How do I play a shaman well?

Two big suggestions:

* Learn your spells and totems. Versatility is your greatest assest and you should know in any situation which spells to use to be able to best aid yourself and your group.

* Learn mana conservation. A shaman has some of the most mana-inefficient spells in the game, as well as having a lot of different spells to cast IE: healing vs damage vs totems. As well, given that shamans are a hybrid, some may choose equipment builds that lean away from the caster-favoured INT/SPI builds.