Balance Druid DPS Easy Mode — Shadowlands 9.2

This page is intended for players who are new to the game or class, have no intentions of raiding Mythic difficulty, or simply want a more straightforward way to play their specialization without being overwhelmed by the numerous subtleties and active abilities that need to be taken into consideration for optimal play.

Balance Druid is a caster specialization that deals good single and multi-target DPS, but has a slightly difficult/demanding rotation which when optimized requires some pre-planning or memorization of the flow to master.

Your main goal for maximum DPS is Astral Power management. The difference between having Astral Power for Starfall and not or not being able to frontload Starsurges is large one.

For more information about your spells and their interactions, please refer to our spell summary page.

The following talent choices are effectively best in all situations but some niche situations.

• Level 15: Nature's Balance
• Level 25: Wild Charge
• Level 30: Guardian Affinity
• Level 35: Mighty Bash
• Level 40: Incarnation: Chosen of Elune (single-target) Soul of the Forest (multiple targets)
• Level 45: Stellar Drift
• Level 50: Fury of Elune

If you are looking for a more detailed analysis of each talent and the situations in which it could be taken, check out the full talents page below.

Currently, you will want to prioritize stats as follows:

1. Intellect;
2. Mastery;
3. Haste;
4. Versatility;
5. Critical Strike.

Stats for Balance Druid are straightforward and consistent in most situations, but for more details on how each stat interacts with our abilities and how stat weights can change, head to the full stats page on the link below.

The general Balance Druid rotation is based on the following priority list. This is the priority for single target. Solar is the prefered single target Eclipse state.

1. Cast two ( Wrath or Starfire) to enter an Eclipse state. If you can choose, pick Lunar for multi-target and Solar for single target.
2. Apply and maintain Moonfire, Sunfire, and Stellar Flare (if talented) on the target(s).
3. Cast Starsurge when available. This stacks up damage for your filler.
4. Cast any remaining short Cooldowns such as Fury of Elune, Warrior of Elune, or Force of Nature.
5. Cast the filler that is empowered by your current Eclipse and try to fill up your Astral Power for the next Eclipse.

Aim to be inside an Eclipse state at all times during your rotation.

1. Maintain Starfall to consume Astral Power.
2. Cast two unempowered fillers ( Wrath or Starfire) to enter the appropriate Eclipse state.
3. Cast Sunfire on all targets.
4. When inside Solar Eclipse, cast Moonfire on all targets.
5. Keep Fury of Elune (if talented) on cooldown.
6. Cast Starsurge when available. Always keep enough Astral Power for Starfall when its low duration.
7. Cast the filler that is empowered by your current Eclipse and try to fill up your Astral Power for the next Eclipse.

For the more specific information related to Legendary, Talent, and Covenant choice, head over to our comprhensive Rotation page.

The two major recommended Covenants for Patch 9.1.5 are Venthyr and Night Fae. Venthyr offers an all around best throughput of all Balance Druid Covenants but Night Fae offers a relatively competitive second option that is easier to play.

The Venthyr Covenant ability is actually pretty mediocre on its own. Ravenous Frenzy grants a buff which stacks up upon each cast increasing Haste and damage. The 20-second duration is not long enough or powerful enough on its own but when combined with the new Sinful Hysteria Legendary it becomes quite a powerhouse in its own right. Sinful Hysteria increases the duration of your Covenant ability by .1 seconds per cast and then has a lingering effect for -seconds which further increases your damage and Haste.

The two desired soulbinds are Theotar and Nadjia. Both soulbinds mainly provide large secondary stat injections in the form of passives like Soothing Shade or Thrill Seeker and both have advantages and disadvantages associated with them. For a basic Soulbind choice, Theotar is great for beginners.

Night Fae remains a competitve option due to its strong Covenant ability, Convoke the Spirits. Convoke provides a high burst of up front damage as it casts anywhere from 10-11 Balance Druid offensive spells over the 4-second channel duration. This is a good choice for those already familiar with the Covenant or beginners as it is less punishing than the Venthyr option.

Night Fae has one real Soulbind option and that is Niya. Niya's main attraction is the Mastery proc in Grove Invigoration which synergizes well by providing Convoke the Spirits a large Mastery boost on each use. There are scenarios where you can also run Korayn but those are all incredibly niche situations where you have frequent waves of enemies to sustain the First Strike buff. Check out Niya's basic Soulbind below. You can swap to Niya's Tools: Burrs for single-target.

You can read more about all of the Covenants on the Covenant page.

Balance Druid has a several strong Conduit choices in all three Conduit pools. Some of these Conduits are mandatory and some are just really good and we will list out the important Potency Conduits first:

• Endless Thirst is a required Potency Conduit for Venthyr. This adds Critical Strike to your stacks of Ravenous Frenzy.
• Conflux of Elements is required for Night Fae. This is just a flat damage increase during every Convoke the Spirits
• Precise Alignment is almost always the secondary option for Venthyr Balance Druids as it helps keep both Ravenous Frenzy and our cooldown in sync for their durations.
• Fury of the Skies is your second best non-Venthyr option and your third best Venthyr option which is really just good in all situations as your DoTs should always be up on their targets.

Some of the more notable Endurance Conduits are:

• Well-Honed Instincts is basically a no-brainer as it provides a substansal amount of survivability through its self-healing capabilities.
• While the rest are normally more niche, Tough as Bark is a secondary default choice as you can normally find times where you would like your damage reduction cooldown up more often.

And some of the more notable Finesse Conduits are:

• Front of the Pack is a good default selection as Stampeding Roar is a powerful raid or party utility option and making it more accessible and longer duration is a nice bonus.
• Born Anew provides bonuses better than that of the standard Well Fed buff. If you are going to take this, better have your Rebirth keybind ready to go.

You will unlock the new Unity power fairly quickly into Patch 9.2, which will always be your current Covenant's Legendary Power. This will change based on your currently selected Covenant.

Patch 9.2 allows you to always equip your Covenant Legendary Power once unlocked for two total Legendaries. You will always pair this with Primordial Arcanic Pulsar especially once you unlock set bonuses. If you are just starting out, for Venthyr you can still craft Sinful Hysteria if you do not want to wait for the free one. You unlock this at Renown 48 with the Venthyr covenant.

If you want to wait or are playing a different Covenant, craft Primordial Arcanic Pulsar, looted from the Wrath of the Jailer event in The Maw and craft it in the ring slot. Mastery and Haste are the preferred stats to accompany your Legendary. Pulsar is just a great Legendary for all content and there are no drawbacks in making this your prioritized first upgrade.

You can read more about all of the Legendaries and alternate recommendations for each style of content on the Legendaries page.