Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Don't be that Druid...

I was inspired by this post on WoW.com to write this how-to guide on how not to be that druid. These are things that some druids do that no druid should do. With that said, if you play a druid, don't be that druid who...
-Puts Thorns on anyone but the tank(s). If the tank loses aggro, those thorns mean more aggro for the poor DPS or healer who is hit, making the tank's job more difficult. No one else needs that extra threat. "But," you may say, "they'll only be hit a few times; what harm can a little extra damage do?" If they are being hit that infrequently (as they should be), that damage really won't make any difference. In short, only put Thorns on the tank.
-Who doesn't keep Thorns on the tank(s). This is especially true of you balance and resto druids, since you have spellpower, and thus your Thorns will cause quite a bit of damage, helping the tank keep threat. However, if you are a Cat feral druid and there are no other druids in the group, your Thorns will be better than nothing. Keep it up on the tank.
-Doesn't put Mark of the Wild on someone after they die and are resurrected. This one should be self-explanatory.
-Forgets reagents. Keep a stack of twenty of whatever you need to cast Gift of the Wild on you at all times, maybe even forty if you are a raider. At level 80, that's Wild Spineleaf. Also, always keep some seeds on you for Rebirth, unless you have Glyph of Unburdened Rebirth, a great glyph for any druid.
-Fights in caster form. Granted, feral druids can't really get away with this, and balance and resto druids don't get their respective forms until levels 40 and 50, respectively, but once you get your form, you'll rarely have a reason to leave it during combat. Between fights is fine, but not during them.
-Complains about any tank or healer shortage. Now, just because you can tank or heal doesn't mean you need to. That said, if you are tired of waiting for a group because you are a DPS, it is fully within your power to do something about it. As such, know that if you do complain, then you are complaining about an issue to which you can be part of the solution

Don't be that Bear who...
-Uses Swipe around enemies under crowd control. You need to remember that Swipe hits all enemies around you, and it has a range of eight yards, so it can hit enemies you can't hit with your normal attacks.
-Uses Lacerate on packs of trash when your group is AoE'ing everything down. Swipe is a better option, since it is better for short-term threat and damages everything around you, whereas Lacerate causes better long-term threat on a single target.
-Never uses Rebirth. It may be difficult for you to find an opportunity to use Rebirth as a tank, but those opportunities do exist. Don't think that Improved Leader of the Pack can replace your healer if he dies; bring him back to life. That said, if there is another druid in the raid who isn't tanking, let them use it first before you use yours.

Don't be that Cat who...
-Uses Mangle (Cat) when you have a Bear tank. Mangle (Bear) is a Bear's highest single-target threat ability, so they will be using it. Save your energy for more Shreds. The one exception to this rule is if you have an idol that is activated by Mangle, like the Idol of Mutilation.
-Uses nothing but Swipe (Cat) on pulls with two or three enemies. Ok, maybe spamming Swipe would be ok for three enemies, but not two (and certainly not one). Just focus on one, then the other.
-Always stays in Cat Form. I know that goes against the advice I gave before, but let's face it; you won't be using Innervate on yourself. Throw it on a healer in need of some mana. And if a healer or tank dies, Rebirth can save the run. Use both. If you are going through a 5-man and your healer dies, Barkskin and Tranquility, when used together, can save your group. Don't forget that you can also heal the tank if you need to do so.

Don't be that Moonkin who...
-Spams Moonfire. Seriously, just don't do it; it goes through mana like America and China go through oil.
-Never uses Remove Curse or Abolish Poison. You're healer could use the help, especially in The Frozen Halls.
-Uses Hurricane on pulls with one or two enemies. I've seen it happen, and it's a horrible waste of mana.

Don't be that Tree who...
-Stacks Lifebloom. Lifebloom is no longer mana-efficient when you stack it. If you want a HoT on your tank, start with Rejuvenation. If that isn't enough, use Regrowth. If you still need more constant healing, use a single Lifebloom, let it bloom so you can get your mana back, and use it again; that is a much more mana-efficient way of using it than keeping it stacked three times.
-Uses Wild Growth when you will only be healing one or two people. Using a single-target heal or two is much more mana-efficient.
-Uses Tranquility outside of 5-mans. Tranquility is a wonderful emergency ability in 5-mans, but it only heals your group, so it's next to useless is 10-mans and pretty much useless in 25-mans. It also needs to be channeled, so even in 5-mans, that limits its versatility. If your tank is taking more damage than Tranquility can heal, there is nothing you can do to heal him without canceling Tranquility and wasting all that mana.
-Uses Healing Touch at level 80. You have Nourish; it is better; use it. The only time you should use Healing Touch is in conjunction with Nature's Swiftness for a large emergency heal.

Is there anything else you have seen a druid do that you would like added to the list?

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