| Druid (world Of Warcraft) |
Article Index for Druid |
Website Links For Druid |
Information AboutDruid (world Of Warcraft) |
|
Druids in World Of Warcraft are a hybrid class, able to transform into various forms to suit a variety of tasks. INFORMATION
Druids are a flexible class. As shape-shifters they are able to change rapidly from one form to another. In normal form, the Druid is a caster that can fight with spells or weapons. In Bear form the Druid becomes a Warrior with Rage. While in Cat form the Druid becomes a Rogue with Energy and stealth and while in Moonkin form the Druid becomes a Mage which can cast offensive spells at opponents from a distance. The Druid also has two "travel" forms, listed below. With its ability to heal itself and fellow characters, the Druid can also take on the role of a Priest . A Druid is not as versatile in its healing abilities as a Priest is, but given proper talent specs, can often heal on par with most priests. SHAPESHIFTING Druids are able to transform into a Bear, Cat, Sea Lion, Cheetah, and Moonkin (with talents in the Balance tree). While transformed, the Druid cannot cast spells, drink potions, but regains mana normally. The only exception to this is Moonkin form which is considered a humanoid and is allowed to use potions, spells, and can eat/drink. Shapeshifting also has the benefit of breaking roots, snares, freeze and polymorph effects. While transformed, the Druid is considered a beast, making them especially vulnerable to Hunters and skills that target beasts, as well as the Druid's own Hibernate ability, which persists even through shapeshifting back into a caster form.
Bear Form Obtainable through a quest at level 10, Bear Form dramatically increases armor and hit points, and adds to the Druid's melee attack power. Bear form also offers 180% greater effect from armour-supporting items. At level 40 this becomes Dire Bear form, which increases armor contribution from items by 360%. Bear form also allows you to use warrior like abilities including Swipe, Bash, and Growl. High level Druids with good equipment can attain armor classes greater than Warriors with shields. However, Bear Form does not offer the same range of abilities in controlling the attention of enemy monsters (aggro). The warrior remains the best class for tanking, while a Bear Form Druid can serve as a good "off-tank". Bear Form utilizes a Rage bar identical to Warriors for certain abilities; however, Warriors are able to accumulate rage much faster than Druids. In PVP, Bear Form is often the most utilized form, having a great deal of survivability as compared to the Druid's caster or cat form. They can however be immobilized by opposing druids who use Hibernate, which does not break when a Druid reverts to caster form. Cat Form Trainable at level 20, Cat Form dramatically increases the Druid's attack speed and power. In addition to adding high damage Cat abilities including Rip and Ravage, Cat Form adds the ability to Stealth, letting the Druid sneak by enemies just like Rogues . Cat Form utilizes combo points identical to Rogues for certain abilities. It should also be noted that Cat Form's stealth is just as good as a rogues! Aquatic Form Obtainable through a quest at level 16, Aquatic Form increases the Druid's swim speed by 50% while granting underwater breathing. The Druid can attack in this form, but cannot perform spells. Aquatic Form is only usable while swimming. Travel Form Trainable at level 30, Travel Form increases the Druid's speed on land by 40%. The Druid has no special attacks in this form but can defeat equal or lower level monsters in melee combat. Travel Form is only usable outdoors. In the Battleground, Warsong Gulch , Druids are often given flag carrying responsibilities using their fleeing capabilities. The most common of which is to use its cat form to stealth onto the flag, capture it in caster form, revert to cat form (as travel form cannot be used indoors), use dash until outside, and then change to travel form. This strategy is often "flamed" on forums, but an opposing Druid can quite effectively put another Druid to sleep if it is in any of its animal forms. Moonkin Form This new form, that was released in the new Druid talent tree in Patch 1.8, can be unlocked by putting 31 points in the Balance talent tree. The form gives the Druid 360% armor and an aura that gives party members an additional 3% critical strike chance with spells. However, the Druid cannot use Restoration spells while in this form. Weapon Procs do occur in this form. The druid can use potions in Moonkin form, unlike the animal forms. Druids can also talk to NPCs in this form. STRENGTHS What Being a Jack of All Trades Really Means: Druids can do just about any job they can be given, they are very versatile. However, to specialize in one of these "trades" such as healing, spell casting, damage dealing, etc, you must spec your talents that way. In my experience, the Druid is as good as the class it is playing only if it is specc'd. For instance, using the entirety of the Restoration tree will make your healing close to a priest's healing level. However a priest doesn't have to spec into healing to heal as well as you. The same goes true for tanking in bear form against warriors, damage dealing in cat form with rogues, spellcasting in moonkin form with mages/warlocks, and healing with priests. I have played my druid to 60 and although many people seem that they are weak if you know how to use them you can easily dispatch the most fearsome of opponents; player or otherwise.
WEAKNESSES
It's very important to note, that the best Druid is the one that can adapt and conquer every situation. "Locking" a Druid on a specific role, or form only enhances the weaknesses of the specific role. This makes the Druid among the hardest classes to play well. Druids are best played with an open and adaptive mind: shifting forms in battle is almost entirely a must when soloing. CONCLUSION The Druid's flexibility makes them excellent in both solo and party situations. The multiple play styles make the class extremely enjoyable to play, and their ability to fill multiple roles in a group make them as desirable to parties as Priests . Because the Druid does not excel in any particular area, their challenge is learning to use combinations of their abilities and forms effectively. Because of this, some view the Druid as a slightly more difficult class to play than others. Whether or not this is the case, the flexibility and uniqueness of the Druid make their challenges well worth effort. With proper placement of the talents available to the Druid, it's fully possible to emulate a warrior, rogue, mage or priest, though they often lack some key abilities. This trade off is compensated by having access to their other abilities (e.g. a warrior cannot heal in combat) within seconds. The key lies in being able to switch rapidly between roles and as such, the druid requires a steady hand and quick thinking to maximise your usefulness to a party. Because of the micromanagement skill needed to do this effectively, druid remains alongside warlock as one of the least played classes in the game. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|