Druid leveling guide for WoW Forever

The Druid can do almost anything in WoW Forever: tank as a bear, deal damage as a cat or from range, and heal. It also moves faster through the world than any other class. At level 30 you choose between Feral, two kinds of Balance and Restoration. This guide covers the four builds, the rotation, the key levels, the class quests, weapons and professions.

Easiest spec for leveling	Feral, in Cat Form
Key talents	Ferocity, Feral Charge, Predatory Strikes, Leader of the Pack, Overgrowth
Strength	Mobility, Stealth, self healing, can tank and heal
Weakness	Slow start before Cat Form, mana for every shapeshift
Talent order per level	Druid level build
Builds to level 60	After the launch on 4 November

Which spec to level with

The first 20 levels change a lot. You start with Wrath, get Bear Form at 10 and Cat Form at 20. The start is a little slow, but from Cat Form on it goes fast.

Feral is the smoothest route. A cat hardly needs to stop for mana or healing, and Prowl, Dash and Feral Swiftness bring you from one quest to the next. The same build also tanks in Bear Form. Balance with Overgrowth roots up to three monsters and lets damage over time do the work: efficient, but it asks more of you. Balance with Eclipse stays with Wrath and Starfire on one target, slower but safer. Restoration kills slowly; take it only if you mainly want to heal dungeons.

The builds below are made for the beta, which stops at level 30. Every build has a version with five extra points for Talented from the Legacy system. The talent calculator shows those versions as level 35, because it counts every point as a level. Builds for level 60 follow after the launch. Skyborne Druids also have a step-by-step route through their starting area, from level 1 to 6.

Levels 1 to 10

You have no talents and no forms yet, only Wrath and Healing Touch. Moonfire follows at 4, Thorns at 6 and Entangling Roots at 8.

1. Keep Thorns on yourself.
2. Pull with Wrath.
3. Put Moonfire on the monster.
4. Cast Wrath until the monster is almost dead or your mana runs low.
5. Finish it with your weapon.

To get away, use Nature’s Grasp, which every Druid learns at level 10 in Forever. Use Healing Touch to heal yourself when needed.

Stats at these levels: Intellect and spell damage, then Stamina and Spirit, then armor.

Level 30 Feral build

Works for a cat and a bear at once. It raises your damage, gives Leader of the Pack to your group and makes you faster with Feral Swiftness and Feral Charge. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Ferocity	5/5
Heart of the Wild	3/5
Feral Swiftness	2/2
Savage Fury	2/2
Feral Charge	1/1
Sharpened Claws	2/2
Predatory Strikes	3/3
Blood Frenzy	2/2
Leader of the Pack	1/1

With Talented: Heart of the Wild 5/5 and Furor 3/5 in Restoration. Open the Talented version.

The build skips Shredding Attacks, because alone you rarely get behind a monster for Shred. Want to try Shifting Power? Move points there. Feral Instinct makes Prowl harder to spot, and Primal Bite helps a bear hold threat.

As a cat:

1. Keep Thorns on yourself.
2. Use Faerie Fire for the armor debuff, or to pull from range.
3. Build Combo Points with Claw, or with Shred if you stand behind the monster.
4. Use Shifting Power below 50 Energy, if you took it.
5. Use Rip at 4 or 5 Combo Points.
6. Put Rake on the monster. Skip the bleeds if it is about to die.
7. Finish it with Shred or Claw.

As a bear:

1. Keep Thorns on yourself.
2. Use Faerie Fire for the debuff, or to pull from range. In Bear Form it now causes threat.
3. Use Demoralizing Roar.
4. Use Primal Bite on cooldown, if you took it.
5. Use Swipe against more monsters and Maul against one.

Stats from here: Strength, Agility and Attack Power, then Stamina, Intellect and Spirit, then armor.

Level 30 Balance build with Overgrowth

Strengthens your damage over time and Entangling Roots, so you wear down several monsters 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.

1. Keep Thorns on yourself.
2. Pull with Wrath.
3. Put Moonfire on the monster.
4. Put Insect Swarm on it, once you have it.
5. Root it with Entangling Roots.
6. Repeat for the next monster.
7. Wear them down one by one with Wrath while your damage over time ticks.

With 2 points in Overgrowth you root up to three monsters at once. With 1 point it is two.

Level 30 Balance build with Eclipse

Takes Improved Starfire and Eclipse instead, for the rotation on one target that you will also use at level 60. A little slower than Overgrowth, 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.

1. Keep Thorns on yourself.
2. Pull with Wrath.
3. Put Moonfire and Insect Swarm on the monster.
4. Before level 30: cast Wrath until the monster is almost dead or your mana runs low.
5. From level 30: alternate two Starfires with one Wrath. Eclipse makes the next two Starfires faster after every Wrath.
6. Finish it with your weapon, or let your damage over time do it.

Root a second monster with Entangling Roots while you finish the first.

Stats for both Balance builds: Intellect and spell damage, then Stamina and Spirit, then armor.

Level 30 Restoration build

Leveling as a healer is slow, because you kill slowly. Every Druid can heal anyway, and from level 40 Dual Specialization gives you a second spec for dungeons. This build is for players who want to heal from the start. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Nature’s Focus	5/5
Naturalist	5/5
Reflection	3/3
Gift of Nature	5/5
Swiftmend	1/1
Improved Rejuvenation	2/3

With Talented: Improved Rejuvenation 3/3, Nature’s Swiftness 1/1 and Living Spirit 3/3. Open the Talented version.

Healing:

1. Use Swiftmend on a target with Rejuvenation that needs a quick heal.
2. Use Regrowth for a faster heal than Healing Touch, or for an extra heal over time before heavy damage.
3. Use Healing Touch on a target that misses a lot of health. Learn how much each rank heals, so you can pick a lower rank and save mana.
4. Keep Rejuvenation on whoever is about to take damage, or top someone up between heals on the tank.

Alone: the same rotation as at levels 1 to 10, with Thorns, Wrath and Moonfire.

Stats: Intellect and healing, then Stamina and Spirit, then armor.

More about the Restoration Druid at level 60, with macros and the full build, is in the Restoration Druid guide.

With points in Talented from the Legacy system, you reach every talent up to five levels sooner.

Key levels

Level	What you get	From
4	Moonfire, Rejuvenation	Class trainer
6	Thorns	Class trainer
8	Entangling Roots	Class trainer
10	Bear Form, Growl, Maul, Teleport: Moonglade	Class quest
10	Nature’s Grasp, Demoralizing Roar	Class trainer
10	Improved Wrath, Genesis, Ferocity, Heart of the Wild, Nature’s Focus, Furor	Talent tree
12	Regrowth, Revive, Enrage	Class trainer
14	Cure Poison	Class quest
14	Bash	Class trainer
15	Moonglow, Nature’s Majesty, Feral Swiftness, Naturalist	Talent tree
16	Aquatic Form	Class quest
16	Swipe	Class trainer
18	Faerie Fire, Hibernate	Class trainer
20	Cat Form, Claw, Prowl, Rip	Class quest
20	Shred, Starfire, Rebirth, Omen of Clarity	Class trainer
20	Polearms	Weapon trainer
20	Feral Charge, Nature’s Splendor, Gift of the Earthmother	Talent tree
22	Soothe Animal	Class trainer
24	Rake, Remove Curse	Class trainer
25	Insect Swarm, Shifting Power, Primal Bite, Swiftmend	Talent tree
26	Dash, Abolish Poison	Class trainer
28	Cower, Challenging Roar	Class trainer
30	Travel Form, Tranquility	Class trainer
30	Leader of the Pack, Overgrowth, Eclipse, Nature’s Swiftness	Talent tree
32	Ferocious Bite, Ravage, Track Humanoids	Class trainer
36	Pounce, Frenzied Regeneration	Class trainer
40	Dire Bear Form, Hurricane, Innervate, Feline Grace	Class trainer
40	riding, Dual Specialization	Trainers
40	Moonkin Form, Berserk, Wild Growth	Talent tree
42	Lacerate	Class trainer
44	Barkskin	Class trainer

Mark of the Wild, Wrath and Healing Touch you have from level 1. Shred comes at 20 in Forever (was 22), and Nature’s Grasp and Omen of Clarity are no longer talents. Tiger’s Fury is gone.

The class quests

A Druid learns most forms through class quests. The quest for Bear Form also teaches Teleport: Moonglade; the quest for Cat Form also teaches Claw, Prowl and Rip.

Level	Learns	Alliance	Horde
10	Bear Form, Growl, Maul	Heeding the Call, Darnassus	Heeding the Call, Thunder Bluff
10	Teleport: Moonglade	Heeding the Call, Darnassus	Heeding the Call, Thunder Bluff
14	Cure Poison	Lessons Anew, Darnassus	Lessons Anew, Thunder Bluff
16	Aquatic Form	A Lesson to Learn, Darnassus	A Lesson to Learn, Thunder Bluff
20	Cat Form, Claw, Prowl, Rip	The Great Cat Spirit, Darnassus	The Great Cat Spirit, Thunder Bluff

Skyborne follow their own path at level 10. Bear Form comes from The Great Ursera Spirit on Zephras Isle, and Teleport: Moonglade from the quest Moonglade, which starts in Stormwind for the High Order and in Thunder Bluff for the Windshapers. At 20 they get The Great Windborne Cat Spirit: the same chain, with the Avatar of Saeyleenan instead of the Great Cat Spirit.

The quests for Cat Form are new in Forever. You speak with Dendrite Starblaze in Moonglade, seek out the Great Cat Spirit in the south of Moonglade, recover three relics from the Stormrage Barrow Den and return to Dendrite. A bug kept druids from looting those relics; a hotfix on 16 October fixed it (more).

Weapons

In an animal form your auto attacks deal the damage per second of your weapon in Forever. A better weapon therefore raises all your melee damage, also as a cat or a bear. Polearms are new for the Druid and can be learned from level 20. A new weapon type starts at a low skill, so train it before you rely on it.

Weapon	Alliance	Horde
Staves	Known from the start	Known from the start
Daggers	Known from the start	Sayoc (Orgrimmar), Archibald (Undercity)
One-handed maces	Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Known from the start
Two-handed maces	Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Ansekhwa (Thunder Bluff)
Fist weapons	Ilyenia Moonfire (Darnassus), Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Sayoc (Orgrimmar)
Polearms, from level 20	Woo Ping (Stormwind)	Archibald (Undercity)

Idols and gear

Idols go in the relic slot and give the Druid a bonus of its own. The quest for Aquatic Form rewards Idol of Shifting Tides, which lowers the mana cost of every shapeshift by 40. Keep it until you find an idol that raises your damage. Horde Druids can get a similar idol at level 5 on Zephras Isle, through the quest Meddlesome Mages; more about it in this post.

The Embrace of the Viper set from Wailing Caverns is strong for a Feral Druid and lasts a while. With all five pieces, your Cat Form turns into a snake.

Two famous items are back for Feral Druids. Manual Crowd Pummeler drops in Gnomeregan and requires level 29. Wolfshead Helm comes from Leatherworking at level 40 and now gives 5 extra Energy from Shifting Power. Neither is likely to stay the best choice all the way to 60.

Professions

Level your professions alongside your Druid, so you gather and craft at the right level. Camps give buffs to every profession.

• Cooking is a must: buff food gives extra experience, and you need it for a campfire.
• Herbalism is the classic choice: you pick herbs without leaving Travel Form. Its camp gives Intellect.
• Alchemy goes well with Herbalism and gives potions and a camp for mana regeneration.
• Leatherworking has strong soulbound leveling gear that you cannot get anywhere else, and the Camp Tent for rested experience.
• Skinning delivers the leather and is easy in Travel Form. Its Camp Chair gives the same kind of critical strike bonus as Leader of the Pack and Moonkin Aura, so Feral and Balance Druids gain little from it.

Consumables

In Forever you can use potions and almost every similar consumable without leaving your form. That makes them much more useful for a Druid than before.

• Food and water. Stay Well Fed for the extra experience; any buff food is better than none. Even a Feral Druid sometimes needs mana, so carry water of your level.
• Potions. Healing potions for emergencies, now also from First Aid. The First Aid cures for diseases and bleeds help, because a Druid cannot remove those otherwise. Mana, Energy or Rage potions depending on your build.
• Elixirs with the right stats for your build help against a hard monster or quest.
• Rebirth needs a reagent for every cast, which one depends on the rank. Check the tooltip.

Shapeshifting

Your forms are the core of the class. Bear Form tanks, Cat Form deals melee damage and gives Prowl, Aquatic Form swims faster and breathes under water, Travel Form runs fast without a mount, and Moonkin Form at level 40 is the form of Balance.

Forever takes away much of the friction. Potions, weapon enchants and procs work in form, most doors and objects open in form, and racials such as Shadowmeld and War Stomp work too. Fewer effects knock you out of a form, and Cat Form no longer lowers your maximum health. Each form has its own action bar, so set them up as you learn new abilities.

Shifting itself still breaks roots and slows. Do that instead of waiting until a root runs out. Leave your form to heal yourself or to use a spell that only works outside a form.

Powershifting is gone. At five points, Furor gives back the Energy you had when you last left Cat Form, plus 10 Energy for every second outside Bear Form, up to 100. A quick shift out and back therefore adds nothing. The talent Shifting Power turns mana into 40 Energy instead, with a cooldown of 16 seconds, or 8 with Improved Shifting Power. More about that in this post.

Stealth and movement

No class moves through the world as easily as a Druid.

• Prowl makes you one of two classes with Stealth. You choose when and how a fight starts.
• Dash and Feral Swiftness make Cat Form faster; Feral Charge brings you to a monster. Pounce opens from Prowl from level 36.
• Aquatic Form crosses water and lets you collect items from the bottom of a lake without a breath bar.
• Travel Form at level 30 runs almost as fast as a mount and needs no summoning. You can pick up quest items and gather herbs in it. Other classes wait until level 40 for their mount.
• Teleport: Moonglade is a second Hearthstone. Moonglade has a flight master per faction to Darnassus or Thunder Bluff, and a regular one in the south of the zone, which you have to visit once first.

Mana, Energy and Rage

Every Druid needs mana, also as a cat or a bear: shapeshifting and utility spells cost mana. A cat uses Energy and a bear Rage, which comes from dealing and taking damage. Keep something in reserve: enough mana to shift, or a little Rage to Bash right away when a monster starts casting.

Healing

Even without Restoration you heal yourself and your group.

• Healing Touch is the plain heal you will use most.
• Rejuvenation tops you up on the move, or before expected damage.
• Regrowth gives a heal plus a small heal over time.
• Tranquility heals the group, but only at full channel and with a long cooldown. Not much use alone.
• Cure Poison, Abolish Poison and Remove Curse remove the cause before it hurts.

Restoration adds Swiftmend and Wild Growth through its talents.

Crowd control

Entangling Roots holds a monster in place, and Nature’s Grasp roots whoever hits you. Balance roots up to three monsters at once with Overgrowth. Druids are good at kiting: root a monster, walk away while your damage over time ticks, cast again, and switch to Cat Form when you need more distance. Even as Feral you can keep one monster rooted while you drag the other one away.

Hibernate puts a beast or dragonkin to sleep, and breaks on damage. Soothe Animal helps others sneak past beasts. Faerie Fire lowers the armor of a monster and pulls it from range without leaving your form, also to separate it from a group.

Buffs and cooldowns

Mark of the Wild raises stats and armor for every class; keep it up. Thorns damages whoever attacks you and speeds up your kills, but lasts only 10 minutes. Leader of the Pack and Moonkin Aura now reach the whole raid.

Use your cooldowns in the open world too, not only on bosses. Innervate gives a lot of mana back, so you can keep pulling. Barkskin lowers physical damage taken, and attacks no longer delay your casts while it lasts. Rebirth brings a group member back in combat.

More about food, camps and rested XP is in the experience guide.