WoW Forever gives every Shaman a Totem Bar that drops four totems in one cast, makes Lava Burst, Rage of the Farseer and Riptide its 31-point talents, and moves Stormstrike and Mana Tide Totem to the new 16-point row. Orcs, Tauren, Trolls and Windshaper Skyborne can play the class, and so can Dwarves, the Alliance's only Shamans: Dwarf Shaman is one of Forever's six new race and class combinations. Here is what the beta client (build 1.60.1.70009) and Blizzard's September 24 beta notes show.
What every Shaman gets
- Call of the Elements (level 20), Call of the Ancestors (30) and Call of the Spirits (40) each place up to 4 totems from the Totem Bar in one 3-second cast, each with its own set.
- Totemic Recall (level 20, instant) returns your totems and refunds 25% of their mana cost; Totemic Projection (level 22) relocates them once a minute.
- Fire Nova replaces Fire Nova Totem, gone from the beta's Shaman spells: from level 12, an instant blast of 48 to 56 Fire damage (396 to 442 at rank 5) on enemies within 10 yards of your active Fire totem, on a 10-second cooldown.
- Totems stack less, per the September 24 notes: Flametongue Totem no longer stacks with itself, Flametongue Weapon or Windfury Totem, and Windfury, Grace of Air and Tranquil Air Totems no longer stack together, even from different Shamans. The beta client has no Tranquil Air Totem spell at all.
Elemental: Lava Burst and faster casts
- Elemental Alacrity (10 points in the tree, 3 ranks): Reduces the cast time of your Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Lava Burst by 0.5 sec.
- Improved Fire Nova (15 points in the tree, 2 ranks): Increases Fire Nova's damage by 20% and reduces its cooldown by 4 sec.
- Elemental Reach (20 points in the tree, 2 ranks): Adds 6 yards to the range of Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Fire Nova and Lava Burst, and 15 yards to Flame Shock.
- Lightning Overload (20 points in the tree, 3 ranks): Gives Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning a 10% chance to cast a second, similar spell on the same target for free, at half damage and no threat.
- Earthbound (20 points in the tree, 1 rank): Your Earthbind Totem immobilizes nearby targets for 5 sec when cast.
- Lava Burst (30 points in the tree, 1 rank): Hurls molten lava for 143 to 185 Fire damage, 20% more if your Flame Shock is on the target, with a 2.5-second cast and a 10-second cooldown.
The September 24 notes raised Lava Burst's ranks 1 and 2 to about 10% more base damage than the Lightning Bolt learned around the same level, and Lightning Bolt's ranks 3 and 4 so that each rank beats the last. They also swapped Elemental Fury and Elemental Alacrity, now at 25 and 10 points: Blizzard says early critical damage bonuses excite other specializations, but Elemental lacks the critical strike chance to feel them while leveling and needed earlier progression. It adds that the swap affects Enhancement's spell critical damage. Call of Thunder becomes the one-rank 16-point talent, and Elemental Fury grows from 1 rank to 5.
Enhancement: an earlier Stormstrike
- Mental Dexterity (5 points in the tree, 3 ranks): Increases your Attack Power by 100% of your Intellect.
- Shamanistic Focus (10 points in the tree, 1 rank): Reduces the mana cost of your Shock and Lightning Shield spells by 45%.
- Spirit Weapons (20 points in the tree, 1 rank): Gives a chance to parry melee attacks; your attacks cause 30% less threat without Rockbiter Weapon, and all your threat rises by 30% with it.
- Mental Quickness (20 points in the tree, 2 ranks): Increases your spell damage and healing by up to 30% of your Intellect.
- Improved Stormstrike (20 points in the tree, 2 ranks): Stormstrike grants 50% mana regeneration while casting for 15 sec, and its cooldown resets each time you dodge or parry.
- Maelstrom Weapon (25 points in the tree, 5 ranks): Your melee attacks can cut the cast time and Mana cost of your next Lightning Bolt by 20%, stacking up to 5 times, for 30 sec.
- Rage of the Farseer (30 points in the tree, 1 rank): Increases your attack speed by 30% for 25 sec, on a 3-minute cooldown. The September 24 notes removed its spell casting speed, which Blizzard calls unnecessary to its core function.
Stormstrike moves from Classic Era's 31-point slot to the 16-point row, on an 8-second cooldown, and Elemental Weapons from 20 to 10 points.
Restoration: Riptide and Water Shield
- Mindfulness (5 points in the tree, 3 ranks): Allows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
- Natural Grace (5 points in the tree, 3 ranks): Reduces the threat generated by your spells by 15%.
- Water Shield (10 points in the tree, 1 rank): Surrounds you with 3 water globes for 10 min; each hit you take or critical heal you land spends one to restore 2% of your maximum mana, at most one every few seconds. Only one Elemental Shield can be active.
- Riptide (30 points in the tree, 1 rank): Heals a friendly target for 456 to 504 plus 445 over 15 sec, and makes your Chain Heal 25% more effective when cast directly on that target. Instant, on a 6-second cooldown; the September 24 notes let it land critical hits.
Mana Tide Totem leaves the 31-point slot for the 16-point row: 88 mana every 3 seconds for 12 sec to group members within 30 yards, on a 5-minute cooldown. Totemic Focus, now in the first row, cuts by 25% the mana cost of totems and of the spells that summon or move them.
What leaves the trees
Thirteen Classic Era talent names leave the trees. Five keep their spell under a new name in the beta client's data: Lightning Mastery is now Elemental Alacrity; Improved Fire Totems, Improved Fire Nova; Storm Reach, Elemental Reach; Parry, Spirit Weapons; Healing Grace, Natural Grace. No trainer teaches the other eight: Elemental Mastery, Shield Specialization, Enhancing Totems, Two-Handed Axes and Maces, Improved Weapon Totems, Weapon Mastery, Totemic Mastery and Nature's Guidance.
Plan yours in our Shaman talent planner, see every rank in our Shaman spell list, learn how the 16-point milestone works in our talent guide and compare races in our race and class combinations guide.
