PvE Balance Druid

Balance specialization for Druids in Mists of Pandaria is a DPS specialization focusing on alternating between two states of Eclipse, dealing Arcane & Nature depending on which state they find themselves in.

Balance Druids in MoP Classic are one of the few specializations that didn’t receive a massive overhaul. Instead, they maintained the old playstyle and received a few overall tweaks. Cycling through Lunar Eclipse and Solar Eclipse remains the core of their gameplay, with a few new additions, such as Astral Communion and Omens, making things smoother for them.

They gain powerful abilities through the Talent System overhaul and baseline new spells. Heart of the Wild, Dream of Cenarius, and Nature’s Vigil are new effects gained through overhauled talents, while Celestial Alignment is their new big damage button besides Starfall. In addition, a new mechanic, Symbiosis, allows them to gain many effects from their allies while granting them some in return.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• Strong Damage Output
  Balance Druids are not necessarily the best casters in MoP, yet their Damage Output is strong thanks to the changes. They can dish out impressive damage with enough gear, and proper use of Celestial Alignment & Eclipse states management.

• Strong Utility & Off-Healing
  One of the strongest points of Balance Druids is their incredible Utility & Off-Healing potential. Their kit contains impressive spells such as Typhoon, Ursol’s Vortex, Rebirth, Innervate, Wild Mushrooms, Cyclone, Nature’s Swiftness, Healing Touch, Remove Corruption, and Mark of the Wild. They also gain a massive variety of additional spells through Symbiosis.

• Great Mobility
  With new tools such as Feline Swiftness or Displacer Beast in addition to the old Dash, Balance Druids benefit from extreme mobility in MoP Classic.

Weaknesses

• Stat & Gear Dependent
  Balance Druids are one of the worst caster specializations when under-geared, being very dependent on high amounts of Haste & Critical Strike Chance and Spell Power to perform properly. The specialization can feel underwhelming and not fun to play without the proper gear.

• Not Beginner Friendly
  Compared to other easier specializations, Balance Druids suffer from a more complicated playstyle where they must cycle through different states and spells to perform correctly continuously. Due to this mechanic, they also have to properly time their Burst, which can be challenging to execute.

Best Races

While racial effects were extremely important in the previous versions of WoW their importance has been overall reduced in MoP Classic, with the effects now acting as slight bonuses instead of actual game-changing mechanics. Trolls are the only exception for this due to the Berserking active effect, which is very strong for casters.

Horde

The best race for Balance Druid for Horde is Troll with Regeneration/Berserking. Tauren is the only other viable option, but it doesn’t grant any special benefits to the Balance specialization.

• Troll: Berserking, Da Voodoo Shuffle, Regeneration, Beast Slaying, Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization.
• Tauren: Endurance, Cultivation, Nature Resistance, War Stomp.

Alliance

The best Alliance race for Balance Druid is Worgen due to Viciousness. Night Elf is the other viable option, although it doesn’t grant any specific benefit for the Balance specialization.

• Worgen: Darkflight, Flayer, Viciousness, Aberration.
• Night Elf: Elusiveness, Quickness, Shadowmeld, Wisp Spirit, Nature Resistance.