Welcome to Skill Capped’s Guide on the Best Gear & Stats for Balance Druids in Cataclysm
All sections for Balance Druid PvP have been divided into corresponding sections for the most optimal race, talents, glyphs, gear, professions and macros. This will help you have a good understanding on Balance Druid in PvP for Cataclysm and the strengths and weaknesses associated with this specialization. This section will go into more depth on the best PvP gear and stats that are available for Balance Druid in Cataclysm Season 9.
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Table of Contents
This section will cover your pre-BiS gear, which will not include any Conquest or Raid specific items. Use the gear provided below to have a competitive advantage against your enemies before stepping into rated PvP content.
Pre-BiS Balance Druid PvP Gear
Main Pieces
- Head: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Helm
- Shoulders: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Spaulders
- Chest: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Robes
- Gloves: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Kodohide Gloves
- Legs: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Legguards
Off-Pieces
- Back: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Drape of Diffusion for additional Spell Penetration.
- Belt: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Belt of Cruelty
- Bracers: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Bindings of Meditation
- Boots: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Footguards of Alacrity
Jewelry
- Neck: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Pendant of Alacrity
- Ring 1: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Band of Cruelty
- Ring 2: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Band of Accuracy
Weapons
- Main-Hand Weapon: Biting Wind
- Off-Hand Weapon: Hermit’s Lamp
- Relic: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Relic of Dominance
Trinkets
- Trinket 1: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Medallion of Tenacity
- Trinket 2: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Insignia of Dominance
- Alternative Trinket: Darkmoon Card: Volcano from Auction House, but is not recommended due to loss of Resilience.
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Most of the gear that is BiS for Cataclysm Season 9 will come from PvP. This section will cover all specific pieces from PvP, as well as PvE, that will put you in a competitive playing-field against other players in arena.
BiS Balance Druid PvP Gear
Main Pieces
- Head: Vicious Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Helm
- Shoulders: Vicious Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Spaulders
- Chest: Vicious Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Robes
- Gloves: Vicious Gladiator’s Kodohide Gloves
- Legs: Vicious Gladiator’s Wyrmhide Legguards
Off-Pieces
- Back: Vicious Gladiator’s Drape of Diffusion for additional Spell Penetration.
- Belt: Vicious Gladiator’s Belt of Cruelty
- Bracers: Vicious Gladiator’s Bindings of Meditation
- Boots: Vicious Gladiator’s Footguards of Alacrity
Jewelry
- Neck: Vicious Gladiator’s Pendant of Alacrity
- Ring 1: Vicious Gladiator’s Band of Cruelty
- Ring 2: Vicious Gladiator’s Band of Accuracy
- Alternative Ring: Signet of the Fifth Circle
Weapons
- Main Hand: Vicious Gladiator’s Gavel
- Off Hand: Vicious Gladiator’s Reprieve
- Relic: Vicious Gladiator’s Relic of Salvation
Trinkets
- Trinket 1: Vicious Gladiator’s Medallion of Tenacity
- Trinket 2: Darkmoon Card: Volcano or Vicious Gladiator’s Insignia of Dominance
Balance Druid Stat Priority and Breakpoints
Intellect > 4% Spell Hit Rating > Spell Penetration (195) > Resilience (3500) > Haste > Critical Strike > Mastery
Prioritize Intellect as much as possible. Increasing Intellect will increase your Spell Power, making all spells stronger when used. Next, it’s important to prioritize getting your 4% Spell Hit Rating requirement. The talent, Balance of Power, will help you reach 4% Hit Rating, which is the soft cap for PvP, as well as the epic PvP cloak providing the necessary amount of Spell Penetration.
After making sure you have enough Hit Rating and Spell Penetration, aim for around 3500 Resilience. Although this seems like too steep of a mountain to reach in terms of Resilience, you will want to obtain as much of this stat as you possibly can due to this specialization being a primary target from most compositions. This will assist you in your survivability, resulting in Druids not having to swap between Moonkin Form and Bear Form as much.
Once you obtain all stats listed above, it’s important to focus on your Secondary stats to optimize your performance in PvP combat. First, you will want Haste over Critical Strike and Mastery, as this will assist you in reaching your Eclipses more often, reducing your casted spell speed, and will increase damage from your periodic DoT effects. Critical Strike will assist your rot pressure from your DoT spells, allowing you to maintain pressure more effectively. Mastery is the worst secondary stat out of the three in PvP, due to this stat modifying your damage only while in Eclipse, making this less consistent when compared to Haste and Critical Strike.