Help with 2.3.

[Synir]

I've been playing a priest for years, but my alt shaman for a lot less. Considering this, I need to pick a spec for 2.3 as the date is announced and by then I'll have hit the cap on both arena and honor points.

The thing is, I don't have a spec in mind.

* I've been enhancement so far, and although the burst is really nice, it's disturbing how fast a trap or snare after you are dismounted can simply shut your DPS down.

* Is that hybrid combination of elemental with resto gear workable? I wouldn't really want to end up doing neither damage nor healing well.

* Elemental is nerfed in 2.3, but a more experienced player can answer - is that 5% so extremely significant if you account for the highest mana regeneration? And in the 2v2 and 3v3 does a melee DPS on you limit the DPS too much? Is this a spec mainly for 5v5?

Finally, 2v2 and 3v3 seem much more stable in terms of teams for my realm, since the 5-player setup is inherently more unstable. I can find 1-2 people a lot easier to play a whole season together than 4, given the shortage of good paladin healbots.

Suggestions? What are you guys thinking, especially the ones who've been playing the class longer than I have?

[Jedik]

If you go with full elemental PvP gear, your damage output will be fine and your offhealing will be fine (although mana issues become prevalent).

EU forums showed that they're still looking into the elemental nerfs in place for 2.3. Conclusions still can't be made. Elemental is a spec made for 5v5. It works in 3v3 with healer/dps though. In 5v5, it works on 4 dps teams or the 2345 setup of hpriest/hpal/mswar/frostmage/esham

[Ainbar]

The nerf to lightning spell coefficients is not going to matter that much. The changes to lightning overload, arena 4 piece bonus, water shield and mana spring in my opinion will more than offset the nerf.

Elemental really isn't the best spec for 2v2 and 3v3 unfortunately. It's far from terrible, but as an ele shaman you're much more suited to 5v5. In my experience, rogues(ar/prep maces ideally), frost mages, warlocks(any spec really) and BM hunters all make good 2s partners for ele shaman.