So, this comes to us courtesy of Jerome:"I am wearing my (bad) healing gear at the moment and am specced resto as of a couple days ago. I was a restoration druid up until level 50 and then I tried out balance (the inability to solo much of anything with a fully specced resto really became evident around that time). I levelled to 70 as a balance druid, and did not have much trouble finding groups (and Setthek Halls is a favorite instance of mine due to the fact that we do actually have some CC on the birds!)
"I've returned to the game after a few months away, and I am wanting to raid end game and get the tier armors (eventually tier 6, which is natural for everyone to want seeing as it is the last tier armor available at the moment...plus I absolutely adore how it looks!) I had got in touch with a guild leader on this server and s/he explicitly stated that "Balance sux. What is your +healing?" I told him how low it was, and I got no response until I said "How about I get some better gear and let you know" and he said "ok".
"ANYWAY, My question is this: Should I go resto and be a healbot until I'm able to get tier 6 balance armor (at which point I will go back to balance, naturally)? Or do you think it takes longer for a balance Druid to get each of the tier armors because no one wants one to come?
The reason this bugs me is because a few things have gained my attention. Firstly, a new patch is coming with ZulAman (I have no clue when) and I remember someone mentioning that there will be a BUNCH of Balance gear available in the instance (as well as being outdoors like ZF, so we would actually have some CC). Should I be relying on that? Or would it just be a quicker path to the tier 6 Thunderheart if I restoed for my tiers 4 & 5?
Thanks a million, not sure what to do in game until I get some advice from you guys! (although I *hate* not being able to solo anything..even in my damage gear.. with the resto spec)."
I think you've got a couple options here, Jerome, but let me say this first:
Do you enjoy healing? If you do, and you don't mind seeing new content in that role, then so be it. I love my resto druid friends, and I honestly don't mind taking a walk on the tree side now and then if need be. So if you're comfortable joining this guild as a resto, by all means do so. But keep in mind that if you join a guild with that attitude, 9 times out of 10 they're going to get pissed when you say you want to try Balance for a while. Frankly, chances are that as soon as you get your first piece of T6, if you DON'T turn it in for the resto version and get the balance one instead, you'll get kicked. And where are you then? Geared up for Black Temple as a healer, and looking for a new guild, probably having to repeat some content to get back in. And possibly facing the same issue.
So, your options:
1) Cave in and go Resto. (Self-explanatory)
2) Stick to your guns and go Balance, and try to find a guild that will take you. Try this approach - find a guild that is normally running with 3 healers in Karazhan. Say "Take me in as a Balance druid instead of your third healer. As long as your two main healers are decently geared and competent, I will off heal as needed and still bring DPS to the raid. Give it a run or two, and if you don't like it, that's fine." Make sure you have the gear to back up your claim. Mention Zul'Aman - let them know that it's going to be outdoor and roots and hibernate are supposed to be two of the main forms of crowd control. Plus, they'll have Moonkin gear in there, among other things, and if there are drops specifically itemized for you, that means they don't have to worry about you always bidding on cloth.
3) Try a Dreamstate healing Balance/Resto spec. It basically takes the mana regen of Dreamstate and the bonus healing of Lunar Guidance and adds it to a resto build. Look here for an example that relies on Healing Touch. You must downrank effectively for this build to be efficient, but if you can learn that, it can be great. And since it has a 34 points in Balance, it can still be quite viable for soloing.
4) Do what I did and create your own guild - but that's a whole different can of worms, and probably ended up being a heck of a lot more effort than if I'd done one of the other routes. :) And honestly, it was dicey at points. I'm still surprised sometimes that we've gotten as far as we have.
8 comments:
I have to agree with our host - if this guild you're talking to (a) pans the balance spec right of the bat, (b) essentially *demands* that you go resto, you'll only be happy if you like being a doormat. Find a better guild that's not full of @#($&@()#$ or @)#&$*^%(*&(&! or (!@#&$*!&#$ (or @)!(&#$&! @#($&@#$ @(#&$(&@#$)!.
I would recommend this spec for a resto/balance hybrid: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=0xcrzicsRuZZxxcxcq
- for balance you need the moonkin, otherwise your damage and survivability is gimped too much
- nature's grasp ist not really needed for pve IMO (less than the moonkin form)
- 5 points in subtlety is VERY useful in Raids, especially since ist works for all druid spells (not only just for healing anymore)
- i think full points in "gift of nature" are better than in "tranquil spirit". if you have a shadow priest in your group (raid-wise) you most likely wonÄ't have any mana problems. don't forget: innervate is for you, unless you don't need it ;-)
@Anon #2
Honestly, I just pulled that example off Wowwiki. Don't have the time to spec it out myself at work! :D Agreed with your points though, EXCEPT the Moonkin point. I honestly find myself grinding out of Moonkin a lot now that my spell damage is higher - I can kill things quicker than they can get to me to hit me, and I KNOW I'm not the best geared Balance druid out there. I think that at least past Kara and into the Gruul territory, the hybrid spec would work fine for solo grinding w/out the moonkin form.
If you still want it though, go for it!
Balance isn't viable? Cats and little kittens, that's not true! I have permanent invitations to TWO different guilds' Kara and Gruul raids specifically b/c I AM the doomkin! Find a better guild to apply to. If they tell you there is no place for balance, point out High King Mulgaur in Gruul's Lair. I TANK his shaman add in moonkin, as that's the most efficient way to do so. Blar.. balance isn't viable...
OK. Two other things. There are a lot of sloppy balance druids out there that give the rest of us a bad name. One, make sure you're not one of them. Two, if you find a guild that's not outright anti-doomkin, offer to run a couple heroics w/the officers, and make sure you are on your 'A' game. I'll bet your /ginvite is easier to get than you think if you are as picky as the guild leaders are.
I couldn't agree more with Antikathy. If you don't enjoy healing, stick to your guns. Show raid leaders or guild leaders your moonkin prowess in heroics or some test runs of Kara, etc. Personally, I enjoy healing which is why I don't mind raiding as a tree and being Moonkin otherwise. Sometimes you can even get some nice stuff for your moonkin if there's no one else around to roll on it. If the raid leaders you are petitioning don't understand the value of a moonkin and still won't budge- you're better off without them.
Thanks for the advice!
I did go back to balance (intensity /subtlety build- 44/0/17) and have found a great guild so far.
I have bookmarked your site and look forward to reading more.
I stuck to my guns as a Balance, and after repeated rejection, created my own Druid only guild. 150 at our peak, but it seems to be the place for rejected Balance as all our 70's are this spec...:(
I have been torn on leaving this guild and going Resto for the good raids, but recently decided to open our ranks to all classes. We'll see how it goes...
Bottom line - Do what you love and love what you do, and to hell with what others want.
2 is exactly what I'm doing. Luckily, my druid is only 44, while i level a hunter(farmer) I'm reading all the balance stuff I can find. Now, my 70 is a holy priest, so I do the healing thing...and it's ok. I have grown to like it but one is enough. My plan for my baby boomkin is stay balance, I know my casual guild will let me go to kara as balance. We do take 3 healers, and I'm more than happy to pick up that 3rd spot, or dps and have a 4th healer in a pinch (which they seem excited about).
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