Shaman overview
The shaman calls on the elements through totems and shocks. It can heal, cast lightning from range or fight in melee, and its totems make the whole group stronger.
At a glance
| Roles | Healer, ranged magic damage, melee damage |
| Resource | Mana |
| Armor | Leather, mail from level 40 |
| Difficulty | Medium, many buttons |
| Talent calculator | Shaman talents |
Who can be a shaman
The Forever client lists Orc, Tauren and Troll for the Horde, Windshaper Skyborne, and Dwarf for the Alliance. Dwarf shamans are new: in the original game the class was Horde only.
How the class plays
Totems are placed on the ground and give buffs or effects to everyone nearby: more strength or agility, mana regeneration, protection from fire or frost, a slowing field. You can have one totem of each element at a time. Shocks are instant spells that share a cooldown. Add a weapon enchant, a lightning bolt and a heal, and you have the shaman’s toolkit: flexible, but with a lot to keep track of.
Talent trees
Elemental is the spell damage tree. It ends in 
Lightning Mastery, which in Forever makes Lightning Bolt faster and removes the cooldown from Chain Lightning, with 
Elemental Alacrity speeding up both spells one tier below.
Enhancement is the melee tree and the usual leveling choice. Its top talent is 
Stormstrike, a weapon strike that boosts your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock on the target, with 
Weapon Mastery for more damage with every weapon.
Restoration is the healing tree. It ends in 
Mana Tide Totem, which restores mana to the whole group, with 
Purification for stronger heals.
Leveling
Level as Enhancement with a slow two-handed weapon and a weapon enchant. Drop a strength totem in longer fights, use shocks to finish or interrupt, and heal yourself between pulls. Shamans need quests to unlock their first totems, so do your class quests as soon as they appear.
In a group
Groups usually want a Restoration shaman. Pick totems for the group, not for yourself: casters want mana regeneration, melee wants strength or agility, and the tank may need fire or frost protection. Chain Heal is your best spell when several people take damage at once.
Strengths and weaknesses
- Strong: very flexible, heals itself, totems help the whole group, strong burst with shocks.
- Weak: totems take time and mana in short fights, many class quests, gear spread over three stats.
Races and talents come from the Forever client files (build 1.60.1.70790); play advice follows the original game and will be checked against Forever’s changes.