General Shaman Information:

Shamans are considered to be one of the most diverse classes in the World of Warcraft. Known for their abilities to heal, melee DPS, and range DPS, these classes are a great asset to any guild or group. Shamans can enhance any party, since they don't have to be completely focused on one specific role, such as healing. Shamans can also use their specific talent trees to further their customization of their character towards healing, melee, or spellcasting.

Their primary support to their group, and themselves, are their totems. These totems provide protection, healing, mana, and even do damage to mobs that come in range of them. Shamans also have the unique ability to resurrect other players and themselves, which can come in extremely handy when in a dungeon or on a group quest.

This class was only available to three Horde races, the Orcs, Trolls, and the Tauren since the Alliance had the Paladin. Alliance players couldn't play the Shaman and the Horde players couldn't play the Paladin, and the game was set up this way to balance out the field with these types of classes. But, with the release of the Burning Crusade expansion pack, the Horde now has a chance to play the Paladin and the Alliance now can play the Shaman with the Draenei.

Shaman Talent Specs:

Shamans have three different talent trees that they can choose to pursue once they hit level 10. These are: Elemental, Enhancement, and Restoration. Each different talent tree will offer a different specialization to the Shaman, and offer different abilities.

The Elemental talent tree enhances the Shaman's spellcasting abilities, which are mainly in the form of totems that help to do damage to mobs, spells, and some “shocks”, which are instant cast. The down side with this talent spec, the Shaman will find that their mana will drain faster and their casting time for those offensive spells will be increased. The up side with this talent spec is that the Shaman will be able to gain on their damage and their critical strike chances.

Once a Shaman of Elemental spec hits their seventh tier, they gain Elemental Mastery, which is an extremely usable spell that can be cast every three minutes. This spell will guarantee a mana-free critical hit on the next offensive spell that the Shaman casts. The Elemental talent tree will greatly increase the damage that a Shaman can do, and the magical offense as well. So, for both PvP and PvE, this is a great talent tree to go with.

The Enhancement talent tree enhances the Shaman's abilities to provide special timed enchants on their weapons and to expand on their melee abilities. This talent spec is appealing to lower level Shamans since it offers a mana increase, reduced cast time, and gives them the ability to use two-handed weapons. Further up the Enhancement talent tree, the Shaman can begin to do a huge amount of melee damage and can even surpass some Warriors and Rogues. But, they will start to lack the ability to reduce threats, so this can make it hard to ward off aggro.

When an Enhancement spec Shaman reaches the seventh tier, they gain Stormstrike, which gives them a chance to attack with both of their weapons and to greatly increase the damage that is done by their next two Nature spells. While the Enhancement spec offers great perks to those in the PvP area, it might not be the best way to go for those in the PvE areas.

The Restoration talent tree enhances the Shaman's ability to heal by reducing the casting time and the mana that is used to cast healing spells. It also helps to increase the abilities of totems that are cast, which is a great perk for those who prefer the healing role of the Shaman. For Shamans who take on this spec, they will almost always be picked up by parties in the end-game raids and instances, as they provide a healer and great buffs with their totems.

When a Restoration Shaman hits the seventh tier, they gain the Earth Shield, which will give ten charges that can be cast on either themselves or a party member. The Earth Shield will heal the user when they are struck once every few seconds. Since the Restoration spec will greatly increase a Shaman's contribution to any group or PvE action, it makes it a great way to go for most Shamans. But, the down side is that this spec will decrease and limit the Shaman's damage to mobs and enemy player.

Shaman's Equipment:

From level 1-40, the Shaman can wear leather and cloth armor. Once a Shaman reaches level 40, they can wear mail. Since leather armor provides the best protection for a Shaman, most Shamans will take on Skinning and Leatherworking to provide themselves with the best armor that they can without paying for it on the auction house. Also, once a Shaman is able to specialize their Leatherworking skills, they can choose the Dragonscale Leatherworking specialization that will give them a boost to their stats.

Shamans can use sheilds, one handed maces, and staves from the very beginning, and can pick up training for daggers, fist weapons, and even one handed axes. Shamans can also spend a few talent points in Enhancement so that they can learn to use two handed weapons and dual wield.

Shaman End-Game Information:

One of the main things that a Shaman can learn is which totems will help their party members at any specific time in an end-game instance or dungeon. Your role in a group or raid will depend on which talent spec you decided on. For example, those Shamans who chose Restoration talent specs will be placed into mostly healing roles. So, you should make sure that you learn everything you can and practice it as much as possible when you decide on a talent spec so you will be able to provide the best possible member for a group or raid.

Within this training, you should learn what your limitations are. For example, you have no way of controlling a crowd or to completely wipe aggro, so you need to learn to be cautious and keep a constant eye on your surroundings. You should always know when you need to throw up a shield or totem, and you should know when to kite a mob to another area. This can make all the difference in an end-game dungeon.

Keep in mind that since the Shaman is one of the most versatile classes in the game, it is also one of the funnest to play. So, when you chose to become a Shaman, learn all you and enjoy yourself.