Warhammer Online Class Guide: Shaman Overview

If playing a Warhammer shaman sounds like fun to you, you need to know the ins and outs of the character before you play. First, you have to be fine with being short, as the shaman can only be a fierce-looking but small goblin. Your powers as a shaman include healing and success in combat, particularly in large groups. The shaman carries a staff, and is known for being one of the more intelligent character types of Warhammer Online, harnessing magic under the Greenskins Army. It is also known for honoring the gods Gork and Mork, upon which many of its powers are based.

The shaman is at its best in battle, where he feeds off the energy displayed and gains what is called Waaagh! power. This ability increases the strength of the shaman, improving spells and healing power. The more Waaagh! power the shaman has, the faster he can kill, and the more power he gets. This makes it a vicious cycle, at least for his enemies. There is a method to this madness. With every kill the shaman performs, he is honoring Gork, while every heal honors Mork. The shaman uses up his Waaagh! power for healing, as the more he uses, the faster he can heal. He can also put out high DPS in ranged attacks. The shaman's flexibility is helpful in his attacks, but he is not very good at defending himself, and has few health points, so be sure to keep this in mind when choosing other members to group with.

Before you decide whether to be a shaman or not, consider its possible focus. There are three to choose from, the first one being the Path of Gork. This route allows the shaman to hone his combat skills, focusing on building up enough Waaagh! power to quickly and decisively kill his enemies. If you love dealing damage, this is the right path for you. As an added bonus, the more you kill, the more you can heal using the built up Waaagh! power. This path simply emphasizes killing enemies first, and then healing allies.

The Path of Mork instead focuses on healing allies first. The best part of this path is that it allows the shaman to build up Waaagh! power while healing, which helps him then destroy enemies quickly after healing his allies. So many people dismiss this path because it focuses on healing, forgetting that the more healing a shaman does, the more damage it can deal.

The Path of Da Green works on the assumption that anyone who is not green--of the Greenskins Army--must die. It focuses mainly on debuffs for enemies, and buffs for allies. This is the path to take if you want to be unique, and can't choose between Mork and Gork.

If the main powers of the Warhammer Online shaman interest you, consider looking into it further. If you like the idea of harnessing the power of two gods, walking the middle line between healing and dealing damage, and are okay with weak defenses, you might be interested in the specific stats and spells that make up a shaman. The next guide in this series just might help you make your decision, so check it out.