Druid Hero Talents — The War Within (11.1.0)

This page is covers only the new Hero Talents available in The War Within. If you want to learn more about the best standard Feral and Druid talents and complimenting builds for Feral Druid, check out our Talents page:

Currently, Wildstalker wins out in single-target and is the recommended choice, although Druid of the Claw is not far behind.

Wildstalker is slightly ahead in single-target, as the set bonus simply maps onto a regular talent build while also enhancing DoT effects. The playstyle is also passive, having no major mechanics that disrupt the way Feral wants to play normally.

Druid of the Claw is slightly punished by the requirement to pick Apex Predator's Craving from the tier set, which hurts Ravage. It also requires more careful resource management instead of the heavy DoT focus due to needing to optimize Saber Jaws for Ferocious Bite. In exchange, it brings extremely powerful burst due to Claw Rampage enhancing Berserk. Alongside that, it is much more durable, giving it extra advantages in difficult encounters.

The current recommendation for Hero Talents in Mythic+ is Druid of the Claw due to its more favorable damage profile and significant defensive advantage. Wildstalker is still, however, competitive numerically.

Druid of the Claw has more explosive 2-minute burst windows and provides very strong AoE with good planning, while still maintaining a good core of single-target for bosses. It is also fairly simple to execute, mapping onto the Feral core just with the addition of Ravage procs to manage. Alongside that, it is incredibly durable, bringing multiple additional defensive tools to deal with more lethal dungeon encounters.

Wildstalker provides a large increase to DoT effects with a build to support it while still maintaining good priority damage. It has a shorter damage cycle, centering around 30-second, 1-minute, and 2-minute timers to deal its burst damage after setting up in each pull. It has a slightly higher execution requirement due to Unbridled Swarm management but rewards you with strong sustained multi-target damage.

Below are brief explanations of the effects the above-recommended hero trees have in each given content type.

3.

Best Hero Talent Builds for Feral Druid

Wildstalker
Single-Target Druid of the Claw
Mythic+

3.

Best Wildstalker Feral Druid Build

The changes to your playstyle with Wildstalker are moreso from the Feral talent tree than what the Hero tree brings, as most of what it does happens in the background via Thriving Growth procs. These deal additional damage over time and amplify your own damage, and are simply procs that do not need to be played around.

Defense and utility-wise, however, there really is not very much to write home about aside from some additional free group healing.

For the two offensive nodes, Resilient Flourishing is the better option for additional vine uptime to maintain Vigorous Creepers. Implant is also the talent of choice to add further weight to your Tiger's Fury windows, but Twin Sprouts and Root Network have their uses in AoE situations.

3.

Best Druid of the Claw Feral Build

Druid of the Claw changes very little in terms of your overall gameplay, with the key component being Ravage procs that enhance Ferocious Bite that need to be consumed quickly to avoid waste. Your Berserk also significantly increases the rate at which these are gained, improving its already very strong 2-minute window.

It provides solid AoE through both Primal Wrath and Rampant Ferocity while simultaneously bringing good priority damage through Ferocious Bite anchor targets. Alongside that, it brings extremely good defensive tools giving it an even bigger edge in particularly lethal Mythic+ content.

For the offensive nodes, Killing Strikes is significantly better for guaranteed Ravage procs at the start of each pull, alongside the extra Agility throughout combat. Empowered Shapeshifting grants damage and defense so is ideal, and Strike for the Heart provides the most throughput.

There are no big rotational considerations caused by the Wildstalker Hero Talents, as all of the effects are passive procs that come from your regular rotation.

Druid of the Claw only has to watch out for Ravage procs that occur throughout combat, making sure to consume them quickly and efficiently, which intensifies during Berserk.