Orc is the best Shaman race on the Horde in WoW Forever, Windshaper Skyborne is the easiest all-round pick, and Dwarf is the only Shaman the Alliance gets. Five races can be Shamans in Forever, and Dwarf Shaman is one of the new race and class combinations. Blood Fury boosts both Attack Power and Spell Power, so Orc fits every spec, while the Skyborne bring permanent Haste. Below, we compare all five races for Elemental, Enhancement and Restoration, for PvP and for leveling, and explain which racials actually change how a Shaman plays.
A Shaman gets the most from two kinds of racials: cooldowns that line up with Elemental Mastery and the burst windows of Enhancement, and passives that work in every spec. Healing Shamans care about Mana and cast speed, damage Shamans about crit, hit and Attack or Spell Power.
The table grades each race on a simple scale: S is the top pick, A is close behind, B gives up a little more, C brings almost nothing for that role. The gaps between the top races are a percent or two.
| Race | Faction | Key racials for a Shaman | Damage | Healing | PvP | Leveling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | Horde | Blood Fury, Hardiness | S | A | S | B |
| Windshaper Skyborne | Horde | Wind Blessed, Skysight | A | S | B | S |
| Troll | Horde | Berserking, Rapid Regeneration, Beast Slaying | B | A | B | A |
| Tauren | Horde | War Stomp, Endurance, Plainsrunning | C | B | A | S |
| Dwarf | Alliance | Artisan's Precision, Stoneform, Big Game Hunter | A | C | A | B |
Which races can play every class is shown in our WoW Forever races and classes chart.
Four Horde races can play a Shaman: Orc, Windshaper Skyborne, Troll and Tauren. Orc is the safest pick for damage and PvP, Windshaper Skyborne fits every spec, Troll suits Restoration, and Tauren brings control for PvP and leveling.
Orc is the safest Horde Shaman for every spec. Blood Fury adds 10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 seconds, and since October 27 it is back on a 2-minute cooldown. Enhancement gets the most from it, because the bonus grows with your gear, and Elemental can press it together with Elemental Mastery for its biggest burst. In PvP, Hardiness cuts every stun on you by 20%.
Windshaper Skyborne is the race that never feels wrong. Wind Blessed adds 2% Haste to every cast and swing all the time, which helps Restoration fit in more Chain Heal casts and speeds up both damage specs. Skysight adds movement speed while leveling, more if you cast it at an elemental convergence, and Windshaper Shamans earn their first totems on Zephras Isle. In PvP the race has no defensive button. It also needs the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.
Both Skyborne branches are covered in our WoW Forever Skyborne race guide.
Troll is a healer's pick. Berserking adds 10% casting speed for 15 seconds, up from 10 seconds since October 27, which helps a Chain Heal spam through a heavy damage phase. For damage it falls behind: Berserking does not stack well with the Haste cooldowns Shamans already have. Rapid Regeneration heals 50% of your Health over 6 seconds after a fight.
Tauren has no damage or healing racial since Endurance went back to 5% Health only on October 26. What it does bring is War Stomp, a 2-second stun on up to five enemies every 90 seconds, and Plainsrunning, which builds up to 60% movement speed on foot before your first mount. That makes Tauren a good leveling and PvP pick, and a sturdy choice for a Shaman tank.
The Alliance has only one Shaman race in WoW Forever, so there is no choice to make here. Below is what Dwarf brings to each spec.
Dwarf Shaman is new in Forever and the only Shaman the Alliance can play, so the question is not which race but what Dwarf brings. For Elemental and Enhancement, Artisan's Precision adds 1% hit chance, worth as much as 1% crit until you reach the hit cap. Stoneform removes and blocks bleeds, poisons and diseases and cuts Physical damage taken by 10% for 8 seconds, a strong answer to Rogues and Warriors. Big Game Hunter adds 5% damage against Beasts.
Restoration gets the least: a healer gains nothing from hit chance or from bonus damage to Beasts, and Stoneform is the only racial that helps.
How much hit a Shaman needs is explained in our WoW Forever hit cap guide.
The best race changes with your spec. This section sums up the picks, so you can go straight to your own plan.
Orc and Windshaper Skyborne lead. Blood Fury adds Spell Power to your Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning burst, and Wind Blessed speeds up every cast. Troll falls behind for Elemental, because Berserking does not add an extra cast during Elemental Mastery. On the Alliance, Dwarf gets 1% hit from Artisan's Precision.
Orc is the clear pick: Blood Fury adds 10% Attack Power, and Enhancement scales with Attack Power more than any other Shaman spec. Windshaper Skyborne is second, with more Windfury Weapon chances from extra swings. Dwarf brings 1% hit, which helps a melee Shaman far below the hit cap.
Windshaper Skyborne and Troll lead: both make Chain Heal and Healing Wave faster, one all the time and one in a 15-second window. Orc is fine, since Blood Fury also adds Spell Power. Tauren works too, but Plainsrunning drops as soon as you stop to cast.
Orc leads the Horde with Hardiness and Blood Fury, and Tauren adds a group stun with War Stomp. On the Alliance, Dwarf's Stoneform is a strong defensive button against Rogues and Warriors.
Shaman tanking is a dungeon option in Forever. Tauren and Dwarf are the sturdiest picks: Endurance adds 5% Health and War Stomp stops a loose pack, while Stoneform cuts Physical damage taken by 10%. Our WoW Forever Shaman tank guide covers the build and gear.
Windshaper Skyborne and Tauren level fastest: Skysight and Plainsrunning both cut travel time, and the Skyborne start on Zephras Isle with their first totems. Troll eats less thanks to Rapid Regeneration.
The fastest route to 60 is in our WoW Forever Shaman leveling guide.
Blizzard reworked every race in the October 15 beta build and made a final pass on October 26, with cooldown changes added on October 27. These are the changes that matter for a Shaman.
No racial changed in the class hotfixes of October 30 and 31. Every racial with exact numbers is in the tool below.
All class and racial changes are collected on our WoW Forever patch notes page.
A racial is worth the most when it lands on top of your own cooldowns. These habits make the difference.
Your first totems come from class quests: our WoW Forever Shaman totem quests guide walks through every one.
These guides cover the rest of the Shaman class and race choice for every class.
These are the questions players ask most about choosing a Shaman race.
Orc on the Horde for damage and PvP, Windshaper Skyborne as the best all-round pick, and Dwarf on the Alliance, since it is the only Alliance Shaman.
Orc, Tauren, Troll and Windshaper Skyborne on the Horde, and Dwarf on the Alliance. Dwarf Shaman is new in Forever.
Yes, but only as a Dwarf. Gnome, Human, Night Elf and High Order Skyborne cannot be Shamans.
Orc, because Blood Fury adds both Attack Power and Spell Power on a 2-minute cooldown. Windshaper Skyborne is the best pick for Restoration and leveling.
For Restoration, yes: Berserking speeds up Chain Heal for 15 seconds. For Elemental and Enhancement, Orc and Skyborne are stronger.
The quests start in different places depending on your race and starting zone, and Windshaper Skyborne earn their first totem on Zephras Isle. Every step is in our WoW Forever Shaman totem quests guide.
No. The gap between the top races is a percent or two, far less than gear, talents and how well you use your totems.
