Planning to roll dps in night hold

[necromorphs]

I'm new to Druid dps, appreciate if someone could provide some advice and highlight the current ptr state of both feral and balance Druid as I'm plannin to play one for night hold.
So far, I'm interested in feral more as I find the rotation more challenging. I did check the Noxxic dps rankings(apologize for using the N-toxic for quick reference) , they both appear to be below average compared to other classes. (possibly due to no legendaries)
Please share your thoughts on those who are planning to main Druid dps.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, having a bis legendaries on either feral and balance makes a huge difference? Will this be a factor if I don't have any if I'm looking at decent progression (heroic) content at least...

[Polarthief]

I did check the Noxxic dps rankings

Best piece of advice you'll ever get in WoW: NEVER, EVER, look at, read, or even speak of "The N-Word". It's as toxic and nauseous as the combination of those two words make up the name of that site. Also 90%+ of people you say that word to will call you a noob/scrub/etc and completely ignore you. Trust me, it's that bad.

Now, regarding Druid DPS, I can't really speak for Feral, but Balance will definitely be fine. You won't be pulling top numbers with it (nor Feral), but it's definitely viable and in a better place than most.

[Tyrgannus]

Noxxic is not a great authority on dps.
Sims in general are less useful than logs.
Logs are skewed by popularity among skilled players.

Many will tell you to not bother maining Druid dps but play what you want. If you truly excel at a spec then you will provide adequate utility regardless of rank.

[Polarthief]

Noxxic is not a great authority on dps.
Sims in general are less useful than logs.
Logs are skewed by popularity among skilled players.

Many will tell you to not bother maining Druid dps but play what you want. If you truly excel at a spec then you will provide adequate utility regardless of rank.

While true, Druid simply won't be pulling top numbers due to raw math. Then again, if you're going for a "pulling max deeps" spec, you probably aren't looking at that garbage site. Doesn't seem like OP is going for that, and just wants something that works, and I can definitely say, Balance works. Not amazingly well, but it works if you can play it.

[zeoos]

Balance works. With adequate gear, you can dps just ok, even top 5 depending on raid group.
I am a balance druid with 2 utility legendaries and i often go 90-95 percentile.
Just gear up and l2p and every class you main will be allright.

Sent from my LG-H955 using Tapatalk

[Deleted]

If you know how to master Feral Rotation, go for it. It will provide you a higher Output on raid bosses, especially in cleaving fights (such as Odyn or Xavius), which I heard Nighthold will have a lot.

I can't speak much for Balance, but it also seems fairly viable, not special though and some ptr testers say that Balance is having issues in maintaining good dps in fights.

So for Nighthold I'd recommend Feral, but ONLY if you master the rotation, otherwise keep your hands away from it, probably the most difficult dps classspecc atm.

Both speccs work a lot better with legendaries though. For Boomkin it's the helm you want, for Feral it's the Ring for easier energy management (it really softens up the feral rotation).

[Beingbob]

I'm also considering changing specs for Legion, and Balance is interesting as I've never mained a ranged spec before. Is it fun and (relatively) challenging? I've tried mage and didn't like it, every warlock says their specs are unfun, hunters seem too braindead, and I don't like that elem is so aoe/trash focused with bad ST.

[Bugg]

I'm also considering changing specs for Legion, and Balance is interesting as I've never mained a ranged spec before. Is it fun and (relatively) challenging? I've tried mage and didn't like it, every warlock says their specs are unfun, hunters seem too braindead, and I don't like that elem is so aoe/trash focused with bad ST.

Fun is subjective, challenging less than feral. IMO.
I main it because it's the only ranged spec I enjoy after trying them all.

[Myztikrice]

What is braindead about Hunter? Or were you talking about Beast Mastery? MM Hunter has procs and debuffs to keep track off, and proper CD stacking is essential for top DPS. If you were talking about BM then Balance is just as braindead.

[Xarathan]

What is braindead about Hunter? Or were you talking about Beast Mastery? MM Hunter has procs and debuffs to keep track off, and proper CD stacking is essential for top DPS. If you were talking about BM then Balance is just as braindead.

marksman's dummy rotations perfectly fits on any fight with any mechanic you can think off, it barely requires adaptation from the player. whereas with balance its often less clearcut what the best approach is to a fight and may require some experimentation and iteration to maximize output depending on mechanics.

that is just talking from my personal experience though ^.^

maybe im just a godlike hunter and a trash tier druid but whatevs

[Deleted]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

My guild needed more ranged dps and since I already had my resto druid alt ready I will be switching to balance for NH. Not gonna lie I am kinda bummed out switching from one mediocre class to another, but I guess with enough gear and AP I can just barely hang in there, haha.

[Deleted]

My guild needed more ranged dps and since I already had my resto druid alt ready I will be switching to balance for NH. Not gonna lie I am kinda bummed out switching from one mediocre class to another, but I guess with enough gear and AP I can just barely hang in there, haha.

If you are good player you will do ok without top two legendaries (which will drop one day ) Once you have those you should do well enough not to be upset.
Although looking at some nighthold fights - there will be lots of movement .. We will need to wait and see how well that goes ...

I do enjoy my Boomie but its easy to mess up your rotation/priority list and then be doing less DPS then expected. I recently started leveling my ex-main Monk and as melee DPS its shocking to see how quickly it can dish out burst of insane damage ... if only my guild didn't need more range just like yours

- - - Updated - - -

whereas with balance its often less clearcut what the best approach is to a fight and may require some experimentation and iteration to maximize output depending on mechanics.

This is so true about our output. you need to know fights, when you will have to move, when you can stop and turret and adjust depending when there willl be adds (for your full moon to hit them all etc.)

Feels good when you execute it right but not easy for an average Joe like me :P

[teddabear]

I'm new to Druid dps, appreciate if someone could provide some advice and highlight the current ptr state of both feral and balance Druid as I'm plannin to play one for night hold.
So far, I'm interested in feral more as I find the rotation more challenging. I did check the Noxxic dps rankings(apologize for using the N-toxic for quick reference) , they both appear to be below average compared to other classes. (possibly due to no legendaries)
Please share your thoughts on those who are planning to main Druid dps.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, having a bis legendaries on either feral and balance makes a huge difference? Will this be a factor if I don't have any if I'm looking at decent progression (heroic) content at least...

You need to provide more information. Why are you leaning towards Druid, what have you played, what do you look for in a spec, how comfortable are you with addons and weak auras, how much effort do you put into your UI, what content other than Nighthold will you be doing? I agree with your assertion that Feral is challenging, I also think it takes an above average investment in addon and UI configuration.

[Deleted]

(Started playing with legion)
Mythic raiding Enhancer here who rerolled to feral
I really enjoy feral and will most likely stick to it. I gotta admit tough that the rotation is really complex. Even with looking around in forums/theorycrafting its not easy to üerform well. If you are looking for fewer effort and still good performance id suggest moonkin. If u want a challange go forgo feral

[necromorphs]

You need to provide more information. Why are you leaning towards Druid, what have you played, what do you look for in a spec, how comfortable are you with addons and weak auras, how much effort do you put into your UI, what content other than Nighthold will you be doing? I agree with your assertion that Feral is challenging, I also think it takes an above average investment in addon and UI configuration.

Currently, I mostly heal, with Holy paladin. In the past I've played Hunter, dps dk, ret pally, windwalker all these are pre Legion. I did like windwalker during WoD but somehow didn't like the changes made during Legion. I have not tried a caster dps like lock, makes etc but so far leaning toward feral. I do agree u need to make some UI changes to smoothen and optimize the feral Gameplay.

[teddabear]

Currently, I mostly heal, with Holy paladin. In the past I've played Hunter, dps dk, ret pally, windwalker all these are pre Legion. I did like windwalker during WoD but somehow didn't like the changes made during Legion. I have not tried a caster dps like lock, makes etc but so far leaning toward feral. I do agree u need to make some UI changes to smoothen and optimize the feral Gameplay.

I am guessing you still have your 100 boost and are deciding whether to use your boost on a Feral. I have a hunch Feral came out a little undertuned in 7.1.5, you may want to try DPSing with your Pally, they appear to be quite strong right now. If was deciding whether to use a boost I'd wait a little bit and see if Feral gets any buffs. If you already have a Druid then give it a try.

FYI - don't get your Legendary until Nighthold comes out next week, it will already be upgraded.