Popular Talent Specs

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To pick the talent spec that's right for you, first you want to figure out what you would like to focus on in the game. Is it PVP that you crave? Or being a healbot? Maybe a little of both? Or maybe you would just like to be a great soloer. The 3 druid trees offer you all of these choices and more. Below I list some of the most popular druid talent specs as of patch 1.8.

The format is always Balance/Feral/Restoration

-Moonkin Nuker Spec-
Spec Variation(s): 31/0/20 to 41/0/10

You should use this spec if you primarily use moonkin as your method of killing. For this spec you'd need at least 31 points in balance for moonkin form, of course, although you might want to have more than 31 points as there are a lot of worthy talents. You should not waste any points in feral at all, as feral has no talents that would help moonkin. Restoration, on the other hand, have talents that will help you stay alive longer, which is a plus for any spec.

Suggested Balance Talents:
~ Imp Wrath: Faster cast is a plus.
~ Nature's Grasp/Imp: If you are nuking you'd like your opponents to stay a distance away.
~ Imp Roots: Roots is castable in moonkin form, again to keep your opponents away.
~ Imp Moonfire: +dmg/crit to one of your primary damage spells.
~ Nature's Reach: Longer range on your balance spells.
~ Vengeance: +dmg bonus to your balance spells.
~ Imp Starfire: Less casting time and chance to stun for one of your most damaging spell.
~ Nature's Grace: Less casting time for all your spells with each spell critical.
~ Moonglow: Less mana cost for your spells.
~ Moonfury: More dmg with spells.

Suggested Restoration Talents:
~ Imp MOTW: More armor, stats, and resist.
~ Nature's Focus: Avoid interruption while healing. Since you can't get NS with the moonkin spec, this talent will help a lot.
~ Imp Healing Touch: Less casting time for HT.
~ Tranquil Spirit: Reduces cost of mana for heals.
~ Imp Rejuv: Increases effect of Rejuv.

PROS:
~ Access to all shapeshifting forms in the game.
~ +3% spell critical rate for you and party members in moonkin form.
~ Moonkin form increases your armor by 360%.
~ Moonkin form can use items, trinkets, drink, etc.
~ Moonkin form can dance.

CONS:
~ Frequently nicknamed "OOMKin" (OOM = Out of mana). Must use mana to do damage.
~ Damage still not great without a lot of +dmg gear, most of which are cloth, and if you wear cloth you won't receive much armor bonus from the 360% bonus for moonkin.
~ Cannot heal in moonkin form.
~ Not many defensive mechanisms therefore not great for PVP.
~ No Nature's Swiftness

-Shapeshifter Spec-
Spec Variation(s): 31/20/0

This spec enhances your feral abilities and lets you get moonkin form as well. For those who wants all of the shapeshifting forms (and be viable with all of them), this spec is for you. You need 31 points in balance to get moonkin form, which leaves 20 for feral. Luckily there are some very good top 4 tier feral talents.

Suggested Balance Talents:
~ Nature's Grasp/Imp: Shapeshift to moonkin after rooting and nuke away.
~ Natural Weapons/Omen of Clarity: These work for physical attacks and therefore is great for shapeshifters who plan to at least use bear/cat form sometimes.
~ Natural Shapeshifter: Reduces the mana cost of shapeshifting. A must for shapeshifters.
~ Imp Moonfire: +dmg/crit to one of your primary damage spells.
~ Vengeance: +dmg bonus to your balance spells.
~ Imp Starfire: Less casting time and chance to stun for one of your most damaging spell.
~ Nature's Grace: Less casting time for all your spells with each spell critical.
~ Moonglow: Less mana cost for your spells.
~ Moonfury: More dmg with spells.

PROS:
~ Access to all shapeshifting forms in the game.
~ Viable in all shapeshifting forms.
~ + all the pros of moonkin form (see above).

CONS:
~ Cannot heal in feral forms (except frenzied regen - self heal).
~ No restoration talents makes you a sub-par healing at best.
~ No Nature's Swiftness

-All-Out Feral PVP Spec-
Spec Variation(s): 14/32/5

This spec maxes out your damage in feral forms and lets you get some of the best talents for a feral pvp druid.

Suggested Balance Talents:
~ Nature's Grasp/Imp: Great for PVP against melee.
~ Natural Weapons/Omen of Clarity: +10% dmg for all physical attacks and sometimes lets you use abilities for free.
~ Natural Shapeshifter: Reduces the mana cost of shapeshifting. A must for shapeshifters.

Suggested Feral Talents:
~ Ferocity: Less rage/energy cost for certain abilities and that equals more DPS.
~ Feral Aggression: More dmg for cat DD finisher and more reduction of atk power in bear form.
~ Brutal Impact: Longer stuns for bash/pounce. Great for PVP.
~ Feline Swiftness: +4% dodge and +30% run speed (outdoors) in cat form.
~ Feral Charge: Catch runners/interrupts spells.
~ Sharpened Claws: +6% critical strike chance in cat/bear.
~ Predatory Strikes: Increases attack power by 90 (at level 60).
~ Blood Frenzy: Builds combo points in cat form faster.
~ Primal Fury: Builds rage faster in bear form.
~ Savage Fury: Several important bear/cat form abilities do more dmg.
~ Faerie Fire (Feral): Decreases armor of mobs in feral forms and prevents target from stealthing.
~ Heart of the Wild: +20% intellect/+20% stamina in bear/+20% strength in cat
~ Leader of the Pack: +3% melee/ranged crit for you and your teammates.

Suggested Restoration Talents:
~ Furor: Lets you gain 10 rage or 40 energy upon shapeshifting to respective forms. Important in PVP where you don't have much time to spare.

PROS:
~ Maximum dmg in cat/bear forms.
~ Most of your damage done will not cost mana (using feral forms).
~ Can absorb a lot of hits and do great damage in bear form.

CONS:
~ No PVE talents, but can make a good tank.
~ No restoration talents makes you a sub-par healing at best, thought HotW helps.
~ No Nature's Swiftness

-Tank Spec-
Spec Variation(s):11/39/0 - 14/36/0

This spec focuses primarily on making your bear form a great tank. It somewhat enhances cat form as well due to the talent overlap. The point of this spec is to get all the talents that increases damage and aggro caused in bear form.

Suggested Balance Talents:
~ Nature's Grasp/Imp: More useful than improved wrath, but tier 1 balance talents are not extremely important for tanking.
~ Natural Weapons/Omen of Clarity: Increases physical dmg done and sometimes lets you use an ability for free.
~ Imp Thorns: More dmg reflected backhelps tanking, especially versus multiple targets.

Suggested Feral Talents:
~ Ferocity: Less rage/energy cost for certain abilities and that equals more DPS.
~ Feral Aggression: More reduction of atk power to mobs.
~ Feral Instinct: 15% more aggro caused in bear form.
~ Feral Charge: Catch runners/interrupts spells and immobilizes mobs that may be heading towards your teammates.
~ Thick Hide: More armor equals more dmg reduction.
~ Sharpened Claws: +6% critical strike chance in cat/bear.
~ Predatory Strikes: Increases attack power by 90 (at level 60).
~ Primal Fury: Builds rage faster in bear form.
~ Savage Fury: Bear form abilities that causes threat (maul, etc) does more dmg.
~ Faerie Fire (Feral): Decreases armor of mobs, lets you dmg them more.
~ Heart of the Wild: +20% stamina for you in bear form.
~ Leader of the Pack: +3% melee/ranged crit for you and your teammates.

PROS:
~ Makes you an extremely viable tank.
~ This spec lets your bear form do the most damage possible.
~ Gives +3% melee/ranged crit for you as well as your teammates.
~ Unlike warriors, you can heal yourself via frenzied regeneration.
~ Heart of the Wild also gives you +20% intellect for caster form.

CONS:
~ No restoration talents makes you a sub-par healer at best, though HotW helps.
~ The demand for druid tankers are relatively low (most groups still want warriors).
~ No Nature's Swiftness

-Feral with Nature's Swftness Spec-
Spec Variation(s): 0/30/21

This spec is great for those who want to rely on cat/bear forms most of the time but also would like to be a primary healer in instances. Some also pick this spec because they like the "free life" that Nature's Swiftness provides. This spec is also excellent for PVP, and many players think that NS is a "must" for PVP.

Suggested Restoration Talents:
~ Imp MOTW: More armor, stats, and resist.
~ Furor: Lets you gain 10 rage or 40 energy upon shapeshifting to respective forms. Important in PVP where you don't have much time to spare.
~ Imp Healing Touch: Less casting time for HT.
~ Improved Enrage: Instantly use bash or feral charge.
~ Insect Swarm: Secondary DoT plus -2% chance to hit on target. Low mana cost.
~ Imp Rejuv: Increases effect of Rejuv.
~ Nature's Swiftness: Instant 2,000 HP heal at level 60. Great for PVE and PVP alike.

PROS:
~ Makes you a decent tank and decent healer.
~ NS gives you a free "second life"
~ HotW as well as restoration talents help you in your primary healing role.

CONS:
~ No nature's grasp and therefore have difficulty rooting.
~ Full feral spec but no Leader of the Pack (+3% melee/ranged crit to you and party members).

-Healbot Spec-
Spec Variation(s): 5/11/35 - 14/6/31 - x/y/31+

The point of this spec is to get innervate, NS, and imp regrowth, 3 of the best talents in Restoration. What you get from the other 2 trees depends on what else you want to do, but you would go this spec primarily for innervate and healing in 20-40 man raid instances.

Suggested Balance Talents:
~ Nature's Grasp/Imp: If you are healing you'd like your opponents to stay a distance away.
~ Natural Weapons/Omen of Clarity: Increases physical dmg done and sometimes lets you use an ability for free.
~ Imp Roots: Roots is castable in moonkin form, again to keep your opponents away.
~ Imp Moonfire: +dmg/crit to one of your primary damage spells.

Suggested Feral Talents:
~ Thick Hide: More defense in bear form in case you get aggro while healing.
~ Feral Aggression: More reduction of atk power in bear form in case you get aggro.
~ Brutal Impact: Longer stuns for bash/pounce.
~ Feline Swiftness: +4% dodge and +30% run speed (outdoors) in cat form.
~ Feral Charge: Catch runners/interrupts spells.

Suggested Restoration Talents:
~ Imp MOTW: More armor, stats, and resist.
~ Imp Healing Touch: Less casting time for HT.
~ Nature's Focus: 70% chance to avoid interruption
~ Imp Rejuv: Increases effect of Rejuv.
~ Reflection: Allows 15% of your mana to regenerate during casting.
~ Subtlety: Reduces the threat of your healing spells.
~ Nature's Swiftness: Instant 2,000 HP heal at level 60. Great for PVE and PVP alike.
~ Tranquil Spirit: Reduces mana cost of all your healing spells by 10%.
~ Imp Tranquility: Reduces threat of Tranquility.
~ Gift of Nature: +10% to all of your healing spell effects.
~ Imp Regrowth: Increases critical spell chance of regrowth by 50%.
~ Innervate: Regenerates mana at 400% normal rate for 20 sec (100% while casting).

PROS:
~ Makes you an awesome healer.
~ Highly desired by end-game raiding guilds if you have innervate.
~ NS and innervate makes you great in pvp versus multiple opponents.

CONS:
~ Innervate and NS can be purged.
~ Bear and cat form DPS sucks compared to feral specced druids.
~ Takes longer to kill mobs.

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