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Shaman or Warlock: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Warlock if you want low-downtime leveling, strong PvP and good gold. Pick the Shaman if you want to help your group with totems and healing, or switch between melee and caster damage.
Shaman vs Warlock verdict
2 Shaman 4 Warlock
For most players the Warlock is the better pick. It levels faster, solos better, wins more duels and farms gold without stopping to rest.
The Shaman wins in dungeons and raids. Totems help every party member, Restoration is a strong healer, and both damage specs are useful.
Shaman vs Warlock: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Shaman | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Enhancement grinds steadily with almost no downtime; totems ease most fights. | Winner The grinder class. Dots, drain, loot, repeat, with almost no downtime. |
| Solo play | Not a natural solo class. Flexible, but hands-on in a way that costs attention. | Winner Strong solo. Voidwalker tanks while your dots work; smoothest grinder. |
| Dungeons | Winner Totems buff the whole party, and Restoration can heal if the group needs it. | Strong DPS with Bane of Havoc splash, but damage is the whole offer. |
| Raiding | Winner Raids usually bring two. Group buffs scale with raid size. | Solid ranged DPS: Destruction bursts, Affliction sustains. |
| PvP | Weaker in PvP; Enhancement can burst, but it lacks the control to finish fights. | Winner Strong in PvP. Fear, dots, drain-tank: very hard to beat one on one. |
| Gold farming | Steady but unremarkable; no travel or area edge. | Winner Almost no downtime, free mounts for travel, dots on everything. |
Playing Shaman in this matchup
Enhancement Shamans level with a two-handed weapon, Windfury, Stormstrike and Maelstrom Weapon, and heal themselves.
At 60 Restoration heals with Chain Heal, Riptide and Mana Tide Totem, Elemental uses Lightning Mastery and Lightning Overload, and totems buff the party.
Where the Shaman falls short
You drink more while leveling, and totems need placing every fight.
Playing Warlock in this matchup
Warlocks level as Affliction with damage over time spells, a Voidwalker tank and Drain Life with Life Tap.
At 60 Affliction gains Pandemic, Wrack and Soul Siphon, Destruction has Incinerate and Bane of Havoc, and Demonology keeps its buff with Demonic Pact.
Where the Warlock falls short
You only deal damage, and there is a lot to manage.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Shamans changed on 2 November: Lava Burst was removed, Elemental uses Call of Thunder and Lightning Mastery, Stormstrike hits harder, Riptide is a heal over time only, and Totemic Call brings your totems to you.
Warlocks had their main changes earlier in testing and got the general damage increase at launch.
Which should you pick: Shaman or Warlock?
- You want a standing raid invitation: raids usually bring two.
- You enjoy buffing the group with totems like Windfury on every pull.
- You want melee, caster and healer living in one character.
- Group content is your main course and solo is the side dish.
- Dwarf Shaman, new in WoW Forever, lets you play the class on the Alliance side.
- You want several damage and healing options on one character.
- You want the best pure grinder: almost no downtime, ever.
- The dot-everything, drain-tank loop sounds like meditation.
- A Voidwalker tanking for you from early on sounds like a plan.
- Free mounts and cheap travel matter in a new economy.
- You want a strong PvP class with fear and dots.
- You can juggle pets, dots and threat without crying.
Shaman and Warlock race options
Shaman has 5 race choices and Warlock has 5. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Shaman | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | DwarfNew | Human, Gnome |
| Horde | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne WindshaperNew | Orc, Undead, TrollNew |
Plan your Shaman or Warlock build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Shaman talent calculator or the Warlock talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Shaman vs Warlock: common questions
Which is better for making gold?
The Warlock. It grinds without resting, so it kills more mobs per hour.
Shaman or Warlock for dungeons?
The Shaman. Totems and healing help the whole group.
Which pet system is better, totems or demons?
They do different jobs. Demons tank and deal damage for you. Totems buff your whole party.
Is Warlock hard to learn?
It takes some practice. You manage demons, curses and Soul Shards, but the leveling is forgiving.
Which races can play Shaman and Warlock in WoW Forever?
Shaman: Dwarf on the Alliance; Orc, Tauren, Troll and Skyborne Windshaper on the Horde. Warlock: Human and Gnome on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Shaman and Warlock in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Enhancement Shaman or Affliction Warlock. On our leveling tier list, Shaman is A tier and Warlock is S tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.