What Forever Changes for Shamans
- Totems cast on a 1-second global cooldown, buff totems last 5 minutes, up from 2, and Resistance totems cover the whole raid. A totem tracker shows what is active and for how long; right-click a totem there to dismiss it.
- Weapon imbues (Rockbiter, Flametongue, Frostbrand, and Windfury Weapon) last 60 minutes, up from 5, and stack with Sharpening Stones, Weightstones, and Wizard Oil.
- Fire Nova replaces Fire Nova Totem as a trainer spell from level 12: it bursts around your active Fire totem on a 10-second cooldown, so one totem fuels blast after blast.
- Windfury Totem and Flametongue Totem are party buffs now, not weapon enchants. The two do not stack with each other, Windfury Totem does not stack with Grace of Air, and neither helps a Shaman who has the matching weapon imbue. Tranquil Air Totem is removed.
- Call of the Elements, Call of the Ancestors, and Call of the Spirits, at levels 20, 30, and 40, each drop up to four totems from your Totem Bar in one cast. Totemic Recall clears every totem at once and refunds a quarter of their Mana.
- Totemic Projection, at level 22, moves your active totems to a spot within 30 yards on a 1-minute cooldown.
- Lightning Bolt from rank 4 casts in 2.5 seconds and Chain Lightning in 2, each half a second faster, with their spell power scaling trimmed to match.
- Two-Handed Axes and Maces, Shield Specialization, Weapon Mastery, Enhancing Totems, and Improved Weapon Totems are no longer talents: every Shaman has them.
- Dwarves bring the Shaman to the Alliance.
New and Reworked Shaman Abilities
These are the spells the Forever client adds, opens to every race, or hands you without a talent, in the order you learn them. Spells marked with a race are that race’s own.
| Level | Ability | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lightning Bolt | Reworked in Forever | Casts a bolt of lightning at the target for 189 Nature damage. |
| 1 | Rockbiter Weapon | Reworked in Forever | Imbue the Shaman's weapon, increasing melee attack power by 653 and allowing melee attacks to cause additional threat when using that weapon. Lasts for 60 minutes. |
| 10 | Flametongue Weapon | Reworked in Forever | Imbue the Shaman's weapon with fire. Each hit causes 35.49 to 112.4 additional Fire damage, based on the speed of the weapon. Slower weapons cause more fire damage per swing. When applied to main hand, disables any benefit you personally receive from Flametongue Totem. Lasts for 60 minutes. |
| 12 | Fire Nova | New in Forever | Instantly inflicts 232 fire damage to enemies within 10 yd of your active Fire totem. |
| 20 | Call of the Elements | New in Forever | Simultaneously places up to 4 totems specified in the Totem Bar. |
| 20 | Frostbrand Weapon | Reworked in Forever | Imbue the Shaman's weapon with frost. Each hit has a chance of causing 169 additional Frost damage and slowing the target's movement speed by 25% for 8 sec. Lasts for 60 minutes. |
| 22 | Totemic Projection | New in Forever | Relocates your active totems to the specified location. |
| 28 | Flametongue Totem | Reworked in Forever | Summons a Flametongue Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster. The totem enhances the melee attacks of all party or raid members within 30 yards. Each main hand hit causes 16.7 to 54.52 additional Fire damage, based on the speed of the weapon. Slower weapons cause more fire damage per swing. Lasts 5 min. |
| 30 | Call of the Ancestors | New in Forever | Simultaneously places up to 4 totems specified in the Totem Bar. Can call different totems than Call of the Elements. |
| 30 | Windfury Weapon | Reworked in Forever | Imbue the Shaman's weapon with wind. Each hit has a 20% chance of granting you 2 extra attacks with 333 extra melee attack power. When applied to main hand, disables any benefit you personally receive from Windfury Totem. Lasts for 60 minutes. |
| 32 | Chain Lightning | Reworked in Forever | Hurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 119 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each jump reduces the damage by 30%. Affects 3 total targets. |
| 32 | Windfury Totem | Reworked in Forever | Summons a Windfury Totem with 5 health at the feet of the caster. The totem enhances the melee attacks of all party or raid members within 30 yards. Each main hand hit has a 20% chance of granting the attacker 1 extra attack with 246 extra melee attack power. Lasts 5 min. |
| 40 | Call of the Spirits | New in Forever | Simultaneously places up to 4 totems specified in the Totem Bar. Can call different totems than Call of the Elements or Call of the Ancestors. |
Recommended Builds
Each build lists the order to spend every point from level 10, so you can follow it while you level. Open any step in the talent calculator to see the build at that level.
Elemental Beta Start
Levels 10–20, casting Lightning Bolt and shocks from range
11 Elemental Combat0 Enhancement0 Restoration
5% more damage on your three main spells, 15% on fire totems and Flame Shock, and Elemental Focus for free casts.
Why these talents
- Concussion raises Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Earth Shock damage by 5%.
- Call of Flame adds 15% to your Fire Totems, Flame Shock and Fire Nova, which is most of your damage whenever a fire totem is down.
- Elemental Focus gives a 10% chance of a Clearcasting state after any Fire, Frost or Nature spell, and at this level Mana is the real constraint.
Swaps to consider
- Elemental Alacrity shortens Lightning Bolt and Lava Burst cast times; swap those two points into Convection if Mana runs out before cast time does.
Enhancement Beta Start
Levels 10–20, melee with a weapon buff and shocks
0 Elemental Combat11 Enhancement0 Restoration
5% critical strike with everything, Intellect turned into Attack Power, and Shamanistic Focus so shocks stop draining your Mana.
Why these talents
- Thundering Strikes adds 5% critical strike chance with all spells and attacks.
- Mental Dexterity converts 100% of your Intellect into Attack Power, which makes the caster mail you find early worth wearing.
- Shamanistic Focus cuts 45% of the Mana cost of your Shock spells and Lightning Shield.
- Improved Ghost Wolf reduces the Ghost Wolf cast time by 3 seconds and lets it be used indoors.
Swaps to consider
- Improved Lightning Shield is the other candidate for those three points, but it does not lead anywhere useful deeper in the tree.
Restoration Beta Start
Levels 10–20, healing beta dungeons
0 Elemental Combat0 Enhancement11 Restoration
A faster Healing Wave, half your Mana regeneration kept while casting, and Water Shield at 20.
Why these talents
- Improved Healing Wave cuts 0.5 seconds from your main heal.
- Mindfulness keeps 50% of your Mana regeneration running while you cast, which at this level beats any throughput talent.
- Water Shield restores 2% of maximum Mana when you are hit or when one of your heals crits, so solo play and tank damage both feed your Mana pool.
Swaps to consider
- Natural Grace is the flexible pair of points: with a steady tank, Totemic Focus or Ancestral Healing do more than 10% less threat.
Talent Tree Changes from Classic
New talents, talents moved in from another tree, and the Classic talents each tree no longer has. Compare them in the talent calculator →
Elemental Combat
6 new · 1 moved in · 4 removed
Elemental Mastery is removed so Elemental damage can rise in dungeons and raids without overpowering PvP. In its place, Lightning Overload can fire a free half-damage copy of Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, Earthbound at 21 points roots enemies around a fresh Earthbind Totem for 5 seconds, and Lava Burst at 31 points hits 20% harder on a target with your Flame Shock.
New
Elemental Alacrity
Trial by Fire
Earthbound
Elemental Reach
Lava Burst
Lightning Overload
Moved in
Elemental Warding
No longer in this tree
Call of Thunder, Improved Fire Totems, Lightning Mastery, Storm Reach
Enhancement
7 new · 2 moved in · 6 removed
Stormstrike moves up to the 16-point milestone on an 8-second cooldown and adds 20% to your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, or Earth Shock. Maelstrom Weapon turns melee hits into faster, cheaper Lightning Bolts, stacking up to 5 times, and Rage of the Farseer at 31 points adds 30% attack speed for 25 seconds. Spirit Weapons lowers your threat, or raises it while Rockbiter Weapon is on for the pulls you tank.
New
Mental Dexterity
Shamanistic Focus
Spirit Weapons
Mental Quickness
Improved Stormstrike
Maelstrom Weapon
Rage of the Farseer
Moved in
Earth's Grasp
Elemental Weapons
No longer in this tree
Enhancing Totems, Improved Weapon Totems, Parry, Shield Specialization, Two-Handed Axes and Maces, Weapon Mastery
Restoration
4 new · 1 moved in · 3 removed
Water Shield arrives in row 3 and Mana Tide Totem moves up to the 16-point milestone. Riptide at 31 points heals instantly and over time and makes Chain Heal 25% stronger on that target. Nature’s Guidance is removed, and Tidal Focus now adds hit chance.
New
Mindfulness
Natural Grace
Water Shield
Riptide
Moved in
Ancestral Healing
No longer in this tree
Healing Grace, Nature's Guidance, Totemic Mastery
Leveling a Shaman
Every class follows the same zones and dungeons; your faction decides the route. Start in your race's zone, follow your faction's route, and spend your talents with the Enhancement Beta Start build above.
- DwarfAlliance · Dun Morogh
- OrcHorde · Durotar
- TaurenHorde · Mulgore
- TrollHorde · Durotar
- SkyborneHorde · Zephras Isle
Playable Race Options
Every race that can play a Shaman in WoW Forever. Racials are balanced around offensive consistency, so choose the aesthetics, utility, and movement tools that fit your playstyle.