Useful Macros

Another great feature of the Blizzard UI is the ability to create personalized macros. The macro language is surprisingly powerful, allowing you to go from something as simple as an often-repeated emote to complex, "smart" macros that will cast a different spell based on your selected target. (Note: It is no longer possible to base your macros upon your or your target's health or buff/debuff status.)

Blizzard has created a basic macro primer for those unfamiliar with how to set up or create a macro. I'll assume for now that you're familiar with the basics and suggest several useful macros (mostly shaman-specific, but a few general ones as well).

Summon Mount/Ghost Wolf
This macro does a variety of things: If not in combat, it will summon the appropriate mount, or cast Ghost Wolf if you right-click the button. In combat, it will cast Ghost Wolf. If mounted, or already in Ghost Wolf form, it will cancel it. (I use the question mark icon so that the correct icon will display depending upon the situation.)

#show
/cast [stance:1] Ghost Wolf; [combat,nomounted] Ghost Wolf; [button:2] Ghost Wolf; [flyable] Red Riding Nether Ray; [nomounted] Reins of the Silver War Talbuk
/dismount [mounted]

Healing
If you use raid frames, the use of [target=mouseover] can be a huge timesaver, allowing you to hover over the frames and use your keyboard to begin casting spells. If your mouse is not over a friendly player, it will instead cast on your target (if friendly), or your target's target (if an enemy is selected). I include /equip to ensure that I have the optimal gear equipped (my Lightning Bolt macro equips items with more +spell damage and the Totem of the Void).

/cast [target=mouseover,help] [help] [target=targettarget,help] Chain Heal
/equip Shard of the Virtuous
/equip Triptych Shield
/equip Totem of Healing Rains

I have separate macros for Chain Heal, Healing Wave (Ranks 1, 8 and 12), and Lesser Healing Wave, each with the appropriate totem.

Nature's Swiftness/Heal
It's very helpful to have NS linked to the appropriate spell so that you can simply spam the correct key until it goes off. I include /stopcasting initially to make certain I don't have to wait for a longer spell to go off and [combat] to make sure I'm not "wasting" NS when not in combat. The second /stopcasting is technically not necessary, but I've found that not including it usually requires pressing the key twice to cast the second spell.

#showtooltip Nature's Swiftness
/stopcasting
/cast [combat] Nature's Swiftness
/stopcasting
/cast [target=mouseover,help] [help] [target=targettarget,help] Healing Wave

Nature's Swiftness/Chain Lightning
Similar to the macro above, only I make sure I have a live enemy targetted by including [harm,nodead].

/cast [combat,harm,nodead] Nature's Swiftness
/stopcasting
/cast [harm,nodead] Chain Lightning

Earth Shield
I use the focus frame for this macro to "mark" the MT. This macro will cast the spell on my focus, my target if no focus is set (and the target is friendly), or myself if neither is true.

/cast [target=focus,help] [target=target,help] [target=player] Earth Shield

Earth Shock
Stops whatever you're casting and casts Earth Shock instead, assuming you have an enemy targetted.

/stopmacro [noharm]
/stopcasting
/cast Earth Shock(Rank 1)