Shamans. What are they?

Shamans are a hybrid class in the game of World of Warcraft- and are considered to be the most versatile in the entire game. They are designed to handle all, or most, parts of a party, which makes them very valuable if improvisation is needed on the battlefield.

Shamans usually have a large amount of health, depending on the race that is chosen to correspond with this class. With the added magic abilities, shamans are very useful in countless situations. Basic damage and heal spells are included, as well as a totem system that can act as a healing item to party members, a bomb, or a target for enemies to attack in place of the shaman. Interestingly, shamans also have the ability to cast damage over time spells, slowing spells, and many other types of magical spells that aid in confusing or slowing an enemy. The damage over time (or DoT) spell is particularly useful against rogues, who may not go invisible while undertaking damage.

Weapons can be augmented to do certain effects, which can increase the destruction power of shamans. Essentially, some weapons can be augmented with effects such as Windfury- which actually lets a shaman attack much faster. Most shamans can become powerful spell casters who deal damage- although healing shamans are available too. Shamans also work great as defensive spell casters- which can directly aid a party or guild fight into success.

Shamans are allowed to shape shift, much like the druids can. They are allowed to morph into what is called a "ghost wolf", which lets shamans travel 40% faster. This is a great asset in retreating or chasing an enemy down- not to mention this fact makes traveling a lot less frustrating when covering vast distances.