Season of Discovery added Runes to World of Warcraft. Adding a powerful new enchantment to the game, giving players the ability to enhance their gear, in turn unlocking new abilities and even new spells.
If you’re yet to get your head around which runes are the best to get for your Shaman, this is the guide for you. So buckle up, it’s time to choose the best runes for your build.
What Are Runes?
Runes are a special engraving which can be added to specific gear slots. Offering up new bonuses which change or enhance your character’s abilities. For Shaman builds, runes in the Season of Discovery can change how spells work – or even add entirely new spells to your roster.
So, essentially, Runes are a new type of upgrade you can use to make your build even stronger. Making them something that you most definitely want to understand.
How to Get Runes
There are two primary ways to acquire runes:
- Rune Broker
Rune Brokers are located across major cities, these vendors sell runes and skill books, allowing you to pick up specific enhancements on demand.
If you’re looking for your first rune, head to one of these cities:
- Alliance:
- Darnassus
- Ironforge
- Stormwind
- Horde:
- Orgrimmar
- Thunder Bluff
- Undercity
- Questing and Discovery
Runes, especially those tailored for Shamans in the Season of Discovery, can also be found as rewards for quests. So you will also accumulate a few runes as you simply play.
How to Use Runes in SoD
Once you’ve got your hands on some runes, you can gain their benefit by engraving them into your gear. The process is simple:
- Choose an item from the right slot – Each rune is for a specific slot, so can only be applied to that piece of gear.
- Engrave the rune at a rune engraver, in a major city.
So, the process is simple once you have the runes. However, you’ll want to carefully consider which runes you apply to gear, as to best benefit your build.
Choosing the Best Shaman Runes by Slot
Runes are not one-size-fits-all, and in the Season of Discovery, Shamans have access to a variety of runes tailored to different builds. This means that you will likely want to choose runes yourself, instead of simply being told the “best” runes. That said, this section breaks down the different runes and why you would want them.
Ring Runes
Ring runes are unique, offering some of the most widely applicable buffs. For this reason, the best rune will most certainly depend on which skills you use as a Shaman. But the Runes you can choose from are:
- Rune of Axe Specialization
- Rune of Dagger Specialization
- Rune of Defense Specialization
- Rune of Fire Specialization
- Rune of Fist Weapon Specialization
- Rune of Frost Specialization
- Rune of Healing Specialization
- Rune of Mace Specialization
- Rune of Meditation Specialization
- Rune of Nature Specialization
- Rune of Pole Weapon Specialization
Belt Runes
- Fire Nova
Replaces Fire Nova Totem with a spell that causes your Fire Totem to emit damage at its location.
Where to find it? Quest or Rune Broker.
- Maelstrom Weapon
Grants a stacking buff from melee attacks, reducing cast time and mana cost of certain spells.
Where to find it? Purchase from Rune Brokers.
- Power Surge
Resets cooldowns on Lava Burst and Chain Lightning, making them instant casts under certain conditions. Also provides mana regeneration.
Where to find it? Rune discovery through questing or vendors.
Boot Runes
- Ancestral Awakening
Summons an ancestral spirit to heal the lowest-health party member after a critical heal.
Where to find it? Quest or vendor.
- Decoy Totem
Redirects attacks to a summoned totem while granting movement-immunity effects.
Where to find it? Purchase or quest rewards.
- Spirit of the Alpha
Increases threat and damage for tank builds, with a complementary buff for DPS Shamans.
Where to find it? Rune Broker or world discovery.
Bracer Runes
- Overcharged
Converts Lightning Shield into an area-of-effect ability with no charge loss.
Where to find it? Questing with Dyadic Icon or vendor purchase.
- Riptide
Introduces the Riptide spell, healing a target instantly and over time, with synergy for Chain Heal.
Where to find it? Rune discovery quests or Rune Brokers.
- Rolling Thunder
Enhances Lightning Shield interactions and provides mana regeneration through Earth Shock usage.
Where to find it? Vendor or questing rewards.
Chest Runes
- Dual Wield Specialization
Improves dual-wielding performance, enhancing hit chances and off-hand damage.
Where to find it? Rune Broker.
- Healing Rain
Adds an area-of-effect healing spell for group support.
Where to find it? Quest reward or vendor.
- Overload
Adds a chance to duplicate spells at reduced power, greatly enhancing overall output.
Where to find it? Questing with specific items or Rune Brokers.
Glove Runes
- Lava Burst
Guarantees a critical hit on targets affected by Flame Shock.
Where to find it? Rune discovery or Rune Brokers.
- Molten Blast
A high-threat ability dealing fire damage to multiple enemies.
Where to find it? Vendor or quest.
- Water Shield
Provides passive mana regeneration and additional mana recovery when struck.
Where to find it? Quest or Rune Broker.
Leg Runes
- Ancestral Guidance
Converts a percentage of damage into healing or healing into damage, depending on the target.
Where to find it? Quest rewards or Rune Brokers.
- Earth Shield
Shields the target, reducing pushback and healing them when attacked.
Where to find it? Vendor or world discovery.
- Greater Ghost Wolf
Allows Ghost Wolf indoors and reduces damage taken while active.
Where to find it? Rune Broker or questing.
Cloak Runes
- Coherence
Improves the effectiveness of Chain Heal and Chain Lightning, adding extra targets.
Where to find it? Rune Broker.
- Feral Spirit
Summons Spirit Wolves for added damage and utility.
Where to find it? Quest reward or vendor.
- Storm, Earth, and Fire
Boosts Chain Lightning and Flame Shock damage while adding crowd control through Earthbind Totem.
Where to find it? Vendor or discovery.
Conclusion
Runes in the Season of Discovery are a must-have for any WoW player looking to unlock the full potential of their Shaman build. Thus, you’ll want to spend some time figuring out which runes are best for your specific shaman build. Then you can find