Balance Druid leveling guide
Ranged casting. Pick this if you want to stay a caster. How the Balance talents play from level 10 to 60.
On this page7 sections
At a glanceOur pickOpinion, not confirmed by BlizzardOur reading of the Balance talent text, not a tested rotation.
- Build at level 60
- 41/0/10 (41 Balance, 10 Restoration)
- 16-point milestone
- Insect Swarm, level 25
- Last Balance talent
- Moonkin Form, level 40
- In a group
- Damage
- Our first choice for leveling a Druid
- Feral Combat
How Balance plays
- Balance is a caster that rewards alternating schools. Balance of Nature makes each Nature spell raise your next Arcane damage spell, and each Arcane spell your next Nature one.
- Wrath is the early spell: Improved Wrath takes 0.5 sec off its cast and 50% off its Mana cost.
- Moonfire and then Insect Swarm are the damage over time. Improved Moonfire adds 10% to Moonfire's damage and critical strike chance, and Nature's Splendor makes Moonfire last 3 sec longer and Insect Swarm 2 sec.
- Starfire comes into its own with Improved Starfire, 0.5 sec off the cast and a 15% chance to stun for 3 sec, and with Eclipse, which lets each Wrath shorten your next 2 Starfire casts.
- Moonkin Form, the last talent, raises the armor contribution of your items by 360% and gives the party 3% critical chance. The Moonkin cannot cast healing spells while shapeshifted.
What to press first
Most important first. Not a rotation.
- 1
Lean on Wrath
Improved Wrath makes it faster and takes 50% off its Mana cost.
- 2
Keep Moonfire on the target
Improved Moonfire adds 10% to its damage and critical strike chance.
- 3
Keep Insect Swarm on the target
Insect Swarm deals Nature damage over 12 sec and decreases the enemy's chance to hit by 2%.
- 4
Cast Wrath, then Starfire
Eclipse makes Wrath shorten your next 2 Starfire casts.
- 5
Alternate Nature and Arcane spells
Balance of Nature raises the next spell of the other school, if it follows within 10 sec.
- 6
Stay in Moonkin Form unless you need to heal
Moonkin Form gives armor and a party critical chance aura, and rules out healing spells while you are in it.
Talents that change how you play · 11
From Improved Wrath at level 10 to Vengeance at 41.
The level is when our build first takes the talent.
- Levels 10–14
Wrath is quick and cheap.
- Levels 15–16
Moonfire hits harder and crits more often.
- Level 20
Moonfire lasts longer, and so do Rejuvenation and Regrowth when you need them.
- Levels 21–24
Which spell you cast after which starts to matter.
- Level 25
Insect Swarm16-point milestone
A second effect to keep on the target.
- Levels 26–30
Starfire casts faster and sometimes stuns.
- Level 31
A critical strike speeds up the casts that follow it.
- Levels 32–34
Wrath sets up faster Starfire casts, storing up to 4 charges.
- Levels 35–39
A flat 5% more Arcane and Nature damage at five points.
- Level 40
From here, healing means leaving the form.
- Levels 41–45
Critical strikes with Arcane and Nature spells are worth more. How much at each rank is not in the data.
Gear to look for
What the talents reward on items.
- Spell critical strike chance. Nature's Majesty adds 4%, and Nature's Grace turns each critical strike into faster casts.
- Armor on items is worth more than its number once you are in Moonkin Form.
- No Balance talent in the build names Intellect, Spirit or a weapon type.
Groups and dungeons
In a group: damage. New group talents before 3 dungeons.
In a group these talents support damage.
- Moonkin Form gives all party members within 45 yards 3% critical chance. It is exclusive with Leader of the Pack, so two Druids should not bring both.
- Insect Swarm decreases an enemy's chance to hit by 2%, which on a boss is a small help to the tank.
- You can still heal out of Moonkin Form, and Nature's Splendor makes Rejuvenation and Regrowth last longer.
New group talents by the time each dungeon opens
Strengths and trade-offs
2 strengths, 2 trade-offs.
Strengths
- It fights from a distance, and Nature's Reach makes that distance longer.
- Wrath costs 50% less Mana from level 14.
Trade-offs
- Moonkin Form arrives at level 40. Before that no talent in the build changes how much damage you can take.
- Two talents the build takes after level 40, Vengeance and Moonglow, have per-rank values the talent data does not confirm.
Compare this build
Keep reading
Sources and what isn't confirmed
Unconfirmed: reported, not confirmed by Blizzard
- Per-rank values of Vengeance, which the build takes at levels 41 to 45
- Per-rank values of Moonglow, which the build takes at levels 46 to 48
Not announced
- Item names and stat weights
- A leveling talent order from Blizzard
Sources
- Beta 1.60.1 talent data: every claim on this page is read from the Balance talent text. Nothing here is a published guide or a tested rotation
Updated . Talent data: beta 1.60.1. Details can change in any later build or patch.