Druids have traditionally been seen to be jacks of all crafts and masters of none. Balance, in example, was deemed a full meme because to its poor mana management, low damage, and relatively simple rotation in Classic. These difficulties were partially rectified in TBC, but the standard was ultimately on the weaker side and failed to gain traction.

Thankfully, WotLK takes us a step further away from meme territory: Due to the new Eclipse mechanism and various other enhancements, Balance Druids now do exceptionally high damage. Meanwhile, our new capstone skill, Starfall, deals some pretty ludicrous damage on a very short 1-minute cooldown, and as a consequence, our AoE damage is actually rather competitive — it’s not unusual to see Boomkins in the top 5-10 ranks of the DPS meters in more AoE-centric engagements. Nobody will be laughing at our damage any more, thanks to our mainstay Druid utility, which gained us places even when we were weaker!

This guide will teach you everything you need to know to get the most out of your Boomkin. Every facet of the standard will be covered, from best in slot gear to rotations and stat priority. You’ll know all there is to know about Boomkins by the end of this tutorial!

Balance Druid Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

AoE damage at its peak
Despite being casters, Boomkins were never known for their great AoE damage, as our sole AoE was Hurricane, which was previously on a 1-minute cooldown. WotLK eliminates the cooldown and, more crucially, introduces two new spells to our AoE arsenal: Starfall and Typhoon, the former of which is extremely potent and drives our AoE to the high tiers on its own.

Loot competition is low.
Warlocks, Mages, and Shadowpriests are all quite powerful in WotLK, and raids with 5-7 of those classes will not be uncommon. While everyone else is killing each other for cloth caster DPS drops, you’re out in your own little nook, the only one who need leather caster DPS stuff. As a result, you’ll find yourself getting suited up far faster than other casters.

Unrivaled functionality
Even though our damage has always been low, our utility has always been top-tier. We still have access to Druid basics like Innervate and Rebirth, as well as Boomkin-only goodies like Moonkin Aura, in Wrath. Some of our utility is nerfed because it is no longer unique, but on the other hand, we acquire even more usefulness than before – Boomkins are true utility monsters in Wrath.

Weaknesses

Single target damage is ineffective.
Our AoE damage is excellent, but our single target is not. On encounters with only one target for your group to assault, you will often be in the center of the DPS meters, and occasionally slightly below.

Gear is quite important.
Boomkins require a lot of haste and crit before they can “pop off.” This is made simpler by the fact that we have relatively minimal loot competition, as stated in the Strengths section, but if you get unfortunate with drops, you may have to wait a bit before you can truly maximize your damage potential.

A challenging rotation to learn.
Boomkins undergo an unusual evolution, evolving from a one-button spec to one of the most complicated rotations of any spec in Wrath. As a Boomkin, you must continually manage your Eclipse procs, along with two DoT spells and a slew of additional procs. As a result, it is a somewhat punishing spec to play for newbies, but it is ultimately incredibly rewarding if you understand how to play it.

Balance Druid Utility

Balance Druids contribute the following raid benefits and debuffs to a raid, in addition to their damage:

Gift of the Wild
Only Druids have this completely unique function. You only need one Druid for it, however every raid will require at least one Druid for it. Balance Druids may skip the Improved Mark of the Wild talent on sometimes, but you’ll almost always take it and thereby benefit the raid.

Innervate
Druid utility is also absolutely unique. The more Innervates you have, the simpler it will be for your raid to take on some of the more mana-demanding encounters. Because there are so many other mana regen mechanics in Wrath, you won’t need it as much as a Boomkin, therefore you’ll be more likely to assist a healer.

Fight Resurrection – Rebirth Druids are one of only two classes that can revive someone in combat, which is always a huge help for your raid. With each expansion, there are more and more techniques of preventing wipes, but Rebirth will always be the greatest!

5 percent spell crit (does not stack) – Moonkin Aura Disaster has struck — Blizzard has made this must-bring raid boon available to Elemental Shamans as well, as part of their Elemental Oath. Many raids will choose not to bring an Elemental Shaman, in which case you will be responsible for buffing your raid with this vital benefit, although this is a nerf that stings a little.

Faerie Fire has a 5% armor loss (does not stack).
This debuff will be desired by every raid. Feral Druids have an easier time with it, and Warlocks may now give it as well with Curse of Weakness. However, because the Improved Faerie Fire debuff improves your damage, you’ll constantly be casting Faerie Fire, even if you don’t need to be the one reducing the target’s armor.

3 percent greater spell hit debuff (does not stack) – Faerie Fire has been improved.
Our mainstay debuff has been adjusted to aid our fellow casters rather than the stinking melee. Shadow Priests can also bring it with their Misery, but the fact that having the debuff up improves your own damage means you’ll constantly be casting it — even if you don’t have to be the one to deliver it.

Debuff that increases spell damage by 13% (does not stack) – Earth and Moon
Blizzard thought we needed even more usefulness, so they gave us the necessary 13 percent spell damage debuff. Previously available only to Warlocks (Curse of the Elements), it is now also available to Unholy Death Knights (Ebon Plaguebringer). The good news is that we’re great at using it since we do it automatically as part of our DPS rotation. DKs are better at using it in AoE due to Pestilence, but it’ll be your duty most of the time — especially in 10-man raids.

3% haste (does not stack) – Better Moonkin Form
Blizzard apparently believed our utility was insufficient! Boomkins are one of two specs in the game that may provide your raid this brand-new haste benefit, the other being Ret Paladins with Swift Retribution. Our version, on the other hand, is far superior, as the talent increases our individual damage while doing nothing for Rets — implying that this fantastic benefit is all your domain!

Hurricane has a 20% attack speed slow debuff that does not stack.
When Hurricane had a 1-minute cooldown, its attack speed decrease component was more or less a joke – no one in their right mind would regard it as a significant benefit. However, now that its cooldown has expired and you may spam it as often as you want, the fact that it provides this useful small debuff is really a huge benefit for us, as you can passively aid your tank survive perilous AoE circumstances.

Conclusion

This tutorial should have given you a basic idea of what it’s like to play Boomkin in Wrath! It is undoubtedly one of the most gratifying specs to play, so we hope you read the remainder of the tutorial and can finally decide whether a Boomie is the right fit for you!