Augmentation Evoker Beginner's Guide

This is intended to be a simple guide to the basic rotation and dynamics of the spec that gets you up and running without requiring more advanced optimization.

Information on hero talents will be coming soon, but in general know that overall they add a minor layer on top of how each spec plays, and most of what’s here should be applicable regardless.

Talent Build #

This is a simplified talent build designed to avoid complex interactions and skip unnecessary abilities. While not optimal in all cases, it should be a great way to get started learning the spec and should work reasonably well in world content, delves, dungeons, and raids. Abilities and talents not chosen in this build are not described here, and the rotation information assumes you’ll be using the build.

Augmentation is currently the game’s only support-focused spec, meaning that it will shine best when in group content and our recommended talent build is optimized for that. Since a fair amount of your power comes through buffing others, you’ll be slightly less effective than a DPS focused spec in solo content. You may want to tinker with the build to drop some of the group-focused nodes and emphasize damage in those cases.

CEcBWYnbRY1EREkP8a0IbB+ZHwMLzsNzMzYZYmZMDmxMAAAAAAAAAzgZwMzM1MmZGAAAAYYWYmxMzMwYbGAAAAAAYA

Wowhead Link

Resources #

Essence – Evoker’s primary resource. You’ll start with 6 points of essence that will regenerate over time. You’ll spend essence on eruption to deal damage and extend your ebon might. Your filler spells will also occasionally grant essence burst, which removes the Essence cost from your next Eruption.

Mana – Augmentation Evokers have a mana bar, but practically never need to think about it.

Empowered Spells #

All Evokers have access to Empowered spells. For Augmentation this includes fire breath and upheaval. These spells can be “charged up” by holding their key, then activated at four different levels of power. These charging levels often involve tradeoffs rather than just getting stronger, so you’ll need to consider the best level to target based on the situation. You can also use tip the scales if you want to quickly cast an empowered spell at its maximum level.

Support Abilities #

ebon might – Short cast to apply a significant buff to 4 nearby allies primary stat for 10s. 30s cooldown. Casts of your essence spender eruption, or your two empowered spells living flame and upheaval will extend Ebon Might on anyone it’s active on. This is the center of Augmentation’s rotation, most of your gameplay will involve trying to keep this active as much as possible.

• Note that you don’t need to select a target for Ebon Might, it’ll automatically affect your whole party in dungeons, or automatically target 4 nearby DPS allies in a raid

prescience – Apply a buff that increases an ally’s crit for 18s. 2 charges with a 12s cooldown. With fate mirror it will also occasionally duplicate some of their damage done. You’ll want to keep this active as much as possible, and ideally prioritize your highest-dps allies.

• Like Ebon Might Prescience has smart targeting behavior, you can either select an ally, or let it automatically apply to a nearby DPS ally

breath of eons – 2m cooldown. Fly to the targeted location and place a 10s debuff on all enemies in your path. This debuff will accumulate damage done by anyone with ebon might, then re-deal the accumulated damage when the debuff expires. Also applies or extends 5s of ebon might. Try to use this on long-lived enemies that are about to take substantial damage from your group.

blistering scales – Grant 15 stacks of an armor buff to an ally. As they take melee attacks the stacks explode dealing damage to nearby enemies. 30s cooldown. This should be active at all times on yourself when solo or your tank in a group.

• Also has smart targeting in that it will affect your enemy’s target (IE your tank)

Damage Abilities #

eruption – Spend essence to deal moderate damage to the target and nearby enemies. Will also extend the duration of ebon might when used. Can have its essence cost removed via essence burst. You’ll want to cast as many of these as possible while Ebon Might is active to maximize its duration.

upheaval – 40s cooldown. Empowered spell that does significant damage to the target and surrounding enemies. Affects a larger area with more empower levels. Extends ebon might when used. A good candidate for tip the scales if you have spread out targets you’re trying to hit.

fire breath – 30s cooldown. Empowered spell that does initial damage and applies a damage-over-time effect in a cone in front of you. Starts out with most of the damage done over time, but front-loads more into the initial damage as the empower level increases. Unless you’re in a situation where you urgently need large, quick AoE damage you’ll usually just use level 1. Extends ebon might when used.

living flame – Can be used as either a healing or a damage ability. See the utility section for the healing aspect of the spell. Damage-wise it’s a short cast to deal moderate damage to the target. More importantly it can grant essence burst. Used as filler when fighting a single target.

azure strike – The AoE counterpart to Living Flame. It does minor instant damage to the target and two nearby enemies. It has a chance to grant essence burst, and you’ll use it as filler in AoE to do so.

Effects #

These are some of the more notable effects, interactions, and passive talents that you should be aware of. It’s not covering effects (even if they’re very strong) that provide flat bonuses or that don’t require much thought to use, and it only includes those used in our recommended build.

mastery: timewalker – Augmentation’s Mastery will grant Versatility to nearby allies when you use an empowered spell, as well as increase the duration of your various buffs like ebon might and prescience. With more Mastery points the amount of Versatility granted and the degree of the duration bonus are both increased.

sense power – Technically an ability rather than an effect, toggling this on will display an indicator on your party frames when allies are using their major cooldowns, helping you know who to buff up and when.

nourishing sands – When you kill an enemy the cooldown on emerald blossom is reset. This is helpful to top-off yourself or your group after a battle ends.

Rotation Overview #

This is an overview of the core rotation. It’s not a strict priority order but rather an outline of how the different abilities interact and are used. It assumes you’re using the recommended talent build above.

• Keep prescience active on your two strongest allies (or yourself if solo)
• Keep blistering scales active on your tank (or yourself if solo)
• Apply and extend ebon might
  • Have both fire breath and upheaval available
  • Cast ebon might
  • Immediately cast both empowered spells
  • Cast as many eruption as you can
  • Use living flame in single target and azure strike in AoE to gain essence burst
  • Spend essence and essence burst on eruption, trying to fit as many in as possible before Ebon Might expires
• On enemies expected to live for a while
  • Use the above rotation including activating Ebon Might, but add breath of eons

Defensives #

obsidian scales - Reduces damage to yourself by 30% for 12s. 2 charges with a 1.5m cooldown. Use this actively anytime you’re taking damage or expecting to take damage soon.

Crowd Control #

quell - Ranged interrupt on a 40s cooldown.

tail swipe - Knocks upward and interrupts enemies in a short area around you. 1.5m cooldown.

wing buffet – Knocks away and interrupts enemies in front of you. 1.5m cooldown.

Mobility #

hover - Launch forward and hover with increased movement speed for 10s. While active you can cast (non-empowered) spells while moving. 2 charges with a 35s cooldown. With the short cooldown and two charges you can have this active a lot of the time, so don’t hesitate to use it to speed up movement and keep up with healing while on the go.

Buffs #

source of magic – Apply a buff to a friendly healer that restores some of their mana when you use empowered spells. With potent mana also buffs their healing and damage. Keep this active on a healer at all times if in a group.

draconic attunements – Gives you access to two aura-style buffs that affect yourself and nearby allies. black attunement provides a health increase and bronze attunement gives a movement speed bonus. You can swap between them whenever needed. With aspect's favor using hover will activate and briefly amplify the buff from Bronze Attunement, and obsidian scales will do the same for Black Attunement. This ensures you have the appropriate buff active if you need urgent movement or defense.

Utility #

living flame – Can be used as either a healing or a damage ability. See the damage abilities section for that aspect of the spell. Healing-wise it’s a short cast to do minor healing to the target. Occasionally useful if you need to do emergency off-healing, or to heal yourself while solo.

emerald blossom – Minor AoE healing around the target after a short delay. 30s cooldown. Another emergency off-heal option, or an aid to living flame for self-healing.

blessing of the bronze – Group buff that reduces the cooldown on everyone’s primary movement abilities by 15%. Keep this active on yourself and your group at all times in all content.

cauterizing flame – Removes all bleed, poison, curse, and disease effects from the target and does minor healing. 1m cooldown. This is a powerful way to clear some difficult-to-remove effects so look for opportunities to use it.

fury of the aspects – Bloodlust-alike.

renewing blaze – Heals back all damage taken for 8s but spread out over the duration. This means that damage sufficient to kill you outright won’t be stopped, but otherwise a very powerful self-heal on a 1.5m cooldown.

return – Out-of-combat single-target resurrect.

glide – Use your jump key while midair to slow your fall and glide forward. Limited combat utility but wonderful for getting around the world and effectively lets you avoid all fall damage.

Quality of Life #

soar – Lets you act as your own skyriding mount. Same 1.5s cast as mounting up and works identically once you’re in the air, so this is really just an aesthetic/flavor ability.

visage – Toggle between your dragon and human forms. While in human form you get a boost to out-of-combat health regeneration. Enabling chosen identity will automatically swap you to human form when you leave combat, which you’ll want to do for the health recovery bonus.