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Getting
Off to a Good Start 

Choosing your class is one of
the first important decisions you make while playing World of Warcraft.
Choosing a class that you love will help you enjoy the game more, while
picking a class you hate can ruin your play experience. In the end
it’s up to you to make that tough call and decide what class
fits your personal playing preferences.
The Shaman class may or may not be the right one for you, but in order
to help you make that tough choice here is a short list of what the
class is all about, what it’s strengths are and some of
it’s weaknesses.

• Shaman are a versatile
  class. Much like Druids they can heal, do ranged DPS, and even Melee
  DPS.

• Shamans can wear any type of
  armor class except for Plate.

• Shamans provide various
  Totems that buff the raid, or even hinder your enemies.

• Healing Shaman excel at raid
  healing, while tend to be lacking in the tank healing
  department. 

• Shamans have a Ghost Wolf
  form that allows for faster travel.

• Shamans have the ability to
  give themselves buffs to their weapons. 

• Shamans are able to use
  Reincarnation to resurrect themselves from time to time even in combat.

So in general Shamans are a versatile class that can fulfill pretty
much any play style you could hope for (melee, ranged, healing) and
they do all three remarkably well. Shamans are not overly squishy, and
provide helpful totems to their friends. If you are still not sure if
the Shaman class is the one for you, the best solution is to try it out
for a few levels. While the lower levels certainly don’t show
you everything a class can do, you can still get a general idea of what
the class will be like.

Picking
your
race is just as important as picking your class. While the
race you pick will not affect your performance as all races are fairly
equal, who really wants to stare at something they find repulsive for
any amount of time?



The Shaman class compared to other classes does not leave you much room
for race diversity. There are very few races that can currently be
Shamans, especially if you decide to play Alliance. You should be able
to find something that suits your fancy though. Keep in mind with the
release of Cataclysm Blizzard will be allowing two more races to be
Shamans, the Goblin and the Dwarf. Below is a list of the benefits you
will gain from each available race:



style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Alliance



Draenei
(Burning Crusade): Draenei have the ability to cast Gift of the Naaru,
which allows the player to heal themselves. They are also provided with
natural Shadow resistance, an increased chance to hit with all spells
and attacks that is shared with the Draenei’s party members.
Draenei also have the Gemcutting skill, increasing their Jewelcrafting
skill by 5.



style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Horde
style="font-style: italic;">


Orc:
Orcs come with some powerful racial abilities including, Blood Fury
which increases melee attack power, Command which increases damage
dealt by all pets, Dodge which increases your chance to dodge enemy
melee attacks, and Axe Specialization.



Troll:
Trolls get the ability to Regenerate, which increases their overall
health regeneration rate, and they also have the Berserking skill which
increases attack and casting speed by 20% for 10 seconds. Trolls also
naturally have Beast Slaying, Bow Specialization, and Throwing
Specialization. Finally Trolls can do Da Voodoo Shuffle which reduces
the duration of all movement impairing effects by 15%. Very handy in
PvP.



Tauren:
Taurens are one with the land and as such they have Cultivation which
increases their Herbalism skill. They also have a natural Nature
Resistance, and Endurance which increases their base health. Finally
Taurens can perform a War Stomp which stuns up to 5 nearby enemies for
2 seconds.

Each
profession in the World of Warcraft brings various bonuses with
it. Choosing the right ones for your class is very important as it can
increase your damage or healing output. Below is a list of the
professions that are suitable for the Shaman class. Choose wisely!



Alchemy

Mixology increases the effect and duration when any flask or elixir a
player is able to make is used. Also depending on what path you choose
to take allows you to proc extra flasks, pots, or transmutes. A good
choice since every player uses flasks.



Jewelcrafting

Provides powerful gems only available to Jewelcrafters.



Blacksmithing

Provides an outstanding bonus as it allows you to socket your gloves
and bracers with a gem slot. Those two extra sockets can be
used for any gem you choose and can really give you that extra edge.



Leatherworking

Not only can you make yourself some nice gear once you level it, but it
provides the player with Fur Lining which can be added to your bracers.
This enchant takes the place of the normal enchant you would get from
an Enchanter and is far more powerful.



Inscription

Able to produce shoulder enchants known as Master’s
Inscriptions. It’s almost worth it to be a scribe just so you
don’t have to grind the Sons of Hodir reputation. The
Master’s Inscriptions are slightly better than the
universally available versions.

Totems are unique to the Shaman
class and are what really set them apart from other classes. Gained
through various quests as you level Totems show up on the ground near
the Shaman and produce a certain affect that can benefit not only the
Shaman, but his entire group or raid. Different situations and even
different specs will require different totems to be dropped by the
Shaman. Learning what totems to cast and when will truly make you a
master of the Shaman class.

name="stats">Since the Shaman can melee, be
an offensive caster, or heal, the stat choice depends on which of these
three you choose to play. Enhancement Shaman will focus on typical
melee stats, Elemental Shaman will focus on more caster like stats,
while Shaman who choose to spec into the Restoration tree will be
looking for stats that enhance their healing abilities.
No matter how you choose to play your Shaman choosing the right stats
for that spec is all important.



Elemental Shamans will be interested in the following stats:

Spell Hit, Spell Power, Crit, Haste, and Intellect



Restoration Shaman look for similar stats as the Elemental Shamans:

Intellect, Haste, Spell Power, Crit



While Enhancement Shamans are the oddballs of the group looking for
stats more akin to

DPS Warriors: Hit, Expertise, Haste, Agility, Armor Penetration, and
Strength