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Shaman · Healer

Shaman beginner guide · Anniversary

BeginnersData-drivenMediumPatch 2.5.6
3.7KUpdated

More Shaman guides

This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

The Shaman is a Classic Anniversary class that can play healer, ranged DPS, melee DPS. It is B tier on our ladder: 12.2% of the top players, average rating 2315, average item level 138.

Strengths

  • Very present at the top: 12.2% of the 730 top players we read play it.
  • Wins 67.9% of its rated games among the top players.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Builds

Shaman · 3v3 Arena

More damagePvP
Open build

When to use it

What the 29 top 3v3 Arena players we read are using. Average item level 138. Talent points 10/47/4.

3v3 arena build

29 top profilesAverage item level 138Enhancement 10 · Restoration 47 · Elemental 4

Talent trees

Elemental

0
14%10%
0/26.9%3.5%
10%0/510%
6.9%6.9%0/3
10%10%6.9%
3.5%10%
10%6.9%
10%
3.5%

Enhancement

9
5/528%
2/20/52/23.5%
10%0/121%
0/521%
0/20/10/3
0/30/5
0/30/10/1
0/5
0/1

Restoration

52
24%5/5
3.5%1/35/5
3/35/51/13/3
5/55/5
14%1/13/3
5/5
1/15/5
3/324%
1/1

Gold, what most of the top players take (with its rank); the rest shows the share of players who take it.

Secondary stat split

  1. 1. Resilience 98%
  2. 2. Spirit 2%

Most socketed gems

  • 172%Royal Nightseye+9 Healing +3 Spell Damage and +2 Mana every 5 seconds
  • 124%Luminous Noble Topaz+9 Healing +3 Spell Damage and +4 Intellect
  • 121%Teardrop Living Ruby+18 Healing and +6 Spell Damage
  • 72%Royal Shadowsong Amethyst+11 Healing +4 Spell Damage and +2 Mana every 5 seconds
  • 69%Mystic Lionseye+10 Resilience Rating
  • 66%Insightful Earthstorm Diamond+12 Intellect & Chance to restore mana on spellcast

Gear by slot

  • Main hand

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Salvationilvl 146 · 28%
    • Crystal Spire of Karaborilvl 151 · 24%
    • Lightfathom Scepterilvl 141 · 21%

    ✦ +81 Healing Spells and +27 Damage Spells (90%)

  • Off hand

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Redoubtilvl 146 · 48%
    • Merciless Gladiator's Redoubtilvl 136 · 28%
    • Bastion of Lightilvl 141 · 7%

    ✦ +18 Stamina (52%)

  • Ranged / relic

    • Merciless Gladiator's Totem of the Third Windilvl 136 · 41%
    • Vengeful Gladiator's Totem of the Third Windilvl 146 · 21%
    • Totem of Healing Rainsilvl 115 · 14%

  • Trinket

    • Battlemaster's Perseveranceilvl 133 · 34%
    • Medallion of the Hordeilvl 115 · 28%

  • Head

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Ringmail Helmilvl 146 · 45%
    • Skyshatter Helmetilvl 146 · 21%
    • Merciless Gladiator's Ringmail Helmilvl 136 · 17%

    ✦ +35 Healing +12 Spell Damage and 7 Mana Per 5 sec. (79%)

  • Neck

    • Vindicator's Pendant of Reprieveilvl 141 · 48%
    • Vindicator's Pendant of Salvationilvl 141 · 28%
    • Lord Sanguinar's Claimilvl 138 · 7%

  • Shoulders

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Ringmail Spauldersilvl 146 · 45%
    • Vengeful Gladiator's Mail Spauldersilvl 146 · 28%
    • Living Earth Shouldersilvl 141 · 10%

    ✦ +33 Healing and +11 Spell Damage and +4 Mana Regen (76%)

  • Back

    • Stainless Cloak of the Pure Heartedilvl 125 · 31%
    • Shroud of the Final Standilvl 141 · 21%
    • Shroud of the Highborneilvl 151 · 14%

    ✦ +20 Spell Penetration (90%)

  • Chest

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Ringmail Armorilvl 146 · 55%
    • Cataclysm Chestguardilvl 133 · 21%
    • Merciless Gladiator's Ringmail Armorilvl 136 · 14%

    ✦ +15 Resilience Rating (66%)

  • Wrists

    • Living Earth Bindingsilvl 141 · 38%
    • Vindicator's Ringmail Bracersilvl 141 · 34%
    • Blackfathom Warbandsilvl 128 · 7%

    ✦ +30 Healing and +10 Spell Damage (83%)

  • Hands

    • Vengeful Gladiator's Ringmail Gauntletsilvl 146 · 55%
    • Vengeful Gladiator's Mail Gauntletsilvl 146 · 28%
    • Worldstorm Gauntletsilvl 128 · 7%

    ✦ +35 Healing Spells and +12 Damage Spells (76%)

  • Waist

    • Girdle of Fallen Starsilvl 128 · 38%
    • Vindicator's Ringmail Girdleilvl 146 · 31%
    • Naturalist's Preserving Cinchilvl 141 · 10%

  • Legs

    • Sunhawk Leggingsilvl 138 · 31%
    • Vengeful Gladiator's Ringmail Leggingsilvl 146 · 21%
    • Sun-touched Chain Leggingsilvl 141 · 21%

    ✦ +66 Healing +22 Spell Damage and +20 Stamina (90%)

  • Feet

    • Vindicator's Ringmail Sabatonsilvl 146 · 52%
    • Tempest-Strider Bootsilvl 128 · 28%
    • Orca-Hide Bootsilvl 128 · 7%

    ✦ Minor Speed and +9 Stamina (66%)

  • Ring

    • Vindicator's Band of Salvationilvl 141 · 41%
    • Blessed Band of Karaborilvl 151 · 34%
    • Band of the Eternal Restorerilvl 152 · 34%

    ✦ +20 Healing and +7 Spell Damage (145%)

Abilities

  • Totem of WrathSummons a Totem of Wrath with 5 health at the feet of the caster. The totem increases the chance to hit and critically strike with spells by 3% for all party members within 30 yards. Lasts 2 min.Key talent of the class.
  • Shamanistic RageReduces all damage taken by 30% and gives your successful melee attacks a chance to regenerate mana equal to 30% of your attack power. Lasts 15 sec.Key talent of the class.
  • Earth ShieldProtects the target with an earthen shield, giving a 30% chance of ignoring spell interruption when damaged and causing attacks to heal the shielded target for 150. This effect can only occur once every few seconds. 6 charges. Lasts 10 min. Earth Shield can only be placed on one target at a time and only one Elemental Shield can be active on a target at a time.Key talent of the class.

Strategy

1What you do

Your job: keep the tank and the raid alive while managing a mana pool that has to last the whole fight.

  • Pre-heal the tank before the pull and don't overheal: mana is the resource that decides long fights.
  • Dispel curses, poisons and diseases on your group: in Classic most deaths come from debuffs nobody removed.

2Mistakes to avoid

  • Spending all your mana at the start of a long fight.
  • Pulling threat off the tank: in Classic, threat is slow to build and a dead damage dealer deals no damage.
  • Running out of consumables: potions, flasks and food are part of the build in Classic raids.
  • Ignoring crowd control assignments: sheep, sap and fear the packs you are asked to, and don't break them.

Tips

  • Learn the downranked versions of your heals: they cost less mana and heal enough outside the spikes.
  • Spend your talent points in the order of this guide and only change the rows the content asks for.
  • Hit rating comes first until you reach the cap for your content: missed spells and swings are wasted damage.
  • Watch your tank's health bar, not the damage meter.

Changelog

  1. Guide created for patch 2.5.6.

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