Druid Guide for TBC Anniversary

TBC Classic Anniversary Druid Guide Quick Summary:

• Learn the difference between all Druid forms: cat, bear, moonkin, and tree
• Make a viable build for every role that you can play: tank, DPS, and healer.
• Add the must-have macros to your action bar to make the leveling faster
• Check out the full list of BiS gear for Phase 1
• Find out why Leatherworking and Engineering are the best professions for Druids

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Druid Changes in TBC Classic Anniversary

TBC Classic Anniversary Druidis the Swiss-Army Knife of classes that can do it all, and in TBC, they’ve become even better thanks to some core changes and upgrades. You might already know those, but those of you who don’t, here are the biggest changes:

• All forms now scale with gear - for example, the feral form benefits from weapons’ AP, armor, etc.
• Mangle for cat and bear form gives you more damage and threat generation
• Lifebloom, Swiftmend, and Tree of Life are the new abilities for Resto druids, making them meta healers in the game
• Cyclone - a very useful CC ability in PvP, and it's not dispellable
• Travel form usable indoors and in arenas
• Innervate, Rebirth, Faerie Fire, and Mark of the Wild are all super important utility spells for raiding

So yeah, as you can see, there’s a long list of new spells and improvements to the Druids going from Classic to TBC. I’d say this class has become much easier to play after these changes, with the main one for me being the gear scaling for forms.

Druid Pros & Cons

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. If you’re thinking about picking this class, it’s going to come with its own set of difficulties. So, here are my top 3 pros and cons for Druids:

Pros

• Play any role - the biggest advantage is that you’re basically 3 classes in one, which is perfect for finding a spot in any raid party. Most players already know that Druids are a must-have.
• Various forms give you a lot of mobility - no need to waste gold on a mount. You got that covered.
• You got a lot of utility spells - crown control, healing, self-healing, buffs - you name it.

Cons

• Difficulty - you gotta learn how to play your role, and you’ll be expected to be perfect at it. Also, there’s going to be different rotations and a pile of different spells you have to learn and know when to use.
• Not top-tier DPS spec - don’t think that just because you can fulfill all 3 roles, you’re going to be meta in all of them. DPS role for Feral Druids is much better than in Classic, but it still loses to some of the DPS specs from other classes.

All in all, I would say that Druids is a very cool class, and if you love the theme of it, you should definitely pick it up. But you also gotta mind how difficult it is to play this class and all the builds, rotations, and gearing you need for all the roles you’ll probably endup trying at some point. Don’t worry, though; this guide will have everything you need.

How to Play Druid in TBC Classic Anniversary

To be honest with you, I, myself, have been pretty confused about how this class works. You look at the specs and talent trees of other classes, and you kind of get the idea of how they work right away. But when you look at Druid’s specs, what you really see is 3 different classes. If you know them all, then you can skip this section, but if you don’t, let me explain what each of them does, because at the very least, you should know what spec does what role.

Balance (Ranged DPS)

This spec has the ranged DPS role. It might not be as good as other casters like the Mage or Warlock, but it ain’t bad either. Also, you have the best utility skills in the game that will be super useful in raids, as I keep saying. The Moonkin Aura and Improved Faerie Fire buffs are the reasons you won’t have to wait long for a raid invite. Balance Druids in PvP are loved for their Cyclone and Starfire.

• Key Abilities: Moonkin Aura, Improved Faerie Fire, Cyclone, Starfire
• Strengths: Strong raid support, great utility, tanky in PvP
• Weaknesses: Mana issues early on, long cast times, limited mobility in Moonkin form

Your form is called Moonkin (also known as Boomkin). It gives you more armor and stamina, the raid-wide buff Moonkin Aura, better spellcasting, and increased range for Nature spells. So, when in combat, you’ll be using this form on a Balance spec.

Restoration (Healing)

You can guess by the name that this spec plays the healer role in the group.  Resto Druids have powerful HoTs (Healing over Time) and raid utility. In Tree of Life Form, they can provide strong, mana-efficient healing and excellent raid support. Druids in this spec excel in PvP as well with Cyclone, one of the best CC abilities in the game.

• Key Abilities: Lifebloom, Swiftmend, Tree of Life, Cyclone, Rebirth
• Strengths: Best HoT healing, high mobility, strong in both PvE and PvP.
• Weaknesses: Limited spellcasting in Tree of Life, somewhat reliant on HoTs.

Your form is called Tree of Life. It grants increased healing output and mana regeneration, making you a top-tier healer in raids. You also gain instant-cast HoTs and a healing aura that benefits all party members.

Feral (Tank & DPS)

Ferals are pretty interesting because this one spec can be either a tank or a melee DPS. That’s because Ferals have two forms instead of one. The bear form makes you a tank, while the Cat form makes you ranged DPS.

• Key Abilities: Mangle, Shred, Leader of the Pack, Swipe
• Strengths: High survivability as a tank, strong group utility as a DPS.
• Weaknesses: Limited defensive cooldowns for tanking, not top-tier DPS compared to other classes.

Your form is called Bear Form for tanking and Cat Form for DPS. Bear Form gives you increased health, armor, and threat generation, while Cat Form allows for high mobility and melee DPS.

Druid Best Race in TBC Classic Anniversary

There ain’t no best race for druids in TBC Anniversary because your choice is limited to only one race for Alliance and one race for Horde.

• Night Elf (Alliance) - have Nature Resistance, Wisp Spirit, Quickness, and Shadowmeld.
• Tauren (Horde) - have Cultivation, Endurance, Nature Resistance, War Stomp.

And that’s it. Unlike other classes, you don’t have to look through the races, compare their racials, and decide which one is better for your class.

Druid Stat Priority

Not having to choose a race for your druid is where simple choices end. Because when it comes to stat priorities, each Druid spec has its own. Yeah…

This is because each spec has a different role, so they have to rely on different stats. Down below, I will break down the Druid stat priority for each spec separately, but generally speaking:

• Feral (Tank) prioritizes Stamina and Agility
• Feral (DPS) prioritizes Attack Power and Critical Strike
• Reto prioritize Healing Power and Mana Regen
• Balance prioritize Spell Hit Rating and Spell Power

If you’re familiar with these stats, these shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. Now, let’s get into the details

Feral Druid (Tank & DPS) Stat Priority

In TBC, the stat priority for Feral Druids varies slightly depending on whether you're tanking or DPSing. For tanking, the focus is on survivability, while for DPS, it's about maximizing damage output. Here's the general stat priority for both tanking and DPS roles.

Feral Tank Stat Priority

1. Stamina
2. Agility
3. Armor
4. Attack Power
5. Crit Rating
6. Hit Rating

Stamina is the most important stat for Feral Tanks, as it directly impacts your health pool, allowing you to survive longer in combat. Next, Agility increases Dodge (to reduce incoming damage) and Critical Strike chance, which are both valuable for tanking. Armor increases your damage reduction, and Attack Power scales with the damage dealt by your abilities. Crit Rating is useful for increasing threat and DPS in tanking situations, while Hit Rating ensures your attacks land consistently.

Feral DPS Stat Priority

1. Agility
2. Attack Power
3. Critical Strike Rating
4. Hit Rating
5. Haste Rating
6. Stamina

For Feral DPS, Agility is the primary stat as it increases both your DPS and Dodge (to avoid damage). Attack Power boosts your physical damage, which is key for Cat Form DPS. Critical Strike Rating is essential for increasing burst damage, while Hit Rating is necessary to ensure your abilities land effectively on boss-level enemies. Haste Rating helps increase your overall DPS by allowing you to attack more quickly, but it should be used carefully to avoid mana issues in long fights. Stamina is secondary but still helps with survivability during fights.

Restoration Druid (Healing) Stat Priority

Restoration Druids excel at healing with a strong emphasis on HoTs (Healing over Time) and mana regeneration. The stat priority for Restoration Druids focuses on enhancing their healing throughput and ensuring that they have enough mana to sustain healing through long fights.

1. Healing Power
2. Haste Rating
3. Spirit
4. MP5
5. Intellect
6. Crit Chance

Healing Power is the most important stat for a Restoration Druid, as it directly increases the effectiveness of your healing spells. Haste Rating is crucial because it reduces the global cooldown, allowing you to cast more healing spells in less time, which is important for keeping up with the healing demands of your group. Spirit boosts your passive mana regeneration, which is essential for sustained healing. MP5 (mana per 5 seconds) is also vital for mana regeneration, especially in long fights. Intellect increases your mana pool and slightly improves your crit chance. Crit Chance is useful, but not as important for Restoration Druids as it is for DPS classes, as their healing is primarily HoTs.

Balance Druid (Boomkin) Stat Priority

Balance Druids focus on ranged DPS with spellcasting, supporting their group with utility abilities like Moonkin Aura. For them, stats that enhance spellcasting and mana management are the highest priority.

1. Spell Hit Rating (up to 16%)
2. Spell Power
3. Spell Haste
4. Spell Critical Strike Rating
5. Intellect
6. Spirit
7. MP5

The first priority for Balance Druids is to reach the Hit cap of 16% (equivalent to 202 Hit Rating). Once the hit cap is reached, Spell Power becomes the most important stat, as it increases the damage of your spells. Spell Haste is valuable for reducing cast times, but be cautious with it, as it can increase your mana consumption. Spell Critical Strike Rating increases the chance for your spells to deal bonus damage, making it especially useful for Starfire and Wrath. Intellect increases your mana pool and slightly boosts your spell crit chance, and Spirit helps with passive mana regeneration. MP5 becomes important if you're running low on mana during fights, but only if you notice you’re running out of mana too quickly.

Best Druid Builds TBC Classic Anniversary

Everything Druid-related comes in threes, and the best Druid builds are no exception. So, behold these three builds that you’ll see most people use in this class, based on the spec and the role they chose. You might ask - why isn’t there a dedicated Feral DPS build? That’s because you can make one Feral build and switch roles whenever you want without respeccing talents. That hybrid build will work, you’ll see.

You can count on these builds being good because that’s what most players go for with minimal alterations. You can always switch out a few talents here and there, reinvest points as you see fit, but each build does have a theme and a core idea. So, if you just follow that, you’ll make a good build.

Balance Ranged DPS Build

This is that based ranged DPS build with some added survivability spells I’ve mentioned before. The talents on the Balance tree are there to increase your damage from your main skills like Starfire and Moonfire. A few talent points invested into the Restoration tree give you that much-needed utility in the form of Intensify and Natural Shapeshifter for reduced mana cost when you’re changing forms. In case you didn’t know, this Druid spec suffers a lot from a lack of mana, especially on low levels, and this talent is very important.

A few points in Nature’s Focus will help you land your spells without interruption, which is always nice. But the core talents are in the first tree, and they focus on the damage. Just follow along the balance tree and only unlock those Resto talents if you find yourself often low on mana.

Feral Tank/DPS Hybrid Build

So this build actually allows you to swap roles without respeccing. For the tank role, you absolutely must get Ferocity for reduced cost of your attacking abilities, Feral Instinct for better threat generation, Feral Charge so you can charge in and aggro packs of mobs, Sharpened Claws for more damage, Survival of the Fittest for, as the name suggests, better survivability through critical hit damage reduction from incoming attacks. The last one, Mangle, is a must for both forms.

Now then, for your DPS cat form, you should get Shredding Attacks for more bleed damage, Furor for faster Rage, and the Natural Shapeshifter from the Resto for cheaper form switching. 

The thing is that every tank has to deal some damage anyway, so all damage-dealing talents are good for both forms and roles.

Resto Healer Build

This is that classic healing build everybody loves to see, and there isn’t even the need to invest any points into anything other than the Restoration talent tree. You’ll have your iconic Lifebloom and Rejuvenation HoTs with reduced mana cost from your tree form. The talents that you absolutely have to have for this build to work are Gift of Nature for bonus healing, Swiftmend, which lets you remove the buff on an ally for an insta-heal, Empowered Rejuvenation for even better HoT, and let’s not forget the most important one - Tree of Life that gives you all those bonuses I’ve talked about earlier. You can jump in and out of this form so you can cast something like the Healing Touch, which isn’t available to you in the tree form, but is still a good healing spell. 

The one talent you don’t need for this build in the Resto tree is Furor.

 

Druid Leveling Guide TBC Classic Anniversary

If you want to know where to go and which quests to do for Druid leveling, just download the RestedXP addon and follow one of the free guides they have. There’s really no better guide than theirs that actually works in the game and not just plain text. Instead, here I want to share some of the tips for how to play Druid when you’re leveling up, what to do in certain situations, useful macros, and stuff like that.

One of the things Druids get when leveling is some leather armor for attack power, and Spellpower weapon enchantment for healing, especially if you’re playing solo. And speaking about weapons, you should get your hands on different weapons for different roles. Get Spirit Power Wind Spirit Staff, and swap to it before you heal.

Something that I already mentioned before is the constant lack of mana on low levels. There are a few tricks to manage that. One of those tricks is saving the Omen of Clarity for after the fight so you can heal more efficiently. At some point, you’re gonna want to get your hands on Rune of Metamorphosis, which drops in Blackwing Lair raid, which makes shapeshifting mana-free for the next 20 seconds.

There’s a shapeshifting macro for the Feral cat build that instantly switches you out and back into the cat form, which generates 60 energy thanks to the Furor talent. This macro also considers if you have enough mana to do it. If you don’t, the macro won’t work.

If you want to move faster, you can use the Cat’s Dash instantly with just one button, like this:

In general, you want to use your form as much as possible and keep an eye on mana. That’s all there’s to it.

 

 

Druid Best in Slot Gear in TBC Classic Anniversary

Druid best in slot gear comes from more than just your Phase 1 raids. Some things can only be acquired from the professions or the auction house. Some items come from PvP vendors and cost honor points. See the full list below:

Slot	Balance BiS	Feral BiS	Restoration BiS	Source
Head	Antlers of Malorne	Stag-Helm of Malorne	Whitemend Hood	Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan) / Tailoring (Auction House)
Neck	Brooch of Unquenchable Fury	Worgen Claw Necklace	Archaic Charm of Presence	Moroes (Karazhan) / Doomwalker (World Boss)
Shoulders	Pauldrons of Malorne	Mantle of Malorne	Primal Mooncloth Shoulders	High King Maulgar (Gruul’s Lair) / Tailoring
Back	Ruby Drape of the Mysticant	Gilded Thorium Cloak	Stainless Cloak of the Pure Hearted	Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan) / Terestian Illhoof (Karazhan)
Chest	Spellfire Robe	Breastplate of Malorne	Primal Mooncloth Robe	Tailoring (Spellfire Tailoring) / Magtheridon (Magtheridon’s Lair)
Wrists	Bracers of Havok	Marshal's Dragonhide Bracers	Bindings of the Timewalker	Tailoring / PvP (Honor Points)
Hands	Spellfire Gloves	Gauntlets of Malorne	Mitts of the Treemender	Tailoring (Spellfire Tailoring) / The Curator (Karazhan)
Waist	Spellfire Belt	Tree-Mender's Belt	Primal Mooncloth Belt	Tailoring (Spellfire Tailoring) / Heroic Hellfire Ramparts
Legs	Spellstrike Pants	Greaves of Malorne	Gilded Trousers of Benediction	Tailoring (Spellstrike Tailoring) / Doomwalker (World Boss)
Boots	Boots of Foretelling	Zierhut's Lost Treads	Gold-Leaf Wildboots	Maiden of Virtue (Karazhan) / Doom Lord Kazzak (World Boss)
Ring 1	Band of Crimson Fury	Violet Signet of the Great Protector	Violet Signet of the Grand Restorer	Magtheridon Quest / The Violet Eye (Exalted)
Ring 2	Ring of Recurrence	Shapeshifter's Signet	Naaru Lightwarden's Band	Echo of Medivh (Karazhan) / Magtheridon's Head (Magtheridon's Lair)
Trinket 1	Icon of the Silver Crescent	Mark of the Champion	Essence of the Martyr	G’eras (Badges of Justice) / Gruul the Dragonkiller (Gruul’s Lair)
Trinket 2	Quagmirran's Eye	Dragonspine Trophy	Oshu'gun Relic	Quagmirran (Heroic Slave Pens) / Doom Lord Kazzak (World Boss)
Weapon	Nathrezim Mindblade	Terestian's Stranglestaff	Light's Justice	Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan) / Terestian Illhoof (Karazhan)
Offhand	Khadgar’s Knapsack	Gladiator's Maul	Tears of Heaven	G’eras (Badges of Justice) / Arena Points (Season 1)
Wand	Tirisfal Wand of Ascendancy	-	-	Shade of Aran (Karazhan)
Idol	Ivory Idol of the Moongoddess	Idol of Brutality	Idol of the Emerald Queen	The Shattered Halls (Grand Warlock Nethekurse) / Shadow Labyrinth

That’s one hefty list of items, but guess what? You can get all of them pretty easily with the Phase 1 BiS gear service at Skycoach. Click the link and check out what you get!

Best Druid Rotation

Well, guys, this one’s a doozy. Every Druid spec and role has its own rotation, and you got no choice but to learn them all at some point. Luckily, they’re all more or less simple, and as long as you understand the spell synergy, you should be fine. Just remember to keep an eye on the mana and active buffs.

Best PvE Rotation for Balance Druid DPS

Balance Druids are primarily support-focused, offering utility and damage. For their rotation, you’ll need to manage buffs like Faerie Fire and Insect Swarm, and manage your mana efficiently. Here’s the single-target and AoE rotation breakdown:

Single Target Rotation

1. Maintain Faerie Fire – Ensure this is always up if your party benefits from it.
2. Maintain Moonfire – Keep up if mana allows.
3. Use Force of Nature – If talented, use on cooldown.
4. Cast Starfire – Main damage dealer, cast whenever you have no other ability to use.

AoE Rotation

1. Maintain Faerie Fire – Always ensure this is active.
2. Insect Swarm – Cast if you have multiple targets. (This helps with hit reduction even if it’s a slight DPS loss).
3. Force of Nature – Use for AoE damage when available.
4. Cast Starfall – Use whenever available to maximize AoE damage.

Best PvE Rotation for Feral Druid Tanking

As a Feral Druid tank, your focus is on holding aggro and surviving the damage. The rotation primarily revolves around threat generation and managing rage efficiently.

Single Target Rotation (with Lacerate)

1. Cast Mangle (Bear) – Use on cooldown for initial threat.
2. Cast Lacerate – Apply on every available GCD to ensure continuous threat.
3. Use Maul – Use any excess rage for Maul to increase threat.

Always ensure you have enough rage to cast Lacerate before using Maul. Don’t let your rage cap and waste potential threat.

Best PvE Rotation for Restoration Druid Healing

Restoration Druids excel at tank healing with a focus on HoTs and timely use of abilities. Here's the general rotation for both tank and raid healing:

Basic Tank Healing Rotation

1. Keep 3 stacks of Lifebloom – Keep it rolling on the main tank.
2. Use Rejuvenation – Apply when the target will be taking consistent damage.
3. Maintain Regrowth – Cast the highest rank of Regrowth on the tank.
4. Use Down-ranked Regrowth – If the direct heal is needed in a pinch.
5. Use Swiftmend – For emergency burst healing or when Lifebloom is about to expire.
6. Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch – In an emergency, use for large burst healing (if not in Tree of Life).

Basic Raid Healing Rotation

1. Keep 3 stacks of Lifebloom – Maintain on the main tank.
2. Rejuvenation – Cast on a target taking sustained damage.
3. Use Down-ranked Regrowth – Cast on players who have already taken damage.
4. Use Swiftmend – In case of burst healing needs.
5. Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch – For emergency healing if required.

Best Druid Professions in TBC Classic Anniversary

If you get tired of leveling and learning all those convoluted rotations, you might want to pick one or two professions to change the pace and go sniff the flowers, so to speak. Which professions should you pick? There are actually only two viable options, in my opinion.

1. Engineering - seems like it's the best choice for any class in TBC because you can make stuff like Zapthrottle Mote Extractor for Outland mote hunting and Dimensional Ripper - Area 52 for direct TP to the Netherstorm location.
2. Leatherworking + Skinning - used for a lot of BiS gear crafting, like Primalstrike Vest. I added Skinning here so you can be self-sustained when it comes to crafting materials that you can get yourself instead of wasting gold on them.

The rest of the professions are way less interesting, unless you specifically want to pick up something like Alchemy for crafting potions for your mana problems or Jewelcrafting for upgrading your professions. Pick any gathering profession that combines with your chosen production profession to be a full-time crafter.

Best Druid Consumables

Given the specifics of each Druid specialization (Balance, Feral Tank, and Restoration) and their different roles in TBC Classic, some consumables will overlap while others will be unique to each spec’s needs. Here’s a breakdown of the best consumables for each Druid spec:

Best Consumables for Balance Druid DPS

• Flask: Flask of Blinding Light – Increases spell power, the go-to for raids.
• Elixir: Elixir of Draenic Wisdom – Increases intellect for more mana and spell power.
• Weapon Enhancement: Brilliant Wizard Oil – Provides spell power and crit rating.
• Food: Blackened Basilisk, Crunchy Serpent, or Poached Bluefish – Provides spell power and spirit.
• Potion: Super Mana Potion – Helps with mana regeneration during long fights.
• Trinkets: Quagmirran’s Eye – On-use for more spell power.

Best Consumables for Feral Druid Tanking

• Flask: Flask of Chromatic Wonder – Boosts all stats, beneficial for tanking.
• Elixir: Elixir of Major Agility – Increases agility for better dodge and threat generation.
• Food: Fisherman's Feast – Provides stamina for tanking.
• Potion: Ironshield Potion – Increases armor, especially useful if not armor-capped.
• Weapon Enhancement: Adamantite Weightstone – Provides increased attack power for threat.
• Healthstone: Master Healthstone – Emergency healing for survivability.
• Secondary Combat Consumable: Nightmare Seed – Reduces threat when used in combat.

Best Consumables for Restoration Druid Healing

• Flask: Flask of Mighty Restoration – Boosts healing power and mana regeneration.
• Elixir: Elixir of Healing Power – Increases healing power for more effective healing.
• Weapon Enhancement: Superior Mana Oil – Increases spell power and mana regeneration.
• Food: Golden Fish Sticks – Increases healing power.
• Potion: Super Mana Potion – Essential for quick mana regeneration in healing-heavy encounters.
• Trinkets: Essence of the Martyr – Provides additional healing power.

Common Consumables Across All Druid Specs

• Scrolls: Scroll of Spirit V – Increases spirit for mana regeneration.
• Miscellaneous: Purified Draenic Water – Keeps mana topped off, particularly useful for balance and restoration druids.
• Event Consumables: Snowballs (Winter Veil event) – Provide a burst of MP5 when macro’d into spells for additional mana regeneration.

As you can see, the consumables differ based on each Druid spec’s role, but there are several overlapping consumables, such as the Super Mana Potion and Elixirs that boost various stats like healing power, spell power, and intellect.

Read our other TBC Classic Anniversary guides:

• Warrior Guide
• Warlock Guide
• Hunter Guide
• Mage Guide
• Rogue Guide

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