Feral Druid PvP Rotation and Playstyle — The War Within (11.1.5)

Feral Druids have two roles when in an Arena match: use your strong DoT target damage to burst enemies in stuns and use your utility healing spells to help keep your teammates alive. Feral Druids are also one of the most mobile melee classes, and you should use that to your advantage by chasing down enemies trying to kite away.

Before talking about damage, it is important to note the impact a well-timed Cyclone can have on an arena match. Cyclones can be used offensively or defensively.

This is the most common way you will use Cyclone. This is simply using Cyclone on an enemy player so you can get pressure on one of their teammates. For example, you will normally use Cyclone on a healer after you using Mighty Bash or Maim for crowd control.

One of the best ways to use Cyclone is to use it on your kill target when they are at low health. Cyclone will prevent all healing done to the target. This should normally be done when your team is running out of damage and cannot secure a kill. You should try to follow up with a Cyclone on the enemy healer and continue focusing down your kill target.

Normally, Feral Druids will be the target of choice for most teams, but there are times when you are not. In these situations, you can use Cyclone on a DPS that is using their offensive cooldowns to stop their damage entirely. If they trinket, you can follow it up with a second Cyclone or Entangling Roots.

Before talking about the rotation, it is important to know how to generate and spend Combo Points to maximize your damage as a Feral Druid. As a Feral, you will generate Combo Points and spend them on finishing moves that consume them. Here are the abilities you have that give you Combo Points and when to use them:

• Brutal Slash generates 1 Combo Point each time it is used on an enemy. Because this ability has 3 charges, you should use this as often as possible to quickly generate Combo Points. This will be the primary way to generate Combo Points throughout an arena game.
• Rake generates 1 Combo Point and is also one of your primary bleeds. This should be used on as many enemies as possible for spread damage but is not the best way to generate Combo Points.
• With the talent Lunar Inspiration, Moonfire can be used in Cat Form and generates 1 Combo Point.
• Shred generates 1 Combo Point, but it is not ideal because of how much Energy it takes to use it. In most situations, Shred is only used to gain the Bloodtalons buff.
• Feral Frenzy generates 5 Combo Points. This is a very important cooldown for your burst rotation, as you can use this ability and follow it up with a Ferocious Bite or Rip.

Now that you know how to generate Combo Points, here are the abilities you will spending them on:

• Ferocious Bite deals more damage based on how many Combo Points you spend on it. This will be your primary ability used for strong single-target damage. Most of the time, your strategy will be to crowd-control the healer and burst an enemy DPS player down. This ability will help with that. This will also deal damage to all enemies that have Rip on them, from the talent Rampant Ferocity.
• Maim puts a bleed on the enemy and also stuns them. If your team is lacking stuns, this will be the stun used on the target your team is focusing.
• Rip is an important bleed that deals more damage over time based on how many Combo Points were spent on it. Ensure that you have Rip on as many enemies as possible to maximize King of the Jungle movement speed and healing received.
• If you are playing against a team that will be stacked often throughout an arena match, you should be playing Primal Wrath. This ability applies Rip to all enemies within 10 yards and the duration lasts longer per combo point. Ideally, this is used with 5 combo points to apply rip to all enemies in range for 12 seconds.

Have a plan for who you will be mainly using your crowd control on. Feral Druids have two powerful stuns in Maim and Mighty Bash that can be used on kill targets or the enemy healer. Ideally, you will Mighty Bash the healer and Maim the kill target. They also have Entangling Roots, which is great when used against melee classes. You can also use Entangling Roots to root someone in place so you can cast a Cyclone on them.

You also have Soothe. This dispels all enrage effects on your target. It is very strong against Warriors. You also have Hibernate. This ability only works on Beasts and Dragonkin, but it is great versus Druids that are in their animal forms.

Ensure that before the gates open, and frequently throughout an arena match, to use Mark of the Wild to yourself and teammates. This increases Versatility by 3%.

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. If the enemy healer uses their trinket in the opener, they are in trouble. In the opener, Feral Druids should focus on quickly applying their bleeds to multiple enemies.

Important notes to remember while doing your damage rotations:

• Brutal Slash is the best spell for generating combo points.
• Bloodtalons is a crucial talent for maximizing your damage output. To gain this buff you need to use 3 different combo point-generating abilities within 4 seconds to increase the damage of your next 3 Rips or Ferocious Bites. The best way to get this buff is to do the following:
  • Use Rake.
  • Use Moonfire.
  • Use Brutal Slash.
  • In addition to these spells, Feral Frenzy and Shred can be used to get the Bloodtalons buff.
• Feral Druids have the best crowd control spells in the game, Cyclone and Maim. Use these effectively throughout an arena game and you will land kills quickly.
• Omen of Clarity should primarily be used on Brutal Slash, unless the Shred gives you the Bloodtalons buff.

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

1. Use Prowl.
2. Use Tiger's Fury.
3. Use Rake.
   • If you are playing Wicked Claws, this will also apply the Infected Wounds healing debuff.
   • Because Rake is being used while in stealth, this will also stun your target.
4. If you get an Omen of Clarity proc, use Brutal Slash if you need combo points.
5. Use Feral Frenzy.
6. Use Adaptive Swarm to increase the damage of your DoTs on your target.
7. Use Moonfire.
   • Note: Since you used Rake, Feral Frenzy, and Moonfire, you will get the Bloodtalons buff.
8. Use Rip at 5 combo points.
   • If you are playing Wicked Claws, this will also apply the Infected Wounds healing debuff.
9. Use Regrowth when you get a Predatory Swiftness proc.
   • You should use it on whichever teammate is the enemy team's target.
   • You can also use these procs on Entangling Roots to root enemies in their place.

From here, you want to keep generating combo points with Brutal Slash and maintaining Rip/ Rake on as many enemies as you can. Get Bloodtalons by using Rake, Moonfire, and Brutal Slash. If your bleeds will not expire soon, use Ferocious Bite to spend combo points.

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

1. If you get an Omen of Clarity proc, use Brutal Slash if you need combo points.
2. Use Tiger's Fury.
3. Use Adaptive Swarm to increase the damage of your DoTs on your target.
4. Use Incarnation: Avatar of Ashamane
5. Use Berserk
6. Use Rake
7. Use Moonfire
8. Use Brutal Slash to 5 Combo Points.
   • Note: Since you used Rake, Moonfire, and Brutal Slash, you will get the Bloodtalons buff.
9. Use Rip.
10. Use Feral Frenzy to instantly generate 5 Combo Points.
11. Use Ferocious Bite.
12. Use Rake.
13. Use Brutal Slash to 5 Combo Points.
14. Use Ferocious Bite.
15. Use Brutal Slash to 5 Combo Points.
16. Use Moonfire
17. Use Ferocious Bite.
18. For the remainder of Berserk, you want to get to 5 Combo Points using Brutal Slash, Rake or Moonfire and spend them on Ferocious Bite. Refresh Rip if it is about to expire.

Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are not available. When you are waiting for your burst cooldowns again, your goal is to support your team with Regrowths and Cyclones. Keep your bleeds active on as many enemies as possible. When it is almost time to crowd control the enemy healer, save your Energy and Combo Points so you can deal large amounts of damage in a short amount of time.

1. If you get an Omen of Clarity proc, use Brutal Slash if you need combo points.
2. Use Tiger's Fury when you connect to your target. This is a powerful ability that has a short cooldown.
3. Get the Bloodtalons as often as possible, this is done by using 3 different combo point generating spells within 4 seconds.
4. Use Brutal Slash to generate Combo Points.
5. Use Adaptive Swarm to increase the damage of your DoTs on your target.
6. Use Rake generate a combo point and apply your bleed/ Infected Wounds.
7. Use Moonfire to generate 1 combo point.
   • Note: Since you used Rake, Moonfire, and Brutal Slash, you will get the Bloodtalons buff.
8. If you are out of Brutal Slash charges, use Shred to generate Combo Points.
9. Use Regrowth on any teammate who is being focused when you get a Predatory Swiftness buff.
10. Use Rip at 5 Combo Points.
    • If you are playing Wicked Claws, this will also apply the Infected Wounds healing debuff.
11. If you are using the Feral Frenzy talent, use it for damage and to generate 5 Combo Points. Afterward, you can use Ferocious Bite or refresh Rip.
12. Use Ferocious Bite if all of your bleeds are not going to expire and you want to deal single target damage.

Survival Instincts is your main defensive cooldown. If the enemy team is starting to focus on you, it is important for you to use this before you get stunned. Stuns are the biggest weakness for Feral Druids, so be cautious when playing against teams with multiple stuns. Use this only when you need to, so do not use it too early.

Barkskin makes it so you take reduced damage from all incoming damage. The important part about this ability is that you can use it while stunned. This is great versus teams that rely on stunning you to kill you and should be used while you are stunned and not in Bear Form.

Bear Form is another great ability Feral Druids have. When you see incoming damage on you, it is a good idea to use Bear Form. This is best used when the enemy has used their cooldowns and your team is trying to stabilize your health. You can also use Incapacitating Roar to disorient all enemies around you to stop their damage.

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. Also, note that Entangling Roots is instant when you have a Predatory Swiftness buff.

Feral Druid mobility also helps with survivability. Here are some abilities that will allow you to get away from enemies focusing on you:

• Dash 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.
• Wild Charge will mostly be used to catch up to an enemy. However, when you are in caster form, it allows you to fly to a nearby ally or leap forward when in Travel Form.
• Stampeding Roar, just like Dash, will mostly be used to run after enemies. If you are being focused, use this to get away from the enemy team.

For more information about your talents, please refer to our dedicated guide.

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.