Druids are the guardians of nature, masters of shape shifting and combine all available game roles. They have three main forms: as a caster, where they use mana and can cast healing, control and damaging spells; Bear Form – they get increased armor and defense skill, all abilities cost rage points; cat form – druids can use stealth-mode and regenerating energy points for abilities, combo-points can be applied to enemy target to increase damage. Druids are perfects for those who like dynamic approach to the game and emphasize to PVE.
They can wear cloth and leather armor, or combination of cloth and leather for casters or just leather for melee combat in cat or bear form. Druids have high surviving rate due to their wide range abilities. They can adapt to any combat situation, shapeshift to remove any immobilizing effects, cast roots on enemy target and full heal themselves.
In Balance spec druids concentrate on support control abilities and caster damage. Balance talent tree helps to reinforce these abilities and opens Moonkin Form with increased armor rate and spell critical chance by 3% for all party members, the only problem is Balance spells may run you out of mana incredibly fast.
The feral abilities and talents are focused on damaging in cat form and tanking in bear.
The restoration tree allows druid to be a healer with a number of powerful skills like “Nature’s Swiftness”, “Innervate”, “Rebirth” and unique Heal Over Time (HoT) effects.
Leveling
Druids are easy to level. It’s related to their ability to avoid any downtime with shape shifting, save mana and use it only in emergency and self-healing.
With the right skill druids don’t have to stop to drink and eat. Moreover, in the bear and cat form their melee weapon works only as an item increasing main stats.
Their control abilities “Entangling Roots”, “Hibernate” and stun effects allow to fight multiple enemies at the same time. Prowling in cat form allow you to hide from high level opposite faction players and pass dangerous places to save time. From level 30 druids learn Travel Form increasing movement speed by 40%. From level 16 you can complete simple quest line to get Aquatic Form, giving you unlimited underwater breath and 50% extra swim speed.
PVE
Being a healer or a tank is the fastest way to find a dungeon group. Feral Cat Form DPS is rather low and in Moonkin Form you get out of mana frequently. Druid’s raid role is a healer mostly, though there are always several spots for Feral and Balance druids because of their group buffs.
Being a tank is for those who enjoy 5-men dungeons or may stay off-tank in a raid. Many raids prefer the druid as a second tank. However, unlike warriors, sometimes druid is useless as a tank in a raid.
Sometimes, druid-healers are underestimated and cannot find dungeon parties, reason is their combat resurrection ability has a long cooldown. But on the other hand they are always welcome in any raid for their “Innervate” and “Rebirth” spells.
PvP
In PvP Feral druids are popular as flag carriers. Their survival rate in Bear form make them perfect frontlines with their speed and ability to avoid impairing movement effects. In 1×1 combats druids can use cat form or bear form depending on situation. Balance druids are strong as well and can do shattering damage to kill with one shot.
Race
The racial choice is simple. Only Taurens and Night elves can be druids. So your decision is based on faction you like.
Night elves get “Shadowmeld” ability increasing Stealth mastery in Cat Form.
Taurens have “Endurance” increasing total health by 5% and “War Stomp”, that stuns nearby enemies.
Professions
For druids, who focus on tanking, Enchanting is important because of crafted trinket “Smoking Heart of the Mountain”, however once it’s created, the profession can be changed.
Engineering is number one for all PVPers, though druids cannot use many things and consumables in cat or bear forms, engineering is still beneficial. It combines with Mining to get reagents and Druids Stealth allow to farm some unique hidden places in dungeons. Herbalism is good option to make money as well, especially gathering herbs in Travel Form. You can take Enchanting or Alchemy with it. Taurens racial passive ability is +15 extra Herbalism skill.
Nothing important for druids with Tailoring and Leatherworking, everything can be bought at the auction.
