[ Unveiling Druids ] Overview

Every once in a while, I get inspired to get off of my lazy bum and actually make an informing post. This was meant to be an all-encompassing post, but I found myself running too short of time for the moment, and felt compelled to leave it as thus for now.

Today's (which will take a couple of days, knowing me) will be about my first character, the Druid.

For those of you long time players of WoW, you know the gist of what Druids do. For those who are just starting, and go "ooooh, it's a pretty cat/bear/owl-thingy/tree!" at the forms one might see in a major city, this might be a bit more helpful.

A druid is, as many have labeled them, the "jack of all trades, master of none". From those close to me, who have moved onto other games, they see it differently. For them, although they have never played a druid, they see us as a class that can do things better than their original classes -- that being a rogue (cat), warrior (bear), caster-of-some-sort-closer-to-a-mage-than-a-warlock (boomkin), and a healer-of-some-other-sort (tree). That is untrue as well.

As our base selves, we cannot do anything vaguely close to our mother classes. Gear is important for a druid. Without the right set of gear, and a good, solid build, a druid is a mediocre imitation of the other classes they can be. We are valued not because of our buff (which used to be one of the best in the game, but now is unstackable with many other buffs), and not just because of our utility. We are wanted due to our flexibility.

While a good druid knows better than to restrict themselves to just one role -- in my case, as a feral druid, I always have three sets of gear on me (taking up two and a half eighteen slot bags, effectively): one for cat, one for bear, and one for healing, some still do, limiting their abilities. With the help of ItemRack, I am able to switch into different roles through a series of clicks. While some druids only carry one (or two) sets with them, limiting their use to a group or raid, I find that the best druids know when to, despite their assigned DPS role, aid the tank or the healers when they deem necessary/are asked to.

The two aspects I will be exploring most will be that of the feral and restoration. I have never played a moonkin, and, therefore, cannot say much about the balance tree; however, perhaps someone else would be interested in covering it?