Balance Druid DPS Guide (Legion 7.3.5)

Table of Contents

• ×Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.3 Changes for Balance Druids
  • 3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes for Balance Druids
  • 4. Patch 7.2 Changes for Balance Druids
  • 5. Contents
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics of Balance Druids
  • 2. Talent Choice for Balance Druids
  • 3. Stat Choice for Balance Druids
  • 4. Basic Rotation for Balance Druids
  • 5. Cooldowns for Balance Druids
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Main Resources for Balance Druids
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Balance Druids
  • 4. Cooldowns for Balance Druids
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 3. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 4. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Balance Druids
  • 9. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression for Balance Druids
  • 2. Relic Choice for Balance Druids
    • 2.1. Single Target
    • 2.2. Multiple Target
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths
  • 1. General Optimization Advice for Balance Druids
  • 2. Tier 2 Upgrade Priority for Balance Druids
    • 2.1. Single Target
    • 2.2. Multiple Target
  • 3. Tier 3 Upgrade Priority for Balance Druids
    • 3.1. Single Target
    • 3.2. Multiple Target
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Single Target Rotation for Balance Druids
    • 1.1. Opening Rotation for Balance Druids
  • 2. Multiple Target Rotation for Balance Druids
  • 3. 2-Target Rotation with Stellar Flare
    • 3.1. Tips
  • 4. Cooldown Usage for Balance Druids
  • 5. Optional Read: Mastering Your Balance Druid
    • 5.1. Mastery: Starlight
    • 5.2. Artifact Ability for Balance Druids
    • 5.3. Lunar, Solar, and Stellar Empowerments
    • 5.4. Mitigating Movement DPS
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding of Balance Druid Stats
    • 2.1. Statistics Priority
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Secondary Stat Choice for Balance Druids
  • 2. Gems for Balance Druids
  • 3. Enchants for Balance Druids
  • 4. Consumables for Balance Druids
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Druids
      • 1.1.1. Rebirth
      • 1.1.2. Remove Corruption
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Balance Druids
      • 1.2.1. Starfall Cursor Macro
  • 2. Addons
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Druids
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.3. GTFO
      • 2.1.4. Omen Threat Meter
      • 2.1.5. Parrot or Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.1.6. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.7. Recount / Skada / Details!
      • 2.1.8. Grid and GridClickSets (Optional)
      • 2.1.9. TellMeWhen
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Balance Druids
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Best in Slot List for Balance Druids
    • 1.1. Single Target
    • 1.2. Multiple Target
  • 2. Tier 20 and 21 Set Bonuses for Balance Druids
  • 3. Legendary Items for Balance Druids
  • 4. Loot Competition for Balance Druids
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Battle for Azeroth
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. Abilities & Mechanics Changes for Balance Druid in BfA
  • 3. The BfA Balance Druid Talent Tree
    • 3.1. Level 15
    • 3.2. Level 30
    • 3.3. Level 45
    • 3.4. Level 60
    • 3.5. Level 75
    • 3.6. Level 90
    • 3.7. Level 100
  • 4. Azerite Traits for Balance Druid
  • 5. Balance Druid Playstyle in BfA
    • 5.1. Single Target Rotation
    • 5.2. AoE Rotation
  • 6. ChangeLog

General Information

Welcome to our Balance Druid DPS guide for World of Warcraft Legion 7.3.5. Here, you will learn everything you need to know about playing a Balance Druid in a raid environment and in Mythic+ dungeons.

About Our Reviewer

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Bora, an up-and-coming Balance Druid theorycrafter who is active on the Druid Discord.

1. Class Overview

The Balance specialisation provides an entertaining and challenging rotation, and it performs very well in terms of both single and multiple target DPS.

Balance Druids shine in multiple target fights due to their ability to multi-DoT, and they also have good mobility due to their instant cast spells. However, while Balance Druid AoE is strong, it requires significant set-up/ramp-up time and is not very bursty, resulting in other classes outperforming them in this area.

2. Patch 7.3 Changes for Balance Druids

• Mass Entanglement was slightly changed to now root the target and any enemies within 15 yards immediately, instead of spreading.

3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes for Balance Druids

• The damage of many spells and talents has been increased slightly, and the Astral Power generation bonus of Incarnation: Chosen of Elune was increased from 35% to 50%.
• Stellar Drift now increases the damage of Starfall by 50%, down from 60%.
• Two new legendary items, Soul of the Archdruid and Radiant Moonlight, have been added.

4. Patch 7.2 Changes for Balance Druids

• Artifact traits have been slightly reworked. After spending 35 points, you now open up a new path, made up of 5 new traits ( Radiance of the Cenarion Circle, Light of the Evening Star, Wax and Wane, Circadian Invocation, and Concordance of the Legionfall) and all traits with 3 ranks get an additional 4th rank that you can invest in.
• Starfall's duration and tick rate is no longer affected by Haste.

5. Contents

To make it easy to navigate the guide, we have split it into 11 pages:

• Easy Mode: TL;DR to own without reading much;
• Spell Summary: see a summary of all your useful spells;
• Builds and Talents: learn how to choose your talents;
• Artifact Traits and Relics: discover how to level up your Artifact;
• Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths: choose the right paths on your Netherlight Crucible;
• Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities: master your rotation and your cooldowns;
• Stat Priority: read up on the respective values of your statistics;
• Gems, Enchants, and Consumables: choose the best gems, enchantments, etc.;
• Macros and Addons: step up your game with useful macros and addons;
• Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot: find the best gear you can wear;
• Battle for Azeroth: learn how to play your class in Battle for Azeroth.

6. ChangeLog

• 22 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Added Azerite traits and updated for most recent changes.
• 09 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Updated for the changes from the most recent build.
• 02 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Changes from the recent build.
• 31 May 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Page added.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (gear page): Made a small updated to the multiple target BiS list and fixed small issues in the legendary ranking.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (rotation page): Removed an out-dated rotation and added a Stellar Flare 2-target rotation.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (Netherlight Crucible page): Updated tier 2 and 3 weights slightly.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (enchants page): Added a single-target food.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (artifact page): Updated relic priority slightly.
• 23 Jan. 2018 (talents page): Updated tier 1 and 5 talents slightly.
• 18 Dec. 2017 (gear page): Made a small update to the single target BiS list and added an extra note to the tier 20 set bonus discussion.
• 18 Dec. 2017 (enchants page): Fixed an error whereby the previous removal of the Intellect gem recommendations had not taken place.
• 18 Dec. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Updated single target tier 2 crucible weights.
• 18 Dec. 2017 (rotation page): Updated the opening rotation slightly.
• 18 Dec. 2017 (artifact page): Removed an irrelevant mention about the value of Scythe of the Stars.
• 03 Dec. 2017 (easy mode page): Added a mention that if you are using Soul of the Forest as your tier 5 talent, your cooldown is called Celestial Alignment.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (enchants page): Removed recommendation for Intellect gems and replaced Ancient Healing Potion with Astral Healing Potion.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (gear page): Updated set bonus recommendations and added BiS lists.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (talents page): Updated tier 7 talent discussion slightly.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (spells page): Made a small tweak to the Solar Wrath paragraph.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (rotation page): Updated opening rotation, multiple target rotation and added a multiple target rotation if using the 2-piece Tier 21 Set Bonus.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated various parts to bring the page in line with updates made to the rest of the guide (stats, talents, rotation).
• 02 Dec. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Updated some weights slightly.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (stats page): Updated the stat priority slightly.
• 02 Dec. 2017 (artifact page): Updated multiple target relic priority slightly.
• 12 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added Netherlight Crucible page for Balance Druid.
• 12 Sep. 2017 (artifact page): Updated relic priority slightly.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (talents page): Updated Mass Entanglement's description.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.3 changes.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (enchants page): Added Lightforged Augment Rune and new 7.3 epic gems.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.3.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (stats page): No changes needed for Patch 7.3.
• 13 Jul. 2017 (artifact page): Made a small fix to the multiple target relic priority.
• 13 Jul. 2017 (easy mode page): Made an update to bring the rotation in line with updates made to the rotation page of the guide.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (addons page): Updated the Balance Druid WeakAura string.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (rotation page): Made various small tweaks to the single and multiple target rotations, and added a section on dealing DPS while moving.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (stats page): Updated stat priority (Mastery is now the best stat).
• 11 Jul. 2017 (gear page): Updated set bonus recommendations and legendary item ranking.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (spells page): Removed a mention that claimed that Incarnation: Chosen of Elune is the best talent choice.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (talents page): Updated most of the page.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated the page to reflect changes to the rest of the guide (stats and talents).
• 11 Jul. 2017 (enchants page): Changed recommendations to Mastery, and removed the Mark of the Claw neck enchant.
• 11 Jul. 2017 (artifact page): Revamped the relic priorities.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Updated Set Bonus recommendations and legendary item ranking.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (enchants page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Removed Emerald Dreamcatcher playstyle since it is no longer relevant.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Updated talent descriptions to account for Patch 7.2.5 changes.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (spells page): Updated the description of Stellar Empowerment to account for Patch 7.2.5 changes.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (easy mode page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.2.5 changes.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (artifact page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 22 Apr. 2017 (talents page): Clarified that Wild Charge when in Travel Form causes you to jump to the location of an ally, and not to fly to them.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (artifact page): Made a small update to the 7.2 Artifact trait order.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (gear page): Removed BiS list.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (enchants page): Changed food recommendation to Lavish Suramar Feast.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (gear page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (addons page): Added a Starfall cursor macro.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (artifact page): Added path for the Artifact traits added in Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (stats page): Slightly updated the stat priority.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (talents page): Made small adjustments to tier 1, 3, 5, and 6 talent evaluations.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.2 changes.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated stat priority slightly.
• 22 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Fixed an error in a recommended multiple target Relic (now correctly advising Falling Star).
• 19 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Added a mention of a 30% Haste breakpoint if using The Emerald Dreamcatcher.
• 19 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated tier 5 and 7 talent evaluations (changing the recommendations somewhat).
• 19 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Updated neck enchants.
• 19 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Added a separate Relic priority for multiple target situations.
• 19 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Added Stellar Drift as the tier 7 recommendation against multiple targets.
• 12 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated tier 3 talent section to make Feral Affinity look less bad (although it is still not recommended).
• 09 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Matched the new 7.1.5 stat priority.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Updated the stat priority slightly.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendary item recommendations, added new legendary items, and added Tier 19 Set Bonus recommendation.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.1.5 changes.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated talent descriptions to account for Patch 7.1.5, and slightly changed the evaluation of tier 6 talents.
• 16 Dec. 2016 (easy mode page): Added easy mode page.
• 16 Dec. 2016 (talents page): Updated the description of Restoration Affinity.
• 16 Dec. 2016 (spells page): Page added.
• 27 Nov. 2016 (enchants page): Added Potion of Prolonged Power to the potion recommendations.
• 27 Nov. 2016 (talents page): Updated tier 3 and tier 7 talent recommendations, and changed the Shooting Stars recommendation to 4+ targets.
• 27 Nov. 2016 (addons page): Added two WeakAura strings.
• 27 Nov. 2016 (rotation page): Further detailed the Lunar Strike versus Solar Wrath usage in multiple target situations, and slightly updated the opening rotation.
• 25 Nov. 2016 (artifact page): Updated the Relic priority.
• 02 Nov. 2016 (talents page): Fixed a small issue where we were still referring to Thick Hide's old 10% damage reduction (it is now 6%).
• 31 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Removed the Mastery snapshotting section since it is no longer relevant.
• 25 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Patch 7.1 updates
  • Added a mention that Incarnation is now off the global cooldown.
  • Updated Guardian Affinity's description (Thick Hide now passively reduces damage by 6%, down from 10).
• 25 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Updated the Full Moon description to account for Patch 7.1 changes.
• 02 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Made various improvements to the existing rotations, added a section about Mastery snapshotting, and also added a section about how The Emerald Dreamcatcher affects the playstyle.
• 02 Oct. 2016 (gear page): Greatly improved the legendary item section and updated the BiS trinkets.
• 02 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Revamped tier 1, 3, and 5 talent sections.
• 02 Oct. 2016 (stats page): Tweaked the stat priority slightly and added a note regarding how to interpret it.
• 02 Oct. 2016 (artifact page): Refined advice for choosing Relics.
• 12 Sep. 2016 (gear page): Added BiS recommendations.
• 08 Sep. 2016 (rotation page): Updated the recommendations on when to use Lunar Strike.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (artifact page): Added.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (this page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (stats page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (gear page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (talents page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 28 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated trinket and set bonus recommendations.
• 28 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Revamped tier 5 and 7 talent discussions.
• 20 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Fixed a small issue that recommended not to cap Empowerments, when in fact it should have said that you should not generate more Empowerments when you are capped.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Corrected an error where we were recommending Astral Communion (in tier 6), whereas this talent is only viable if you can pair it with Fury of Elune (tier 7), which is not currently the case. We now correctly recommend Blessing of the Ancients.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Added Stellar Flare to the rotations, and added a mention about using Blessing of the Ancients as your tier 6 talent.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (addons page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (stats page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (this page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.