Spells /Chain Lightning

Spell · Shaman · Elemental Combat · Nature · Ranks 1-4 buffed how we call it

Chain Lightning

Chain Lightning, a Shaman Elemental Combat ability, was buffed in WoW Forever: Rank 4 cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 605 Mana to 315 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 493 to 551 in Classic Era, 123 in Forever (a 116 to 130 roll). 4 of 4 ranks differ from Classic Era. Rank 4: 315 Mana, 30 yd range, 2 sec cast, 6 sec cooldown, requires level 56. Pick any rank to compare its tooltip with Classic Era.

Spell · Nature · Rank 1 changed

Chain Lightning (Rank 1) tooltip: Classic Era vs WoW Forever

The same tooltip players see in-game, side by side, with each changed line marked.

Change rank

of 4

Classic Era Sep 29, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 1 · Nature school

280 Mana · 30 yd range · 2.5 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 32

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 191 to 217 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

Forever Oct 22, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 1 · Nature school

145 Mana · 30 yd range · 2 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 32

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 88 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

changed value added in Forever removed in Forever

Raw field diff every changed column

Field	Classic Era	Forever
castTimeMs	2500	2000
castingTimeIndex	19	5
effects	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 190, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "dieSides": 27, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 1.9, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0 } ]	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 88, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 0.6, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0.127451 } ]
powerCost	280	145

See every changed record in the Oct 22, 2026 build →

Spell · Nature · Rank 2 changed

Chain Lightning (Rank 2) tooltip: Classic Era vs WoW Forever

The same tooltip players see in-game, side by side, with each changed line marked.

Change rank

of 4

Classic Era Sep 29, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 2 · Nature school

380 Mana · 30 yd range · 2.5 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 40

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 277 to 311 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

Forever Oct 22, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 2 · Nature school

200 Mana · 30 yd range · 2 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 40

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 100 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

changed value added in Forever removed in Forever

Raw field diff every changed column

Field	Classic Era	Forever
castTimeMs	2500	2000
castingTimeIndex	19	5
effects	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 276, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "dieSides": 35, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 2.3, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0 } ]	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 100, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 0.6, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0.1156463 } ]
powerCost	380	200

See every changed record in the Oct 22, 2026 build →

Spell · Nature · Rank 3 changed

Chain Lightning (Rank 3) tooltip: Classic Era vs WoW Forever

The same tooltip players see in-game, side by side, with each changed line marked.

Change rank

of 4

Classic Era Sep 29, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 3 · Nature school

490 Mana · 30 yd range · 2.5 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 48

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 378 to 424 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

Forever Oct 22, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 3 · Nature school

250 Mana · 30 yd range · 2 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 48

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 112 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

changed value added in Forever removed in Forever

Raw field diff every changed column

Field	Classic Era	Forever
castTimeMs	2500	2000
castingTimeIndex	19	5
effects	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 377, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "dieSides": 47, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 2.7, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0 } ]	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 112, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 0.7, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0.1147132 } ]
powerCost	490	250

See every changed record in the Oct 22, 2026 build →

Spell · Nature · Rank 4 changed

Chain Lightning (Rank 4) tooltip: Classic Era vs WoW Forever

The same tooltip players see in-game, side by side, with each changed line marked.

Change rank

of 4

Classic Era Sep 29, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 4 · Nature school

605 Mana · 30 yd range · 2.5 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 56

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 493 to 551 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

Forever Oct 22, 2026

Chain Lightning

Rank 4 · Nature school

315 Mana · 30 yd range · 2 sec cast · 6 sec cooldown

Requires level 56

Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 123 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets.

changed value added in Forever removed in Forever

Raw field diff every changed column

Field	Classic Era	Forever
castTimeMs	2500	2000
castingTimeIndex	19	5
effects	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 492, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "dieSides": 59, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 3.1, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0 } ]	[ { "amplitude": 0, "aura": 0, "auraPeriod": 0, "basePoints": 123, "chainAmplitude": 0.7, "chainTargets": 3, "effect": 2, "index": 0, "miscValue": [ 0, 0 ], "pointsPerResource": 0, "realPointsPerLevel": 0.8, "triggerSpell": 0, "variance": 0.1111111 } ]
powerCost	605	315

See every changed record in the Oct 22, 2026 build →

What changed for Chain Lightning in WoW Forever

Rank 1 changed cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 280 Mana to 145 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 191 to 217 in Classic Era, 88 in Forever (a 82 to 94 roll)
Rank 2 changed cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 380 Mana to 200 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 277 to 311 in Classic Era, 100 in Forever (a 94 to 106 roll)
Rank 3 changed cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 490 Mana to 250 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 378 to 424 in Classic Era, 112 in Forever (a 106 to 118 roll)
Rank 4 changed cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 605 Mana to 315 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 493 to 551 in Classic Era, 123 in Forever (a 116 to 130 roll)

Chain Lightning changes between Forever builds

In the Oct 16, 2026 (70425) build (vs Oct 14, 2026)
- Rank 1 buffed cost reduced from 225 Mana to 145 Mana
- Rank 2 buffed cost reduced from 305 Mana to 200 Mana
- Rank 3 buffed cost reduced from 390 Mana to 250 Mana
- Rank 4 buffed cost reduced from 485 Mana to 315 Mana

Differs from Classic Era in every Forever build since Sep 16, 2026

Other client rows with this name and rank

The client ships more than one row for some ranks of Chain Lightning (an internal or triggered twin sharing the name and rank). The row with the in-game description is shown above; the others keep their own page.

Related to Chain Lightning

Talents that affect Chain Lightning

Items with Chain Lightning

Questions about Chain Lightning

Was Chain Lightning nerfed in WoW Forever?

No. Chain Lightning was buffed in WoW Forever compared with Classic Era. Rank 4: Nature damage 493 to 551 in Classic Era, 123 in Forever (a 116 to 130 roll).

What changed for Chain Lightning in WoW Forever?

Rank 1: cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 280 Mana to 145 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 191 to 217 in Classic Era, 88 in Forever (a 82 to 94 roll). Rank 2: cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 380 Mana to 200 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 277 to 311 in Classic Era, 100 in Forever (a 94 to 106 roll). Rank 3: cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 490 Mana to 250 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 378 to 424 in Classic Era, 112 in Forever (a 106 to 118 roll). Rank 4: cast time reduced from 2.5 sec to 2 sec, cost reduced from 605 Mana to 315 Mana, not graded: Nature damage 493 to 551 in Classic Era, 123 in Forever (a 116 to 130 roll). Each rank's Classic Era and WoW Forever tooltips are shown side by side on this page.

Which class gets Chain Lightning in WoW Forever?

Chain Lightning is a Shaman ability in WoW Forever, in the Elemental Combat spellbook tab.

Read from the Oct 22, 2026 build (1.60.1.70532), compared against Classic Era Sep 29, 2026 (1.15.9.70003) ·synced Oct 22, 2026 · how we read this → · report a wrong value