WotLK Classic Druid Guide

Since WoW Classic release Druid has always stood out from the other classes because of its unique gameplay based on shapeshifting abilities. It always was fun to play for the Druid, and in Wrath of the Lich King, you can enjoy these mechanics even more. In our WotLK Classic Druid guide, we’ll talk about the class itself, its specializations, talent builds, glyphs, rotation, leveling specifics, and all other stuff you should know.

WotLK Classic Druid Overview

Druid class gameplay builds around shapeshifting and unique abilities and mechanics every animal form provides you depending on the specialization. Some forms you will use directly in fights, but Travel Form, Aquatic Form, and Flight Form just help you to travel everywhere without using mounts. Also, by choosing Druid you provide yourself an opportunity to play for any of three roles (tank, heal, damage dealer).

Druid Spec Choice

Despite the fact that WotLK Druid has just three specializations you can play one of four different ways.

Balance

WotLK Balance Druid as range DPS casters can use Nature and Arcane spells like Wrath and Starfire to damage enemies. New Balance Druid DotLK abilities like Starfall and Eclipse great complement rotation and gameplay. Moonkin Form gives you increased armor contribution, reduces damage on you while your character is stunned, restores 2% of mana for every critical strike, and gives +5% to critical strike for all your teammates around you in 100 yards.

Restoration

WotLK Resto Druid is well-known because of unique HoTs healing, which requires learning tactics and reading of the fights to predict damage and cast spells like Wild Growth and Rejuvenation seconds earlier. Tree of Life form gives you +6% for all healing for all teammates within 100 yards.

Feral DPS

WotLK Feral Druid in cat form is a melee damage dealer, which uses the same system of combo points as Rogue. You also have energy resources, can be almost invisible, and stun enemies. The specialization gameplay mostly builds around such Feral Druid WotLK abilities as Rake, Rip, and Mangle (Cat), and depends on time management and DoT efficiency. Cat Form increases your melee attacks.

Feral Tank

Feral Tank Druid can use melee targeted and AoE attacks, heal itself, buff teammates’ Critical Strike stat, and even restore their HP. In the bear form, you should spam your attacks to gain Rage resource, and use it for abilities like Mangle (Bear), Maul, or Swipe (Bear). Dire Bear Form increases your attack power, armor, and Stamina stat.

WotLK Classic Druid Changes

If you played for the Druid in TBC Classic, the WotLK version can’t surprise you too much. But all specializations have some changes we should talk about:

• Balance Druid got totally new abilities like Starfall and Eclipse, which make gameplay and efficiency of specialization much better. Also, Hurricane has been reworked;
• Resto Druid in WotLK lost some healing effect of Lifebloom, but Rejuvenation became a more important and useful HoT spell. New Nourish looks like a strong direct healing ability, especially combined with one of the HoTs;
• Feral Tanks, well known for high avoidance lost this key ability, but now can immune to critical strikes because of specific talent;
• Feral DPS in cat form got strong cooldown Berserk and now shines bright. Also, this kind of Druids can surprise you with some instant casts after finishers (you can heal, control, or even use some DPS spells without casts).

WotLK Druid Leveling

Even if you plan to play only for Feral Tank specialization or Restoration Druid, leveling it can be not the best choice. Of course, you better prefer DPS specs for this long adventure, and this class can provide you with two different but fun ways:

• Balance Druid like all other range DPS casters attack enemies and try to kill them until they get closer to killing the Druid itself. While early leveling can be boring after you get Starfall you also get an opportunity to do big pools and blast a lot of mobs at one time;
• Feral in Cat Form attacks enemies from the shadows, leaves bloody wounds on their bodies, and runs to the next target, changing form sometimes to heal itself. Predatory Strikes talent provides you instant healing between fights, so you can save your time more efficiently.

Also, Druid is a great class for Dungeon leveling, because you can perform all roles that your teammates want to.

WotLK Druid Talents and Glyphs

Now it’s time to talk about the most popular talent builds you can use for your first step as Druid in WotLK Classic. Also, we should introduce to you WotLK Druid Glyphs, a new system that can improve your character abilities or at least give them a nice cosmetic effect.

Balance [58/0/13]: adding WotLK Druid spells Eclipse and Starfall transformed Balance rotation, so some talents can surprise you. At the same time, with new opportunities for mana regeneration, now you shouldn’t waste your points on mana regen options. Below is a simple option for WotLK Balance Druid talents.

Restoration [18/0/53]: all WotLK Resto Druid talents builds depend on your Haste, which lowers your global CD to spam more Rejuvenation. The best way so to start from the build below and change it when your Haste will be about 856.

Feral DPS [0/55/16]: a universal and standard option for everyone who wants to try a cat. Some Restoration talents help you with directly increasing Critical Strike and all attributes in total.

Feral Tank [0/60/11]: as we say before, Feral Tank can show great single-target DPS which can be useful sometimes. But below you can find a pure Tank build that helps you make your first steps.

WotLK Classic Druid Stats

Another important moment you need to know after you choose a specialization. Of course, Feral DPS and Restoration stats will differ, so learn this list attentively.

WotLK Classic Druid Best Race

One of the easiest choices in this guide you can face. As before, only Night Elves can be Druids from the Alliance, and only Taurens from the Horde. So you need just to choose the faction you sympathize with, or maybe look better at race abilities:

• Horde players can use AoE stun War Stomp (very good in PvP), and small HP buff Endurance;
• Alliance players have additional stealth ability Shadowmeld (BiS for PvP, good also in different situations) and avoidance buff Quickness.

WotLK Classic Leveling!

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5.0

WotLK Classic Druid Consumables, Chants & Gems

Now we should talk about the best opportunity to boost your stats.

Balance

Restoration

Feral DPS

Feral Tank

WotLK Classic Druid Best Professions

In most cases, Jewelcrafting and Engineering will be BiS choice for Druid. All simple, Jewelcrafting gives you an opportunity to craft powerful gems you definitely will use, while Engineering gets you a lot of useful gadgets, bombs, enchants, etc. But also have specific options:

• Feral Tank can choose Leatherworking to get a Stamina buff;
• Restoration Druid can pick Alchemy because of useful flasks like Flask of Pure Mojo;
• Blacksmithing can give you two bonus sockets for gems, so you can choose this profession for any spec.

WotLK Classic Druid Rotation

Of course, you can’t predict the future to see how every single fight could go, so these rotation options can change sometimes. Especially in PvP, where your next course of action will depend on your team setup, your enemies’ team setup, their tactics, and a lot of other specific moments. But it’s good to know rotation and follow it as you can anyway.

Balance

In WotLK Balance Druid rotation builds around Eclipse mechanics:

1. You should check that Faerie Fire is always maintained on the target;
2. Starfall should cast almost every time you can do it;
3. The same with a Force of Nature;
4. Maintain  Moonfire on your target except in the situations when Solar Eclipse is active;
5. Maintain  Insect Swarm except in the situations when Lunar Eclipse is active;
6. Use  Wrath as much as you can when Solar Eclipse is active;
7. Spam  Starfire as much as you can when Lunar Eclipse is active.

Restoration

You can hear, that Restoration Druid rotation simple as nothing. Maybe it can be right, but don’t forget, that HoT gameplay requires patiently tactic learning and damage prediction:

1. Cast  Wild Growth every time you can;
2. Cover raid with  Rejuvenation;
3. Use  Swiftmend when your teammate HP is critically low;
4. Try to spend Clearcasting effect on  Lifebloom;
5. You should cast  Regrowth on tanks or other teammates that take extra damage;
6. Use  Nourish on tanks or another target that needs burst healing;
7. In critical moments, use  Nature’s Swiftness to cast maximum rank  Healing Touch.

Feral DPS

Feral rotation builds around the DoT mechanic and can change depending on the number of enemies around you:

1. Cast Tiger’s Fury when you are under 40 Energy and skill available;
2. If you have 15 or more seconds of Tiger’s Fury, you should use auto-attack until  you get 90 Energy, and then use Berserk;
3. Use and refresh Rip every time you have 5 Combo Points;
4. Maintain Mangle (Cat)‘s debuff on your enemy;
5. You could use Ferocious Bite if you have 5 Combo Points and Rip DoT still has 10+ seconds remaining on its duration;
6. Use and refresh Rake to maintain DoT on target;
7. Use Shred to get more Combo Points but don’t forget that you should have enough energy to cast Mangle (Cat).

Feral Tank

You can add to your single rotation AoE spells to maximize your performance:

1. Use Berserk every time you can do it;
2. Cast Mangle (Bear) if spell available;
3. The same with Faerie Fire (Feral);
4. Cast and refresh Lacerate until the target gets 5 stacks;
5. Use Maul when you don’t have other options;
6. Use Swipe (Bear) if you have rage after using Maul.

WotLK Classic Druid Phase 1 BiS

Almost no matter how good you play, without suitable gear in most cases, you will not be the best in various encounters. But gearing is not so hard if you will have an understanding of what items you need.

WotLK Druid Pre-Raid BiS

WotLK Druid BiS List

WotLK Druid PvP

The best Druid specializations to play PvP in WotLK are Restoration and Feral DPS. Healing Specialization can be good because of a wide skills pool and opportunity to help your teammates not only with healing casts but control and damage too. At the same time, Feral DPS specialization shines bright in Arena fights because of high DPS, effective DoT mechanics, a lot of control and stun skills, and also healing abilities.

So, let’s check the best setups for Restoration and Feral DPS Druids.

Restoration

Feral DPS

WotLK Classic Druid Macros

Finally, a few details that can make your Druid gameplay better. There are a lot of useful macros for all specializations, but let’s see the general that will help you in the most repeatable situations.

Gotta Go Fast

This macro will check the environmental conditions you are in to cast the most suitable form or mount.

#showtooltip Swift Zulian Tiger (or any of your mounts)
/cancelform
/cast [swimming] Aquatic Form
/use [flyable] Swift Yellow Windrider (or any of your mounts)
/cast [flyable] Swift Flight Form
/use Swift Zulian Tiger (or any of your mounts)
/dismount
/cast Travel Form

Revive/Rebirth

This macro will help you to cast suitable abilities depending on whether you are in a fight or not.

#showtooltip
/cast [combat] Rebirth; Revive

We hope our guide was helpful for you and that you figured out how to do your first steps as Druid. We would appreciate your feedback and good luck in the Northrend!