Level a Shaman in World of Warcraft: Forever as Enhancement with a two-handed axe or mace: Stormstrike moved up to the 16-point talent, so you get it at level 25 instead of 40, and your weapon imbues and buff totems now last 60 and 5 minutes, so you spend far less time recasting them. Blizzard also told Enhancement players to collect Strength and Attack Power gear from now on, ahead of a fix planned for November 10.
Below is why Enhancement wins for leveling, the talents to take first, the new totem tools and when they arrive, the gear advice and the class quests. It is checked against Blizzard’s Mage and Shaman class deep dive and its beta development notes up to the November 2 launch notes, as of November 7.
Which Spec to Level a Shaman As
Blizzard calls Shaman “among the sturdiest of classes, with the use of Mail armor and a Shield,” but says they “lack an effective crowd control.” That sturdiness is why Shaman level smoothly in any spec; the difference is speed.
| Spec | How it levels | Why pick it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhancement (our pick) | Two-hander, imbues, Stormstrike | Stormstrike at 25, little Mana between pulls | Gear advice is changing this week |
| Elemental | Lightning Bolt and shocks | Lightning Bolt got a big launch buff | Drinks a lot of Mana |
| Restoration | Healer | Every group wants one | Very slow solo |
Enhancement is our pick. Two-Handed Axes and Maces is now baseline instead of a talent, and Stormstrike now has a 6-second cooldown, deals 150% normalized weapon damage and boosts your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock by 20%. Maelstrom Weapon, a new sixth-row talent, stacks on your melee hits and can make Lightning Bolt instant, and the launch notes doubled its chance to trigger.
Elemental got real help at launch: Lightning Bolt’s base damage went up on every rank (the top rank by 80%), shock damage was restored to Classic Era values, and Lightning Overload now has a 10, 20 or 30% chance to cast a free half-damage copy. It is a fine choice for players who prefer to cast, but expect to drink between pulls.
Shaman Talents to Take First
Talents start at level 10, and the milestone talents open at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points, which is levels 20, 25, 30 and 40 if every point goes into Enhancement. Our order, using talents Blizzard has confirmed in Forever’s Enhancement tree:
- Levels 10 to 19: Thundering Strikes, now in the first row and raising critical strike chance with all spells and attacks, then Ancestral Knowledge (now Intellect instead of maximum Mana) and Mental Dexterity, a new second-row talent that turns 50, 100 or 150% of your Intellect into Attack Power.
- Level 20: Shamanistic Focus, the new 11-point talent, which makes Shocks and Lightning Shield much cheaper, plus Elemental Weapons, which moved up to the third row.
- Level 25: Stormstrike, now the 16-point talent.
- Levels 26 to 29: Flurry, which now requires Mental Dexterity and gives 6 to 30% attack speed, and Toughness, which now raises Stamina instead of Armor.
- Level 30: Spirit Weapons, the 21-point talent (formerly Parry), which lowers your threat unless you use Rockbiter Weapon.
- Levels 31 to 39: Improved Stormstrike and Mental Quickness on the fifth row, then Maelstrom Weapon on the sixth.
- Level 40: Rage of the Farseer, the 31-point talent: 30% attack speed for 25 seconds on a 3-minute cooldown.
Improved Ghost Wolf moved down to the fourth row at launch; take it whenever you want an instant Ghost Wolf. Our talent reset guide covers the trainer and the fee.
New Totem Tools by Level
Forever’s biggest Shaman change is how totems work. Every totem now has a 1-second global cooldown, buff totems last 5 minutes instead of 2, and a tracking display shows your active totems (right-click one to dismiss it). Fire Nova is now a spell that erupts at your current Fire Totem, so you can trigger it again and again without replacing the totem.
| Level | What you get |
|---|---|
| 10 | Your first talent point |
| 20 | Call of the Elements, which unlocks the totem bar and drops four preset totems in one 3-second cast, and Totemic Recall, which destroys your totems and refunds 25% of their Mana |
| 22 | Totemic Call (renamed from Totemic Projection at launch), which teleports your totems to you on a 30-second cooldown |
| 25 | Stormstrike, with 16 points in Enhancement |
| 30 | Call of the Spirits, a second preset set of four totems |
| 40 | Call of the Ancestors, a third set, plus Dual Specialization and riding |
Weapon imbues (Rockbiter, Flametongue, Frostbrand and Windfury Weapon) now last 60 minutes and work alongside Sharpening Stones, Weightstones and Wizard Oil. Windfury Totem is now a party buff instead of a weapon enchant, but you cannot benefit from it while your own weapon has Windfury Weapon.
What Gear to Collect
In its November 6 class tuning post, Blizzard said Enhancement Shaman are finding Intellect and spell power “superior stats compared to Strength and Attack Power,” and that it plans changes on November 10 “so that Strength is always their strongest stat.” Its advice: “Enhancement Shaman players who are leveling up will want to collect Strength and Attack Power gear from now on.” Do not roll on caster gear meant for Mages and Warlocks.
Shaman Class Quests
In the original game, Shaman earned their Earth, Fire, Water and Air totems from class quests at levels 4, 10, 20 and 30. Blizzard has not announced a change to that chain, so visit your Shaman trainer at each of those levels. Its October 8 notes also adjusted two later Shaman quests: “Storm, Earth, and Fire,” whose twisted totems drop from Badlands ogres among other monsters, and “Heed My Call.” Dwarf Shaman are new to Forever, so their early quests are new as well.
Where to Level a Shaman
Shaman can be Orc, Tauren, Troll or Horde Skyborne, or a Dwarf on the Alliance; our best Shaman race guide covers the racials. From your starting zone, follow your faction’s route: The Barrens or Silverpine Forest for the Horde from level 10, Loch Modan, Westfall or Darkshore for Dwarves. Shaman are welcome in every group, healing or not, for their totems.
Shaman Leveling Tips
- Set up your totem bar at 20. Preset your four totems once and drop them all with Call of the Elements.
- Imbue once an hour. At 60 minutes, your weapon imbue is now a once-per-session chore.
- Train every time. Blizzard’s launch notes put class training from 1 to 60 at about 206 to 207 gold for every class.
- Drag new spells onto your bars. Since launch, learning a spell no longer adds it to your action bars.
- Expect more tuning. Blizzard plans class changes on Tuesdays when needed, and a large tuning pass once enough players are past level 30.
Every WoW Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Shaman spec for leveling in WoW Forever? Enhancement with a two-handed axe or mace, in our view. Stormstrike now comes at level 25, and long-lasting imbues and totems cut your setup time.
What stats should an Enhancement Shaman use while leveling? Strength and Attack Power. Blizzard said on November 6 that leveling Enhancement Shaman should collect that gear from now on, ahead of a November 10 change to make Strength their strongest stat.
When do Shaman get Stormstrike in WoW Forever? At level 25 at the earliest. It is now the 16-point Enhancement talent instead of the 31-point one.
Is Lava Burst in WoW Forever? No. Blizzard removed Lava Burst in its November 2 launch notes and replaced it with Call of Thunder, which raises Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning critical strike chance by 5%.
What does Call of the Elements do? Learned at level 20, it unlocks the totem bar and summons four preset totems, one of each element, with a single 3-second cast.