Guardian Druid Tank Easy Mode — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0)

This is a great beginner raiding build. It is a very simplified version of Bear where you spend your rage defensively on Ironfur and Frenzied Regeneration and spend your rage offensively on Maul.

Use the calculator's 'Export Talents' to easily copy the build in-game.

This build ramps up the arcane talents and focuses on consistently generating massive healing via Elune's Favored with Thrash and the Lunation hero talent. We also pick up some extra self-healing with Reinvigoration and group healing with After the Wildfire, alongside some CC in Typhoon and Ursol's Vortex.

Use the calculator's 'Export Talents' to easily copy the build in-game.

For a better understanding of how each spell contributes to the It is highly recommended to browse through the Spells Summary page linked below for Guardian rotation and the benefits they provide.

1. Keep Moonfire up.
2. Use Thrash as often as possible.
3. Use Mangle as often as possible.
4. Spend rage on Ironfur.
5. Use Maul with Tooth and Claw procs.
6. Use Swipe as the lowest priority last resort button if you have nothing else to press.

This rotation maximizes Rage generation while maintaining reasonable damage.

While the above is a fantastic starting point for a Guardian Druid, it is recommended to look at our complete rotation guide to get a better grasp of how the abilities interact with each other and their other intricate synergies.

By executing your rotation, you will generate Rage. You can spend Rage in one of three ways: on your active mitigation spell Ironfur, on your self-heal Frenzied Regeneration, or on a hard-hitting attack Maul.

Deciding how to spend Rage can be boiled down to a few simple situations. If you are taking Physical damage or melee attacks, use Ironfur. If you are at low health or expect to be brought to low health, use Frenzied Regeneration. If you are not in danger of either, use Maul.

Ironfur is unique in that multiple spell applications can overlap, meaning you can simultaneously have two or more "stacks" of Ironfur. You can also pool Rage to spend on numerous stacks for dangerous moments in a fight. Keep in mind that every application has an independent duration, so adding a stack will not refresh the duration on other stacks.

Frenzied Regeneration heals you for a percentage of your maximum health over a short period. If you are talented into Natural Resilience, Frenzied Regeneration overhealing grants us an absorb shield, this can be really handy walking into a pack.

Maul should only be used when you are either not actively tanking or when you are taking so little damage that using Ironfur will not reduce your need for healing or increase your chances of living.

Guardians have three baseline cooldowns.

• Barkskin reduces all damage you take by 20% for 12 seconds on a 60-second cooldown. Barkskin is usable while stunned, incapacitated, or asleep. This will be your first line of defense against dangerous spike damage and your primary way of reducing magic damage or simply as risk mitigation to smooth your damage intake for your healers. It has a short cooldown, so use it often.
• Survival Instincts reduces all damage you take by 50% for 6 seconds. Survival Instincts has 2 charges and a 3-minute recharge time. This is your major defensive reduction, to be used against lethal spike damage or "tankbuster" mechanics. Its short duration and long cooldown mean it should be used sparingly.
• Berserk reduces the cooldown on Mangle, Thrash and Growl by 50%.