Originally designed to be the Horde counterpart to the paladin class, Shaman characters command a powerful mix of damage-dealing spells, healing and resurrection abilities, and totem-based stationary buffs. The shaman class is ideal for someone who plays both solo and group play, and who demands versatility without sacrificing effectiveness.

On the Alliance side, only the Draenei may select the shaman class. For the Horde, this class is available to Tauren, Orcs, and Trolls.

Customizing your shaman

Investing talent points into a druid has considerable impact on the type of character they are, arguably more so than with other classes.

• Elemental skills create spell-based DPS shamans.
• Enhancement points are necessary for a melee-based shaman. This tree is an especially good choice for low-level shamans.
• Restoration promotes the healing ability of your shaman, but limits the damage that the shaman's spells deal.

Because of the versatility of the shaman class, it may be advisable to choose one tree to primarily invest in, rather than evenly breaking your points among two. For melee-based shaman, remember that your shaman is limited to leather (and later, mail) armor, meaning that you'll need to be careful with how you approach melee combat and how you manage the threat generated. This holds true for the other specifications, too, but is especially relevant for the melee shaman because they must be close to the enemy to deal significant damage.

Shaman are good support characters

If you're interested in creating a hybrid shaman, keep in mind that it may be especially beneficial for a group that already has those primary roles fulfilled. For example, if a priest is already the primary healer, than a shaman would make an effective off-healer who has slightly more time and mana available to target specific characters and engage in some amount of crowd control. After all, the primary healing role doesn't leave much attention bandwidth for scheming against your enemies!

Choosing gear

One clear benefit of the shaman class, thanks to its versatility, is apparent by the wide amount of gear that can benefit your shaman. For example, gear that benefits both melee effectiveness as well as spell critical rating can be a suitable choice, whereas other classes might not be able to use one of the two benefits.

More shaman resources

To learn more about various aspects of shaman characters, check out the following links.

• WoW Wiki Shaman Guide
• Guide to Shaman Tactics
• Totem Talk (a shaman blog)