Is Balance a really terrible PvP spec?

[kosechi]

Because we only have one? LOL. If you're counting Resto as viable then you're fail. Obviously there are really good resto druids out there that make it work but the same can be said for enhance shamans? Shamans have 3 viable pvp specs easily, druids don't.

the fact that resto is so weak right now is actually kind of unusual
usually they are one of the strongest healers around.
feral is currently beyond broken and overpowered.
boomkins in the past have been quite strong in the right comp, they are currently very valuable in rbgs
hence.
three viable pvp specs.

i've yet to meet a good enhancement shaman in pvp. and i really don't expect blizz to let me pvp viably as a protection paladin.
what makes you special?

[TaurenNinja]

In a BG/RBG setting moonkins really shine. Maybe also in 5v5.
In 2v2 and 3v3 or duels, they are terrible. Which is the main reason why the best PvP players will probably always say that moonkin is bad, because they're bad in the one bracket that matters the most (3v3). But if you play anything with more players (BG/RBG), they're very strong.

[Pascal]

However much I want to try and respect your experiences as balance pvp, you did it while not even level capped... sincerely, you can not ever, with any class, understand their PvP capabilities while not level capped. If I can level a pvp hunter twink alt and kill everyone ever the entire match, have I understood hunters at max level pvp? do hunters at level 85 against other level 85s in pvp gear constantly kill everyone without effort? no? really? well then, you don't get balance pvp until you level a balance druid to max level and pvp with it sincerely and dedicatedly.

balance pvp can kill people periodically and maybe if youre appropriately geared, kill a healer or two in an onslaught, but for the most part you're just hoping you kill someone before you get killed as balance. unless you are seriously an amazing player, as a select few (very few) balance pvpers have shown us, you won't ever kick severe ass as balance, but you can easily kill uneducated/unexperienced casters and maybe some melee. but not even being at level cap, what are you trying to prove?

[Illana]

Just keep moving constantly, NEVER stop to cast unless you are 110% sure you can do it without putting yourself in danger.

Lifebloom heals almost as well as resto given your very high SP as a boomkin (3kish ticks and can crit over 40k) and it's worth shifting out of form to heal on the move when you get a chance.

Sunfire and IS do an incredible amount of damage for DoTs, I finished off a boomkin once (ofc being a hunter i have no selfheals) and was left with around 40k hp. Even while eating to get my hp back up I died (though legendary procs got me I think)

[PizzaSHARK]

Moonkin damage output, utility and therefor viability in general is directly proportional to the number of people they are up against; ergo, moonkins are shit in 2v2, decent in 3v3, great in 5v5 and through the motherfucking roof in RBGs. In fact, if you do RBGs at relatively high rating (2200+) and do not bring a moonkin, you may as well be shooting yourself in the foot.

It's at the point of RBGs that Moonkins stop being Moonkins and turn into Doomkins.

EDIT: Don't forget that you can still use Bear and Cat forms as a Doomkin. You don't want to be spending a lot of time in those forms, but diving into Bear for a Bash or using Cat to ensure stealth gets you the first shot is never bad. Get used to using Bash to buy you time for a hardcast Cyclone.

[Deleted]

Moonkin is best in rbgs, not sure about arena's.

[Beefkow]

Prepare to scream, rant & yell at your monitor as Foolkin can be a bitch if you`ve no CDs as you`re a guaranteed target. I had one & could go few v me in bgs at times, but it`s a bitch compared to the old days of "pop Starfall & count the corpses"

In 2s I used to go with Warrior or Rogue, found it fairly easy.

Here`s someone that can play well....

http://www.youtube.com/user/Dozzooo#p/a/u/0/qq4Srk5C36E
http://www.youtube.com/user/Dozzooo#p/a/u/1/I7aaJsIDfP8

Good luck, may the feathers be with you ;P

After watching those 2 videos you posted.. i seriously want to lvl up a balance druid :P

[Deleted]

Moonkin damage output, utility and therefor viability in general is directly proportional to the number of people they are up against; ergo, moonkins are shit in 2v2, decent in 3v3, great in 5v5 and through the motherfucking roof in RBGs. In fact, if you do RBGs at relatively high rating (2200+) and do not bring a moonkin, you may as well be shooting yourself in the foot.

This guy said all that needs to be said.
If you want to enjoy PvP'ing on your moonkin, never set foot inside 2v2.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

So my question is just this: is balance a terrible PvP spec, or did I just play it horribly wrong?

The bad thing about Balance in PvP is their cast times on spells are slow (they live or die on haste!). By the time the DoTs and getting Surge up, they can be almost dead. In leather, they also don't have much to survive an onslaught from melee or even ranged.

I love playing the Boomkin it's a fun class for PvE, though.

[Seegtease]

However much I want to try and respect your experiences as balance pvp, you did it while not even level capped... sincerely, you can not ever, with any class, understand their PvP capabilities while not level capped. If I can level a pvp hunter twink alt and kill everyone ever the entire match, have I understood hunters at max level pvp? do hunters at level 85 against other level 85s in pvp gear constantly kill everyone without effort? no? really? well then, you don't get balance pvp until you level a balance druid to max level and pvp with it sincerely and dedicatedly.

balance pvp can kill people periodically and maybe if youre appropriately geared, kill a healer or two in an onslaught, but for the most part you're just hoping you kill someone before you get killed as balance. unless you are seriously an amazing player, as a select few (very few) balance pvpers have shown us, you won't ever kick severe ass as balance, but you can easily kill uneducated/unexperienced casters and maybe some melee. but not even being at level cap, what are you trying to prove?

If you think I'm trying to prove something, then you missed the point of my post. I just wanted to know if it's as bad as it feels like to me. I was kind of overgeared compared to many and it still felt... bad. I know I'm not good at it, but I've been good at other classes in PvP, so I just wanted to know how others felt.

[Deleted]

In vanilla, as balance, i ran oom often but i think i used hit and run tactics, that being moonfire spam, run, drink, repeat. I felt so overpowered. Moonkin form itself, i never used it. I think cause it cost way too much mana.

In TBC, moonkins were good, atleast in the first two seasons. I rarely got beaten by players except SL SL warlocks. Only the skilled players could beat me. And im pretty sure i werent 100% skilled as moonkin anyway, cause i beat the crap out of 95% of the playerbase easily cause they couldnt play well, but i got owned by people who had skills, even other moonkins.

Starting with WOTLK, WoW really started to suck for a moonkin.
First times, moonkin=FOTM. I used to starfall stun knocking out every rogue from stealth and two hit starfire them without them doing nothing, fun times, but still i lost VS fotm rerollers. Arcane mages, SV hunters (the most overpowered crap spec to date, i seriously dont know how they got live with those changes) and death knights.

I really hated death knights most of all. They required no skills that time. I got beaten by unskilled noobs, all they had to do was death grip and 90% of my life is gone, strangulate, chains of ice, and death coil. At this point i started to hate WoW again.
Starfall got nerfed to crap, and i had to endure total noobs owning me. Bladestorming warriors everywhere.

I find it quite fun, like, when a class is OK or suck, you cant see them in bgs or dueling outside. When the class gets buffed to FOTM, 90% of the players outside dueling is just that class. Thats what the playerbase want. They dont want to have a balanced game, they want easymode. I have lost faith in humanity.

I had to endure years of WOTLK, i should have quit but addiction you know, until Blizzard buffed starfall again and i one shoted everyone coming close to me. We wanted survival, and Blizzard gave us a Starfall buff. Are you serious Blizzard? Youre terrible, just saying.

And then in CATA, once again, moonkins were OP. Thorns ftw. Starsurge 50% of the targets life gone. They got nerfed to * i could only moonfire spam to win. Yes, thats how i played. Blizzard are bad. So bad, i had to moonfire spam to win.
I am a veteran of moonkin spec, so i do pretty well anyway.

Why am i using moonfire spam?

1. It stresses the oppenent.

2. It costs almost 0 mana.

3. It can put pressure on targets, especially healers.

4. It can activate lunar and solar and do good burst.

5. You just have to spam it, heal yourself with hots and starsurge proc. Theres no downside, atleast not when i used to play.

6. Jumping around frost mages spamming moonfire is fun fun fun fun.

I dont know how it is today but its quite funny, EVERY TIME i CAST A FREAKING SPELL i get interrupted out of nowhere. Moonkin spec sucks, i wish you were immune to interrupts while casting for example wrath spells while in solar state.

If you want a real spellcaster, even a stupid shockadin is better when it comes to bgs and world pvp.. moonkins are still fun in arena, well when i used to play 6 months ago, quite fun enjoying seeing FOTMs die to my moonfire spam. IDK about rbg. Never played that cause i can imagine how it is.. if my moonkin have pocket healers, ill beat the living crap out of everything.

Without them, moonfire moonfire moonfire moonfire moonfire zzzzzz...

[Xtreeze]

In arenas, not so much. LSD v2 (Warlock - Boomkin - R Shaman) is quite a good combo though, but it's in rbgs where they really shine. The more boomkins the better really