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Need to know what’s the spell hit in Moonkin form? Do you need to know what Moonkin form IS? Well, you’re in the right place. Our Guide to Druid Basics is here to help to explain the majority of things you need to know to excel at the Druid class. Once you’re done here feel free to move on to the Druid Combat page to go over using all of this awesome info in actual battle.

Getting Started

Druids are the jack of all trades; master of all of them too. They can fill multiple roles which makes them are very versatile class. Casting, healing, tanking, DPSing, all of it is within the grasp. However, you can only choose to do one or two things really well while the rest will lack. This is determined by how you spec your talents and what gear you equip. They’re different from other hybrids in that they often have to change forms to access their other abilities (for instance you have to be in cat form to use your energy based attacks).

• Druids can be both melee or ranged based with DPS. Boomkin form (Balance) and “caster form” (formless) allows them to cast from a distance and use Mage like spells. Cat form (Feral) allows them to attack in melee range and use Rogue like abilities. Bear form (Feral) allows them to attack in melee range, absorb damage, and use Warrior like abilities. Tree form (Restoration) and “caster form” (formless) allows them to heal.
• Druids have a vast amount of utility spells that are both offensive and defensive. Entagling roots and Cyclone can stop enemies in their tracks while Mark of the Wild is one of the most useful buffs in the game.
• Druids do suffer from “hybrid tax” meaning that they can never do “as good” as a Rogue, Warrior, Mage, or etc. but that doesn’t mean they’re bad at it. Things like gear, talents, and other variables mostly negate the hybrid tax.
• Flight form, available at level sixty, is an instant cast flying mount that allows you fly as a bird. You can also gather certain resource nodes (herbs for instance) while in this form and on land making profession gathering a cinch.
• Leveling is a breeze for a Druid who is spec’d in feral. You can heal yourself and then do DPS. While you’re DPSing in cat form your mana will continue to regenerate in caster form, making you a lean mean kitty leveling machine.

Race Selection

Druids have an excellent choice for races, with one for each faction. So really, it’s not like you have a choice other than Alliance or Horde at the moment. We’ll go over the pros and cons of the two for those who may be choosing between Horde and Alliance. For those who have chosen their faction then the choice is made for you.

• Night Elves (Alliance): You can shadowmeld/bird form to escape most combat situations that allow flight. Elusiveness is nice while stealthed. Quickness is an excellent tanking talent because it’s 2% to “miss” which works from any angle, isn’t a dodge, and is pretty awesome in general.
• Tauren (Horde):  You’ll have more hp (5% more health) which is great for tanking and War Stomp which is cool for PvP/solo PvE. Other than that you won’t have that many goodies on your side.

Picking a Profession

Choosing a profession for a Druid is TOUGH because there are so many different combinations and one could be better than the other for your spec. However, you can relax, because every profession generally has bonuses for healers, tanks, and DPS so you won’t be at a major disadvantage by choosing one profession over another.

• Inscription:  Shoulder enchants! You also have the ability to get the buffed up shoulder enchants for the cheap and for every form you can take. I love this profession on my Druid, but others are just as viable.
• Master’s Inscription of the Axe: 104 Attack Power/15 critical strike rating is the standard DPS upgrade that professions give. 64 net attack power gain.
• Master’s Inscription of the Crag: 70 spell power/6 MP/5 which is a net gain of 46 spell power for your healing set.
• Master’s Inscription of the Storm: 70 spell power/15 critical strike rating which is a net gain of 46 spell power for your caster DPS set.
• Master’s Inscription of the Pinnacle: 60 dodge rating/15 defense rating which is a net gain of 40 dodge rating.
• Jewelcrafting: There are A LOT of gems out there and the jewelcrafter Bind on Pickup cuts are the best, not to mention the figurines while you level which offset the fact you won’t get equipment with gem slots in it until Outland. A good example of the bonus is the 30 stamina gem that everyone can get vs. 51 stamina gem Jewelcrafters can wear. You can wear 3 Jewelcrafter only gems which makes that a net gain of 63 stamina. Another example is the normal 20 agility gems vs. the 34 JC gems, or a net gain of 42 agility. Unlike Inscription, you can gain the benefits in stats, armor penetration, stamina, etc.
• Alchemy: A decent choice. You save money this path with flasks that last two hours instead of one, the ability to produce some of the most sought after consumables, and non-consumable self only flasks. Your flasks that you make also boost your stats more. The gains are similar to the other professions (64 attack power on Endless Rage, 650 HP with Stoneblood, 20 MP/5 with Pure Mojo, 47 spellpower with Frost Wyrm).
• Enchanting: You get to enchant your rings and get to choose between 80 attack power (2x 40), 46 spell power (2x 23), or 60 stamina (2x 30). You can enchant both your rings so you can put 30 stamina on both rings for 60 additional stamina.
• Leatherworking: You gain a bracer enchant that gives equivalent bonuses to the other professions.
• Herbalism/Mining/Skinning: Great skills to have for earning money. Mining gives a little bit more health and Herbalism gives you a self only heal usable in any form (without having to switch in and out) but does use the global cooldown timer.
• Blacksmithing: You get the ability to socket your bracers and gloves. Add two of your favorite gems together and that’s the benefit you get (basically on par with the other professions). Usable at 400 Blacksmithing, it can make leveling a bit easier. There are some Blacksmithing made weapons that can help you as you level too.
• Engineering: A "meh" profession, provides some neat toys, helpful while leveling if you have the cash for it (epic goggles at 62/72 with endgame stats). Otherwise, "meh".

Druid Forms

Druids have different forms for different occasions. Some forms will limit their ability to cast certain spells, give them new spell sets, and/or change the class dramatically. Shapeshifting breaks roots, snares, and Polymorph. The different forms also make you immune to Polymorph (since you’re no longer a “Humanoid”. Talents can buff forms even beyond what’s listed below (like Druids in tree form can get more armor and spell power from spirit or more damage in Moonkin form, etc.). Below is a list of the forms.

• Bear/Dire Bear Form: Bear Form makes your armor similar to Mail Armor while Dire Bear Form makes your armor similar to Plate Armor (which happens at level 40). You get your melee attack power increased by (your level x 3), 370% more armor from items (ITEMS ONLY, no enchants), and you gain 25% more Stamina. It also allows you to use your bear abilities. The de facto tanking form.
• Cat Form: Increases your attack power by (your level * 2) plus your Agility and allows cat only skills. Well the formula is a little bit more complicated. It takes your (Strength x2) + Agility + (Character Level x2) – 20. It also switches your Mana to Energy and makes you regenerate 20 energy every 2 seconds. Your weapon only contributes attack power and the stats. Your melee attack speed gets fixed at “1.0” or basically one attack per second. Weapon enchants (such as Beserking or Crusader) work as well. You can also stealth in this form.
• Moonkin Form: Talented caster form. You gain 370% armor from your items (items only!) and give all raid members (including yourself) a 5% chance to critical strike. Your spell critical strikes will also regenerate 2% of your mana. It doesn’t allow the use of “Moonkin only spells”, but it does beef up your humanoid form for the Balance spec. You can only cast Balance spells along with Remove Curse and Abolish Poison (to mimic Priests/Mages). Nicknamed Boomkin.
• Tree of Life: Restoration’s talented form and also the primary healing form. In this form you can only cast Restoration spells, but you can also cast Inntervate, Remove Curse, Barkskin, Nature’s Grasp, and Thorns. All party members within 45 yards also get healed for 6% more. Pretty good for healing in instances.
• Travel Form: Travel form gives you a 40% movement speed increase and nothing more. It is instant, like all forms, and available as early as level 16 (4 levels before mounts become available). It’s good for escaping in combat when you can’t mount.
• Aquatic Form: It gives you a 50% speed increase while in water and can be glyphed to more which is nice, and also allows water breathing. Mostly useful for quests or in battlegrounds with water.
• Flight Form: Available at level 60 it allows you to fly as a bird where flying is enabled. It’s an instant cast flight form that also lets you gather mineral nodes making it really awesome.

Character Stats

This is a hard one, because each form changes how things work dramatically.

• Strength: In all feral forms you gain 2 attack power per point of Strength.
• Agility: You gain 1 attack power and 2 armor per point of agility. You gain 1% critical strike/dodge with 40 points of agility at level 80.
• Stamina: Grants 10 health for each point, except the first 20 points which just give health per point. So 100 stamina would give 1,000 health. This is important because Dire Bear form gives 25% more stamina. So 100 stamina would be 125 stamina or 1,250 health.
• Intellect: You gain 15 mana per 1 Intellect and gain 1% critical strike with 167 (rounding up) Intellect.
• Spirit: Increases mana regen.

Bears are defense capped automatically (there is no +defense on leather, only available on rings/necks/etc.) assuming they have Survival of the Fittest and weapon skill doesn’t apply while in any form (you won't gain any weapon skill and will always have the appriorate level skill for your level). Standard caps apply from there.

Hit Cap

You’ll need to be “hit capped” at level 80 in order to ensure you can hit all of the mean bosses chilling in the various instances out there. For Boomkins it's way more important since a spell miss is a dramatic DPS decrease while melee won't really need to focus on it as much since hit usually comes with gear. The following numbers for level 80s, anything below level 80 shouldn't need to worry about hit rating.

262 hit rating for melee dps (bear/cat)
445 hit rating for spells (Moonkins)
367 hit rating for spells with Imp Faerie Fire
262 hit rating for spells with Imp faerie Fire & Balance of Power
341 hit rating for spells with just Balance of Power
26 less hit rating is needed for Heroic Presence
0 hit rating for healers (heals always hit, silly)