Elemental Shaman
vs
Shadow Priest
Debating whether to play a Shadow Priest or Elemental Shaman? Knowing which currently performs better DPS in PvE might help make a decision.
This page analyzes multiple simulations for both Shadow Priests and Elemental Shamans using profiles and settings intended to achieve their maximum DPS. Multiple sim environments are used to test how they perform in various conditions. Is one the AoE king? Does one scale better with gear upgrades? Is one more bursty, and more reliant on big cooldowns? Below analyzes the data to find the strengths of each.
Simulation results were created with SimulationCraft
Using game data from Patch 10.2.7 • WoW Dragonflight •
- Elemental Shaman
Best boss DPS (in perfect settings)
Elemental Shaman achieved 4.32% more maximum boss DPS than Shadow Priest when there was no movement or lag.
Best boss DPS (in realistic settings)
Elemental Shaman achieved 0.72% more maximum boss DPS than Shadow Priest when dealing with occasional movement, lag and crowd-control.
Best gear scaling
Elemental Shaman scaled better with increased item-levels, single-target DPS benefited 3.05% more from 446 ilvl to 488 compared to Shadow Priests.
Simplest Gameplay
Elemental Shaman has fewer damaging abilities which could indicate a simpler rotation.
DPS less dependant on big cooldowns
Elemental Shaman’s DPS is less bursty, meaning it had more consistent damage. With 0.66% less difference in lowest and peak DPS during a fight when compared to Shadow Priests.
Shadow PriestBest AoE DPS (in perfect settings)
Shadow Priest achieved 0.78% more AoE DPS than Elemental Shaman when there was no movement or lag.
Least affected by movement (single-target)
Shadow Priest’s single-target DPS was -41.3% less affected by increased movement compared to Elemental Shamans.
While the above highlights the DPS advantages between Elemental Shaman and Shadow Priests, the DPS potential should not be the only factor in your decision. Ultimately, you should also consider the playstyle that you enjoy most while crushing it in Mythics+ and Raids!
Resources
More Spec Comparisons