Shaman

The shaman is a Rank D, or beginner level, magic fighter that starts out extremely weak. The shaman's primary starting magic, Blessing of Life, heals the target allied unit in combat.

Official Description
These shamans were offered to the gods as children. Their HP and attack power are too low to be useful in a fight, but their exclusive healing spell, Blessing of Life, makes them invaluable as healers.

Protect her well and your other mercenaries won't have to worry about getting injured while fighting.

Attack Type
The shaman attacks with a blast of magic that acts as a ranged attack but that can not attack foes on the back row unless no enemies are in front of them. Her attacks are weak, and her staff is more useful for its boost to her intelligence.

Blessing of Life is a magic spell that heals the target allied unit. Blessing of Life requires two turns before it can be used again.

Other shaman spells include Brutal Will, which makes an allied unit go berserk and start attacking independently but at higher damage, and Noble Sacrifice, which kills the shaman to heal all allied units. Players can find books to unlock these more advanced spells.

Attributes and Upgrades
The shaman starts with the second highest magic defense (MAG DEF) and intelligence (INT) of all Rank D ranged fighters. Players can upgrade her at level 20, 50, 80, and 100 with Ashen Jewels. As she progresses, the shaman develops the second highest defense (DEF) among her rank D peers, but her vitality (VIT) is the worst. Only the monk and viking have lower dexterity (DEX).

The high MAG DEF of the shaman means she can survive magic blasts that would cause major harm to other units. Her terrible DEX means she won't be dodging many attacks, so it is vital to upgrade her for the extra DEF to compensate for her low HP.

The Blessing of Life spell can be used to heal a heavy hitter unit so that it can focus on attacking.

Strategy
Unless players choose an shaman as their main character, they won't be able to get them until level 10. Shamans should never be in the front row because of their poor DEX and low HP. Be careful to keep a unit in front of them so that they are not exposed to any melee attacks. Their high MAG DEF can help them survive magic attacks, but be prepared to heal them when they get hit by any kind of attack.

The real value of a shaman lies in her magic, as she allows hard hitting units to keep attacking instead of drinking healing potions in battle and losing a turn.

The number of shamans a squad should carry is a careful balancing act. Too few, and players won't be able to keep their units healty in battle. Too many and they squad doesn't kill fast enough, which results in taking more damage and needing all the heals the shamans can give. In the early going, one shaman should be enough.

As Rank C units become available, the player gains access to oracles. Oracles are better in every attribute compared to shamans, and they have magics that can heal groups of allied units An upgrading shaman will have higher survivability than a beginner level oracle, but the oracle will soon overtake her in every way.

Credits: Ralsu from TenTonHammer