Druid

The druid (occasionally druidess for females) is a shapeshifting hybrid class available to the night elf, worgen, tauren (including Highmountain), troll (including Zandalari), and Kul Tiran races. Druids are able to perform each of the three group roles (tanking, healing, and dealing damage) by utilizing their shapeshift forms. While a druid is most effective in the role determined by their active specialization and equipment, they can also use their shapeshifting abilities to temporarily switch to a different role in combat. In addition to combat forms, druids can shapeshift into forms that increases movement speed while running, swimming, or flying. The ability to switch roles out of combat - and temporarily perform a different role in combat - makes the druid class one of the most versatile in World of Warcraft.

Class overview
''Guardians of nature who seek to preserve balance and protect life, Druids have unmatched versatility on the field of battle. This is in part because druidism is much more than a fighting discipline—it’s a way of life steeped in traditions so ancient that even the origin of their kind is preserved largely in mythology passed on through millennia.''

''Druids harness nature’s raw energy for an incredible breadth of offensive and defensive abilities, as well as to restore life to the wounded. Through communion with nature and the demigod Cenarius, Lord of the Forest, Druids are supernaturally endowed with the gift of shapeshifting, allowing them to take the form of all manner of nature’s creature and access powers as distinct as they are diverse.''

Game Guide
''Druids harness the vast powers of nature to preserve balance and protect life. With experience, druids can unleash nature’s raw energy against their enemies, raining celestial fury on them from a great distance, binding them with enchanted vines, or ensnaring them in unrelenting cyclones. Druids can also direct this power to heal wounds and restore life to fallen allies. They are deeply in tune with the animal spirits of Azeroth. As master shapeshifters, druids can take on the forms of a variety of beasts, morphing into a bear, cat, storm crow, or sea lion with ease. This flexibility allows them to fill different roles during their adventures, tearing enemies to shreds one minute and surveying the battlefield from the sky the next. These keepers of the natural order are among the most versatile heroes in Azeroth, and they must be prepared to adjust to new challenges on a moment’s notice.''

Creation screen description
''Druids live in a state of unparalleled union with nature. Tightly bound to the plant and animal kingdoms, they are natural shapeshifters, and so they know firsthand the abuse visited on their wild brethren. In consequence, despite their numbers, druids tend to be wary, reclusive, and difficult to spot. Few outsiders have plumbed the depths of their secrets.''


 * Druids are shape-shifters with an affinity for the plants and animal kingdoms. Druids can specialize in healing, casting spells at range, or taking the form of a cat or bear to fight in melee.

Classic guide
Druids call upon the versatility of nature to empower themselves, assuming the forms of primal beasts, summoning celestial energy, and channeling the restorative properties of the wilds to aid their allies.

History
According to tauren mythology, Cenarius (the patron for all druids) instructed them first in druidism as recounted in their myth Forestlord and the First Druids. As it stands, the night elves claim the first druid was Malfurion Stormrage, an idea challenged by the tauren beliefs. This is clarified in Chronicle. Cenarius did live among yaungol, the ancestors to the tauren, when they settled near the Well of Eternity between the 12,000 and 11,900 BDP, but Malfurion was the first to be trained in the ways of the druid, around year 10,000 BDP. This is why Malfurion is referred to as the first mortal druid. The yaungol could thus be compared to the early humans who used crude nature magic, a primitive sort of druidism, like the Gilnean harvest-witches. A similar case can be said about Valewalker Farodin, who was a student of an ancient order of keepers predating the druidic traditions of the night elves, and not full druids themselves.

Malfurion would lead the night elves through the War of the Ancients and the long years that followed. With the creation of the World Tree Nordrassil, the kaldorei druids were bound to Ysera, and her realm, the Emerald Dream, in which they spent centuries of their immortal lives. The Cenarion Circle was eventually formed as the governing society of druids, based in sacred Moonglade.

Locked in slumber in their barrow dens for generations, the druids awoke to meet the threat of the Burning Legion during its recent invasion. The Legion's attack left a terrible scar on the natural order and, after Archimonde's defeat, the druids chose to remain in the waking world and help rebuild their shattered lands.

The night elf druids were recently joined in the Cenarion Circle by the tauren druids. It is not clear from the current game content if the tauren learned druidism separately from the night elves or if they were taught by the night elves. Conflicting information in the Warcraft universe further exacerbates the confusion. Either way, the tauren and the night elf druids do not participate in the Alliance/Horde conflict, but coexist peacefully within the Cenarion Circle.

The Gilnean druids were called harvest-witches and Celestine also refers to her druidic order as "keepers of the old ways". The harvest-witches would use their primitive druidic skills to cultivate crops but almost "died out" as Gilneas developed, though, when the nation fell into famine, it was the druids who, as Celestine claims, "called upon the earth's blessing and restored the harvest". When Kul Tiras was founded by Gilnean sailors, it is possible that some harvest-witches brought some of their teachings, but modern Kul Tiran druids claim only the Thornspeakers of the Drust vrykul Ulfar as the source of their druidry, who says some of his people became part of human society and their descendants hear the "call of the wild".

Druids belong to many different organizations or sects including the Cenarion Circle, Cenarion Expedition, Druids of the Claw, Druids of the Talon, Druids of the Fang, Druids of the Grove, Druids of the Antler and Druids of the Scythe.

It usually takes most druids a brief time to shapeshift, and rarely can it be done in a few seconds. Druids generally cannot speak while in their animal forms, but there are some exceptions. For example, Gaivan Shadewalker, Archdruid Glaidalis, and Arthur Tradewind are all able to speak while shapeshifted. This may be possible through alternative, magical means of communication, similar to how jawless undead are capable of speech.

Warcraft Encyclopedia
Druids come and go as they please, and their goals typically have little to do with the "civilized" world. Unaffiliated with any specific government, the primary druidic organization on Azeroth, the Cenarion Circle, answers to no one save itself. The highest rank that a druid can have is that of 'archdruid', and there are only a few archdruids on Azeroth. At the moment the Cenarion Circle's leader is Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, also the first mortal druid on Azeroth.

Through their deep connection to life and nature, druids are able to take on an unusually large variety of roles. Probably a druid's best-known role is that of a healer. Druids are justly famed for their ability to restore life, cure poisonous wounds and remove curses. Indeed, restoring and protecting the planet is one of the top priorities for all druids, however, restoring life comes with a price. Even the newest druid understands that life cannot simply be created from nothing and must ask nature to sacrifice their life essence in order to transfer that life essence to the people and plants being healed. However, to regard a druid as merely a healer is a dangerously simplistic assumption that has led to the defeat of many an unwary foe.

A druid's empathy with the creatures of the wild also allows him to shapeshift into the forms of other animals. For example, a wounded druid whose magical energies are running low might abruptly take on the form of a bear in order to better withstand further injury. Alternatively, the druid might shift into the form of some large cat, sneak up behind an enemy, then pounce and deliver a fierce flurry of melee attacks. Even the deepest oceans can be explored by a druid, who can simply shift into an aquatic creature, allowing him to stay underwater as long as needed.

Until the end of the Third War, druids periodically visited the Emerald Dream to monitor the ebb and flow of life on Azeroth. Today such a visit has become more difficult due to Nordrassil's poor health. Druids possess a deep understanding of the way in which all living things depend upon one another. Whenever this delicate equilibrium is disrupted, the druid works to restore the balance. To that end, a druid can use his connection with the Emerald Dream to exert a calming influence over animals, even forcing some into a temporary state of hibernation. Just as the druid can wield peace and somnolence, the druid can tap into the fury of nature itself: Terrible storms have responded to a druid's call; thorns have sprouted from the druid's skin to wound his attackers; even previously harmless roots have grown up out of the soil at greatly accelerated speeds in order to entangle a foe.

For obvious reasons, druids thrive in the wild outdoors. Inevitably, however, they lose some of their effectiveness when they are forced to endure separation from the natural environment. What good is a cleansing rain when a druid cannot even see the sky? How are roots to capture a foe who is standing atop a high tower? Such cases clearly require a druid with the imagination to consider new strategies and the flexibility to carry them out. Yet this flexibility, too, comes with an underlying negative corollary. The druid tends to be a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. An unusual mixture of priest, rogue, and warrior, the druid is therefore not equal to any of these three classes in their particular specialties. Even so, the druids' incredible adaptability serves them well in confronting the challenges that Azeroth has to offer.

Races
The druid class can be played by the following races:

Note about races
Druids utilize various forms for each specialization, and each race has a different looking skin for their forms (Bear, Cat, and Moonkin). The Bear and Cat forms also are colored based on hair color, so if you are not interested in choosing based on min/max abilities, you may want to research the looks of each of these forms, given that you will spend a considerable amount of time in these forms, without transmogrification options.

Racial abilities
These are some of the racial traits relevant to druids:

In terms of max/min, Night Elves are best for tanking and PvP for the Alliance side.
 * Shadowmeld is a stealth ability. It can be useful in aggro management for DPS in PvE and a method for escaping combat. Be aware, the ability only drops aggro temporarily.
 * Elusiveness will greatly help your stealth, since this trait stacks with Prowl.
 * Quickness is an increase in dodge and makes it harder for enemies to hit you. This is very useful in tanking.
 * Wisp Spirit minimizes downtime after death.
 * Nature Resistance (racial) grants them a 1% reduction to all Nature damage taken.

In terms of max/min, Worgen are best for DPS and healing for the Alliance side.
 * Viciousness gives worgen a +1% chance to achieve both melee and spell crits and is wonderful for DPS and healing.
 * Darkflight is a sprint ability with a 2 minute cooldown that can be useful in PvP or PvE. In combination with Dash (druid ability) and Stampeding Roar (Cat Form), worgen druids have the most mobility.
 * Aberration (racial) grants a 1% reduction to all Shadow and Nature damage taken.

In terms of max/min, tauren are best for tanking and PvP for the Horde side.
 * War Stomp can stun enemies, making it useful for all specs in PvP and PvE.
 * Endurance gives a slight health bonus, beneficial for tanks and PvP.
 * Nature Resistance (racial) grants a 1% reduction to all Nature damage taken.

In terms of max/min, Trolls are best for DPS and healing for the Horde side.
 * Berserking will give you a 20% attack and casting speed buff every 3 minutes, good for DPS and healing.
 * Da Voodoo Shuffle reduces the duration of all movement impairing effects by 15%, mostly useful for PvP.
 * Regeneration (racial) increases health regeneration by 10% and allows 10% to continue during combat, minorly useful in PvP, or for giving tanks a slight edge.

Specializations

 * For a full list of specialization abilities, see Druid abilities

Druids are the only class that has four specializations, which are:
 * Balance - Caster DPS
 * Feral - Melee DPS
 * Guardian - Tank
 * Restoration - Healer

Balance
Can take on the form of a powerful Moonkin, balancing the power of Arcane and Nature magic to destroy enemies at a distance.

Balance druids focus on dealing ranged magical damage, with an array of signature abilities such as Starsurge, Sunfire, Solar Beam and Starfall. Balance druids use Moonkin Form to increase their damage dealt, protect them from harm and grant spell haste to themselves and their party. As well as granting Balance druids a distinctive Owlkin appearance (although this can be changed with Glyph of Stars) this form has also gained Balance druids nicknames such as "Boomkin", reflecting their potential for extremely high damage output.

As of the Legion expansion, Balance druids no longer primarily use mana as a resource. Instead, using their spells such as Moonfire and Solar Wrath, they generate Astral Power, which is used to cast the abilities Starsurge and Starfall.

''The elements that carve form into the universe are fluid forces of nature. Some beings seek to bend the power of these natural elements to their will. Druids, however, worship the protecting spirits of nature. Long ago, nature’s equilibrium was thrown out of balance, leaving the world vulnerable to catastrophic events, including the first invasion of the Burning Legion.''

By leveraging the sacred powers of the moon, the sun, and the stars, balance druids access arcane and nature magics—made more potent still through shapeshifting, when the spellcaster takes the form of the moonkin—to aid in the fight against imbalance that threatens the natural order of all things.

Feral
Takes on the form of a great cat to deal damage with bleeds and bites.

Feral druids are powerful feline melee damage-dealers, using Cat Form to deal swift and savage damage to their enemies. They have much in common with rogues, using energy to fuel their attacks and combo points to build to deadly finishing moves. Like rogues, Feral druids are extremely agile, and can use Prowl to sneak around and Pounce on enemies when they least expect it. Feral druids are often called "Cat", "Kitten" or "Kitty", these affectionate nicknames belying their formidable ferocity.

''Feral druids also seek to curb imbalance in nature. They observe the fantastic intricacies of the physical world and the delicate fabric in which all living creatures are given purpose. Whether on land or in the sea, in a lush jungle or an uncultivated desert, death is part of the cycle which sustains life. Nature is an eternal dance between predator and prey.''

''As a shapeshifter, the feral druid endlessly pursues a greater understanding of this truth. They seek a visceral connection to the wild, and in combat take the form of a deadly feline predator. Feral druids become ferocious, agile stalkers—ripping, biting, and bleeding their enemies dry. The forces of chaos are tamed by the druid’s primal fury.''

Guardian
Takes on the form of a mighty bear to absorb damage and protect allies.

Guardian druids are indomitable tanks, using the strength of Bear Form to become a towering, snarling wall between themselves and their allies. Similar to Protection warriors, Guardian druids use rage to fuel their abilities, mauling and mangling their enemies and transforming their rage into health with Frenzied Regeneration. Guardian druids' Bear Form is improved with Thick Hide (druid ability), allowing them to square up to the most formidable of foes. Guardian druids are often known simply as "Bears".

''Like their feral brothers and sisters, guardian druids attune themselves to nature through the animal kingdom. They commune with the wild to understand how life perseveres through adversity. They know that the creatures who survive are often those built to best protect themselves and their kin. In this, the guardian druid finds a deep and harmonious value in the steadfast—all the while recognizing that sturdiness requires an aggressive stance when danger comes near.''

Taking the form of a great bear, the guardian druid becomes a massive wall of fur, claw, tooth, and rage, aided by the forces of nature, standing between allies and any opposing threats.

Restoration
Uses heal-over-time Nature spells to keep allies alive.

Restoration druids are capable healers, specializing in restoring their allies' health through heal over time effects. Restoration druids possess a range of healing options, from direct healing to more sophisticated buffs such as Living Seed, with abilities such as Nourish offering synergistic effects, and can also dispel with Nature's Cure. Restoration druids are capable of healing allies without the use of a special shapeshift form, but with the talent Incarnation can take on the form of the Tree of Life.

''The many gifts provided by nature must sometimes be reciprocated. Restoration druids seek order in the world by tending directly to its many life forms. Friend to flora and fauna alike, restoration druids celebrate birth and growth. Where there is decay, they bring rejuvenation. Where there is abatement, they summon regrowth. Life not only needs protection—it needs nourishment.''

''To foster this harmony, the restoration druid builds a bond with the things that grow, gaining inspiration from the flower’s bloom, the seed’s sprout, the mushroom’s spores, and the tree’s growth. Like nature, the restoration druid perseveres through patience and persistence, the foundation upon which all life is built and sustained. They use this power to mend wounds and provide persistent remedies that keep their allies from falling.''

Abilities

 * For a full list of druid abilities, see Druid abilities

Druids have a range of magical and physical abilities. While each specialization focuses on strengthening a particular area of a druid's repertoire, all druids are capable of using Cat Form and Bear Form, dealing physical and ranged magical damage, healing targets and using numerous other abilities.

Some signature druid abilities:
 * Solar Wrath
 * Prowl
 * Entangling Roots
 * Dash (druid ability)
 * Rebirth
 * Mark of the Wild
 * Cyclone
 * Stampeding Roar

Shapeshifting
The druid's most notable ability is shapeshifting into different forms. These following forms can be obtained when reaching a certain level: Moonkin Form (Balance specialization only), Cat Form, Bear Form, and Travel Form (which increases speed in a form appropriate to the location used, whether it be land, water, or flying allowed).

Many abilities are restricted to a certain form. Others have different forms or effects depending on the druid's form when it is used. Because Cat Form and Bear Form use energy and rage, respectively, rather than mana, druid abilities that use mana cannot be used by druids when they are in these forms. However, druids can quickly shift between forms to gain access to desired abilities.

For all forms, the following applies:
 * Immune to Polymorph in all forms except the default, humanoid form.
 * You can't switch from polymorphed humanoid to another form.
 * Shapeshifting breaks all movement-impairing effects (like Slow or Hamstring) and roots (Frost Nova or Entangling Roots) except the 3-second daze that can proc when one is attacked from behind by a melee attack.
 * Depending on the form, the druid is considered either Humanoid (Caster and Moonkin), Beast (Travel, Aquatic, Bear, and Cat), or Elemental (Tree of Life); and thus is vulnerable (or immune) to different spells. This also applies to being tracked.
 * Shapeshifts are not buffs or magical effects, thus they may not be dispelled.
 * Mana regeneration still continues at the same speed as out of the form.
 * Weapons and armor that have the "Chance on hit" effect or have gained the said enchantments can still proc regardless of form.
 * Items with an "Equip: When hit ..." do work in forms. Some examples of these items are the Naglering and Darkmoon Card: Wrath's damage, Green Whelp Armor sleep.

If you shapeshift while wearing any disguise, your form buff will remove the disguise buff. This is because it has a blanket effect and can cause unexpected bugs when two buffs are stacked. Items like the Noggenfogger Elixir were changed in 2007 to not stack with Druid forms so that it would not cause any future problems. Subsequent issues have arisen, such as the jet-pack required for Gunship Battle, giving the message "Cannot use whilst shape-shifted". This can make completing some achievements more challenging for feral and balance druids, such as With a Little Helper from My Friends, requiring creative thinking such as spending the battles as a gunner in Wintergrasp.

As of 5.0.4, druids can mount while in Moonkin Form.

Gear
Druids are able to wear cloth and leather armor only, and gain additional benefits from wearing completely leather.

Druids can equip staves, daggers, one-handed or two-handed maces, fist weapons, and polearms. "Held in off-hand" items can still be used, but they cannot dual wield.

Trivia

 * Druids of the wild are mentioned in the World of Warcraft: Game Manual as having been trained by Fandral Staghelm. This presumably refers to the druid adventurers that can shift between many animal shapes.
 * Druids replaced runemasters during the early development of World of Warcraft.
 * Hearthstone has a number of different shapshifted forms not seen in World of Warcraft, as can be seen with HS Druid of the Swarm and HS Shellshifter.
 * There appears to be a female dwarf using druidic magic in the card art for HS Small Repairs in Hearthstone.

In the RPG
Druids are keepers of the world who walk the path of nature following the wisdom of the Ancients and Cenarius, healing and nurturing the world. To a druid, nature is a delicate balance of actions in which even the smallest imbalance can create storming turmoil from peaceful skies. Druids draw their power from this wild energy using it to change their shapes and command the forces of nature. Traditionally, druids chose the path of a specific animal totem, however, since the invasion of the Burning Legion, most druids have undergone a number of reforms including encouraging the study of magic from all totems. Druids who do this are known as druids of the wild.