Guardian Druid Tank Easy Mode — The War Within (11.1.5)

This is a great beginner raiding build. It is a very simplified version of Bear where you can spend your rage comfortably on Ironfur as much as you want for extra tankiness over Maul due to the Thorns of Iron talent. You can then use all your Tooth and Claw procs on Maul for extra damage and survivability.

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 Earthwarden 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. An important aspect of good Frenzied Regeneration use does not cause overhealing. This means you should be casting it when you are in low health or when the risk of being healed to full by a healer before your Frenzied Regeneration can finish ticking is low. You may also use this spell proactively if you expect to take a large amount of damage soon, but remember that a portion of the heal occurs instantly, so do not let that go to waste.

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, Growl, and Frenzied Regeneration by 50%, also reduces the Rage cost of Ironfur by 50%. It is a huge boost to our defensive capabilities and an offensive power gain, too, allowing us to cast our best spells more often.