Home › Class comparisons › Mage vs Shaman
Mage or Shaman: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Mage if you want fast leveling, strong PvP and good gold farming. Pick the Shaman if you want to help a group with totems and healing, with the option to deal damage.
Mage vs Shaman verdict
4 Mage 2 Shaman
For most players the Mage is the stronger pick. It levels faster, solos better, has stronger PvP control and farms more gold.
The Shaman wins in dungeons and raids. Its totems help everyone, Restoration is a strong healer, and Elemental and Enhancement both bring damage. If you want to be the player groups build around, pick the Shaman.
Mage vs Shaman: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Mage | Shaman |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Winner Quick area pulls; Frost keeps you safe while things die fast. | Enhancement with a slow two-hander is steady with almost no downtime, but slower per pull. |
| Solo play | Winner Strong solo; controls most fights, then portals home. | Not a natural solo class, though Enhancement grinds steadily and totems ease most fights. |
| Dungeons | Fire with party cover is strong, but brings only damage. | Winner Totems are free stats for the whole party, plus a healer spec in the back pocket. |
| Raiding | Fire posts top raid numbers. | Winner Raids usually bring two. Windfury and your other totems make the whole group stronger. |
| PvP | Winner Strong in PvP; control and burst on demand. | Flexible, with more totems and abilities to manage in PvP. |
| Gold farming | Winner Area clears plus portals: the travel-free farmer. | Steady Enhancement grinding, but no travel or area edge. |
Playing Mage in this matchup
Frost Mages level with slows, roots and area pulls, and make their own food and water. Portals make travel quick.
At 60 Fire bursts with Heating Up and Pyroblast, Frost controls fights with Frost Nova and Ice Lance, and Arcane uses Arcane Blast and Missile Barrage.
Where the Mage falls short
You can only deal damage, and cloth armor makes you fragile.
Playing Shaman in this matchup
Enhancement levels with a two-handed weapon, Windfury, Stormstrike and Maelstrom Weapon, and heals itself with Healing Wave.
At 60 Elemental uses Call of Thunder, Lightning Mastery and Lightning Overload, Restoration heals with Chain Heal, Riptide and Mana Tide Totem, and every spec brings party totems.
Where the Shaman falls short
There is more to manage than on a Mage, and you drink more while leveling.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Shamans changed the most at launch. Lava Burst was removed, Elemental now uses Call of Thunder and Lightning Mastery, Stormstrike hits harder on a shorter cooldown, and Totemic Call brings your totems to you.
Mages lost Frost Blast, but Ice Lance deals 300% more damage to Frozen targets and Ice Barrier adds 15% Frost damage.
Which should you pick: Mage or Shaman?
- You want the faster leveler with the safer solo toolkit.
- You want burst you schedule, not procs you pray for.
- Portals and true solo independence matter to your sessions.
- PvP is where you want to spend your time.
- One deep damage toolkit beats three decent ones.
- Orc Mage, new in WoW Forever, is calling your name.
- You want to be the player raids bring two of.
- You enjoy support play: Windfury, Strength of Earth and Mana Spring totems help the whole party.
- You want three real roles: burst caster, Windfury melee, healer.
- Enhancement's slow two-hander, almost-no-downtime grind suits you.
- Dwarf Shaman, new in WoW Forever, or a Tauren stomp appeals to you.
- You enjoy switching between damage, healing and party support.
Mage and Shaman race options
Mage has 6 race choices and Shaman has 5. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Mage | Shaman |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Human, Gnome, Skyborne High OrderNew | DwarfNew |
| Horde | OrcNew, Undead, Troll | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne WindshaperNew |
Plan your Mage or Shaman build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Mage talent calculator or the Shaman talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Mage vs Shaman: common questions
Which bursts harder, Fire Mage or Elemental Shaman?
Fire Mage. Heating Up shortens Pyroblast after crits. Elemental gets its burst from Lightning Mastery windows, which are shorter and less frequent.
Shaman or Mage for group content?
The Shaman. Totems help everyone, and it can heal if needed. A Mage brings damage and crowd control.
Which is the better solo class?
The Mage. Frost kites safely and area pulls kill many mobs at once.
Is Enhancement actually good for leveling?
Yes. A slow two-handed weapon with Windfury and Stormstrike kills steadily, and you can heal yourself between fights.
Which races can play Mage and Shaman in WoW Forever?
Mage: Human, Gnome and Skyborne High Order on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde. Shaman: Dwarf on the Alliance; Orc, Tauren, Troll and Skyborne Windshaper on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Mage and Shaman in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Frost Mage or Enhancement Shaman. On our leveling tier list, Mage is S tier and Shaman is A tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.