Feral Combat Druid leveling guide
Fast melee in Cat Form, with Bear Form when a pull goes wrong. How the Feral Combat talents play from level 10 to 60.
On this page7 sections
At a glanceOur pickOpinion, not confirmed by BlizzardOur reading of the Feral Combat talent text, not a tested rotation.
How Feral Combat plays
- Feral is two forms sharing one tree, and most of its talents name both. Ferocity takes 5 Rage or Energy off Maul, Mangle, Swipe, Claw and Rake, and Sharpened Claws adds 6% critical strike chance in Bear Form, Dire Bear Form or Cat Form.
- Cat Form is the questing form in this build. Feral Swiftness adds 30% movement speed in it, and Savage Fury adds 10% to Claw, Rake and Shred.
- Bear Form is for when a pull goes wrong: Feral Instinct adds 30% to Swipe, and Feral Charge immobilizes an enemy and interrupts its cast for 4 sec.
- Mangle, the milestone, is a strike for both forms, and Rend and Tear adds 10% to your melee abilities against Bleeding targets.
- Berserk, the last talent, lasts 15 sec: Mangle strikes up to 3 targets with no cooldown, and your Combo Point abilities gain 100% critical strike chance.
What to press first
Most important first. Not a rotation.
- 1
Quest in Cat Form
Feral Swiftness makes you 30% faster in it.
- 2
Use Mangle as a main strike
Mangle strikes for normal damage plus a bonus, and Ferocity makes it cheaper.
- 3
Keep a Bleed on the target
Rend and Tear adds 10% to your melee abilities against Bleeding targets.
- 4
Use Tiger's Fury when Energy runs dry
King of the Jungle makes Tiger's Fury grant Energy at once.
- 5
Go to Bear Form and Swipe when too many enemies come
Feral Instinct adds 30% to Swipe.
- 6
Keep Berserk for packs
Berserk makes Mangle strike up to 3 targets.
Talents that change how you play · 11
From Ferocity at level 10 to Heart of the Wild at 41.
The level is when our build first takes the talent.
- Levels 10–14
Your main abilities cost less in both forms.
- Levels 15–16
Cat Form is fast. Travel and questing speed up.
- Levels 20–21
The basic strikes of both forms hit harder.
- Level 24
A charge, an interrupt and a root in one.
- Level 25
Mangle16-point milestone
One strike that works in both forms.
- Levels 26–28
Attack Power that grows with your level, not your gear.
- Levels 29–30
Critical strikes start giving extra Rage in Bear Form and extra Combo Points in Cat Form. The chance at each rank is not confirmed.
- Level 31
An aura of critical strike chance for you and your party.
- Levels 35–39
Bleeds matter: they make everything else hit harder.
- Level 40
For 15 sec Mangle has no cooldown.
- Levels 41–45
More Strength in Cat Form and more Stamina in Bear Form. The amounts at each rank are not confirmed.
Gear to look for
What the talents reward on items.
- Predatory Strikes gives Attack Power from your level, which makes the build less dependent on gear than most.
- Critical strike chance: Primal Fury and Predatory Instincts both build on it.
- No Feral talent in the build names a weapon type. The talent data says nothing about how a weapon counts in a form, and neither do we.
Groups and dungeons
In a group: damage and tanking. New group talents before 3 dungeons.
In a group these talents support damage and tanking.
- Leader of the Pack gives all party members within 45 yards 3% critical strike chance, in Cat Form or Bear Form. It is exclusive with the Moonkin aura.
- The same build can stand in Bear Form: a stronger Swipe, Feral Charge to reach and interrupt an enemy, and Rage from critical strikes.
- None of the Feral talents in the build mentions threat, and the two plainly defensive ones, Thick Hide and Natural Reaction, are not in it. A Druid who tanks every dungeon would move points there.
New group talents by the time each dungeon opens
Strengths and trade-offs
2 strengths, 2 trade-offs.
Strengths
- Fast between fights: 30% movement speed in Cat Form from level 16.
- Two roles from one set of talents. Most of them name Bear Form and Cat Form alike.
Trade-offs
- More of this build rests on unconfirmed values than any other: Primal Fury, Heart of the Wild and Furor are all flagged in the talent data.
- No talent in the build helps with changing form until Furor at level 51, which can give Rage or Energy on a shift.
Compare this build
Keep reading
Sources and what isn't confirmed
Unconfirmed: reported, not confirmed by Blizzard
- Per-rank values of Primal Fury, which the build takes at levels 29 to 30
- Per-rank values of Heart of the Wild, which the build takes at levels 41 to 45
- Per-rank values of Furor, which the build takes at levels 51 to 55
- Per-rank values of Thick Hide, which the build does not take
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 Feral Combat 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.