Shaman

Leveling

Wowhead’s November 6 Enhancement guide suggests opening with Lightning Bolt or Flame Shock, using Stormstrike once talented and maintaining Lightning Shield. Frequent shocks consume mana: if every pull ends in a long drink, reduce unnecessary casts and reserve enough for an emergency heal.

Its example starts with Thundering Strikes and later considers Shamanistic Focus, Stormstrike and Improved Ghost Wolf. These are dated guide choices, not a required order. Read the current tree and train the relevant ability before relying on it.

Elemental playstyle

Elemental casts Lightning Bolt and uses Chain Lightning when the intended extra targets justify its mana cost. Wowhead describes Lightning Overload and Lightning Mastery as Elemental talents, plus Fire Nova originating from an active Fire totem.

Choose totems for the group and a safe casting position before the pull. For one intended target, use Lightning Bolt and learned damage tools while preserving mana for an assigned shock or emergency heal. Chain Lightning and Fire Nova can affect more enemies, so check the positions of sheep, saps and unpulled packs first. If a totem is left behind after movement, reposition it before the next engagement.

Enhancement playstyle

Enhancement combines weapon attacks, imbues and Stormstrike; Wowhead describes Forever Enhancement as a two-handed build and identifies Maelstrom Weapon for an instant Lightning Bolt at its stated stack threshold. Keep your weapon current and refresh Lightning Shield as appropriate.

Maintain a useful weapon imbue and totems, use Stormstrike when available, and use a talented Maelstrom Weapon opportunity for Lightning Bolt when appropriate. On multiple intended targets, place a Fire totem where Fire Nova can hit the pack without breaking control. If mana runs low during leveling, the Wowhead leveling guide suggests reducing shock use and allowing weapon attacks to carry more of the fight.

Restoration playstyle

Blizzard’s November 3 development notes describe Riptide as healing over time without an initial heal. Riptide’s guide-reported interaction with Chain Heal is tied to its target.

Before a pull, put supporting totems in range and check mana. Use direct healing for a sudden dangerous hit; place Riptide on a target for its continuing healing when learned, then consider Chain Heal on that target when other injured allies are in range. If only one ally is hurt or the group is spread out, an expensive multi-target cast may not be the right response. Check the Version notes for the stale immediate-heal description.

Version notes

Blizzard’s November 3 beta development notes say Riptide no longer has initial healing and instead heals over time. The Wowhead Restoration overview describes both components, so treat that conflicting passage as stale. Blizzard separately planned Enhancement stat tuning for November 10; it was not confirmed applied on November 8.

Sources were reviewed on November 8, 2026. Guide observations are not independent live-game validation; later hotfixes and current tooltips take precedence.

Gear and professions

Skinning and Leatherworking can supply equipment; Herbalism and Alchemy can make consumables. Compare materials and prices with your needs.

Compare a weapon for Enhancement against spell or healing bonuses for Elemental and Restoration. Consider mana and stamina when a damage gain leaves you unable to stay in a fight. Blizzard’s announced November 10 tuning makes older Enhancement stat rankings especially uncertain; keep potentially useful Strength and Attack Power pieces and recheck the actual update.

Forever First Aid also makes healing potions; check its recipes and materials when preparing supplies. The related profession guides link directly to crafting and gathering information.

Class tools

The class spell and class-only item collections below update with published records. The talent calculator, Ability Levels and Gear Planner links on this page retain your class. Check current in-game tooltips: the linked fan guides describe a changing version and some observations originate in beta.