DreamgroveIntroduction
Hey guys, this FAQ should answer most of your important questions about leveling as a Balance Druid. This is primarily for Balance Druid and otherwise will cover basic leveling information outside of Moonkin. We hope this FAQ helps anyone reading it and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us on discord.
Is it Worth Playing in Warmode?
It is highly recommended that you play with Warmode on as it speeds up leveling by a considerable amount. 10% XP and heavily increased damage from honor talents mainly in the form of Crescent Burn far outweighs the risk of dying in world PvP. If you choose to turn Warmode off due to not wanting to pvp or heavy faction imbalance, it won’t make or break your experience, but it will cost you some extra time. It’s worth noting that early on in the expansion there will be few people pvping as they will also be leveling in their own factions zone.
What is the Strategy?
Basically, the optimal strategy as Balance Druid involves spamming Moonfire due to how many modifiers it has in open world, especially in combination with Crescent Burns.
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If you’re medium item level (215-240), you should spam Moonfire in Bear Form while in Balance Specialization. You must have the Fury of Nature and Lady and the Child legendary equipped for this to work.
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If leveling in a group or if you have 240+ item level, you should level in Moonkin Form, still spamming Moonfire. The best legendaries in Moonkin Form are Lady and the Child and Sephuz’s Secret.
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If you are below 215 item level, don’t have the previous legendaries, or just want to level as fast as possible, it is recommended you level in Guardian Specialization with Sephuz’s Secret and Lady and the Child equipped if you have them. The talents you take for Guardian Specialization can be found in the Level 116 section.
It’s worth noting that Azerite armor is not worth more than Lady and the Child until after level 115.
What is the Best Order of Zones for Leveling?
Drustvar > Tiragarde Sound > Stormsong Valley for Alliance
Vol’dun > Zuldazar > Nazmir for Horde
Are There Any Useful Items for Leveling?
If you’re Horde it’s a good idea to have Goblin Glider Kits. Otherwise, make sure you have flasks, Skystep Potions, Gunshoes, damage potions, and food such as Bear Tartare and Darkmoon versatility food. Tier 21 is not very useful for this leveling strategy, being worth very little. Having a water walking mount is also a huge time saver.
What Azerite Traits Do I Want for Leveling?
You want to get Power of the Moon traits whenever possible so you can easily kill quest enemies while on the move towards other objectives. You can get this trait very early by choosing the chestplate reward from the Heart of Azeroth quest where you get your artifact neck.
Which Talents and Honor Talents Should I Take?
Honor Talents: Crescent Burn, Thorns, Deep Roots
These talents give you a mix of powerful protection and healing in the case of Force of Nature and Restoration Affinity, and great dps while moving in the form of Twin Moons and Shooting Stars.
It’s also a viable option to talent Nature’s Balance and Feral Affinity in a group as you won’t need the extra defense of the treants or healing from Restoration Affinity. Moonkin Aura and Ironfeather Armor can be taken over Thorns and Deep Roots if you choose to level in Moonkin Form and are not scared of being ganked.
Level 116
It’s recommended to switch to Guardian specialization if you’re leveling alone at this point as it’s significantly faster than leveling as balance. If you choose to do this, make sure you have an agility weapon. These are the recommended talents and honor talents:
Honor Talents: Marlorne's Swiftness, Shrapened Claws, Roaring Speed
Tips and Tricks
It’s worth mentioning that a very useful addon while leveling is Azeroth Auto Pilot, which will guide you through every zone and give you the most efficient routes for leveling. It’s also worth noting that you should save any gear you get from leveling as it can be scrapped for materials at the Scrapper in your factions main hub.