and add it to the weapon item level gain on the Relic itself, which will give you its actual value. For example, if a Relic grants 50 weapon item levels and has Wind Strikes, it would be:

Whilst if another Relic grants 51 weapon item levels and has Forged in Lava, it would be:

Thus we can determine that the Wind Strikes Relic is superior to the Forged in Lava Relic despite the higher base item level the latter provides.

4. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 12 Jun. 2017: Updated for Patch 7.2.5 with new Relic recommendations.
• 27 Mar. 2017: Updated for 7.2, rewrote some sections.
• 14 Mar. 2017: Updated Relic values.
• 09 Jan. 2017: Checked and confirmed for 7.1.5
• 30 Oct. 2016: Edited Artifact pathing and Relic choice as Gathering of the Maelstrom is now a much weaker trait.
• 29 Aug. 2016: Added