The state of Balance druids. Where’s the love?
As with all hybrid classes, Moonkin druids are finding themselves in a weird position. Druids particularly fill every role in the game. Their healing is unique and desired in most situations, they can tank AND effectively DPS in the same talent tree with only a few item adjustments, and their caster ranged DPS tree provides a good buff for other casters and some moderate to high spell DPS.
And yet currently there are tons of ranged DPS active in game, I understand and accept that not every spec of a class should be 100% viable all the time for every situation nor should it be sought after all the time. That makes the game bland and boring when everybody is just as effective as everybody else, there’s no diversity. So what does Blizzard say about druids, specifically balance druids?
A balance druid is essentially a ranged DPS class.
There are other ranged DPS classes
People who are looking for groups for PvE or PvP will have preferences over which roles need filled and which classes they wish to fill those roles.
I think the fact that there are any balance druids filling any of these roles proves that they can be just as viable as other ranged DPS classes; the difference, I suspect, is that those balance druids in those roles have worked hard to prove their worth rather than simply expecting a slot “because it’s not fair”.
A restoration druid, on the other hand, has a unique type of healing which is regularly sought, and occasionally required, by many groups.
Feral druids can fill two different roles, so I would be interested to see which of those were chosen for their tanking abilities and which were chosen for their melee DPS abilities. Regardless of those numbers, there are less classes that can fill the role of melee DPS so logically speaking we would expect more druids to be chosen for those positions. (src)
Loading ...
Mar 17th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Complete and utter bullhockey. They are giving a cookie-cutter response to try to quiet the outraged moonkins.
Blizzard says:
*Blank* spec of *blank1* class is meant to fill *blank2* roll. Sorry, but *Blank3* other class is commonly known to be better than other *blank1* class in *blank* tree at that job. The fact that there are any of *blank1* in the *pve/pvp* shows that they are not worse than *blank3* but just the ones there are simply better. Sorry that your specific class spec filled 10 threads to the max with requests for class feedback and this is all I can tell you.
Add a few adjectives here or there and they have a response. Moonkins have filled SEVERAL threads (all essentially ignored) pointing out specific weaknesses in pvp and pve. All they can say is, “since there is obviously at least some of you in these spots, everything is fine the way it is”
Mar 17th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Yeah things are pretty grim in regards to balance druids. Being an off-spec myself and having NO gear for enhancement shaman that isn’t hand me down hunter loot is really getting frustrating.
I’m not 100% on all the specifics that are causing boomkin to be left out so I can’t really speculate much. I’ll look into it and try to write a follow up article.
Maybe Blizzard will stumble across this site and pay more attention.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:51 pm
What I don’t understand is why only CAT form Druids are ever accepted for freaking DPS! DPS is DPS, no matter how you look at it; yet players INSIST that Cat form is infinitely better than Moonkin form for DPS. True, Moonkin form DOES need mana, but the aura they receive is good for all the casters in the group (particularly Healers), and they can survive more damage than a Cat form (so you don’t need to worry about pulling aggro off the tank).
Honestly people, think about it: kicking a druid out for being Balance instead of Feral is like kicking out a Warrior for being Arms instead of Fury, or a Rogues for being Combat instead of Assassination!
May 21st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
What’s sad is that Arms warriors can keep up with fury but gear is a bigger issue. Combat is normally what rogues spec in raids.
But I would bring a moonkin druid over a feral if the group composition has a lot of casters.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:57 am
Fix moonkins and maybe i’ll start playing again…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 am
Too bad I’m not Alliance anymore Stef
Come be a mooncow and we’ll talk 
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 am
Actually, drew is going be be deployed for a year in africa, leaving me home alone for that entire year… whatever shall I do with my time?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 am
I’m trying really hard to keep this site rather PG-13 at best. But uhm, you could always roll Horde?
Jul 16th, 2008 at 11:33 am
They fixes the chicken yet?
Jul 16th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Here, you’re the expert you tell me if these changes are worth it. But you’d have to come to my server and fresh start it as a Tauren
all expenses paid of course.
Imp. Moonkin - Your Moonkin Aura also causes affected targets to have a 33/66/100% chance to gain 20% spell haste when they critically hit with spells for 10 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once every few seconds.
Owlkin Frenzy - Attacks done to you while in Moonkin form have a 5/10/15% chance to cause you to go into a Frenzy, increasing your damage by 10% and causes you to be immune to pushback while casting Balance spells. Lasts 10 sec.
Typhoon - You summon a violent Typhoon that does 530 Nature damage when in contact with hostile targets, knocking them back 5 yards.
Eclipse - When you critically hit with Starfire, you have a 20/40/60% chance of increasing damage done by Wrath by 10%. When you critically hit with Wrath, you have a 20/40/60% chance of increasing your critical strike chance with Starfire by 10%. Effect lasts 30 sec and has a 2 min cooldown.
Gale Winds - Increases damage done by your Hurricane and Typhoon spells by 25/50%, and increases the range of your Cyclone spell by 10/20%.
Nature’s Fury - Your Wrath and Starfire spells have a 20/40/60/80/100% chance of applying the Nature’s Fury debuff on the target. The Nature’s Fury debuff increases Nature and Arcane damage done to the target by 2%. Lasts 12 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
Starfall - You summon a flurry of stars from the sky on all targets within 30 yards of the caster, each doing 500 to 580 Arcane damage, and an additional 170 Arcane to all nearby targets within 5 yards. Maximum 20 stars. Lasts 10 sec.
Also looks like itemization is equally growing nicely.
Jul 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
whoa… that’s hot. I forese the possibility of many cows in my future.
Jul 16th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
/moo
get drew here too if he’s not blowing people up
Jul 17th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
are people honestly crying about moonkins?
ever heard of dreamstate? possibly the most imbalanced class/spec in WoW at the moment. Moonkins are no worse off than ret paladins, ele/enhancement shamans etc. Bear/Cat form, what are you crying about? I don’t see a prot paladin able to transorm into a rogue.
Jul 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Joking right? Nothing wrong you think?
Dreamstate spec is essentially useless in endgame raiding. When specced dreamstate, you make an excellent BACK-UP healer, but you cripple your ability to efficiently dps. That said, if your raid already has sufficient MAIN healers, then you are doing nothing but pulling down the group with your insufficient healing/dpsing. That, and your heals are undeniably weak compared to a full resto spec heals. The baby heals don’t cut it in the end-game content. Regardless, any good moonkin knows that they are meant to be the back-up healer anyways if the proverbial shit hits the fan anyways.
Now if you are referring to the efficiency of dreamstate in pvp, then you’re only partially right. Dreamstate can be effective in opposing rogue teams or healing teams, but does the world revolve around pvp? What if you wanted to raid? Who would take half a healer when you can take a full healer? What if you are up agains a range dps team in pvp? Oops, can’t run fast anymore, what you gonna do to get away?
Next issue, Prot paladins cannot turn into rogues? Oh gee, I had no idea!!! How unfair that they are expected to respecc to dps efficiently. How unfair that they can’t efficientlyl fill every roll in a raid at once! Give up talent points in one tree so that you are better in that tree than others? Unheard of!!!! Just imagine the other players having to do such a thing! Fire would rain down from the heavens and the sea would swallow the Earth! Blasphemy! To think that I dare to be unhappy when I can range dps, tank, melee dps, and super heal without having to even think about respeccing or changing gear! Hey, wait a second…
But wait! I can turn into a cat even if I’m not specced to! Feel the burn of my 100 dmg claw on your 10,000 hp!!!! I shall smite thee with my 500 dmg fericious bite! Fall to the extra 40 dmg of my tiger’s fury!!!!
Ele/enhancement shaman have nothing wrong? You, sir, can take that one up with Spooner! I’m not touching that ticking bomb!
So lemme guess, you are a paladin. So sorry that you have issues with whatever specc you play on whatever class, but that’s no reason to trash the other classes so that your’s gets more attention.
Jul 18th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Massive wall of text crits Spooner for a lot
Spooner dies
Stef makes a point that a balance spec’d druid hits in melee (cat form or otherwise) for shit. Resto as well. the only reason they ever shift is to feral charge and stun or open up with cat form so they can move and be stealthed. Otherwise it’s a waste of mana to shift constantly with the intent of doing damage and not running away or stunning the enemy so you can run away.
Shaman need work, nobody has the right to say shit unless you are a shaman yourself and even then majority wins out.
Paladins need MORE work, and they’re getting it. But the class will never be the same so be careful how much you bitch =/