Moonkin Raiding: Talents
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So you want to raid as a moonkin? No matter whether you’re just starting out, or getting ready to storm Icecrown Citadel, there’s a set of core talents you will want to choose. From the core talents, there will be a few different customization options that will depend largely on how well you’re geared, your raid composition, and the encounter.
This is the core. These talents and glyphs (for the most part) will not change no matter what encounter you’re going in to. I’ve discussed previously about the merits of [Insect Swarm] and [Glyph of Insect Swarm] at high levels of gear versus [Glyph of Starfall], but generally [Insect Swarm] will be the way to go.
As I said earlier, once your core talents are in, there’s a few different options you can go. If you’re in early raiding gear, or in a 10-man with poor synergy, you will most likely need to stock up on some more mana regeneration talents, as you cannot last long fights.
This build provides 3/3 [Intensity] and 3/3 [Moonglow] to really optimize your mana regeneration. At very early gear levels, moonglow will provide more mana regeneration then intensity, but as you pick up more spirit, that will change. While [Dreamstate] will become better then Moonglow at higher levels of intellect, I generally keep the points in moon glow if I need mana regen, as I need to sink one point in there anyways to activate tier three talents.
If you’re in any sort of encounter where you require heavy AoE, you may wish to consider dropping a few points of mana regen to pick up [Gale Winds].
In my opinion, this is the optimum DPS build you should strive for, by slowly removing mana regeneration talents, and placing them in [Improved Insect Swarm] and [Gale Winds]. While you could technically move the one point from [Moonglow] into [Genesis], I think the mana cost reduction will serve you better in the long run then 1% DoT damage.
I hope this gives you ideas on how to plan your talent builds, and as always, these are not gospel, only my opinion. Feel free to ask questions/comments below.
10 Comments for this entry
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Sunfyre the Light of Dawn
<Aftermath> of Lightning's Blade-US
Level 80 Tauren Druid
58 / 0 / 1364 / 0 / 7
October 9th, 2009 on 1:39 pm
Thanks for the tips
appreciate your work, and I think it is one of the best spec. Anyway, gonna use it, since im speccing moonkin, when I get the gear.
Again, thx alot
October 27th, 2009 on 7:24 am
For well geared players:
I have found that using 1 or 2 points in Owlkin Frenzy talent to be pretty useful for a bit more dps after the core talents have been used. Most fights tend to carry some form of AoE and procs it a lot of the time.
On fights like Twins hc, there is a lot of AoE around which procs it very often. It’s an extra 10% dmg every 20 seconds or so. I would take that over points in gale winds as hurricane is only ever used in trash fights. Also, Gale winds is wasted dps as your AoE dps is not relative to your boss dps and trash mobs can be taken down without 30% extra hurricane dmg.
For mana efficiency; 1 or 2 points into Intensity along with Owlkin Frenzy tends to keep a relatively well geared players mana pool up.
Subbing 1 point out of Nature’s Reach can be put into more mana efficiency or another dps talent. I rarely tend to overagro and if you are gaining threat too fast, go into cat form and cower or ask one of your pally’s to Salvation on you.
Maybe this is just because of the level of my gear or play style but a few of the better boomkins on my server use a similar spec with Owlkin Frenzy also.
October 27th, 2009 on 7:43 am
A few points (and I’m not trying to sound snarky, I promise)
a) Hurricane is a large part of “Boss DPS” in Anub’arak hard mode. Without re-speccing between the two fights, I’d take Gale Winds for Anub’arak hard mode over Owlkin Frenzy for Twins hardmode.
b) If you have mana efficiency problems you’re not “geared”, unless perhaps you’re using hurricane. On a straight nuke fight I’m never below 90% mana.
c) Cat form, cower? Really? I could understand Shadowmeld if you’re a Night Elf, but.. you’re telling me that the one point you’d put in another DPS talent is going to be more DPS gained then the DPS you lose having to go into Cat form and cowering?
October 27th, 2009 on 10:11 am
a) My guild hasn’t started at Anub’arak hardmode and for the purposes of progression Owlkin Frenzy is made much more viable.
b) I don’t have any mana efficiency problems. I was saying that Owlkin Frenzy can help out with boss fights for extra dps and “if” your having mana problems.
c) Shadowmeld does not drop agro it stops you from being attacked while the tank regens agro, the time it takes for you to shadowmeld, wait for tank and then wait till you can nuke again is longer than having either a salvation or cowering.
And as I said previously, this may just be my play style and how good or not so good the rest of my guild is but their are so many variables to pick up on.
November 6th, 2009 on 8:49 pm
How come you’re using the Typhoon Glyph when you havent picked up the Typhoon talent in any of your builds?
November 6th, 2009 on 8:54 pm
Can you really think of a better glyph to put there? I leave Typhoon glyph in as a) there’s nothing better, b) I occasionally pick up typhoon depending on the fight (I like it on phase 2 Anub), and c) It tends to be expensive, so I don’t like replacing it all the time
January 26th, 2010 on 10:49 am
Instead of the Typhoon glyph, why not replace it with the innervate glyph. At least that would be of some use and give you a little excess mana to rely on while you innervate a raid memeber than having a dead glyph node
January 26th, 2010 on 11:52 am
Last I checked, glyph of innervate is a major glyph, where glyph of typhoon is not.
January 28th, 2010 on 6:52 pm
Just wondering here, if you suggest not putting up IFF on boss fights, why spec into it?
January 28th, 2010 on 6:57 pm
It’s pointless to put it up with a feral druid and a shadow priest. If for some reason you lack both of those (especially in a 10man), you need to put it up.