Forever Meta

Beta snapshot · build 1.60.1.70124 · level cap 30 · L60 conclusions are projections until launch

Enhancement Shaman

Melee DPS

Melee battle-mage: Stormstrike, Flurry, Maelstrom Weapon and Rage of the Farseer on Intellect-fed Attack Power.

Verified 2026-10-01
Build 1.60.1.70124

Enhancement PvE: Maelstrom Battle-Mage (8 / 33 / 10)

ProjectionTheory

Level-60 dungeon and raid-prep Enhancement: center-column Stormstrike/Flurry/Maelstrom Weapon path with Hit from Tidal Focus, Elemental Devastation and Concussion on top.

8 / 33 / 10 (51 points)

Elemental

8 pts
Convection
Concussion5/5
Elemental Warding
Reverberation
Call of Flame
Elemental Devastation3/3
Elemental Focus
Elemental Alacrity
Improved Fire Nova
Eye of the Storm
Call of Thunder
Elemental Reach
Lightning Overload
Earthbound
Elemental Fury
Lava Burst

Enhancement

33 pts
Earth's Grasp
Thundering Strikes5/5
Ancestral Knowledge5/5
Guardian Totems
Mental Dexterity3/3
Improved Ghost Wolf
Improved Lightning Shield
Elemental Weapons3/3
Shamanistic Focus1/1
Anticipation
Toughness
Flurry5/5
Stormstrike1/1
Spirit Weapons
Mental Quickness2/2
Improved Stormstrike2/2
Maelstrom Weapon5/5
Rage of the Farseer1/1

Restoration

10 pts
Improved Healing Wave
Totemic Focus5/5
Mindfulness
Natural Grace
Tidal Focus5/5
Improved Reincarnation
Ancestral Healing
Healing Focus
Water Shield
Tidal Mastery
Restorative Totems
Mana Tide Totem
Healing Way
Nature's Swiftness
Purification
Riptide

Stat priority

  1. Weapon DPS
  2. Hit
  3. Expertise
  4. Crit
  5. Strength
  6. Intellect
  7. Agility
  8. Spell Power
  9. Spirit
  10. Stamina

Icy Veins' Enhancement ranking (level-20 beta); they warn endgame values will change once Hit and Expertise gear exists. Hit and Crit are unified spell/melee stats. Icy Veins: 1 Strength is 2 Attack Power, 1 Intellect is 1 Attack Power via Mental Dexterity plus Mana and spell crit.

Best race

Dwarf
Alliance
Dwarf

Only Alliance Shaman race. Mace Specialization (+1% crit with a mace) matches slow two-hander maces; Stoneform is a self-cleanse for poison/disease/bleed fights.

  • Find Treasure
  • Stoneform
  • Mace Specialization
  • Big Game Hunter
Orc
Horde
Orc
Runner-up: Troll

Blood Fury (+10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 sec) stacks with Rage of the Farseer, and Axe Specialization (+1% crit with an axe) fits slow two-hand axes. Icy Veins' go-to pick for Horde Shaman.

  • Blood Fury
  • Hardiness
  • Axe Specialization
  • Shatter Curse

Enchants

SlotEnchantEvidence
HandsEnchant Gloves - Superior StrengthFormula name only; effect value not published.Datamined
NeckEnchant Necklace - StrengthNeck enchants are new to Forever; effect value not published.Datamined
WristEnchant Bracer - Superior IntellectIntellect is Attack Power through Mental Dexterity; effect value not published.Datamined

How to play it

  • Keep Windfury Weapon on your two-hander. Use Rockbiter Weapon only when solo and Flametongue Weapon in groups (Icy Veins), because Spirit Weapons is not in this build and Rockbiter adds threat.
  • Drop all four totems with Call of the Elements: Strength of Earth, Mana Spring, Searing Totem and an Air totem (Windfury Totem or Grace of Air Totem), per the community rotation draft on wowtbc.gg. Sep-24: Flametongue Totem, Windfury Totem and Tranquil Air no longer stack with each other.
  • Priority (community draft, untested): Rage of the Farseer with on-use trinkets, Lightning Bolt at 5 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon, Stormstrike on cooldown, then Earth Shock (preferred when Flame Shock is already ticking) or Flame Shock.
  • Stormstrike makes the next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock deal 20% more, so cast your Maelstrom Weapon Lightning Bolt right after it.
  • Elemental Devastation gives +9% melee crit for 10 sec after a spell crit, and Flurry turns melee crits into 25% attack speed for 3 swings, so Earth Shock/Lightning Bolt crits feed your melee.
  • Improved Stormstrike gives 50% mana regeneration while casting for 15 sec after each Stormstrike, so use Stormstrike on cooldown.
  • Enhancement can off-heal with Healing Wave between pulls; Spirit Weapons plus Rockbiter can even off-tank in a pinch (Icy Veins), but this build prioritises damage.

Verdict

Enhancement is the spec Blizzard rebuilt the most. Mental Dexterity turns 100% of your Intellect into Attack Power, Mental Quickness adds spell damage and healing equal to 30% of Intellect, Maelstrom Weapon makes Lightning Bolt cheaper and faster from your melee hits, and the 31-point capstone Rage of the Farseer is a 30% attack speed cooldown (the Sep-24 patch stripped its spell casting speed component). The result is a hybrid that wears whatever Intellect/Strength gear drops.

Public placement is split: a player-posted forum list put it in S, Overgear and MMOExp put it in B (wowforever.co aggregation). Icy Veins says it is "effective, but needs to grow into its talent tree" and was Mana-starved at the level-20 beta cap, because Improved Stormstrike and Maelstrom Weapon were unreachable. That is why this build goes straight down the center column: Thundering Strikes, Mental Dexterity, Flurry, Stormstrike and Maelstrom Weapon in order.

Elemental Devastation (3/3, +9% melee crit for 10 sec after a spell crit) and Concussion come out of the Elemental tree because Icy Veins says the former is meant for Enhancement. Tidal Focus gives the +5% Hit melee needs. Everything is a projection until level 60 items and raids are live.

Strengths

  • Mental Dexterity and Mental Quickness let Intellect gear double as Attack Power and Spell Power, so gear options are broad.
  • Rage of the Farseer is a personal 30% attack speed cooldown that also speeds up Maelstrom Weapon stacks.
  • Stormstrike sits at a much lower level than in Classic with a shorter cooldown (about 8 sec per Icy Veins), and Improved Stormstrike can reset it on Dodge or Parry.
  • Windfury Totem is called a must-have melee buff by Icy Veins, and Enhancement brings strong off-healing between pulls.

Weaknesses

  • Mana is the leash: Icy Veins notes swing timers are slow, costs are high and the tree only rounds out deep.
  • Weapon DPS is the top stat; Icy Veins advises slow two-handers, so your upgrades depend heavily on which weapons actually drop.
  • Sep-24 totem nerfs: Flametongue Totem no longer stacks with Flametongue Weapon or Windfury Totem, and Windfury/Grace of Air/Tranquil Air don't stack across Shamans, so you compete for the Air slot.
  • Public tier lists disagree wildly (S on the forum, B on seller lists), and none has tested it at 60.

Sources

  1. Shaman Class Guide - WoW Forever — Icy Veins, 2026-09-20reputable
  2. World of Warcraft: Forever Enhancement Shaman Guide — Icy Veins, 2026-09-21reputable
  3. WoW Forever Racial Guide — Icy Veins, 2026-09-28reputable
  4. WoW Forever - PvP Rank System Explained — Icy Veins, 2026-09-19reputable
  5. WoW Forever Beta Development Notes - Updated September 24 — Blizzard Entertainment, 2026-09-24official
  6. New Enchanting Formulas for World of Warcraft Forever — Warcraft Tavern, 2026-09-17reputable
  7. Warcraft Forever: Itemization & Loot (Expertise, Spell Damage & More!) — Method, 2026-09-15reputable
  8. WoW Forever Enhancement Shaman Guide — Classic WoW Forever, 2026-09-25fan
  9. Enhancement Shaman Rotation & Talent Build - WoW Forever — wowtbc.gg, 2026-10-01fan
  10. WoW Forever Tier List: Every Public Ranking, Compared — WoW Forever (wowforever.co), 2026-10-01fan