George In The Meta
Orc Enhancement Shaman in WoW Forever: my launch levelling plan
By George In The Meta ·
Short answer: I'm probably launching WoW Forever as an Orc Enhancement Shaman, with a two-handed axe, every talent in Enhancement, and two gathering professions until 60. The other option is going back to an Undead Paladin, and honestly, that's what could go wrong: I get bored and go back to the Paladin.
Launch is 4 November at 3pm PST, which is 6am on 5 November in Thailand, and beta characters don't carry over.
Orc, Tauren or Troll Shaman in WoW Forever?
Orc. The Tauren would be healthier, and the Troll also kills fairly quick. I've had a Troll before, my Frost Mage Frosted, so I'm going with the Orc, as I believe it's kind of equal to the Troll in kill speed and survivability.
The Tauren is if you want to be a bit more tanky as a Shaman, which hasn't been my complaint so far. My Prot Paladin was tanky as hell. I just couldn't clear fast enough to enjoy the game.
The Orc's racials all help a melee Shaman. In the launch client (build 70532, 21 October), Blood Fury gives +10% attack power for 15 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown, and Savage gives +1% crit with all spells and abilities. Savage used to be Axe Specialization and needed an axe; in Forever it works with any weapon. Hardiness makes stuns on you 20% shorter, and Shatter Curse removes all curses and cuts magic damage taken by 5% for 8 seconds.
The difference between races is small either way, though. Blood Fury is only up 15 seconds in every 3 minutes, which averages out to under +1% attack power. The Tauren gets +5% health and +2% crit damage all the time, and the Troll's Berserking gives +10% attack speed for 10 seconds. The Orc is fine; just don't expect it to transform your kill speed.
Why Enhancement Shaman over a Mage?
Because I watched a Shaman do what my Mage couldn't. I was playing Frosted, a Frost Mage in full green gear I'd bought for a decent amount of gold, and Fizzle Darkstorm in Durotar killed me three times. A level 11 Shaman beat him easily.
A Shaman gets an interrupt at level 4, Earth Shock, and a Mage doesn't. A Mage has nothing until Counterspell at 24, so every Shadow Bolt Fizzle casts lands. And a Frost Mage doesn't seem to get powerful until level 20 or so.
My understanding of a Shaman is that it's like a Mage but not as squishy, which is what I've been hoping for. I haven't really done a Shaman yet; I've mainly been a Mage or a Paladin. Method calls Enhancement the strongest Shaman levelling spec in Forever (Method), and the whole Enhancement tree is exactly 51 points, so by 60 you own all of it.
What did Forever change for Enhancement?
Forever moved the big talents much earlier, according to its own beta game files (build 70338 on wago.tools):
- Stormstrike at 25, not 40. Method agrees. The spell itself still says level 40 in the files, so check the tooltip when you get there.
- Mental Dexterity turns up to 100% of your Intellect into attack power, so don't throw Intellect gear away.
- Maelstrom Weapon at 35: five stacks make Lightning Bolt free and instant.
- Rage of the Farseer at 40: +30% attack speed for 25 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown.
What professions should a Shaman take in WoW Forever?
Two gathering professions, and sell everything until 60. For me that's Mining and Skinning; Durotar and the Barrens are full of beasts you're killing anyway.
While levelling, it's better financially to be all about selling gathered items, because people are too lazy to gather. Most people want the crafting, and a lot of crafting doesn't pay off until you're max level anyway: potions for raids, end gear that can only be crafted, stuff like that.
At 60, I'll drop one gathering profession and take up a crafting one. Cooking, First Aid and Fishing don't use a profession slot, so learn them too: every Well Fed buff adds 5% to kill experience in Forever.
What spells does an Enhancement Shaman get by level?
The ones that change how you fight arrive at 4, 10, 20 and 30. Train new ranks at every even level too. Levels are from Forever's beta files.
| Level | Train | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lightning Bolt, Healing Wave, Rockbiter Weapon | Pull, heal, and the attack power imbue you keep on until 30 |
| 4 | Earth Shock, Stoneskin Totem | Earth Shock interrupts a cast; all shocks share a 6 second cooldown |
| 6 | Earthbind Totem | Slows everything near it, for running away |
| 8 | Lightning Shield, Stoneclaw Totem | The shield hits back; Stoneclaw pulls nearby mobs onto itself |
| 10 | Flame Shock, Searing Totem, Strength of Earth Totem | Damage over time, a turret, +Strength |
| 12 | Fire Nova, Purge | Fire Nova hits everything around your fire totem |
| 18 | Tremor Totem | Breaks fear |
| 20 | Ghost Wolf, Frost Shock, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Stream Totem, Call of the Elements, Totemic Recall | Run speed, a slow, a fast heal, and Forever's totem management |
| 22 | Totemic Projection | New in Forever: moves your totems |
| 26 | Magma Totem, Mana Spring Totem | Pack damage and mana |
| 30 | Windfury Weapon, Reincarnation, Astral Recall, Grounding Totem | Your main imbue from here, a self-res, a second hearth |
| 32 | Chain Lightning, Windfury Totem | Chain Lightning jumps between mobs; Windfury Totem buffs your group's melee |
Each totem element needs its own totem quest before you can drop it: earth at 4, fire at 10, water at 20 and air at 30, going by Classic. Forever's quest names aren't confirmed yet.
What's the Enhancement Shaman talent order?
Every point goes in Enhancement. You get one point a level from 10, and each row opens after five more points in the tree.
| Levels | Talent | Points | What it gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-14 | Thundering Strikes | 5 | +5% crit with all attacks and spells |
| 15-17 | Mental Dexterity | 3 | Attack power equal to 100% of your Intellect |
| 18-19 | Improved Ghost Wolf | 2 | Instant Ghost Wolf, ready before you learn it at 20 |
| 20 | Shamanistic Focus | 1 | Shocks and Lightning Shield cost 45% less mana |
| 21-23 | Elemental Weapons | 3 | Rockbiter +20% attack power, Windfury +40% |
| 24 | Anticipation | 1 | +2% dodge, and the point that opens the next row |
| 25 | Stormstrike | 1 | Weapon strike; your next Earth Shock or Lightning Bolt does +20% |
| 26-30 | Flurry | 5 | +25% attack speed after a melee crit |
| 31-32 | Improved Stormstrike | 2 | Mana back, and dodges or parries can reset it |
| 33 | Spirit Weapons | 1 | Lets you parry |
| 34 | Mental Quickness | 1 | Spell damage and healing from your Intellect |
| 35-39 | Maelstrom Weapon | 5 | Five stacks: free, instant Lightning Bolt |
| 40 | Rage of the Farseer | 1 | +30% attack speed for 25 seconds |
| 41-60 | The rest of the tree | 20 | Health, dodge, Intellect and shield damage |
That gets you Stormstrike at 25, Maelstrom Weapon done by 39 and Rage of the Farseer at 40.
How do you fight as an Enhancement Shaman?
One mob: Flame Shock, drop Searing Totem, melee, and spend every shock cooldown on Earth Shock, which is Method's levelling rotation. Keep Lightning Shield and Rockbiter Weapon up between fights.
- Casters: save Earth Shock for their cast bar. That's what beat Fizzle Darkstorm.
- From 25: Stormstrike on cooldown, then Earth Shock straight after it for the +20%.
- From 35: at five Maelstrom stacks, Lightning Bolt is free and instant.
- Two or three mobs: Stoneclaw Totem so some of them hit it, Fire Nova around your fire totem, and Blood Fury for the burst.
- Going wrong: Earthbind Totem and run, or Healing Wave while Stoneclaw holds them.
Use the best two-handed weapon you can get, axe or mace, since Savage's crit no longer needs an axe, and a slow one once Windfury arrives at 30. Leather until 40, then mail, going by the Classic rule. Method rates Agility over Strength over Stamina over Intellect.
Where should an Orc Shaman level in WoW Forever?
Durotar to about 12, the Barrens through the teens and twenties, then Hillsbrad or Ashenvale from about 25. Forever rescaled the zones, so check mob levels as you go.
My Paladin Maple went to Hillsbrad at 20 by the Undercity side and found it slow but safe. Ashenvale's mobs outside Splintertree were 27 to 28, and she got hurt there at 20, so wait. The beta stopped at 30, so nobody has Forever data past that yet.
What could go wrong?
Me getting bored and going back to an Undead Paladin. I've played Prot Paladins this whole time, and they're slow to quest with for how tanky they are, with the lack of concentration I can have when I'm solo questing. That's the whole reason I'm trying a Shaman.
I'll update this after launch with what actually happened, and whether Stormstrike really turns up at 25. My WoW Forever name reservation page has the launch-week dates, and everything else I've written about Forever is on the WoW Forever page.
