How Much Hit Does an Elemental Shaman Need in Wrath?
The short answer: an Elemental Shaman in Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) needs 17% Spell Hit Rating to completely eliminate the chance of their spells missing a target. However, achieving this cap isn’t always about stacking 17% hit from your gear alone. Raid compositions and specific talent choices can significantly reduce the amount of hit rating you need from your equipment. Let’s delve deeper into the specifics.
The 17% Spell Hit Cap Explained
At the base level, all spells in WotLK have a chance to miss a target. This chance is mitigated by your Spell Hit Rating. To completely remove the possibility of missing spells against a boss (which is considered a level 83 mob in Wrath), you require 17% Spell Hit. This 17% cap is crucial for maximizing your damage output as missed spells mean wasted casts and a substantial reduction in overall DPS.
However, there is an important caveat that greatly reduces the amount of hit rating you need from gear.
Raid Debuffs and the 14% “Soft” Cap
In most raid compositions, you’ll almost always have access to the crucial 3% Spell Hit debuff provided by either Shadow Priests or Balance Druids (Boomkins). Shadow Priests provide this via the Misery talent, while Balance Druids provide it via the Improved Faerie Fire talent. These are incredibly common and desired debuffs to bring to raids.
With this 3% hit debuff, the amount of hit rating you need to reach the spell hit cap effectively reduces from 17% to 14%. This is often referred to as the “soft cap” for Spell Hit in WotLK. Therefore, you will ideally want to gear to reach this 14% threshold as a bare minimum. Any spell hit rating above this will have zero benefit to your spells.
Racial Bonuses
It is important to mention, that while not specific to elemental, certain racial bonuses can increase the hit chance of any given class. Draenei provides a 1% hit bonus to all party members within a certain range, and Trolls have a racial berserking buff which can be advantageous for maximizing haste. While these racial buffs can influence your gearing, they aren’t core to determining the 14% target as those bonuses are rarely in the group composition decision.
Why Aim for the Cap?
Reaching the 14% (or 17% without debuffs) Spell Hit cap is not an optional endeavor; it is essential for consistently dealing optimal damage. Every missed spell represents a lost opportunity for damage, and over the course of a fight, these missed casts can significantly drag your DPS down. Critically, your spells are affected by hit, whereas auto-attacks are not. This means that, as an elemental shaman, which relies entirely on spells, hit rating is vastly more important for you than it is for many other classes.
Furthermore, because critical strikes are the next priority after the hit cap, it means you will not begin maximizing your damage until you have your spell hit at the required amount.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions related to Elemental Shaman hit rating and related topics in Wrath of the Lich King:
1. What happens if I go over the hit cap?
Going over the spell hit cap is detrimental. If you have 14% hit rating with the 3% debuff, or 17% without, the extra hit is completely wasted, as it does not grant any bonus benefit. It would be far more beneficial to prioritize other stats such as spell power or haste.
2. What are the primary stats for Elemental Shamans in WotLK?
The primary stats for Elemental Shamans are, in order of importance: Hit Rating (to cap), Spell Power, Haste Rating, Critical Strike Rating, and then Intellect. Intellect provides a small amount of spell crit chance, however, for a raw DPS increase, crit rating is better, so Intellect is typically very low on the priority list.
3. How does the hit cap compare to other casters?
The 17% spell hit cap is the standard for almost every caster class. The important difference lies in their talent trees and buffs to hit. For instance, mages can use talents to reduce the gear hit requirements, whereas an Elemental Shaman cannot, meaning they always need to rely on the 17% target, modified by raid debuffs.
4. What is the difference between hit rating and spell hit rating?
Hit rating generally applies to physical attacks like melee attacks, while spell hit rating applies specifically to spells. For Elemental Shamans, spell hit is more important due to the nature of their spell-focused playstyle.
5. How do I track my hit rating in-game?
Your hit rating is shown on your character sheet in the ‘combat’ tab. Many addons are also available to display your current hit rating clearly during gameplay. Most addons can be used to customize what is important to you.
6. Is 14% the absolute minimum hit rating?
Yes, it is the bare minimum assuming that the proper raid debuffs are present. It is wise to have at least 14% at all times to ensure you’re fully optimizing your spell hits in raids.
7. What gear should I prioritize to reach the hit cap?
Look for gear with Spell Hit Rating, Spell Power, and Haste Rating. You can utilize online databases such as Wowhead to see items for your specific class and stat needs. If you are lacking spell hit, focus on gear that has that as a primary stat.
8. Are there any consumables that boost my hit rating?
Yes, consumables such as food, elixirs, and potions can provide temporary boosts to your hit rating. These are often only used as temporary buffs in raid fights, and rarely used for standard content.
9. How does being a different race affect my hit cap?
Racial bonuses can affect your hit rating, but the 17% / 14% cap remains the same. These bonuses might influence your gear optimization choices. Draenei racials can provide additional hit to the party.
10. Is critical strike rating bad before I hit the hit cap?
Yes, Critical Strike Rating should be prioritized after hitting the hit cap. Prioritizing critical strike before hit is detrimental to your overall damage.
11. Does hit rating scale with my gear?
Yes, hit rating increases as your gear quality improves. This will often be one of the first areas to focus on as the beginning of the expansion begins.
12. Is there a difference in hit cap for different raid bosses?
No, the hit cap is consistent for all raid bosses at level 83, which is 17% without raid debuffs and 14% with raid debuffs.
13. Can talents provide hit rating for elemental shamans?
No, unlike some other classes, Elemental Shamans do not have any talent trees which provide an increase to spell hit.
14. Do my totems benefit from hit rating?
Yes, all spells, including the spells within your totems, benefit from the hit rating. This is especially important for totems that deal direct damage.
15. How do I test my hit rating during combat?
There are many damage meter addons available that can display the number of missed casts you’re having during combat. By seeing the percentage of missed spells, you will have a good indicator of your current hit rating effectiveness.
Conclusion
Reaching the 17% (or 14% with raid debuffs) Spell Hit cap is paramount for Elemental Shamans in Wrath of the Lich King. This ensures that your spells consistently hit their targets, maximizing your damage output and contributing effectively to raids. Understanding how hit rating works and prioritizing it correctly is the first step towards becoming a successful Elemental Shaman in WotLK. Remember to gear strategically, take advantage of raid debuffs, and continually assess your stats to achieve the optimal balance for your character.