Balance Druid PvP guide: level 60 Moonkin root, stun and burst build

Overview

Level 60 · Balance Druid in battlegrounds and world PvP.

A PvP Moonkin mixes ranged damage with roots, stuns and self-healing. The WoW Forever Balance tree helps in several ways: Overgrowth lets Entangling Roots hold two extra targets, Improved Entangling Roots keeps roots from breaking on damage, Improved Starfire gives Starfire a stun chance, and Moonkin Form frees you from Polymorph and snares when you shift. The Restoration half adds Swiftmend and Naturalist so you can heal yourself between casts.

Your role in a fight

In battlegrounds, you are a flexible damage dealer who controls an area: root several attackers on a point, Starfire the healer, and heal yourself or a flag carrier in an emergency. In world PvP, Moonkin is slower than a Frost Mage but much harder to kill.

Darkspear Islands

The Darkspear Islands battleground is announced as 15 vs 15 with control points and Arathi Basin-style flag captures and defense. Rooting several attackers with Overgrowth fits point defense: hold three players in place while your team kills a fourth, and Starfire anyone who tries to capture. Hibernate stops a feral druid trying to sneak onto the point. The map layout is not known yet.

Honor and ranks: WoW Forever is reported to bring a 14-rank Honor track, earned from battlegrounds and PvP content. Thresholds, weekly caps and decay are not announced; see the PvP and honor hub for what is confirmed.

Strengths

• Multi-target roots with Overgrowth, and roots that survive damage.
• Self-sufficient: Rejuvenation, Swiftmend, Regrowth and Innervate on a caster in Moonkin armor.
• Crowd control immunity on demand: shifting into Moonkin Form removes Polymorph and snares.
• Burst from stuns: an Improved Starfire stun gives time for a second Starfire.

Weak points

• Mana: a long fight against a healer leaves you empty.
• Interrupts: Starfire is a long cast that rogues, warriors and shamans can stop.
• Lower burst than a mage or warlock without a Starfire stun proc.
• Not tested at 60: the beta level cap is 30 and the PvP rewards are not confirmed.

Level 60 PvP talent build

Balance 31 / Feral Combat 0 / Restoration 20, all 51 points. The talent tree above shows the finished build.

Balance (31)

• Improved Wrath 3/5 — A faster, cheaper Wrath to finish targets and build Eclipse.
• Genesis 2/5 — More periodic damage and healing from Moonfire, Insect Swarm and Rejuvenation.
• Improved Moonfire 2/2 — A harder-hitting instant for chasing runners.
• Nature’s Majesty 2/2 — +4% crit for spells and melee: more Nature’s Grace procs.
• Nature’s Reach 1/2 — +2% hit and 10% more Balance spell range at 1/2.
• Improved Entangling Roots 3/3 — Rooted enemies take far more damage before the root breaks, and roots hit harder.
• Nature’s Splendor 1/1 — Longer Moonfire, Rejuvenation and Regrowth, so fewer global cooldowns go to refreshing.
• Balance of Nature 1/5 — One point to open the Starfire row.
• Improved Starfire 5/5 — 0.5 sec faster Starfire with a 15% chance to stun for 3 sec.
• Overgrowth 2/2 — Entangling Roots can hold two more targets at once.
• Nature’s Grace 1/1 — Faster casts after a crit, often enough to land a second Starfire during a stun.
• Eclipse 2/3 — Wrath charges make Starfire faster, a quick setup for burst.
• Moonfury 5/5 — +5% Arcane and Nature damage.
• Moonkin Form 1/1 — Big armor from items and an escape from Polymorph and snares every time you shift.

Restoration (20)

• Nature’s Focus 5/5 — Casts are much harder to push back when melee reaches you.
• Naturalist 5/5 — Faster Healing Touch and 5% more damage.
• Reflection 3/3 — Mana regeneration continues while casting, which matters in long fights.
• Gift of Nature 2/5 — +4% healing at 2/5 for your self-heals.
• Tranquil Spirit 2/5 — Cheaper Healing Touch at 2/5, and the last points needed for this half.
• Improved Rejuvenation 2/3 — Stronger Rejuvenation to set up Swiftmend.
• Swiftmend 1/1 — An instant heal from your Rejuvenation or Regrowth: the emergency button.

Key abilities

• Entangling Roots: roots up to three targets with Overgrowth, and they survive more damage.
• Starfire: your biggest hit, with a stun chance from Improved Starfire.
• Moonfire and Insect Swarm: instant damage while moving or kiting.
• Moonkin Form: shift to break Polymorph and snares, then continue casting.
• Rejuvenation and Swiftmend: instant self-healing, usable after you drop out of Moonkin Form.
• Barkskin, Innervate and Nature’s Grasp: defense, mana and a reactive root when melee hits you.
• Hibernate: disables druids in animal form and hunter pets.

Matchups

• Warriors · root them, keep distance and Starfire; shift to break Hamstring. Hibernate does not work on them.
• Rogues · Barkskin and Nature’s Grasp during the opener, then root and Moonfire to find them after Vanish.
• Mages · shifting breaks Polymorph and snares; win the long fight with heals and armor.
• Hunters · Hibernate the pet and stay close to them; roots stop them from backing up to range.
• Druids · Hibernate a cat or bear, and roots keep a flag-carrying druid in place.
• Warlocks · dispel curses with Remove Curse and burst between Fears; Moonkin armor helps against the pet.

Resources and cooldowns

Mana runs out quickly when you both deal damage and heal. Keep Innervate for yourself in long fights, and prefer instant heals so you spend fewer global cooldowns out of Moonkin Form. Shifting costs mana too; Moonglow is not in this build, so shift with purpose. Eureka! makes three Starfires or Wraths cheaper.

Gear

The datamine still lists the Classic druid PvP sets. The rare Champion’s and Lieutenant Commander’s Wildhide give up to 23 spell damage and healing at 2 pieces, 15% faster movement in Bear, Cat and Travel Form outdoors at 4, and +20 Stamina at 6. The epic Warlord’s and Field Marshal’s sets come as Wildhide (spell damage) and Refuge (healing), with +20 Stamina at 2 pieces and the outdoor form speed bonus at 3. Whether WoW Forever’s honor track awards these exact sets is not confirmed. For a Moonkin, the Wildhide sets fit best, since their spell damage bonus helps Starfire and their form speed bonus helps you move between points in Travel Form. Until the honor rewards are confirmed, balance Stamina with spell damage and spell hit so roots and Hibernate land.

Consumables and engineering

• Free Action Potion against the stuns and roots that shifting does not remove.
• Major Mana Potion for long fights where you both deal damage and heal.
• Swiftness Potion to reach a contested point before the enemy.
• Engineering: bombs and nets add to a class that already controls well.

Sources

Rotation, stat and matchup advice adapts these Classic 1.12 guides to the WoW Forever talent trees; talents, set bonuses and new abilities come from this site’s WoW Forever data.

• Icy Veins: Classic Druid PvP Guide
• Icy Veins: Classic Balance Druid Ranged DPS Guide
• Icy Veins: WoW Classic Honor System Overview
• Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever What’s Next Panel Recap