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Legion Class Preview: Druid

by - 8 years ago

The Druid Legion class preview blog post went up recently, with Balance Druids using a new resource and losing Eclipse, Guardian Druids focusing on taking damage rather than avoid it, and more. Below, we’ve summarized the changes to each of the class’s specs, including ability, talent, and rotation changes.

Key Notes

  • For Druids, Legion focuses on:
    • Empowering Balance gameplay
    • Strengthening the cohesion of Guardian abilities and their fantasy themes
    • Renewing Druids’ overall identity of shapeshifting between forms to fulfill distinct functions
  • Druids will now have Affinity talents, which give passive benefits as well as access to some off-spec abilities
  • Affinity talents will replace Heart of the Wild
  • Balance Druids will use the new Astral Power resource instead of following the Eclipse bar
  • Guardian Druids are being reworked to focus less on avoiding damage and more on resisting anything thrown at them
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

Affinity Passive Abilities

  • Balance Affinity
    • Astral Influence: Increases the range of all spells, abilities, and autoattacks by 5 yds.
  • Feral Affinity
    • Feline Swiftness: Increases movement speed by 15%.
  • Guardian Affinity
    • Thick Hide: Reduces all damage taken by 10%.
  • Restoration Affinity
    • Ysera’s Gift: Constantly heals the Druid, or allies when the Druid is at full health.

 

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)
Druids harness nature’s raw energy for an incredible breadth of offensive and defensive abilities, as well as to restore life to the wounded. Through communion with nature and the demigod Cenarius, Lord of the Forest, Druids are supernaturally endowed with the gift of shapeshifting, allowing them to take the form of all manner of nature’s creature and access powers as distinct as they are diverse.

Balance

To free Balance Druids for “interesting, engaging, and powerful” combat decisions, the Eclipse bar has been replaced with a more straightforward Astral Power resource. The hope is that this will let Druids decide and cast what they want instead of following the dictates of the Eclipse bar.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

Core Combat Changes

  • Moonfire
    • 45 yd range, Instant
    • A quick beam of lunar light burns an enemy for minor Arcane damage and then an additional strong Arcane damage over 18 sec.
    • Usable while in Bear Form.
  • Sunfire
    • 45 yd range, Instant
    • A quick beam of solar light burns an enemy for minor Nature damage and then an additional strong Nature damage over 14 sec to the primary target and all enemies within 5 yards.
  • Lunar Strike
    • 45 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
    • Call down a strike of lunar energy, causing strong Arcane damage to the target, and minor Arcane damage to all other enemies within 5 yards.
    • Generates 15 Astral Power.
  • Solar Wrath
    • 45 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
    • Hurl a ball of solar energy at the target, dealing moderate Nature damage.
    • Generates 9 Astral Power.
  • Starsurge
    • 40 Astral Power, 45 yd range, Instant
    • Launch a surge of stellar energies at the target, dealing massive Astral damage.
    • Also grants you Lunar and Solar Empowerments, which increase the damage of your next Lunar Strike or Solar Wrath by 30%, respectively. You can accumulate up to 3 of each Empowerment.
  • Starfall
    • 60 Astral Power, 45 yd range, Instant
    • Calls down waves of falling stars that damage enemies at the targeted location. Deals strong Astral damage over 8 sec.
    • Enemies in your Starfall take 30% additional damage from your Moonfire and Sunfire.
  • Mastery: Starlight
    • Increases the damage of Starfall and Starsurge, and the effect of the Empowerments that they grant by an additional 30% (with Mastery from typical gear).

 

Select Talent Changes

  • Blessing of the Ancients
    • Instant
    • Gain a Blessing of the Ancients, activating or swapping between one of the two following beneficial effects:
      • Blessing of Elune – Increases Astral Power generated by Solar Wrath and Lunar Strike by 50%.
      • Blessing of An’she – Grants 3 Astral Power every 2 sec.

Feral

Feral will remain mostly unchanged since its play style and fantasy already work well. The biggest change is that Savage Roar is now a talent among two others that represent different takes on combat, so there’s more choice in how you fight.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

Core Combat Changes

  • Shred
    • 40 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
    • Shred the target, causing moderate Physical damage to the target. Awards 1 combo point.
    • Damage increased by 20% against bleeding targets.
    • While stealthed, Shred deals 20% increased damage, and has double the chance to critically strike.
  • Rake
    • 35 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
    • Rake the target for minor Bleed damage and an additional strong Bleed damage over 15 sec. Reduces the target’s movement speed by 50% for 12 sec. Awards 1 combo point.
    • While stealthed, Rake will also stun the target for 4 sec.
  • Rip
    • 30 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
    • Finishing move that causes massive Bleed damage over 24 sec. Damage increases per combo point.
  • Ferocious Bite
    • 25 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
    • Finishing move that causes damage per combo point and consumes up to 25 additional Energy to increase damage by up to 100%.
    • When used on targets below 25% health, Ferocious Bite will also refresh the duration of your Rip on the target.
    • Critical strike chance doubled against bleeding targets.
  • Omen of Clarity
    • Passive
    • Your autoattacks have a chance to reduce the Energy cost of your next Cat Form ability by 100%.
  • Primal Fury
    • Passive
    • You gain an additional combo point when you critically strike with a combo-generating attack.
    • Damage over time cannot trigger this effect.
  • Mastery: Razor Claws
    • Increases the damage done by your Cat Form bleed abilities by 60% (with Mastery from typical gear).

 

Select Talent Changes

  • Jagged Wounds
    • Passive
    • Your Rip, Rake, and Thrash abilities deal the same damage as normal, but in 33% less time.

Guardian

Guardian Druids will be retooled to focus more on health, armor, mitigation, and regeneration, rather than dodging attacks, to play into the fantasy of a tough, sturdy bear.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

Core Combat Changes

  • Mangle
    • Melee Range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
    • Mangle the target for strong Physical damage, reducing the target’s movement speed by 50% for 12 sec. Deals 20% additional damage against bleeding targets.
    • Generates 5 Rage.
  • Lacerate
    • Melee Range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
    • Lacerates the enemy target, dealing moderate Bleed damage and an additional moderate Bleed damage over 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
    • Lacerate has a 25% chance to reset the cooldown on Mangle.
  • Thrash
    • Instant, 6 sec cooldown
    • Strikes all enemy targets within 8 yards, dealing minor Bleed damage and applying Lacerate for an additional moderate Bleed damage over 15 sec.
  • Moonfire
    • 40 yd range, Instant
    • A quick beam of lunar light burns the enemy for minor Arcane damage and then an additional strong Arcane damage over 12 sec.
    • Usable while in Bear Form.
  • Defensive
    • Ironfur
      • 40 Rage, Instant
      • Increases armor by 100% for 6 sec.
      • Multiple uses of this ability may overlap.
    • Mark of Ursol
      • 40 Rage, Instant
      • Reduces magical damage taken by 30% for 6 sec.
    • Frenzied Regeneration
      • 10 Rage, Instant, 20 sec recharge (2 charges)
      • Heals you for 100% of all damage taken in the last 6 sec over 6 sec (minimum 5% of maximum health).
    • Mastery: Nature’s Guardian
      • Increases your maximum health and healing received by 40% (with Mastery from typical gear).
      • Also increases your attack power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).

 

Select Talent Changes

  • Rend and Tear
    • Passive
    • Your Lacerate bleed now also reduces the target’s damage done to you, and increases damage you do to the target, by 3% per stack.

Restoration

Restoration will remain largely unchanged, except for their Mastery, which is being reworked to encourage layering HoTs for a more engaging play style.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment (Official Post)

Core Combat Changes

  • Mastery: Harmony
    • Your healing is increased by 12% (with Mastery from typical gear) for each of your Restoration heal over time effects on the target.
  • Healing Touch
    • 2% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
    • Heals a friendly target for a moderate amount.
  • Regrowth
    • 3.7% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
    • Heals a friendly target for a moderate amount and another minor amount over 12 sec.
    • Regrowth has a 60% increased chance for a critical effect.
  • Rejuvenation
    • 1.9% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
    • Heals the target for a moderate amount over 15 sec.
  • Lifebloom
    • 2% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
    • Heals the target for a moderate amount over 10 sec. When Lifebloom expires or is dispelled, the target is instantly healed for a moderate amount.
    • Lifebloom can be active only on one target at a time.
  • Efflorescence
    • 4.3% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
    • Grow a healing blossom at the target location, restoring a moderate amount of health to three injured allies within 10 yards every 2 sec for 30 sec.
    • Only 1 Efflorescence can be placed at a time.
  • Swiftmend
    • 1.6% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
    • Instantly heals a friendly target for a large amount.
  • Wild Growth
    • 7.5% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast, 10 sec cooldown
    • Heals up to 6 injured allies within 30 yards of the target for a moderate amount over 7 sec.
    • Healing amount starts high and declines over the duration.
  • Living Seed
    • Passive
    • When you critically heal a target with the direct healing portion of Switmend, Regrowth, or Healing Touch, you plant a Living Seed on the target.
    • When the target is next attacked, the Living Seed will bloom and heal for 50% of the initial amount healed.
  • Omen of Clarity
    • Passive
    • Your periodic healing from Lifebloom has a 4% chance to cause you to enter a Clearcasting state, causing your next Regrowth to be free.

 

Select Talent Changes

  • Flourish
    • Instant, 1 min cooldown
    • Extend the duration of all of your heal over time effects on friendly targets within 60 yards by 10 sec.

Class Changes Overview Blog Schedule

Next, Rogues will be in the spotlight as we catch up with these blog posts.

  1. Sunday (11/8): Hunter
  2. Monday (11/9): Priest, Mage, Paladin
  3. Tuesday (11/10): Warlock, Death Knight, Shaman
  4. Wednesday (11/11): Warrior, Monk, Druid
  5. Thursday (11/12): Rogue

Seth Harkins

PC gamer and lover of (most) things Blizzard. In his off time, he writes bad fan fiction, tends to his growing number of house plants, and enjoys a love-hate relationship with two cats.


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