How big of a difference does the all the elements build have over the very stormstrike build? I wanted to give it a shot before we possibly lose it as an option in the next game and also I’m not super confident that I’m doing the elements build correctly.
Thanks for any input.
The Stormbuild even tho it feels very nice to execute has bad tunning on its talent tree outside pure single target situations. Even so, at pure single target situations the elementalist constant building and flat damage throught the fight would leave storm I would say below 10th place on a 17th DPS group while elementalist will be hardly fighting for a spot on the top 5th. But for flat words, because of the current set and the lack of appreciation from both comm. wise and blizz including feedback through the seasons of DF Storm was left behind and right now will not execute well in any scenario.
For m+ if you choose your aoe focused spells you will do more likely the damage of a tank and probably the same damage as a healer on the single target boss fight because there’s no middle point like elementalist for you have priority damage with cleave, or full aoe with still strong single target. Storm was left behind and is better probably for PVP environments. I made a post asking the community which changes they would like to see on the storm path but only a few people added feedback on it. Hopefully it will not be removed and as mentioned there’s a hero talent called stormbringe that has the possibilty of making one way or another stormbringer procs and storm strike stronger again, but for now the fire path its the way to go due to the lack of I don’t have the word but I believe it’s dedication on the storm talents.
It’s still the same shaman just that your priority now is lava lash instead of stormstrike(weakest spell in the spellbook for us).
Thank you, i do enjoy element build but i dont know if i can ever shake the hatred of lava lash fully just from years of biggotry I’ve cultivated.
But i shall try to continue working on the correct build
Edit : oops i didn’t change back to shaman to respond. I’m the same dude and i don’t know why this is an option here.
Storm build is usually played only for fun mostly. For higher keys and raid, elementalist is a must to be competitive … like they said before, with storm ur DMG will be far behind.
I think that with this tier season, the difference with elementalist is much bigger than was for example in season 2.
I usually play storm for world content or very low keys.
I love love love the class fantasy of storm.
I wish they would add some physical/lightning theme abilities and complexities to make storm more fun to play and justified to do more damage than it does.
I’ve recently learned that storm in pvp is still insane damage output. Actually higher than elementalist. Setting up your doom winds is still crazy output. It still surprises me… it’s a full melee build so has the kiting/disarm weakness. But if you are front lining or brawling it’s far stronger. And you can just toss all your msw into heals outside pw lb windows.
I’ve been stubbornly sticking with Storm this entire expac because I also hate Lava lash but my damage is really lagging in keys so I may have to go Elemental which kills my soul really wish they didn’t force us into this lame build.
I realized that everything that the fire build has now, could’ve been achieved(this happened back on legion with the legendaries, which imo I didnt like any of the fire legendaries back then) again if stormstrike would proc any of the tunnings that lava lash has, except for hot hand. It’s a bit sketchy that the hot hand activates way more than DRE which is 7% vs Hot hand which is 5%… It’s really disappointing whoever sought this and didn’t experience it later. Even if you cast more stormstrikes than MELEE HITS during a fight…
Something that happened for me its they way that I’ve always play enhancement shaman, is that I have the keybind for letter Q for stormstrike and E for Lava Lash. Because is still not the same VFX’s and the thunder spells which god, this is the only game that has storm dedication on any of its classes and now its being removed slightly…
I macroed the lavalash icon into stormstrike and vice-versa and it’s working somehow but i do know is not the same cause of the sounds and animations, but it do trick my mind since its actually just me keybinding Q. The reason for me which I don’t like the fire build is because it’s a merge of all the weak fire spells, legendaries and attunements we had in the past. Which for me do not have any to 0 dopamine boost when playing the spec…
Also, maybe just me cause i’ve always play shaman, I do not see any complexity on the fire build, is the same as before just that stormstrike was throw in the thrash and replaced with lava lash and it shouldn’t be 
Hot hands doesn’t proc off flame shock though?… A lot of what you said after is essentially “back in my day” logic. The game evolved. To try to force the icons and “trick your self” into thinking they are the abilities you are hitting. (Changing icons is w/e, but you emphasized that you try to mentally hear it as something else) You should take a step back, if you cannot enjoy what’s in front of you, don’t try to force it. I’ve never heard what you’ve described ever in my life. It goes beyond being a die hard shaman. Chill out. 
Many people are drawn to shaman because they like the “hammers and lightning” theme. It goes deeper than just wanting a one button spec.
And when their preferred fantasy isn’t viable on the only class that offers it they get a little chafed. For years people complained that frost mage was unviable when that was the mage fantasy they wanted. This is no different.
It clearly completely different. This is taking that to the furthest extreme. To the point where it comes across as just complete denial. At one point it sounds like he can only feel dopamine by doing this. There are other versions of the game you play that are exactly you want. Most people just change icons to something they can more easily associate with the ability. Or a different color of the same ability to match their class fantasy or mog aesthetically. But this… was described as much, much, MUCH deeper than that. Which is mentally unhealthy.
Re-reading what he originally said. I may have took it deeper then he meant. Mostly because he started talking about having to trick himself into feeling dopamine at all.
I will however, never understand why people hate on lava lash. Seems like a lot of people hate on it for existing and not being storm strike. Which is pretty unhinged to me.
I have been trying to to figure it out a reply to you but I cannot because the way that you experience the game 1. Is different that the way that I experience mine. 2. Based on your progress I can’t tell you cannot experience either what I have experience because we still do different content.
You’re very eagle to try to dismiss my whole point on my expression of how hothand activates more than DRE eitherway if I miss discribed the talent. You again cannot tell me what I do not enjoy if I don’t specifically say what it is. If you will disagree with anything that I said I rather have you use some actual knowlodge and description of game terms rather than trying to understand my persona over the internet. If I still play the game I have the right on express wether a changes can affect my playstyle and that doesn’t mean that it’s unplayable for me. If I said that I dislike something you cannot tell me to stop playing because dislike or disagreement for me doesn’t mean that I wouldnt touch something specially with a class that I know all the utlities that I can do and how quickly I can react to those utilities. Again bro, you need to stop coming at my persona wether if I said something wrong and just go off whats on the paper. Based on your progress I can tell that you’re not doing the same content as much as I’m doing it either bro. If i change icons or wether I do is a me thing and if it affects you that way you just don’t do it. However, still I come here and you commented on my first post about how much I like stormstriking so why you acting ignorant now?
And this expressions of past references are needed in game that has been in the business for years, why are you trying to change my perspective like if every expansion is a new game when it’s not?
Have you try to understand why people hates on stormstrike as well? Because no one is saying that you can not like hot hand. We just want as well to choose if we want to have stormstrike instead which so far has been express on a healthy way.
It’s like If would go into the PVP forums, which I do not play. Saying why a important talent for pvp is useless for pve, which in your case something works for you on pvp and not for me on pve, I just will not go out to give an opinion on what it is because is not the content that I do to know what I’m trying to express. Even more, not talking specifically about what is being told but focus on the other player. Which has not been the case for you until it was bought up, again.
Edit: I corrected the misdescription on the original comment if that would fix what triggers you. And still doesn’t change the reality of what it is. Hot hands at lower chances and input procs more than stormstriking for the whole fight…
Okay theres so much to address here.
I never dismissed anything you about that, I made a correction. You do not know my opinion on those two things.
Now you are putting words in my mouth and treating me as the villain. I never made any of these claims. At all… I expressed a concern for your mental health which is NOT ATTACKING YOUR ONLINE PERSONA. Not even close. And I even ran back what I said.
So lets put an end to this you vs me thing right now. I don’t have a tolerance for it at all. I was concerned about you and offered something that may of been more your speed instead of suffering. Which AGAIN i ran back, because that was not what you were saying.
What? Can I not speak my opinion on lava lash without it having anything to do with storm strike? You are actually proving my point indirectly with that. I’m not your enemy friend. I refuse to play the role. My concern for your well being is now being seen as this. I’m done. Take care.
I’ll just add that the way many people play elementalist, storm probably isn’t that much of a damage loss in any content lmao
You put yourself on that position because I have been very clear with all my words. If I know what I’m doing with lavalash and the shaman and I still say I don’t like it either aesthetically or gamewise is still a me thing, it’s a game. You don’t go into your city sports not supporting your hood or where your friends are playing.
Also, I never either on this post have read a bad comment about lava lash, saying you don’t like something its healthy. Toxic would be telling someone that they just enjoy an easy game because they like stormstrike which is not the case. We like it cause of the thunder and what the spec is. There is a reason we like this game, swords and magic. If suddenly it becomes a shooter isn’t the same game isn’t what is being sold as. Which is the case for that storm wielding melee class. Yet, no one is saying that lava lash or fire build shouln’t exist which is actually the case for storm builds…
Also again, you’re coming at me without knowing my progress or content, I didn’t come for you until you came for me. It’s obvious if I’m doing all heroic content within days of being released I have more than one class and if my class it’s the shaman its normal to still have a favorite cause its a game… I’m chilling. Maybe my words are harsh but again, english is not my first lenguage. And still advocating to please not remove the thunder from the enhancement shaman.
Great to see another fellow Storm Build enthusiasts!, personally myself and made it very aware on the forums how much I loved the Storm Build as controversial as it is, but regardless I do love it.
Sadly for the Storm Build in S4 we are bringing our S3 Tier which really strengthens the Elementalist Build, Primordial Wave essentially being a mandatory pick a 4 talent investment, takes a lot out of our choices, and not to forget synergy it has with Lava Lash another 8 Talent investment it’s pretty nonexistent to attempt the Storm Build in PvE.
The beauty of the current Elementalist Build, it essentially has nearly the exact same talents for M+/Raid be it you’d move 2 talents between the two really. Super convenient.
I won’t go into the crutch of things, just the reality of the situation currently, Elementalist Build does insanely more dps currently with this tier set and you’d be losing insanely amount of it trying the Storm Build in most PvE content.
But I’ve made a talent set up “Storm Build” I switch to doing open world things where performance isn’t needed works perfectly and I love it.
Our best bet is to see what Stormbringers Hero tree brings to the table and how our spec trees look after adjustments moving into TWW, fingers crossed. 
Currently best advice if trying to do content as Enhance in PvE, coexist with the Elementalist Build, try to enjoy it as much as possible and hope next expansion brings the required changes/adjustments needed for the Storm Build to thrive in PvE.
I hope this helps somewhat, I’m trying to be non biased as I do prefer the Storm Build but reality sometimes doesn’t line up on how I like to play, and it’s important trying to get you pumping those Keys and Raids 
.
Just making sure to tell you I’m speaking from a PvE perspective, as I’m completely dog wash when it comes to PvP so I won’t know on that end. 
In Short, like it or not Elementalist Build for performance and doing PvE content (keys and raid), Storm Build is have fun in open world.
Most storm builds simply aren’t competitive. The Storm AOE build has the potential to be our highest DPS aoe build but requires 7+ targets, otherwise elemental AOE is way better. As far as single target, storm ST isn’t even the best according to bloodmallet sims. Elementalist but swapping crashing storms for elemental assault has higher st damage. Storm ST gets absolutely obliterated if there are 2 or more targets. Elemental AOE spec is ~9-10% behind Storm ST in single target, but far ahead of all other builds in AOE up to 6 targets.
Elemental AOE spec is far superior in almost all situations and if you have a single target boss then swap out crash lightning. If your group constantly pulls 7+ mobs then Storm AOE can be better, but any bosses you’re going to lose lots of damage on.
such long answers.
short answer, you can use it. it falls off in single target and isnt as strong as elementalist.