Elemental Spell Rotation Longevity

So lately, I’ve been wondering what the best spell rotation is for a Shaman in a given situation….

“Lightning Bolt spam, Danemoth…DUUURH!”

Which is obvious for long fights. But what about those short ones where you can just swallow a few Manna Biscuits afterwards? A “Chain Lightning > Lightning Bolt x3” rotation is higher DPS, but less mana efficient. This post will attempt to come up with a chart that will allow someone to decide which rotation would be best to use given the time frame…and I’ll use a few benchmark numbers for mana pools as well (8000, 9000, 10000) as well as MP/5 (50, 100, 150). All numbers will be using their base values after being modified by appropriate talents, and I’m only looking at longevity here, because most of us already know that in short fights, CL + LBx3 is better DPS. This post is only to give a rough estimate of how long one can last. I won’t be counting Clearcast procs in here because, frankly, that makes things a lot more difficult. So just assume that your ability to DPS for long periods of time gets better with higher crit.

For those that don’t think CL + LBx3 is better DPS, here’s some very basic math explaining why it is. CL casts in 1.5 seconds talented, with LB at 2.0 talented. Using their average damage when fully talented, I’ll go for 30 seconds of casting (which is enough to sync up the casts in that amount of time. One rotation finishes in 6 seconds, the other in 7.5 seconds, so the best way to do this is to find a time where they sync up. 30 seconds is that number) Lightning Bolt’s average damage talented is 633, while Chain Lightning’s is 825.

LB Spam (15 casts in 30 seconds): 633 x 15 = 9495 / 30 = 316 DPS.

CL x LBx3 rotation (4 CL, 12 LB in 30 seconds): (633x12) + (825x4) = 10896 / 30 = 363 DPS.

So there you have it. CL + LBx3 rotation is higher DPS. Now I can go on to see how long one can DPS depending on their MP/5 and their mana pool…

If anyone wants to add anything or disprove what I’ve said, be my guest. Ad hominem will be disregarded, however. If you can’t argue without it, I’ve no reason to pay any attention to you.

So to start, let’s get some numbers down regarding mana cost, and cast time.

Lightning Bolt
Mana Cost: 270
Cast Time: 2.0

Chain Lightning
Mana Cost: 684
Cast Time: 1.5

Now for a CL + LBx3 rotation, that’s a mana cost of 1494 over 7.5 seconds. So assuming 0 MP/5, you’ll end up being able to DPS for (all numbers rounded down):

8000 / 1494 = 5 * 7.5 = 37.5 seconds
9000 / 1494 = 6 * 7.5 = 45 seconds
10000 / 1494 = 6 * 7.5 = 45 seconds

Then depending on your mana regen, you might be able to get even more spells off. How many more? That depends on both your mana pool and the amount of MP/5 you have. Let’s take 8000 mana with 100 MP/5. You’ve been DPSing for 37.5 seconds. That’s 6 ticks for your MP/5, giving you an additional 600 mana, effectively making your mana pool 8600. However, this doesn’t make it enough to get another rotation going…

Let’s see how long someone can cast with just Lightning Bolt.

8000 / 270 = 29 * 2 = 58 seconds
9000 / 270 = 33 * 2 = 66 seconds
10000 / 270 = 37 * 2 = 74 seconds

So as you can see, for every 1000 mana, you are able to DPS for approximately an additional 8 seconds. (…that looks awfully dismal to be honest…) but again, MP/5 and Clearcasts will factor into this to allow you to DPS for longer periods of time. If we take 8000 mana with 100 MP/5 again, we can see that with an effective pool of 8600 mana, you can cast for an additional 4 seconds.

This math is incredibly simple, and probably wrong in parts, but I never claimed to be an expert, mostly just someone with too much time on their hands (I’m very bored at the moment, as you can see.) So what conclusions can we draw from my rambling up above?

For short fights, generally <>