Daily Thoughts: Resto Druid PVP

In Wrath, Resto Druids were arguably the most over powered healing class in PVP. While that title is now often thrown at Resto Shamans or Holy Paladins, we former trees of HoT-ty goodness can still definitely hold our own. Aside from that, playing a resto druid in PVP is fun as all hell. There’s almost nothing like jumping into a large mass of players fighting, rolling HoTs on your team and turning the tide as, suddenly, the enemy can’t kill your teammates. Combine that with having a host of instant-cast spells and being able to break snares when changing form (something only resto druids can do now) and they can be really, really hard to bring down.

Why A Restokin and not Another Class?

Although I’ve done a little bit of PVP on my Holy Paladin and Resto Shaman, I’ve never really enjoyed them. Neither spec felt like it had the tools I wanted when healing in PVP. Resto enjoys, arguably, the best mobility of any healer. Druids have a vast array of instant cast hots, an instant cast direct heal, and a CD that removes the cast time of any of our heals. Not only that but with our shapeshifting, we can turn into a kitty with sprint or travel form, and each time we change shape it removes any snares from us. This gives us a lot of ability to kite the silly DPS that should have been killing the priest healing nearby. Combining all of this with cat-form’s stealth, we’re escape artists second only to rogues. Hots > Travel Form > Root the DPS > More Hots > Travel form > Still Alive. Of course, this defense isn’t perfect. We can have trouble with warriors who appear to have every button bound to either a charge/stun or bladestorm. Shapeshifting cures movement impairing effects and not stuns, so we’re stuck there. Still, the freedom of movement both while running to a fight or away from it, is buckets of fun for me.

Any Negatives?

Every spec will usually have something that could be improved. Between me and resto druids, this is tree form. I’m among those who believe that each druid role needs to have its associated form. There wouldn’t be a druid tank that was only in bear form every 3 minutes, why take healing druids out of their form for the majority of any encounter. On top of the sheer principle of this issue, losing tree form cost resto druids a ton of armor and survivability. Earlier I mentioned how druids can be very hard to bring down because of their mobility, well this only applies against classes that don’t have stuns. I’ve been killed on several occasions by a single warrior during the stuns that he can do alone, without having the opportunity to cast anything or move. Even with 2800+ resilience for over 30% damage reduction. On my Paladin I’ve killed druids during a single stun by myself if my Avenging Wrath is on. A pair of classes with stuns or silences (like rogue/restoshaman) can easily keep a resto druid locked long enough for a single DPS to burn it without ever having a chance to respond. Instant heals don’t matter if you’re stunned. Holy Paladins have plate+shield, Shaman have shields, and priests even have a spell that increases base armor. No warriors I’ve seen can kill my ret pally, frost DK, or ele shaman in one stun, I don’t think resto druids should be subject to such an inherent and unstoppable weakness.

3 thoughts on “Daily Thoughts: Resto Druid PVP

  1. Most over powered healing class in PVP? well i think so but it still depends to the build:) even shaman could perform the best support healing character. Perhaps druid is created for healing they can be the most powered like what you said. It is natural to them but remember, high level and lock items are always be the strong.

  2. Most over powered healing class in PVP? well i think so but it still depends to the build:) even shaman could perform the best support healing character. Perhaps druid is created for healing they can be the most powered like what you said. It is natural to them but remember, high level and lock items are always be the strong.

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