WoW Classic Season of Discovery: All known Shaman Runes and where to find them

WoW Classic Season of Discovery gives Shaman players the power they’ve always wanted: the ability to tank. It’s something that players have asked for since the very beginning. It was strange to be able to one-hand weapon/shield, and not have the ability to tank in battles. While it will require some setup and there’s no guarantee of their strength at this phase in the game, it will become possible in Phase 1.

However, not all of these abilities have been located yet. We’ll come back and update this as we uncover more information on Shaman Runes in WoW Classic Season of Discovery. Each faction may also have specific ways to unlock these abilities, and we’ll give as much information as is available.

All Shaman Runes in WoW Classic Season of Discovery and where to locate them

1) Dual Wield Specialization

“Increases your chance to hit with both spells and melee attacks by 5% while dual wielding and your Stormstrike ability now hits with both weapons while dual wielding.”

Tauren: Lower Rise of Thunder Bluff, look for the Bag Vendor. Behind them, there’s a Tauren Rogue. Complete the three required quests, and you’ll gain this Rune.

2) Shield Mastery

“Each time you Block, you regenerate mana equal to 8% of your maximum mana and you gain Armor equal to 30% of your shield’s armor value, stacking up to 5 times. You also always gain 10% increased chance to Block and 15% increased Block Value.”

If you plan on tanking as a Shaman in WoW Classic Season of Discovery, you will undoubtedly need this Rune. Thankfully, it’s unlocked early and is worth going out of your way for.

Tauren: Look for the glowing totem at the Mulgore Border, near the Barrens. Kill 10 nearby enemies with Lightning Bolt to receive this Rune.
Orc/Troll: The glowing totem they seek is at (52.07, 62.5, or 51.7, 56.4) in Durotar. Kill 10 nearby enemies with Lightning Bolt.

3) Overload

“Gives your Lightning Bolt, Chain LIghtning, Chain Heal, Healing Wave, and Lava Burst spells a 33% chance to cast a second, similar spell on the same target at no additional cost that causes half damage or healing and no threat.”

Overload is quite a powerful spell when it comes to Shaman Rune options in WoW Classic Season of Discovery. It has a 33% proc chance, so it’s likely to trigger frequently enough to be worth it.

Troll/Orc/Tauren: Complete the Level 2 quest from your Shaman Trainer (Icons of Power for Trolls).

4) Ancestral Guidance

“For the next 10s, 25% of your damage is converted to healing on up to 3 nearby party members and 100% of your healing is converted to damag eon your most recent Flame Shock target.”

Orc/Troll: There is a tree in the valley of centaurs that has an adventurer NPC corpse under it. Channel into this corpse to gain the rune.
Tauren: In Mulgore, head to an overlook at (60, 33). It requires going through the Venture Co. Mine, though. Interact with the corpse to begin a ritual; click the portal at the end.

5) Way of Earth

“While Rockbiter Weapon is active on your mainhand weapon, you deal 50% increased threat, gain 30% increased health, take 10% reduced damage, gain 6% reduced chance to be critically hit by melee attacks, and Earth Shock taunts targets to attack you and has a separate cooldown from other Shock spells but has its range reduced to melee range.”

Way of Earth is another incredibly important rune for Shamans if they wish to take on their new tanking role. Thankfully, it’s in a fairly easy-to-reach location for all members of the Horde.

Horde: Dropped by Rot Hide Mystic in Silverpine Forest.

6) Water Shield

“The caster is surrounded by 3 globes of water, granting 1% of your maximum mana per 5s. When a spell, melee or ranged attack hits the caster, 4% of maximum mana is restored to the caster. This expands one water globe. Only one globe will activate every few seconds. Lasts 10m. Only one Elemental Shield can be active on the Shaman at any one time.”

Horde: Found by looting Kolkar’s Booty chests around the Barrens.

7) Lava Lash

“You charge your off-hand weapon with lava, instantly dealing 100% off-hand Weapon damage. Damage is increased by 20% if your off-hand weapon is enchanted with Flametongue.”

Tauren: Lower Rise of Thunder Bluff, seek the Bag Vendor. Complete three quests for them, and you’ll receive the Rune.

8) Molten Blast

“Blast up to 3 enemies in a cone in front of you for Fire damage. This ability generates a high amount of threat. Flame Shock periodic damage has a 10% chance to reset the cooldown on Molten Blast.”

Another amazing tank ability, this Shaman power lets them deliver a huge blast of threat and damage in a cone while playing WoW Classic Season of Discovery. It’s also a fairly simple one to unlock.

Tauren: Artifact Storage at the Bael’Dun Digsite, west of Thunder Bluff. Defeat nearby Dwarves for the Artifact Storage Key.
Orc/Troll: Head east of Razor Hill and look for a crab trapped inside ice. It’s found in a small hut. Use fire spells to stack five debuffs on it, and then you can loot the Rune.

9) Healing Rain

“Selects the area 15y around target player and heals all of that player’s party members within that area every second.”

All races: Reach Honored with Durotar Supply and Logistics, for 4g 50s.

10) Earth Shield

“Protects the target with an earthen shield, reducing casting or channeling time lost when damaged by 30% and causing attacks to heal the shielded target for 100. This effect can only occur every few seconds. 3 charges. Lasts 10m. Earth Shield can only be placed on one target at a time and only one Elemental shield can be active on a target at a time.”

Alliance and Horde: Defeat the first boss of Blackfathom Deeps to begin this. The orb you pick up off the boss grants the Elemental Distress quest at Zoram Strand, in Ashenvale. Defeat elementals in Ashenvale and Charred Vale for the required quest items. You also need an Elixir of Wisdom and Elixir of Water Breathing for the Elixir of Insight quest. Then defeat Hirzek in the Southern Barrens to wrap this up.

11) Shamanistic Rage

“Reduces all damage you take by 20% and you regenerate mana every second for 15s. Mana regenerated per second is equal to 15% of your Attack Power, 10% of your spell power, or 6% of your healing power, whichever value is greatest. Your party and raid members within 40y will also receive 10% of the mana you receive this way.”

In the Stonetalon Mountains, near the Desolace entrance, south of the Charred Vale, there’s an Elite named Primordial Anomaly. It changes between fire, frost, and earth, and you need to use the appropriate weakness to beat it.

12) Lava Burst

“You hurl molten lava at the target, dealing Fire damage. If your Flame Shock is on the target, Lava Burst will deal a critical strike.”

Alliance and Horde: Farm Mudsnout Shaman in HIllsbrad Foothills, until a Kajaric Icon drops. Equip it, and take damage from lava 5 times. After this, you gain the Inspired buff. Use the Kajaric Icon again to unlock Lava Burst.

13) Decoy Totem (Phase 2)

“Summons a Decoy Totem for 10 sec with 5 health at the feet of the target that will redirect the next melee or ranged attack made against the target to the totem instead. The totem also grants the target immunity to movement impairing effects for 10 sec.”

Decoy Totem is a neat way to avoid taking a really big incoming hit, while also granting immunity to movement-impairing effects for a brief period. I can see this being a really important tanking tool in the coming months, as players get ready for Gnomeregan.

Head to Thousand Needles.
Kill Cloud Serpents until you have 3 Cloud Serpent Fang drops.
Kill Harpies to farm up 10 Strong Harpy Feather.
Purchase 1 Silken Thread from a vendor.
Head to Altar of the Wind Spirit (39.4, 42.0) behind a hut, on the top of the bluff.
Use one of the items you farmed to create an Offering to the Wind Spirit and get a temporary buff.
Jump off the cliff while you have the buff. You’ll get a Slowfall halfway down, and also unlock the Rune.

It’s going to take a significant amount of fighting through the Grimtotem bluffs to get here, so keep that in mind. You want to get to the final bluff that has the big hut on it. I know it seems strange to jump off the cliff but do it. That’s how you get this one.

14) Spirit of the Alpha (Phase 2)

“Infuses the target with the spirit of an alpha wolf, increasing all threat generated by the target by 45% for 30 min. Limit 1 target.”

Spirit of the Alpha is one of the more tedious Runes to unlock - because if you get the jump wrong, you’re probably going to die. However, it’s also very easy if you know exactly where to go and what to do. You can see an example in the video above.

You’re looking for the Weathered Cache, on top of a mushroom-shaped rock near Freewind Post in Thousand Needles (46, 53).
From the Flight Path, take the bridge north, and then the lower bridge back to the main pinnacle.
Just before you get on the third bridge, you’ll see a chest below you on the left. Cast Ghost Wolf, and do a little jump to land on the platform.
Loot the chest and use the item.

This one takes solid timing, and you might die a few times getting to it. Just be careful when you jump, and make sure to do it in Ghost Wolf so you get better jump range.

15) Maelstrom Weapon (Phase 2)

“When you deal damage with a melee attack, you have a chance to reduce the cast time of your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Wave, Chain Heal, or Lava Burst spell by 20%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec.”

Maelstrom Weapon really enhances the power of Restoration Shaman but does require you to be in melee range. The same goes for Elemental Shaman, provided you stay in the melee range. However, you have to complete Razorfen Kraul to begin this trek. It’s going to take some time to get this rune.

Defeat Charlga Razorflank in Razorfen Kraul to get a Scroll. Take it to Freewind Post, Thousand Needles NPC Rau Cliffrunner
Go to Tarren Mill and follow the river north. Around (80.4, 66.8), and find the NPC Bath’rah the Windwatcher. Pray first, then interact with him.
Go to Desolace and defeat Wind Elementals until you have 10 Wind Orbs.
Farm Water Elementals in Dustwallow Marsh for 10 Water Orbs.
Go to the Badlands for 10 Earth Orbs off of the Earth Elementals east of Kargath.
Go back to Bath’rah the Windwatcher, and bring a Crystal Vial. He’ll fill it up.
Bring the Vial to Rau Cliffrunner.
Drink the Vial and then talk to the Freewind Post Flight Master.
Defeat the caster that is closest to you, and then the Elite Water Elemental, loot its eye.
The Spirit Guide can bring you back to where you are, if you die.
Go back to Bath’rah one more time and claim the Rune.

16) Fire Nova (Phase 2)

“Your Fire Nova Totem spell is replaced with Fire Nova, which causes your current Fire totem to emit damage at its location.”

Changing your Fire Nova totem into a spell is pretty great, honestly. This new spell makes your Fire Totem spit out damage wherever it’s located. This allows you to use other Fire Totems to deal a solid amount of damage.

Head to Desolace and kill Flameseer Dubelen (57, 21)
Go to Orgrimmar and speak to Zor Lonetree (39, 38)
Go back to Desolace, and head to the entrance of Maradon. You need two separate Tear of Theradras items: One from the Purple Wing and one from the Orange Wing. Purple Wing is at (27, 57), and the Orange Wing is at (39, 57).
Go back to Zor Lonetree, who will task you with speaking to Arch Druid Hamuul Runetotem in Thunder Bluff (78.6, 28.6)
Chat with Tal at the Thunder Bluff flight path, and go to Moonglade.
Chat with Keeper Remulos in Moonglade (36, 41), and gain Elemental Salve.
Go to (55, 64) in Moonglade and find a Corrupted Fire Totem. Use the Elemental Salve on it, to gain the Brimstone Icon.
Equip the Brimstone Icon, and hit enemies 25 times with Rockbiter Weapon. Right-click the Brimstone Icon again to gain the Rune.

17) Two-Handed Mastery (Phase 2)

“Each time you strike an enemy with a two-handed weapon, you gain 30% attack speed with two-handed weapons for 10 sec.”

Two-handed weapon players have something to love in WoW Classic Season of Discovery Phase 2. The increase in attack speed with two-handed weapons is going to make their DPS go up, that’s for sure.

Head to Deadwind Pass and talk to the Dalaran Agent at Ariden’s Camp (52, 35) for the Ariden’s Sigil item. Equip it, or travel with another player who has it equipped. You need to find and kill seven Dark Rider Elites, after using it to reveal the Rider. Each one grants a Dalaran Relic. The Dalaran Presence buff is a hint that one’s near.
Deadwind Pass at (43, 29)
Duskwood at (23, 47)
Swamp of Sorrows at (69, 28)
Arathi Highlands at (60, 40)
Badlands at (58, 54)
The Barrens at (52, 36)
Desolace at (65, 25)
Return to the Dalaran Agent with all the relics, and turn them in for exp and money. You gain the Rune as the final reward.

18) Power Surge (Phase 2)

“Each time Flame Shock deals damage, it has a 5% chance to reset the cooldown on Lava Burst and Chain Lightning and make the next Lava Burst, Chain Heal, or Chain Lightning within 10 sec instant. Additionally, you regenerate mana equal to 15% of your Intellect every 5 sec. (Proc chance: 5%)”

I’m a huge fan of the Power Surge Rune. The proc chance is admittedly very low to see this trigger, but when it happens, you’re going to really blow up the DPS meters, or save the day with a critical heal.

Head to Arathi Highlands around level 32-33, and start killing Boulderfist Ogres. They aren’t hard to find in this zone. Do this until you gain an Ogre Lightning Rod.
Place the rod on top of the mountain into Soft Soil - on top of Boulder’gor.
Strike the Lightning Rod ten times with Lightning Bolt, and this summons a level 37 Elite. Survive until it runs out of mana.

Put down some damage totems and heal yourself until he runs out of mana. He’ll chase you down and get into melee, but after a little while, he’ll just die. Survive until then.

19) Ancestral Awakening (Phase 2)

“When you critically heal with your Healing Wave or Lesser Healing Wave you summon an Ancestral spirit to aid you, instantly healing the lowest percentage health party member within 40 yards for 30% of the amount healed.”

This is going to be incredibly critical for Shamans to have if they want to heal, I think. It will summon an Ancestral spirit to help heal, and that’s going to save you mana and keep people alive.

Head to Desolace, and pick up the Highway Robbery quest at (47, 54)’s Extinguished Campfire.
Go to (63, 39), near Kormek’s Hut. Turn in to Bibbly F’utzbuckle, and get On The Lam.
Go to Booty Bay’s inn. Turn in the quest to Tokal, and pick up Cherry for Your Thoughts?. Buy her a Cherry Grog, for the next quest, No Honor Among Thieves.
Go to the bridge between Arathi Highlands and Wetlands (53, 91) and go to the Rowboat. Interact with it to be teleported.

Look for Illari Duskfeather and chat with her. Your choice will result in a fight, so beat her, and loot the bag she drops for Illari’s Key. Open the chest to get the Rune.

WoW Classic Season of Discovery has now officially launched on the WoW Classic Era server list. It is free to play, provided the player already subscribes to Retail World of Warcraft. Check this list to learn more about the biggest changes to these servers.

Check out our WoW Rune guides for specific classes

Druid Runes in WoW Classic Season of Discovery || Mage || Priest || Paladin || Rogue || Warlock || Warrior || Shaman || Hunter