Shaman ( lore ) Shaman are stated to be spiritual guides and practitioners , not of the divine , but of the very elements . Unlike some other mystics , shaman commune with forces that are not strictly benevolent . The elements are chaotic , and left to their own devices , they rage against one another in unending primal fury . It is the call of the shaman to bring balance to this chaos . Shaman summon totems that focus the elements to support the shaman ’ s allies or punish those who threaten them , acting as moderators among earth , fire , water , and air . In the physical universe , the elements of fire , air , earth , and water serve as the basic building blocks of all matter . Shamanic cultures have long sought to live in harmony with , or assert dominion over , the elements . To do so , they call upon the primordial forces of Spirit and Decay . Those who seek to bring balance to the elements rely on Spirit ( sometimes referred to as the " fifth element " by shaman , or " chi " by monks ) . This life - giving force interconnects and binds all things in existence as one . Decay is the tool of shaman seeking to subjugate and weaponize the elements themselves . Background . Before life even began , before even the cosmos took shape , there was Light . . . and Void . In the form of a boundless prismatic sea , the Light swelled across all existence . The ocean of Light was dynamic and ever shifting . Yet as it expanded , some of its energies faded and dimmed , leaving behind pockets of cold nothingness . From the absence of Light in these spaces , a new power coalesced and came to be . This power was the Void , a dark and vampiric force driven to devour all energy , to twist creation inward to feed upon itself . The Void quickly grew and spread its influence , moving against the waves of Light . The mounting tension between these two opposing yet inseparable energies eventually ignited a series of catastrophic explosions , rupturing the fabric of creation and birthing a new realm into existence . In that moment , the physical universe was born . The energies released by the clash of Light and Void raged across the nascent cosmos , raw matter merging and spinning into primordial worlds without number . The most common forms of life to appear were the elemental spirits — primordial beings of fire , water , earth , and air . These creatures were native to nearly every physical world . Occasionally , cloud of fractured Light gathered and gave shape to beings of far greater power , of far greater potential . Among them were the titans . Composed of the primordial matter from which the universe was born , the titans were godlike beings . Their spirits — known as world - souls — formed deep within the fiery core of a small number of worlds . These energies suffused the celestial bodies they have inhabited . Shamans on Azeroth . There doesn ' t seem to be much information on the origins of the shamans on Azeroth , but it is known that members of a race known as yaungol studied with Cenarius , a wise demigod . They learned the druidic magic of the natural world , while others mastered the arts of wielding shamanic powers . Shamans on Draenor . On a world known as Draenor , a race known as orcs were a shamanistic beings who were led by the shamans of their tribes . Harmonious Destruction . For millennia , since the primitive tribal cultures of Azeroth and Draenor , the natural elements of the physical universe have been celebrated , feared , and even worshipped . Mystics sought communion with the earth , air , fire , and water , and learned to tap into their raw power . In time , these spiritual guides came to understand that nature ’ s elemental forces aren ’ t wholly benevolent , but have , in fact , been locked in an unending conflict of chaos and primal fury that once consumed the physical realm . So began the calling of the Shaman , to bring balance to these volatile energies , leveraging their intensity to mend wounds . . . or inflict them . Elemental . Certain shaman have dedicated themselves above all else to forging a deep bond with the elements . They have peered beyond the Elemental Plane , gleaning visions of an ancient past where manifestations of volatile energies once raged unimpeded across primordial Azeroth . Through careful study and dedication , the elemental shaman is able to channel such power into destructive magical surges . Through the body of the shaman flows bolts of lightning , as if from storm , and bursts of fire , as if from molten earth . They manipulate the land itself and summon spirits of earth , fire , and storm to their aid . To battle an elemental shaman is to taunt the very forces of nature . Enhancement . Intense communion with fire , earth , air , and water isn ’ t exclusive to the elemental shaman . In many ways , enhancement shaman similarly bond with nature and leverage its power on the battlefield . What distinguishes them in their training — and in their connection with the elements — is their combat methodology . These shaman favor empowering their physical attacks with elemental energies and facing their adversaries up close . They don ’ t shy from the frontlines , wielding magically augmented weapons , potent elemental attacks , and totems that shape the tide of battle . Restoration . Some shaman find a serene affinity for the restorative properties of water . These shaman do not necessarily seek the Light or turn to the divine , yet they feel a profound spiritual connection with the source from which all mortal life took root . So strong is their connection with water that the shaman is able to restore life and heal afflictions . They balance this with a command of the other elements , finding harmony in nature and purifying their allies as a tidal surge washes across a sandy shore . Shamanism vs . Warlockism . Shamanism is a deeply spiritual form of elemental magic that involves a connection with both the natural and the spirit worlds . Shamans do not normally enslave elementals , but honor them , asking the elements to heed their call . Shamans are not inherently imbued with magic — they harness the powers of the elements through ceremonial totems . Conversely , warlockism is a deeply demonic form of magic that involves a connection with both the unnatural and the demon worlds . Warlocks do not normally honor demons , but enslave them , forcing the demons to heed their call . Warlocks , it seems , are not imbued with magic — they harness the powers of the demons and , by extension , the Twisting Nether through entropy and destruction . Despite that fact , after he was asked if perhaps warlocks are harnessing their power from the Twisting Nether , the Blizzard Historian Sean Copeland stated , “ No , that ’ d be magi , IIRC . They gain power by the destruction of another source ( recall the undead warlock in original cinematic ) . " Additionally , he claims that demons contain fel magic but aren ' t the source , stating that the nature of this magic is created by destroying something else . It seems that Sean Copeland doesn ' t understand that fel magic is demonic and destructive — a force that destroys structures . If anything , demons are constructs in a state where they are being destroyed by their own energies , energies that are released from demons during that process . After he was how demons can be alive since fel magic is destructive , Sean Copeland stated , " it ' s magic ; ) " . As such , Sean Copeland can ' t be taken seriously and warlocks are necromancers . A Flaw with the Shaman ' s Claim ? " Everything that is , is alive . " - The shaman Nobundo Necromancy is the study and use of magic to raise and control the dead . . Feasel wouldn ' t say a construct is dead because it was never alive really . Despite that fact , the shamans said that all things had a life , a power , a spirit . They were deeply involved with the spirits of the elements — earth , air , fire , and water — and the Spirit of the Wild — and claimed they could sense the life force in earth and even seemingly dead stone . With no exceptions to the rule , they would even claim that infernals , fel constructs composed of fel fire and stone , have life force . As such , it seems that raising and controlling infernals is basically shamanism and therefore necromancy . Jeremy Feasel , it seems , wouldn ' t state that controlling infernals is shamanism because they ' re fel constructs as opposite to living earth creature enslaved against their will . It seems that Jeremy Feasel doesn ' t understand that elementals can be constructed ( e . g . fire elementals )