Druid tactics / Balance General . As a balance druid you can perform a number of roles with a number of aims . Central to these is the Moonkin Form . Moonkin Form . Moonkin Form is a form available to druids with 30 points invested into the balance talent tree . Moonkins are often affectionately referred to as boomkins , oomkins , doomkins , crit chickens , or laser chickens . Almost everyone is familiar with the distinctive ' moon lasers ' ( Starfire and Moonfire ) which are its signature attack visuals . Due to several BC and WOTLK changes , their previous serious threat and mana issues have been resolved . In a similar way to the ( now often deadly ) Retribution Paladin ( A " Loladin " ) the names persist , more in reference to the past than any real current issues . . . In Moonkin Form you get = Notable Spells and Abilities = Balance spells are primarily oriented around doing magic damage to enemies and crowd control . Within the Cast Cycle . An example PvE cast cycle would include Faerie Fire , Moonfire , Insect Swarm , Starfire and Wrath . It is likely that PvP would utilise these same spells to a good extent , though with different a talent investment and cast cycle . Faerie Fire . This is a vital PvE spell , causing an armour debuff . When talent points are used to gain Improved Faerie Fire , then the raid ' s chance to hit is increased by 3 % , and it increases the critical strike chance of your damage spells by 3 % . This spell should almost definitely be the first used on a raid boss and should be reapplied following any form of dispelling . In PvP , in addition to its useful armor debuff this spell allows druids to keep Rogues from vanishing in PvP . This reduces their ability to stunlock and DPS , and also makes it harder for them to escape , unless they use Cloak of Shadows to remove the effect before using Vanish . Insect Swarm . This is the Moonkin ' s secondary DOT and another vital role . The spell causes their chance to hit with melee and ranged attacks by 3 % and causes nature damage over 12 sec . In a raiding situation , the use talents to gain Improved Insect Swarm is recommended , as is using the Glyph of Insect Swarm . Despite being a slightly less powerful spell , it is usually cast before Moonfire in the Moonkin cast - cycle as the lack of a burst section of damage reduces threat issues . Moonfire . Moonfire plays a dual role in the druid ' s arsenal . First , if the druid allows the DoT to run its course it provides a steady reasonably mana efficient supplement to DPS . Secondly , it is the only instant cast damage spell with a Cooldown less than 6 seconds , and the druid can Spam it , producing relatively large DPS at the cost of mana efficiency . In long fights ( i . e . most boss fights ) , balance druids should generally avoid Moonfire spam , unless they are confident that they have sufficient mana regeneration that they will effectively have spare mana at the end of the fight . In PvP , moonfire spam is often used to kill off a fleeing opponent . In PvE , when used for spam - style burst damage , Moonfire is the least mana - efficient of the druid ' s damage spells , providing the lowest damage per point of mana spent ( DPM ) . Moonfire should be used by allowing the DoT to run to completion . When used in this way , it gives the highest DPM . With the Glyph of Starfire this spell is a mana efficient and effective DoT essential for a raiding Moonkin . With many end - game Idols having a change to give a beneficial effect on each tick of Moonfire it is almost essential to keep Moonfire on at least one target , though putting it on multiple targets allows it to occur more frequently , though this does use up valuble time for casting other important spells . Wrath . Wrath is one of the cornerstones of a standard Moonkin damage cycle . The Starlight Wrath talent should be fully filled out for all Balance Druids , and gives wrath a 1 . 5s cast time . Due to this , it is a powerful and relatively quick spell to cast , making it ideal of PvP or PvE . It causes nature damage . It is predominantly used in as part of the Eclipse Cast cycle . When used in this cycle , Wrath gains from a bonus to damage , and can be viewed as the " quick burn " segment of the cycle , as it often procs with Nature ' s Grace to cause near Global Cool - down speed casts . Starfire . Starfire is one of the cornerstones of a standard Moonkin damage cycle . The Starlight Wrath talent should be fully filled out for all Balance Druids , and gives Starfire a 3s cast time . It is the hardest single hitting druid spell , but also has a long cast time . This makes it generally a PvE spell , though when effectively used in PvP its high damage can make it lethal . It is predominantly used in as part of the Eclipse Cast cycle . When used in this cycle , Starfire gains from a bonus to critical strike , and can be viewed as the " hard burn " segment of the cycle . It gains a large crit bonus , causing procs with Nature ' s Grace to cause 1 - 2 second speed high - damage casts . Due to this high chance of critting , this often ends up in a period where the Moonkin is infact " gaining " mana and achieves large individual cast sizes . A well cast cycle of moonfire / starfire , combined with Glyph of Starfire can result in a very mana efficient or even mana positive section of a fight . Threat generated from Starfire critical strikes can be large , as starfire crits with a large shock damage value . Early Lunar Eclipse procs should be carefully managed . Other important Spells . This page is currently being re - written : It will include sections on Cyclone , Abolish Poison , Decurse , Thorns , Starfall and Hurricane . Cyclone . This is a crowd controlling spell that makes an enemy invulnerable and unable to cast for up to 6 seconds . Unlike Polymorph , the health of the enemy is not increased , but it does not have the duration of similar spells like Banish . Cyclone is subject to diminishing returns in both PvE and PvP , lasting for 6 seconds on the first cast to a single target , 3 seconds on the second cast , and 1 . 5 seconds on the third . After the third cast a target is granted immunity to this spell . This is an exceptional raid spell for neutralising mind - controlled characters . While it does not have the duration of sheep , it offers immunity to damage . This makes a quick reacting Moonkin a vital raid addition in fights such as Lady Deathwhisper . = Attributes = What to gear and spec precisely is open to debate and is as much a question of taste and gaming style as it is hard fact . Ultimately , the following rules should be followed for a PvE Boomkin : The shift from " Just dinged " to " Raid ready " lies within achieving the hitcap . As a Moonkin progresses with gear , they should always concentrate on spellpower . A player should not pass up the opportunity to get Haste Capped . As end - game approaches , hitcap and soft hastecap limits will be reached , and crit should be prioritised . This can be summarised in PvE as : Spell hit ( to cap ) > Spell power > Haste ( to soft cap ) > Crit There are similar approaches for the various PvP Moonkin Builds . Usually some value of desired spell penetration is aimed for , then spell power , crit and haste are maximised depending on the aims and objectives of the build . Depending on the specific spec , prioritise crit , spirit , intellect and mp5 . These aimed to be maximised as a second priority to spell damage . Usually mp5 is the least desirable Moonkin stat . Crit is generally what regenerates mana for a raiding Moonkin . Spirit and intellect both add to overall spell power depending on your spec . In PvP , the shorter life expectancy of a player means that extended casting is not expected : Innervate and a mana potion of some sort is usually chosen with the mana regeneration talents and stats directed to survival or damage . Please note that the above is a loose guide as even within the Balance tree , there are many different approaches and specs . = Soloing = Druids work well as a soloing class . Pull the enemy creature with a Wrath spell to draw them away from other creatures that would gang up on you . Learn the maximum distance of your Wrath spell ( 36 yards with the Nature ' s Reach balance talent ) , and be in the habit of casting from there . While the Wrath bolt is still traveling to the enemy , cast Moonfire . Follow this with Entangling Roots . Move back to the limit of your Wrath spell and repeat . Do not be tempted to switch to Bear form - you have comparable armour bonuses in Moonkin form , as well as crowd control available . Should you be taking heavy damage or being interrupted , a Barkskin can turn the tide , reducing damage taken and stopping casting interruption , particularly if you shapeshift to heal . If you run out of mana while soloing a creature , Entangling Roots can save your life . Root the creature and then just stand back and wait for your mana to regenerate . Once you have enough mana , cast Entangling Roots again . If it is not resisted or immediately removed , heal yourself . Otherwise cast it again . Repeat the process . Entangling Roots does a small amount of damage . When you feel comfortable with your health vs the creatures health , go back to damaging it . Note : This trick might not work if your spirit is very low . Train up First Aid for healing between fights in order to save mana and maintain the highest efficiency . As you level , do not forget about your ability Innervate , which is very useful since it has been changed to a 3 minute base cooldown . As you become more powerful , you will find killing mobs relatively simple . A very standard technique for appropriately levelled or geared boomkins is to " pre - load " themselves with a rejuvenation and maybe lifebloom , jump to Moonkin form , then DOT 4 - 7 enemies with moonfire and insect swarm . Your increased armour , combined with a slight healing should mean that you will survive fighting multiple opponents . Draw these adds together , pop a Barkskin and then aoe them down with Hurricane . This method makes levelling , questing and grinding very efficient . = Grouping = It ' s a common misconception that as druids are a hybrid class they will only be able to approach , but not match , the pure DPS classes . Although a warlock / mage has a larger arsenal of DPS spells , a properly specced druid can match , and in some cases surpass , the DPS of warlocks / mages . Blizzard has stated they want Hybrid classes to approach the DPS of pure classes much closer in Wrath of the Lich King . Although druids in balance spec MAY have less DPS than a mage / warlock , druids in moonkin form have an amour value similar to that of a warrior , giving them a lot more flexibility . Mages / warlocks are highly susceptible to melee damage , and the moonkin form ' s high armor seriously mitigates this and gives them that little edge in raiding . Balance Druids , however , are one of the most effective classes at performing AoE DPS , their Starfall and Hurricane spells allow them to effectively cast two AoE spells at the same time . Raiding Spells and Cast Cycle . The Boomkin endgame raiding approach is affected by a number of aims and approaches . General fundamentals include : When compared to other classes , it must be noticed that the balance druid caster and mana mechanic is relatively unique . Your initial priority , as per other dps casters , should be to gear to the hitcap and then maximise spell power . As a second , but very important , set of concerns the following should be considered : It cannot be emphasised enough that critting is the pivotal aim for Moonkin . There are many talents , such as Vengeance , which drastically improve your chances of critically striking , and it is vital that these are investigated and preferably invested in . In raiding the rotation is fairly mechanical since the change to Eclipse . Put up DoTs and Wrath until you get a Starfire ( Lunar ) eclipse . Change to Starfire during Eclipse then continue casting Starfire until you get a Wrath ( Solar ) Eclipse > Switch to Wrath , and continue until another Lunar Eclipse occurs . Refresh DoTs as needed , but if your DoTs fall off during the last half of an Eclipse you should consider waiting until Eclipse is over before reapplying them . The addition of a Glyph of Starfire as well as the Tier - 9 2 set bonus make this an experiment to be tested . When further complicated by some Idols and Tier Set Bonuses , this really depends on both the style of play and available equipment . Do not underestimate the process of your DoT applications - they should be thoroughly investigated on a Target Dummy . Often in a raiding situation , the correct application of DoTs within your Eclipse cycle makes the difference on the DPS tables . The two absolutely essential glyphs for sustained raid DPS are Glyph of Starfire and Glyph of Moonfire . The Glyph of Starfire extends the dot of Moonfire , while the Glyph of Moonfire makes the DoT portion more powerful , giving great synergy . Wrath is sometimes not viable during Bloodlust / Heroism due to almost certainly hitting the 1 second GCD limit with all that haste , so you should only Moonfire and Starfire . There is a so called " soft - cap " for haste , currently sitting at 400 , beyond which these spells lose any extra benefit . Cleverly geared Moonkins aim to approach but not exceed this , swapping stats to aim for crit when near 400 . = Extra PvP Tricks = In PvP , balance druids are able to use their moonkin form to absorb large amounts of damage , and with recent talent additions suffer little knockback with many of their abilities . This has made a balance druid ( specced correctly ) a very exceptional class in PvP . However , due to the inability to use restoration spells in moonkin form the sometimes necessary tactic of dropping form and healing means a large mana cost and can be cumbersome .