DistillNote

Beta, level cap 30 · data read 11 Oct

Druid

Feral was reworked again on 1 Oct: King of the Jungle and Tiger's Fury are gone, Shifting Power (mana → Energy/Rage, 16 sec cooldown) and Improved Shifting Power are in, Bear crits give 75% more Rage, Primal Bite threat doubled, forms are immune to Disarm. Restoration ends in Wild Growth; Balance in Moonkin with Eclipse.

Source pending

Alliance races: Night Elf, SkyborneHorde races: Tauren, Skyborne

Sourced: Blizzard news · 22 Sep

Our picks

Recommendation
Leveling
Feral Combat

What the tier lists say

Each rating exactly as its tier list gives it, with the list's own date. Ratings are opinions, so lists often differ; we compare them only within one role.

Balance

PvE · damage lists

One ratingB on 1 list

Balance, PvE · damage lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Bdamage dealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Feral Combat

PvE · tank lists

Different scalesA on one list, #3 of 3 on a ranked list

Feral Combat, PvE · tank lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Atankspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
#3 of 3best raid tankspage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

PvE · damage lists

One ratingB on 1 list

Feral Combat, PvE · damage lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Bdamage dealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Restoration

PvE · healer lists

Different scalesA on one list, #5 of 5 on a ranked list

Restoration, PvE · healer lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Ahealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
#5 of 5best raid healerspage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

The whole class

PvP · class lists

Lists agreeA on 2 lists

Druid, PvP · class lists
RatingListPage dateRead
APvP tier listpage 2 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
APvP tier listpage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Leveling

One rating

  • Cclass leveling tier list (levels 1–20) · page not dated

Class tier list, no mode stated

One rating

  • Bclass tier list · page not dated

What changed this patch

  • 1 Oct: Bear/Dire Bear crits generate 75% more Rage; Swipe scales with 3% of AP; Primal Bite threat roughly doubled; all forms immune to Disarm; Faerie Fire no longer resets swing timers; Tiger's Fury and King of the Jungle removed; new talents Shifting Power (row 4) and Improved Shifting Power (row 5, −4/8 sec cooldown); Shredding Attacks moved to row 3.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct

  • Mangle renamed Primal Bite (its debuff was removed); Primal Fury renamed back to Blood Frenzy; Feral Charge (Cat) can no longer be cast on allies.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • Wrath base damage +~50%; Thorns scales with the caster's spell power.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • Rejuvenation, Tranquility and Wild Growth can now crit (bug fixes).

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • 8 Oct: Bear/Dire Bear crits generate 100% more Rage (was 75%); threat in Bear and Dire Bear Form +50% (was 30%); Demoralizing Roar now causes threat; Rage from damage taken reworked, so expect more Rage when hit.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

  • Thorns base damage back to Vanilla values, spell power ratio 6% (was 13.3%); Wrath ranks 1–5 retuned so each new rank is an upgrade; Mana Potions now work in Bear, Dire Bear and Cat Form.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

  • Feral: Predatory Instincts is now called Natural Instinct and also adds 12/25% of Intellect as spell healing; Shifting Power is unusable at full Energy; Wolfshead Helm: +5 Energy on Shifting Power, Rage effect unchanged.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

Seen in the beta

  • Sim, 11 Oct run: Cat 715 (ninth of 20 damage results), Bear 496 as a tank, on an older engine snapshot (second of the three tanks, ahead of Prot Warrior 479; on the 3 Oct run the Warrior Rage fix and the Paladin Holy Shield buff had put it last), Balance 630 (19th).

    Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run

  • Berserk requires Leader of the Pack; Rend and Tear requires Predatory Strikes 3/3; Primal Bite requires Savage Fury 2/2; Blood Frenzy requires Sharpened Claws 2/2.

    Source pending

  • Wild Growth requires Living Spirit 3/3; Nature's Swiftness requires Naturalist 5/5; Improved Regrowth requires Improved Rejuvenation 3/3.

    Source pending

  • Restoration Druid remains the flag-carrier healer of Classic BGs: Travel Form, shapeshift out of roots, HoT-and-run.

    Source pending