World of Warcraft/Druid

Druids: The Shapeshifting Hybrids

Note to players: If you are interested in playing a druid, remember. Druids are a hybrid class. They can serve many roles, but not as well as other classes can.

Druids are a hybrid class. If you play a druid, you will have the option to shape-shift into different forms to suit different roles. This is different from the Shaman, who has all of these roles available at the same time, and provides an advantage and a disadvantage to a druid. The advantages to this are that while you are in any particular form, you effectively become another class. The disadvantages to this is that you must switch forms, which takes time and mana, in order to do certain things.

(Note: The word Spec is short for specialize, and used for talent point distribution)

Druids have three talent trees: Feral, Restoration, and Balance.

The focus for the Feral tree is melee combat, both in your bear form(warrior mimic), and in your cat form(rogue mimic).

The focus for the Restoration tree is healing. Speccing in this tree will make the healing spells you cast be comparable to that of a priest.

The focus of the balance tree is damage. At the end of this tree you will receive a new form, called moonkin. Your magical DPS will be increased if you spec for balance.

Note, many large raiding guilds expect druids to heal in end-game instances.