How to play balancedFollow

I am currently lvl 37 feral specc'ed, more out of necessity than anything, after trying to do some instance runs as balanced and getting tired of running out of mana like crazy. I respecced at around lvl 25 so maybe things have gotten better, I don't know.

Anyway, I am planning on going back to balanced when I get moonkin, as I enjoy being a caster.

How do moonkins play when soloing? The reason I'm asking is that I am hoping I won't have to play like a mage, meaning I hope I won't have to rely on entangling roots in order to get off some spells. So my question is related to how much interruptions will I get when I try to cast? Do I need the talent Celestial Focus in order to cast spells while being hit on? I assume that is the idea with the high armor of a moonkin, or is the idea to hit it with a weapon after pulling with Starfire, Wrath, Insect Swarm and Moonfire?

What talents should I get first, Moonfury, Celestial Focus, Moonglow or Lunar Guidance? This to get to Moonkin. My initial thoughts is to get Celestial focus (in order to easier get off Wrath while being hit on and maybe get of another Starfire if the stun procs), 1 point in Lunar Guidance, and the rest in Moonfury, as 9% less mana usage doesn't seem like a lot. Will get it later though.

How is it playing balanced at 37? Wondering if I should respec now, although I do wear some cloth to get a lot more mana, my armor isn't as high compared to cat form equipment.

Any input on how to set talents in balance to get to moonkin AND how to play Moonkin solo would be appreciated.

I leveled, and still am Balance and didn't have any problems, so nothing's wrong with leveling as the Caster type. Some mobs around the 30-45ish (was mainly the elite ones though) needed the roots -> dps way but usually I do Starfire, Moonfire, Starfire, Bugs, Wrath, wrath (though usually I skip bugs and just do a wrath and it's dead, but I'm 70, so...)

Being a moonkin you've got Bear type armour so taking a few hits is fine ,and whacking away is fine, often after a starfire or 2 I'll just toss bugs up and whack away til they die (Omen of Clarity isa good talent to have if you do this regularly)

Well,I'm not sure how others do it ;)..

But I played to really take advantage of the fact that we do get root :D

Meaning I would root the mob,start nuking...and when it broke free,i would just root it again and repeat untill dead.

With this method there was nothing I couldnt solo (outside ofc),that included 3 man group elites and so on..

Note: rootimmune mobs not included :D

I found the easiest way to stay alive,was never being hit at all :D


As for talents,I would go

---Insert talents to get to 15 points here...
Then:


Celestial focus 3/3
Vengeance 2/5
Natures grace 1/1
Lunar guidance 3/3
Moonglow 1/3
Moonfury 5/5

Moonkin form 1/1 <-- yay!! lvl 40

Dreamstate 3/3
Back to Vengeance for last 3->5/5
Vrath of cenarius 3/5
Force of nature 1/1 trees of Doomâ„¢ !!


After that its anyones guess,all depending on your intended spec :D


But thats the way I would put my points if I had to do it again :D



Edited, Jan 7th 2008 1:54pm by Agobi

Here is the build that I would go with getting up to Moonkin: Moonkin
I have found that the interrupts from a single monster are not enough of a deterant to just nuking it to hell and back. As for the root nuking tactic, call it a safety thing. They are not hitting you so why worry about the casting interrupt talent. That one is mainly meant for people that use the Moonkin in PvP where rooting is not always successful as more than one person will be after you in the BGs. Also, double damage crits are the bread and butter of being a moonkin.

As for the mana reduction talent, that 9% can be huge in cutting down on your going OOM. For every 11 spells you cast without the talent before drinking you could have cast a 12th. Also is reduces costs on some of the healing spells which is good when you are asked to heal an instance instead of DPS for it.

I have been balance from the beginning and on your way to moonkin I would highly recommend that you invest 5/5 MOtW and the 1 point for Omen of Clarity. The free spellcast you occationally get when melee'ing is a huge bonus. It happens often and when in Caster, Kitty or Bear you get an attack without spending rage, mana etc.

Level 40 Druid spellcasters get some pretty wicked spells including Hurricane (great for 5 man,) Barkskin (which will prevent interupt's while casting while absorbing 20% damage if I recall correctly) and another I cant remember. I am mainly PVP pr PVE so I chose talents that will support me foremost. Along with Engineering I can be a prickly opponent.

Here is my breakdown

"Resto"
5/5 MOtW
5/5 Naturalist
1/1 Omen of Clarity

"Balance"
4/5 wrath 1/5 Natures Grasp (I only use wrath to draw opponents and am already casting roots before it hits them)
2/2 Focused Light, 2/2 Improoved moonfire, 1/3 control of nature (dont get Cyclone until 70 so no point maxing this now, and since I wrath before roots MOBS are already rooted before they come close. If they do I have the one point in Natures Grasp which will root them after a couple of hits)
3/3 Brambles, 1/1 Insects, 2/2 Natures Reach (6 Points total but I find Thorns and Brambles are great for the extra Damage in Melee)
5/5 Vengeance
Lunar Guidance, Moonglow and Natures Grace to your preference
Moonkin
Dreamstate

I am at Level 47 and have not hit Moonkin yet with this build but if you are going for moonkin you could easily sacrifice a few points here and there to make it. Omen of Clarity has been the best Talent I think I have learned yet though as it frequently gives a free cast or attack. With this build you can DPS and you never have to be like a mage because you can switch to Kitty or Bear if or when roots no longer becomes viable. Multiple mobs etc.... Oh, at 45 (I think) you get Frenzied Regeneration which is perfect for a caster in trouble. I find Rejuvination (May be the wrong name but it is instant cast), Barkskin, Regrowth and then Bearform with Frenzied Rejuvination (once you have the rage) is perfect when you get overwhelmed. Throw in a Mechanical Dragonling or Attack Chicken (Engineering) and you are laughing. Especially at a PVP'er a couple levels ahead of you that think you are an easy target.

Can't remember exactly, but usually about 100+. Usually if I'm oom, 2 swings and I can do a wrath.

WIth 1000 AP, I get back 300 mana...so my guess its 1/3 AP,give or take :)

Mana problems: I played a bit yesterday after respec'ing and I can kill close to 3 adds my own lvl before going OOM. I have close to 2900 mana @lvl 38 and the need for drinking is comparable to when I played a mage if I recall correctly. A bit hard getting used to going OOM after playing a warlock with Dark Pact for quite a while. I will be changing my professions so I can make my own mana pots though, seems like I'll be using them quite frequently...

Hopefully I'll get a chance to dps tonight when I try SM instances, and see how long my mana will last, although I have a feeling I'll end up healing again.

Druids are supposed to be the "Jack of All trades" when it comes to play style, but you get to specialize and mainly use either Balance, Resto or Feral for your "out of the gate" attacks/heals. Even though I have no Feral Talent Points Spent I can still hold my own (even against a few MOBS at one time/Engineering helps with this one along with two gear sets)in Cat or Bear form while my mana regens. Moonkins are just a hybrid tank caster but I am sure Blizz never thought people would rely on it ultimately. There are still going to be times where switching to Kitty or Bear are more viable for the situation even though you would prefer to moonspam everyone all the time. IMO we have the most flexible class and I wouldnt trade Balance for anything else. Dreamstate all the way!

lvl 47 and 30 spelldmg? I have 130 spelldmg at lvl 43, and just above 3k mana. Yes, I do wear a lot of cloth, but still have no problems taking a hit or 5 :-) And after getting innervate, mana is not a big issue anymore.

But i have been lucky, the Vexing Cane dropped yesterday from Zul'Farak, and the Bad Mojo Mask (but can't use it until lvl 44), and I got them both :-D

I also have some armor that gives me more mana in case I need it, but mostly I do ok both as DPS and healing. But it is a balance between mana/spelldmg/armor and HP, but I figure that being in a DPS role, I shouldn't get hit, so I can lower my HP/armor a bit, I'm still better off than a pure cloth user.

I just respecced to a 44/0/17 build and am loving it. My dps isnt great at the moment (mostly) because my caster gear is still mostly healing gear. But it can easily put out 550 dps in Kara and mages/locks/ele. shammies will love you. My guild is so glad to finally have a moonkin we are doing weekly kara runs + plenty Heroics so I can get the badge rewards.

Basically Moonkin FTW. It's great for PvP, although I seem to get focus fired A LOT - especially by hunters (funny getting hit by 3 Arcane Shots at the same time while trying to cast something with 3 pets on you >.<). And you will always be put in a nice group for raids (ele shammy + mages (+ SPriest if you lucky)).

While we're on the subject of moonkin...does anyone know whether elune's touch (the thing that gives you mana back when meleeing) is PPM or is it just a straight % chance? wowwiki says it happens "a lot" by which they claim more than 50% of the time, but I couldn't find anything that was definitive.

I'm just wondering whether I'm better off with a dagger/mace and an offhand (if I can find anything...why are there no caster daggers/maces as early OL rewards :( ) or with a staff.

Edited, Jan 16th 2008 4:21am by Vaeliorin