So you want to make sure your new shaman has the best races for your ultimate goals, but you’re not sure what they are? We will discuss the various roles you might want to play and which race is the best shaman race for these different roles.
First, we’ll talk about improved DPS. Orcs are currently the strongest potential DPS, followed by Troll, with Draenei in last place, but not far behind. This is thanks to Orc, Blood Fury’s burst damage ability, his bonus experience with various shaman melee weapons, and his bonus damage from pets, which buffs his Spirit Wolves. Trolls come second because Berserk is an incredibly powerful burst damage buff. The draenei aren’t really as bad as they seem, they just suffer from diminishing returns; if you get separated from another Draenei, your hit buff goes from good to useless. If you’re the only Draenei in your party, though Draenei is actually the most if not the best raid damage buff for your own DPS.
Elemental DPS is similar, but doesn’t benefit from Orcs’ bonus melee weapon damage or pet buffs, so Troll moves up thanks to Berserking and Orc falls to second place. Draenei continue to hover in some sort of in-between state as the conditional best shaman race or worst shaman race.
Healing is a slightly different game. Troll’s Berserking is probably better for raw performance, but the Blood Fury ability grants similar burst healing potential but is more mana efficient as it improves power rather than casting speed. Draenei doesn’t provide any direct buff here, but its hit buff can still help if you’re in a party with some kind of DPS.
For PvP, you really should choose the race that is best for your PvE spec equivalent. Orc, Troll, and Draenei all three have secondary races that will help in PvP but are nothing special, so pick a race that helps your primary caster DPS, melee DPS, or healing target.
As you can see, it’s hard to pick a single best shaman race, but if there is one that stands out it’s Orc; the race’s abilities seem tailor-made for shamans.