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Hybrid class · A tier

Shaman build guide

Chain Lightning scales beautifully with dense waves, and totems or spirit wolves add free damage. Slightly slower start than the S-tier casters.

Updated · checked against game 0.120.4

Tier

A

Ease

#6 of 9

Damage ceiling

#5 of 9

Range

Hybrid

Best race

Orc / Tauren / Troll

▶ Play a Shaman run ↗
All names in 12 languages →

“Storms that jump from foe to foe, and totems that fight beside you.” The game's own pitch

Best Shaman build

Recommended

Storm chain

  1. Elemental Mastery capstone
  2. no-falloff jumps
  3. free recasts
  4. haste and area

More enemies on screen means more bounces. Gets stronger exactly when the run gets harder.

Avoid: Spreading picks across lightning, totems and wolves. Commit to one.

Shaman talents: capstones and milestones

A capstone rebuilds Shaman around one idea, and you run one at a time. Milestones are the big mid-tree talents on the way there. Text below is the game's own. For every talent with its numbers, see all Shaman talents.

Capstones

Elemental Mastery

Start with Chain Lightning, and a second one casts itself every 3 sec.

Feral Spirit

Two spirit wolves fight beside you, and their bites have a 40% Windfury chance to strike twice more at once.

Totemic Wrath

Start with Magma Totem, and a second Searing Totem drops on its own every 14 sec.

Milestones worth chasing

  • Elemental Fury: Chain Lightning jumps to 3 more enemies with no damage falloff.
  • Lightning Overload: Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning have a 40% chance to strike again for free.
  • Maelstrom Weapon: every 5th spell you cast is followed by a free Chain Lightning.
  • Call of the Elements: start with Searing Totem, and every totem you set down sets a second one beside it.

Spells you will see

  • Lightning Bolt
  • Chain Lightning
  • Earth Shock
  • Frost Shock
  • Searing Totem
  • Magma Totem

All Shaman talents & planner (game 0.114.1)

All 39 talents in the three Shaman trees, in the game's own words. A row opens after 5 more points in that tree, and you can spend up to 51 points in total with one capstone active. Numbers are for the first rank; click any talent below to plan a 51-point build and share the link.

0 / 51 points Elemental 0 · Enhancement 0 · Restoration 0 Click a talent to add a rank (Shift-click or right-click to remove).
▶ Test in game ↗
Elemental 0 pts · 13 talents

Available at once

  • Convection 5 ranks

    Your cooldowns recover 1.5% faster.

  • Concussion 5 ranks

    Increases all damage by 4%.

5 points in Elemental

  • Elemental Warding 3 ranks

    Reduces all damage taken by 2%.

  • Call of Flame 3 ranks

    Fire Nova, Magma Totem and Flame Shock deal 10% more damage.

10 points in Elemental

  • Lightning Overload Milestone 1 rank

    Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning have a 40% chance to strike again for free.

  • Reverberation 5 ranks

    Your shocks' cooldowns are 6% shorter.

15 points in Elemental

  • Call of Thunder 5 ranks

    Increases your critical strike chance by 2%.

  • Improved Fire Totems 2 ranks

    Searing and Magma Totem cooldowns are 10% shorter.

20 points in Elemental

  • Elemental Fury Milestone 1 rank

    Chain Lightning jumps to 3 more enemies and loses nothing with each jump.

    Requires Lightning Overload

  • Lightning Mastery 5 ranks

    Nature spells deal 7% more damage.

25 points in Elemental

  • Storm Reach 2 ranks

    Chain Lightning jumps 20% farther.

  • Elemental Devastation 3 ranks

    Increases your critical strike damage by 12%.

30 points in Elemental

  • Elemental Mastery Capstone 1 rank

    You start every run with Chain Lightning, and a second Chain Lightning casts itself every 3 sec.

    Requires Elemental Fury

Enhancement 0 pts · 13 talents

Available at once

  • Ancestral Knowledge 5 ranks

    Increases your maximum health by 2%.

  • Shield Specialization 5 ranks

    Reduces all damage taken by 1%.

5 points in Enhancement

  • Guardian Totems 2 ranks

    Your totems last 12% longer.

  • Thundering Strikes 5 ranks

    Increases your critical strike chance by 1.5%.

10 points in Enhancement

  • Windfury Milestone 1 rank

    Your Lightning Bolts, Earth Shocks and Frost Shocks have a 35% chance to strike twice more at once.

  • Improved Lightning Bolt 5 ranks

    Lightning Bolt deals 6% more damage.

15 points in Enhancement

  • Elemental Weapons 3 ranks

    Flame Shock and Frost Shock deal 10% more damage.

  • Anticipation 3 ranks

    Reduces all damage taken by 1.2%.

20 points in Enhancement

  • Maelstrom Weapon Milestone 1 rank

    Every 5th spell you cast is followed by a free Chain Lightning.

    Requires Windfury

  • Enhancing Totems 3 ranks

    Your totems deal 12% more damage.

25 points in Enhancement

  • Flurry 3 ranks

    A critical strike sends you into a flurry: cooldowns recover 10% faster for 5 sec.

  • Parry 3 ranks

    Increases all damage by 3%.

30 points in Enhancement

  • Feral Spirit Capstone 1 rank

    Two spirit wolves fight beside you, and their bites carry Windfury: a 40% chance to strike twice more at once.

    Requires Maelstrom Weapon

Restoration 0 pts · 13 talents

Available at once

  • Improved Healing Wave 5 ranks

    Healing Wave's cooldown is 6% shorter.

  • Tidal Focus 5 ranks

    Regenerate 0.4 more health per second.

5 points in Restoration

  • Totemic Focus 5 ranks

    Your totems' cooldowns are 3% shorter.

  • Nature's Guidance 3 ranks

    Increases your critical strike chance by 1.2%.

10 points in Restoration

  • Call of the Elements Milestone 1 rank

    You start every run with Searing Totem, and every totem you set down sets a second one beside it.

  • Restorative Totems 3 ranks

    Your totems deal 6% more damage.

15 points in Restoration

  • Tidal Mastery 5 ranks

    Increases all damage by 2%.

  • Healing Way 3 ranks

    Healing Wave heals 15% more.

20 points in Restoration

  • Reincarnation Milestone 1 rank

    A blow that would kill you leaves you at 50% health instead, once every 2 min.

    Requires Call of the Elements

  • Purification 5 ranks

    Increases your maximum health by 2%.

25 points in Restoration

  • Totemic Mastery 3 ranks

    Magma Totem reaches 10% farther and Searing Totem fires at more targets.

  • Ancestral Healing 3 ranks

    Reduces all damage taken by 1.2%.

30 points in Restoration

  • Totemic Wrath Capstone 1 rank

    You start every run with Magma Totem, and a second Searing Totem drops on its own every 14 sec.

    Requires Reincarnation

Best rings, trinkets, amulets & gear for Shaman

Elemental Mastery and Lightning Overload stack multiplicatively with spell echo (Hand of Justice, Malice Stone Pendant) and +1 target (Amulet of Vek’nilash), flooding the screen with forked Chain Lightnings. See the full items, trinkets & Codex guide for every ring, trinket and amulet in game 0.120.4.

In-run · Codex jewelry

Best rings, trinkets & amulets

  • Rings: Band of Accuria, Quick Strike Ring
  • Trinkets: Hand of Justice, Earthstrike
  • Amulets: Malice Stone Pendant, Amulet of Vek'nilash

Between runs · Armory (Mail)

Shaman armor sets & weapons

  • Armor sets (Common → Legendary): Primal → Elements → Earthfury → Ten Storms → Earthshatter
  • Main hand: Spiked Club → Mace of the Elements → Earthfury Hammer → Blackwing Mace → Doomhammer
  • Off hand: Round Buckler → Crested Shield → Totem Shield → Aegis of the Ten Storms → Shield of the Earthshatter

Best race for Shaman

Default starting races: Orc, Tauren and Troll. (In v0.120.0+, any other race can be unlocked for 100 achievement points on the Rewards tab.) Our pick: Troll (Berserking), Orc (Blood Fury) or Tauren (War Stomp).

Cross-Race Unlock Tip: On the title screen's Rewards → Races tab (new in v0.120.0), any race can be unlocked for all classes for 100 achievement points. Bought races stay permanently unlocked through resets, enabling cross-race synergy builds.

Recommended

Orc

  • Blood Fury: +35% damage for 12 sec, every 40 sec
  • Hardiness: +10% max health

Recommended

Tauren

  • War Stomp: stuns nearby enemies for 2 sec, every 15 sec
  • Endurance: +15% max health

Recommended

Troll

  • Berserking: cooldowns 30% faster for 10 sec, every 35 sec
  • Throwing Specialization: +3% crit
  • Regeneration: +1.5 health per second

Zone path with Shaman

Zones unlock per class: each win with Shaman opens the next zone for your Shamans only. Here is the road from the tutorial to the endgame, and who waits at the end of each run.

  1. 1 Elwynn Forest Final boss: Edwin VanCleef
  2. 2 Duskwood Final boss: Morbent Fel
  3. 3 Warsong Gulch Final boss: Lord Kazzak
  4. 4 Un'Goro Crater Final boss: King Mosh
  5. 5 Arathi Basin Final boss: Lord Aliden Perenolde
  6. 6 Feralas Final boss: King Gordok
  7. 7 Gurubashi Arena Final boss: Hakkar the Soulflayer
  8. 8 Scarlet Monastery Final boss: High Inquisitor Whitemane
  9. 9 Alterac Valley Final boss: Azuregos
  10. 10 Blackrock Mountain Final boss: Nefarian
  11. 11 Gates of Ahn'Qiraj Final boss: C'Thun
  12. 12 Naxxramas Final boss: Kel'Thuzad

Shaman vs other classes

ClassTierRangeEaseCeiling
Warrior A Melee 5/5 4/5
Paladin A Melee 5/5 3/5
Hunter S Ranged 4/5 5/5
Warlock S Ranged 4/5 5/5
Druid B Hybrid 4/5 3/5
Shaman A Hybrid 3/5 4/5
Priest B Ranged 3/5 4/5
Mage S Ranged 2/5 5/5
Rogue B Melee 2/5 4/5

Sorted by ease. Rankings are our opinion for game 0.120.4; see the full tier list for the reasoning.

Shaman FAQ

Is Shaman good in Azeroth Survivors?

Shaman is A tier in our tier list: #6 of 9 for ease and #5 of 9 for damage ceiling. Chain Lightning scales beautifully with dense waves, and totems or spirit wolves add free damage. Slightly slower start than the S-tier casters.

What is the best Shaman build?

Storm chain: Elemental Mastery capstone, no-falloff jumps, free recasts, haste and area. More enemies on screen means more bounces. Gets stronger exactly when the run gets harder.

What are the Shaman capstone talents?
  • Elemental Mastery. Start with Chain Lightning, and a second one casts itself every 3 sec.
  • Feral Spirit. Two spirit wolves fight beside you, and their bites have a 40% Windfury chance to strike twice more at once.
  • Totemic Wrath. Start with Magma Totem, and a second Searing Totem drops on its own every 14 sec.

You can only run one capstone at a time; respecs are free between runs.

How many talents does Shaman have?

39 talents in three trees: Elemental (13), Enhancement (13), Restoration (13). Each row of a tree opens after 5 more points in it: the first milestones at 10 points, the next at 20 and the capstones at 30. See every Shaman talent.

What is the best race for Shaman?

Troll (Berserking), Orc (Blood Fury) or Tauren (War Stomp). Default starting races: Orc, Tauren and Troll. (In v0.120.0+, any other race can be unlocked for 100 achievement points on the Rewards tab.) Starting in version 0.120.0, you can also unlock any race for 100 achievement points on the Rewards → Races tab. If cross-race unlocked, Gnome (+20% Luck, -8% cooldowns) is a premier scaling choice for proc and cooldown builds, while Orc (+35% Blood Fury damage) provides unmatched burst damage.

How do you unlock Shaman talents?

Play Shaman runs. Every run pays talent experience to the class you played, based on time survived, kills, bosses, a win and how hard the zone was. If Shaman is behind your best class it earns bonus experience, so it catches up faster. Zones also unlock per class: beating Elwynn Forest with Shaman opens Duskwood for Shaman only.

More: Azeroth Survivors guide · builds for every class · items, trinkets & amulets · how to play · all zones and bosses