Lightning Bolt


 * Shamans know that lightning can strike twice in the same place.

Lightning Bolt is a Nature-based direct damage spell. It is the only spammable damage spell for the Shaman and one of the primary damage spells for elemental Shamans.

Improvements

 * Convection reduces the mana cost of Lightning Bolt.


 * Concussion increases its base damage, while Stormstrike increases the damage of the 2 next nature spells after it by 20%.


 * Elemental Focus talent would give you the Clearcasting state after landing a critical strike with a Fire, Frost, or Nature damage spell, that reduces the mana cost of your next 2 damage spells by 40%.


 * Elemental Fury increases your critical strike damage bonus.


 * Eye of the Storm reduces pushback suffered from receiving damage while casting by 23, 46 and 70%.


 * Elemental Reach increase your Lightning Bolt range.


 * Call of Thunder, Thundering Strikes and Tidal Mastery each increases your base spell critical strike chance, while Elemental Mastery gives you a 20% increased critical strike chance and 20% lower mana cost for 30 seconds.


 * Elemental Oath increases your spell critical strike chance by 5% for 15 seconds after hitting with a spell critical strike.


 * Mental Quickness increases your spell power by an amount based on your attack power.


 * Elemental Precision increases your chance to hit with spells while reducing your spells' threat.


 * Lightning Mastery, Maelstrom Weapon and Nature's Swiftness each reduces its cast time.


 * Lightning Overload gives your Lightning Bolt spell chance to cast a second, half damage spell of the same type at no additional mana cost and with no threat of its own.


 * increases damage by 4%


 * Shamanism increases damage gained from Spell Power.

Tips and tactics

 * This is a good spell to start the fight and pull enemies until level 75 when you can learn Lava Burst. Untalented and used against a foe with no speed boosting abilities at max range, you can cast 3 Lightning Bolts in the span of time it takes for a mob to reach you. You can even cast a shock just as the 3rd Lightning Bolt finishes casting to max out damage against a pulled, incoming mob.
 * It is also more likely to use during combat because of its 2.5 second casting time as opposed to other classes' similar function spells (Shadowbolt, Fireball), and is fairly mana-efficient.

Past changes

 * In Patch 2.3, cast time reduced to 2.5 (from 3.0 where applicable), mana costs reduced, benefit from spell damage have been modified to maintain the DPS of the the previous, longer casting time.