Best Horde Shaman Race – A Breakdown by Purpose

Looking for the best Horde shaman race for your new character, but not sure which racials are best for your endgame goals? Don’t worry, this article is here to help; we’ll discuss the benefits of each race for each possible purpose; PvP, Enhancement DPS, Elemental DPS, and Healing.

Let’s start with Enhancement DPS. No race compares with Orcs in this area; Blood Fury is a great DPS booster, and when added to the extra expertise Orcs have with various shaman weapons and extra damage your Spirit Wolves do, there is nothing that comes close. Second place goes to Troll, thanks to the excellent Berserking. Tauren has no traits that boost Enhancement DPS.

Next up is Elemental DPS. Here, the top roles are switched; Troll pulls ahead, since Berserking is superior to the Orc’s Blood Fury, and Orc’s other advantages don’t matter for Elemental DPS. Again, Tauren has nothing particularly useful.

Starting to look like Tauren is out of the running for best Horde shaman race, but let’s continue!

For Healing, things are a little different; both Troll and Orc have racials that improve burst healing, but Orc’s ability is more Mana efficient as it simply boosts your existing spells; Troll’s burst is slightly better, but burns mana accordingly as it is a cast speed buff.

Finally, let’s talk about PvP. For the first time, Tauren shines; their extra health and their powerful AoE stun are both amazing traits for PvP, easily matching the other races’ advantages. That said, you can also use Orc or Troll, as their racials are no less useful in PvP than they are in PvE; extra burst is just as handy as improved endurance and control.

So what’s the final score? Well, if I had to name a single best horde Shaman race, I’d probably go with Orc; the race seems custom made for Shaman, especially Enhancement, and can excel at any role a shaman might want to do well at.