The Shaman in WoW Forever is still the master of totems, but setting them up no longer eats half the fight. Persistent totems last 5 minutes, Call of the Elements drops four at once from level 20, and Totemic Projection moves them all when the fight moves. Weapon imbues last an hour and stack with sharpening stones and oils, and several group totems now buff the whole raid.
Each spec also got new spells from later expansions. Elemental gets Lava Burst and Lightning Overload, Enhancement mixes melee and spells through Maelstrom Weapon and an 8-second Stormstrike, and Restoration gets Water Shield and Riptide. Shamans still lack reliable crowd control, and on the Alliance side only Dwarves can take the class.
This guide sums up every Shaman change, lists the spells you learn at each level, explains totems and weapon imbues, compares Elemental, Enhancement and Restoration and helps you pick a race before the November 4 launch.
Blizzard's Shaman work makes the class's iconic tools respond faster in combat. The changes fall into three groups: totem management, weapon imbues and group buffs, and faster lightning casts.
Totems got the biggest overhaul of any class mechanic in Forever:
| Change | Level | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Faster, longer totems | All | Totems have a 1-second global cooldown, and persistent buff totems last 5 minutes instead of 2 |
| Totem tracking bar | All | Shows active totems and their timers; right-click to dismiss one |
| Call of the Elements | 20 | Summons a saved set of 4 totems, one per element, in a single 3-second cast |
| Totemic Recall | 20 | Destroys all your totems and refunds 25% of their mana |
| Totemic Projection | 22 | Teleports all your totems up to 30 yards away, 1-minute cooldown |
| Call of the Ancestors and Call of the Spirits | 30 and 40 | Unlock a second and third saved totem set |
Fire Nova Totem is gone. In its place, the new Fire Nova spell erupts at your active Fire totem every time you cast it, so you can drop a Searing Totem or Magma Totem once and keep using Fire Nova around it.
Lightning Bolt from rank 4 casts in 2.5 seconds instead of 3, and Chain Lightning in 2 seconds instead of 2.5, with their spell power scaling lowered to match. Faster casts mean less time standing still, which matters a lot while leveling.
The October 15 beta build rebuilt the Elemental tree and brought back Elemental Mastery as the capstone with a new effect. Grace of Air Totem, Strength of Earth Totem, Windfury Totem and Flametongue Totem now reach the whole raid, so one Shaman covers all of it. Fire Nova lost damage and mana cost, Chain Lightning became about 35% cheaper, and Water Shield now also triggers from damage crits.
We compare every talent in all three trees with its Classic version in our WoW Forever Shaman talents guide.
A Shaman learns new spells from the class trainer every two levels and earns a totem of each element through class quests: Earth at 4, Fire at 10, Water at 20 and Air at 30. Shamans wear leather until level 40 and mail after that, and talent points start at level 10, one per level, for 51 points at 60. Dual Specialization opens at level 40.
The table lists the level at which you learn the first rank of each spell. Lightning Bolt, Healing Wave, shocks and most totems get new ranks every few levels.
Talents add the rest of the toolkit. The key talented spells are Earthbound, Lava Burst and Elemental Mastery for Elemental, Stormstrike and Rage of the Farseer for Enhancement, and Water Shield, Nature's Swiftness, Mana Tide Totem and Riptide for Restoration.
Our WoW Forever Shaman leveling guide shows which of these spells to use at each stage from 1 to 60.
Totems and weapon imbues are what every Shaman brings to a group, whatever the spec. You can have one totem of each element active at a time, and one imbue on each weapon.
The totems you will use most, sorted by element:
| Element | Key Totems | Main Use |
|---|---|---|
| Earth | Strength of Earth Totem, Stoneskin Totem, Tremor Totem, Earthbind Totem | Strength for melee, Fear removal, slowing enemies |
| Fire | Searing Totem, Magma Totem, Flametongue Totem, Frost Resistance Totem | Damage, the anchor for Fire Nova, group buff |
| Water | Mana Spring Totem, Healing Stream Totem, Poison Cleansing Totem, Fire Resistance Totem | Mana and healing for the group, cleansing |
| Air | Windfury Totem, Grace of Air Totem, Grounding Totem, Nature Resistance Totem | Melee buffs, absorbing a hostile spell |
Totem twisting, where Classic Shamans recast Windfury Totem and Grace of Air Totem back and forth, is no longer needed: both now work at once and reach the whole raid. Windfury Totem and Flametongue Totem still exclude each other.
Save your usual set with Call of the Elements, for example one set for dungeons and one for solo play, and drop all four with one cast. When the group moves, Totemic Projection moves them with you, and Totemic Recall gives back part of the mana when you leave.
All four imbues now last 60 minutes, so you apply them once per session rather than every few pulls, and they stack with sharpening stones, weightstones and wizard oils.
Our WoW Forever Shaman weapon quest guide covers the Shaman weapon quest step by step.
Shamans keep three talent trees, each with a new 16-point gold medal talent. Elemental casts lightning and fire from range, Enhancement fights in melee and weaves in instant spells, and Restoration heals with chain heals and new tools from later expansions.
| Spec | Role | Key New Talents | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental | Ranged caster DPS | Lightning Overload, Earthbound, Lava Burst | Burst with Elemental Mastery, totem utility | Mana use, little crowd control |
| Enhancement | Melee DPS with spells | Mental Dexterity, Maelstrom Weapon, Rage of the Farseer | Very strong leveling, can off-tank, raid buffs | Needs both Strength and Intellect gear |
| Restoration | Healer | Water Shield, Mindfulness, Riptide | Strong tank healing with Riptide and Chain Heal | Must manage totems while healing |
Elemental lost the old Elemental Mastery crit button early in the beta, and the October 15 build brought it back as the capstone with a new effect: for 15 seconds Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst cast faster and Chain Lightning has no cooldown. Below it, Lava Burst hits 20% harder on targets with your Flame Shock, Lightning Overload can repeat a lightning spell for half damage at no cost, and Elemental Alacrity moved high in the tree so leveling Shamans get faster casts early. Earthbound makes Earthbind Totem root nearby enemies for 5 seconds.
Enhancement now turns Intellect into power: Mental Dexterity gives Attack Power equal to up to 100% of your Intellect and Mental Quickness adds spell power. Stormstrike moved to 16 points with an 8-second cooldown and boosts your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock, and Maelstrom Weapon makes Lightning Bolt instant and free at 5 stacks. The 31-point Rage of the Farseer is a personal cooldown with 30% attack and casting speed for 25 seconds, and Spirit Weapons with Rockbiter Weapon lets Enhancement tank in small groups.
Restoration gets a mana engine in Water Shield, whose globes restore mana when you are hit or land a crit, and Mindfulness lets your Spirit regeneration continue while casting. Mana Tide Totem moved down to 16 points, Healing Way now simply adds Healing Wave healing, and the 31-point Riptide heals instantly and over 15 seconds and makes your next Chain Heal on that target 25% stronger.
Our WoW Forever Shaman tier set guide lists the raid set bonuses along with the crafted pieces.
Five races can be Shamans in Forever: Orc, Tauren, Troll and Windshaper Skyborne for the Horde, and Dwarf for the Alliance. Dwarf Shaman is the only Alliance option, so Alliance players who want the class have one choice.
| Race | Faction | Key Racials for a Shaman | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | Horde | Blood Fury: +10% Attack Power and spell power; Hardiness: shorter stuns | Enhancement and Elemental |
| Troll | Horde | Berserking: +10% attack and casting speed; Beast Slaying: +5% vs Beasts | Restoration and Elemental |
| Tauren | Horde | War Stomp: AoE stun; Endurance: +5% health and +2% crit healing | PvP and Restoration |
| Windshaper Skyborne | Horde | Wind Blessed: +3% Haste; Elemental Insight: +5% vs Elementals | Elemental and Restoration |
| Dwarf | Alliance | Stoneform: removes poisons and bleeds; Earth Fury: +2% crit damage and healing | Every Alliance Shaman |
Orc is the damage pick because Blood Fury boosts both Attack Power and spell power, which suits Enhancement's mixed scaling. Troll and Windshaper Skyborne bring Haste for healers and casters, and Tauren is the PvP and survival choice.
Our WoW Forever race tier list ranks every race for every class, and our WoW Forever Skyborne race guide covers the new race in full.
These are the questions players ask most about the Shaman before launch.
Yes. Shamans can heal, deal ranged damage or fight in melee, and Forever removes most of the totem busywork with 5-minute totems, Call of the Elements and Totemic Projection. The main weakness is the lack of reliable crowd control.
Yes, but only as a Dwarf. Horde Shamans can be Orc, Tauren, Troll or Windshaper Skyborne.
Yes. From level 20, Call of the Elements summons a saved set of four totems in one 3-second cast, and two more sets unlock at 30 and 40.
No. Windfury Totem and Grace of Air Totem now work at the same time and reach the whole raid, so there is no reason to swap them back and forth.
Yes. Lava Burst is the 21-point Elemental talent. It deals 20% more damage to targets with your Flame Shock but does not guarantee a crit.
Enhancement. Stormstrike at 16 points and instant Lightning Bolt casts from Maelstrom Weapon kill quickly, and you can still heal yourself between pulls.
In small groups, yes. Spirit Weapons raises your threat while Rockbiter Weapon is active, and Improved Stormstrike can reset Stormstrike on a dodge or parry. Blizzard describes it as a temporary tank rather than a raid tank.
These guides take your Shaman from the first level to the first raid:
