I made these a while ago because I was getting frustrated waiting for the actual things to get previewed. I’ve been on the fence about actually sharing them, but heck it, the official ones are already out and I put in the work, so let’s go.
In making these Paths, I tried to stick to the following principles:
- Be thematic. This feels obvious, but it’s worth saying. Staying on theme for each Path is crucial to maintaining a cohesive design.
- Minimize disruption of current specs. This meant avoiding adding new buttons to bars, and not radically overhauling existing rotations.
- Be build agnostic. Elemental and Enhancement in particular are notorious for having two distinct builds to each tree (fire vs lightning for Ele, elementalist vs storm for Enh), and any Hero Path that favors one over the other too strongly basically locks the player into the matching build and Path combo if they want to play either half of it. This reduces player choice and undermines the entire point of having a customization system, especially if there are any outside factors that overly favor either one build or one hero spec too heavily, thereby forcing the matching build/Path by extension. To that end, this meant avoiding using capstone talents as hooks for Path features, and avoiding favoring specific forms of elemental damage like nature vs fire.
- Hero Paths aren’t the place to fix fundamental issues. Problems like the class’s strict target cap or Elemental being bounced back and forth between one-element builds depending on each season’s tier set are not problems that can be solved by Hero Paths without making whichever Path solves them the only viable choice to play. These are issues that have to be solved at the base level, as tempting as it is to address them with these talents.
- Do something cool. If a Hero Path doesn’t add something to the player’s kit to give them some kind of “Wow!” moment, then where does it even get off calling itself “Heroic?”
That said, I ended up having to break a number of these principles as I went.
Farseer
Center Line
Spirit Journey
Casting Farsight while in combat instead sends you on a Spirit Journey for 30 seconds, instantly revealing 6 nearby Tethered Spirits, plus 3 more at 10 and 20 seconds into the Journey. Moving through a Tethered Spirit releases it and grants you a stack of Spiritual Guidance, increasing your damage and healing done by 5% per stack for the remainder of your Spirit Journey.
Once you embark on a Spirit Journey, you cannot begin another for 2 minutes.
Spiritwalker’s Grace
You learn Spiritwalker’s Grace. If you already know Spiritwalker’s Grace, it gains a second charge.
Spiritual Replenishment
Releasing a Tethered Spirit [Elemental: grants you 5 Maelstrom Power] [Restoration: restores 1% of your maximum Mana] and reduces the cooldown of Spiritwalker’s Grace by 3 seconds.
Spiritual Release
Casting Cleanse Spirit on a Tethered Spirit releases it and resets Cleanse Spirit’s cooldown.
Call the Ancestors
When your Spirit Journey ends, your stacks of Spiritual Guidance turn into stacks of Debt Unpaid, lasting for 1.5 minutes. When this duration expires, all spirits you released during your Spirit Journey return, each casting a random shaman spell on a nearby target. (prefers healing spells if Resto and allies within range are below 90% health, prefers damaging spells if Elemental or no nearby allies are below 90%) Casting Farsight before you can embark on another Spirit Journey summons these spirits back early.
Left Line
Astral Walking
Spirit Journey increases your Avoidance by 10%, and reduces damage you take from Physical attacks and hazardous ground effects (persistent AoE puddles) by 50%.
Choice Node: Blessing of Earth
[Elemental: Earthquake grants Earth Shields to allies within its area of effect, which do not count against your total active Earth Shields, but only last 10 seconds. When these Earth Shields expire, all remaining charges instantly heal their targets.]
[Restoration: Earth Shield causes an Earthquake beneath its target’s feet for 2 seconds whenever a charge is consumed.]Choice Node: Blessing of Sky
[Elemental: Every 20 seconds while in combat, you summon a Healing Rain centered on yourself.]
[Restoration: Healing Rain has a chance every time it does healing to also cause a Lightning Storm, striking all enemies within its area of effect for Nature damage.]
Ancestral Guardians
Ancestral Guidance also grants up to 5 allies within 40 yards an absorption shield when cast.
Right Line
Choice Node: Shadow Wolf
Ghost Wolf dramatically reduces the range at which non-boss enemies detect you, and increases your health regeneration by 100% outside of combat.Choice Node: Ghost Pack
Allies within 10 yards of you while you are in Ghost Wolf form gain 50% of your movement speed bonus.
Choice Node: Bind Spirit
You learn Bind Spirit, allowing you to incapacitate Elemental, Aberration, and Undead enemies for up to 1 minute. Any damage breaks this effect.Choice Node: Dream Dust
You learn Dream Dust, allowing you to put Humanoid, Beast, and Giant enemies in an area to sleep for up to 1 minute. Any damage breaks this effect.
Final Journey
Reincarnation returns you to life with 60% life and 30% mana. Dying while Reincarnation is on cooldown sends you on a Final Spirit Journey, wherein the Tethered Spirits you release grant their Spiritual Guidance to random living party or raid members.
Stormbringer
Center Line
Storm Herald
Every [Enhancement: 5 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon] [Elemental: 20 Maelstrom] you spend grants you 1 stack of Storm Herald, increasing your Primary Stat by 1% per stack to a maximum of 10.
Storm’s Reach
Elemental: Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning can be cast while moving.Enhancement: Your melee attack range is increased by 3 yards.
Stormcrash
Every 10th stack of Storm Herald generated grants Stormcrash. Elemental: Your next 2 Maelstrom spenders deal 100% increased damage. Enhancement: Your next 2 Stormstrikes deal Stormstrike damage and have their damage increased by 100%.
Storm Armaments
Gaining Stormcrash electrifies two nearby allies, causing their attacks and spells to deal (your Primary Stat-based) additional Nature damage for the next 5 seconds.
Storm Hammers
Every 10th Stormcrash enhancement you spend turns your next [Elemental: Earth Shock/Elemental Blast] [Enhancement: Stormstrike] into Storm Hammer.
Storm Hammer
1.5 second cast time, 40 yard range. Overcharge your weapon(s) with the power of storms and hurl it(them) through your target, dealing Elemental damage to all enemies in the path and embedding in the earth behind them [Enhancement: and leaving a pair of Storm Hammers in your hands (ala the Legion Doomhammer off-hand)].
For the next 8 seconds a tether of storm power connects you to your weapons, dealing Elemental damage to all enemies in its path, and [Elemental: your Maelstrom generators are instant cast] [Enhancement: you gain 5 Maelstrom Weapon stacks every second]. When this effect expires or you move more than 40 yards from your weapons, the tether pulls your weapon(s) back to you, dealing Elemental damage to all enemies in the path.
Left Line
Choice Node: Storm Shield
Each stack of Storm Herald increases the effectiveness of Lightning Shield by 2% and grants it 1% damage reduction.Choice Node: Grounding Shield
Casting Earth Shield on yourself reduces area of effect damage you take by 20% and prevents you from being forcibly moved for 6 seconds. This effect can only occur once per 20 seconds.
Rainstorm
Every 5th stack of Storm Herald you generate grants you Rainstorm, making your next Healing Surge or Chain Heal behave as if consuming 5 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon and call down a Healing Rain centered on you. Rainstorm stacks up to 2 times.
Choice Node: Static Cling
Enemies struck by Thunderstorm/Thundershock are afflicted with Static Cling for 8 seconds. Every 2 seconds, one Static Cling flares up, pulling all other Static Clings toward it.Choice Node: Lingering Shock
Enemies stunned by Capacitor Totem have their attack and casting speed reduced by 10% for 8 seconds after the stun wears off.
Right Line
Choice Node: Swift Winds
Wind Shear has 2 charges.Choice Node: Split Lightning
Purge, Greater Purge, Thunderstorm, Thundershock, and Lightning Lasso are on a separate global cooldown from your other spells.
Shamanistic Rage
You learn Shamanistic Rage. During Shamanistic Rage all damage you take is converted into a healing absorption shield (massive damage overrides this effect), your healing spells cost no mana, and you are immune to spell pushback. If any of this shield remains when this effect ends, you take damage equal to the remnant. Lasts 12 seconds, 1 minute cooldown.
Altar of the Storms
Your spirit lingers for up to 10 seconds after death, allowing you to continue fighting. While your spirit lingers, you are immune to damage and debilitating effects and your spells cost no mana, but their effectiveness is reduced by 50%. Reincarnating while in spirit form revives you in your current position instead of where you died.
Totemic
Center Line
Primal Totem
You carry a Primal Totem on your back at all times. Your [Windfury,] [Healing Stream/Clouburst, Healing Tide, Mana Tide,] Tremor, Poison Cleansing, Stoneskin, and Tranquil Air Totems now apply their effects as dispellable Magic buffs through your Primal Totem instead of summoning a totem at your feet.
Totemic Circle
You learn Totemic Circle. When cast, you summon totems corresponding to the four elements which orbit around you for 12 seconds. Casting a shaman spell or ability activates the totem corresponding to its element, causing one of the following effects:
- Air (Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Stormstrike): Fires a Lighting Bolt at your target for 10% of the damage dealt.
- Earth (Earth Shield): Casts Stoneclaw on your Earth Shielded targets, granting them an absorption shield worth 15% of your maximum health.
- Fire (Lava Burst, Flame Shock, Lava Lash, Fire Nova): Causes one of your active Flame Shocks to erupt, dealing damage to up to 6 nearby targets.
- Water (Frost Shock, Ice Strike, Healing Surge, Healing Wave, Riptide, Healing Rain, Wellspring, Downpour): Heals an injured ally within 30 yards for 25% of the damage or 10% of the healing dealt. 2 minute cooldown.
Totemic Force
Every time your [Enhancement: Feral Spirits attack] [Restoration: Healing Rain ticks], you have a chance to gain [Enhancement: Totemic Might] [Restoration: Totemic Clarity].Totemic Might: Your next Stormstrike is made wielding your Spirit Totem as a 2-handed mace, dealing heavy Stormstrike damage to your primary target and moderate Stormstrike damage to enemies within 8 feet. (~2-3 ppm)
Totemic Clarity: Your next [Healing Stream/Couldburst] Totem plants your Spirit Totem at your feet, instantly healing allies within 40 feet for a moderate amount and causing your shaman spells to refund a portion of their mana while the totem lasts. Damaging spells refund a higher percentage of their mana.
Elemental Blessings
Your Totemic Circle totems also grant you a Totemic Blessing whenever you activate one. These blessings stack, and last until 8 second after your Totemic Circle expires.
- Air: Wrath of Air, increasing your Haste by 1% per stack.
- Earth: Strength of Earth, increasing your Versatility by 1% per stack.
- Fire: Fury of Fire, increasing your Mastery by 1% per stack.
- Water: Depth of Water, increasing your Critical Hit by 1% per stack.
Enduring Power
Bloodlust and similar effects last 50% longer on you.
Left Line
Elemental Shield Mastery
You learn Earth Shield and Water Shield. If you already know either or both or these spells, they have double their normal number of charges. Additionally, your Elemental Shields gain the following additional effects:
- Earth Shield: Splatters nearby enemies with mud whenever a charge is consumed, slowing their attack and movement speed by 5% for 8 seconds.
- Lightning Shield: Triggering Lightning Shield applies Opposing Charge to enemies for 8 seconds, increasing the damage they take from Lightning Shield by 4%, stacking up to 10 times.
- Water Shield: Your Chain Heals don’t count you against their total number of bounces, and always heal you for the primary target value.
Elemental Weapon Mastery
Your Shaman Weapon Imbuements have their effects enhanced:
- Windfury Weapon: Extra attacks generated by Windfury Weapon deal Stormstrike damage.
- Flametongue Weapon: Flametongue Weapon also increases your Nature, Fire, and Frost damage by 5%.
- Earthliving Weapon: Earthliving increases the healing targets take from your shaman spells and effects by 5%. This effect increases to 10% on allies under 35% health.
Choice Node: Healing Ward
If you would die while Nature’s Guardian is off cooldown, you are instead returned to 20% health and Nature’s Guardian’s cooldown is increased to 1 minute.Choice Node: Call of Therazane
Earth Elemental’s cooldown is reduced by 50% and obeys your commands. The maximum health increase Earth Elemental grants you lasts for 1 minute even if the elemental dies early.
Right Line
Choice Node: Totemic Redundancy
Totem buffs dispelled from your Primal Totem now drop a fresh copy of their original totem at your feet.Choice Node: Totemic Preparation
Your Totem spells now use a separate global cooldown from your other spells.
Elemental Warding
Casting [Healing Stream/Cloudburst] Totems reduces all Fire, Frost, and Nature damage taken by you and your allies within 60 yards by 10% for 10 seconds.
Choice Node: Sky Totems
Some of your totems gain additional effects.
- Poison Cleansing: Cleanses diseases.
- Tranquil Air: Grants 10% Avoidance to allies within 10 yards.
- Wind Rush: Repels enemies within or entering its area of effect.
Choice Node: Earth Totems
Some of your totems gain additional effects.
- Tremor: Can be cast while feared, charmed, or asleep.
- Stoneskin: Reduces Bleed damage.
- Earthbind/grab: Allies within the totem’s area of effect gain Earthbound, preventing forced movement for 5 seconds. A target cannot benefit from this effect again for 1 minute after gaining it.