The General Druid Checklist:

• Prowl and ambush like a Rogue? check
• Ideal flag carrier in PvP? check
• Heal with the best of them? check
• Tank almost as well as Prot Pallies and Prot Warriors? check
• Nuke from range while wearing a Super Chicken outfit? check

Why play anything else?

Feral Druid Contents

Introduction

With Cataclysm the Feral Druid is still the lean, mean, ripping and tearing machine that it always was. Rip things topieces as a cat or soak a ton of damage as a Bear you're doing rather nicely in this expansion. And it's nice to be able to throw a few heals about from time to time.

Unlike Balance Druids you're the lean, mean, killing machine who likes to rip his opponents into chunks, hand to claw. In your face pure animal power. You can still pop into human form to cast spells or heal, but the critter is where it's at.

Feral Druids are the fastest levelers of the various Druidic builds, and they may be as fast as any other classes. They can handle the DPS or Tanking chores in the dungeons and can throw the occasional heal when necessary, though your dungeon team will want a dedicated healer.

In PvP the Feral Druid can be tough, with a level of survivability that can make them very hard to kill. They may not be quite the damage machines that some are, but their survivability means that they will outlast the others and win.

All in all, a very versatile class.

Race Choices for Feral Druids

The question of "which race" for your new Druid used to be a "difficult" one, Horde (Tauren) or Alliance (Night Elf.) With Cataclysm the choices are:

1. Alliance - Night Elf
• Shadowmeld stacks with your stealth for better ambushing, though you have to stay still.
• Quickness makes you slightly harder to hit, which is always nice.
• Both of the above are great for cats, tanking Bears should appreciate
  
  
2. Horde - Tauren
   • a little more health than other races, but it seems that it doesn't scale well with level, providing only a small amount of health at 85.
   • War Stomp, which is a nice stun for cats and bears. Casters will generally find it to be useful in isolated situations, such as in PvP or any other time where you need to stun the opposition and run out of there.
     
     
3. Alliance-Worgen:
• Can periodically run faster, which is pretty nice, but it does not stack with your travel form or your increased speed talents.
• Increased Critical chance makes a small, but useful overall damage increase.
• Reduced duration of curses and diseases is nice, but will see little use outside of PvP.
  
  
4. Horde-Trolls:
   • Berserk increases attack and casting speed which is nice. Jump into a fight, go berserk, everything dies. This is a good DPS increase in PvE.
   • Regeneration increased slightly, but you won't notice or care.
   • Greater damage against beasts will help you to level just that much faster. Worgen don't count as "beasts," so it's not much use in PvP.
   • Increased crit chance with throwing weapons and bows, but you have little use for that.
   • Reduced duration of movement impairing effects is nice in PvP, but your shapeshift also breaks you out of these effects.

Trolls look like they may be the most efficient class for Druids, but player interest and skill will more than make up for any racial differences. Pick the one you like.

Feral Druid Talents

You have to spend 31 points in Feral (or any spec) before you can branch out into the other specs. You do not have to buy the top tier spec with that 31 points. 41 points at 85 is all you ever get.

As Feral you basic abilities are:

• Mangle - does damage and adds a bleed
• Aggression - increases your attack power
• Vengeance - Bears only - as you take damage your attack power is increased
• Feral Instinct - Yes, you're now sneakier.
• Mastery: Savage Defender (soak more damage) or Razor Claws (bleeds to more damage)

Leveling your Feral Druid:

For leveling your feral see our Druid leveling page. For a fast leveling guide scroll down.

Cataclysm Feral Druid Cat Form, DPS Build (0/31/6 +4)

This is a basic DPS build. Four points are left over and are discussed at the end of the build. You can view this build on WoWhead, here.

Feral Combat (31 Points)

1. Feral Swiftness - Rank 2/2 - Increases your movement speed by 30% in Cat Form and increases your chance to dodge while in Cat Form or Bear Form by 4%.
2. Furor - Rank 3/3 - Grants you a 100% chance to gain 10 Rage when you shapeshift into Bear Form, allows you to keep up to 100 of your Energy when you shapeshift into Cat Form, and increases your maximum mana by 15%.
   
   
3. Fury Swipes - Rank 3/3 - When you auto-attack while in Cat form or Bear form, you have a 15% chance to cause a Fury Swipe dealing 310% weapon damage. This effect cannot occur more than once every 3 sec.
4. Primal Fury - Rank 2/2 - Gives you a 100% chance to gain an additional 5 Rage anytime you get a critical strike while in Bear Form and your critical strikes from Cat Form abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance to add an additional combo point.
5. Feral Aggression - Rank 2/2 - Increases the damage caused by your Ferocious Bite by 10% and causes Faerie Fire (Feral) to apply 3 stacks of the Faerie Fire effect when cast.
   
   
6. King of the Jungle - Rank 3/3 - While using your Enrage ability in Bear Form, your damage is increased by 15%, and your Tiger's Fury ability also instantly restores 60 energy.
7. Feral Charge - Rank 1/1 - Teaches Feral Charge (Bear) and Feral Charge (Cat).
   • Feral Charge (Bear) - Causes you to charge an enemy, immobilizing them for 4 sec. 15 second cooldown.
   • Feral Charge (Cat) - Causes you to leap behind an enemy, dazing them for 3 sec. 30 second cooldown.
8. Stampede - Rank 1/2 - Increases your melee haste by 15% after you use Feral Charge (Bear) for 8 sec, and your next Ravage will temporarily not require stealth for 10 sec after you use Feral Charge (Cat), and cost 50% less energy.
   
   
9. Leader of the Pack - Rank 1/1 - While in Cat Form or Bear Form, the Leader of the Pack increases critical strike chance of all party and raid members within 100 yards by 5%. In addition, your melee critical strikes in Cat Form and Bear Form cause you to heal for 4% of your total health and gain 8% of your maximum mana. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 sec.
10. Brutal Impact - Rank 2/2 - Increases the stun duration of your Bash and Pounce abilities by 1 sec, decreases the cooldown of Bash by 10 sec, decreases the cooldown of Skull Bash by 50 sec, and causes victims of your Skull Bash ability to have 10% increased mana cost for their spells for 10 sec.
11. Nurturing Instinct - Rank 2/2 - Increases your healing spells by up to 100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 20% while in Cat form.
    
    
12. Survival Instincts - Rank 1/1 - Reduces all damage taken by 50% for 12 sec. Only useable while in Bear Form or Cat Form.
13. Endless Carnage - Rank 2/2 - Increases the duration of your Rake by 6 sec and your Savage Roar and Pulverize by 8 sec.
    
    
14. Blood in the Water - Rank 2/2 - When you Ferocious Bite a target at or below 25% health, you have a 100% chance to instantly refresh the duration of your Rip on the target.
15. Rend and Tear - Rank 3/3 - Increases damage done by your Maul and Shred attacks on bleeding targets by 20%, and increases the critical strike chance of your Ferocious Bite ability on bleeding targets by 25%.
    
    
16. Berserk - Rank 1/1
    Your Lacerate periodic damage has a 50% chance to refresh the cooldown of your Mangle (Bear) ability and make it cost no rage. In addition, when activated this ability causes your Mangle (Bear) ability to hit up to 3 targets and have no cooldown, and reduces the energy cost of all your Cat Form abilities by 50%. Lasts 15 sec. You cannot use Tiger's Fury while Berserk is active.

1. Natural Shapeshifter - Rank 2/2 - Reduces the mana cost of all shapeshifting by 20% and increases the duration of Tree of Life Form by 6 sec.
2. Heart of the Wild - Rank 3/3 - Increases your Intellect by 6%. In addition, while in Bear Form your Stamina is increased by 6% and while in Cat Form your attack power is increased by 10%.
   
   
3. Master Shapeshifter - Rank 1/1 - Grants an effect which lasts while the Druid is within the respective shapeshift form.
   • Bear Form - Increases physical damage by 4%.
   • Cat Form - Increases critical strike chance by 4%.
   • Moonkin Form - Increases spell damage by 4%.
   • Tree of Life/Caster Form - Increases healing by 4%.

None

Optional Talents:

There are four points left over in this build

• Thick Hide - If you're off-tanking regularly then you might want to consider this one.
• Ditto for Natural Reaction
  
  
• Primal Madness adds some energy/rage when using certain abilities.
• A 2nd point in Stampede
• Infected Wounds is more of a PvP talent, but there are some PvE mobs that run and this will help with those.
• Predatory Strikes increases the crit chance of your Ravage opener on healthy targets.

1. Glyph of Rip (Prime Glyph) - Increases the periodic damage of your Rip by 15%.
2. Glyph of Shred (Prime Glyph) - Each time you Shred, the duration of your Rip on the target is extended by 2 sec, up to a maximum of 6 sec.
3. Glyph of Tiger's Fury (Prime Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Tiger's Fury ability by 3 sec.
   1. Berserk and Savage Roar are options or this third slot, depending on your game.
      
      
4. Glyph of Rebirth (Major Glyph) - Players resurrected by Rebirth are returned to life with 100% health. Being able to rez someone to 100% takes a bit of the load off of your healers and lets the target get back into things that much sooner.
5. Glyph of Feral Charge (Major Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Feral Charge (Cat) ability by 2 sec and the cooldown of your Feral Charge (Bear) ability by 1 sec.
6. Glyph of Maul (Major Glyph) - has some use if you're off-tanking or DPSing groups of trash.
   1. Faerie Fire is an option for the armor reduction or if you're PvPing with this build. If you're a bear then it does some damage and adds threat.
      
      
7. Glyph of Mark of the Wild (Minor Glyph) - Mana cost of your Mark of the Wild reduced by 50%.
8. Glyph of Dash (Minor Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Dash ability by 20%.
9. Glyph of Unburdened Rebirth (Minor Glyph) - Your Rebirth spell no longer requires a reagent.

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Cataclysm Feral Druid, Cat form PvP Build (0, 35, 6)

A solid PvP build, but your game may differ, so move points around as needed. To view this build on WoWhead, click here.

Feral Combat (35 Points)

1. Feral Swiftness - Rank 2/2 - Increases your movement speed by 30% in Cat Form and increases your chance to dodge while in Cat Form or Bear Form by 4%.
2. Furor - Rank 3/3 - Grants you a 100% chance to gain 10 Rage when you shapeshift into Bear Form, allows you to keep up to 100 of your Energy when you shapeshift into Cat Form, and increases your maximum mana by 15%.
3. Predatory Strikes - Rank 2/2 - Increases the critical strike chance of your Ravage by 50% on targets at or above 80% health. Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to make your next non-instant Nature spell with a base casting time of less than 10 sec. become an instant cast spell and cost no mana.
   
   
4. Infected Wounds - Rank 2/2 - Your Shred, Ravage, Maul, and Mangle attacks cause an Infected Wound in the target. The Infected Wound reduces the movement speed of the target by 50% and the attack speed by 20%. Lasts 12 sec.
5. Primal Fury - Rank 2/2 - Gives you a 100% chance to gain an additional 5 Rage anytime you get a critical strike while in Bear Form and your critical strikes from Cat Form abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance to add an additional combo point.
   
   
6. King of the Jungle - Rank 3/3 - While using your Enrage ability in Bear Form, your damage is increased by 15%, and your Tiger's Fury ability also instantly restores 60 energy.
7. Feral Charge - Rank 1/1 - Teaches Feral Charge (Bear) and Feral Charge (Cat).
   • Feral Charge (Bear) - Causes you to charge an enemy, immobilizing them for 4 sec. 15 second cooldown.
   • Feral Charge (Cat) - Causes you to leap behind an enemy, dazing them for 3 sec. 30 second cooldown.
8. Stampede - Rank 2/2 - Increases your melee haste by 30% after you use Feral Charge (Bear) for 8 sec, and your next Ravage will temporarily not require stealth for 10 sec after you use Feral Charge (Cat), and cost 100% less energy.
9. Thick Hide - Rank 2/3 - Increases your Armor contribution from cloth and leather items by 7%, increases armor while in Bear Form by an additional 52%, and reduces the chance you'll be critically hit by melee attacks by 4%.
   
   
10. Leader of the Pack - Rank 1/1 - While in Cat Form or Bear Form, the Leader of the Pack increases critical strike chance of all party and raid members within 100 yards by 5%. In addition, your melee critical strikes in Cat Form and Bear Form cause you to heal for 4% of your total health and gain 8% of your maximum mana. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 sec.
11. Brutal Impact - Rank 2/2 - Increases the stun duration of your Bash and Pounce abilities by 1 sec, decreases the cooldown of Bash by 10 sec, decreases the cooldown of Skull Bash by 50 sec, and causes victims of your Skull Bash ability to have 10% increased mana cost for their spells for 10 sec.
12. Nurturing Instinct - Rank 2/2 - Increases your healing spells by up to 100% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 20% while in Cat form.
    
    
13. Primal Madness - Rank 2/2 - Tiger's Fury and Berserk also increase your current and maximum energy by 20 during their durations, and your Enrage and Berserk abilities instantly generate 12 Rage.
14. Survival Instincts - Rank 1/1 - Reduces all damage taken by 50% for 12 sec. Only useable while in Bear Form or Cat Form.
15. Endless Carnage - Rank 2/2 - Increases the duration of your Rake by 6 sec and your Savage Roar and Pulverize by 8 sec.
16. Natural Reaction - Rank 2/2 - Reduces damage taken while in Bear Form by 12%, increases your dodge while in Bear Form by 6%, and you generate 3 rage every time you dodge while in Bear Form.
    
    
17. Rend and Tear - Rank 3/3 - Increases damage done by your Maul and Shred attacks on bleeding targets by 20%, and increases the critical strike chance of your Ferocious Bite ability on bleeding targets by 25%.
    
    
18. Berserk - Rank 1/1 - Your Lacerate periodic damage has a 50% chance to refresh the cooldown of your Mangle (Bear) ability and make it cost no rage. In addition, when activated this ability causes your Mangle (Bear) ability to hit up to 3 targets and have no cooldown, and reduces the energy cost of all your Cat Form abilities by 50%. Lasts 15 sec. You cannot use Tiger's Fury while Berserk is active.

1. Natural Shapeshifter - Rank 2/2 - Reduces the mana cost of all shapeshifting by 20% and increases the duration of Tree of Life Form by 6 sec.
2. Heart of the Wild - Rank 3/3 - Increases your Intellect by 6%. In addition, while in Bear Form your Stamina is increased by 6% and while in Cat Form your attack power is increased by 10%.
   
   
3. Master Shapeshifter - Rank 1/1 - Grants an effect which lasts while the Druid is within the respective shapeshift form.
   • Bear Form - Increases physical damage by 4%.
   • Cat Form - Increases critical strike chance by 4%.
   • Moonkin Form - Increases spell damage by 4%.
   • Tree of Life/Caster Form - Increases healing by 4%.

Balance (0 Points)

None

Glyphs

1. Glyph of Berserk (Prime Glyph) - Increases the duration of Berserk by 5 sec.
2. Glyph of Rip (Prime Glyph) - Increases the periodic damage of your Rip by 15%.
3. Glyph of Tiger's Fury (Prime Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Tiger's Fury ability by 3 sec.
   
   
4. Glyph of Feral Charge (Major Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Feral Charge (Cat) ability by 2 sec and the cooldown of your Feral Charge (Bear) ability by 1 sec.
5. Glyph of Barkskin (Major Glyph) - Reduces the chance you'll be critically hit by melee attacks by 25% while Barkskin is active.
6. Glyph of Thorns (Major Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Thorns spell by 20 sec.
   
   
7. Glyph of Dash (Minor Glyph) - Reduces the cooldown of your Dash ability by 20%.
8. Glyph of Mark of the Wild (Minor Glyph) - Mana cost of your Mark of the Wild reduced by 50%.
9. Glyph of Aquatic Form (Minor Glyph) - Increases your swim speed by 50% while in Aquatic Form.

Cat PvP Notes:

• Perseverance, in the Resto tree, reduces spell damage. If you're fighting a lot of casters then this might be a good choice. Possibly drop some points in Primal Madness and Stampede.
• Learn to Keybind. That alone will improve your PvP effectiveness greatly. It will help in PvE, too, though maybe not quite so much.

PvP Macro:

• One Click Snare Breaker - Re-enters the form you are currently in, thus breaking Snares with a single click.

  #show
  /cast [stance:1] !Dire Bear Form; [stance:4] !Travel form; [stance:3] !Cat Form; [stance:5]
  

Stats, Mechanics, Gear, Etc.

Feral Druid Enchants

The Enchants should be easy to find on the Auction House or from people advertsing in trade. The mats for the high end chants are very expensive at the time of this writing. If you're short on gold to buy the parts or the enchants then talk to Hayden.

• Head
  • Arcanum of the Ramkahen - 60 Ag, 35 Haste, Requires Ramkahen - Revered
  • PvP - Arcanum of Vicious Agility - 60 Ag, 35 Resilience, 1k honor (note the the blue arcanums are better the the epic ones, at half the cost.)
  • Arcanum of Torment - Ebon Blade, revered
• Shoulder -
  • Swiftsteel Inscription - 135 Agi, 25 Mastery, Inscription 500
  • Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal - 50 Agil, 25 Mastery, Therazane - Exalted
  • PvP - Greater Inscription of Vicious Agility - 50 Ag, 25 Res, 2k honor
  • Master's Inscription of the Axe (Inscription 400)
  • Greater Inscription of the Axe (Sons of Hodir, Exalted)
• Back -
  • Swordguard Embroidery, rank 2 (Tailoring 500) - Sometimes increase AP by 1000 for 15 sec
  • Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike - 65 Crit
  • Enchant Cloak - Major Agility - +22 Agi (Enchant)
• Chest -
  • Peerless Stats (20 to all stats)
  • Mightly Stats - +15 to all stats
  • PvP, Tank - Greater Stamina - 75 Stam
  • PvP - Enchant Chest - Mighty Resilience - +40 Res
• Wrist -
  • Draconic Embossment - Agility - +130 Agility, LeatherWorking 500
  • Enchant Bracer - Agility - 50 Agility
  • Socket Bracer - adds a gem socket to your bracer, Blacksmithing 400
  • Fur Lining - Attack Power (Leatherworking)
  • Greater Assault (Enchant )
• Belt
• Ebonsteel Belt Buckle - an extra gem slot
• Hands -
  • Synapse Springs - Engineering 425 (discovery) adds 480 to your best stat for 10 seconds, on demand.
  • Enchant Gloves - Greater Mastery - 65 Mastery
  • Mighty Strength (50 strength) (yes really)
  • Socket Gloves - Adds a gem socket to your gloves, Blacksmithing 400
  • Hyperspeed Accelerators (Engineering)
  • +20 Agi (Enchant)
• Legs
  • Dragonscale Leg Armor - 190 AP, 55 Crit
  • PvP, Tanks - Charscale Leg Armor - 145 Stam, 55 Agility
  • Icescale Leg Armor or
  • Nerubian Leg Reinforcements - Both Leatherworking or Auction House.
• Feet -
  • Major Agility (35 agility)
  • Enchant Boots - Assassin's Step - 25 Ag and a slight movement increase
  • Icewalker, Enchant
• Finger
  • Enchant Ring - Agility, 40 Agil, Requires Enchanting 475
• Weapon
  • Enchant 2H Weapon - Mighty Agility - 130 agility
  • Enchant Weapon - Landslide - 1000 AP random proc for 12 sec.
  • Berserking
  • Mongoose
  • Massacre
  • Executioner

Gems:

Your gem choices are simple. For PvE, other than the meta, everything should be the delicate inferno ruby, even for blue or yellow sockets. If the socket bonus is at least 20 Agil, or the equivalent, then it's good, otherwise just stick the red gem in.

Gems for DPS:

• Meta: Agile Shadowspirit Diamond - 54 Ag and +3% crit damage
• Red: Delicate Inferno Ruby - 40 Agi.
• Purple: Glinting Demonseye
• Orange: Adept Ember Topaz

Gems for PVP and Tanks

A couple of Spell Penetration (blue) gems, for PvP, will help to make sure certain spells (eg: cyclone, roots) actually hit.

• Meta:
  • Agile Shadowspirit Diamond - 54 Ag and +3% crit damage
• Red:
  • Delicate Inferno Ruby - 40 Agi.,
• Yellow:
  • Mystic Chimera's Eye - 67 Res., Jewelcrafting 500
  • Mystic Amberjewel - 40 Res
• Orange (fits yellow or red)
  • Lucent Ember Topaz - 20agility/20resi
• Blue:
  • Solid Chimera's Eye - 101 Stam, Jewelcrafting 500
  • Solid Ocean Sapphire - 60 Stam
  • Stormy Ocean Sapphire - 50 spellpen,
  • 20resi/20hit if spellpen capped, and
• Green (fits blue or yellow)
• Steady Dream Emerald - 20resi/30stam if hit and spellpen capped.
• Purple (fits blue or red)
  • Glinting Demonseye - 20 Agi, 20 Hit
• Cogwheel socket
• Mystic Cogwheel - 208 Relience, Eng 525

Professions

The gathering professions are great for earning gold, but the buffs they provide don't do as much as the other profs in the end-game. If you can afford it then you should pick up two of the crafting professions for the buffs. All of the crafting profs offer self-only enchants that add on average 80 points to a stat.

For PvP you'll want contstant or "on demand" procs. Random procs are less useful, though for long fights (boss fights) they are fine.

• Alchemy - You'll make all kinds of useful chemicals and get a greater effect when consuming your own. You'll also be able to turn into a dragon, for the cost of an arm and a leg and two first round draft choices. You'll also get and extra 80 Ag from Flask of the Winds.
• Blacksmithing - Make weapons and add gem sockets to Bracers or Gloves.
• Engineering - Besides piles of cool gadgets and motorcycles, you can build the Synapse Springs, which adds 480 to your best stat for 10 seconds, on demand (60 sec cooldown)
• Enchanting - Besides being able to keep your gear enchanted as you level you can disenchant stuff into parts (to use or sell) and you can enchant your own rings.
• Inscription - A decent money maker and the shoulder enchant adds 130 Agil.
• Jewelcrafting - Create nice self-only gems. Load three of them and get 81 Agil points.
• Tailoring - Swordguard Embroidery, sometimes increases AP by 1000 for 15 sec