V 1.10 Restoration - Feral Combat Druid

[nobbie]

I'm thinking about a respec to a raid-friendly 31/20 Restoration/Feral Combat build once my Druid hits level 60.

This is the template I have in mind (based on the talents as of patch 1.10):

V 1.10 "Restoration - Feral Combat" Druid
Minimum Required Level: 60
Required Talent Points: 51

Feral Combat Talents -  20 point(s)

# Ferocity - rank 5/5
# Feral Instinct - rank 5/5
# Feline Swiftness - rank 2/2
# Feral Charge - rank 1/1
# Sharpened Claws - rank 3/3
# Predatory Strikes - rank 2/3
# Blood Frenzy - rank 1/2
# Primal Fury - rank 1/2

Restoration Talents -  31 point(s)

# Furor - rank 5/5
# Improved Healing Touch - rank 5/5
# Nature's Focus - rank 5/5
# Insect Swarm - rank 1/1
# Tranquil Spirit - rank 5/5
# Improved Rejuvenation - rank 3/3
# Nature's Swiftness - rank 1/1
# Gift of Nature - rank 5/5
# Innervate - rank 1/1

Calculator template

While the 31 points in the new Restoration tree seem pretty obvious to me, I'm not quite sure about the last points in Feral Combat.

Is there anything that could be improved?

[Watto44]

It looks pretty solid to me, but it really depends on what you want to be doing with your feralocity. :)

I would consider making a hard choice between primal fury and blood frenzy, and just maxing one of those out rather than going half-and-half. While 50% seems like a nice high proc rate, believe me, it's incredibly frustraiting to crit and not have it proc.

If you're leaning towards bear form, I would take a point out of blood frenzy and put it into primal fury.

If you're leaning towards cat form, I would take a point out of primal fury and put it into blood frenzy. For cat form, I'd probably pick up improved shred over predetory strikes, purely because it scales at lvl 60 and PS doesn't. :)

[nobbie]

For cat form, I'd probably pick up improved shred over predetory strikes, purely because it scales at lvl 60 and PS doesn't. :)
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The description for Predatory Strikes says "increases your Attack Power in Cat, Bear oder Dire Bear forms by 100% of your level", so it doesn't scale at level 60?

[lfd]

The description for Predatory Strikes says "increases your Attack Power in Cat, Bear oder Dire Bear forms by 100% of your level", so it doesn't scale at level 60?
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...isn't that what he just said? :)

[Kevin]

I'm thinking about a respec to a raid-friendly 31/20 Restoration/Feral Combat build once my Druid hits level 60.

This is the template I have in mind (based on the talents as of patch 1.10):
While the 31 points in the new Restoration tree seem pretty obvious to me, I'm not quite sure about the last points in Feral Combat.

Is there anything that could be improved?
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Taranna had a cat buffed resto build that looked lik this till she went full feral in 1.9

I had no major intentions of bear tanking when I had this build. I would heal or go cat to do DPS. Bear didn't really get buffed. Why the armor booster? Well I can walk right in front of most mobs while stealthed and not be seen so I just don't care about the extra bear threat or the harder to see in stealth. I did think about having those points in feral aggresion to help cat more and to cut incoming damage when I went bear even more.

I could still hold aggro in bear when needed with this build (you have taunt to help out if you really need).

Improve shred takes shred down to 48 energy and since you can't really improve claw beyond the 5 point rage reduction it is a huge damage boost in cat damage over essentially base claw. Heck, even with all the damage adders to claw, at my current AP and crit levels (950/24% or so in cat gear) shred is still a better damage option than claw, when I can use it, because of the improved shred talent. Its' 8 more energy for a fair bit more damage.

If I did a build like this again know what I know now, I would do move imp mark over to furor, because furor does some amazing things for solo play, and being being able to change jobs on the fly.

But yeah you need to decide just what utility you want out of the feral side. Your bear, even unimproved is still a solid tank, no warrior or bear focused druid but still a solid tank just with base abilities. You can get a very good boost to cat damage with just 20 points though.

On the resto tree I had meditation and I still think it might be a better choice if you are thinking more for raids. Raid healing is about longevity. The small combat regen as long as you have about 200 spirit in your healing gear will provide more healing by the mana you get back than the extra healing power on rejuv. I didn't use to think that way and I wasn't happy with the talent when I had it in the past, but I really wished I had it on my last ZG where it was essentially me, a resto druid and holy/disc priest for all the healing and I had to drink 3 mana pots in the Mar'li fight. :) Of course I don't have the cheaper healing touch talent, or the heal more talent since all my talents focus on feral (I just have some very solid druid healing gear to get me 8200 or so mana (raid buffed), 33 mana/5, and +250 healing). I can up the +healing to over 400 but sacrifice a fair bit of int and spi to do it.

Anyway just my thoughts. I do think you would be better off specializing either bear or cat with just 20 points and not trying to boost them booth a little. Though taking imp shred away from what I have and putting those 2 in primal fury can work alright and primal fury does help bear DPS and aggro holding a fair bit. I just prefer to specialize on just two of what I see as the four druids forms (cat, bear, healer, caster). My current build is a cat/bear build. My old build was a healer/cat build. I've looked at a caster/bear build and caster/healer build as well.

[Brista]

The description for Predatory Strikes says "increases your Attack Power in Cat, Bear oder Dire Bear forms by 100% of your level", so it doesn't scale at level 60?
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100% of your level ie +60

This is +60 in greens or +60 in epics so it doesn't scale with gear improvements

I believe this is the point that is being made

[nobbie]

100% of your level ie +60

This is +60 in greens or +60 in epics so it doesn't scale with gear improvements

I believe this is the point that is being made
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Ah .. understood :)

Thanks for the tips so far. Since the Cat form is my preferred solo form, I've therefore modified the Feral tree a bit, incl. Improved Shred instead of Predatory Strikes:

V 1.10 "Restoration - Feral Combat" Druid
Minimum Required Level: 60
Required Talent Points: 51

Feral Combat Talents -  20 point(s)

# Ferocity - rank 5/5
# Feral Instinct - rank 5/5
# Feline Swiftness - rank 2/2
# Feral Charge - rank 1/1
# Sharpened Claws - rank 3/3
# Improved Shred - rank 2/2
# Blood Frenzy - rank 2/2

Restoration Talents -  31 point(s)

# Furor - rank 5/5
# Improved Healing Touch - rank 5/5
# Nature's Focus - rank 5/5
# Insect Swarm - rank 1/1
# Tranquil Spirit - rank 5/5
# Improved Rejuvenation - rank 3/3
# Nature's Swiftness - rank 1/1
# Gift of Nature - rank 5/5
# Innervate - rank 1/1

[Warlock]

Shred is mostly a group DPS or PvP talent - you won't often be behind a mob you're fighting solo. It can help against runners.

[nobbie]

Shred is mostly a group DPS or PvP talent - you won't often be behind a mob you're fighting solo. It can help against runners.
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I'm aware of it, but I wanted a raid-friendly build anyway ;)

[crowley]

Looks good but just two questions:
- Don't you want Reflection for a Raid Druid? In general mana regen is rather important in most raid situations.
- Do you use Rejuv that much in Raids? Our druids generally focus on 2 situations, non-emergency healing, in which case we want the most efficient heal possible, which is HT. And emergency heals, which a HOT with no initial heal doesn't qualify as. I generally use Rejuv mostly in PvP when i have to cast while kiting.

Other than that looks pretty fun.

[nobbie]

Looks good but just two questions:
- Don't you want Reflection for a Raid Druid? In general mana regen is rather important in most raid situations.

I've considered Reflection, but then I've heard that 15% Mana isn't that much for the 3 talent points invested.

- Do you use Rejuv that much in Raids? Our druids generally focus on 2 situations, non-emergency healing, in which case we want the most efficient heal possible, which is HT. And emergency heals, which a HOT with no initial heal doesn't qualify as. I generally use Rejuv mostly in PvP when i have to cast while kiting.

Yes, especially since my Druid is packed with +Healing gear and a +55 Healing enchant on the staff.

[crowley]

I've considered Reflection, but then I've heard that 15% Mana isn't that much for the 3 talent points invested.

Yes, especially since my Druid is packed with +Healing gear and a +55 Healing enchant on the staff.

True, Reflection isn't a ton of mana.

All that +Healing gear is why I use a lower rank HT than Rejuv, because Rejuv only gets 80% of the +healing bonus while HT gets 100% of it.

With zero +healing, a druid is better off casting a Rank 10 Rejuv over lower ranked HTs for efficiency (a high rank HT is always tops of course), but as you get a ton of +healing gear the 80% factor comes into play and you might be close to as efficient by casting a low rank HT, and you don't have to wait the 12 seconds.

Just a sample based on +200 healing:
Rank 10 Rejuv: 335 mana
756 healed + (.80 * 200) = 916 in 12 seconds (2.73 hpm)
Rank 6 HT: 370 mana
818 healed + (1.0 * 200) = 1018 in 3.5 seconds (2.75 hpm)

And as a druid gets even more +healing, that will scale more in favor of spells that have 100% +healing utilization.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from using Rejuv or anything, just pointing out that +healing benefits HT more, especially lower ranks.

[Hannibal777]

But the thing is when I heal a tank, I don't feel comfortable without a "rejuv shield" on him. It gives me greater margin of error to get the HT off.

Also there are many times when I have to top off squishies who are not in immediate danger of dying but they do need healing. I don't want to use HT on them. To top up 3 people need 9 seconds. Too long. I would rather spend 3 seconds to top them up, rejuv, and concentrate on what I need to be doing, be it abolish poison, root or heal our MT.

Ideally, they can bandage which is eactly what they do in boss fights but for non-boss fights, I give them the rejuv heal.

Improved rejuv is +15%. It is pretty significant.

[Tuftears]

15% mana regen from Reflection stacks with the 15% mana regen from the 3-piece Stormrage bonus. That gives you 30% mana regen while casting. That's huge.

It also adds onto your innervate, so as long as you continue to cast spells while innervated, you'll effectively have 415% mana regen, or even 430%. It's all in how casting regen works vs non-casting regen: you either have your non-casting regen rate, or you have your casting regen rate. Innervate gives you 400% non-casting and 400% casting regen. Reflection gives you 15% casting regen. Stormrage's 3-piece bonus gives you another 15%.

[frankieboy]

It also adds onto your innervate, so as long as you continue to cast spells while innervated, you'll effectively have 415% mana regen, or even 430%.

Nope, you can have 130% while casting when innervated and having reflection and 3 Stormrage items. Or 400% when outside the 5s-rule, with or without reflection and stormrage.

Edit: Seems that what I wrote above is completely wrong, forgive me ;-) I just found the following post:

Without any equipment, a Druid has 112 spirit or 37.4 mana/tick (112/5+15).

Regen Rate Multiplier
Normal Spirit Regen: 37 MP/tick 37 * 100%

No Reflection, No Stormrage:
With Innervate 187 MP/tick 37 * 500%
With Innervate & 5 sec Rule 187 MP/tick 37 * 500%

3/3 Reflection or 3 piece Stormrage:
With Innervate 187 MP/tick 37 * 500%
With Innervate & 5 sec Rule 215 MP/tick (37 * 1.15) * 500%

3/3 Reflection AND 3 piece Stormrage:
With Innervate 187 MP/tick 37 * 500%
With Innervate & 5 sec Rule 243 MP/tick (37 * 1.30) * 500%

So it seems, I have to test this before I really believe it, that the regen from Innervate is not influenced by the 5s rule.