style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Continuing
our series on
theorycrafting we come to the Balance Druid, half man, half chicken and
all
Boomkin.  In an earlier href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/70576"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">article style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
we discussed the basics of
theorycraft along with most of the terms and acronyms.  Below
you find a
further explanation along with my suggested target numbers to strive
for to
maximize your playing experience.
style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);"> 
Theory: style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Main
  Entry: the·o·ry
  style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pronunciation:
  \?th?-?-r?, ?thir-?\ style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Function:
  noun style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Inflected
  Form(s): plural the·o·ries style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Etymology:
  Late Latin theoria, from Greek the?ria, from the?rein style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Date:
  1592 style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1 style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
:
the analysis of a set of facts in their relation
to one another
2
:
abstract thought :
href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculation"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">speculation style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
3
:
the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a
science, or an art <music theory>
4 a
:
a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the
basis of action <her method is based on the theory that all
children want to
learn> b
:
an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles,
or circumstances —often used in the phrase in
theory<in theory, we have
always advocated freedom for all>
5
:
a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or
body of principles offered to explain phenomena <the wave theory
of
light>
6 a
:
a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or
investigation b
:
an unproved assumption :
href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conjecture"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">conjecture style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
c
:
a body of href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theorems"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">theorems style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
presenting a concise systematic view of a subject <theory of
equations> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Craft: style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Main
  Entry: ²craft style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Function:
  transitive verb style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Date:
  15th century style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
to make or produce with care, skill, or ingenuity <is
crafting a new sculpture> <a carefully crafted
story>  style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Theorycrafting: style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Main
  Entry: the·o·ry
  craft style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pronunciation:
  thir-?-craft-ing style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Function:
  intransitive verb style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

• style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Date:
  Early 2005 style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">:
To hyper-analyze, mathematically,
game mechanics and abilities to gain a deeper understanding and to
ultimately
maximize effectiveness.  style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Theorycrafting
actually began with StarCraft
and was transitioned to WoW with
the advent of the game. WoW theorycrafting
gained its popularity and notoriety around the time The
Burning Crusade expansion
launched. The main focus of Theorycrafting was initially maximizing DPS
and
minimizing downtime, also known as Min/Maxing. It has spread to all
aspects of
WoW and created many heated debates between crafters and players alike.
Too
many times theorycraft becomes a mish mash of information overload and
conflicting ideas.

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
week’s article will focus on an
often overlooked Druid spec, the boomkin. Balance druids, while among
the most
powerful, are sadly the least represented in the game. An astute player
with
the right combination of gear and know how can put out as much DPS as
any other
class in the game and bring some useful benefits to the entire raid.
Without
further ado, lets dive into Balance and gain some understanding of the
theory.

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Talent
Specialization  style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Balance
Druid talent specs currently
do not leave a lot in the way of variation. The primary raiding spec
for 3.2 is
href="http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc.xml?cid=11&tal=5032203125331303213305301031000000000000000000000000000000205003012000000000000000000"
target="_blank"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">this style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">,
however there are some changes you can make to help along
the way as you achieve the gear you want or if you wish to focus on AoE
damage.
The base of the talent spec will be href="http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?druid=5012003125331003213305301031000000000000000000000000000000205003012000000000000000000&glyph=151025000000&version=9901"
target="_blank"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: blue;">this style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
(link is to mmo-champion.com and not WoW armory as it
allows for point spreading without regards to pre-requisites) at this
juncture
you need to decide where to spend two points. Your choices are either
Moonglow
or Improved Moonfire, go with Moonglow early on to help with mana and
then
switch to Imp. Moonfire when mana is no longer a concern. Both talents
are
fairly weak, however Imp. Moonfire gains more teeth with high end set
bonuses
and top notch spellpower. The remaining five points are where you get
to tinker
with your playstyle and gearing to a stronger degree. Intensity is
great for
new raiders with mana concerns while Gale Winds is a must for those
that love
to AoE. Typhoon is an option as well as Improved Insect Swarm which
adds solid
DPS throughout the course of a long fight.

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Stats style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
meat and potatoes of all the
theorycrafting and min/maxing comes down to one thing - numbers. Here
are the
target numbers based on what you want to do as a PvE Balance Druid.
Keep in
mind that even with all of the research and gnats ass splitting that
goes into
this, they are still objective and to be used as a guide. I have listed
them in
order of importance. The haste stat listed will be to achieve a one
second
global cooldown, which is equal to roughly 20% haste rating assuming
Nature's
Grace is active. Crit is factored in humanoid form.

class="MsoNormalTable" border="1" cellpadding="0"
width="555">
style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Stat

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">5
Player style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">10
Player

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">25
Player

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Hit

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">263   
     (237 w/Draenei)

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">263 

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">263 

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Haste

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">585   
       

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">585(401
w/shaman)   

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">401

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Spellpower

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1600
     
       
       
       
      

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1800

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> 2100

style="padding: 1.5pt; background: rgb(204, 204, 204) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Crit

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">16%

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">18%

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">23%

style="margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Glyphs
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/73910" alt=""
v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 210px; height: 66px;" /> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/73911" alt=""
v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 210px; height: 66px;" />
  src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/73912" alt=""
v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 210px; height: 66px;" />
 The three top DPS glyphs currently
available. 

style="line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; color: rgb(30, 66, 137);">Gear style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"> style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As
with Restoration gear, patch 3.2
has thrown wide open the window of available items. One notable change
with 3.2
was the apparent fix of the four set bonus of T8. With this fixed T8
once again
becomes a viable option. Another notable thing to remember when gearing
your
boomkin is that often times leather will not be the best in slot for
you, the
clothies may hate you for it but many times you should be rolling on
that gear
as well. Remember to itemize according to the desired stats and weigh
each item
in relation to what you currently have equipped before you spend the
DKP or
roll those dice.

Theorycrafting is often overly complex and confusing with the sheer
volume of
raw date being analyzed. The folks behind this "art" are usually
found with MBAs on their walls or have day jobs lecturing about quantum
physics. Of the subsets of Druid theorycraft, Balance is true to its
name and
right in the middle in terms of complexity.  I hope
that some light
has been shed here and that your path toward total Druid enlightenment
has been
illuminated even further. Until next week, stay safe and have fun in
Azeroth!