Shaman Talents - Which Should You Choose

The only real hybrid class in the World of Warcraft, the Shaman is the epitome of the term 'jack of all trades, master of none'. Being an all-around player, it possesses a range of talents and skills not accessible to other classes, but has no mastery of any. But then again, no other class has a better claim to a more decent assortment of talents than that of the shaman talents.

The talents wielded by the Shamans are reflected by the three builds available to them - the ranged talents of the Elemental build, the Enhancement build for melee fighters, and the healing powers of the Restoration build. With these, a Shaman has three available roles - the rogue, the priest and the mage. Because of these, it is not uncommon for Shaman players to find leveling up difficult.

Like all other classes, there are plenty of talents for each build. These are briefly discussed below:

Elemental - This build is usually chosen by players who are PvP-oriented as these offer ranged elemental attacks that have decent critical hits. Needless to say, this is the best route for players who prefer killing their opponents from a certain distance using spells. As such, it is considered as a not-so-good options for melee combats. The elemental talents focus on abilities that allow castin of spells while enhancing ranged DPS. This is good except that it comes with a cost - longer downtime. This is caused by the Shaman's reliance on mana, which needs to be replenished between fights, causing delay between each attack.

Entry-level characters have to choose between two talents - Convection, the recommended route for PvE players, and Concussion, the option often chosen by PvP players. Each of these, when allotted with points, will open up to more potent elemental talents.

Enhancement - This talent tree is recommended for players who want to turn their Shamans into excellent melee fighters. As such, this route gives players better options when it comes to surviving melee combats and dealing better close range damage. The talents included in this tree are often thought as excellent talents for solo leveling type of players as these offer continuous gameplay.

The Enhancement tree opens up with two talents - the Shield Specialization and the Ancestral Knowledge, the more recommended entry-level talent of the two. Most players often take the route of the Ancestral Knowledge as this allows significant mana boost. Shield Specialization, in contrast, may prove a bit useless until the character reaches higher levels.

Restoration - As was said earlier, Shamans are highly dependent on their mana for conjuring blessings and spells as well as for power. This characteristic is great for spell casting, but not for healing. It is a popular choice, therefore, for lower level players to follow the route of the Restoration tree as this gives the shaman talents that are aptly suited for Healers.

I have a special interest in building up shaman talents for their unique abilities. To find out more about the exciting aspects of this class, please try to check out some of the resources found here.

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