Guardian Druid Tank Spec, Builds, and Talents — Dragonflight 10.0.7

Last updated on Mar 20, 2023 at 14:16 by Pumps 33 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Guardian Druid in World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.0.7. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Feral Tank Druid talents.

This page will cover all of the talents and passives available to Guardian Druids; each of them has a unique impact on how the spec is played. To see how these choices fit optimally into your playstyle, take a look at our Rotation section linked below.

Some talents have significantly more use in either Mythic+ or Raids; as such, if you want to optimize, we strongly recommend that you check either the Mythic+ or Raid pages are linked below for the most accurate information.

1.

Talent Builds for Guardian Druids

It is highly recommended to adjust your talents based on individual scenarios for optimal results, but the talent suggestions listed below will work fantastic for overall performance. You no longer require a tome/codex/rest area to change talents as long as you are out of combat, which is great!

1.1.

Raid Talent Build:

You can swap the point in Elune's Favored Icon Elune's Favored to Raze Icon Raze on encounters with multiple targets.

Be sure to use the 'Copy Export String' button in our calculator below, to easily import our build ingame.

1.2.

Mythic+ Arcane Raze Talent Build:

The Mythic+ build is quite similar but opts to pick up some more CC utility and AoE oriented talents.

Be sure to use the 'Copy Export String' button in our calculator below, to easily import our build ingame.

1.3.

Mythic+ NoCarn Talent Build:

This Mythic+ build shifts power away from Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc Icon Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc into other parts of the tree and is an excellent defensive build.

Be sure to use the 'Copy Export String' button in our calculator below, to easily import our build ingame.

2.

Class Talents for Guardian Druids

Class talents at the top of the tree primarily enable some mandatory spells and abilities. In the case of Guardian Druid, you have immediate access to Frenzied Regeneration Icon Frenzied Regeneration (your main self-heal), you can also pick Rake Icon Rake (a strong cat form bleed), Rejuvenation Icon Rejuvenation (A heal over time you can place on anyone) and Starfire Icon Starfire (A ranged damaging spell).

We have outlined spec-defining, useful or impactful talents present above the first point gate below. To get past this gate, you do not necessarily need to pick any optional choices.

2.1.

Rows 1-4

2.2.

Rows 5-7

The second part of the class tree has a couple good options, with most being utility oriented. We strongly recommend picking the following core talents at all times:

  • Soothe Icon Soothe and Sunfire Icon Sunfire are picked to progress further in the tree
  • Skull Bash Icon Skull Bash is your interrupt and also works as a small charge if you ever get knocked back.
  • Thick Hide Icon Thick Hide is a passive 6% damage taken reduction.
  • Stampeding Roar Icon Stampeding Roar is your raid utility, increases your and your groups movement speed by 60% for 8 seconds.
  • Astral Influence Icon Astral Influence increases the range of all your abilities by 3 yards.
  • Matted Fur Icon Matted Fur is a small absorb when you cast Barkskin Icon Barkskin and Survival Instincts Icon Survival Instincts.
  • Typhoon Icon Typhoon is a useful knockback ability that can be used to reposition mobs or interrupt them momentarily.
2.3.

Rows 8-10

The final part of the class tree has some useful talents, that both increase our utility and damage significantly. We recommend picking the following core talents at all times:

  • Lycara's Teachings Icon Lycara's Teachings increases your Versatility by 6% in Bear Form.
  • Renewal Icon Renewal instantly heals you for 30% of your max health. A useful personal on a short cooldown.
  • Heart of the Wild Icon Heart of the Wild increases your non-Bear spells significantly. Primarily, increases Moonfire Icon Moonfire and auto attack damage done by 30% for 45 seconds.
  • Improved Stampeding Roar Icon Improved Stampeding Roar reduces the cooldown of your Stampeding Roar Icon Stampeding Roar by 1 minute, bringing it back to the original Shadowlands 1 minute cooldown for us.
  • Ursol's Vortex Icon Ursol's Vortex keeps mobs in the same place for a short period. A useful mob control tool on certain encounters/dungeons.
  • Innervate Icon Innervate can be cast on a healer to reduce their Mana cost by 100% for 10 seconds. Very useful utility and can save the day if used at the right time. Bonus, your healers will greatly appreciate it and heal you more.
  • Nature's Vigil Icon Nature's Vigil converts a portion of your single target damage done to healing for yourself and your group/raid. Can be a substantial amount of healing as Moonfire Icon Moonfire is considered a single target but can be spread to many targets.
3.

Spec Talents for Guardian Druids

The top of the spec tree does not have too much room for variability and you will likely be taking the same talents consistently unless you require a second charge for Survival Instincts Icon Survival Instincts for an encounter.

We have outlined spec-defining, useful, or impactful talents present throughout the tree and will delve deeper into them below. As a note, this is not all the talents, and if you would like to see a full list of talents and their uses, visit the spells page below.

3.1.

Rows 1-4

3.2.

Rows 5-7

  • After the Wildfire Icon After the Wildfire Causes a massive burst of AoE healing around you each time you use 200 rage.
  • Earthwarden Icon Earthwarden makes it so that each time Thrash Icon Thrash deals its initial hit you gain a buff that reduces your damage taken by the next melee swing by 30%. This stacks up to 3 times which means if you hit 3 mobs you will gain 3 stacks immedately.
  • Berserk: Unchecked Aggression Icon Berserk: Unchecked Aggression causes our Berserk Icon Berserk to also grant us 15% Haste and reduces the Rage cost of Maul Icon Maul by 50%. The Haste is great as it increases the tick rate of all our DoTs including Moonfire Icon Moonfire.
  • Reinvigoration Icon Reinvigoration reduces the cooldown of Frenzied Regeneration Icon Frenzied Regeneration by 30%. Helpful to boost our self-healing capabilities.
  • Tooth and Claw Icon Tooth and Claw gives auto attacks a chance to empower your next Maul Icon Maul stacking up to 2 times. Empowered Maul deals 40% more damage, costs no rage and reduces the target's damage done to you by 15% for 6 seconds. This is a very good defensive talent and equates to roughly 1 Ironfur Icon Ironfur worth of damage reduction.
  • Vulnerable Flesh Icon Vulnerable Flesh increases Maul Icon Maul crit chance by 30%.
  • Fury of Nature Icon Fury of Nature increases your Arcane damage done by 20% in Bear Form.
  • Vicious Cycle Icon Vicious Cycle causes your Mangle Icon Mangle to increase your Maul Icon Maul damage done and vice versa. Stacks up to 3 times.
  • Soul of the Forest Icon Soul of the Forest causes Mangle Icon Mangle to deal 25% increased damage and generate 5 extra rage. With our current tier set bonus this is a ton of extra rage.
3.3.

Rows 8-10

  • Flashing Claws Icon Flashing Claws gives Thrash Icon Thrash a 20% chance to trigger an additional Thrash. This can proc multiple times off itself, sometimes leading to 4+ casts.
  • Galactic Guardian Icon Galactic Guardian gives your damaging abilities a chance to trigger a free Moonfire Icon Moonfire and cause the next Moonfire Icon Moonfire cast to be empowered increasing its damage done by 300%. This is a huge talent both for Rage economy, damage, and self-sustain, and far too strong to pass up in most builds.
  • Scintillating Moonlight Icon Scintillating Moonlight makes targets affected by Moonfire Icon Moonfire deal 10% less damage to you.
  • Twin Moonfire Icon Twin Moonfire makes Moonfire Icon Moonfire deal 20% increased damage and also hits another target nearby. This helps the spread of Moonfire Icon Moonfire on multiple mobs like in Mythic+. Combined with Galactic Guardian Icon Galactic Guardian, you rarely have to cast Moonfire, as it will just automatically spread to every target via the procs of Galactic Guardian.
  • Ursoc's Fury Icon Ursoc's Fury makes Thrash Icon Thrash and Maul Icon Maul grant an absorb shield for 30% of the damage they deal. Another self-sustain booster.
  • Rend and Tear Icon Rend and Tear makes targets affected by Thrash Icon Thrash take an additional 2% damage and deal 2% less damage to you per stack of Thrash Icon Thrash.
  • Circle of Life and Death Icon Circle of Life and Death makes your DoT effects deal their damage in 25% less time. This means those Moonfire Icon Moonfires tick much faster but also fall off quicker; luckily that is not an issue for us with our constant spreading.
  • Elune's Favored Icon Elune's Favored increases Arcane damage you deal in Bear Form by 10% and 30% of the Arcane damage you deal in Bear Form also heals you. Another crucial talent for self-sustain and essential for the Moonfire Icon Moonfire build.
  • Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc Icon Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc turns your Berserk Icon Berserk and all its perks into a new ability that lasts 30 seconds instead of 15, increases health by 30% and causes your Mangle Icon Mangle to hit 3 targets. This is a great ability as all the Berserk talents you chose earlier in the tree get added to it, extending their duration by 15 seconds while also boosting your health pool by so much making this our strongest offensive cooldown by far.
  • Ursoc's Guidance Icon Ursoc's Guidance makes every 20 Rage you spend reduce the cooldown of Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc Icon Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc by 1 second. Reducing the cooldown of an integral cooldown for us speeds up our rotation and fun even further.
  • Rage of the Sleeper Icon Rage of the Sleeper Increases your damage done, reduces your damage taken, increases your leech, and reflects damage at attackers.
  • Dream of Cenarius Icon Dream of Cenarius chance on non periodic damage taken to proc a buff that allows you to cast Regrowth Icon Regrowth in bear form and be instant and free.
  • Thorns of Iron Icon Thorns of Iron causes Ironfur Icon Ironfur to deal damage equal to 30% of your armor to nearby enemies.
  • Lunar Beam Icon Lunar Beam Drops a small beam that heals us and deals damage to enemies.
  • Moonless Night Icon Moonless Night causes all single target abilities on targets afflicted with Moonfire Icon Moonfire to deal 10% extra arcane damage.
  • Pulverize Icon Pulverize Consumes 2 stacks of Thrash Icon Thrash on the mob and makes them deal 35% less damage to us for 10 seconds.
  • Blood Frenzy Icon Blood Frenzy causes Thrash Icon Thrash to generate 2 rage each time it deals damage. That means on both DoT ticks and initial application. This is a massive amount of rage on multiple targets.
4.

PvP Talents (War Mode)

Battle for Azeroth introduced a new system called "War Mode". Opting into War Mode makes you eligible for open-world PvP but also grants you the following benefits:

  • World Quests at a maximum level have 10-30% increased rewards.
  • You gain 10-30% increased experience while leveling.
  • Allows you to earn Conquest Points towards weekly gear rewards.
  • Grants you the use of PvP talents in the open-world.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended that you enable the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself eligible for open-world PvP, and the possibility to be "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

4.1.

PvP Talents for Guardian Druids

Below, you will find the recommended PvP talents for leveling and doing PvE content. You will get a choice of 1 general PvP talent, and 3 spec-specific talents.

4.1.1.

Guardian Druid PvP Talents

  1. Overrun Icon Overrun is a powerful charge with a stun and the knockback it triggers provides a large mobility boost.
  2. Sharpened Claws Icon Sharpened Claws causes Maul Icon Maul to grant a buff that increases Thrash Icon Thrash and Swipe Icon Swipe damage for 6 seconds.
  3. Malorne's Swiftness Icon Malorne's Swiftness increases your Travel Form Icon Travel Form movement speed by 20% and prevents you from being slowed below 100% movement speed. This improves your mobility and will reduce travel time, which is important while leveling.
  4. Alpha Challenge Icon Alpha Challenge replaces Growl Icon Growl, an ability that historically has no function in solo content. In exchange, you (and your allies) deal increased damage to the target you taunt.
  5. Raging Frenzy Icon Raging Frenzy causes your Frenzied Regeneration Icon Frenzied Regeneration to generate 60 Rage over its duration. This is occasionally useful for pulling large groups of enemies and putting up several stacks of Ironfur Icon Ironfur.

Of the remaining PvP talents, Demoralizing Roar Icon Demoralizing Roar, and Freedom of the Herd Icon Freedom of the Herd may have limited or niche applications in leveling or open-world PvE content, but they do not provide the overall benefit of the recommended list above. The rest of the PvP talents do not contribute meaningfully to leveling or open world PvE.

While Guardian may have some fun open-world PvP viability if you are looking to do more serious PvP you may have better success with a non-tank spec.

5.

Changelog

  • 24 Mar. 2032: Updated talent tree strings.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 11 Feb. 2023: Updated talent builds after bugfixes.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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