Guardian: Polearm vs Staff?

[ZaneBusby]

Did numerous Google searches and searched this forum for anything regarding this, but couldn't find a SINGLE thing about it. Basically I just want to know if weapon speed or weapon damage makes a difference at all for Guardian druid tanking (and I guess it's relevant for Feral as well, since I couldn't find jack shit about that either).

I'm looking at buying either a Wild Combatant's Pike or a Wild Combatant's Staff, both of which are identical both stat-wise and DPS-wise, but the staff has lower weapon damage with a 2.0 speed while the polearm has higher damage with a 3.6 speed. Want to know which one is the right one to be picking up, or if it actually doesn't make a single ounce of difference at all and is purely a preference thing.

[Eace]

I think it doesn't make a difference. Don't both Cat and Bear Form have a set attack speed separate from the weapon speed? So only the DPS should matter. I'm not 100% on this though.

[CenariusTheForestLord]

I think it doesn't make a difference. Don't both Cat and Bear Form have a set attack speed separate from the weapon speed? So only the DPS should matter. I'm not 100% on this though.

Yes, bear and cat form swing timer is only affected by haste. Only Weapon DPS counts for the damage.

[huth]

Even if it wasn't set to the forms attack speed, the difference is irrelevant anyway. All abilities are normalised to a set speed.

Add to that that you can transmog any staff or polearm to the other(and any 2h mace as well), and it doesn't even matter for visuals.

Only relevant difference is stats. Everything else doesn't matter.

[Dreyen]

Even if it wasn't set to the forms attack speed, the difference is irrelevant anyway. All abilities are normalised to a set speed.

Add to that that you can transmog any staff or polearm to the other(and any 2h mace as well), and it doesn't even matter for visuals.

Only relevant difference is stats. Everything else doesn't matter.

It's been a long time since I've heard the word normalisation... but I believe weapon damage is not normalized, only attack power... So a slower weapon does hit harder.

However, for druid forms, we use weapon DPS, so it really doesn't matter.

[ZaneBusby]

So the only thing that matters is the stats, and weapon DPS (Which in this case is identical). Alright. Thanks guys.