I’ve been messing around with CTProfiles today and got a couple profiles up and working. Here’s the (attainable) Wish List, along with teh build.

I recently changed from Balance over to the cookie-cutter Feral + Nature’s Switfness mainly because, when I got Moonkin Form, it really wasn’t that helpful. I found myself really liking the healing role in AV, and I only really used Moonfire since I didn’t really feel like getting counter-spelled every time I tried Starfire (and Wrath was too mana-ineffecient for my liking). I didn’t want to switch to Balance w/ NS since then I’d be gimping Cat and Bear way too much.

On the PvE side though, it was even worse for Balance. If we didn’t have a Mage in the party, I’d be having to sit down and drink pretty often and burn like a stack of level 45 water/run. In addition, I hated having to burn a chunk of mana to heal and then not be able to do any damage if I didn’t have enough mana to go into Cat (on top of that, would be do shit damage in my Caster gear). On the aggro front, while yes, I don’t have any way to reduce my threat from spells, I was in Plate, so I wasn’t totally fucked when I pulled aggro. Later on though… yeah, that would present itself to be a problem.

In the end, Balance simply wasn’t working out so bounced builds around for a couple days. A while ago I stated that I wasn’t a big fan of Druid builds without 31 point talents, simply because I felt they let the Druid support the group passively. The problem with that being that Moonkin and Leader of the Pack both a) weren’t that great for bonuses, and b) required me to stay in a certain form for them to work. With Innverate, the problem was different: I’d only be using it on either myself, Priests, or another Druid in the sorts of runs I’m doing. Mages can Evocate (and are going to get that trainable in 1.11) and don’t have to blow 1g/run on water, Warlocks can Life Tap, Paladins are obscenely mana effecient, and Hunters don’t need mountains of it to do their thing. That leaves the Priests, or another Resto or Balance Druid… yeah, I’m going down that far a tree for those situations.

All 31s were out, and I needed at least 13-15 points in Feral I felt (now I know Mage’s pain in regards to Arcane) so I was left with one build: 0/30/21, the cookie-cutterest of cookie-cutter builds, and for good reason. Heart of the Wild rocks, my Cat is now up to a point where I’ve actually been brought into a group as a DPS swing-man (DPS, OT, and Backup Healer), and I’m an even better healer in Alterac then before (and I don’t have the very situational Moonkin pigeon-holing me). Overall, I’m pretty happy with it, and I’m sure I’ll love NS when I hit 60.

Do I miss stuff in Balance? Yeah, Moonkin was fun for throwing up Barkskin and hitting a group of Horde with Hurricane, but I can leave the AoEs to the classes with kamakize instant-casts. Nature’s Grace was cool for when I crit, but I never felt it hit at the time I needed it (same feeling I had with OOC). Moonglow was really nice for cheaper spells, but HotW sort of counters that with more Mana to start out with. Finally, better Imp. Moonfire and Starfire were nice, although Starfire Stun proc’d once in a million years, and the gimpier Moonfire is balanced out with my new Insect Swarm.

Now just to like… actually get 60 and stuff.

(You learn something new every day.)