Balance Druid PvP Rotation and Playstyle — The War Within (Season 1)

Last updated on Nov 22, 2024 at 13:45 by Mysticall 11 comments

PvP requires you to perform various actions in the course of a duel, match, or battleground: interrupting/silencing enemies, damaging them, bursting them down, defending yourself, keeping yourself alive, etc.. It is a game mode that fully utilizes your kit, especially spells that are rarely used in PvE. On this page, we go through all the spells you need to use in PvP as a Balance Druid, how you should use them, and we explain what your playstyle should be.

This page is part of our Balance Druid PvP Guide.

1.

Playstyle for Balance Druids

Balance Druids have two roles when in an Arena match: use your strong single target damage to pressure the enemies and use your mobility/crowd control to set up kills. Balance Druids have access to Cyclone Icon Cyclone, which is arguably the strongest crowd control in the game. In addition to Cyclone, you also have the Mass Entanglement Icon Mass Entanglement + Solar Beam Icon Solar Beam combination to silence casters for 8 seconds. Ideally, you will want to Cyclone the enemy healer and have a teammate stun the kill target.

2.

Offensive Rotation

One unique thing about Balance Druids is that they have two schools of spells. Keep this in mind and try to use it to your advantage; for example, if you are interrupted while casting Full Moon Icon Full Moon, you can still cast Cyclone Icon Cyclone on an enemy. This is very important to maximizing your win potential.

2.1.

Astral Power and Eclipse

Before talking about the damage rotation, it is a good idea to understand how to generate Astral Power and what Eclipses are to help maximize your damage. Eclipse Icon Eclipse is a passive Balance Druids have. There are two different Eclipses that you can enter: Solar and Lunar. Here is how you can enter these Eclipses:

  • Eclipse (Solar) Icon Eclipse (Solar): to enter a Solar Eclipse, you must cast 2 Starfire Icon Starfires. Once you are in a Solar Eclipse, Wrath Icon Wrath cast time is reduced, and the damage is increased.
  • Eclipse (Lunar) Icon Eclipse (Lunar): to enter a Lunar Eclipse, you must cast 2 Wrath Icon Wraths. Once you are in a Lunar Eclipse, Starfire Icon Starfire cast time is reduced, and the critical strike chance is increased.

Astral Power is what is generated/consumed on Balance Druid damaging abilities. To generate Astral Power, maintain your DoTs, Moonfire Icon Moonfire and Sunfire Icon Sunfire. You can also generate it with Wrath Icon Wrath and Starfire Icon Starfire. If you want to deal additional damage and generate Astral Power, Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature and Fury of Elune Icon Fury of Elune will both do that for you. To spend Astral Power, you will want to use Starsurge Icon Starsurge for single-target damage and Starfall Icon Starfall if the enemy team is stacked.

2.2.

Before Gates Open

Have a plan for who you will be mainly using your crowd control on. Balance Druids have two powerful crowd-control abilities in the form of Mighty Bash Icon Mighty Bash and Cyclone Icon Cyclone that can be used to kill targets or the enemy healer. You can also use Mass Entanglement Icon Mass Entanglement with Solar Beam Icon Solar Beam to keep the healer silenced. Entangling Roots can also be used on melee DPS to slow them down.

Balance Druids do have access to some utility spells for their teammates: Hibernate Icon Hibernate, Remove Corruption Icon Remove Corruption and Soothe Icon Soothe. Hibernate can be used on Druids that are in animal form or Hunter pets to stop their damage. Remove Corruption can be used to dispel curse spells like Hex Icon Hex or Agony Icon Agony. You can use Soothe to dispel Fury Warrior's enrage effects.

Use Prowl Icon Prowl so you will not be focused immediately or so you can get an early Cyclone Icon Cyclone on the enemy healer.

2.3.

The Opener

The opener refers to your team's opening crowd control chain and damage done as soon as you get out of the gates. The main goal in the opener is to force your enemies to use their cooldowns.

As a Balance Druid, you can use Entangling Roots Icon Entangling Roots/Mass Entanglement Icon Mass Entanglement with Solar Beam Icon Solar Beam on the enemy healer. This will either make them trinket, or they will stay in crowd control.

This is the rotation you should use on your target at the beginning of the game.

  1. Make sure you are in Moonkin Form Icon Moonkin Form.
    • Moonkin Form Icon Moonkin Form increases your damage and your armor.
    • You are also immune to Polymorph Icon Polymorph.
    • Single-target attacks against you have a chance to make your next Starfire Icon Starfire instant.
  2. Use Moonfire Icon Moonfire on all targets.
  3. Use Sunfire Icon Sunfire on the kill target.
    • Note: Sunfire Icon Sunfire will be applied to all enemies within 8 yards of your target.
  4. Start casting 2 of either Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire to enter an Eclipse Icon Eclipse.
    • This will start generating Astral Power, and you will enter an Eclipse.
    • During the first 6 seconds of an Eclipse Icon Eclipse, Shooting Stars Icon Shooting Stars fall 200% more often from the talent Solstice Icon Solstice.
    • If you can cast, cast Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire, depending on the Eclipse Icon Eclipse. They have an increased chance to make Starsurge Icon Starsurge free from the talent Touch the Cosmos Icon Touch the Cosmos.
  5. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge to consume Astral Power.
    • Using Starsurge while in an Eclipse increases the damage you do while the Eclipse is active.
  6. Cast Wrath Icon Wrath to generate Astral Power.
    • If you get interrupted while casting Wrath Icon Wrath, start casting Starfire Icon Starfire.
  7. Cast Starfire Icon Starfire to generate Astral Power.
    • If you get interrupted while casting Starfire Icon Starfire, start casting Wrath Icon Wrath.
  8. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge when you have enough Astral Power so you do not waste any of it.
3.

Burst Damage

When you have the enemy healer in crowd control, and you are trying to kill an enemy, you use your burst damage.

  1. Use Mass Entanglement Icon Mass Entanglement + Solar Beam Icon Solar Beam on the enemy healer.
  2. If you are a Troll, use Berserking Icon Berserking.
  3. Use Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune.
  4. Use Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature. Force of Nature is crucial to have in your rotation for a few reasons:
    • Generates Astral Power.
    • It grants 3 charges of Dream Surge Icon Dream Surge, causing your next Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire to explode on the target and nearby enemies.
    • The treants summoned will cast Moonfire Icon Moonfire on nearby targets.
    • Harmony of the Grove Icon Harmony of the Grove hero talent makes it so each treant from Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature increases your spells damage while active.
  5. Use Fury of Elune Icon Fury of Elune.
  6. Ensure Moonfire Icon Moonfire is on as many targets as possible.
  7. Use Sunfire Icon Sunfire on the kill target.
    • Note: Sunfire Icon Sunfire will be applied to all enemies within 8 yards of your target.
  8. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge when you have enough Astral Power.
  9. For the remainder of Incarnation: Chosen of Elune Icon Incarnation: Chosen of Elune:
    1. Maintain Moonfire Icon Moonfire and Sunfire Icon Sunfire.
    2. Generate Astral Power with Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire.
    3. Spend Astral Power on Starsurge Icon Starsurges.
  10. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge.
  11. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge.
4.

Sustained damage

Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are not available.

  1. Make sure you are in Moonkin Form Icon Moonkin Form.
  2. Moonkin Form Icon Moonkin Form increases your damage and your armor.
  3. You are also immune to Polymorph Icon Polymorph.
  4. Single-target attacks against you have a chance to make your next Starfire Icon Starfire instant.
  5. Maintain Moonfire Icon Moonfire on all targets.
  6. Use Sunfire Icon Sunfire on the kill target.
    • Note: Sunfire Icon Sunfire will be applied to all enemies within 8 yards of your target.
  7. Use Fury of Elune Icon Fury of Elune off cooldown.
    • Not only is the cooldown short and the damage is good, this will also generate Astral Power without having to cast any spells.
  8. Cast 2 of either Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire to enter an Eclipse Icon Eclipse.
    • This will start generating Astral Power, and you will enter an Eclipse.
    • If you get interrupted while casting Wrath Icon Wrath, start casting Starfire Icon Starfire.
    • If you get interrupted while casting Starfire Icon Starfire, start casting Wrath Icon Wrath.
    • During the first 6 seconds of an Eclipse Icon Eclipse, Shooting Stars Icon Shooting Stars fall 200% more often from the talent Solstice Icon Solstice.
    • If you can cast, cast Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire, depending on the Eclipse Icon Eclipse. They have an increased chance to make Starsurge Icon Starsurge free from the talent Touch the Cosmos Icon Touch the Cosmos.
  9. Use Starsurge Icon Starsurge to consume Astral Power.
    • Using Starsurge while in an Eclipse increases the damage you do while the Eclipse is active.
  10. Use Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature. Force of Nature is crucial to have in your rotation for a few reasons:
    • Generates Astral Power.
    • It grants 3 charges of Dream Surge Icon Dream Surge, causing your next Wrath Icon Wrath or Starfire Icon Starfire to explode on the target and nearby enemies.
    • The treants summoned will cast Moonfire Icon Moonfire on nearby targets.
    • Harmony of the Grove Icon Harmony of the Grove hero talent makes it so each treant from Force of Nature Icon Force of Nature increases your spells damage while active.

Important note: Although it is not a damaging spell, Cyclone Icon Cyclone is a vital spell that you need to incorporate into your rotations. This spell can easily shut down damage from enemy players or help close out games when used on enemy healers. To ensure you get as many Cyclone Icon Cyclones as possible, you want to drop your casts early and make enemies waste their interrupts. If you are using Cognitive Bloodstone Icon Cognitive Bloodstone you will get the Precognition Icon Precognition buff. This buff makes it so you cannot be interrupted for 4 seconds. Use this time to cast Cyclone Icon Cyclone on enemy DPS to stop damage or enemy healers to land a kill.

If you want an explanation and suggestions on gear, read our gearing section here:

5.

Defensive Techniques

Bear Form Icon Bear Form is your primary defensive ability Druids have. When you see incoming damage on you, it is a good idea to use Bear Form Icon Bear Form. This is best used when the enemy has used their cooldowns, and your team is trying to stabilize your health.

Barkskin Icon Barkskin reduces all damage dealt to you by 20%. It is important to note that this can be used while stunned and in any of your forms. This should primarily be used if you are stuck in a stun and are not in Bear Form Icon Bear Form.

Renewal Icon Renewal is a great instant heal that can be used in any form. Use this if you are being focused and you cannot cast. This is a talent, and you will not have access to it at every arena match.

Cyclone Icon Cyclone is one of your team's best defensives if you are not being focused. Rotating Cyclone on the enemy DPS when a teammate is in trouble is crucial for extending the game long enough to get a kill.

Regrowth Icon Regrowth is a strong heal that should be used when your healer is stuck in crowd control. This is strong if the enemy team is focusing on your teammate, and you can cast without being interrupted.

Entangling Roots Icon Entangling Roots is a great ability when playing against melee. You can use this to help you or your teammates get distance between them and an enemy.

Balance Druid mobility also helps with survivability. Tiger Dash Icon Tiger Dash/Dash Icon Dash and Stampeding Roar Icon Stampeding Roar can be used when running after enemies or when you are in trouble. If you are not slowed or rooted, this is effective for kiting enemies.

6.

Macros

It is advised to use Macros to use abilities on enemies or allies without having to target them. For this reason, we have a page dedicated to them.

7.

Changelog

  • 22 Nov. 2024: Updated all damage rotations.
    • Updated opener damage rotation.
    • Updated burst damage rotation.
    • Updates sustained damage rotation.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
  • 03 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 21 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 30 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 04 Jan. 2023: Updated rotation.
  • 12 Dec. 2022: Updated Damage rotations.
  • 22 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 01 Aug. 2022: Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 31 May 2022: Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 01 Mar. 2022: Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
  • 22 Nov. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 02 Jul. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 02 May 2021: Updated Burst rotation.
  • 08 Mar. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 05 Dec. 2020: Updated Rotations to include Covenant Abilities.
  • 30 Nov. 2020: Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
  • 23 Oct. 2020: Simplified Burst rotation.
    • Updated Sustained Damage rotation.
  • 14 Oct. 2020: Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch.
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