WoW Forever Shaman Tank Guide

Shaman can tank in WoW Forever, and on the beta it often held threat better than any other tank in the group. There is no tank spec and no taunt. What Forever gives you instead is a set of Enhancement talents built around one weapon imbue: Rockbiter Weapon plus Spirit Weapons adds 30% to all your threat, Improved Stormstrike turns every dodge and parry into another Stormstrike, and Fire Nova hits every enemy around your Fire totem. Blizzard calls this a "temporary tank in small group gameplay", so it is a dungeon role first, and testers who took it through the level 30 beta agree.

This guide is based on the beta build of October 15, which cut Fire Nova damage hard and moved several Restoration talents players use for tanking, and on the October 26 racial changes. Below you will find which builds still work after that patch, with the talents in a calculator you can edit, the pull and rotation for single targets and packs, the totems to drop, the stats and gear to look for, the best race, and how far a Shaman tank can go in dungeons and raids.

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Can Shaman Tank in WoW Forever?

Yes, in dungeons. Blizzard reworked the Enhancement tree so the spec deals competitive damage, and to keep that damage from pulling aggro off the real tank, Spirit Weapons lowers your threat by 30% when Rockbiter Weapon is off. Put Rockbiter on and the same talent raises all your threat by 30% instead. In its class preview Blizzard said this keeps the Shaman's "unique ability to generate high threat and serve as a temporary tank in small group gameplay". A Blizzard designer also said a full Shaman tank is "not quite yet, but never say never".

In practice that means three things. You hold threat very well, because every melee hit with Rockbiter carries bonus threat and the 30% from Spirit Weapons covers everything you do, including Fire Nova and Lightning Shield. You avoid a lot of hits through dodge from Anticipation and Agility plus parry from Spirit Weapons. And you have nothing to fall back on when a pull goes wrong: no taunt, no defensive cooldown and less armor than a Warrior or a Bear.

The table sums up what the Shaman tank brings and what it lacks on the beta.

How Shaman Compares to Warrior, Paladin and Druid Tanks

Warrior, Paladin and Druid have full tank toolkits in Forever, and the outside rankings reflect that. For raid bosses our tier list puts Protection Warrior on top, Feral Druid and Protection Paladin in A tier and Enhancement Shaman in B tier. Community tier lists place it last of the four, usually with a note that it is fine for dungeons and risky for harder content.

That ranking hides how well it plays at levels 20 to 30. Testers pulled several packs at once in Wailing Caverns and Razorfen Kraul, and some Hunters on the beta said a Shaman was the only tank that kept aggro off them. The gap opens on single target bosses that hit hard, where a Warrior has Shield Wall and a taunt and you have only your health pool.

Our WoW Forever tier list ranks every tank and damage spec for PvE and PvP.

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Shaman Tank Talents

The tank talents sit mostly in Enhancement, with a small Restoration package for hit and mana. The October 15 build moved Tidal Focus to the first row of Restoration, so 5 points there now give 5% hit with both spells and melee before you spend anything in Enhancement. Since the same build cut Fire Nova damage, the builds that spent many points on Fire Nova lost ground to deep Enhancement.

These are the talents every Shaman tank build is built around.

Best Level 60 Build: Deep Enhancement 0/40/11

This is the build most testers moved to after the October 15 patch. It takes every tank talent in Enhancement, all the way to Rage of the Farseer, and spends 11 points in Restoration on hit, mana and health. It does not depend on Fire Nova, so the nerf barely touches it, and it is the easiest build to play for a new tank.

A few choices in this build matter more than the rest.

• Tidal Focus 5/5 and Mindfulness 3/3. Tidal Focus covers the 5% hit that keeps trash from dodging your attacks and resisting your shocks. Mindfulness is the main mana fix: with it and the Improved Stormstrike buff you keep most of your regeneration in combat.
• Improved Reincarnation and Water Shield. 4% health and a shield that returns mana every time you are hit. You keep Lightning Shield for packs where threat is tight and switch to Water Shield when mana drops.
• Flurry 5/5. Rockbiter threat comes with every melee hit, so 25% attack speed after a crit is also 25% more threat for three swings.
• Rage of the Farseer. 30% attack speed for 25 seconds on a 3-minute cooldown. Use it on the pull of a big pack or a boss to lock in threat.

Battlemage Build: 18/25/8 for AoE Pulls

Battlemage spends 18 points in Elemental on Fire Nova and mana: Convection, Call of Flame, Trial by Fire and Elemental Warding. Trial by Fire takes the Fire Nova cooldown from 10 to 6 seconds, and Earthbound makes Earthbind Totem root the pack for 5 seconds when you drop it. It is the build for big pulls with a spell power weapon, and it was the strongest one before the October 15 nerf. It still works, but it gives up Flurry, Toughness 5/5 and Rage of the Farseer.

Level 30 Dungeon Build

The beta stops at level 30, and this is the build most players tanked it with: 21 points in Enhancement, ending in Spirit Weapons at level 30. Improved Ghost Wolf at level 20 is the biggest single upgrade along the way, because it lets you run between packs and pick up runners inside dungeons.

Talent Order While Leveling

If you want to tank while you level, there are two ways to spend the first points. The Enhancement order below gets Spirit Weapons at 30. The safer order puts the first 8 points into Tidal Focus and Mindfulness and delays Spirit Weapons, which costs some threat but almost ends drinking between pulls. Testers who start with Restoration say it is also the comfortable way to quest.

1. Thundering Strikes 5/5 for 5% crit with attacks and spells.
2. Mental Dexterity 3/3 and Improved Ghost Wolf 2/2 by level 20.
3. Elemental Weapons 1/3, Shamanistic Focus and Anticipation 3/3.
4. Stormstrike and Flurry 4/5.
5. Spirit Weapons at 30, then Improved Stormstrike 2/2.
6. Toughness, Mental Quickness and the rest of Flurry, then Rage of the Farseer.
7. The Restoration points of the level 60 build in your late 40s and 50s.

Shaman Tank Talents to Skip

Some talents look useful for a tank and do little in practice.

• Earth's Grasp makes Stoneclaw Totem sturdier, but Stoneclaw taunts enemies onto the totem, not onto you, so it rarely helps a tank.
• Guardian Totems adds a few points of damage reduction to Stoneskin Totem. Not worth two points before the build is complete.
• Improved Lightning Shield is filler for the last points of a build.
• Maelstrom Weapon only affects Lightning Bolt, and hard casting during a pull is exactly what a tank should avoid. Deep Enhancement takes it only because it is on the way to the final talents.
• Elemental Devastation needs spell crit to work, which a tank set does not have.

Every Shaman talent, with what changed from Classic, is in our WoW Forever Shaman talents guide.

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Tanking Abilities and Rotation

Shaman threat comes from four places: melee hits with Rockbiter Weapon, Earth Shock, Fire Nova and Lightning Shield. All four count for you and all four get the 30% from Spirit Weapons. Totem attacks are different: Searing Totem and Magma Totem keep their own threat, so they do not hold mobs for you. Fire Nova is your own spell, so its threat is yours even though it erupts around the totem.

The table lists the abilities a Shaman tank uses and what each one is for.

How to Pull as a Shaman Tank

The pull is where a Shaman tank wins or loses the pack, so set it up before you start.

1. Put Rockbiter Weapon on every weapon you might swap to. Imbues last 60 minutes in Forever.
2. Cast Lightning Shield, or Water Shield if you are low on mana.
3. Drop your Earth, Water and Air totems where you will fight, then the Fire totem last so it sits in the middle of the pack.
4. Open with a max rank Lightning Bolt, and while it flies hit a second enemy with a rank 1 Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning.
5. Earth Shock the kill target as it reaches you, then Fire Nova once the pack stands around the Fire totem.

Tell your group to hold AoE until the first Fire Nova has landed. Mages with Arcane Explosion and Warlocks with Hellfire are the usual reason a pack runs off a Shaman.

Single Target Rotation

On one enemy the rotation is short, and the hardest part is knowing when to stop pressing buttons.

1. Stormstrike on cooldown, and at least once every 15 seconds to keep the Improved Stormstrike mana buff up.
2. Earth Shock right after Stormstrike for the extra 20%.
3. Keep Lightning Shield up.
4. Once you have a safe lead, stop casting and auto attack. Rockbiter keeps adding threat on every hit while your mana comes back.

Bind two ranks of Earth Shock: the max rank for threat and rank 1 as a cheap interrupt. Interrupting with the max rank costs a lot of mana, and a missed or resisted shock still puts the spell on cooldown. Against enemies immune to Nature, such as earth elementals, use Flame Shock instead.

AoE Rotation for Packs

Fire Nova has no target cap, which is the Shaman's big edge over a Warrior or Druid on large packs. Since October 15 it hits much softer, so it is a tool for big pulls, not a button for every pack.

1. Fire Nova on cooldown when you have four or more enemies. On smaller pulls save the mana for Earth Shock.
2. Tab between targets and auto attack the ones the Fire Nova missed.
3. Earth Shock any enemy that turns toward a healer or a damage dealer.
4. Stormstrike the kill target to keep the mana buff running.
5. Use Totemic Projection to move the Fire totem when you reposition. If you walk too far from it, the totem dies and Fire Nova does nothing.

Two pull tricks from the beta help with bigger groups. You can pull two enemies, build a lead on them and then pull the next pack, so your group already has a target to kill. And with Earthbound you can root a pack under Earthbind Totem and let it take a Magma Totem tick and a Fire Nova before it reaches you.

Best Totems for Shaman Tanking

Totems are one per element, and since October 15 Strength of Earth Totem, Grace of Air Totem and Windfury Totem reach the whole raid. The table shows the usual tank choice for each element.

Stoneskin Totem looks small, but it adds up on a pack. At level 26 it takes about 11 damage off every hit, and four enemies hitting every two seconds over a 20-second fight lose about 440 damage, close to a full health bar at that level. Skip Stoneclaw Totem: it taunts nearby enemies onto the totem and adds no threat to you.

Every totem, imbue and spell by level is in our WoW Forever Shaman guide.

How to Manage Mana as a Shaman Tank

Mana is the main limit of a Shaman tank, especially before the Restoration talents. Most of the fixes are habits rather than gear.

• Stop casting once your threat lead is safe. Rockbiter threat comes from auto attacks, which cost nothing.
• Keep the Improved Stormstrike buff up by using Stormstrike at least every 15 seconds.
• Use rank 1 Earth Shock for interrupts.
• Switch to Water Shield below about half mana.
• Use Totemic Recall after a fight to get part of the totem mana back.
• Drink when your healer and casters drink, not after every pull. A Shaman tank is not at risk while the healer has mana.

Shaman Tank Mistakes to Avoid

Most failed pulls on the beta came from a few habits carried over from playing Enhancement as damage.

• Hard casting during the pull. While you cast you cannot dodge or parry, so a long Lightning Bolt or a heal in the middle of a pack costs more than it gives. Talents that speed up casts, such as Elemental Alacrity, do not fix this.
• Fighting without Rockbiter Weapon. Without it Spirit Weapons lowers your threat by 30%. Check the imbue on both weapons before you swap.
• Fire Nova on every pack. Since October 15 it costs more than it is worth on two or three enemies.
• Stacking spell power. It adds threat to Fire Nova and shocks but nothing to survival. Stamina comes first.
• Leaving the Fire totem behind. Fire Nova erupts around the totem, not around you.

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Gear and Stats

A Shaman tank has the lowest armor of the four tanks and cannot rely on blocks, so health and avoidance carry most of the load. Stamina keeps you alive through the hits you take. Agility gives dodge, which also resets Stormstrike, and crit, which feeds Flurry. Spell power only helps Fire Nova and your shocks hit harder, so it is a threat stat, not a survival stat.

One tester published stat weights for the beta. They are a guide for comparing two items, not exact values for level 60.

Raid bosses need 9% hit, and Tidal Focus already covers 5% of it. For hit chance against every level of enemy, read our WoW Forever hit cap guide.

Best Weapon and Shield for Shaman Tank

Tank with a one-handed weapon and a shield. Rockbiter threat is a flat bonus per hit, so weapon speed decides how often you get it, and the right speed changes at level 30.

• Before level 30: a fast weapon such as a dagger. More hits mean more Rockbiter threat. Toxic Revenger is a good example: its proc deals Nature damage to every enemy around you.
• After Stormstrike: a slow one-hander, ideally with spell power. Stormstrike deals weapon damage, so a slow weapon makes each one hit harder.
• For big AoE pulls: a spell power weapon helps Fire Nova more than a fast weapon helps melee.
• To finish a mob that is not hitting you: swap to a two-hander, such as Rage of the Storm from the level 30 Shaman quest, and put Rockbiter Weapon on it too.

Our WoW Forever Shaman weapon quest guide walks through the chain that rewards Rage of the Storm.

Tank Gear Before Level 30

Testers on the beta tanked in a mix of leather with Stamina and Agility, a shield and a few pieces with thorns effects that add threat on packs. These items show what to look for at that level.

You can tank leveling dungeons in your damage gear, and many testers did. Swap a few pieces for Stamina once pulls start to hurt, which on the beta was around Excavation Site: Wetlands and Razorfen Kraul.

Level 60 Gear for a Shaman Tank

The beta stops at 30, so no one has tested a full level 60 tank set yet. The direction is clear, though. Shamans wear mail from level 40, and tank mail with Stamina and Agility is rare in the higher dungeons, so expect to mix mail, leather with Stamina and a few PvP pieces. Items with Nature or Fire procs that hit several targets add AoE threat: Masterwork Stormhammer hits up to three enemies, and Bramblebark Barrier is a shield that damages every attacker.

If you would rather skip the dungeon farm, our WoW Forever pre-raid gear boost collects the pieces for your spec.

Best Professions for Shaman Tank

Mining and Leatherworking are the strongest pair for a leveling tank.

• Mining gave 5% more health on the beta, on top of the ore.
• Leatherworking makes Stamina and Agility leather for the levels before mail, plus armor kits. Pair it with Skinning if you do not take Mining.
• Engineering adds bombs for AoE threat, but it is no longer required.
• Alchemy covers your elixirs and mana potions.

Consumables for Shaman Tank

Consumables matter more for a Shaman than for other tanks, because they replace the defensive cooldowns you do not have.

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Best Race for Shaman Tank

Horde players choose between four Shaman races, and Alliance Shamans are always Dwarves. The October 15 build changed every one of these races, and the October 26 update changed Tauren, Orc, Dwarf and Skyborne racials again, so older race rankings are out of date. After the patch Tauren is the clear first choice for tanking, and the other four are close to each other.

Tauren gets its spot from War Stomp. Shamans have no stun of their own, and at 90 seconds it is ready almost every other pull. As of the October 26 update Endurance gives Tauren only 5% health, with no hit or crit damage, but Tidal Focus covers the hit. Blood Fury went from 2 to 3 minutes and Orc lost its 1% crit racial, so Orc lost some of its edge, while Stoneform makes Dwarf strong against bosses with bleeds and poisons, and Artisan's Precision gives Dwarves 1% hit.

Every racial for every race after the October 26 changes is in our WoW Forever race tier list.

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Shaman Tank in Dungeons and Raids

Everything tested so far happened in the level 30 beta, so the dungeon picture is clear up to Razorfen Kraul and theory beyond that.

Leveling Dungeons

From Ragefire Chasm and The Deadmines to Wailing Caverns, Blackfathom Deeps and the new Ruins of Lordaeron, a Shaman tank does well. One tester ran Wailing Caverns twice at level 20 in green gear. With a pure Enhancement build the run took 1 hour 5 minutes, with 19 stops to drink and one wipe. With early Tidal Focus, Mindfulness and Water Shield it took 1 hour 9 minutes with only 2 drinks and no wipes, including a pull of Lord Pythas with four patrols. That is the strongest argument for the Restoration points.

Excavation Site: Wetlands was the hardest of the beta dungeons for Shaman tanks, with bleeding raptors and a hard-hitting last boss. Your utility pays off there: Poison Cleansing Totem and Tremor Totem handle mechanics other tanks have to rely on a healer for.

Level 40 to 60 Dungeons

Testers who played Shaman tanks in Classic expect the role to get harder from Zul'Farrak and The Temple of Atal'Hakkar onward, where enemies hit harder and pulls get longer. Dual spec arrives at 40, so many Shamans will keep a tank spec for dungeons and a damage or healing spec for everything else. At 60, Stratholme and Scholomance packs suit the AoE threat of Fire Nova and Magma Totem, while bosses with big single hits are where a Warrior is safer.

If you only need the loot or the quests from one of them, our WoW Forever dungeons boost covers single runs.

Can Shaman Tank Raids?

Not as a main tank, as far as anyone can tell before December 9. A Shaman cannot become immune to crushing blows, has no taunt for tank swaps and no cooldown for the biggest hits, and every source that ranks tanks for raids leaves it out. Where it can help is as an extra tank for trash and adds, and on fights with heavy Fire, Frost or Nature damage, where Elemental Warding cuts that damage by 10%. With totems now reaching the whole raid, the tank Shaman can leave Windfury Totem and Grace of Air Totem to another Shaman and drop Stoneskin Totem or Grounding Totem instead.

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WoW Forever Shaman Tank FAQ

These are the questions players asked most often about Shaman tanking during the beta.

Does Shaman have a taunt in WoW Forever?

No. Earth Shock causes a high amount of threat but does not taunt, and Stoneclaw Totem only taunts enemies onto the totem. You hold threat by building a lead, not by taking it back.

What level can Shaman start tanking?

From the first dungeons with Rockbiter Weapon, a one-hander and a shield. It gets much easier at 20 with Improved Ghost Wolf and at 30 with Spirit Weapons.

Is Fire Nova still good after the October 15 nerf?

Yes, on packs of four or more. Its base damage, mana cost and spell power scaling were all cut, so threat on smaller pulls now comes from melee and Earth Shock. Tanks who tested the new version say you work a bit harder for threat, but it still holds packs.

Does Mindfulness stack with Improved Stormstrike?

Not confirmed. Both let 50% of your mana regeneration continue while casting, and testers disagree on whether they add up to 100%. Take both in the level 60 build anyway, since Improved Stormstrike is also your Stormstrike reset.

Can Shaman tank with a two-handed weapon?

Easy dungeons, yes, but a shield is safer. Most tanks use a one-hander and a shield and swap to a two-hander only to finish an enemy that is not hitting them.

Do totems give the Shaman threat?

Attacks from Searing Totem and Magma Totem keep their own threat. Fire Nova is your spell, so its threat goes to you even though it erupts around the totem.

Does Shaman get Shamanistic Rage or Earth Shield?

Shamanistic Rage is not in Forever. Earth Shield appears in the game data, but Blizzard has not announced it, so do not plan around it.

What is the best race for Shaman tank?

Tauren, thanks to 5% health and War Stomp on a 90-second cooldown. On the Alliance side every Shaman is a Dwarf, and Stoneform is a good tank racial.

Can I find a group as a Shaman tank?

Yes, though the group finder warns that your class is not recommended for the tank role. Tell the group you are a Shaman tank when you join and ask them to hold AoE until your first Fire Nova.

How much hit does a Shaman tank need?

About 5% for dungeon trash and 9% for raid bosses. Tidal Focus 5/5 already gives 5% with both spells and melee.

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More WoW Forever Shaman Guides

These guides cover the rest of the Shaman class in Forever.

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