NeverFF

Balance Druid guide

Ranged DPSDruid · WoW Forever

Beta guide, level 30. The WoW Forever beta stops at level 30, so this guide and its build cover levels 1 to 30. We update it for level 60 after launch on November 4.

Balance mixes damage over time with Wrath and Starfire. Forever gives it a rhythm with Eclipse: each Wrath makes your next two Starfires faster. Genesis boosts your damage over time, Nature's Majesty adds crit, Overgrowth lets you root more enemies, and Hurricane no longer has a cooldown. Moonkin Form gives the whole raid spell crit.

Strengths

  • A satisfying Wrath and Starfire rhythm with Eclipse
  • Moonkin Form: spell crit for the whole raid, and only Balance brings it
  • Mark of the Wild, Thorns, Innervate, Remove Curse and Rebirth for the group.

Weaknesses

  • Wrath and Starfire need you to stand still
  • No big damage cooldowns
  • Slightly less damage than the pure caster classes

Talent build (level 30) 21/0/0

Balance 21 points

  • Improved Wrath5/5
  • Genesis4/5
  • Moonglow3/3
  • Nature's Majesty2/2
  • Nature's Reach1/2
  • Nature's Splendor1/1
  • Insect Swarm1/1
  • Improved Starfire3/5
  • Eclipse1/3

21 points in Balance, Eclipse style: Improved Wrath and Moonglow for mana, Genesis and Nature's Splendor for your damage over time, Nature's Majesty for crit, Insect Swarm, Improved Starfire, and the first point of Eclipse. Vengeance, Moonfury and Moonkin Form come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Eclipse
New in Forever: Wrath makes your next 2 Starfires 0.5 sec faster (stores up to 4 charges).
Genesis
New in Forever: +5% damage and healing from your effects over time.
Nature's Majesty
New in Forever: +4% crit with spells and melee.
Improved Wrath
A faster Wrath that costs half as much.
Insect Swarm
Your second damage over time, plus 2% less hit chance for the enemy.

New in Forever: Balance talents

  • GenesisIncreases the periodic damage and healing done by your spells and abilities by 5%.
  • Nature's MajestyIncreases your critical strike chance with spells and melee attacks by 4%.
  • Nature's SplendorIncreases the duration of your Moonfire and Rejuvenation spells by 3 sec, your Regrowth spell by 6 sec, and your Insect Swarm spell by 2 sec.
  • OvergrowthIncreases the maximum number of targets you may have affected by Entangling Roots by 2.
  • EclipseYour Wrath spell reduces the cast time of your next 2 Starfire spells by 0.50 sec. Stores up to 4 charges. Lasts 15 sec.

Rotation

  1. Thorns on yourself while soloing.
  2. Wrath to pull, then Moonfire and Insect Swarm.
  3. Two Starfires for every Wrath once Eclipse is going.
  4. Spend Clearcasting procs on Starfire.
  5. Refresh your damage over time while you move.

Several enemies

  • Moonfire and Insect Swarm on several enemies, Entangling Roots to hold them (Overgrowth roots up to 3).
  • Hurricane on big packs: no cooldown in Forever.

Cooldowns

Innervate
Big mana regeneration; save it for a healer if they need it.
Rebirth
Battle resurrection.
Bear Form
Get tanky when a pull goes wrong.

Stats

Spell damage first, then hit (Nature's Reach covers some while leveling), crit (Nature's Grace and bigger hits), then haste and Intellect.

Best races

Alliance

Skyborne (High Order)
Wind Blessed (+2% haste) and Read Leyline for faster mana regeneration.
Night Elf
Elune's Light: +10% crit for 15 sec, plus Quickness (+1% dodge).

Horde

Tauren
Endurance (+5% health) and War Stomp, plus up to 60% run speed from Plainsrunning.
Skyborne (Windshaper)
Wind Blessed: +2% haste.

Professions

Leatherworking for leather gear (some only it can make), Herbalism (easy to gather in Travel Form) with Alchemy, or Engineering.

Leveling

Good at 30: DoT and root two or three mobs, or play the safer Eclipse style on one target. Use Cat Form's Dash for long runs.