Guardian Druid Tank Guide — Dragonflight 10.2
Welcome to our Guardian Druid guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2. Here, you will learn how to tank as a Guardian Druid in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons. We cover everything from the basics all the way to min-maxing techniques to optimize your survivability.
If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Feral Tank Druid guide.
Guardian Druid Overview
Guardian Druid is a sturdy tank that manages damage intake with
strong passive reductions, a large health pool, increased healing
from Mastery, and a stackable active mitigation with Ironfur.
They are an excellent sponge tank. Once you have acquired enough gear, they
are mostly self-sufficient with a unique playstyle, unlike any class.
They bring good utility to raid and Mythic+ groups as a tank and very high DPS.
Guardian Druid tends to excel against encounters where most incoming damage is Physical or Melee damage.
This guide focuses specifically on Guardian Druid. As such, the more general aspects of tanking will not be covered here. If you would like to learn more about tanking in general, we recommend you read our tanking guide.
Strengths and Weaknesses
High health pool and short cooldowns allow for stable damage intake.
Stackable, no-cooldown active mitigation in
Ironfur.
Flexible hybrid off-healing capabilities through the Resto spells,
After the Wildfire and
Convoke the Spirits.
Good raid utility in
Rebirth,
Stampeding Roar and
Mark of the Wild.
Relatively low initial threat output as most of our damage is a DoT.
Lack of accessible CC options in tree.
Talent tree lacks flexibility.
Dragonflight Changes for Druids
We are maintaining a list of changes for Druids, so you can see what changes with every patch of Dragonflight.
Most Notable Guardian Druid and Guide Changes for Patch 10.2
Patch 10.2 had only very minor tuning to Guardian, primarily the newly added
5 target cap to Blood Frenzy, which greatly reduced our rage generation in
situations with large mob count.
The guide has been updated with some fresh new templates on the Gear and Talents
pages and has been reviewed and updated where necessary.
Guardian Druid Viability in Dragonflight
Guardian is currently one of Dragonflight's highest damage tank specs.
We are an extremely sturdy tank that can deal massive AoE and single-target damage
and has great self-sustainability. We also bring multiple utility spells like Stampeding Roar
and
Mark of the Wild, or group healing tools like
Dream of Cenarius or
After the Wildfire.
We are fantastic in Raids, Mythic+ and PvP alike.
Leveling and Getting Started as a Guardian Druid
Before you begin leveling, you may want to take a quick look at our Addons page, as setting up your UI before you begin will allow you to get more comfortable with where things are and improve your gameplay significantly. Levelling as a tank has several advantages, including the number of mobs you can comfortably pull and survive, thanks to your powerful defensive capabilities. Levelling as a tank is also great in a group. All your party members will appreciate your ability to tag and collect mobs quickly. It can also be a fantastic way to learn your rotational abilities and get more comfortable with the spec. Playing a tank may be daunting initially, but you can see our leveling guide below if you seek a better understanding of leveling as a Guardian Druid.
Basics of Playing a Guardian Druid
Being one of the tank specializations, your main goal, first and foremost, is
to stay alive and to ensure that you have aggro on all of the enemies so that
they are not on your weaker party/raid members.
To tank efficiently as a Guardian Druid, your goal is to spread as many
Moonfires
as possible, then generate as much Rage with spells like
Mangle and
Thrash.
This Rage can be spent defensively, with
Ironfur and
Frenzied Regeneration,
or offensively, with
Maul.
You can learn about all the various Guardian spells that will be at your
disposal by reading the Spell Summary page.
To get a quick rundown of how the class works in practice, look into the Easy Mode guide below. This page will go over everything you need to know to play the class.
If you are already slightly familiar with what Guardian Druids can do, you may benefit from our more in-depth breakdown of Talents and the Rotation linked below. This will cover everything you need to play Guardian Druid optimally.
Gearing up as a Guardian Druid
There are quite a few different things to consider when looking at how to gear, and it can be overwhelming at the beginning. To start with, you can take a look at our Best in Slot guide linked below. This will go over the best gear available from Mythic+ and Raid content.
Understanding what stats to go for on your gear is integral to knowing which gear will be good for you or not. The same goes for other gear improvements like enchants, consumables, and gems. Fortunately, we have pages dedicated to all of that information to assist in finding what is the best for you.
End-Game as a Guardian Druid
Once you have made it to the maximum possible level, you can begin your journey into the main end-game activities, Raiding, Mythic+, and PvP. Starting with Mythic+ is a good choice, as you only need 5 players, and it can be done anytime. Progressing into raids, you will likely need to find a guild, especially if you want to do Mythic raid content. It can be daunting starting to play a tank as it is a pivotal role with lots of societal pressure applied , but the best way to learn is to read up as much as possible and then just start playing.
For PvP, however, you will likely find more success as Resto/Balance or Feral, although Guardian does have some viability, especially in Rated Battlegrounds. For whichever end-game content you are focusing on, if not all three, we have guides to assist you in performing at your very best.
How to Improve as a Guardian Druid
After you have become more comfortable playing as a Guardian Druid, you may benefit from browsing our pages on common mistakes or frequently asked questions by people who also play Guardian. Not everything will be immediately clear to everyone. Hopefully, these pages can clear up any confusion or misconceptions quickly, allowing you to improve further and progress.
Changelog
- 23 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated Trinket List.
- 21 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS Lists.
- 21 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated Boss Tips, added Fyrakk Tips.
- 21 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated M+ talent build.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS lists for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2
- 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Added new healing potion for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated Notes for Season 3.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Removed Patch 10.1.7 items to update for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Updated Blood Frenzy note for target cap and rage increase from 2 to 3.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for 10.2.
- 28 Oct. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Page Added.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Added note FAQ note on stats.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added new BiS Lists Gear block.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated Talent builds for 10.1.7.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated M+ build and Season 2 note on meta.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Added rotation info block.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Added new Talent Template Block and Updated Talents.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Updated Ursocs Fury note to 45%, IR to 120% and PotP to 5%.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated talent trees.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Added 10.1.7 note.
- 25 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated Borrowed Time link.
- 25 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Added additional Multi target notes.
- 25 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated talent builds.
- 25 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Updated Ursocs Fury note to 50%.
- 12 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Added High damage M+ build and fixed Raze link.
- 12 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Fixed Raze link.
- 12 Jul. 2023 (this page): Fixed Raze link.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5. Added DoC Macro.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated builds for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 26 May 2023 (gear page): Added timewalking gear.
- 26 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Added Incorporeal note.
- 18 May 2023 (gear page): Updated trinket list.
- 18 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated tips and added Sarkareth notes.
- 09 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
- 06 May 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS list after trinket tuning.
- 06 May 2023 (enchants page): Updated Enchants and Consumables after tuning changes.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (gear page): Updated new trinkets and gear for patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Added Shadowflame Wreathe weapon enchant and updated Primordial stone gem note for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated info for 10.1 and removed thundering.
- 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (talents page): Updated and added new talent builds for 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (spells page): Updated spells for patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Updated Beginner talent builds for 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (this page): Updated for 10.1.
- 28 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Updated for 10.1, removed old addons.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated Primordial Stone Gems recommendations.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated talent tree strings.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talent tree strings.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated talent tree strings.
- 24 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated talent tree strings.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for 10.0.7.
- 11 Feb. 2023 (talents page): Updated talent builds after bugfixes.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 23 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
- 13 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Added Embellishment section.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Added Raszageth boss tips.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated M+ Build.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 21 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page reviewed and approved for the launch of Patch 9.2.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 28 Jun. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated with Covenant-specific Legendaries.
- 02 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial information.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 01 Oct. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Edited talent trees and essences for all bosses.
- 19 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added several more tips for bosses based on post-launch observations and experience.
- 07 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page added.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Reviewed tips and talents after raid release.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated for the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 14 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 20 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Battle of Dazar'alor guide for Guardian Druids.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated for Patch 8.1.
- 13 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated all bosses with information after Heroic week.
- 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page added.
More Druid Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Pumps who has played since Vanilla and has tanked in Honestly, the #1 Oceanic raiding guild, since Mists of Pandaria. He also played in the first MDI Mythic+ Dungeon Tournament, where his team placed second. His mindset on tanking has always been taking the utility and damage one can bring to the raid to the next level. He was the #1 Rank DPS Guardian Druid for 5 tiers in a row and top the 1-6 for the last 12 tiers, playing Guardian Druid, Brewmaster Monk and Protection Warrior mainly based on what is the strongest for progression at the time. You can find him on discord — Pumps#0734 — and on Twitch.
- Season of Discovery Global Launch Times: When Does the Update Go Live?
- Detailed Zone Exploration of New Night Elf Capital City of Bel'ameth in Patch 10.2.5
- Weekly Catalyst Charges in Patch 10.2.5
- Dragonflight 10.2 Hotfixes, November 29th
- Method World 3rd Fyrakk Mythic Kill and 9/9 Amirdrassil
- New Love is in the Air Armor Sets in Patch 10.2.5
- Icy Veins Launches Genshin Impact Guides Section
- Dragonflight Season 3 Mythic+ DPS Log Rankings: Week 2