Description[]
Shamans are spellcaster heroes which rely heavily on the fickle powers of Chaos Magic. They can change the stats of units and towers, drain mana from enemies and exchange resources, amongst other spells.
Stats and Skills[]
The attribute changes you get by choosing this class:
| Class | Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence | Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaman | -1 | -1 | +0 | +2 |
The abilities you get by choosing this class:
| Level 1 (Initial Skills) | Level 5 | Level 15 | Level 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaos Magic (+3)
Ritual |
Warding | Magic Resistance | Arcane Magic |
Strategy[]
Overall[]
Chaos Magic is a risky sphere of magic that can easily make the game or break it. With careful thought and planning, however, Shamans who play to their strengths can be devastating in a supportive role since the main saving grace of the Morph spells is that they will not reduce the stats of affected units below the minimum (1). Regardless, repeated use of the Morph spells on the same unit group can be detrimental in the long run unless the player is supremely lucky.
While the Shaman does have a few "safe" spells to play around with, these spells are rather hit-or-miss as far as function goes - Wildfire does fire (official patch)/random (fanpatch) damage and has a pretty steep mana cost, Chaos Plague only affects living units (except Titans), Drain Mana is situational, the usefulness of Morph Resources depends on race and Increase Casting is a complete wildcard.
Races[]
Since all races include units with poor stats (most mechanical units have poor speed, low tier infantry typically have low health or damage, etc) and since Chaos Magic grants Shamans access to Morph Resources, the Shaman is at least a potentially middling choice for most races. More reasonable choices include the Orc race (for Goblins), the (Dark) Dwarves (Morph Speed for most units) and the Fey (for Spectral Horde/Sylphs).
The Plaguelords could attempt to use a Shaman. Morph spells would be restricted only to Slimes and Spores but the ability to exchange resources even inefficiently can help. The main weapon for the Plaguelord Shaman is the Chaos Plague spell, which is one of the only spells in the game which significantly aids the proliferation of disease. That, coupled with the ability to regenerate mana much faster thanks to mana acceleration research can be a powerful combination. If the Virulence of disease is high enough, Chaos Plague may as well be an instant-death area of effect spell. Another consideration for this combo is the Plaguelord Deathknight. Although access to Chaos Magic can only be obtained at level 5, the reward is a usable Leech skill in the future.
Counters[]
- Shamans can easily defeat themselves by taking unnecessary risks or getting unlucky streaks.
- Shamans need a higher level of micromanagement to be played properly - major distractions (in-game or otherwise) can be hazardous to a Shaman player.
- The Shaman's "safe" spells require a lot of mana. Robbing a Shaman of their valuable mana can cripple the hero significantly.
- Like most caster classes, Shamans are very vulnerable to being mobbed by fast aerial or ranged units.