WoW Classic Level 29 Twink Druid Guide

Druids, especially at this and the next level bracket, are the unbridled masters of both Capture the Flag and telling Mages no.  Their shifting abilities make them virtually immune to Polymorph and their Cat Form’s extra speed with talents makes them the fastest things out in a Battleground and thus, the best Flag Carriers (FC) at this level.  They’re also still the most changeable and versatile Class in all of World of Warcraft.

Contents

• Races:  What races are allowed to play as Druids and what racial traits do they bring to the table?
• Professions:  Which professions are the best for a level 29 Twink and what benefits to they confer?
• Spells and Abilities:  At level 29, what spells and abilities are available to a Druid and how best can they be employed for Twinking?
• Talents:  Which talents are the most appropriate for a level 29 Druid engaging in PvP and are there multiple builds.
• Gear:  What is the Best in Slot (BiS) gear for a level 29 Druid Twink and where can you get it?
• Buffs:  Which potions, elixirs, scrolls and other consumables are available to a level 29 Druid, and where can you find them?

Races

The great thing about Druids being limited to only one race per faction is that your choice of race is simple: play the race that your Main is on, or the one that all of your friends play on.  Easy Peasy.

Here’s a short description of the racial traits that are useful to a Twink Druid by faction.

Alliance

Night Elf:  Quickness and Nature Resistance are great for a bit of added, diverse protection and are useful to all classes, especially those that are going to run into a variety of situations like the Druid will.

Horde

Tauren:  Like the Night Elf, Tauren have Nature Resistance  and it’s still as good in this entry as it was in theirs.  War Stomp is a great ability that will keep pursuers off your back while you are running flags, or just trying to escape a situation.  The real thing to write home about for the Tauren though, is Endurance.  5% might not seem like a lot of health, but rest assured, it is.  It really is.

The most obvious choice is clearly Tauren, just because of the added health, not to mention that all of their abilities are useful at this level.  You’ll also likely want to factor in what you’re going to want to be looking at every time you play – a big cow person, or a purple elf.  It is a rough choice, to be sure.

Professions

There are a lot of professions to choose from, which can make deciding which ones to go with hard.  Fortunately, one of the coolest professions is also an absolute necessity for a Twink of any class. Engineering.  There are a plethora of gadgets, devices and bombs that are extremely useful within Battlegrounds and you won’t want to miss out on them.

While Engineering is a necessity, you’re other Profession is also important.  Which ones you’ll be interested in will largely depend on your class. Druids, for example might take Leatherworking, to offset the cost of some Pre BiS gear and make leveling a bit easier.

What follows is a description of each of the Professions that should be of interest to a level 29 Twink and why.

Engineering:  For any Twink, at almost any level, Engineering is an absolute must.  Between the CC benefits of certain bombs like the Mithril Frag Bomb (the stun effect of which can work against even level 60 characters), to the utility of items like the Parachute Cloak and the clear advantage of devices like the Discombobulator Ray, there are some clear benefits to be had.

And don’t discount some of the lower level items!  Druids, in particular, gain a distinct psychological edge from the Minor Recombobulator, because they possess a natural counter to Polymorph effects.  Mage’s seldom try to Polymorph Druids for this reason. Having this on your person means that, at least the first time a Mage tries to, they can neither sheep you, nor your ally, and it drives them insane.

Not to mention all of the cute pets you can craft now!

Enchanting:  Enchanting is probably the best choice for players who are not supporting their Twink with another character.  It has few expensive reagents that must be gathered and it offers lucrative selling opportunities with the many materials you will acquire from breaking down all of the Green and Blue items you do not need.  It can also offset the cost of enchanting some, as higher level enchanters are sometimes on the lookout for lower level materials.

Alchemy:  If you are being supplied herbs and reagents by another character, then Alchemy can be an extremely useful Profession to endeavor upon.  The ability to simply have the many potions and elixirs that offer decided advantages in PvP at this bracket, instead of having to go shop for them, almost pays for itself.

Other Professions

The gathering Professions are not at all useful to a Twink Druid.  Herbalism, Mining, and Skinning should be avoided entirely, unless you are hoping to compliment your Engineering with Mining and take some pressure off of the character supporting your Twink.  Tailoring and Blacksmithing are both useless to a Druid as well, so that leaves only Leatherworking as a viable remaining option and it’s not a bad choice, as you can craft your own Pre BiS armor as well as some of your actual BiS armor.

Secondary Skills

Cooking:  Cooking has but one benefit to any Twink at any level bracket.  The Well Fed Buff.  The food that offers the highest possible Well Fed bonus at this level, while also being the easiest to acquire, is Soothing Turtle Bisque, which gives a +8 bonus.  You can get the recipe to cook these food from Kelsey Yance in Booty Bay.  Some players may wish to go for the Giant Clam Scorcho, as it is acquired through a faction based cooking quest.  This is still viable, but is more complicated to acquire than the Turtle Bisque.  The choice is, of course, yours.

First Aid:  The only thing to worry about here is to get your First Aid maxed as high as it will go, so that you can use the Heavy Runecloth Bandage, which can heal you almost completely full with just one bandage.  To do this, you will need the three books Expert First Aid – Under Wraps, Manual: Heavy Silk Bandage and Manual: Mageweave Bandage.  The only trouble is that, because you still can’t get your Secondary Skills up to 300 yet, you’ll have to find someone to craft the bandages for you.  Alternatively, you could simply purchase them off of the AH.

Fishing:  This skill is not as important at this level bracket, but it’s still a great way to increase your income, especially while you’re bored and waiting around near some water.  Take any opportunity you can to fish, because each time you fish is a chance to catch a rare fish that can earn you some good money.

Spells and Abilities

At this level the Druid truly has an impressive array of abilities at their disposal.  Some of these abilities are the best to be had for PvP, which is why Druids do so very well in this bracket.  Here, the name of the Druid game is Capture The Flag and Druids are the best at it.

The following is a list of all of the PvP relevant abilities available to a Druid at level 29.  They breakdown into three basic categories: Balance, Feral Combat and Healing.

Balance

• Nature’s Grasp:  Easily your most useful ability aside from being able to shape shift, this spell gives you a buff that entangles attackers a percentage of the time.  This percentage can be raised through other talents and it is advised that these talents be taken.
• Moonfire:  Your most damaging spell and an instant, so it’s great for a sudden burst of damage.  Really good to pop right at the end of spells with a casting time, like Starfire.
• Entangling Roots:  One of your more important abilities in PvP, where half of the Druid’s job is CC.  Really fun to cast on someone right before you shift to Cat Form and bug out.
• Starfire:  Likely your workhorse in a fight, when you’re not simply running away with a flag.
• Thorns:  Not the best buff in the world, but anything that does constant damage to an attacker, with no action on the recipient’s part is a good thing.  Make sure your Tank gets this at the start of a fight, especially a long one.
• Wrath:  While not your most damaging spell, a 2 second casting time and a relatively low mana cost makes this a great choice to cast a lot, especially when you can’t cast anything else.
• Hibernate:  While not having gained an upgrade since level 19, this ability is still none the less extremely potent and should not be discounted.  Neutralizing an enemy for 20 seconds is an incredible advantage in a battle.
• Faerie Fire:  Preventing other stealth classes from using stealth is an amazing ability and The lowered armor doesn’t hurt either.  Also, at level 25 you gain the ability to cast this in any of your animal forms. Allowing you to cast this on the fly as you race past in Cat Form.
• Teleport: Moonglade:  This is an extremely useful spell, not only in it’s obvious practical utility, but also as a tactical retreat.  Taking you out of a hairy situation and into a place of safety in just 10 seconds.

Feral Combat

• Cat Form:  Kind of the point of the whole build, right?  You can turn into a cat and do neat cat things, like Prowl and run really fast.  Also, as with all Druid Forms you break and are protected from Polymorph effects.
• Bear Form:  You’re honestly going to want to spend most of your time in Cat Form in a Battleground, so there isn’t a lot of use for this, but it’s important to have it ready if you need more toughness than damage.  It can also save your life if your health is low, as the Bear Form has increased health.
• With respect to all animal forms, don’t forget to carry around a Minor Recombobulator, so that you can drive enemy Mages completely out of their minds when they realize that you can not only counter their Polymorph for yourself, but for allies too.
• Rip:  A good DoT finisher.  Not that you’ll be spending a ton of time engaged in a lot of melee, but still nothing to ignore.
• Bash:  Can only be used in Bear Form, but still a solid short term CC, which should not go unmentioned.
• Claw:  Your most basic combo builder.  The damage is solid and you don’t have to think much about what it does.
• Dash:  SO useful, especially because you’ll have taken Feline Swiftness and are already the fastest person in the Battleground.  Use when you’re being chased by a bunch of people and really irritate the crap out of them.  Oh yeah, and it doesn’t break Prowling.  You’re welcome.
• Maul:  Pretty basic short term buff.  Can be used in conjunction with other Bear Form attacks to get a big damage increase.
• Rake:  A good DoT combo builder.  Works well in tandem with Claw
• Tiger’s Fury:  Another great short term buff.  Doesn’t break stealth either, so always use it right before you spring a surprise attack.
• Swipe:  Doesn’t give a combo point, but is great for if your tank is overwhelmed and you need to hit a couple foes at once.
• Shred:  Talk about a load of damage.  This is probably your best way to start a fight in Cat Form, especially if you Tiger’s Fury up first.
• Prowl:  The Druid’s form of stealth.  So overwhelmingly important, especially in this bracket.  Interesting fact: Feline Swiftness works even while Prowling, so you will automatically still be moving around in stealth faster than any Rogue can.  Oh and don’t forget that Dash works without breaking stealth too!
• Demoralizing Roar:  A decent debuff if you can get it out there, but it might not be worth the Shift Dance if you’re not in an actual drawn out fight.

Healing

• Rejuvenation:  Not your best healing spell, but great to top off a Tank or to throw down onto a damage dealer whose taken some serious damage, but is out of danger for the moment.  Also, it’s an instant cast, so good if you need to dole out some flash healing right now.
• Healing Touch:  Your most effective and mana efficient healing spell.  A bit of a long cast time, but it’s worth it. Use when someone’s taken serious damage and looks like they’re going to take more.
• Regrowth:  Kind of your worst healing spell.  Healing Touch heals for more and does so for less Mana, though this may simply be a situation of stymied level progression, as Regrowth gets a good upgrade right at 30.  All of that aside, it’s a decent HoT, but might only be useful some of the time.
• Abolish Poison:  This spell is great, because it gives the Druid a second status effect removal.  They share this one with Shaman, but the Druid’s version is a touch better, as it can remove additional poisons applied after the initial casting.  Very effective against Rogues in particular.
• Remove Curse:  Your second status removal.  There are a few more curses out there in this bracket, so keep an eye out.
• Mark of the Wild:  The Druid’s Class Buff.  Everyone wants this one, because it stacks with a lot of other buffs, which is why you should always have it on yourself, too.  Always be Marking.
• Rebirth:  Holy crap you can resurrect in during combat!  Acquired at level 20 and not improved until the next bracket, this spell will allow you to heal in the middle of a battle.  This unique advantage comes at a cost though, as the spell has a long cooldown.  So try to only use if the healer drops, or if you know you’re otherwise not going t need to cast it again for a bit.

In the 20-29 bracket, Druids are still a Jack-of-all-Trades, but they find their niche while engaged in Flag Carrying.  If you take the right talents, you are literally the fastest player in the Battleground in Cat Form. Well…you and all the other Druids, but they will be your only other competitors.  You’re even the fastest while in stealth!  It also doesn’t preclude you from lending a helping hand when needed.  If anything, you’re even better equipped to fill in, here and there, when the need arises.  Just familiarize yourself with all of these abilities and be aware of your capabilities, and your limitations.

Talents

As previously stated, where a Twink Druid of level 29 excels is Capture the Flag.  For this reason, your choice of talents is pretty simple and straight forward.

To start, we need to focus on getting to Feline Swiftness, as this is what gives Druids their best advantage.  Max out Ferocity, followed by Thick Hide, because everyone needs more armor and damage.  Now put two points into Feline Swiftness and pause to take a look at the Balance tree.

Take the one point of Nature’s Grasp to gain the spell, then max out Improved Nature’s Grasp to ensure that anyone who dares attack you will be rooted in place.

The last three points can be placed in a few places, but it is very important that you get Feline Swiftness and Nature’s Grasp maximized to ensure you’re efficacy in PvP.  Natural Shapeshifter, Sharpened Claws and Furor are all great choices.

This is the best all around build for a Druid doing just about any kind of PvP, but especially Capture the Flag, where mobility and speed are of the essence.  A Healing spec is also viable, but is less popular if there are Paladins and/or Priests in a group.

To build the Healing spec, begin by maxing out Improved Mark of the Wild and then Improved Healing Touch.  Then continue by putting two points into Nature’s Focus to get to the next tier.  Finish by maxing out Reflection and Improved Rejuvenation.  This build will maximize your healing capabilities.

Perhaps you like to go your own way, and you only came to this guide to find the BiS gear for a Druid of level 29.  If this is the case, then venture to the Talent Calculator and try your hand at your own build.  Good luck to you if you do.

BiS Gear

Gear is just as important to a Druid as it is to any other class and if that Druid is also a Twink, even more so.  You are going to want to get all of your BiS gear, so here’s a comprehensive list of all of the best items for each slot.  More than one item on this list is a green rare drop with a specific suffix, so some of this gear will be hard to come by, or simply expensive.  Good luck in acquiring it all.

• Head
  • What:  Pathfinder Hat (of Stamina, the Monkey, the Bear)
  • Where:  Vile Sting, Thousand Needles 1.111%
• Neck
  • What:  Basalt Necklace
  • Where:  Prince Raze, Ashenvale 1.099%
• Shoulders
  • What:  Cutthroat’s Mantle (of Stamina, the Monkey, the Bear)
  • Where:  Vile Sting, Thousand Needles 1.111%
• Cloak
  • What:  Enduring Cape
  • Where:  Prince Raze, Ashenvale 1.099%
• Chest
  • What:  Raptor Hunter Tunic
  • Where:  Quest – Raptor Mastery
• Bracers
  • What:  Emissary Cuffs (of Stamina, the Monkey, the bear)
  • Where: Dark Iron Ambassador, Gnomeregan 33%
• Gloves
  • What:  Razzeric’s Racing Grips / Headhunter’s Mitts (of Stamina, the Monkey, the Bear)
  • Where:  Quest – Safety First / Giggler, Desolace 1.111%
• Belt
  • What:  Ghostwalker Belt / Moss Cinch
  • Where:  Giggler, Desolace 1.111% / Aku’mai, Blackfathom Deeps 33%
• Legs
  • What:  Triprunner Dungarees / Barbaric Leggings
  • Where:  Quests – Rig Wars (Horde), The Grand Betrayal (Alliance) / Leatherworking
• Boots
  • What:  Highlander’s Leather Boots (Alliance)/ Defiler’s Leather Boots (Horde)
  • Where:  Sold By – Samuel Hawke (Alliance)/ Rutherford Twing (Horde) – Arathi Highlands  (Requires Honored with AB factions)
• Ring One
  • What:  Basalt Ring (of Stamina, the Bear) / Demon Band
  • Where:  Vile Sting, Thousand Needles 1.111% / Thunderstomp, Barrens 1.6129%
• Ring Two
  • What:  Basalt Ring (of Stamina, the Bear) / Demon Band
  • Where:  Vile Sting, Thousand Needles 1.111% / Thunderstomp, Barrens 1.6129%
• Trinket One
  • What:  Insignia of the Alliance/Insignia of the Horde
  • Where:  Sold by:  Officer Areyn (Stormwind) / Sergeant Ba’sha (Orgrimmar)
• Trinket Two
  • What:  Defiler’s Talisman (Horde) / Talisman of Arathor (Alliance)
  • Where:  Sold By – Rutherford Twing / Samuel Hawke Arathi Highlands  (Requires Honored with AB factions)
• Main Hand
  • What:  Looming Gavel / Broad Bladed Knife / Windstorm Hammer (Horde Only)
  • Where:  Vengeful Ancient, Stonetalon Mountains 0.0045% / Sold By – Turian (Alliance) and Ott (Horde) / Ripscale, Duskwallow Marsh 1.099% / Quest – Final Passage
• Off-Hand
  • What:  Veildust Medicine Bag/Furbolg Medicine Pouch
  • Where:  Druid Quest – Curing the Sick (Alliance) and Curing the Sick (Horde)/ Gorn One Eye (Requires honored with Timbermaw Hold)
• Two Handed
  • What:  Manual Crowd Pummeler
  • Where:  Crowd Pummeler 9-60, Gnomeregan 50%

Enchantments

The enchantments for your gear are almost as important as the gear itself.  Make sure to get all of the best enchantments for each gear slot item that can be enchanted.  If your Main is not an enchanter, then acquiring these enchantments will be expensive, so keep that in mind.  Here are all of the best enchantments for a level 29 Twink Druid.

• Head:   Lesser Arcanum of Constitution
• Shoulders:   Fortitude of the Scourge
• Cloak:  Formula: Enchant Cloak – Greater Resistance/Formula: Enchant Cloak – Superior Defense
• Chest:  Enchant Chest – Greater Stats
• Bracers:   Enchant Bracer – Superior Stamina
• Gloves:  Formula: Enchant Gloves – Superior Agility
• Legs:   Lesser Arcanum of Constitution
• Boots:  Enchant Boots – Minor Speed/Enchant Boots – Greater Stamina
• Weapons:  Enchant Weapon – Agility/Enchant 2H Weapon – Agility

Buffs

There are a plethora of buffs to be had at this level and some of them are incredibly useful.  While it might seem a bit redundant to give even more versatility to a class that already has a myriad of disparate abilities, these might not always be for you.  You will largely be playing a support role when you are not running a flag, so it might be nice to have some extra buffs on hand for your compatriots. Here’s a list of all of the consumables out there that are of note to a level 29 Twink Druid.

Battle Elixirs

Elixir of Ogre’s Strength:  Not the highest of strength buffs, but the best one you’re like to find at this level.  Also, this is the only Battle Elixir that is useful to a Druid at this level as well, so you might as well use it.  Try popping it when everyone’s distracted for a scare and an easy laugh.

Guardian Elixirs

• Elixir of Wisdom:  It is doubtful that you will want to take the time to go and acquire this.  Still, if you don’t have a mage in your group and you do have one of these, use it.  6 Intellect is 6 intellect.
• Elixir of Fortitude:  Everyone likes more health.  You should too.
• Mighty Troll’s Blood Potion:  This one is good in a group to help mitigate your self healing and allow you to use the excess Mana to aid your friends.
• Elixir of Greater Defense:  This one might be better suited for some of your damage taking allies, but chances are, they’ve brought their own.  If so, use this for yourself. No adventurer of Azeroth was ever the worse for having more armor.

Potions

• Greater Healing Potion:  Healing potions are the bread and butter of any adventurer worth their salt.  You know what this is and you know when to use it.
• Mana Potion:  You can use this for yourself, or hold on to it in case an ally needs Mana later.  Your choice.
• Great Rage Potion:  This one may only be useful if you get caught in Bear Form.  Still, better to have and not need, right? Also, if you don’t need it, it’s virtually guaranteed that the Warrior will.
• Minor Rejuvenation Potion:  A hold over from the last level bracket.  This is the one you should definitely save for yourself, as few other classes will find it useful.
• Minor Magic Resistance Potion:  Another lower level item that can still prove useful.  Magical resistance across the board, no matter how little, is nothing to turn your nose up at.
• Swiftness Potion:  This potion was only kinda useful in the last bracket.  At level 29, this can, depending on the situation, send you careening across the battlefield at almost double the normal running speed.  For 15 seconds…no one can touch you.
• Jungle Remedy:  These may be less useful to you, but your allies will find them helpful when you are not around.  You’ll have to farm them in STV, or purchase them off of the AH if you want them though.
• Fire Protection Potion:  Good if you are facing Mages, or Warlocks
• Frost Protection Potion:  Best saved for when a Frost Mage is about.
• Holy Protection Potion:  Helps defend against the attacks of Paladins and Priests.
• Nature Protection Potion:  Absorbs the attacks of Shaman, enemy Druids, and the poisons and stings of Rogues and Hunters.
• Shadow Protection Potion:  Excellent defense when facing Warlocks and Shadow Priests.

Scrolls

• Scroll of Agility:  Use if you’d like to do a bit more melee crit damage.
• Scroll of Protection II:  Don’t use with the Elixir of Defense, but if you don’t have one of those, it’s pretty great.
• Scroll of Stamina:  More health and durability is always a good thing.  This might be your best choice of scrolls, in fact.
• Scroll of Strength:  This is a great one if you plan on being in Bear Form doing melee damage for a long period of time.
• Scroll of Intellect:  Great if you don’t have a Mage in the party, or if they’re busy and you want a bit more punch for your spells.
• Scroll of Spirit II:  Again, not as good as Divine Spirit, but if you don’t have a Paladin in your party and are doing a lot of healing, this is fantastic.

Team Buffs

You’re going to benefit from any class buff, really.  So make sure you get the one that fits what you are doing.  Arcane Intellect if you’re doing a lot of caster damage, or healing and Power Word: Fortitude for everything else.  Blessing of Kings is also a great buff that the Paladin gets access to at level 20.  So if you are Alliance, get it. Remember to make sure you always have Mark of the Wild active.  Always.

Other Consumables

• Soothing Turtle Bisque and Giant Clam Scorcho:  The best well fed buff at this level.  You can cook them yourself, as described above, or simply purchase them from someone who has.
• Rumsey Rum Black Label:  Being a little tipsy is a small price to pay for an extra 15 Stamina.
• Minor Wizard Oil:  These things are great, because imbues will stack with weapon enchantments.  So if you’re a caster, get this on your weapon.

Well, that’s it.  You’re now ready to build the most balanced, versatile, ready for anything Twink Druid that ever saw a Battleground.  You will dominate in Capture the Flag and your enemies will fume with rage at you, but it doesn’t matter, because they’ll never, ever catch you.  Have fun killing your friends!