Guardian Druid State on the Shadowlands Beta - Covenant Abilities, Legendaries, Conduits

Posted 2020/08/23 at 4:21 AM by Pumps

Introduction PumpsHonestlyDreamgrove discordMythic Dungeon InternationalTwitchWhat's New for Guardian Druids?

Cyclone - The return of cyclone for Guardian will have a great impact on PvP, but we are very unlikely to see any use of this in M+ and Raids, unless it is changed to be able to be cast in Bear Form.

Berserk - A powerful new returning spell, but it now has the added bonus of reducing the cooldown on Frenzied Regeneration by 75% and the rage cost of Ironfur by 50%, which will make us extremely tanky while this is up. This is a great addition to our toolkit.

Renewal - This will likely see some use on fights where mobility is less of a priority. It provides some bonus healing, but it would be much nicer if this was not on the same talent row as Wild Charge, which is our go to talent still.

Heart of the Wild - This iteration of Heart of the Wild buffs your chosen Affinity by 30% while it's up, and could see great use in raid as some bonus utility, but would be quite hard to use in a M+ setting.

Changes to Existing Guardian Druid Spells

Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc - This talent received quite a large buff, reducing the cooldown on Frenzied Regeneration by 75%, the rage cost of Ironfur by 50% and gaining 30% increased maximum health while its active. This is now our best defensive ability by quite a lot. This lets us put out a ton of healing and mitigate almost all physical damage at the same time. What would make this ability absolutely fantastic is the removal of the GCD cost for Frenzied Regeneration, as spending several GCDs on that feels very bad. Hopefully this change comes in the future.

Barkskin - The cooldown on Barkskin has been reduced down to 60 Seconds (40 seconds with Survival of the Fittest). The uptime overall on Barkskin is going to be much higher now compared to BFA and has added synergy with one of our legendary Runecarves - The Natural Order's Will. This will be a strong combination when fixed - it is currently bugged - Ironfur and Frenzied Regeneration are not proccing at the end of the Barkskin.

Frenzied Regeneration - Frenzied Regeneration now increases our healing taken by 20% while it is active, but only heals for 24% of our HP, down from 32%. This spell needs a buff in my opinion. The main buff definitely needs a buff in the form of GCD removal, allowing our rotation to flow more fluidly as it did in Legion, and possibly a buff for a lower cooldown or more charges, or higher healing output.

Incapacitating Roar - Now shifts you into Bear Form when you use it, so no more bird form disorienting to loot and fly away.

Swiftmend - Swiftmends cooldown has reduced to 15 seconds, but now requires a HoT to be consumed on the target. This is a large nerf to our ability to shift out and quickly save ourselves or a party or raid members life with a large instant heal. The extra GCD required to cast Rejuvenation and then Swiftmend will likely result in a lot more deaths. Definitely a significant nerf from the BFA version.

Pulverize - This has been changed to a 30 second cooldown which grants 20% damage reduction for 10 seconds. We are very likely to see at least some use of this in raids now, as it is a much better version than the BFA iteration. 14% more damage reduction over Rend and Tear for predictable, hard hitting raid mechanics is not negligible, but it is still consuming 2 Thrash stacks and doing about the same damage as two mangles. This will make it a significant DPS loss, and unlikely to be our go-to talent in this row still.

Survival Instincts - Survival Instincts cooldown has been reduced to 3 minutes from 4 minutes. It still 2 charges, and is a welcomed buff to our shield wall.

Wild ChargeBramblesGalactic GuardianGuardian Druid Talents Overview and ChangesRenewalHeart of the Wild

Balance = Typhoon

Feral = Maim

Resto = Ursol's Vortex

RenewalHeart of the WildBramblesCovenant Abilities for Guardian DruidsNight Fae Convoke the SpiritsRejuvenationRegrowthIronfurSoulshapeNecrolord Adaptive SwarmFleshcraftFleshcraftVenthyr Ravenous FrenzyLegacy of the Sleeper45%Incarnation: Guardian of UrsocDoor of ShadowsKyrian Kindred SpiritsSummon StewardhereGuardian Druid Soulbind Conduits Covenant Traits

Conflux of Elements - 12% Increased Damage and Healing while channeling the Night Fae ability Convoke the Spirits.

Evolved Swarm - 6% Increased period effects on targets affected by Adaptive Swarm.

Endless Thirst - 2% Increased Crit chance per stack of Ravenous Frenzy, on average we get to around 15-16 stacks of this.

Deep Allegiance - 10% Reduced cooldown on the Kyrian ability Kindred Spirits.

Potency, Endurance and Finesse Traits

Unchecked Aggression - 10% Haste During Berserk, and hopefully Incarnation, is pretty good and definitely our highest DPS Conduit so far.

Savage Combatant - This one is not very good. Let's just get Maul off the GCD... can that be a conduit?

Well-Honed Instincts - One Frenzied Regeneration below 25% every 90 seconds seems a bit sad and this is unlikely to get any use.

Layered Mane - 8% chance to gain 2 stacks of Ironfur instead of 1. This is a good one, as you can never have too much fur!

Tough as Bark - 10% cooldown off Barkskin - so 6s - or 4s with Survival of the Fittest. This is also a very good one, especially if you are planning on crafting the Barkskin legendary, The Natural Order's Will. Fantastic synergy.

Ursine Vigor - This one could help out in M+ as our weakest point is the start of the pull. With no rage and a large health and armor increase, this would be a solid buffer.

Innate Resolve - 12% more Frenzied Regeneration is always welcomed although this is very little and could use a significant buff as 12% equates to roughly 3% more total HP each frenzy. Not significant enough to warrant a conduit slot.

Front of the Pack - Buff to our raid utility is always a good plus.

Born of the Wilds - The main factor on this one is the reductions of the Heart of the Wild cooldown by 10%. This could be quite large if Heart of the Wild becomes a large DPS or Healing cooldown we use often.

Guardian Druid LegendariesLEGENDARIESGeneral Druid Legendary Powers

Lycara's Fleeting Glimpse - This is actually one of my favorite ones for bear right now, due to the massive power of Starfall, we can take Balance Affinity and shift into Boomkin Form every 45s to proc a huge Starfall, then shift back into bear and let it go to town. This can do up to 40% of our damage overall, which is very strong, and a bit of a playstyle difference that we haven't seen before. Outside of Starfall shenanigans, the legendary itself is quite nice for even more Barkskin uptime.

Oath of the Elder Druid - Similar to the Legion legendary chest Ekowraith, Creator of Worlds, with the added bonus of getting Heart of the Wild for 10 seconds every 1 minute, this is bound to be a solid all round legendary. Buffing our Thick Hide by 75% passively and defensively our Ysera's Gift this will be a good tanking choice, simple and strong.

Circle of Life and Death - Decent buff to our DoTs and has good synergy with the Necrolord Covenant ability Adaptive Swarm.

Draught of Deep Focus - Possibly a very powerful Catweaving legendary in combination with Heart of the Wild. As it does not include Thrash it's unlikely we will use this outside of Catweaving.

Guardian Druid Specific Legendary Powers

Luffa-Infused Embrace - A combination of two of the best Legion legendaries Elize's Everlasting Encasement and Luffa Wrappings. Without a powerful Thrash conduit this will likely be out shined by other legendaries due to the now mediocre damage of Thrash, compared it's Legion iteration.

The Natural Order's Will - An extremely powerful defensive legendary, although currently bugged on the Beta and not gaining the Ironfur or Frenzied Regeneration when Barskin ends, when this gets fixed this will be very strong in combination with Survival of the Fittest and Tough as Bark.

Ursoc's Fury Remembered - Inspired by the amazing Legion Artifact trait with the best name, Pawsitive Outlook.
This falls into a similar category as the other Thrash legendary, as potentially being out shined by others due to the average state of Thrash now, although this does have some mild synergy with Night Fae's Covenant ability, Convoke the Spirits and Earthwarden.

Legacy of the Sleeper - Another powerful Legion Artifact trait makes a return with Embrace of the Nightmare. This one is also currently bugged not working with Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc which replaces Berserk. When this bug gets fixed this will almost definitely be one of if not the best M+ legendary choice especially if you choose the Venthyr covenant. You will become an absolute unstoppable bear machine for 30 seconds every 3 minutes.

Lycara's Fleeting GlimpseLegacy of the SleeperThe Natural Order's WillGeneral ConcernsBramblesWild ChargeGalactic GuardianInnervate Hopes for the Future of Guardian DruidTranquilityFrenzied RegenerationIgnore PainAnger ManagementBugsIncarnation: Guardian of UrsocBerserkThe Natural Order's WillConclusion

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Comment by AnubishamanI truly hope those suggestions find themselves to the right ears... maul and FR out of GCD is a must!Comment by VarusEUas there is much more to come to the Shadowlands BetaComment by SaracaliaWell, in the end, looks like Guardian Druids are still going to be playable via the Face to the keyboard. I could be wrong, but this is just my own speculation.Comment by clavarnwayThe guide says that Berserk reduces the CD of Frenzied Regeneration by 75%, but the tooltip for Berserk says 50%. Which is correct?Comment by DinamitasThe guide says that Berserk reduces the CD of Frenzied Regeneration by 75%, but the tooltip for Berserk says 50%. Which is correct?Comment by Vatelfirst! and I truly hope those suggestions find themselves to the right ears... maul and FR out of GCD is a must!Comment by guatafuI can't believe they're nerfing the worst tank! Frenzied Regeneration is going down from 32% HP to 21.6% (taking into account the 20% healing received), I understand that it required balancing to make up for the healing received but cutting it by ~1/3rd seems excessive.
It's also very true that the spec brings very little to the table compared to other tanks, and if that wasn't enough we also have to compete with other druids for a spot now that Stampeding Roar and Cyclone are baseline (and caster specs can actually use Cyclone).
I'm afraid I'll be giving up on Guardian unless something considerable is done about it's current state, there's simply easier and more reliable tanks as well as more reliable Druid specs to choose from.Comment by madar222Fleshcraft channeling (necrolord ability) atm removing bear form on the beta, not sure how much useful if its remaining like this.Comment by MightylorddkI can't believe they're nerfing the worst tank! Frenzied Regeneration is going down from 32% HP to 21.6% (taking into account the 20% healing received), I understand that it required balancing to make up for the healing received but cutting it by ~1/3rd seems excessive.
It's also very true that the spec brings very little to the table compared to other tanks, and if that wasn't enough we also have to compete with other druids for a spot now that Stampeding Roar and Cyclone are baseline (and caster specs can actually use Cyclone).
I'm afraid I'll be giving up on Guardian unless something considerable is done about it's current state, there's simply easier and more reliable tanks as well as more reliable Druid specs to choose from.Comment by OmnilordGreat guide. Way better than guides for healers.
And it makes tank/healer class selection more difficult. Looks like Monk and Dru has really close states of tank/healer specs and I just don't know o) And I dislike Pals for some reason. Need to wait balance patches, I guess.Comment by OlieronWe're screaming that Wild Charge must be baseline. There is no point Renewal since they're on same talent line.

Also why dont we have any magic damage reduce like other tanks? Just change this useless talent Lunar Beam. It is same and no one pick this talent since legion. Increase its healing done and add some magic damage reduce. Why not?

This is unacceptable that they're buffing top tier tanks and nerfing low tier tanks. Brewmaster and warrior keep getting buff while we still get nerfs.Comment by BuphallusNatural's order is working for me. Both at the beginning and at the end. I made a glove with it if you want to replicate. Just tested after reading your comment.Comment by nephriteThere's a lot more quality of life stuff Guardian needs that Blizzard seems fit to just not give us:

*Some sort of actual, useable snare.
*A silence (not an interrupt, an actual silence! We used to have one!)
*Actual utility that doesn't require us to leave our tanking form while we're, you know, -tanking-?

We've asked them over and over and over in the feedback thread and so far they've completely ignored us. I guess they want another 2 years of Brewmaster being the best tanks again for both PvP, M+ and PvE content or something? Oh well, I may as well just give up trying to enjoy my class again I guess.Comment by TonnesofnoobTiger dash tho! What an AMAZING talent that EVERYONE surely would take, who DOESN'T wanna swap into cat form while you kite a mob. Totally wont be hit in the back.
Can you taste the sarcasmComment by BuphallusI feel frenzied regen on GCD is really a huge thing. Also, nothing to do against magic damage is awful. Those are my two major beefs and I quite agree w you. Night fae is also too strong, and the other covenants should step up to it.Comment by LedarenThere's a lot more quality of life stuff Guardian needs that Blizzard seems fit to just not give us:

*Some sort of actual, useable snare.
*A silence (not an interrupt, an actual silence! We used to have one!)
*Actual utility that doesn't require us to leave our tanking form while we're, you know, -tanking-?

We've asked them over and over and over in the feedback thread and so far they've completely ignored us. I guess they want another 2 years of Brewmaster being the best tanks again for both PvP, M+ and PvE content or something? Oh well, I may as well just give up trying to enjoy my class again I guess.BramblesGuardian of EluneLunar BeamComment by docseuzzI think that is be OK with the 'meh' feeling of my bear tank if we brought something else to the group. The best thing I thought of was for druids to be able to effectively 'role weave'. This would be easy with one change - you keep your prior form passives for 3 seconds after shifting out (increased to 4-6 via talent or conduit). Would be a higher skill cap for maximal play.

Two other simple QoL changes:
* Give bear form a mount speed ability like the worgen one.
* FR off the GCD, of courseComment by LedarenI feel frenzied regen on GCD is really a huge thing. Also, nothing to do against magic damage is awful. Those are my two major beefs and I quite agree w you. Night fae is also too strong, and the other covenants should step up to it.Adaptive SwarmFrenzied RegenerationRavenous FrenzyFrenzied RegenerationComment by LedarenI think that is be OK with the 'meh' feeling of my bear tank if we brought something else to the group. The best thing I thought of was for druids to be able to effectively 'role weave'. This would be easy with one change - you keep your prior form passives for 3 seconds after shifting out (increased to 4-6 via talent or conduit). Would be a higher skill cap for maximal play.

Two other simple QoL changes:
* Give bear form a mount speed ability like the worgen one.
* FR off the GCD, of courseCall of the Elder DruidComment by FlixlaBlizz make bear great again!

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