THE SHAMANAN is unique to the World of Warcraft. Warcraft lore tells of the legend of an unusually hirsute Palodin named Shama, shunned by his people for obscene levels of armpit and back hair, and driven to solitude by the cruel blows of their hammers.

As he wandered the Outlands, parched and starving, Shama began to experience lucid visions of the gods. In one such vision, he entered into a cursed pact with the god of nature, Planty, to trade his Palodin plate armor, functioning healing skills and annoying Bubblehearth spell for the ability to place cute little colour-coded trees in the ground. The gods granted his request, but, recognising him for an idiot, banished him to live life among the cows. He ended up having quite a nice time.

Thus begins the tale of the Shamanan. Players who choose this class will discover it to be a “hybrid” - a mixture of crap versions of other classes - making it flexible and exciting to play. Where some classes are restricted to a core set of coherent abilities, the Shamanan has a true variety of moves at its fingertips, including the resurrection skills of a Soulstoned Preist, the damage capability of a Warior and the healing power of a Worlock. A Shamanan is an invaluable member of any quest or instance group, helping to pick up the pieces after a wipe, lending solid DPS for downing enemies and performing vital secondary heals on pets.

On the battlefield, the Shamanan is feared and respected by its foes. This is partly due to the devastating range of Shock spells, which cost just half a mana bar and offer an effective counter to every offensive move in the game. There’s Flameshock, which DoTs the target; Electroshock, which funnels deadly bolts of lightning into their pants; Frostshock, which slows them down with the power of refrigeration; Mudshock, which blinds the enemy with soil and grit to the eyes; and Chinshock, which uppercuts them squarely to the jaw. In addition, the Shamanan has a powerful Purge ability, which removes all beneficial spells and hit points from the target. The Shamanan can also turn into a dead dog.

A key weapon in the Shamanan’s arsenal is the aforementioned set of miniature trees, which function as a kind of mobile disco. They come in a range of pretty colours - like green, indigo, flashing stripes and pink - and can be placed all around the Shamanan to create a hot and funky party ambiance. In battle, the primary function of the trees is to enchant and delight onlookers, distracting them from the huge axe about to bury itself in their face. Their charms are also helpful in instances as a way of attracting patrolling enemies to a recovering raid group.

The Shamanan’s three talent specs are called Smash, Cast and Gimp. Smash allows the Shamanan to do more damage to an enemy’s face with its axe. Cast allows the Shamanan to do more damage to an enemy’s body with its spells. Gimp is designed for Shamanans who have recently lost a loved one, granting them the ability to spend most of their time at the graveyard.

Tricks of the trade - the tactics that will help you become the greatest WoW player.

(1) If you see a Palodin, run away. Should one engage you in combat, the ensuing fight could take up to a week.

(2) When your party dies, calmly explain to them that you are not prepared to waste expensive Ankhs on frivolous raid wipes. If they persist, point out the deficiencies of the main healer, then go afk for ten minutes.

(3) Shamanans go crazy for cheese. If you think you may have an infestation of Shamanans in your home, place a series of humane traps in ground level cupboards and fill them with cheese. The Shamanans will not be able to resist and, once trapped, can be harmlessly released into a nearby field.

(4) A well timed use of Mana Tide can turn the tables in a boss fight. This 31 point skill is an incredible asset for raid groups, restoring a large amount of mana to all casters and healers in your party. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that you do not raid.

(5) If all else fails, hammer the @ key. It may help.

Thank you for reading my Elite Guide to Shamanans. Hopefully one day I will see you on the battlefield and you will kill me with what you have learned.