Balance Druid DPS Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Bora 93 comments
General Information

On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of your Balance Druid in both single-target and multiple-target situations. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc. in order to minmax your DPS. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Balance Druid rotation.

1.

Balance Druid Rotation Introduction

Balance Druid gameplay is a standard build and spend class with a predictable cadence to their rotation.

At the start of combat or with each use or proc of Celestial Alignment Icon Celestial Alignment / Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune, you choose between either Solar or Lunar Eclipse Icon Eclipse. To enter Solar Eclipse, you must cast two Starfire Icon Starfires, and to enter Lunar Eclipse, you need to cast two Wrath Icon Wrath.

From there on, you build Astral Power using the appropriate filler. In Solar Eclipse Icon Eclipse, you cast Wrath Icon Wrath to gain Astral Power and, in Lunar Eclipse, you cast Starfire Icon Starfire. Each Eclipse lasts 15 seconds. Eclipse uptime is incredibly important, and you should aim to be inside Eclipse as often as you can.

On single-target, you will use Starsurge Icon Starsurge, which costs 40 Astral Power. On multi-target, you want to be casting Starfall Icon Starfall, which costs 50 Astral Power. Some spells reduce the cost of these abilities, such as Rattle the Stars Icon Rattle the Stars and Elune's Guidance Icon Elune's Guidance.

Keep your DoTs up on all targets to activate your Mastery bonus. Use cooldowns optimally, either on cooldown or when there is a better moment.

If you are just getting started, follow this basic priority list:

  1. Apply and maintain Moonfire Icon Moonfire and Sunfire Icon Sunfire
  2. Enter Eclipse or cast Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune
  3. On 1 and 2 targets, use Wrath Icon Wrath to generate Astral Power. If you are in Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune, you cast Wrath on 3 targets.
  4. On 3 or more targets, use Starfire Icon Starfire to generate Astral Power. If you are in Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune, you cast Starfire Icon Starfire on 4 targets or more.
  5. On single target, spend Astral Power using Starsurge Icon Starsurge. On multi-target, spend Astral Power using Starfall Icon Starfall.
  6. Use other cooldowns as they are available or when optimal. Do not lose a use.

This is the core of the Balance Druid rotation, even though it is listed as the basic priority list. Once you have down the basics, you will focus on cooldown usage and buff management and learning the best ways to maintain high uptime on the important buffs.

1.1.

Balance Druid Eclipse Priority

Balance Druid enters their Eclipse state based on target count. This means targets that you can hit with your filler spells, Wrath Icon Wrath and Starfire Icon Starfire. Follow the Eclipse rules outlined below:

  • On 2 or less targets, enter Solar Eclipse
  • On 3 or more targets, enter Lunar Eclipse

Remember, if there are 10 targets, but you can only cleave 2 of them, you would enter Solar Eclipse to generate more Astral Power.

1.1.1.

Warrior of Elune Usage

Warrior of Elune Icon Warrior of Elune is used to enter Solar Eclipse quickly. You want to use 2 charges to enter Solar Eclipse and then hold the last charge for mobility or when you are inside Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune. Otherwise, let the final charge expire.

1.2.

Balance Druid Opener and Cooldown Usage

Below, we will go over the Balance Druid Opening Rotation. This can also be used as a cooldown priority list. Please note that from max range, Wrath Icon Wrath has a 4-second travel time.

Use the buttons below to select how a talent changes your basic rotation:

  • Show Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature
  • Show Stellar Flare Icon Stellar Flare
  • Show Wild Mushroom Icon Wild Mushroom
  • Show Astral Communion Icon Astral Communion
  • Show Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits
  • Show New Moon Icon New Moon
  • Show Fury of Elune Icon Fury of Elune
  1. At 2 seconds on the pull timer, start pre-casting two Wrath Icon Wraths.
  2. Apply or maintain your Moonfire Icon Moonfire and Sunfire Icon Sunfire. Reapply these DoTs when they have 30% remaining on their duration.
  3. Use Celestial Alignment Icon Celestial Alignment or Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune.
  4. Drink your Potion
  5. Cast Starsurge Icon Starsurge on single target and Starfall Icon Starfall on multiple targets. Do not cap Astral Power.
  6. Cast Wrath Icon Wrath on 3 or less targets.
  7. Cast Starfire Icon Starfire on 4 or more targets.

Cooldown usage should be prioritized inside cooldowns, but the same logic applies when used outside of the most optimal scenarios.

2.

Optimizing Talent Choices

Balance Druid is more of a priority system rather than a hard set rotation. Making active decisions as to when you want to use each talent and what you want to focus on in each encounter can affect how you play. This section will dive into some things of note for several important talents.

2.1.

Primordial Arcanic Pulsar

Primordial Arcanic Pulsar Icon Primordial Arcanic Pulsar should be proced using Starsurge Icon Starsurge unless affected by a Starweaver Icon Starweaver buff.

2.2.

Warrior of Elune

Warrior of Elune Icon Warrior of Elune can be used on single-target fights at the loss of Starfall Icon Starfall and Aetherial Kindling Icon Aetherial Kindling. You want to use this to enter Solar Eclipse instead of hard casting Starfire Icon Starfire. Save the leftover charges for the following Eclipse cycle or for a Primordial Arcanic Pulsar Icon Primordial Arcanic Pulsar proc or cooldown usage.

2.3.

Starlord

Starlord Icon Starlord is the main buff that you work your Astral Power expenditure around. You want to maintain this in two ways. First, you need to have a high overall uptime on this buff, and secondly, you want the bulk of your buff to be at 3-stacks. This means you should be pooling Astral Power for when your buff ends.

2.4.

Solstice, Balance of All Things, and Nature's Grace

Solstice Icon Solstice and Balance of All Things Icon Balance of All Things trigger their effects at the start of the Eclipse and Nature's Grace Icon Nature's Grace triggers at the end of each Eclipse. Here are some tips on how to play around with these talents:

  • Cast a Wrath Icon Wrath to finish as your current Eclipse ends. This lets you get immediately into the next Eclipse.
  • Solstice Icon Solstice generates a good amount of Astral Power at the start of an Eclipse. Try to go into each Eclipse with between 70 and 80 Astral Power to not overcap to excess Shooting Stars Icon Shooting Stars procs.
  • Balance of All Things Icon Balance of All Things does not need to be prioritized over other buffs such as Starlord Icon Starlord and Rattle the Stars Icon Rattle the Stars.
2.5.

Convoke the Spirits

Always try to overlap Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits with Celestial Alignment Icon Celestial Alignment / Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune as well as the buff from Balance of All Things Icon Balance of All Things.

Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits has a 45-yard range from the center of any target's hitbox. This means for larger bosses, max range Convoke the Spirits may end up whiffing all Balance spells if you are too far away.

With Elune's Guidance Icon Elune's Guidance talented, melee Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits is less consistent than ranged Convoke. Avoid being in melee if possible, or you are more likely to lose a Balance-specific catch. This is a minor point but something to avoid if possible.

If you are using Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits on multiple targets, cast Convoke before casting other Starfall Icon Starfalls to raise the chance that you will cast a free Starfall.

3.

Cooldown Usage for Balance Druids

Balance Druid has quite a few cooldown options in Dragonflight. The main cooldown that we refer to in this guide is Celestial Alignment Icon Celestial Alignment, which can be upgraded by another talent called Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune. You often want to use these immediately every time they come off cooldown as you want to get as many usages as possible.

Cooldowns should be stacked together. If you can use Celestial Alignment Icon Celestial Alignment and other cooldowns, such as Convoke the Spirits Icon Convoke the Spirits or Fury of Elune Icon Fury of Elune at the same time, it will make those other cooldowns stronger as well. These buttons are supposed to do the most damage per press compared to the spells you can always cast.

Some cooldowns come in the form of charge-based spells, such as Wild Mushroom Icon Wild Mushroom and New Moon Icon New Moon. You should not let these cap their charges, as that is the same as another spell being off cooldown and not being used. Keep their charges rolling even if it is not the most efficient use of your time.

4.

Changelog

  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 08 Dec. 2023: Updated mention of Rattle the Stars buff.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.2
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 08 May 2023: Updated with May 9th Hotfixes.
  • 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.0.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Updated some sections to maintain consistency. Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Updated for T29 Tier Set.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 15 Nov. 2022: Updated talent recommendations.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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