So I’m currently debating on either race or faction changing my shaman and I would like to learn more about the lore for the different races! I’m mainly interested in alliance side but I’m not against a horde race if it feels right. The way transmog fits the character also will have a part to play for me as well which is partially why I’m wanting to change off dark iron dwarf. So hit me with the lore guys!
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Orcs have a great history when it comes down to shamanish. Their Arts and Style of the Orcish Civilization is a being of unity during their festivals where they worship and call on the Elements to bring them good fortunate and strength for their clans. Most spiritual are the Shadowmoons and Bleeding Hollow Clans. Their Rituals and devotion are the highlights of the Clans. But they are not only ones the Frostwolves, Warsongs, and etc have great shaman history with the likes of Thrall, Drek’Thar, and more.
You can try Orcs but then there’s also other races too like.
Draenei for example such as the Broken who use wield the holy light then they are completely cut off from it during the Draenor War with the Orcs and Draenei and those who were abandoned and left behind ended up being the Krokul or Broken and since the Orcs pretty much abandoned the Elements of Draenor the Elements called out some like Nobundo for example who was once a Vindicator Paladin until He like other Lost Draenei lost their connection to the light and so He became a shaman, so did akama and more who were cut off from the light as a whole.
Kul’tirans are a another example atleast with the Tidesagas being more than a Sea Priest Hood they also allow Shamanish but more of a connection to the waters IE Bless the Ships and Boats into the Seas and help them out on their journeys and their religion of the sea.
Then you got the Trolls. Now Troll Shamans are like the Voodoo Masters or Shamanistic Witch Docters or Elementalists of the Troll Tribes and the Zandalari Empire as a whole when it comes down to the Loas of the Wilds and Elements. So you can be a Darkspear Troll or a Zandalari Troll of a Grand Empire or…
There’s the Tauren who are the Spiritual Tribesman of a Proud Race that wanders the plains of Kalimdor and their spiritual god call the Earth Mother. Much like Trolls and Orcs they too can call on the Wisdom of the Earth Mother and the Elements around them. Highmountain and Regular Thunderbuff Taurens are also good race for Races.
Then there’s the Dwarves in General with the Bronzebeards, Dark Irons, and Wildhammers. These 3 Clans have great history with the Elements and Shaman Powers of Thunder coming from the Wildhammer Clan or Fires of the Bronzes and Dark Irons.
As for Vulpera and Goblins they pretty much exist in terms of variety unless someone here on the forums knows more about Goblins and Vulperas than I do but other than that. Taurens, Draeneis, Orcs, Dwarves, and Trolls are the 5 well known Shaman Race with interesting Lore, Backstories and History behind the Race as a whole. Atleast with Orcs in general giving that I’m a Orc Fan.
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I see. I am currently mainly interested in Draenei, kul tiran, Tauren, and possibly maghar orc. I’d like more info on those in particular if possible!
The problem with draenei shaman lore is that there really isn’t any. There’s lore for The Broken Ones, the Krokul. Most prominently Farseer Nobundo.
As an unaffected draenei shaman you’re canonically just a deciple/student of Nobundo. As for his story, go read the short story Unbroken. It’s excellent.
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I find interesting kultiran shamanism.
In the allied race unlock quest, the shipwright working on the ship has some elementals helping her, and she basically says she called them for help, so you have the dialogue option: “so you’re a shaman?” Which she replies with:" What’s a shaman?". Basically kultirans just have this natural connection with the elements that shamanism happens naturaly.
Draenei shamanism basically comes from Nobundo, after being cut off the light he started to listen to the elements on the broken draenor, he then started teaching other broken, as a way to move foward, eventually Velen brings all the broken to the main society and Nobundo teaching Draeneis shamanism was a way to reconnect the two people.
To give what little lore I can remember about Vulpera and Goblins. The Vulpera’s main “hat” is they’re scavengers who survive on what they can find in the deserts of their homeland. I don’t think they have any specific lore regarding shamans, but you can assume they learned as a way to help them eke out a living, probably a more extreme version of the pure Orcish Shamanism from before the Legion got ahold of them that we see in Lord of the Clans.
As for the Goblins, their whole thing is making deals with people and that rather ironically makes them ideal shamans in spite of not being outwardly very spiritual. At least if what little we see of that one Goblin shaman from Cataclysm is any indication. Like I said, I’m not aware of much lore associated with either race being shamans, but this is what we know of their culture and history.
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I find Shaman kind of dull…. BUT the Kul Tiran Tidesage thing is kind of neat. How they are a religion with practical purpose, guiding ships and calming seas.
Kul Tiran Shaman and Druids have interesting lore… but the burly models are not for me. If they gave us that thin Kul Tiran option, I would be so down to play a Kul Tiran - Haymaker is a fun racial.
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The dullness of shaman, as a playable class, has the same dullness of warrior or hunter. That dullness, or more accurately vagueness, allows for racial, national, and personal creativity. You mentioned the Tidesages, but Troll Witch Doctors, Hexxers, or even Shadow Hunters, Orc Farseers, Tauren Spirit Walkers and Runemasters. Even if some of these are RPG heavy classes, they can be a lot of fun and deserving of that extra layer.
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That IS the draenic shaman lore. It’s simply not as old as the lore for the other races, but it’s even got a cinematic attached to it.
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The unfortunate thing about Alliance Shaman lore is that it’s next to abysmal. The most you’ll probably get is from Dwarves (notably the Wildhammer), but a lot of it is breadcrumb quests through content like Loch Modan, Twilight Highlands and the Hinterlands. Most of these are small quest chains with Shamanic characters but don’t dive too deeply into lore or worldbuilding for the Shaman class.
Most Alliance Shamans are shown through cameos in general, Farseer Nobundo is arguably the most notable Alliance Shaman but has hardly been featured since Burning Crusade (aside from some brief appearances Cataclysm and Legion) and serves little to no commentary on the current state of Shamanism amongst the non-Broken Draenei. Although, Nobundo has probably one of the best short stories which is a really great cornerstone for inspiration if you’re thinking about Draenei.
Kul Tiran is an interesting one. If you count Tidesages as Shaman (Which I do, to a degree) they have a lot of interesting lore points tying them to the sea and revering the power of the storms, which makes for great restoration or enhancement immersion. Dorian Atwater was also notable in that speaking to the elements is just something she hasn’t really thought about, it just comes naturally to her which may be the way many Kul Tiran view as their brand of Shamanism. It just IS. If the Kul Tiran female didn’t just look like 6 different versions of my mom’s friend Karen then I’d definitely play one as my main Shaman.
As for the Horde, this is where you’ll get the best lore. Particularly among Orc, Tauren and Trolls. While Trolls have their own unique brand with Voodoo and Witch Doctor aesthetic, Orcs and Tauren have more heavy focus on ancestral worship and reverence of the elemental spirits. Personally, I find Tauren feel the most ‘ingrained’ with the traditional Shamanistic flavor, their culture and questlines are really steeped in it.
Horde Shaman lore encompasses too much to really include here as individual pieces so if you do want to explore any Horde races (Sounds like you may be more leaning toward Alliance though) I’d recommend looking each one up individually to see what fits your fancy.
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From my understanding, he was communed with by the elements due to the elemental spirits feeling a connection to those that were broken, from the orcs betrayal & reign of terror that decimated them to the very shattering of the planet that shattered their world not just physically – but mentally too; yet still unwavering in their push forward, right?
I suppose you could roleplay as a Draenei who was separated from their people from the fall of Shattrath & was communed with by the elements + connected to shamanism on their own accord with their aid, prior to reuniting with their people & learning of Nobundo. 
There was this idea somewhere in the past, and in a lot of fantasy stories, that the world is comprised of 4 elements.
earth fire wind water.
We know this isnt true today, but some people believed these made up everything in the world.
So in Warcraft as well, these are the primal forces that make up everything.
Or would be, except that there are a bunch of other cosmic forces like light and void confusing it, so its kind of like this philosophy exists alongside other ideas simultanously. Because Warcraft has like a million things mixed together. However thats the basic idea of shamanism, controlling primal forces that make up the world on a very low level.
And I guess there are elemental spirits that can be heard for some reason. These are a bit like the pagan spirits of Night Elf trees and ghosts and such, but more low level spirits that exist as part of the very earth, wind etc itself.
Thats how I see it anyway.
Because these are primal spirits you have to be very in tune with the world to be a shaman, this is why Alliance couldn’t be Shaman, they are too civilised. Then Nobundo discovered it after being separate from the light and wandering around in Outland, he heard the wind. He shared it with some other Alliance.
Some later races may have had it from the start but you have to be a bit savage. Like Kul’tirans who worship the waves maybe started to hear the spirits of water, but we don’t know. If you go real hardcore like some bearded guy who lives in the woods, or like Bear Gryllis this is how you become a shaman. If you just go tree hugging and more furry you become a druid I think.