Druids

Druids are one of the most versatile classes in World of Warcraft. They can tank, they can heal, they can deal damage. They can even stealth. They are like a warrior, rogue, mage and priest all in one. Of course every druid must focus on a single path to truly master it, and this will be a large part of their personality.

Malfurion Stormrage is a druid, and a wise and patient leader, and yet so was Staghelm, a druid that fell into corruption and madness, trying to keep Malfurion trapped in the Emerald Nightmare. Yet even still, Staghelm served a purpose. He "carries the sins of the Kaldorei people" in his plan to create a new world tree. I could write a whole book on this, but someone already has. I will discuss more about Malfurion and Staghelm in later a post.

After the cataclysm, the Trolls and Wogen were added to the ranks of the druids, each with their own flavor and new ways of thinking. I'll cover those later. For now let's look at the different specs, and what kind of character each would likely be.

A balance druid is concerned with just that, balance. They tend to see all sides of things, the necessity of things others would consider wrong. They move back and forth between arcane and natural energies, two forces many would consider opposite, but they find a way for one to fuel the other, to never go only to one side, but to be in a constant swing back and forth. This perpetual motion makes them more fluid, more willing to accept that all things come in time, and nothing can ever stay to one side forever.

A feral druid has two sides, though most will favor either cat or bear. Feral druids may have lost touch with society a little, preferring the rules of the wild. After all, what could be more simple? Survival of the fittest, no lies, no games, simply living another day in balance with the forest. Taking what you need to eat and nothing else. A cat druid will likely be more swift and cunning, relying on stealth and surprise, while a bear druid will be more blunt and aggressive, protective of their companions and willing to step up to protect the pack.

A restoration druid is all about healing, whether it be their allies or the world at large. You can see examples of this in the Western Plaguelands, where they actually managed to turn back the corruption and bring life back to the broken land. Restoration druids are calm and level headed, always looking for the peaceful solution, and to aid those in need. Since they prefer healing to fighting, they often need to be protected. They are diplomatic, always preferring a peaceful solution, and able to look at the long term. Going to war when the world is wracked with pain is folly to a restoration druid.

I would be remiss to talk about druids and leave out talking about the Emerald Dream. The Emerald Dream is another plane that is basically Azeroth as it would have existed if no intelligent life had formed. It's a land completely ruled by nature, with nothing but plants and wild life. Malfurion and his druids retreated to the Emerald Dream to help nourish the World Tree that was destroyed by the Burning Legion many thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, even the Emerald Dream has been corrupted and parts of it are slowly turning into the Emerald Nightmare, which hosts demonic and dark energies. With the Cataclyms, the druids that left for the Emerald Dream have woken up, including Malfurion and his followers. The fight for the World Tree is now on Mount Hyjal, and if you are just starting to role play a druid now, it would be perfectly acceptable that they have just awoken from the Dream.

Points to remember when playing a druid:

• They can speak in animal or moonkin form. This is seen on several occasions and many different quests.
• In night elf society, men were traditionally druids and women were priests. Female druids are actually something kind of new and revolutionary.
• Druids are often the most neutral of characters when it comes to faction. Both Horde and Alliance druids come together at Moonglade, and many are members of the Cenarion Circle together, working outside of faction restraints to heal the world.