Moonkin Form
From WoWWiki
| Moonkin Form (Shapeshift) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Usable by | |
| Class | Druid |
| Properties | |
| Type | Offensive, Utility |
| School | Physical |
| Cooldown | None/Global Cooldown |
| Talents | |
| Talented | Yes |
| Talent tree | Balance, Tier 7 |
| Improvement talents | Natural Shapeshifter |
| Related buff | |
| |
- Now in two colors: Horned and Night Owl (while supplies last).
Moonkin Form enables a Druid to specialize in DPS spellcasting.
Contents |
Notes
- Immune to Polymorph effects.
- While in this form, you can only cast Balance spells and Remove Curse.
- When in Moonkin Form you are flagged as a humanoid and are immune to beast-type magic, like a Druid's Hibernate, or Hunter abilities designed to affect beasts, but you are also immune to polymorph. (It used to be possible to knock a Moonkin out into normal form with Hallowed Wands, but this has been fixed.)
- Moonkin is one of only two shapeshift forms in which a druid can use potions and deal weapon damage. (The other is Tree of Life form.) In feral forms, damage dealt is feral, not weapon damage.
- You cannot ride mounts while in Moonkin Form. You will also need to remove Moonkin Form in order to use a flight path; unlike the other forms, talking to a Flight Master NPC will not force the Druid out of Moonkin Form.
- When in Moonkin Form the druid dances exactly like when using the Gordok Ogre Suit.
- A properly geared Moonkin can easily rival a Mage or Warlock in terms of damage, but lacks proper AoE which makes it more akin to a shadow priest.
- Melee mana regeneration is through a chance on hit effect called Grace of Elune and the mana regenerated is 30% of the moonkin's Attack Power each time it procs. The proc rate seems to be normalized so that fast and slow weapons have the same number of procs per minute (about 15 procs/minute [1]). Moonkins should have a druid-specific weapon with high attack power hotkeyed so that they switch easily when the time comes to regenerate more mana and the switch back to resume casting.
- It is possible to tank many instances in Moonkin form. However, the talent builds and gear required differ from a DPS role. [2]
Tips and tactics
Invest in as many talents that increase the DPS of your spells, both those that reduce casting time (Starlight Wrath) and increase damage (Moonfury). If you are going for a group PvE build, don't invest in talents that require physical contact (Brambles, Omen of Clarity). However, if you are going for a solo PvE build, then do invest in these talents, and make sure to have Barkskin active, as you will need it if you're taking damage, even with the 400% armor increase.
When out of mana it is extremely useful to equip a Feral Attack Power weapon and melee your target because of the extra mana gain from melee attacks in Moonkin Form.
Tanking
Moonkins ("Panzerkins") can be a strong alternative to non-tank specs through decent damage mitigation and high DPS (versus main tank specs). Moonkin tanking is rare for many reasons, but Moonkins have successfully tanked Karazhan, Gruul's Lair and most 5-man heroics. Gearing is problematic; PvE rewards do not generally support Moonkin tanking, but the Arena Rewards for druids provide some of the balance necessary. Lithanial's guide to Moonkin Tanking is currently the largest set of information about Moonkin tanking.
PvE
Moonkin have three primary abilities that are key to surviving in PvE - Cyclone, Entangling Roots, and Barkskin. Cyclone is obtained at level 70 and allows the druid to temporarily encase a target in a cyclone which makes him immune to all forms of attack (lasts 6 seconds). Entangling Roots snares a target in place for up to 27 seconds and does damage every 3 seconds, however damage to the snared target can remove the effect. Both of these abilities give the Moonkin CC abilities which are essential for those "whoops, I pulled one too many" moments. Barkskin reduces all damage taken by 20% and prevents pushback on your spells for 12 seconds. Obviously Barkskin is useful for mitigating damage but it also allows the druid to shift back to caster form and cast some HoTs. Lifebloom and Rejuvenation, along with the bonus healing from Lunar Guidance, increases a Moonkin's survivability considerably. Now one might ask, "both those HoTs are instant so why should I wait until I cast Barkskin to shift out and use them?" The answer to that is simple, when you shift out, you lose the 400% bonus to your armor, so you take significantly more damage, Barkskin helps to reduce that loss of armor.
Cyclone has diminishing returns in PvE and is therefore not an effective way of CC'ing a particular mob for an extended period of time. After several casts of Cyclone on a particular mob, the mob is immune to the spell.
PvP
Moonkin truly shine in PvP. Starfire and Wrath can quickly chip away at an enemy's health while the DoT from Moonfire finishes off anyone who runs away. One thing that should be taken to heart: Moonfire spam is fun and ticks a lot of people off but absolutely destroys your mana supply. Moonfire spam should only be used to finish off a fleeing opponent, or as a last ditch effort to survive. Also, by spamming Moonfire, you never allow its DoT to run its course, because every time you cast Moonfire, its timer resets. If you insist on spamming Moonfire, cast your highest rank first then switch to your second highest. This still deals massive damage but it also allows your DoT to run its course.
Insect Swarm does decent damage per point of mana and its marginal reduction in hit chance isn't too shabby. Entangling Roots, unfortunately, is becoming less useful as time passes because more and more classes are being given ways to escape snare effects. If anything, it still delays a player from reaching you, which usually will give you the time to cast a Starfire/Moonfire combo. Use Starfire from range and Wrath in melee.
Most players will suggest beginning fights in Cat Form. If you are a Night Elf (and patient), simply shadowmeld and wait for your target to come in range then surprise them. Starting from Cat Form has its advantages though. If you are a competent "stance dancer" (you should be if you wish to be a Moonkin) you can Pounce and then Rip your target, then switch to Bear Form before they recover from the stun. From Bear Form, melee your target once (possibly twice if you are unlucky) to get enough rage to Bash your target. This gives you enough time to switch to Caster Form and place a Rejuvenation on yourself and switch back into Moonkin. Once back into Moonkin Form, Moonfire your target. At this point the stun should be wearing off. The rest is up to you.
Past changes
Patch 2.0.10 (3/6/07): The armor bonus from "Moonkin Form" has been increased from 360% to 400% (to match Dire Bear Form).
External links
- Maximizing Your Moonkin
- Balance Equipment List
- Balance One Stop Shop
- Tanking of Prince Malchezaar, High King Maulgar and Gruul
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