Shaman Leveling Guide 1–60 for WoW Forever

Enhancement is the way to level a Shaman in WoW Forever. Your two-handed weapon does the work for free, your shocks cost 45% less, and from level 20 you travel in an instant Ghost Wolf. At 41 you finish Maelstrom Weapon, which builds your melee hits into an instant, free Lightning Bolt, so you kill and pull without stopping to cast.

Elemental is the ranged alternative. It spends more time drinking before 20, then pulls ahead in groups and on packs with Chain Lightning, Fire Nova and, from 40, Lava Burst. Pick it if you level with a friend or spend a lot of time in dungeons.

What changed from Classic leveling

• Buff totems last 5 minutes and reach 30 yards. You drop Strength of Earth, Healing Stream and Mana Spring on a camp and fight the whole camp inside them. Searing Totem lasts 30 to 55 seconds, Magma 20, Earthbind 45 and Stoneclaw 15, so those still go down per pull. Call of the Elements at 20 drops four in one cast.
• Ghost Wolf is instant and works indoors with 2/2 Improved Ghost Wolf, a tier-2 Enhancement talent. Both builds take it.
• Weapon imbues last 60 minutes, not 5. Apply once, check once an hour.
• Intellect is Attack Power. Mental Dexterity turns 100% of your Intellect into Attack Power, so caster leather with Intellect is a melee upgrade, and from 40 caster mail too. Shamans can't wear mail before 40.
• Fire Nova is a spell, not a totem. It explodes around your active Fire totem, so Searing Totem plus Fire Nova is a real AoE from level 12.
• Two-handed axes and maces need no talent. Enhancement never spends a point to use its weapon.
• The Shaman is on both factions. Dwarves play Shaman on the Alliance, and Windshaper Skyborne join Orcs, Tauren and Trolls on the Horde.

Train at every even level. The list below is every new ability and rank, and what to skip.

Levels 1–10

• 1: Lightning Bolt, Healing Wave and Rockbiter Weapon.
• 4: Earth Shock, your interrupt and your strongest early damage button, and Stoneskin Totem, which needs the Earth Totem item.
• 6: Earthbind Totem and Healing Wave rank 2.
• 8: Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt rank 2, Lightning Shield, Rockbiter Weapon rank 2 and Stoneclaw Totem.
• 10: Flame Shock, Flametongue Weapon, Searing Totem (needs the Fire Totem item) and Strength of Earth Totem.

Levels 10–20

• 12: Ancestral Spirit, Fire Nova, Healing Wave rank 3 and Purge.
• 14: Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt rank 3, Stoneskin Totem rank 2.
• 16: Cure Poison, Lightning Shield rank 2 and Rockbiter Weapon rank 3.
• 18: Flame Shock rank 2, Flametongue Weapon rank 2, Healing Wave rank 4, Stoneclaw Totem rank 2 and Tremor Totem.
• 20: a big one. Ghost Wolf, Call of the Elements, Totemic Recall, Frost Shock, Frostbrand Weapon, Healing Stream Totem (needs the Water Totem item), Lesser Healing Wave, Lightning Bolt rank 4 and Searing Totem rank 2.

Levels 20–30

• 22: Cure Disease, Fire Nova rank 2, Poison Cleansing Totem, Totemic Projection and Water Breathing.
• 24: Ancestral Spirit rank 2, Earth Shock rank 4, Frost Resistance Totem, Healing Wave rank 5, Lightning Shield rank 3, Rockbiter Weapon rank 4, Stoneskin Totem rank 3 and Strength of Earth Totem rank 2.
• 26: Far Sight, Flametongue Weapon rank 3, Lightning Bolt rank 5, Magma Totem and Mana Spring Totem.
• 28: Fire Resistance Totem, Flame Shock rank 3, Flametongue Totem, Frostbrand Weapon rank 2, Lesser Healing Wave rank 2, Stoneclaw Totem rank 3 and Water Walking.
• 30: Astral Recall, Call of the Ancestors, Grounding Totem, Healing Stream Totem rank 2, Nature Resistance Totem, Reincarnation, Searing Totem rank 3 and Windfury Weapon. Grounding Totem needs the Air Totem item.

Levels 30–40

• 32: Chain Lightning, Fire Nova rank 3, Healing Wave rank 6, Lightning Bolt rank 6, Lightning Shield rank 4, Purge rank 2 and Windfury Totem.
• 34: Frost Shock rank 2, Rockbiter Weapon rank 5, Sentry Totem and Stoneskin Totem rank 4.
• 36: Ancestral Spirit rank 3, Earth Shock rank 5, Flametongue Weapon rank 4, Lesser Healing Wave rank 3, Magma Totem rank 2, Mana Spring Totem rank 2 and Windwall Totem.
• 38: Disease Cleansing Totem, Flametongue Totem rank 2, Frost Resistance Totem rank 2, Frostbrand Weapon rank 3, Lightning Bolt rank 7, Stoneclaw Totem rank 4 and Strength of Earth Totem rank 3.
• 40: Call of the Spirits, Chain Heal, Chain Lightning rank 2, Flame Shock rank 4, Healing Stream Totem rank 3, Healing Wave rank 7, Lightning Shield rank 5, Searing Totem rank 4 and Windfury Weapon rank 2.

Levels 40–50

• 42: Fire Nova rank 4, Fire Resistance Totem rank 2, Grace of Air Totem and Windfury Totem rank 2.
• 44: Lesser Healing Wave rank 4, Lightning Bolt rank 8, Nature Resistance Totem rank 2, Rockbiter Weapon rank 6 and Stoneskin Totem rank 5.
• 46: Chain Heal rank 2, Flametongue Weapon rank 5, Frost Shock rank 3, Magma Totem rank 3, Mana Spring Totem rank 3 and Windwall Totem rank 2.
• 48: Ancestral Spirit rank 4, Chain Lightning rank 3, Earth Shock rank 6, Flametongue Totem rank 3, Frostbrand Weapon rank 4, Healing Wave rank 8, Lightning Shield rank 6, Mana Tide Totem rank 2 (Restoration talent) and Stoneclaw Totem rank 5.
• 50: Healing Stream Totem rank 4, Lava Burst rank 2 (Elemental talent), Lightning Bolt rank 9, Riptide rank 2 (Restoration talent), Searing Totem rank 5 and Windfury Weapon rank 3.

Levels 50–60

• 52: Fire Nova rank 5, Flame Shock rank 5, Lesser Healing Wave rank 5, Strength of Earth Totem rank 4 and Windfury Totem rank 3.
• 54: Chain Heal rank 3, Frost Resistance Totem rank 3, Rockbiter Weapon rank 7 and Stoneskin Totem rank 6.
• 56: Chain Lightning rank 4, Flametongue Weapon rank 6, Grace of Air Totem rank 2, Healing Wave rank 9, Lightning Bolt rank 10, Lightning Shield rank 7, Magma Totem rank 4, Mana Spring Totem rank 4 and Windwall Totem rank 3.
• 58: Fire Resistance Totem rank 3, Flametongue Totem rank 4, Frost Shock rank 4, Frostbrand Weapon rank 5, Mana Tide Totem rank 3 and Stoneclaw Totem rank 6.
• 60: Ancestral Spirit rank 5, Earth Shock rank 7, Flame Shock rank 6, Grace of Air Totem rank 3, Healing Stream Totem rank 5, Healing Wave rank 10, Lava Burst rank 3, Lesser Healing Wave rank 6, Nature Resistance Totem rank 3, Riptide rank 3, Searing Totem rank 6, Strength of Earth Totem rank 5 and Windfury Weapon rank 4.

Power spikes

• 10: Flame Shock and Searing Totem. Your first damage over time and your first Fire totem turn a three-spell fight into a two-spell fight.
• 20: Ghost Wolf, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Stream Totem and Call of the Elements. The biggest training bill of the first half, and worth every copper.
• 26: Magma Totem and Mana Spring Totem. Two-mob pulls become the norm.
• 30: Windfury Weapon for Enhancement, Reincarnation and Astral Recall for everyone.
• 32: Chain Lightning, Windfury Totem and Purge rank 2.
• 40: Mail armor, Chain Heal, Call of the Spirits, and the Stormstrike or Lava Burst talent. Rage of the Farseer follows at 44 in the Enhancement order.
• 50 and 60: new Lava Burst and Riptide ranks for the specs that took the talent.

What to skip

• Enhancement: skip Frostbrand Weapon and Flametongue Weapon ranks after 30: Windfury Weapon replaces them. Skip Rockbiter Weapon ranks after 30 unless you tank dungeons.
• Elemental: skip every weapon imbue after Rockbiter rank 2, and every Stoneclaw Totem rank.
• Both: buy resistance totems, Windwall Totem, Sentry Totem and Far Sight only when a dungeon or quest needs them. Always buy Healing Wave, Lightning Bolt and Shock ranks.

Orc (Horde) is the leveling pick for Enhancement. Axe Specialization adds 1% critical strike chance while you hold an axe or two-handed axe, Blood Fury adds 10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 seconds every 2 minutes, and Hardiness cuts stuns by 20%.

Tauren (Horde) is the safe pick. War Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies for 2 seconds when a pull goes wrong, Endurance adds 5% health and 1% Hit, and Plainsrunning builds up to 30% run speed while you move before you have Ghost Wolf.

Troll (Horde) kills Beasts 5% faster with Beast Slaying, and Rapid Regeneration heals 50% of your health over 6 seconds between pulls: fewer Healing Waves, less mana.

Windshaper Skyborne (Horde, new) starts on Zephras Isle (levels 1–12) with Wind Blessed for 1% Haste and Elemental Insight for 5% damage against Elementals. Skysight adds 10% movement speed, and Walk on Air lets you glide down cliffs instead of walking around them.

Dwarf (Alliance, new) is the only Alliance Shaman. Big Game Hunter adds 5% damage against Beasts, Mace Specialization adds 1% crit with maces and two-handed maces, and Stoneform removes Poisons, Diseases and Bleeds and cuts Physical damage taken by 10%.

For Enhancement, your weapon's damage outweighs every other stat, because Stormstrike and Windfury hit for weapon damage. Intellect is Attack Power through Mental Dexterity, so don't pass on leather with Intellect, or on mail with Intellect once you can wear it at 40. Elementals want Spell Power, and Forever's caster weapons roll Spell Power on their level-up upgrades.

Enhancement weapons

Carry a two-handed axe or mace from your first trainer visit and replace it every 8–10 levels. Pick the slowest weapon with the highest top-end damage you can use:

• Windfury Weapon from 30: its extra attacks carry bonus Attack Power, so a slow, heavy hit gains the most.
• Stormstrike from 40 hits for your weapon's normal damage.
• Before 30 you use Rockbiter Weapon, and a slow weapon still lands the biggest hits.

Orcs take axes for Axe Specialization and Dwarves take maces for Mace Specialization. When a quest offers a two-hander and armor, take the two-hander.

Elemental weapons

A one-handed mace or axe with Spell Power, and a shield with Stamina or Intellect. Forever's caster weapons get Spell Power at the levels where melee gets its weapon upgrades, so upgrade whenever a quest offers one.

Armor

Take Strength, Intellect and Stamina as Enhancement; Spell Power, Intellect and Stamina as Elemental. Quest rewards beat vendor gear at every level, and a piece with Intellect is never wasted on either spec.

Skinning and Mining is the Enhancement pair. You kill beasts all day, and both professions sell well on the auction house. Herbalism and Skinning works for either spec, and instant Ghost Wolf makes node-to-node travel fast.

Level First Aid and Cooking too. Crafted food grants a small experience bonus, and eating seated for 10 seconds gives Well Fed for 15 minutes. A Basic Campfire needs no crafting materials, so every player can set up a camp for a buff and a rest.

At 60, drop a gathering profession for Alchemy (every spec), Blacksmithing or Engineering (Enhancement), or Leatherworking.

Forever adds nine new dungeons to the Classic roster. Two are ready to run, three are not open yet and four are announced for later. Level ranges come from our dungeons page, lowest first:

• 13–18: Ragefire Chasm, in Orgrimmar.
• 13–18: Hall of Thanes (new), beneath Ironforge.
• 15–20: Ruins of Lordaeron (new), in Tirisfal Glades.
• 17–26: The Deadmines, in Westfall.
• 17–24: Wailing Caverns, in the Barrens.
• 22–30: Shadowfang Keep, in Silverpine Forest.
• 24–32: Blackfathom Deeps, in Ashenvale.
• 24–32: The Stockade, in Stormwind.
• 24–29: Excavation Site: Wetlands (new, not open yet), in the Wetlands.
• 28–33: City of Dalaran (new, not open yet), in Alterac Mountains.
• 29–38: Gnomeregan, in Dun Morogh.
• 29–38: Razorfen Kraul, in the Barrens.
• 30–46: Scarlet Monastery, in Tirisfal Glades.
• 35–40: The Drowned City (new, not open yet), on the Stranglethorn coast.
• 37–46: Razorfen Downs, on the southern edge of the Barrens.
• 41–51: Uldaman, in the Badlands.
• 44–54: Zul'Farrak in Tanaris.
• 46–55: Maraudon in Desolace.
• 50–60: Sunken Temple, in the Swamp of Sorrows.
• 52–60: Blackrock Depths, in Blackrock Mountain.
• 54–60: Dire Maul, in Feralas.
• 55–60: Lower Blackrock Spire, in Blackrock Mountain.
• 58–60: Scholomance, in the Western Plaguelands, and Stratholme, in the Eastern Plaguelands.
• 59–60: Upper Blackrock Spire, in Blackrock Mountain.

The other four new dungeons are announced, not open yet, and have no level ranges: Krol'dok Stronghold in Riverglades, Alcaz Prison on Alcaz Island, Blackmaw Hold in North Azshara and Shaper's Terrace in Un'Goro Crater.

Enhancement does damage and drops melee totems in these. Elemental does damage, interrupts with Earth Shock and brings Mana Spring for the healer. Either spec heals a dungeon in a pinch: you have Healing Wave and Lesser Healing Wave all the way.

Your totems need the matching totem item in your bags: Earth Totem, Fire Totem, Water Totem and Air Totem. The item a totem needs isn't always the one its name suggests: Earthbind, Stoneskin, Stoneclaw and Strength of Earth Totem need the Earth Totem; Searing, Magma, Flametongue and Frost Resistance Totem need the Fire Totem; Healing Stream, Mana Spring and Fire Resistance Totem need the Water Totem; Grounding, Windfury, Grace of Air, Windwall and Nature Resistance Totem need the Air Totem. Check each new totem's tooltip at the trainer.

The chains below are the Horde quests. We haven't mapped the Dwarf or Windshaper Skyborne chains yet. Each element's first totem is trained at 4 (Stoneskin, Earth), 10 (Searing, Fire), 20 (Healing Stream, Water) and 30 (Grounding, Air), so have the matching item by then. Horde chains:

• Earth: Orcs and Trolls start with Call of Earth in the Valley of Trials; Tauren with Call of Earth in Camp Narache.
• Fire: Call of Fire sends you to Kranal Fiss in the Barrens. Later steps include Call of Fire, which returns the Torch of Eternal Flame to him.
• Water: Call of Water sends you to Islen Waterseer in the Barrens. Later steps include Call of Water in Silverpine Forest.
• Air: Call of Air sends you to Prate Cloudseer in Thousand Needles.

Set your totem bar at 20. Put Strength of Earth, Searing and Healing Stream on Call of the Elements, and one cast covers every camp.

Use Astral Recall. Astral Recall at 30 takes you to your inn on a 15-minute cooldown, without touching your hearthstone.

Water Walking saves flight paths. Water Walking at 28 lets you or a party member cross lakes and rivers until you take damage.

Train ranks of Healing Wave. You're your own healer for 60 levels, and every new rank heals for more.

Totemic Projection moves the whole camp setup. At 22, Totemic Projection relocates your totems up to 30 yards instead of recasting them.

Ghost Wolf that never cancels itself when you press it twice.

#showtooltip Ghost Wolf
/cast !Ghost Wolf

Stormstrike that also starts your auto-attack.

#showtooltip Stormstrike
/startattack
/cast Stormstrike

Healing Wave on yourself without changing targets, for mid-fight heals while leveling.

#showtooltip Healing Wave
/cast [@player] Healing Wave

Earth Shock that stops your current cast first, so you can interrupt out of a Lightning Bolt.

#showtooltip Earth Shock
/stopcasting
/cast Earth Shock

Earthbind Totem that also drops you out of your current cast, for the moment a pull goes wrong.

#showtooltip Earthbind Totem
/stopcasting
/cast Earthbind Totem