Have you constantly fallen victim to Ret Paladins in World of Warcraft Classic? Are you bored of choosing the Warrior class if you want to tank bosses in raid dungeons? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you might want to try something completely unheard of; the "Tank" Shaman.
That's right! It is actually quite doable for Shamans to tank whatever content there is in World of Warcraft Classic thanks to the new Rune Engraving System. If this has piqued your interest, continue reading so that you will learn how to create this unusual yet enjoyable build.
Built Like a Tank
Before anything, you must learn how tanking works in World of Warcraft Classic. First and foremost, anything that you do in the game - whether you are healing teammates or attacking monsters, will generate something called "Threat." Think of this as an indicator that tells the monster who to attack. The higher your Threat level is, the more you gain the enemy's attention. You can also force monsters to attack you by using some sort of Taunt ability, which is not normally available in the Shaman class.
That being said, the Tank Shaman will not work without the new runes. The Rune Engraving System introduced in Season of Discovery allows you to unlock certain talents and abilities that aren't obtainable through normal progression.
Back then, Shamans were not seen as tanks because they did not have a reliable way of taunting monsters or generating enough threat with a one-handed weapon and shield. Fortunately, that has now changed!
How to Build the 'Tank' Shaman
TALENTS
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Shield Specialization (5/5)
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Thundering Strikes (5/5)
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Anticipation (5/5)
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Flurry (1/5)
If you are new to tanking but you are interested in trying it out, the above-mentioned talents are the recommended ones to take. Shield Specialization increases your block chance, which is a no-brainer given that you're going to use a one-handed weapon and shield. This is coupled with Anticipation, which is an Enhancement Shaman talent that increases your chance to dodge by 5%.
Thundering Strikes is a Shaman-exclusive talent that improves your critical strike chance by 5% when using melee weapons. This synergizes pretty well with Flurry because your attack speed is increased by 10% after dealing a critical strike.
If you are a more experienced player, you could spend five points to obtain "Reverberation" from the Elemental Talent Tree, though you will be forced to spend only a single point on Shield Specialization. So you have to ask yourself: do you want more defense or offense?
It is important to note that the talents mentioned above are only for Level 25 Shamans since that is the current limit for Season of Discovery at the time of writing.
RUNES
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Chest: Shield Mastery
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Gloves: Molten Blast
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Legs: Way of Earth
Shield Mastery helps you sustain mana because you regenerate 4% of the said resource every time you block.
Molten Blast is a build-enabler. This rune allows you to hit enemies in a cone, dealing fire damage and generating a huge amount of threat in the process.
Way of Earth is another vital rune for the build. When you have Rockbiter Weapon active, you generate more threat, gain 30% more health, take 10% reduced damage, and you are immune to the enemy's critical strikes! Not only that but if you need to drive the enemies' attention away from your allies, this rune empowers your Earth Shock to act as a powerful melee range taunt too.
Play as a Tank
So, how exactly do you play the "Tank" Shaman? Well, you have to use Molten Blast, Flame Shock, and Lightning Shield when attacking the enemy.
Make sure to utilize your totems religiously as well. For the most part, you want to drop Stoneskin Totem and Healing Stream Totem to reduce the damage you take and get some occasional healing.
Then, the other totems should be used depending on the situation. If you need some time to generate enough threat, you can use the Earthbind Totem or Stoneclaw Totem. If you want to deal considerable damage along with your team, utilize your Searing Totem or Fire Nova Totem.
When you are feared, the Tremor Totem can help you snap out of it. Poison can certainly be deadly if left unchecked, so drop a Poison Cleansing Totem to remove the said status effect immediately.
The Tank Shaman will not be possible without the new Rune Engraving System. Be sure to give it a try and let us know of your experience down in the comments!
World of Warcraft Classic is available on PC.
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