Best Shaman leveling build for WoW Forever (levels 1 to 20)
Level a WoW Forever Shaman as Enhancement with a two-handed weapon: Thundering Strikes 5/5 first for crit, Improved Ghost Wolf for travel, Mental Dexterity to turn your Intellect into attack power, and Shamanistic Focus at 20 so shocks cost 45% less mana.
Reported Five independent guides agree on Enhancement, four on the first eight points, and the talent rows match two beta client datamines. Talent effects come from the beta client, so numbers can change with each build. Open the Shaman talent calculator.
Why Enhancement for leveling a Shaman in WoW Forever
- Five guides agree on Enhancement for the beta, and four on Thundering Strikes 5 then Mental Dexterity 3 by 19. Rockbiter, Lightning Shield and a big two-hander kill quickly with almost no downtime.
- Mental Dexterity is new in Forever: it converts up to 100% of your Intellect into attack power, so the caster leather and mail you find on the way is never wasted.
- Shamanistic Focus, the 11-point Enhancement milestone, cuts Shock and Lightning Shield mana by 45%, which is what keeps you swinging instead of drinking.
- Elemental works but drinks more. It becomes the better choice once Flame Shock plus a couple of Lightning Bolts kills a mob before it reaches you, which most guides put in the mid 20s.
Alternative: Elemental, from level 20 if you prefer killing at range: Elemental Focus at 20, Elemental Fury 5/5 by 25, Call of Thunder at 26, Concussion to 3/5 by 29 and Lightning Overload at 30. Expect more drinking under 25.
Shaman talent order, levels 10 to 20
| Level | Talent | Rank | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Thundering Strikes | 1 | 1% crit per rank with all spells and attacks. Feeds Flurry later. |
| 11 | Thundering Strikes | 2 | |
| 12 | Thundering Strikes | 3 | |
| 13 | Thundering Strikes | 4 | |
| 14 | Thundering Strikes | 5 | |
| 15 | Improved Ghost Wolf | 1 | Faster cast and usable indoors in Forever. |
| 16 | Improved Ghost Wolf | 2 | |
| 17 | Mental Dexterity | 1 | New: attack power equal to 33% of Intellect per rank. |
| 18 | Mental Dexterity | 2 | |
| 19 | Mental Dexterity | 3 | |
| 20 | Shamanistic Focus | 1 | New 11-point milestone: Shocks and Lightning Shield cost 45% less. |
Levels 21 to 30: Elemental Weapons 3/3 at 21 to 23, Ancestral Knowledge to 3/5 at 24, Flurry 5/5 from 25 to 29 and Stormstrike at 30 (21 points). One guide reaches Stormstrike earlier, but the beta client puts it at 21 points, so treat 30 as the honest date.
Shaman abilities to train, levels 1 to 20
| Level | Ability | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healing Wave, Lightning Bolt, Rockbiter Weapon | Rockbiter on your weapon before every fight. |
| 4 | Earth Shock, Stoneskin Totem | The Earth totem quest is at 4. Earth Shock interrupts casters and finishes runners. |
| 8 | Lightning Shield, Stoneclaw Totem, Lightning Bolt rank 2 | Keep Lightning Shield up at all times. |
| 10 | Flame Shock, Flametongue Weapon, Searing Totem, Strength of Earth Totem | The Fire totem quest is at 10. Searing Totem is your best pull-and-forget damage. |
| 12 | Fire Nova, Purge, Ancestral Spirit | Fire Nova is now a spell that bursts around your Fire totem: use it on three or more mobs. |
| 18 | Tremor Totem, Flametongue rank 2 | Tremor now lasts 5 minutes. |
| 20 | Call of the Elements, Totemic Recall, Ghost Wolf, Healing Stream Totem, Lesser Healing Wave, Frost Shock | Call of the Elements drops a saved totem set in one cast. The Water totem quest is at 20. Frost Shock does less damage than in Classic. |
Shaman leveling rotation in WoW Forever
- Rockbiter Weapon and Lightning Shield up. Drop Searing Totem, or Strength of Earth on elites.
- Pull with one Lightning Bolt, then melee with your two-hander. Do not cast Lightning Bolt in melee; it resets your swing.
- Earth Shock casters and runners. Flame Shock on anything that will live more than a few seconds.
- On three or more mobs, Fire Nova with Searing Totem down.
- Heal between pulls, not during. Skip totems entirely on single easy mobs to save mana.
Best race for a leveling Shaman
| Faction | Race | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Dwarf (new combination) | The only Alliance Shaman. Stoneform, Find Treasure, Mace Specialization (1% crit with a mace) and Big Game Hunter against Beasts. |
| Horde | Orc | Blood Fury for attack power, Axe Specialization with a two-handed axe, Hardiness and the new Shatter Curse. |
| Horde | Skyborne | Wind Blessed 1% haste, Skysight 10% movement speed and Walk on Air. Needs the Skyborne Heroic Pack. |
Every racial is on the WoW Forever racials page, and the class list per race on the race and class table.
Professions and camping for a Shaman
Skinning and Leatherworking suit the class best: Shamans wear leather until mail arrives at 40. Herbalism and Alchemy, or Mining and Engineering, are the usual alternatives. For camping, the Blacksmith's Sharpening Wheel gives attack power and the Herbalist's Incense Candle gives Intellect, which Mental Dexterity turns into attack power too. See how Camping works for every camp object.
Gear and stats under level 20
- A two-handed weapon from the city weapon master. Weapon damage matters more than any stat under 20.
- After weapon damage: hit, crit, Strength and Intellect (Mental Dexterity makes Intellect worth attack power), then Agility. Expertise replaces weapon skill in Forever.
- Hall of Thanes (13 to 18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15 to 20) both drop two-handers and mail, but boss and loot lists still conflict between sources, so check the dungeon pages as they are confirmed.
Shaman leveling questions
Is Enhancement or Elemental better for leveling a Shaman in WoW Forever?
Reported Enhancement to 20 and into the 20s. Elemental becomes competitive once Flame Shock and Lightning Bolt kill mobs before they reach you, which guides put in the mid 20s.
Can Shamans dual wield in WoW Forever?
Reported Not as far as beta testers can find. The client data hints at it, but nobody has found the ability at a trainer or in the trees, so plan around a two-hander.
When does a Shaman get Ghost Wolf and Call of the Elements?
Reported Both at level 20. Improved Ghost Wolf makes it a fast cast and usable indoors.
What is the best race for a Shaman in WoW Forever?
Reported Orc on Horde for Blood Fury and Axe Specialization. Dwarf is the only Alliance option and is the new combination.
Sources
Blizzard forums: Shaman dual wield thread · plus 6 independent reports
Reported means independent guides and the beta client agree but Blizzard has not published the build. Class changes with sources are on Shaman in WoW Forever.
Other WoW Forever leveling builds
Priest (Shadow (wand leveling)), Druid (Feral), Warrior (Fury (first 11 points)), Paladin (Retribution), Hunter (Beast Mastery), Rogue (Combat (swords)), Mage (Frost), Warlock (Affliction (Voidwalker))