Balance Druid guide for WoW Forever
The Balance Druid in WoW Forever is a caster with two damage over time spells, two hard casts and a large bag of utility. In Classic it was known as the Druid who ran out of mana. In Forever new talents fix that and give the spec a real rotation. This guide covers the builds, rotation, stats, races and professions.
| Role | Ranged damage with damage over time, roots and utility |
| Builds at level 30 | DoTs with  Overgrowth, or Eclipse |
| Key talents |  Improved Wrath,  Moonglow,  Insect Swarm, Overgrowth,  Eclipse |
| Strength | A steady rotation, buffs and debuffs, utility |
| Weakness | Hybrid damage, hard casts, no burst |
| Leveling | Druid leveling guide |
What changes for Balance
- Wrath is a real filler. Improved Wrath cuts the cast time of Wrath by 0.5 seconds and its mana cost by half. Moonglow makes all your damage spells 25% cheaper.
- Eclipse is new. Eclipse makes your next two
Starfire casts faster after every Wrath. You alternate both spells instead of spamming one. - More for your DoTs.
Genesis raises periodic damage and healing by 5%, and 
Nature’s Splendor makes 
Moonfire last 3 seconds and Insect Swarm 2 seconds longer. - Built-in critical strike chance.
Nature’s Majesty adds 4% to your spells and attacks. 
Omen of Clarity for every Druid. Omen of Clarity comes at level 20. Its Clearcasting is not consumed by Wrath.
Revive at level 12 brings a dead player back to life out of combat.
Strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Two DoTs and two hard casts, never boring | A hybrid deals a little less damage than a Mage or Warlock |
 Thorns,  Faerie Fire, Insect Swarm and from level 40  Moonkin Form |
Wrath and Starfire need you to stand still |
 Rebirth,  Innervate,  Remove Curse and some healing |
No cooldowns for burst damage |
| Roots on up to three enemies with Overgrowth |
 Entangling Roots is a cast, not an instant |
Moonkin Form is the reason a raid wants a Balance Druid. Moonkin Form raises the spell critical strike chance of every party or raid member within 45 yards by 3% and doubles your chance to trigger Omen of Clarity. It needs level 40 and stops you from casting healing spells.
Two builds for level 30
Both builds use 21 points, the points you have at level 30. With 5 points in 
Talented from the Legacy system you get 26 points, which the second link of each build already spends. For the talent of every level while you level, see the Druid leveling guide.
The DoT build with Overgrowth
Strengthens your damage over time and Entangling Roots, so you wear down several enemies at once. Very efficient, but busier and riskier. Open the build in the talent calculator.
| Talent | Points |
|---|---|
| Improved Wrath |
5/5 |
| Genesis |
1/5 |
| Moonglow |
3/3 |
| Improved Moonfire |
2/2 |
| Nature’s Majesty |
2/2 |
 Nature’s Reach |
2/2 |
| Improved Entangling Roots |
3/3 |
| Nature’s Splendor |
1/1 |
| Insect Swarm |
1/1 |
| Overgrowth |
1/2 |
With Talented: Genesis 5/5 and Overgrowth 2/2. Open the Talented version.
The Eclipse build
Takes Improved Starfire and Eclipse instead, for the rotation on one target that you will also use at level 60. A little slower than the DoT build, but safer. Open the build in the talent calculator.
| Talent | Points |
|---|---|
| Improved Wrath |
5/5 |
| Moonglow |
3/3 |
| Improved Moonfire |
2/2 |
| Nature’s Majesty |
2/2 |
| Nature’s Reach |
2/2 |
| Nature’s Splendor |
1/1 |
| Insect Swarm |
1/1 |
| Improved Starfire |
4/5 |
| Eclipse |
1/3 |
With Talented: Improved Starfire 5/5, Eclipse 3/3, 
Nature’s Grace 1/1 and 
Moonfury 1/5. Open the Talented version.
What the key talents do
| Talent | What it does in Forever |
|---|---|
| Improved Wrath |
Wrath casts 0.5 seconds faster and costs 50% less mana at 5/5 |
| Moonglow |
Your damage spells cost 25% less mana at 3/3 |
| Nature’s Reach |
20% more range and 4% more chance to hit with Balance spells at 2/2 |
| Improved Entangling Roots |
Entangling Roots deals 75% more damage and breaks less easily at 3/3 |
| Overgrowth |
Root 1 extra enemy per point, up to three at 2/2 |
| Insect Swarm |
A second DoT that also lowers the target’s chance to hit by 2% |
| Improved Starfire |
Starfire casts 0.5 seconds faster at 5/5, with a 15% chance to stun for 3 seconds |
| Eclipse |
Each Wrath makes the next 2 Starfires faster, 0.5 seconds at 3/3, up to 4 charges |
Further down the tree wait 
Vengeance, which doubles the critical strike bonus of your Arcane and Nature spells at 5/5, Moonfury for 10% more damage, and Moonkin Form at level 40.
Rotation
The DoT build
- Keep Thorns on yourself.
- Pull with Wrath.
- Put Moonfire on the enemy.
- Put Insect Swarm on it.
- Root it with Entangling Roots.
- Repeat for the next enemy.
- Wear them down one by one with Wrath while your DoTs tick.
With 2 points in Overgrowth you root up to three enemies at once. A fourth works if you can handle one that is not rooted.
The Eclipse build
- Keep Thorns on yourself.
- Pull with Wrath.
- Put Moonfire and Insect Swarm on the enemy.
- Before level 30: cast Wrath until the enemy is almost dead or your mana runs low.
- From level 30: alternate two Starfires with one Wrath.
- Finish it with your weapon, or let your DoTs do it.
Root the next enemy with Entangling Roots while your DoTs finish the first.
On the move you cannot cast Wrath or Starfire. Use that time to refresh your DoTs or Faerie Fire. Over a longer distance, 
Cat Form with 
Dash from level 26 gets you back in position faster.
Cooldowns and utility
- Remove Curse from level 24 and
Abolish Poison from level 26 remove curses, Banes and poisons from your group. 
Tranquility from level 30 heals everyone in your party within 20 yards for 10 seconds. It has a 5 minute cooldown, and from level 40 you have to leave Moonkin Form for it.- Innervate from level 40 raises the mana regeneration of the target by 400% for 20 seconds. It works best on a target with a lot of Spirit. In a group a healer often needs it more than you.
- Rebirth from level 20 brings a dead player back to life during combat. It needs a
Maple Seed and has a 30 minute cooldown. - Revive from level 12 does the same out of combat, without a reagent.
Hurricane from level 40 has no cooldown and makes enemies in the storm attack 20% slower.
Mana and DoTs
With Improved Wrath and Moonglow, mana is much less of a problem than in Classic. Spend your Clearcasting procs on Starfire. Wrath cannot consume them, so you never waste one by accident. Casting lower ranks to save mana costs more damage than it saves.
Do not refresh a DoT before it runs out, because you lose the ticks it had left. Only do it when you have to move and have mana to spare, or when you will not be able to refresh it in time. Skip DoTs on enemies that are about to die.
Stats and gear
The exact priority at level 60 follows after the launch. These stats help a Balance Druid:
- Spell damage first. Items with only Arcane or Nature damage help half of your spells.
- Hit. Nature’s Reach gives 4%, enough while you level. For raids you will want to reach the hit cap.
- Critical strike chance. Nature’s Majesty gives 4%, Moonkin Form 3%, and every crit from a non-periodic spell triggers Nature’s Grace, 10% faster casts for 3 seconds.
- Intellect for more mana and critical strike chance. It is on almost every piece you want anyway.
- Haste makes your casts faster, but not your DoTs. Crit is worth more.
- Spirit helps your regeneration out of combat and when you cast Innervate on yourself.
Armor. Wear leather or cloth, whichever has the right stats. Wearing a lighter armor type has no penalty in Forever, you only get a little less armor. Leatherworking makes good leveling gear for every Druid spec.
Idols. Your relic slot takes an Idol. Carry a few and swap them for the moment. The Druid leveling guide lists the Idols you find while leveling.
Weapons. For a caster a weapon is a bag of stats. A one-handed mace or dagger with an off-hand item usually gives the most, but a good staff works too.
Races and professions
| Faction | Race | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Night Elf | Elune’s Light: 10% more critical strike chance for 15 seconds |
| Alliance | High Order Skyborne |  Wind Blessed: 3% Haste.  Read Leyline: 100% more Health and Mana regeneration |
| Horde | Tauren |  Endurance: 2% more critical damage and 5% more Health.  War Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies |
| Horde | Windshaper Skyborne | Wind Blessed: 3% Haste.  Skysight only adds run speed |
The differences are small enough to pick the race you like.
Professions. Leatherworking makes some of the best leather gear, part of it only for leatherworkers. Herbalism suits a Druid, because you gather in 
Travel Form. Alchemy turns those herbs into your own potions and elixirs. Engineering gives useful gadgets to every spec.
Frequently asked questions
Is Balance Druid good in WoW Forever?
Yes. Improved Wrath, Moonglow and Eclipse give Balance a real rotation and much better mana than in Classic. As a hybrid it deals a little less damage than a Mage or Warlock, but it brings buffs, debuffs, a battle resurrection and some healing.
Which Balance build should I use at level 30?
The DoT build with Overgrowth roots up to three enemies and wears them down with damage over time. It is the most efficient, but busier. The Eclipse build is slower and safer, and uses the single target rotation you will also play at level 60.
What does Eclipse do?
Every Wrath makes your next two Starfires cast faster, by 0.5 seconds at 3/3. It stores up to 4 charges and lasts 15 seconds. That turns Balance into a rotation of two Starfires and one Wrath.
Does Wrath use Clearcasting?
No. Clearcasting from Omen of Clarity is not consumed by Wrath, so the free cast goes to a more expensive spell such as Starfire.
When do I get Moonkin Form?
Moonkin Form is the last talent of the Balance tree and needs level 40, so it is not on the beta. It raises the spell critical strike chance of your whole group by 3% and doubles the chance to trigger Omen of Clarity.
Which race is best for a Balance Druid?
Night Elf for Elune's Light, a burst of critical strike chance, or Tauren for more critical damage. The Skyborne get 3% Haste on both sides. The differences are small, so pick the race you like.
Is there a level 60 build yet?
Not yet. The beta stops at level 30, and builds for level 60 follow after the launch on 4 November.