How to gear up a druid at level 85 without entering an instance

Way back in the days of Wrath of the Lich King, I wrote a post about how to gear up a druid without entering an instance due to my own aversion to dungeons and my hesitance to rely on random drops to gear up. Well, now that Cataclysm has gotten underway, I thought I'd write a similar post for this expansion pack. This post is a collection your options for gearing up a Druid before you set foot in any 5-mans. Keep in mind that some slots don't have very good options, and you are probably better served getting gear for those slots from 5-mans themselves, but I included your options for those slots here just for completion's sake. Like last time, I will give you multiple options for each slot so you can pick the one that best suits you. Since balance druids can dip into resto's sections'for spirit pieces with the talent Balance of Power and the two feral druids share many pieces, I tried to avoid redundancy when there are actually different options for each one. In those cases, if you don't like any of the suggestions for your spec, check your corresponding partner spec's section for other options.

Weapon(s):
Balance: Beak of Julak-Doom (drop from a specific rare mob, most likely to be found on the AH), Insidious Staff (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, revered), Elementium Spellblade (blacksmithing), Very Manly Staff (quest in Twilight Highlands) Staff of Solemn Secrecy (world drop)
Feral (tank): Spear of Trailing Shadows (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, revered), Mobus's Vile Halberd (drop from a specific rare mob), Elementium Poleaxe (blacksmithing), Staff of Old Woes (world drop, most likely to be found on the AH), Staff of Draconic Pacification/Torth-Slayer's Staff (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Spear of Trailing Shadows (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, revered), Mobus's Vile Halberd (drop from a specific rare mob), Elementium Poleaxe (blacksmithing), Staff of Old Woes (world drop), Staff of Draconic Pacification/Torth-Slayer's Staff (quests in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Elementium Hammer (blacksmithing), Shimmering Morningstar (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, revered), Gurgthock's Garish Gorebat (quest in Twilight Highlands), Mace of Apotheosis (world drop)

Off-hand:
Balance: Dungeoneering Guide (inscription), Skyflight Beacon/Air Raid Beacon (quest in Twilight Highlands) Book of Origination (dungeon drop, look on AH)
Resto: Heartbound Tome (world drop), Divine Companion (inscription) Bone-Inlaid Sarcophagus Key (world drop)

Idol:
Balance: Tattooed Eyeball (inscription)
Feral (tank): Halted Clock (world drop), Silver Inlaid Leaf (inscription)
Feral (DPS): Silver Inlaid Leaf (inscription)
Resto: Tattooed Eyeball (inscription)

Head:
Balance: Bloodied Wyrmhide Helm (leatherworking), Hood of Lost Solitude (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (tank): Hood of the Crying Rogue (world drop), Dunwald Winged Helm/Shocktrooper Hood (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Hood of the Crying Rogue (world drop), Dunwald Winged Helm/Shocktrooper Hood (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Bloodied Wyrmhide Helm (leatherworking), Wax-Filled Hood/Mechano-Assembler Headguard (quest in Twilight Highlands)

Neck:
Balance: Lightning Flash Pendant/Yellow Smoke Pendant (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted), Charm of the Muse (dungeon drop), Eye of Many Deaths (jewelcrafting)
Feral (tank): Elementium Guardian (jewelcrafting), Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace (world drop), Acorn of the Daughter Tree (Guardians of Hyjal, revered)
Feral (DPS): Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace (world drop), Acorn of the Daughter Tree (Guardians of Hyjal, revered), Barnacle Pendant (dungeon drop), Brazen Elementium Medallion or Entwined Elementium Choker (jewelcrafting), Nightrend Choker (world drop), Pendant of Victorious Fury (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Acanthia's Lost Pendant (dungeon drop), Lightning Flash Pendant/Yellow Smoke Pendant (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted), Pendant of Elemental Balance (Earthen Ring, honored)

Shoulders:
Balance: Spaulders of Rolling Incineration (quest in Uldum)
Feral (tank): Aledrinker Shoulderpads/Cult-Hide Spaulders (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Aledrinker Shoulderpads/Cult-Hide Spaulders (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Mantle of Wild Feathers/Spaulders of the Endless Plains (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, honored)

Back:
Balance: Ritssyn's Ruminous Drape (world drop), Cloak of the Dryads (Guardians of Hyjal, honored)
Feral (tank): Zom's Electrostatic Cloak (world drop), Twilight Dragonscale Cloak (leatherworking), Shroud of Dark Memories (dungeon drop)
Feral (DPS): Razor-Edged Cloak (leatherworking)
Resto: Cloak of the Dryads (Guardians of Hyjal, honored)

Chest:
Balance: Chestguard of Nature's Fury (leatherworking)
Feral (tank): Assassin's Chestplate (leatherworking), Sly Fox Jerkin (Guardians of Hyjal, honored)
Feral (DPS): Assassin's Chestplate (leatherworking), Sly Fox Jerkin (Guardians of Hyjal, honored)
Resto: Chestguard of Nature's Fury (leatherworking), Robes of the Loving Ursine (world drop), Wrap of the Fallen City (quest in Uldum)

Wrist:
Balance: Bracers of Caustic Purification (world drop), Keg-Stealer Bracers/Alefire Bracers (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (tank): Bloodied Leather Bracers (leatherworking), Flarefire Bracers/Buildingblast Bracers or Whirlpool Bracers/Dragonheart Bracers (quests in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Bloodied Leather Bracers (leatherworking), Keg-Stealer Bracers/Buildingblast Bracers or Flarefire Bracers/Dragonheart Bracers (quests in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Bracers of Caustic Purification (world drop), Keg-Stealer Bracers/Alefire Bracers (quest in Twilight Highlands)

Hands:
Balance: Aessina-Blessed Gloves (Guardians of Hyjal, revered)
Feral (tank): Stormbolt Gloves/Liar's Handwraps (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted), Safecracker's Gloves (world drop), Thartuk's Inimitable Gauntlets (drop from a specific rare mob)
Feral (DPS): Stormbolt Gloves/Liar's Handwraps (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted), Safecracker's Gloves (world drop), Thartuk's Inimitable Gauntlets (drop from a specific rare mob)
Resto: Aessina-Blessed Gloves (Guardians of Hyjal, revered)

Waist:
Balance: Lightning Lash (leatherworking), Belt of the Untamed/Withered Dream Belt (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted)
Feral (tank): Belt of Nefarious Whispers (leatherworking), Quicksand Belt (Ramkahen, revered), Belt of a Thousand Mouths (drop from a specific rare mob)
Feral (DPS): Belt of Nefarious Whispers (leatherworking), Quicksand Belt (Ramkahen, revered), Belt of a Thousand Mouths (drop from a specific rare mob)
Resto: Lightning Lash (leatherworking), Belt of the Untamed/Withered Dream Belt (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, exalted)

Legs:
Balance: Blazewing's Furious Kilt (drop from a specific rare mob)
Feral (tank): Swiftflight Leggings/Leggings of the Impenitent (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, honored), Shaw's Finest Leggings/Garona's Finest Leggings (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Swiftflight Leggings/Leggings of the Impenitent (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, honored), Shaw's Finest Leggings/Garona's Finest Leggings (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Blazewing's Furious Kilt (drop from a specific rare mob)

Feet:
Balance: Treads of Revelation/Vision-Tainted Treads (quest in Stormwing/Orgrimmar)
Feral (tank): Flameproof Treads/Heartstone Treads (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Feral (DPS): Flameproof Treads/Heartstone Treads (quest in Twilight Highlands)
Resto: Tarvus's Poison-Scarred Boots (drop from a specific rare mob), Treads of Revelation/Vision-Tainted Treads (quest in Stormwing/Orgrimmar)

Rings:
Balance: Band of Singing Grass/Band of Lamentation (Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan, revered), Diamant's Ring of Temperance (Therazane, revered), Ring of Warring Elements (jewelcrafting), Abandoned Dark Iron Ring (dungeon drop)
Feral (tank): Felsen's Ring of Resolve (Therazane, revered), Red Rock Band (Ramkahen, revered), Elementium Moebius Band (jewelcrafting)
Feral (DPS): Terrath's Signet of Balance (Therazane, revered), Band of Blades and/or Elementium Destroyer's Ring (jewelcrafting)
Resto: Ring of the Great Whale (dungeon drop), Ammunae's Blessing (Ramkahen, honored), Ring of Warring Elements (jewelcrafting)

Trinkets:
Balance: Stump of Time (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Darkmoon Card: Volcano (completing the Volcanic Deck), Talisman of Sinister Order (quest in Uldum)
Feral (tank): Unsolvable Riddle (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Mirror of Broken Images (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Darkmoon Card: Earthquake (completing the Earthquake Deck)
Feral (DPS): Unsolvable Riddle (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Impatience of Youth (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Darkmoon Card: Hurricane (completing the Hurricane Deck) Schnotzz's Medallion of Command (quest in Uldum)
Resto: Mandala of Stirring Patterns (Baradin's Wardons/Hellscream's Reach, exalted), Darkmoon Card: Tsunami (completing the Tsunami Deck), Rainsong (dungeon drop)

It's so hard to say goodbye: Tree of Life

I thought I'd be over it by now. I thought the pain, the sadness, the grieving would have come to an end, but I just couldn't accept it, and I still haven't. When patch 4.0 hits, I really don't know whether I'll be able to enjoy all of the great new additions, because of one little hitch: Tree of Life. I know the point has long run its course. I know this discussion has been held before, and has probably been done to death in every conceivable venue where it can be discussed. I know that those who don't share the sadness of those who will miss this form will probably roll their eyes at this post. But I can't help it, because this blog is a receptacle for my feelings about WoW, and right now, my feelings are those of sadness at the loss of this form.

You might be wondering, if this blog is just a receptacle for my feelings about WoW, then why do I advertise it as a blog where I look at WoW from a philosophical perspective? I do that because most of my thoughts on this game tend to wax philosophical. But take a look at the subtitle of my blog: "The lengthy ramblings of a World of Warcraft player who happens to be into philosophy." I promise nothing about consistently writing about philosophy, but I try to do that as often as possible, because that's the draw I try to give this blog. But right now, I can't wax philosophical, because the grief I feel about tree form is just too great. I suppose I'm going through the depression stage of grief. I've been through the denial stage ("They would never make a change like that; that's just preposterous, and not at all like our class."), the anger stage ("Gah! Why! Argh!"), and the bargaining stage ("Can't they try to improve Nature's Swiftness? Then we'd have a good cooldown and wouldn't have to lose our form."), and now I'm in the depression stage. Perhaps I can move on to acceptance before patch 4.0 hits. Until then, allow me a bit of catharsis in today's post.

If you're wondering why these emotions are coming out now, you can thank Allison Robert, a writer for WoW Insider, whose recent column about the upcoming changes to druids--which was organized in sections by our forms; i.e., it had a "the bear" section, a "the cat" section--included this heading:

The tree

A moment of silence, please.

And I bowed my head, for I am still sad to see this form go. I don't think my first post on the subject did a good enough job of explaining why I feel this way, but then again, I was probably still in denial back then. Maybe now, now that my kvetching can't do anything to change Blizzard's mind, now that everyone's probably over the subject, now that my self-deprecating introduction is probably getting on your nerves, maybe now I can express why I am sad to see our beloved form go.

For me, it has something to do with the fact that shifting is integral to the druid identity. I might be the only one who reads this deeply into it our class mechanics, but something about the very act of shifting itself is what makes the druid class so special. It may cut us off from many of our abilities, but that's what druids are all about; we sacrifice our utility for the sake of gaining new abilities or empowering abilities we already have. Our identity as the "jack of all trades, master of none" class was one we could only lose (in favor of a "jack of all trades, master of all" identity) because our shifting prevents us from being a master of all; we can only be a master of one thing at a time. That concept, the concept of sacrificing most of our arsenal so that we can fulfill any roll, has been integral to the druid class for ages, and our forms are the visual representation of that concept.

Now, I'm not going to resort to appeal to tradition to make my point, for it is one of the logical fallacies that I find most objectionable. Besides, tradition has nothing to do with my grief over the loss of Tree of Life. No, this is not a matter of tradition; it is a matter of mindset. Perhaps I'm more affected than most because I am a long-time feral druid, but the class design of our class has created a very distinct mindset that I will not assume is universal to all druids, but I'm sure is shared by at least a few. The fact that every one of our specs becomes more viable when we shift into its respective form means that when I shift into an animal form (or plant form, as the case may be), no matter what form it is, it's a way of psyching myself up. It's a way of saying, "I'm ready for battle." Caster form is for non-combat situations--repairing, crafting, transportation, running around Dalaran aimlessly, etc. By shifting into a form, I am saying, "It's time to get serious; it's time to fight."

I can't help but think that Blizzard wanted to encourage that mentality in every druid spec. After all, in ye oldie days of vanilla WoW, feral combat was the only spec with shapeshifting spells. Hurricane was the final talent for balance druids until patch 1.8, and restoration druids didn't get their form until Burning Crusade. But Blizzard intentionally added these forms to specs that once did not have them, leading me to believe that they wanted druids to have the mentality of a shifting class, that they wanted us to equate being in a form to being ready to fight. Granted, Tree of Life had a rocky introduction when it was first introduced as a form with enough drawbacks to make people need to seriously consider whether they would use it or not. That rocky introduction was probably what doomed it to its current fate, for Blizzard wanted us to use the tree, so they removed any and all significant drawbacks for Wrath of the Lich King. This, however, made the tree more of an incidental ability than anything, since all it did now was limit our arsenal to healing spells and some balance spells and give us an aura that increased healing received by raid members; it was something we used because it objectively helped us perform better, but something we weren't all that excited to use.

But Tree of Life form fed into that very druid mentality of "shapeshifting = ready for combat" so well that we probably didn't notice that we were excited to use it, that was, until we were told it was going away. Tree of Life, like every druid form, takes on a life of its own once it is donned by the druid. We druids don't have just one personality like some classes, you see; we have many, and those many personalities come from our forms. They have their own sitting animations, their own lying down animations, their own dances (the bast part by far), and though they may not look better as we get better gear (though I went over ways they could look better as our gear got better long, long ago), they are part of our identity. Again, I don't mean to argue this from the perspective of appeal to tradition; all I mean to say is, Blizzard has made shifting an inexorable part of the druid class, and for them to take away one of our forms now just because they didn't give it better bonuses and make it more useful is to take away part of our identity.

And I really can't help but wonder: why was Moonkin Form spared? I don't mean to say that our balance brothers and sisters should suffer the same horrible fate that resto druids have, but Moonkin Form is in an almost identical situation to the one Tree of Life was in. It locks balance druids out of using half of their spells (their healing spells), gimping their utility, and if it were made into a temporary ability that would increase their damage done, it will fill the current hole in the balance arsenal of a throughput-increasing cooldown. The only difference between Moonkin Form and Tree of Life now is that Moonkin Form has more and better bonuses. Honestly, if that's the only thing that spared Moonkin Form the fate of Tree of Life, then I can't help being angry at Blizzard for letting Tree of Life reach the point where it wasn't exciting enough to keep around as a permanent form. And for their oversight, we have to suffer the loss of our beloved Twist-dancing form.

In short, I see shifting as an integral part of being a druid, as part of the druid mentality, and for Blizzard to change that now just seems unnecessary and callous. Yes, there were complaints about how the form locked us out of our offensive spells, but those could have been addressed by changing the form itself, rather than scrapping it, which was basically throwing the baby out with the bath water. And to all the people who say they get tired of looking at the same form all the time (which, again, could be remedied), if that's how you feel, then you picked the wrong class... sorry.

Well, I'm glad I could work a bit of philosophy into my reasoning for why I'm sad to see Tree of Life go. I don't want this blog to become a cesspool of moaning and complaining, but I couldn't distract myself from this train of thought long enough to write about anything else. Hopefully now I'll be able to return to whatever usually distinguishes the posts on this blog as WoW Philosophized posts. Until then, thanks for bearing with me.

What mastery bonuses I want for Druids

I have already written a post about what mastery bonuses I want for druids, but this was back in the days when we didn't know much about mastery bonuses would look like. Now that we have a better idea of what they will look like, I think it's time I revisit this topic. I'll reprint the part of that post that summarizes the general set-up of Mastery bonuses.

Here's how the system works: As you spend points in a given talent tree, you'll receive three different passive bonuses specific to that tree. The first bonus will increase your damage, healing, or survivability, depending on the intended role of the tree. The second bonus will be related to a stat commonly found on gear desirable to you, such as Haste or Crit. The third bonus will be the most interesting, as it will provide an effect completely unique to that tree -- meaning there will be 30 different bonuses of this nature in the game. This third bonus is the one that will benefit from the Mastery rating found on high-level (level 80 to 85) gear.

Balance:

Bonus 1: Damage - Improves your spell damage by X%.

Bonus 2: Perception - Increases your hit rating by an amount equal to X% of your spirit. Any extra hit rating will be converted into crit rating.
Blizzard has said that in order to allow Trees and Moonkin to share gear, Moonkin will receive their hit rating from spirit. That said, this creates the potential for them to get too much hit rating, which is why I added the second part of this bonus. Still, if Blizzard could balance (no pun intended) that conversion well enough, perhaps converting surplus hit to crit wouldn't be necessary.

Bonus 3: Crit Damage - Improves your spell critical strike damage bonus by X%.
This would replace Vengeance in the Balance talent tree. Though I don't know much about the Moonkin playstyle, I know that critical strikes are a large part of it, and this is one of the few boring talents in the Balance tree, so it warrants being converted into a mastery bonus.

Feral:

Bonus 1: Tenacity - Improves your melee damage by X% in Cat Form and reduces all damage you take by X% in Bear Form.
Since Feral Druids perform two rolls, we would need a dynamic first bonus like this one. The issue would be how to give the two effects different numbers, since a 100% bonus to damage is very different in potency from a 100% damage reduction. Perhaps it could be worded like this: "Damage done (Cat) X% / Damage taken (Bear) -X%"

Bonus 2: Ruggedness - Improves your attack power by X% in Cat Form and your stamina by X% in Bear Form.
This would replace Heart of the Wild, one of our boring talents, and would have the dynamic-ness we Ferals need.

Bonus 3: Bloodlust - Improves the damage of your bleed effects by X%.
Bleeds are an integral part of the Feral playstyle. Lacerate is important for Bears to cause threat and Cats need to keep Rip and Rake on their target to maximize their DPS, so it makes sense for our third mastery bonus to boost our bleed damage. After all, no other class depends on bleeds as much as we do, and the third bonus is supposed to boost what makes each class unique.

Restoration:

Bonus 1: Healing - Improves your healing by X%.

Bonus 2: Intensity - Improves your mana regeneration from Spirit in combat.
Since Blizzard seems to be intent on priests replacing their Meditation talent with a mastery bonus, it makes sense for us druids to do the same for ours.

Bonus 3: Splendor - Adds an instant healing effect to heal-over-time spells, such as Rejuvenation.
This would make many of our spells better: Rejuvenation, Lifebloom, and Wild Growth would all cause some instant healing when cast, which would probably make the Resto playstyle much more interesting. Regrowth is left out in the cold by this bonus, but perhaps the heal could instantly be applied when Regrowth is cast, but if the cast isn't completed, then the health restored by the instant heal is lost.

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?

Best Druid glyphs for your spec/area of play

Glyphs were added with the Insciption profession in Wrath of the Lich King, and they have added a new dimension to character customization. Because there are many druid glyphs, I figured it would be a good idea to write a guide to which ones I think are best. (However, because of the wide number of roles druids can fill and the fact that we don't have many more abilities than other classes, we don't have many glyphs to choose from for each role, so the decision isn't as difficult as it is for other classes.) That said, this is just my opinion, and if you feel you would get more use out of a glyph not mentioned here, feel free to use it.

Major

Balance (Leveling/Solo)
Glyph of Entangling Roots
Considering that Entangling Roots is the one thing keeping a mob from getting all up in your grill (I apologize for using that phrase), the utility of this glyph should be obvious.
Glyph of Wrath
Sometimes, however, no matter what you do, mobs will attack you, in which case its nice to have a spell that you can use without being interrupted frequently.
Glyph of Monsoon
Of course, sometimes you just want to get those pesky mobs out of melee range, and this glyph will help you do that more frequently. (Note: If you don't take Typhoon in your leveling build, then take either Glyph of Innervate or Glyph of Starfall.)

Balance (PvP)
Glyph of Wrath
Though you will have some interruption protection from Nature's Foucs, the fact that many people will probably be attacking you means that an uninterrupted stream of Wrath casts will certainly be helpful.
Glyph of Monsoon
You'll want to keep those players out of melee range as much as possible, so you'll want to be able to knock them back as much as possible.
Glyph of Barkskin
Of course, you will take damage no matter what you do, but with this glyph and with Barkskin up, you'll take less, especially from those stun-happy rogues.

Balance (Raiding)
Glyph of Moonfire
Since most raid battles tend to go on for a long time, Moonfire will do more damage with its DoT than its instant damage, so this glyph is a no-brainer.
Glyph of Starfire
Combine this glyph with Glyph of Moonfire and your Moonfire will be doing very mana efficient damage in no time.
Glyph of Insect Swarm
This one is a bit trickier. If you have a hunter using Scorpid Sting in your raid, then you have nothing to worry about, but otherwise you're tank will be taking a bit more damage. Still, it's worth it to make one of the most mana efficient spells in the game even better.

Feral (Leveling/Solo)
Glyph of Claw
Useful while leveling. However, the moment you get Mangle, replace this glyph with something... anything! (Except for Glyph of Mangle. Since you'll probably be solo-ing in cat form, you'll be using Mangle a lot anyways, so there is no point in getting a glyph that increases its duration.
Glyph of Rake
Keeps your enemies from running away. This way you won't need to chase after those runners to keep them from bringing some of their friends back with them.
Glyph of Berserk
Makes our only offensive emergency ability even better. Berserk is fantastic, so five more seconds of it is even better. That's three more multi-target mangles or 100 more free energy.

As for your third glyph after you hit 80, just take your pick from any of them. These are the only glyphs that directly benefit solo-ing ferals.

Feral (PvP)
Glyph of Berserk
PvP is all about burst damage, so now you can make your burst damage last even longer.
Glyph of Barkskin
This glyph is useful to all specs in PvP, so take it.
Glyph of Survival Instincts
For when you need to be that much harder to kill. Survival Instincts is a great way to add a bit more fight to your druid, so this glyph allows you to add even more fight to your druid.

Feral (Tanking)
Glyph of Frenzied Regeneration
Since this is one of our two defensive cooldowns in Bear Form, why not make it even better? It's going to be draining your threat anyways, so you may as well get the most out of it.
Glyph of Maul
Tanking two targets is a tricky game, but this glyph makes it a bit easier. Since you'll be using maul a lot, you may as well get the most out of it.
Glyph of Survival Instincts
While I personally don't use Survival Instincts, and thus have no use for this glyph, I know that many tanks do, so if you do use Survival Instincts, take this glyph. (If you don't, just take Glyph of Growl.)

Feral (DPS)
Glyph of Savage Roar
You should have Savage Roar up all the time as a raid DPS, so this way you will increase all damage you do by 3%. That's pretty damn good.
Glyph of Rip
Rip is an incredible finishing move, so this glyph makes it even better and gives you more time energy for Shreds of even the occasional Ferocious Bite.
Glyph of Shred
And speaking of Shred, since you will be using it so frequently, you may as well get the most out of it. This glyph makes Rip even better, allowing for a full 22 seconds of bleeding goodness.

Resto (PvP)
Glyph of Barkskin
Because they always seem to go after the healer, for some reason.
Glyph of Regrowth
In the frenzied pace of PvP, I usually end up throwing Regrowths on people whom I have already cast it on, so this glyph will be helpful for you if you do the same thing.
Glyph of Swiftmend
In PvP, you don't have the extra time to re-apply to HoT, so this glyph will be invaluable.

Resto (5-Mans)
Glyph of Swiftmend
So you never need to worry about sacrificing healing later for healing now.
Glyph of Nourish
Though PvE can get very frenzied, you should be collected enough to be able to cast Nourish on your targets with Regrowth active on them, so the Glyph of Regrowth will have limited utility. Thus you'll want to take this glyph instead.
Glyph of Innervate
This is more of a filler glyph than anything, since the really gem of a resto glyph isn't useful until you move on to 10-mans or 25-mans

Resto (Raids)
Glyph of Wild Growth
Ah, here we go. Though this is admittedly more useful in 25-mans than 10-mans, the fact is that it makes one of the best raid-healing spells in the game even better.
Glyph of Nourish
Raid bosses usually end up doing a lot of damage to the tank, damage you can't heal with just your HoTs, so this glyph will be even more useful than it is in 5-mans.
Glyph of Swiftmend
Saves time and saves mana. You know why you love this glyph.

Minor Glyphs:
Since these are mostly matters of personal choice, I'll simply say who I think each glyph is good for and leave the choice up to you. I have ordered these in what I see as order of usefulness, with the most useful ones on the top.
Glyph of Unburdened Rebirth
Though the reagents for Rebirth don't cost very much, this glyph frees you up from needing to carry them around. Although you can drop this glyph if you want three of the glyphs bellow, I recommend it for any druid.
Glyph of Thorns
This glyph is a life saver for any solo-ing or leveling druid. I highly recommend it. Anyone who has ever solo-ed without this glyph knows what a pain it is to keep shifting out of your forms to cast Thorns. It's also pretty useful for tanks in 5-mans, but if you have a druid with spellpower gear on in your group (which is more likely in raids), they should be casting Thorns on you instead
Glyph of Dash
Invaluable for PvP as any spec. Also good as a filler glyph for raiders for those long runs back after wiping on a boss far in the instance.
Glyph of Aquatic Form
This can be a pretty good glyph for people leveling, but its still more of a filler glyph than anything. Take it if you don't want anything else.
Glyph of the Wild
Nothing more than a filler glyph, but still worth taking if you are a raider and have an empty glyph slot to fill.

And those are what I think are the best druid glyphs. This is just opinion and you can take it with a grain of salt if you want, but I think you'll agree with at least some of what I say here. As for which order you take your glyphs in while leveling, I leave that up to you. By the time you unlock you first glyph slots at level 15, you should know enough about your playstyle to know which glyphs will help you the most.

How to gear up a druid at level 80 without ever entering an instance

One of the things that many guides for gearing up a druid assume is that you are willing to run heroics to get gear. Nothing against 5-mans, but I'm not ready to depend on a chance drop for gearing up. That's why I give you this guide. It gives you ways to gear up your druid without ever needing to run an instance. In other words, you can do do it all alone (with the exception of crafted items). I'll also give you multiple options for a specific slot when your best choice is either expensive or takes a long time to get.

Disclaimer: Some of these items are difficult to get if you don't enter an instance, as it will be more difficult for you to get the associated reputation. It is possible, though, to get exalted with the associated factions without running an instance, and that's the point. If you need help on getting exalted with those hard-to-level factions, check out my guide on said topic here.

Weapon(s):
Balance: Titansteel Guardian or Titansteel Spellblade* (Blacksmithing), Flameheart Spell Scalpel (Kirin Tor, revered), Gavel of the Brewing Storm (Wyrmrest Accord, revered)
Feral (tank): Silvery Sylvan Stave/Staff of Feral Furies (Argent Tournament), Whale-Stick Harpoon (Kalu'ak, revered)
Feral (DPS): Silvery Sylvan Stave/Staff of Feral Furies (Argent Tournament), Titansteel Destroyer (Blacksmithing), Argent Skeletal Crusher (Argent Crusade, revered)
Resto: Dagger of Lunar Purity/Scalpel of the Royal Apothecary (Argent Tournament), Titansteel Guardian (Blacksmithing), Gavel of the Brewing Storm (Wyrmrest Accord, revered)

Off-hand:
Balance: Faces of Doom (Inscription), Prison Manifesto (BoE)
Resto: Faces of Doom (Inscription), Prison Manifesto (BoE)

Idol:
Balance: Idol of Arcane Terror (Grizzly Hills PvP)
Feral (tank): Idol of Perspicacious Attacks (Grizzly Hills PvP), Idol of the Plainstalker (Borean Tundra quests)
Feral (DPS): Idol of the Plainstalker (Borean Tundra quests)
Resto: Idol of Pure Thoughts (Grizzly Hills PvP)

Head:
Balance: Helm of the Majestic Stag (Kirin Tor, honored)
Feral (tank): Helm of the Avenging Protector (Scholazar Basin quests)
Feral (DPS): Helm of the Avenging Protector (Scholazar Basin quests)
Resto: Helm of the Majestic Stag (Kirin Tor, honored)

Neck:
Balance: Chain of Latent Energies (BoE), Titanium Spellshock Necklace (Jewelcrafting), Choker of Spiral Focus/Necklace of Stolen Skulls (Argent Tournament)
Feral (tank): Titanium Earthguard Chain (Jewelcrafting)
Feral (DPS): Titanium Impact Choker (Jewelcrafting), Choker of Feral Furies (Argent Tournament)
Resto: Titanium Spellshock Necklace (Jewelcrafting), Necklace of Valiant Blood/Pendent of Emerald Crusader (Argent Tournament), Dragon Prow Amulet (BoE)

Shoulders:
Balance: Dark Runic Mantle (BoE), Purehorn Spaulders (Leatherworking)
Feral (tank): Trollwoven Spaulders (Leatherworking)
Feral (DPS): Spaulders of Egotism (BoE), Trollwoven Spaulders (Leatherworking), Spaulders of Frozen Knives (Sons of Hodir, honored)
Resto: Runecaster's Mantle (BoE)

Back:
Balance: Deathchill Cloak (Tailoring), Dark Soldier Cape (Knights of the Ebon Blade, honored)
Feral (tank): Durable Nerubhide Cloak (Leatherworking), Cloak of Peaceful Resolutions (Wyrmrest Accord, honored)
Feral (DPS): Ice Striker's Cloak (Leatherworking), Cloak of Holy Extermination (Argent Crusade, honored)
Resto: Whispcloak (Tailoring), Reanimator's Cloak (BoE), Shroud of Dedicated Research (Kirin Tor, honored)

Chest:
Balance: Ebonweave Robe (Tailoring), Robes of Crackling Flame (Kirin Tor, exalted), Black Duskweave Robe (Tailoring)
Feral (tank): Exotic Leather Tunic (Utgarde Pinnacle quests)
Feral (DPS): Darkheart Chestguard (Knights of the Ebon Blade, exalted)
Resto: Moonshroud Robe (Tailoring) Robes of Crackling Flame (Kirin Tor, exalted), Ymirjar Physician's Robe (BoE)

Wrist:
Balance: Wraps of the Astral Traveler (BoE), Wound-Binder's Wristguards (Knights of the Ebon Blade, revered)
Feral (tank): Drake-Champion's Bracers (BoE)
Feral (DPS): Dragonfriend Bracers (Wyrmrest Accord, exalted) Drake-Champion's Bracers (BoE)
Resto: Bands of the Great Tree (BoE), Wound-Binder's Wristguards (Knights of the Ebon Blade, revered)

Hands:
Balance: Ebonweave Gloves (Tailoring), Awakened Handguards (BoE)
Feral (tank): Seafoam Gauntlets (Leatherworking)
Feral (DPS): Seafoam Gauntlets (Leatherworking)
Resto: Moonshroud Gloves (Tailoring), Sterile Flesh-Handling Gloves (Ebon Blade, revered) Awakened Handguards (BoE)

Waist:
Balance: Ghostflicker Waistband (Kirin Tor, exalted), Wrap of the Everliving Tree/Wasteguard of Equine Fury (Argent Tournament)
Feral (tank): Trollwoven Girdle (Leatherworking)
Feral (DPS): Trollwoven Girdle (Leatherworking)
Resto: Sash of Jordan (BoE), Belt of Dark Mending (Knights of the Ebon Blade, exalted)

Legs:
Balance: Windripper Leggings (Leatherworking), Giant Friend Kilt (Sons of Hodir, revered)
Feral (tank): Chain Gang Legguards (BoE)
Feral (DPS): Chain Gang Legguards (BoE)
Resto: Earthgiving Legguards (Leatherworking), Giant Friend Kilt (Sons of Hodir, revered)

Feet:
Balance: Windripper Boots (Leatherworking), Sandles of Crimson Fury (Wyrmrest Accord, exalted)
Feral (tank): Boots of the Neverending Path (Argent Crusade, exalted), Treds of Nimble Evasion/Treads of the Earnest Squire (Argent Tournament)
Feral (DPS): Boots of the Neverending Path (Argent Crusade, exalted), Treds of Nimble Evasion/Treads of the Earnest Squire (Argent Tournament)
Resto: Earthgiving Boots (Leatherworking), Sandles of Crimson Fury (Wyrmrest Accord, exalted)

Rings:
Balance: Titanium Spellshock Ring (Jewelcrafting), Signet of Hopeful Light (Argent Crusade, exalted), Ring of Northern Tears (Jewelcrafting)
Feral (tank): Titanium Earthguard Ring (Jewelcrafting), Ring of Earthen Might (Jewelcrafting)
Feral (DPS): Titanium Impact Band (Jewelcrafting), Stained-Glass Shard Ring (BoE), Ring of Scarlet Shadows (Jewelcrafting)
Resto: Signet of Hopeful Light (Argent Crusade, exalted), Titanium Spellshock Ring (Jewelcrafting)

Trinkets:
Balance:** Cannoneer's Fuselighter (Icecrown Quests), Jouster's Fury (Argent Tournament)
Feral (tank): (If you have any trinkets from BC, use those. Otherwise...) Medallion of Heroism (Dragonblight quests), Crusader's Locket (Icecrown Quests)
Feral (DPS)**: Fezzik's Pocketwatch (Icecrown Quests), Jouster's Fury (Argent Tournament)
Resto:** Cannoneer's Moral (Icecrown Quests)

*If you can get hit-capped with your other gear, take the Guardian; otherwise, take the Spellblade.
**Check this list for green-quality trinkets you may have missed while leveling up. Use it if you don't have enough trinkets to fill your two slots.

New mastery skills I would like to see in Cataclysm

For those of you who don't know, we will not be getting new talents with the next expansion pack. Instead, each tier will gain three "mastery skills," which will be passive buffs given once you have put enough points in a tree. Since my musings on new talents are now irrelevant, I figured I would muse on what we druids could get for mastery skills, since Blizzard has yet to reveal what we will get. I have worded each bonus the same way Blizzard has worded the ones for the other classes.

Balance:
+Spell Crit Damage 100%
This would replace the Vengeance talent. Although you may think this is too powerful of a bonus to put as the first mastery skill, Blizzard did put it in tier 4. Also, it isn't as useful at lower levels as it is at higher levels, since it takes fewer spells to kill an enemy when you are at low levels, so big crits aren't as important.

+Spell Hit 5%
This would replace the spell hit bonus of Balance of Power, a necessary talent considering that balance druids share much more gear with Resto druids than they used to. Since spellcasters only need 5% hit rating to be hit capped in PvP, this would eliminate the need for +hit on Balance PvP gear, allowing Boomkins and trees to share the same kind of gear. Although they would probably need different set bonuses on the 5-piece sets, it would mean they could share boots, belts, and gloves.

+Spell Damage 10%
This would replace Moonfury, and all Balance druids will benefit from it, be they leveling, raiding, or PVPing. I don't really need to explain this, do I? You know you want it.

I didn't included mana regeneration while casting because Blizzard has said they plan to make spirit a healer stat, so DPS won't need to worry about it. Although Boomkins will probably need to role healing armor, they'll probably be able to turn the spirit into something more useful with reforging.

Feral:
+Melee Crit Chance 5%
This would replace Sharpened Claws. I considered turning Ferocity into a mastery skill, but it dropped the idea for many reasons.
-Mastery skills are supposed to be boring but necessary, and although ferocity comes close to fitting that category, the fact that is directly lets you use your abilities more frequently means it makes your fights more interesting. Thus, it only fits the second criterion.
-I couldn't find a suitable replacement for its spot. I considered Furor, but its effect does not fit the above criteria, and moving Furor our of the resto tree would prevent ferals and boomkin from having a good talent to start investing in the resto tree.
-To be a true mastery skill, Furor would need to apply to all of our abilities. Could you imagine all of our abilities getting -5 energy/rage cost? That would be huge, especially for tanks. I'd call it OP.

+Stamina (Bear) or Attack Power (Cat) 10%
This would partially replace Heart of the Wild. I didn't include the intellect buff because I don't see it as completely necessary, although I do think it should be rolled into another talent, since some ferals, especially solo-ers and PvP'ers would certainly still want the increased mana pool. Perhaps Primal Tenacity? The increased mana pool benefits PvP feral druids the most, so it would make sense to put that bonus in a PvP talent.

+Melee Damage 10%
This would replace the melee portion of Naturalist, a talent all ferals need to take but usually end up taking after investing fully in the feral tree. This would probably turn Naturalist into a filler talent, unless Blizzard made it reduce the cast time of other spells, which I think would actually make it pretty cool. Anyways, become of its position in the resto tree, many ferals end up taking this at their level 65-69 talent, so I see it as the perfect final mastery talent for us.

Restoration:
+Spirit 15%
This would replace Living Spirit. Since spirit is on all trees' gear now, this would be useful to everyone, though more-so to raiding trees than PvE trees. Still, it's definitely a "necessary but boring talent," so I think it fits the bill.

+Mana Regen while Casting 50%
This would replace Intensity and put mana regen firmly in the ownership of trees. Why? Well, if this bonus is the second one, then balance druids couldn't get it by just investing a few points in resto (see my note at the end of the balance section). Like I said above, every tree has spirit now, which means that PvP trees need to get their mana from it as well.

+Healing 10%
This would replace Gift of Nature. Again, who wouldn't want this?

How Blizzard could make shifting more attractive for druids

One of the things Blizzard revealed with the druid class Q&A was that they want to make shifting more attractive for druids. Currently, we druids spend most of our time in or respective shapeshifting forms rather than in our caster form, so we rarely get to see our armor or take advantage of our class's hybrid nature. It seems the Blizzard wanted to start doing this immediately, as we can see with one of the changes coming in patch 3.2.2.

Predatory Strikes: This talent now also causes the druid's finishing moves to provide a 7/13/20% chance per combo point to make the next Nature spell with a cast time below 10 seconds instant cast.

This means that cats will at least have the chance to see their caster forms more often, with each finishing move allowing the use of an instant healing touch or regrowth or maybe even rebirth. I could see other such changes to make shifting out of our forms an attractive option. A similar talent for bear form could look something like this:

Protector of the Pack: This talent now also causes barkskin to allow you to retain bear form's damage reduction, armor and stamina increase, threat increase, and all other benefits of being in bear form for 33/66/100% of its duration if you leave bear form.

This would allow a tank to leave bear form and heal his allies or use a crowd control spell, without him loosing his increased defenses. Admittedly, a druid using this kind of ability would probably cause less threat with his spells than he would with by staying in bear form, but the goal here is simply more utility. I'd probably use an ability like this to throw down tranquility when the going gets tough. Your healer would love you for that.

Although it would be easy to suggest using similar talents to motivate druids to leave moonkin and tree form, the fact is that most balance druids have no real reason to leave moonkin form, and most resto druids have no real reason to leave tree form. Sure, a moonkin could cast the occasional side heal, and a tree may need to use cyclone in an emergency, but for the most part, there's little reason to make caster druids leave their forms aside from simply doing it for its sake. Feral druids do need to shift out to heal, so such talents are useful to us, but they wouldn't be as useful to casters.

This only applies to PvE, though. In PvP, it's a different story. A moonkin fighting on his own can only count on himself for heals, and a tree needs to use his defensive spells to stay alive. Thus, in PvP, pretty much all druids have a reason to shift out of their forms already, and the change to predatory instincts will simply make it easier for feral druids. Perhaps moonkin and trees could get a talent reducing the cast time of their restoration and balance spells, respectively, by 50% after they leave their forms. Aside from that, I think that casters are all set in the see-their-forms department when it comes to PvP.

Like I said, though, in PvE, there is very little real motivation for caster druids to leave their forms currently, so Blizzard would need to create that motivation, and doing so without nerfing the forms themselves would be quite difficult. One of my initial thoughts on a way Blizzard could motivate casters to leave their forms without nerfing the forms themselves was to give casters a buff to their forms that contrasts the benefits of moonkin/tree form. The problem with that idea is that both forms increase damage/healing and either reduce the mana cost of spells or have a way of giving the druid mana back. Thus there isn't much that the two forms don't currently offer druids who use them.

Truly, the only drawback of moonkin/tree form is that they don't allow the use of most restoration/balance spells, respectively, but in a PvE environment, this is not a cause for concern. Unless this simple fact changes, caster druids will be forced to stay in their forms unless Blizzard can somehow change druids fundamentally.