View Full Forums : Level 48 Druid Need help with spec


krispy521
06-08-2006, 11:13 AM
I hear all the time that druids are one of the coolest characters in WOW, but I am having a hard time finding my role. Since I started my druid, I took a rogue to lvl 60 and had a blast. There is already a rogue in my guild and not a druid. So my guild wishes that I would move my ass and get my druid to 60, but I am having a hard time. Currently I am 3 boxes away from 49 with the rested bonus. I can't seem to get there. First I was fully feral speced, using the cat to fight all the time with the ocational heal. The effect of this combo seemed to fade around 46-47 making it hard for me to level now.

So yesterday I researched different builds and desided that I like the balance/restore build because of a couple reasons. I don't really like feral because I have a rogue that is way better than the cat and there are two warriors in my guild so I don't ever really need to tank. I like casting like a mage. So yesterday I respecd to balance/restore and now I run out of mana after every mob. I don't know if I missed something, but shouldn't I be able to kill about 3-4 mobs that are my level before needing to drink.

Please can someone give me some suggestions. I would post my exact talents that I picked but I'm at work and don't have access to them. I do know the build I was using was over a year old so I had to impravise.

Please Help!!! And remember I'm only 48 not 60.

krispy521
06-08-2006, 11:17 AM
Moonkin could also be a possibility but I can't deside

swearword
06-08-2006, 11:48 AM
If you are rooting and nuking yes you are going to run out of mana. One suggestion would be to go moonkin this would give you the armor and OOC for the free spells. With moonkin I would suggest pull with Starfire. Quick wrath while the mob is in route followed by a Moonfire and ff. Make sure you OOC is active and melee away. casting Moonfire on all ooc procs and a 1 sec wrath on NG procs. With this playstyle I have no downtime. If it comes to an emergency situation where I have to cast more than I just go cat or bear for a mob or two to regen mana.

If you don't want to go all the way to moonkin, instead of drinking just shift to cat or bear of r a mob or two to let you mana regen. Mana regens at the out of combat rate while in forms.

gwmort
06-08-2006, 11:59 AM
I didn't say it Lorath!

the hybrid balance/resto I see as more of a group oriented spec, so you can have super efficient heals (cheaper than full resto) and some decent magical dps. The failure for solo is in survivability. Caster form is too squishy for most melee, especially if you are wasting lots of time getting your spells interrupted.

One tactic that might work for you is opening with a good balance salvo (root, MF, SF) then when the mob comes up drop to bear and finish there, by the time the mob dies, your mana will be regenned and you can move on.

<moonkin may also be a good idea, but you didn't hear it from me> (I am 33/0/18 and loving it)

krispy521
06-08-2006, 12:40 PM
so you guys still use the cat and bear even though you don't have any talent points in it? Also can you give me examples of how to spec and be good on mana. Moonkin or not. The idea of moonkin with the armor and adding crits to the group sound really good, just wondering if its worth it. Also, my last respec cost 5 gold, so I can t keep changing things around.

lorath
06-08-2006, 01:02 PM
lol @ gwmort.

Krispy it sounds to me like its not your build thats the issue, its the mobs your fighting. I found 45-60 was alot faster for me then 1-45.

swearword
06-08-2006, 01:05 PM
Yes, I still use all of my forms even though I am not necesarily specced for it. That is the only way to be a truely effective druid is to use all of your forms depending on the situation. The only talents that help you in the mana department are moonglow in the balance tree and a couple talents in the resto tree not sure of the names. The big thing that will help you with mana is gear and playstyle. The playstyle I described earilier while in moonkin will keep you good on mana there. To be good on mana without moonkin use a similar opening when the mob gets close shift cat or bear for melee depending on the situation. If the mob hits hard or will take a while to take down you might want to cast regrowth and rejuv on yourself before switching bear.

gwmort
06-08-2006, 01:48 PM
so you guys still use the cat and bear even though you don't have any talent points in it? Also can you give me examples of how to spec and be good on mana. Moonkin or not. The idea of moonkin with the armor and adding crits to the group sound really good, just wondering if its worth it. Also, my last respec cost 5 gold, so I can t keep changing things around.

Yes we use all forms, full restos use all forms, druids use forms its what we do. Even w/o feral talents you still get the AC from bear, a HoT, some melee moves (maul/swipe) and a stun, plus you are regenning mana.

The root and nuke technique is a mana pig and you will drink tons if you try to grind that way (works well on elites though).

Key mana efficiency talents are Natural Shapeshifter, Moonglow, tranquil spirit (if you go that deep), and reflection.

Kyane
06-08-2006, 03:00 PM
The problem of hitting your 40s and still trying to stay in cat ALL the time is that the mobs are getting bigger and hitting HARDER.

Also, for a very effective feral build, you need the right gear, just like for a very effective nuker or healer you also need the right gear.

I've got my bule PvP set right now ( rank 11 next week I hope ) and can be more of less effective with both forms and heal in that gear, but if I am going to stick it out in one form or another I always swap out some specialized gear. It's a necessity. For bear it's +ac, for cat it's +ap, for caster it's +spell dmg / healing

I carry a load of gear around with me though :(

krispy521
06-09-2006, 01:03 PM
Does anyone have a build that I can use to make sure I have everything set up correctly because the build that I found was over a year old and there was some changes since then. I had to impravise. Moonkin or No?

Remember I 'm only 48 almost 49.

Also, should I wait until patch 1.11 or no?

gwmort
06-09-2006, 02:05 PM
Personally I am a strong believer in not respeccing a lot before 60, you're just running your costs up needlessly.

I am balance/resto with moonkin (33/0/18), so I can share my build, but what is right for you will depend a lot on your personal preference and playstyle. Truth is if you are dead set on root and nuke or just primarily range attacks, moonkin form doesn't do much for you (24/0/27, or 30/0/21).

My build:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/druids/talents.html?3110552010501351000000000000000050330 3100300000

lumbergh
06-09-2006, 03:37 PM
I always hear about Resto/Balance or Resto/Feral, but is a Balance/Feral build actually feasible?

Claritondeus
06-09-2006, 05:18 PM
The 'heavy' feral build is actually a balance / feral one. 14 points in balance, 32 in feral and 5 in resto. As far as going 21/30/0 or something like that, I assume it would be viable, though I haven't personally tried it.

lumbergh
06-09-2006, 10:41 PM
Without any healing points (the 5 in Resto I assume are Furor), can you still solo? Or is the best defense a good offense?

Nurg
06-10-2006, 04:43 AM
I am using a 11/35/5 build right now, soloing depends evens and -3 elites no prob 58 and 59 elites depending on the mob can get very very difficult and most 60's i need a partner (still workin on my feral gear though)

and my 5 are in MoTW cause well if i didnt the other druids would beat me to a bloody pulp on the raids :P

Natural Shapeshifter is great if you are soloing alot but usualy even then you are in one form or another and shift out to heal then back or whatever so and atleast in my experiances so far it isnt all that wonderful (though it is helpful dont get me wrong)

Back On topic:
I gave Moonkin a shot and to be honest it was fun, and really kicked some arse in PvP but mostly it wasnt my style but i will agree with the masses here and say that getting "in teh fase" and going for OOC procs is the way to go. Also i dont know what you were casting but remember Moonfirespam is a HUGE mana drain, Starfire is our most efficiant DD but it takes a month and a half per cast, and then there are those little green boogers that you druids shoot out and IIRC it is more DPS to chain those then Starfire but hell, i cant remember the last time i cast eather of those...

gwmort
06-11-2006, 12:09 AM
I always hear about Resto/Balance or Resto/Feral, but is a Balance/Feral build actually feasible?

The original moonkin build I tried out was 34/13/4, with furor and feral charge, I was going for a high AC theme, and Thick hide gives same benefit to bear and moonkin.

I had somegrouping issues, "I can moonkin or Off-tank" wasn't well received by PuGs, and I felt like I needed more healing to help my guild. I also think the resto and balance trees complement each other more than most people realize. Now with innervate for all, we are seeing more 24/0/27 discussion as more people realize this.

To answer your question, yes it is feasible, and incredibly survivable solo, even against groups of mobs. But you may find grouping difficult.

Denali
06-11-2006, 10:46 AM
I've been feral since day once, and I enjoy it. I did try Moonkin, and loved it, but I found it a little too hard to solo. More than likely, I'll go back to Moonkin at 60.

Rob_Nevyn
06-11-2006, 08:23 PM
Some good advice there, i personally was going for 0/30/21 feral build and loved it, then as the guild started doing more high level instances, i changed my spec to 24/0/27 Bal/Resto build for healing and immediately regretted it, like you said you constantly OOM when fighting mobs and i miss the lack of power/speed in bear.

This however, will change when 1.11 patch comes out (a few weeks?) and Innervate becomes a lvl 40 core ability as you probably know, this helps a lot.
I tried a test realm druid spec'd the same Bal/Resto build i am now and found that soloing 60-61 elites was no problem, no OOM and they didn't even get near me (had most of the tier 2 armor though which helped).

So see how you go after the patch, you may find you like your current build.