WoW SoD: Best talent builds and runes for Druids in WoW Classic Season of Discovery

Druid players are spoiled with choice.

Image of a large creature standing outside of a hut in WoW SoD.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Druid is one of several classes in World of Warcraft Classic that can play all three major roles: healing, tank, and DPS. With Season of Discovery additions, players can explore this class even further.

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Druid players have no shortage of build options, providing melee and caster DPS builds, tank, and healing playstyles. Accessible to both Horde and Alliance players through the Tauren and Night Elf races, Druids will likely only continue to rise in popularity with the release of future phases.

Due to the branching nature of Druids, you might be confused on what specs you should invest talent points into. If you are trying to craft the best healer, DPS, or tank Druid in World of Warcraft Classic Season of Discovery, here is what we recommend.

Best Talent builds for Druids in WoW SoD

A druid is preparing to cast a Wrath spell
Wrath is an essential spell for caster Druids that you unlock early on | Screenshot by Dot Esports

Given that Druid players can play all three roles, the talents and spec you select will vary depending on how you want to play the character. Many different builds will involve putting points into similar specs, as melee DPS and caster DPS Druids both share the Balance tree.

  • DPS Druid (Cat Form)
    • Furor (Restoration): 5/5
    • Nature’s Grasp (Balance): 1/1
    • Improved Nature’s Grasp (Balance): 4/4
    • Natural Weapons (Balance): 5/5
    • Omen of Clarity (Balance): 1/1
  • DPS Druid (Balance)
    • Improved Wrath (Balance): 5/5
    • Improved Moonfire (Balance): 5/5
    • Improved Thorns (Balance): 3/3
    • Nature’s Reach (Balance): 2/2
    • Vengeance (Balance): 1/5
  • Tank Druid
    • Ferocity (Feral): 5/5
    • Brutal Impact (Feral): 2/2
    • Thick Hide (Feral): 5/5
    • Feral Instinct (Feral): 4/5
  • Healer Druid
    • Improved Mark of the Wild (Restoration): 5/5
    • Improved Healing Touch (Restoration): 5/5
    • Reflection (Restoration): 3/3
    • Subtlety (Restoration): 2/5
    • Improved Rejuvenation (Restoration): 1/3

Best runes for Druids in WoW SoD

As with all classes, the new runes introduced in Season of Discovery can drastically change how your class functions. Given the countless directions Druid players have at their disposal, you want to make sure your runes match your spec. Below are our picks for the best runes for Druid players:

  • DPS Druid (Cat Form)
    • Wild Strike (Chest)
      • When in Cat, Bear, or Dire Bear form party member around you get increased combat ferocity and each melee hit has a 20-percent chance of dealing an extra 20-percent attack power.
    • Mangle (Gloves)
      • Replaces your cat claw ability with Mangle. Triggers all the usual effects from Claw or Maul and mangles the target for 160-percent normal damage. The effected target to take 30-percent additional Bleed damage.
    • Savage Roar (Legs)
      • Increases the total damage deal while in Cat form. Duration scales with the amount of active points on your target.
  • DPS Druid (Balance)
    • Fury of Stormrage (Chest)
      • Reduces the mana cost of Wrath by 100-percent. Each time that you deal damage with Wrath you have a 12-percent chance for your next cast of Healing Touch to be instant.
    • Sunfire (Gloves)
      • Gain the Sunfire ability. Moonfire is now replaced by Sunfire in your Bear, Cat, and Dire Bear forms.
    • Starsurge (Legs)
      • Gain the Starsurge ability which sends a burst of Arcane damage to your enemy.
  • Tank Druid
    • Survival of the Fittest (Chest)
      • Reduces your chances of being critically hit by six-percent and reduces overall damage taken by 10-percent. Damage reduced by an additional 10-percent whenever in either Bear or Dire Bear form.
    • Lacerate (Gloves)
      • Gain the Lacerate ability that causes targets to bleed for 15 seconds. 20-percent extra weapon damage is added onto the effect. This effect can stack up to five times.
    • Skull Bash (Legs)
      • Charge at a target and launch a physical attack that interrupts spellcasting or any ability.
  • Healer Druid
    • Living Seed (Chest)
      • Whenever you critically heal a friendly player you have the chance to plant a Living Seed on the target which heals for an additional 30-percent
    • Wild Growth (Gloves)
      • Heals all party members nearby. Initially provides a burst heal but then slows to a heal-over-time spell.
    • Lifebloom (Legs)
      • Reduces the cooldown for your Rejuvenation and Lifebloom. Heals the target for seven seconds.

Author
Image of Blaine Polhamus
Blaine Polhamus
Staff Writer for Dot Esports. Avid gamer for two decades and gaming writer for three years. I'm a lover of anything Souls-like since 2011. I cover everything from single-player RPGs to MMOs.