What am I missing? Please Help!Follow

I had hoped to find a threat like this today (as opposed to starting my own).

I just hit 20 tonight with my Tauren druid, and level 19 was probably one of the longest-seeming levels I've ever endured. I'd been running around the Barrens doing a quest here, farming some leather there. I was getting very tired of bear form. For whatever reason, there has been next to nothing on auction by way of level appropriate gear, and it was taking me so long to kill anything/everything to skin that I just couldn't stand to farm for very long in the hopes of topping up my skill such that I could make my own armor.

As a level 19 Tauren Druid, I was getting overrun by level 15 Venture Co. humanoids around the Sludge Fens (or whatever that place is you have to go to for your water form in the NE Barrens). I got in there for my water form easily enough at level 16...at level 19, trying to quest there was an excercise in lunacy. I just couldn't kill them fast enough to keep them from running off and gathering a couple of friends before they came back. I only died a couple of times overall, but it was so painfully slow...I just couldn't stand it.

Every once in a while I'd swing by Thunder Bluff or Ogrimmar and check the auction. Doing a search for All leather armor in the range level 17-19 range by slot wasn't showing me lists of things I couldn't afford or that just weren't suitable for me. The searches were coming up with nothing most of the time.

To be honest, I haven't really done a ton of forward research on my druid, so believe me when I say I was pleasantly surprised that cat form was a purchased ability from the trainer rather than a quested ability. I got stuck in Thunder Bluff for a short while attending to some guild matters, and then it was off to try out the new horned lion thing...

First stop was Crossroads to get a feel for the basic mechanics. In bear form at level 19, even the level 11-12 striders just outside Crossroads were tedious to kill. Not dangerous, just tedious. Imagine my surprise, then, when I zeroed in on one in cat form and flat-out obliterated it in a hail of white and yellow numbers.

O.
M.
F.
G.

I couldn't believe it. You mean I can actually farm leather with even a tiny bit of efficiency?!?! I was having so much fun I wound up farming a stack of light leather without even thinking about it, just cruising around shredding all of the underleveled mobs I could find.

Ahh, but level 12 mobs are no test of how much easier cat form would make leveling. The real test had to be on same level mobs, and they had to be mobs I had fought recently in bear form. I stopped in at Crossroads again to unload the vendor trash and grab a flight to Camp Taura(something). I went SW out of the camp to try my luck on some level 20/21 thunder lizards, wind serpents, and zhevras. Obviously, the fights took a little longer than the level 12 mobs, but they still went by so much faster than when I fought them in bear form. It was amazing. While there, I noticed a level 26 rare spawn wind serpent and a level 24 named thunder lizard. I was planning on logging for the night anyways, so I decided to give them a shot.

I used Prowl to close the distance in order to avoid the other aggressive mobs and unfortunately, the wind serpent got away in the process. That left a thunder lizard 4 levels above me to test whether or not the increased damage output combined with periodic healing could make up for the reduced armor/HP. It most certainly did. In fact, for the last 1/4 of the named mob's HP, I had a level 21 thunder lizard add zapping me from a distance. I survived to kill both mobs.

I'm absolutely loving cat form right now. I still have a bunch of level 15-18 quests in my log that I avoided because they were too tedious and I can't wait until tomorrow when I can log in and clear them out with the quickness. I should be 21 in record time.

Edited, Oct 19th 2007 12:01am by AureliusSir

Edited, Oct 19th 2007 12:02am by AureliusSir

I had problems w/ runners, too (we all do). I'd pull them way, way back to a "safe spot" which I kept clear. When they ran, I had time to kill. I'd also either use the DoT finishing move, so when they ran they'd be dying (and hopefully die before they agro'd) - or I'd try to "time" furious bite (what lvl do we get that? Maybe you don't have that yet) to kill them - i.e. save the finishing move FB until it would kill.

OR as they run, switch to caster and root. Or moonfire spam.

Remember, if you get adds, we're good at running away. Cat form and the talent to give you 30% speed outdoors is very good. Or if they stun you, HoT yourself and run in bear form.

Just pulling to a "safe" spot way back is often good enough. Yes, you give up your "opening move" that way, but you can start the fight w/ some wraths and a moonfire on them - and it makes up for it.

Before tough fights, I'd HoT myself - then pull. You can pop to caster, root, step away and heal self - just manage your mana - you have to run if you lack mana to go back to bear or cat (or wait -see if the mana returns before root breaks , or before you take too much damage).

I've had a love-hate relationship w/ my druid. My lock is 70 and has a Felguard, and he pwns stuff pve so easily it's sick. The druid is a little harder. My druid, now lvl 65, does so so SO much better now.

I mostly solo in catform - and I have talents that make me able to kill very fast. My grinding rate is quite good now. Also I have decent gear - not great - but decent. But compared to what I had, my attack power and ac help me grind a number of mobs before needing to stop and heal. I almost never need to drink.

Druid is a wonderful class. Being able to stealth and heal is killer - so handy in so many situations. ANd then you can tank, too.

And druids can kill elites, solo. I do it in bear form, although sometimes I open in cat, pounce - shred shred, mangle mangle - then rip (the dot finisher) - go caster if I'm hurt, root, back off and heal, go bear - grind the elite down, using frenzied regen if it's really tough ---- something like that. W/ a mana potion you can heal yourself several times if needed in a badass fight.

From lvl 26 or so on, you have some great and rather easy gear options. Go to STV w/ one lvl 60+ friend (can even be on the other side, as these are outdoor quests). Get the hunting quests from Hemmet Nessingwary, Jr. in north STV.

The breastplate is amazing - and the pants and gloves are great (Razzeric's Racing Grips are better, from a lvl 29 quest). These items alone make your grinding for the next 10 levels noticeably easier (you can wear the breastplate into your 40s, it's quit good.

The blue, LW-made bracers, usable at lvl 24ish (barbaric bracers?) are quite good - there is always a pair for sale on the AH, 4 to 8g usually. Um - don't spend too much money, but there are a few other items that would help.

You may be too used to bear. You have cat now. Use feral talents 100%.

Get Ferocity 5/5. Feral Instinct 3/3. Brutal Impact 2/2.

Sharpened claws 3/3, Feral Instinct 2/2.

That should start you off. See sticky and other threads here for better feral spec advice.

Again, try stealthing and ravaging on even level to a bit weaker stuff, just to get used to cat.

In a target rich area, don't sneak in where you are likely to only get adds. Pull the ones on the edges to you, or run a bit, making htem follow u to a safe spot for your fight. Wrath them, Moonfire them - go cat and tear them up. If they run, if you've pulled them far enough away, it will be no problem.

Remember your buffs! MotW and thorns! GL