World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Balance Druid: PvP
How Balance Druid fights other players in the open world: where it ranks on the PvP tier lists, and why.
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
Battlegrounds are not rated yet; builds, matchups and battleground roles are being written for this spec. Honor, ranks, gear and the battlegrounds themselves are on PvP in World of Warcraft: Forever.
Verdict
- At 60
- Ranked 24 of 28 on Open-World PvP
Ranged roots and hard-cast Nature and Arcane damage, with no heal in
Moonkin Form and nothing to stop a melee class. - While leveling
- Ranked 28 of 28 on Open-World PvP Leveling
Wrath and Moonfire on a small mana pool, with roots and 
Bear Form as the only answers, until the 30s and 40s bring the real kit. - Battlegrounds
- Not rated yet.
Profile
The rubric the lists score on, 1 to 5 on each line, with the weight each line carries. The class’s other specs are shown at 60 for comparison.
| Criterion | Weight | At 60 | While leveling | Feral Cat | Feral Bear | Restoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst and kill pressure | 25 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Survival and escapes | 20 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Control | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Fighting outnumbered | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Choosing the fight | 10 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Sustain between fights | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Group fights | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Weighted score | 2.70 | 2.15 | 3.00 | 3.25 | 2.80 |
Strengths and weaknesses
At 60
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
 Overgrowth roots three targets | No heal in Moonkin Form |
Ranged openers with  Nature's Reach | Hard casts can be interrupted |
 Faerie Fire answers stealth | No stun on demand |
| Moonkin Aura for the group | One mana pool for damage and heals |
| Cloth health |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP
Balance kills with hard-cast 
Starfire rank 7 and Wrath, helped by 
Moonfury, 
Vengeance's extra critical damage, 
Nature's Grace and 
Eclipse. Critical strikes no longer have reduced efficacy in PvP, but every cast can be interrupted and a moving target spoils it. Control is 
Entangling Roots, which Overgrowth extends to three targets, and a 15% chance on Starfire to stun for 3 s from Improved Starfire. It has no stun on demand.
Moonkin Form and any shift break 
Polymorph and snares, at 55% of base mana a time, and 
Barkskin helps at 44, but it cannot heal in form and has cloth health. Against two attackers Overgrowth roots three and 
Hurricane slows their attacks, yet there is no panic button. It opens at range with Nature's Reach and Faerie Fire shows a stealthed player, but it has no stealth or speed. One mana pool pays for damage and heals, so it drinks after fights, and Moonkin Aura helps a raid.
It is not C because its kills depend on uninterrupted hard casts and it has no answer to being caught, so survival and sustain both score 2. 2.70 is 0.05 short of C.
While leveling
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Instant Moonfire opener | Wrath and Moonfire only to 20 |
| Heals usable in caster form | Roots and run against two |
| Bear Form breaks Polymorph and slows | Barkskin at 44 |
 Cure Poison and  Remove Curse | Hungriest drinker among Druids |
| Moonkin Aura only from 40 |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP Leveling
Wrath and Moonfire are all the damage there is to 20, and Starfire at 20 is not worth casting until about 32. Nature's Grace and Eclipse come in the 30s, and Moonkin Form at 40. Control is Entangling Roots at 8 and 
Nature's Grasp at 10 until Improved Starfire's stun chance around 25 and Overgrowth at 30.
Thorns at 6 and Bear Form at 10 are the only defenses to 20, and Bear Form also breaks Polymorph and slows. Heals work at once in caster form, but Barkskin waits until 44. In a two-on-one it dies unless it roots one and runs, since Hurricane is not available until 40. It opens with an instant Moonfire and has no 
Prowl until 
Cat Form at 20. It is the hungriest drinker among the Druids, and its Moonkin Aura waits until 40, so roots to peel a mob are its objective tool.
It is not D because its damage stays low until the 30s, with no answer to a second player before Hurricane at 40, so five of seven criteria score 2. 2.15 is 0.10 short of D.
Leveling timeline
The level each of Balance’s PvP tools arrives. A talent shows at the earliest level a point can reach it; the Talented Legacy perk brings talents 5 levels sooner.
- Level 8 Entangling Roots
- Level 10 Nature's Grasp
- Level 14
Bash - Level 18 Faerie Fire
- Level 24 Remove Curse
- Level 25
Insect Swarm (talent) - Level 26
Dash, 
Abolish Poison - Level 30
Travel Form - Level 36
Pounce - Level 40
Innervate - Level 44 Barkskin
Races
The Druid’s races as Races PvP ranks them, best first.
Alliance
Night Elf: Shadowmeld, extra stealth and speed give the joint best mobility of any race, and Elune's Light is a crit burst, but it breaks nothing.
Skyborne (High Order): 
Wind Blessed gives steady haste, but High Order has no control break, no defensive and only a glide for mobility.
Horde
Tauren: 
War Stomp and 
Plainsrunning give the best mobility and 
Endurance adds health, but it breaks nothing and has the weakest burst.- Skyborne (Windshaper): Wind Blessed gives steady haste and
Skysight a 30 second sprint, but it has no control break and no defensive.
What we don’t know yet
At 60
Rated on assumptions:
- Everything at 60 is projected; nobody has played past the beta cap of 30.
- Moonkin Form, Moonfury, Vengeance and Hurricane are projected from client talent text and the own-tree order.
- Diminishing returns on roots and stuns are not stated for Forever.
- Barkskin at 44 is past the cap and is projected.
What would move it: Documented diminishing returns on roots, or a measured level-60 Starfire window that beats an interrupt.
While leveling
Rated on assumptions:
- Starfire being worth casting around 32 is projected from a forum report and client ranks.
- Moonkin Form at 40, Barkskin at 44 and Hurricane at 40 are past the beta cap of 30 and are projected.
- Moonfury and Eclipse in the 30s are projected from the own-tree order.
- Overgrowth rooting three targets is untested.
What would move it: Play past level 30 showing Starfire, Nature's Grace and Overgrowth working earlier than projected, or a measured two-on-one escape.