Shaman Weapon Imbues: Rockbiter, Flametongue, Frostbrand and Windfury

◆General Imbue Rules

All weapon imbues are instant, require a melee weapon and last 5 minutes in patch 1.12.1. A weapon can only hold one temporary enhancement at a time: a new imbue replaces the old one. So before a boss pull or at the start of a battleground fight it is worth checking how much time is left on your enchant.

Imbues are improved by the Enhancement talent Elemental Weapons. Even at rank 1 it increases the attack power bonus of Rockbiter by 7%, the Windfury effect by 13% and Flametongue and Frostbrand damage by 5%; further ranks increase the bonus. Talent distribution is covered in the enhancement shaman build.

Rockbiter Weapon

The shaman's first imbue is available from level 1 and has 7 ranks. In version 1.12.1 Rockbiter increases melee attack power and makes attacks with the enchanted weapon generate additional threat. That makes it strong for early leveling and for holding several mobs at once. Rank 1 costs only 15 mana.

Flametongue Weapon

Learned at level 10, 6 ranks. Each hit deals extra Fire damage that depends on weapon speed: the slower the weapon, the more damage per swing. Rank 1 adds 6 to 18 Fire damage per hit, the final rank at level 56 adds 37 to 112. Since patch 1.11 Flametongue damage benefits from spell damage bonuses.

Frostbrand Weapon

Learned at level 20, 5 ranks. Each hit has a chance to deal extra Frost damage and slow the target by 25% for 8 seconds. Rank 1 deals 48 damage, the final rank from level 58 deals 187. Frostbrand is especially useful against fleeing mobs and in PvP, where keeping your opponent close matters. Creatures immune to snares only take the damage.

Windfury Weapon

The core Enhancement imbue is learned at level 30 and has 4 ranks. Each hit has a 20% chance to grant extra attacks with bonus attack power: +104 at rank 1 and +333 at rank 4 from level 60. Windfury works best with a slow two-handed weapon, because every extra attack deals full weapon damage.

◆Imbue Comparison

All imbues last 5 minutes.

◆What to Use

Leveling

From level 1 to 30 Rockbiter usually remains the main choice: it is simple and does not rely on luck. Flametongue is a reasonable alternative for a slow two-handed weapon and for a shaman with a high spell damage bonus. After level 30 switch to Windfury. Routes and skill order are covered in the shaman leveling guide.

Enhancement in PvE

In dungeons and raids an Enhancement shaman keeps Windfury on the weapon. A slow two-handed weapon with high damage gets the most out of the imbue, so check your gear choices against the shaman PvE BiS list.

PvP

On the battlefield Windfury provides sharp damage spikes, while Frostbrand helps you stick to a target together with Frost Shock. The interplay of imbues and shocks is covered in the shaman shocks guide and in the shaman PvP guide.

◆Related Guides

• Complete shaman guide
• Shaman rotation
• Shaman abilities
• Shaman totems
• Shaman shocks

Want to try Windfury in practice? Register and connect to the server WoW x5 — with boosted rates you will reach level 30 and your first Windfury imbue very quickly.