Monsters and Memories Shaman Guide

01The Shaman at a Glance

The Shaman is the spirit caller of Monsters and Memories — a chain-armored healer who makes everyone around them stronger and every enemy weaker. You slow the mob hitting your tank, strip its resistances, keep the whole group topped up with heals over time, and hand out the strongest physical buffs in the game.

The developers sum up the Shaman in one line: "They make everyone around them better at their job and break down opponents to limit their danger, all while keeping their party topped up with health." You won't land the biggest single heals, and you won't top the damage meter — but your slow, your buffs and your debuffs change how every fight goes.

02Is the Shaman Right for You?

For a new player the Shaman is a comfortable first healer. Heals over time are forgiving — you cast them before trouble instead of reacting in a panic — and chain armor gives you room for mistakes. The skill to learn is timing: slow the mob early, keep your heals over time rolling, and use Consume at the right moments. The slows, debuffs and mana section covers it.

03Choosing Your Race

Five races can be Shamans at Early Access. Your class adds +1 STR, +2 STA, +1 DEX and +4 WIS to your race's base stats, and you get 10 bonus points to spend at creation. Starting values before bonus points:

Spending your 10 bonus points

Wisdom is the Shaman's main attribute: it drives your healing and your mana pool. Stamina comes second — more health and a little stun resistance, and more health means more room to Consume. A point of Dexterity helps hit rate and proc chances if you have anything left.

• Wood Elf: +7 WIS / +3 STA.
• Human: +7 WIS / +2 STA / +1 DEX.
• Goblin: +6 WIS / +4 STA.
• Ogre: +8 WIS / +2 DEX — you already have plenty of Stamina.
• Deep Gnome: put most points into WIS to catch up, and the rest into STA.

Trolls and Var'nai are listed as Shaman races on the official site but aren't playable at Early Access.

04Recommended Traits

You pick one trait from each of four categories at creation (see the New Player Guide for the full lists). For a Shaman:

05Getting Started

Your starter quest

Every Shaman begins with a class starter quest that teaches the basics and hands out your first gear. For the full step-by-step walkthrough, with every NPC, location and reward, see our Shaman Starter Quest Guide. Individual quest pages: Shaman Starter Quest (Faelindral) · Shaman Starter Quest (Night Harbor).

Where to buy spells

• Guildmasters: Errol Shrewtender in Night Harbor and Varilis Thornvine in Faelindral are your starting trainers; ask them or a guard for the Shaman spell vendor.
• Underdocks starts (Goblins, Ogres, Deep Gnomes): ask a guard for the Shaman trainer, and check our Underdocks page.
• Research spells: Tribal Spirit (the group version of Berserker Spirit), Communion of Regeneration and higher Tribal ranks come from spell research, not vendors. Tribal Spirit needs a Ritual Talisman reagent.

06Your Toolkit

Shaman spells come in lines: you learn a spell, then buy (or research) stronger versions every few levels. Levels shown are when the first version (and each upgrade) becomes available.

07Spells to Prioritize, Levels 1–28

You won't be able to afford every spell as soon as it unlocks. This is the order that matters most for a new Shaman:

Past level 28, the pattern continues: slow first (Hex of Lethargy at 32), then haste and heals, then the other Omens, then damage. Research Tribal and Communion spells when you can.

08Playing in a Group

A good Shaman is the reason a group's tank takes half the damage it should and its melee hit twice as hard.

Before the pull

• Buff everyone: the Berserker line (or Tribal once researched) on the group, Pact of Haste on melee, Regeneration on the tank and yourself, and Ancestral Wisdom on you.
• Agree who heals what. With a Cleric in the group, you're often the slower and secondary healer; without one, you're the main healer.
• Soulbind the group near the camp.

During the fight

1. Slow the kill targetAs soon as the tank has aggro, land Omen of Lethargy. Slowing the mob is often worth more than any heal you could cast. If it's resisted, cast it again right away.
2. Keep a heal over time rollingPut Pact of Renewal on the tank early and refresh it as it ends. Use Spirit Mending for quick top-ups.
3. Debuff big fightsOn named mobs, add Omen of Enfeeblement to cut its damage and Omen of Susceptibility so your DoTs and other casters' spells land harder.
4. Add damage when it's safeMalady and Ghostly Blight tick away while you watch health bars. Don't let damage cost you the mana you need for heals.
5. Consume and recoverUse Consume when you're low on mana and healthy — then put a heal over time on yourself. Save Rite of Mending for when the whole party is taking damage.

09Soloing as a Shaman

Shamans can solo well with patience. Your slow, damage over time and self-healing let you wear down targets that would beat other healers.

• Slow, DoT, melee: Omen of Lethargy on the target, Malady and Ghostly Blight, then melee with your blunt or piercing weapon while the DoTs tick. Top yourself up with a heal over time.
• Buff yourself fully: Berserker Spirit, Pact of Haste and Ancestral Wisdom all make your melee better.
• Weaken tough mobs: Omen of Enfeeblement cuts the damage a strong target deals to you.
• Root and step back if a fight turns: Root (12) or Lurching Impairment (24) buys time for DoTs to finish the job.
• Manage mana with Consume between fights, then sit to recover health — Meditation (from 4) only works while sitting, and a campfire speeds regeneration and builds Rested experience.
• No pet since 0.30: Spirit Wolf was removed, so you're soloing on your own buffs and debuffs.

10Leveling Path

A suggested route for a Shaman. You can solo early spots comfortably, but you'll level fastest in groups, where your slow and buffs are in demand.

See Where to Level in the New Player Guide for more spots, and each zone page for maps and named mobs.

11Gear to Look For

Wear chain and stack Wisdom first, then Stamina and mana. Stamina matters a little more for you than for other healers: more health keeps you alive in melee and gives you more room to Consume. A blunt or piercing weapon with Wisdom on it, or a Wisdom off-hand item, beats a pure damage weapon unless you solo a lot.

Early gear (roughly levels 1–16)

Upgrades for later

Stats from our item database. Item levels aren't published, so "early" is based on where they drop. Browse the database for more Wisdom chain.

12Slows, Debuffs and Mana

• Your slow comes first. Omen of Lethargy and its upgrades are the Shaman's signature. Keep the upgrade current — it's the single biggest improvement to your group at 16, 32 and 48.
• Stack the Omens on hard fights. Enfeeblement lowers the mob's damage; Susceptibility makes your DoTs and other casters' spells land harder. On trash, the slow alone is usually enough.
• Use Consume wisely. It trades health for mana and now has a 45-second cooldown. Cast it when you're safe and healthy, then heal yourself over time — that's cheaper mana than sitting.
• Sit between pulls. Meditation (from level 4) only boosts mana regeneration while you're sitting.
• Lean on heals over time. Pacts and Regeneration are more mana-efficient than catching up with direct heals after the damage has landed.
• Buff once, for the group. Research Tribal Spirit and Communion of Regeneration to replace a round of single-target casts.

13Common Shaman Mistakes

• Healing before slowing. Land the slow first; every heal afterward goes further.
• Letting the slow drop. Watch its duration on long fights and refresh it.
• Consuming in combat at low health. One hit later, you're dead with a full mana bar.
• Forgetting haste. Pact of Haste on your melee is a huge damage boost for the group.
• Buying every damage spell. Your money goes further on slows, heals and buffs.
• Not binding your group. Soulbind everyone near the hunting spot so deaths don't mean a long run.

14Shaman FAQ