Dungeons and Dragons: World of Warcraft is taking on the ambitious task of bringing every WoW class and subclass to life in the TTRPG and Shamans have a particularly interesting and surprising starting class.
How to use The Barbarian Class to Play a shaman in Dungeons and Dragons
Shamans are a very popular class in World of Warcraft and they are also one of the WoW classes that does not have a clear parallel in the core Dungeons and Dragons list of classes. Rather than introducing a brand-new class to support the Shaman players, Dungeons and Dragons opted to make some interesting tweaks to the Barbarian features.
For those unfamiliar with the WoW class, Shamans wield elemental magic with brutality and precision, bringing order to nature’s most chaotic forces. Shamans primarily channel their magic through totems planted into the ground that provide benefits to nearby allies.
So, in order to make Shamans work in D&D, the team needed to figure out how to bring Totems to life in the TTRPG experience.
World of Warcraft Shamans use the Barbarian class from the Player’s Handbook. Each Shaman gains a new Totems feature in place of the Barbarian’s Primal Knowledge feature; the Shaman can plant these totems in the ground as a Bonus Action to grant nearby allies temporary Immunity to certain conditions or to hinder enemies by sapping their Speed. These effects last a short time, but a Shaman can simply place another totem on their next turn.
To support the Shaman specialization paths, players will use a new subclass, an updated one, and the existing Path of the World Tree.
- Elemental. Elemental Shamans will select the new Path of the Elements subclass and use the raw powers of the universe to deal extra damage to a nearby enemy as a Bonus action, resist elemental damage, cast some elemental utility spells, and hinder an enemy’s lethality.
- Enhancement. Enhancement Shamans use the updated Path of the Spiritual Guardian subclass to imbue their strikes with additional effects, take damage on behalf of nearby allies, and dabble in Divination magic.
- Restoration. A Shaman who specializes in Restoration magic embraces the Path of the World Tree and its power to empower allies and pull them out of danger.
When the full gameplay expansion book arrives, it will be very interesting to dive into the full rules and see the various effects of the Totems and the specific features included in the new Path of the Elements subclass.
Be sure to check back soon for lots more Dungeons and Dragons news and updates as the next gameplay expansion release date approaches.
Dungeons and Dragons is available now at local game shops and digitally through D&D Beyond, Roll20, and similar online services. The Dungeons and Dragons: World of Warcraft gameplay expansion releases November 17, 2026.
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