Why do goblins have playable shamans?

Community General Discussion
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This class doesn’t make any sense for a race that is supposed to be all about greed and stuff. Is it actually shamanism or actually a form of tinkering?

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They make deals with the elements cuz they’re goblins and aree all about making deals and trades, that and a bit of tinkering. They make about as much sense as a gnome paladin. Unfortunately we dont have gnome paladins.

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Shamans just have to bargain with the chaotic energies of the planet, and us goblins are all about bargains! :wink:

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Goblins from their roots have been very shamanistic. In their early days they were a very tribal race and also have historically been exposed to Zandalari trolls a great deal. Zandalari trolls of course we well known to be highly shamanistic. You will notice that female goblins have a bone through their nose as a custom option. They picked this up from their pygmy roots and history with trolls.

Present day goblin shamanism is in fact combined with some tinkering. Though it is in fact primarily done through magic. They contract elements. Goblins are good with making business deals and stuff. It is in their genes. Shamanism doesn’t require strick connection to nature like druidism does. It just requires the right contracted elemental. However may goblins can be very close to nature which is why we have hunters. A thing to remember is that it is possible to be close to nature while still exploiting it too.

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Goblins are natural shamans. They cone from pygmies who are also shamanistic. As there intellect increased they have different contractual views of it. Ultimately shamans have a connection to nature. They have no obligation to serve it like a druid. The Taunka shaman often say the elements serve them.

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Which describes modern society to be honest.

“Oh, I love nature vacations - the trees, the sun, the flowers, the beach with its crystal-clear waters… Ahhh, so relaxing”

blindly throws a plastic bottle and a cigarette, which end up just right next to the trash can

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That’s a negative stereotype!

Some of us think beyond gold and have Azeroth’s best interests at heart.

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This is very true and also. Money driven does not necessarily mean greedy. They two are not mutual.

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Goblins were slaves of the trolls. Why would they be learning shamanism from them? And present day goblins don’t have any connection to pygmies. I actually think that the goblin shaman class is a tinker class disguised as a magical class right under our nose.

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You use your effective business strategies for good!

Same reason that conquered nations adopt the language and religion. And while our technology is advanced, we haven’t lost grip on the older arts. We even use technology to enhance our shamism, but haven’t replaced it fully as a tinker class.

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I struck a deal with Thrall. I rescued him and in turn, he taught me the shaman ways. Well, I also asked for gold, but he didn’t have much to give me.

:woman_shrugging:

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Silly gnome. You have a lot to learn about goblin intelligence.

I struck a deal with Thrall. I rescued him and in turn, he taught me the shaman ways. Well, I also asked for gold, but he didn’t have much to give me.

This is almost a good point though there is a few issues. Thrall definitely helped the goblins get into the horde, but there were goblin shamans prior to thrall rescuing the goblins. They must have learned how from earlier sources.

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Exactly!

I’m the black sheep of my Goblin family. I’d prefer to read and build things than pursue the quest for wealth. I’m weird like that.

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Shamanism can be learned from the elements, from spoken language. But goblins pick things up fast. Especially rocket science. Shamanism wouldnt be a problem. It would be easy to make deals with elements. And finding ways to get them to listen. They may consider there elementals a slave labor force. They may also pay them a decent wage.

Goblins are good at making connections afterall. They evolved pretty fast with kajamite. That element might be related to azeroth in a way like azerite is her lifeblood. Maybe kajamite is some of her brain nuerons lol.

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The quest for knowledge is no less goblin than the quest for wealth. Intelligence is also part of who we are.

edit: dangit wrong character, oh well I’m basically a tall tusked goblin :stuck_out_tongue:

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Exactly!

When we put our minds to it we can accomplish anything!

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Basically all races (may be not forsaken, but i’m not sure) could be shamans. In the same way that all races can probably being all classes (or almost all). The only reason why a race could be or not some class is because it’s part of his culture or not. To get some discipline into your culture you could do it basically by two ways:
1-Your race discovered by him self that kind of discipline, for example: Elven races discover arcane magic by their own, mostly because their interaction with the Well of the Eternity.
1-Your race was taught by other race or creatue that kind of discipline, for example: humans learn arcane magic because high elves taught them.

Now, going on topic. It’s not quoted in the lore how or when they discovered the shamanism, or if they were taught for someone else. We just know that they can be shamans. Also the way that their practice shamanism is odd, if we comparate with others races. Others shamans don’t do deals with the elements, they bond an special relation where they honor them, asking the elements to heed their call. Also goblins are not a spiritual race, or a race who cares about mystic knowledge or nature, two things that are key for being a shaman.

All that i can say based in the lore is that goblins shamans are not the traditional shamans at all. And i personally i think that Blizzard made a very lazy retcon with this subject, they should put more information to understand this class-race combo.

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Their shamanism most likely originates from one of the following sources:

  1. Their early tribal roots. Shamanism is seen among pygmies which are ancestors of goblins.

  2. Zandalari trolls who enslaved them. They spent many generations around these folk.

  3. Modern day tinkering and what they actually are is some sort of tinker. The OP does make a good point in this regard. Goblin shamans could actually be some sort of tinker or engineering class right under our nose.

They couldn’t have learned it from the Horde since, they had shamanism before they joined the Horde.

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Goblins aren’t really unique in their personal relationship with the elements. There are plenty of examples of other races/people/etc that have non “traditional” relationships.

I believe its the Taunka Shaman? That basically bully the elements into obeying.
The goblins worked out a deal where both parties feel they are getting something (I am sure the goblines are getting more, though).
There are dark shaman that corrupt and enslave the elements.
Spacegoat shaman. That somehow follow the Light and shamanism. I feel like their lore is some of the weirdest, just because (to me) it leaves so many questions unanswered.

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