Why Shaman?

I wasn’t sure what the best topic would be to start off this blog. I figured the simplest would be, “Why Shaman?” Well, the Shaman is one of my favorite classes in WoW. For me, they’re behind Rogues and tied with Paladins as my favorite in the game. So what was it that got me playing them in the first place?

The above picture is one of the main reasons. While reading through the Shaman page on Wowpedia, I got to the specialization section and there was this big blue guy at the top. A massive Draenei dressed in very elaborate robes holding aloft a mighty hammer harnessing the power of lightning itself! Suffice it to say, it got my attention. Next thing I know, I’m rolling my first Shaman. So my decision to play a Shaman is mostly thanks to this picture. 
 

Why do I continue playing Shaman? That’s a much longer answer. For starters, Shaman are incredibly versatile. Two DPS specs, one ranged and one melee, and a Healing spec. If I want to feel like a powerful master of the Elements and hurl lava at my enemies from afar, I can play Elemental. If I want to get up close and personal and smash some faces with a fire imbued mace, then I can play Enhancement. And, if I want to get all spiritual and aid my allies, then I can play Restoration. I think this amount of variety is what attracts me the most to the Shaman class. 
 

The lore also factors strongly into why I play Shaman. I love that they can communicate directly with the elements for aid. A Shaman might ask the element of Water to quench their village’s parched crops. If it fits with the plans of the Water elementals, they will grant their power. If not, they will refuse and the crops will wither and die. Shaman are constantly striking a balance between what they want and what's best for the planet. If they were ever to abuse their gift, the elements would abandon them and they would be powerless.

The way of Shamanism is shared by many races on Azeroth including those from other worlds. Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Draenei and Dwarves are the playable races in Wow that can be Shaman, but we encounter so many more on our adventures that follow this same path. Ogres, Gnolls, Furbolgs and many more all share this gift. There is also the Earthen Ring, an organization where Shaman from all races can work together regardless of past aggressions or current hostilities. I like this idea of a neutral organization open to all races. I can’t think of too many others besides the Argent Crusade where people can put aside their differences and work towards a common goal (The Night Elves in the Cenarion Circle haven’t exactly welcomed Tauren, Worgen or Trolls with open arms).

This isn’t much of an introduction, but I wanted to keep it short before I dive into longer articles.