A plan you can follow.
Use the point order below between runs, then use the skill priorities inside a run. Choose the checkpoint that matches your available talent points.
These are permanent talent points spent between runs, not levels reached inside a run.
No specific equipment, gear-star level, race bonus or teammate is assumed. Upgrade priorities depend on the cards actually offered.
Chain Lightning circuit
Lightning repetitions and wider, undiminished jumps
Build Lightning Overload into Elemental Fury and Elemental Mastery, then support Lightning Bolt and defense through Enhancement.
Elemental 31 Enhancement 20 Restoration 0
Point order, skills & alternatives
Before using this plan
- Elemental Mastery supplies the Chain Lightning opening only at point 31. Earlier prefixes do not assume that opening or its automatic extra cast.
Permanent talent order
Each row adds to the row above. Open a checkpoint to see every allocated rank; spend only the points your character actually has.
- 10 pointsAdd points 1–10
- Concussion +5Rank 5/5
- Convection +5Rank 5/5
- 20 pointsAdd points 11–20
- Lightning Overload +1Rank 1/1
- Elemental Warding +3Rank 3/3
- Reverberation +1Rank 1/5
- Call of Thunder +5Rank 5/5
- 30 pointsAdd points 21–30
- Elemental Fury +1Rank 1/1
- Lightning Mastery +5Rank 5/5
- Storm Reach +2Rank 2/2
- Elemental Devastation +2Rank 2/3
- 40 pointsAdd points 31–40
- Elemental Mastery +1Rank 1/1
- Shield Specialization +5Rank 5/5
- Thundering Strikes +4Rank 4/5
- 51 pointsAdd points 41–51
- Thundering Strikes +1Rank 5/5
- Windfury +1Rank 1/1
- Improved Lightning Bolt +5Rank 5/5
- Anticipation +3Rank 3/3
- Ancestral Knowledge +1Rank 1/5
Why these points come first
- Points 1–5: Start with general damage that helps the current attack.
- Points 6–10: Add recovery without depending on a particular shock or totem.
- Points 11: Add the chance to repeat Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning.
- Points 12–14: Reduce incoming damage while keeping the elemental theme.
- Points 15: Support the optional slowing Frost Shock and finish the next gate.
- Points 16–20: Increase critical chance for the lightning attacks.
- Points 21: Add Chain Lightning jumps and remove their ordinary damage loss.
- Points 22–25: Strengthen the shared Nature school of the two main attacks.
- Points 26–27: Help chains reach their next target.
- Points 28–29: Improve critical damage supported by Call of Thunder.
- Points 30: Complete Nature damage support before the capstone.
- Points 31: At point 31, gain the Chain Lightning opening and recurring extra cast.
- Points 32–36: Begin Enhancement with general damage reduction.
- Points 37–41: Add critical chance without adopting a totem plan.
- Points 42: Give Lightning Bolt and the named shocks their separate repeat-hit chance.
- Points 43–46: Support Lightning Bolt specifically after its second interaction is active.
- Points 47–49: Add reduction for the completed attack package.
- Points 50: Complete the Lightning Bolt damage bonus.
- Points 51: Use the final point for unconditional maximum health.
Skills to look for
Use this priority when the relevant choice is offered. A route does not guarantee a particular card.
- Chain Lightning
Overload can repeat it, Elemental Fury adds jumps without damage loss, and the capstone supplies a recurring cast.
If it is missing: Lightning Bolt — Use the offered or current Lightning Bolt while waiting; the plan also supports it explicitly.
- Lightning Bolt
The secondary Windfury and Improved Lightning Bolt talents give this spell a distinct supporting role.
If it is missing: Earth Shock — Windfury also names Earth Shock; it is a direct hit rather than replacement chain coverage.
- Frost Shock
A slowing attack gives room to keep the lightning plan operating and is also named by Windfury.
If it is missing: Healing Wave — Use the offered recovery spell when damage taken is the immediate constraint.
- Lightning Shield
Use its retaliation only as an optional close-contact damage supplement.
If it is missing: Healing Wave — Prefer an actual recovery choice when survival is failing; Lightning Shield is not an absorb.
Inside the run
- First available lightning
- Support the attack you can currently cast. Do not disperse early choices across several totems that this allocation does not improve.
- Elemental Fury active
- Compare jump coverage and ordinary lightning upgrades. Keep groups within useful jump distance instead of assuming a chain reaches isolated targets.
- With the full capstone
- Let the recurring Chain Lightning add coverage while Lightning Bolt handles repeated direct hits. Reassess recovery before entering a durable encounter.
Change one thing
- Chain Lightning cards are unavailable below point 31
- Improve Lightning Bolt or an offered shock and continue toward the permanent milestone between runs.
- Enemies are too far apart for useful chains
- Use direct attacks and movement to bring groups into reach; jump distance is not unlimited even with Storm Reach.
- Lightning Shield is not keeping you alive
- Replace the expectation of an absorb with a real healing or movement response; its verified effect is melee retaliation.
- 31 Elemental and 20 Enhancement do not reach Maelstrom Weapon; there is no every-fifth-spell Chain Lightning trigger in this plan.
- Overload and Windfury are conditional repetitions, while the Elemental Mastery cast is a separate periodic effect.
The point order follows the checked 0.125.0 client requirements. Spell priorities and gameplay suggestions are editorial and have not been combat-tested. A legal allocation does not establish the strongest build or a proven clear rate.
To compare attempts, keep version, class, zone, difficulty, permanent equipment and account bonuses fixed. Record your chosen skills and the point where the run failed. Use the run comparison checklist →
Recommended spell connections.
These are all the priority spells from the routes above. Their references also describe alternative talents; check your chosen point plan to see which connections are active. The complete class spellbook follows below.
Open the Shaman talent planner →
Keep the elemental plan focused on chain coverage and repeat casts rather than splitting every pick between totems and lightning.
Chain Lightning
Gives these lightning attacks a chance to strike again for free. Adds jumps and removes the ordinary damage loss on each jump.
Lightning Overload / Elemental Fury / Elemental Mastery
Lightning Bolt
Gives these lightning attacks a chance to strike again for free. Gives Lightning Bolt, Earth Shock and Frost Shock a chance to strike twice more immediately.
Lightning Overload / Windfury
Frost Shock
Gives Lightning Bolt, Earth Shock and Frost Shock a chance to strike twice more immediately. Shortens the cooldowns of shock spells.
Windfury / Reverberation / Elemental Weapons
Lightning Shield
No spell-specific talent interaction is recorded in the current checked talent definitions.
No specific talent link recordedYour opening priorities.
Check the selected opener. Elemental Mastery describes a Chain Lightning opening and recurring casts; a totem opener belongs to a different route.
Keep early offensive choices tied to Chain Lightning or Lightning Bolt. Lightning Overload is relevant to both of those spells.
Identify whether your next problem is untouched enemies, long gaps between casts or incoming damage before choosing another upgrade.
When the plan stalls.
Choose the row that describes your last attempt.
Lightning kills its targets but leaves much of the group untouched.
Try this Inspect the additional-jump options for Chain Lightning.
The documented jump interaction changes how many nearby enemies the spell can reach; a larger hit alone does not extend the chain.
Enemies close the gap between useful casts.
Try this Compare cooldown support with the selected Lightning Overload interaction.
Availability and extra casts address a different bottleneck from chain coverage. Check that the offered effect applies to your active spells.
A tempting fire or totem upgrade appears.
Try this Keep the lightning focus, or deliberately rebuild around the linked fire and totem talents.
Call of Flame links fire spells, while totem choices have their own reach and placement concerns. One isolated fire upgrade does not complete that plan.
Give your gear a purpose.
Cooldown reduction and area-related effects are candidates to compare against the limits stated in each tooltip.
Hand of Justice 
Quick Strike Ring 
Ring of Spell Power A trap to avoid.
Dividing investment between lightning and totems before either has the supporting interactions it needs.
Wide coverage does not measure single-target performance. Check the named encounter separately from ordinary groups.
All 11 Shaman spells.
Lightning BoltRanged Nature strikesChain LightningChained Nature damage
Earth ShockDirect Nature hit
Flame ShockFire damage over timeFrost ShockRanged Frost slowLightning ShieldMelee retaliation
Magma TotemTotem area damage
Searing TotemTotem ranged pressure
Fire NovaSurrounding Fire burst
Healing WaveDirect self-heal
Call of FlameTotem-expiry explosionSources & scope
Talent allocations and named interactions use original-client snapshot v0.125.0. Every point order is checked against its rules. Build recommendations and skill priorities are editorial; no combat trial, clear-rate benchmark or optimal ranking is claimed.
Game client and version recordGameplay reference: original client v0.125.0, rechecked October 29, 2026. Live v0.127.0 was also observed that day; interface descriptions were compared, but talent execution rules and combat balance were not revalidated for the newer build.