Hello all. Every other class in Zandalari culture is easy to explain and are clearly defined by in game lore. Shamans and Monks however have always been a bit vague and I’d like to take a stab at setting their record straight.
They use Chi aka Spirit which has been described as a “balancing force”. Personally, I thought this made them similar to the Lun’alai. From the previous description Chi seems to be the physical manifestation of the Lun’alai’s highest virtue so it would make sense that Zandalari monks and shamans would seek balance as well.
Yet, Spirit/Chi has also been defined as the power enabling shamans to communicate with the elements. So taken into context - Chi/Spirit doesn’t so much as ensure balance as it simply opens lines of communication for balance to be achieved. Zandalari shamans and monks thus are not necessarily agents of balance and may even disrupt balance if it serves their interests.
The Lun’alai are agents of balance; worshipping Loa without making exclusive pacts. Shamans and Monks however are just different kinds of Zandalari priests. Shamans in particular seem like spiritual envoys – treating with element beings on behalf of Zandalar, the Horde and/or themselves but do not worship them like an Orc or Jungle Troll would. In the end, these spirits are still considered lessers to their chosen Loa.
Having said this, it’s still unclear how they convince the elements to play ball. We know Dark Iron Dwarves use sorcery to forcible control their spirits. It would be cool if Blizz can further define the process as in: Do the spirits already serve their Loa? Does evoking their Loa somehow bully or intimidate the spirits into compliance? One can dream of Blizz confirming any of this as it would certainly add depth to playing a Zandalari Shaman. Hope this helps with anyone’s RP
As far as shamans go, the Zandalari are simply another tribe of Troll (in addition to the progenitor tribe), but are the same race as other tribes such as the Darkspear. So whatever voodoo magic makes a shaman of the Darkspear or Amani (for example) tribes tick, it would be the same with a Zandalari.
As far as the Loa part of the equation, there’s been a lot of instances in game and lore where all trolls worship the Loa, so it’s not just a Zandalari thing if that helps to make it more understandable. We just learned a lot about their spirituality in BFA because it was the first truly troll-centric theme for an expansion we’ve had, so we learned a lot more about Troll culture in general than we have before. Basically, while the Zandalari or the Darkspear or the Amani certainly have their own way of doing things, their culture is still part of Troll culture overall.
Hope that helps shed some more light! 