Since shaman have ankh, don't they technically have twice the stamina that other classes do? I think that makes this mostly a non-issue.

I really think you are just trolling with this post but I'll let Vulajin answer this one since he stated it so well in regards to long cooldown dps abilities.

Every piece of BiS Enhancement gear that I aquire from UlduarH has less stamina than the gear its replacing. I'm sitting at 16k ATM unbuffed, and that will drop to 15.5 for BiS as others in this thread have mentioned.
Fully buffed, with shout, I hover between 22.5 and 23.5k hp. I can see this being a huge problem when doing hard modes on Heroic.
I think its absurd to have to use HP flasks, and respec just to be able to survive abilities like Emalon's Lightning Nova, or Mimiron phase 2. need I go on listing fights where this hurts?

Intelligent use of SR and wolves do go along way when presented with an oh-shit moment. But more often than not, you're just dead, one shot.

Each point in Improved Shields is worth ~9 dps or ~13 dps with the LS glyph.
Each point in Call of Flame is worth ~21 dps on a single target situation.
One point is required in Imp Shields to get to the deeper talents.
Elemental Focus is not required by any spec with points in Shamanistic Focus and Improved Stormstrike.
Each point in Elemental Warding is worth 2% more health.
Which means any enh shaman can trade 0.3% dps for 4% more health and 0.6% of their dps for 6% more health.
Using a Stoneblood instead of Endless Rage gives 1300 more health in exchange for 120dps or 6% health for 2% dps*.

So anyone bitching about their low health pool or getting gibbed or having to use a Stoneblood flask who hasn't moved at least the 2 points from Improved Shields into Elemental Warding (and probably should move 1 from Call of Flame into it as well) just needs to STFU.


*(in case anyone wants to argue with my math. 1300 is ~6% of 21000 health just as 6% less damage turns 21000 health into ~22300 health. One is static and the other is dynamic but they both round out to about the same on our current buffed health pools)

We do have a legitimate gripe about our health and how it compares to the other classes but this isn't the place for that and anyone bitching without trying to do anything about it is the equivalent of a drowning man refusing to grab the life preserver because the boat shouldn't have sank in the first place.

My math is horrible, but the stoneclaw glyph is another great one for this calculation.

I believe that the 3rd glyph slot gives ~75 dps if i remember correctly.

Stoneclaw gives an on demand 4k damage absorb for 15 seconds with a 30 second cooldown. Calculating the usefulness of this is a bit harder as it's not a static thing, but let's just assume that since it last 15 and refresh is 30, it's a 2k hp buff. For simplicity, let's assume 20k hp, as that's usually what I sit at or close to, so it's a 10% hp buff.

75 dps is about a 1.5% dps loss for a 10% hp buff, so considering this, it takes 2nd place to Elemental Warding in terms of price for the investment.

The fact that it's a damage absorber that doesn't need to be healed to be useful probably accounts for any minor miscalculations on my part.

Actually if you are using that third glyph slot for Windfury, my calculations put it at at pretty much a 1% DPS increase.

Enhancement Glyphs a numeric comparison

It's actually a horrible option in most cases since the damage we are talking about is not a known factor so to keep it up all the time would require you to drop it every 30 seconds and then refresh SoE immediately after and even then it may not be up when you need it to be. The dps loss from keeping it up is definitely significantly higher because of the refreshing.

However it is a great option when you know the encounter well enough to predict when you would need the additional absorption. Since glyphs can be swapped at anytime and are generally cheap it should be easy enough to carry a stack for those fights where it would make sense to use it.

/castsequence reset=15 Stoneclaw Totem, Strength of Earth Totem

Click the macro twice to get the shield effect and SoE reapplied. The shield remains even after the totem is gone. It only fades with time and damaged absorbed.

The buff comes the second you drop the totem, so the dps lost is the GCDs of placing stoneclaw and placing SoE right after (+ the loss of Str of Earth for that 1 second for the raid).

I do agree with you both though as it's really hard to quantify the actual buff it gives you.

Given our options though, it would greatly surprise me if even the most lenient of models would put it as less of a HP increase for dps loss than the flask switch, so the ranking would stay the same.

Edit: And gojant just gave the cast sequence I use.

The stoneclaw glyph is similar on the survival scale with paying off a priest to keep you in a shield as often as possible with the difference being that the priest can do that without any loss in raiddps. It does create an incredible mana and GCD burden on them but the effect is similar for you to keep it up on yourself. Keep in mind it is an additional 16% mana and 2 GCDs every 30 seconds to try and maintain continuous coverage.

I'm thinking that PW:Shield along with Elemental Warding might be the best overall options. Set up a macro to request a PW:Shield for any moments when you think you might get gibbed and bribe them with flasks, gold or sexual favors to shield you whenever you request it.

Keeping a stack of stoneclaw glyphs for fights when that priest is not present or whenever your survivability ends up being exceptionally low wouldn't be a bad back-up plan either.

Ranking for more items/enchants:
I used EP Values listed below to rank EP lost for HP/Stamina gains in order to determine the smallest loss of EP per HP gained. Item links and math shown. Some values were rounded to the tenth.

EP Values Used:
AP = 1.0
AGI = 1.7
INT = 1.6
STR = 1.1
CRIT = 1.5

Wrist Enchant
[Formula: Enchant Bracer - Major Stamina] in lieu of [Item not found!]
50 AP lost for 40 STA gain
50 EP lost for 40 STA gain ~ 44 STA with Kings
1 EP lost per 0.8 STA ~ 0.9 STA with Kings
1 EP per 8 HP ~ 9 HP with Kings

Leg Armor
[Frosthide Leg Armor]in Lieu of [Icescale Leg Armor]
75 AP + 22 Crit = 75 EP + 33 EP = 108 EP lost
55 STA + 22 AGI = 22 x 1.7 = 37 EP + 55 STA Gained
Net EP Lost = 108 – 37 = 71 EP lost
71 EP lost for 55 STA ~ 60.5 STA with Kings
1 EP lost for 0.77 STA ~ 0.85 STA with Kings
1 EP per 7.7 HP ~ 8.5 HP with Kings

STA Gem
[Solid Sky Sapphire] in Lieu of [Bright Scarlet Ruby]
32 AP lost for 24 STA gain ~ 26.4 STA with Kings
32 EP lost for 24 STA gain ~ 26.4 STA with Kings
1 EP lost per 0.75 STA ~ 0.83 STA with Kings
1 EP per 7.5 HP ~ 8.3 HP with Kings


Ring Enchant (Enchant Profession only)
Enchant Ring - Stamina in Lieu of Enchant Ring - Assault
32 AP lost for 24 STA gain ~ 26.4 STA with Kings
32 EP lost for 24 STA gain ~ 26.4 STA with Kings
1 EP lost per 0.75 STA ~ 0.83 STA with Kings
1 EP per 7.5 HP ~ 8.3 HP with Kings

Flask
[Flask of Stoneblood] in lieu of [Flask of Endless Rage]
180 AP lost for 1300 HP gain
180 EP for 1300 HP
1 EP per 7.2 HP

Boot Enchant
[Formula: Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality] in lieu of [Formula: Enchant Boots - Greater Assault]
32 AP lost for 15 STA ~ 16.5 STA with Kings
32 EP lost for 15 STA ~ 16.5 STA with Kings
1 EP for 0.47 STA ~ 0.52 STA with Kings
1 EP per 4.7 HP ~ 5.2 HP with Kings

Or in lieu of [Formula: Enchant Boots - Cat's Swiftness]
6 x 1.7 = 10 EP lost for 15 STA gained ~ 16.5 STA with Kings
1 EP for 1.5 STA gained ~ 1.65 STA with Kings
1 EP per 16.5 HP


Helm Enchant
[Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector] in lieu of [Arcanum of Torment]
50 AP + 20 Crit = 80 EP
80 EP lost for 37 STA ~ 40.7 STA with Kings
1 EP per 0.46 STA ~ 0.51 STA with Kings
1 EP per 5.1 HP

Chest Enchant
[Scroll of Enchant Chest - Super Health] in lieu of [Formula: Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats]
(10AGI x1.7)+(10INTx1.6)+(10STRx1.1) = 44 EP lost
275 HP gained (10 STA or 100 HP lost) = 175 HP gained from the switch
44 EP for 175 HP
1 EP per 4 HP


Edit:
Cat Swiftness boot enchant added
Kings added to the calculations for stamina