Is Balance a really terrible PvP spec?

[Seegtease]

Let me preface this saying I rarely PvP, and even more rarely enjoy it. I've enjoyed PvP (in BGs) on a frost DK (specced for it), and occasionally on my Rogue (not specced for it). But my experience is limited. My performance as the DK was actually better than most of the other players in random BGs, take what you will from that.

The other day I was on my new (second) druid, level 79. Decided I'd just do a few BGs to get to 80, first time really doing any PvP on that toon. As Balance, I just got my ass handed to me on a silver platter. No matter how I tried to approach people, even though I was in cata greens, I just could rarely kill anyone and even more rarely stay alive.

After a couple BGs I switched to resto and actually felt like I was useful. Even occupying the time of 3-4 opposing players just keeping myself alive (and others) for staggering long amounts of time.

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

[Deleted]

How can you be judging a spec when your not even level capped?

Every played a shadow priest at level 10?...

But seriously, Balance is a tricky one, its one of them specs where it will never perform amazingly in 2s unless your REALLY good or have 4.5k+ resil. They can apply a lot pressure in 3s and 5s and have and awful lot of utility spells (clone / solar beam / knockback etc) and In rated bgs, they really shine.

[Severusss]

In RBGS it is one of the best dps classes you can bring. Just Youtube some boomkins and see the crazy amounts of damage they can put out.

[Deleted]

Yup, especially in Arenas. Balance druids are somewhat decent in BGs. The thing is, you can't really afford to stand still and cast in BGs, so basically having the lunar shower talent helps a lot for bouncing between eclipses, and gives you a somewhat decent damage output while you have to move.

Just remember to use your CC abiliti!es, such as roots, cyclone, nature's grasp and even Shrooms (when specced into) can provide an area slow.

[Fagnut]

It is indeed subpar but let one freecast and get dots up will be alot of pressure for the enemy. It also requires alot of hardwork and experience cause yeh, you will be a chicken dinner for melee.

They know moonkins are a free kill and target you out if the crowd and nothing you can do about it.

Its nice to play randoms with moonkin, its somewhat rare to be focused in bgs you can get some casts off but in rated its gonna be tough.

Just remember its not a pick up and play spec like frost. More like unholy.

[Urza29]

balance isnt that good, some may say "i'm good at it" or "its the best ever" but those are far and few between, and single cases, its been proven/said/discussed that balance pvp just isnt very good/attractive currently. Balance doesnt have the burst like other class/specs, spamming moonfire/wrath, to proc your class's main ability for extra damage? even if you use all your tools such as roots, cyclone, typhoon etc, its still pretty rough, and balance druids dont really get respect in pvp, people will see a boomkin and run up, destroy you and laugh at you for being balance and a giant chicken (happens all the time)

Its more of the community overall saying balance is terrible and laughed at in pvp, feral cat pvp is aucutally far better, but even feral cat isnt very competetive on the high end of things, arenas, unless played extremely well. Most pvp classes/specs require little skill to start out and do well decent with, obviously those that are skilled/good at x class or spec are leading, but not everyone is really good at pvp

Look at the top arena teams, even top 500 (if that is possible) i dont think balance is a very popular spec, just like hunters werent for awhile (are they still?) its just the class mechanics dont mesh well with the mentality/easiness of blowing you up in a few seconds, while you root them, and tickle them with moonfire/wrath and starfires...once they get loose, its KFC on a friday night.

just my opinion...for me though balance is a joke, both in pvp and sorta in PVE these days, i just got 2 peice t13 LFR other day, so i am doing decent dps, 384 ilvl, but only pulling 30-35k+ pushing hard, my hunter is 386, does near 50k+ on DW, and i dont think its a matter of not playing balance properly, as the rotation/priority is really easy, i think its a matter of just getting better gear, i think boomies shine at higher gear levels, without t13+ the numbers just aren't there, and they are laughed at in both pvp and pve.

/endrant

[redderz1]

Balance is very strong in Rated BG's. At around 2k rating, if we meet a team with a boomkin, he is instantly a priority kill. The damage they can put out can wipe a flag/node attack team.

[Illana]

4set pvp bonus helps a lot since you WILL be trained.

Getting into solar eclipse and laying down some shrooms while spamming starfire is actually quite huge damage.

You need to play with something to give you dispel protection in arena though, like a ele sham,spriest or affli lock.

[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.

[Urza29]

ok before anyone says anything about last post, i didnt realize they were that good these days...but i personally do not pvp on my druid, only pve for valor cap, and balance in the past has always been meh...so i guess i opened my mouth before researching...my bad (but i still stand behind most of what i said previously)

[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 man is right.
balance is awesome and fun, just dont play 2s (atleast not with a healer, try with rogue or mage)

[Feranor]

Moonkin requires lots of babysitters as they have no Dispel protection and virtually no defense.

Don't confuse "Damage done" with effective damage, though. Sure, a Moonkin spamming DoTs on 10 targets does a truckload of "damage", but that's not killing anyone. You need to Cyclone and Root as often as you can, manage your Eclipse, use your Starsurge (+ procs) for pressure etc. which is not possible if someone is attacking you.

[Deleted]

Don't confuse "Damage done" with effective damage, though. Sure, a Moonkin spamming DoTs on 10 targets does a truckload of "damage", but that's not killing anyone.

Yes it is. Playing RBGs last night at around 2600 MMR we met a team around 100 MMR lower basically consisting of Envy (Ensidia)/Paragon members who ran 2x moonkin/lock/frost DK/rogue/mage with all sorts of OP trinkets and legendaries and whatever you can even think of and we got shat on in WSG. All they do is dish out unhealable AoE damage until healers are oom (which happens in just under a minute or two, not exaggerating) and then proceed to rapidly wipe people off one by one. I've played a similar setup before (without the BiS PvE gear) and that's what we did also - reason it worked? Moonkins. Even without dispel protection the opposition's healers would eventually go oom and the match would end the exact same way, but locks also deal loads of splash damage and bring utility so why not.

From my personal experience (anything ranging from 2300 MMR to 3k during this current season) damage done and effective damage are almost indissociable as far as RBGs go. At least if you play a DoT cleave.

[primusl0l]

I am not sure what it is, but when facing high-rated teams, I fear the balance druids, they're always doing such incredible damage. When these balance druids have legendary stuff + cunning, jesus christ.

[Illana]

also just as a benchmark to how much damage a chicken can really do:

i have 3953 resilience and I got taken out by one in AB just now in under 8 seconds.

He definitely was not in full PvE gear either as my chimera could not even hit over 25k on him

I know this is 1vs1 and it doesn't matter but to anyone who says boomkin damage is low is lying.

Got a lucky 44k starsurge+34k wrath combo on me earlier on as well but that's huge rng

[Divisible]

Moonkin isn't bad. RBG's are much easier to play as a moonkin than arena. Moonkin is 10x better than it was in wrath.

[Malgru]

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.

And Obel hits the nail on the head once again.

Pretty much what my opinion is.

[Seegtease]

So I see most people saying that they shine best in Arena, particularly 5v5.

But I am just a casual PvPer and only really have experienced battlegrounds so far (maybe someday I'll move on). Should I just stick with resto? Seems like Balance is only really effective for the very skilled PvPers, is that the case? High learning curve?

[Illana]

So I see most people saying that they shine best in Arena, particularly 5v5.

But I am just a casual PvPer and only really have experienced battlegrounds so far (maybe someday I'll move on). Should I just stick with resto? Seems like Balance is only really effective for the very skilled PvPers, is that the case? High learning curve?

its not that hard especially if youre just random bging.

literally a lot of the time you will only be able to spam moonfire

[Seegtease]

its not that hard especially if youre just random bging.

literally a lot of the time you will only be able to spam moonfire

What SHOULD I be casting? Just moonfire? Should I use insect swarm for a second DoT? Should I shift out to heal myself, or not bother in BGs?