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Druids are shaping up to looking quite different in MoP than they are now, Moonkins in particular. There are a lot of major design changes that will have a huge impact on how the spec is played in PVP.
The Good:
- With Insect Swarm no longer a DoT, the braindead tab dot playstyle will be gone.
- Bear/Cat abilities might not take an extra GCD to use. It's unclear how the 'this ability activates Bear Form' descriptions are intended to work, but if hitting Dash while in Moonkin form automatically puts you in Cat AND activates Dash within 1 GCD, then that is a MAJOR design fix / buff.
- There is a lot more control/survivability offered in the talent tree. Disorienting Roar will be huge if left untouched
- Wild Charge will go a long way towards fixing age-old issues of Balance mobility, as well as considerably adding to the spec's skill cap given it's multiple uses.
- Symbiosis allows you to fill a hole in your toolset by partnering with a class for a specific ability. I could envision situations where Moonkins are not very viable, but are able to get by in a certain comp that doubles up on a key spell through Symbiosis. Example: A Triple defensive dispel comp with Resto Shaman / Spriest / Moonkin (with Mass Dispel from Symbiosis)
The Bad:
- Insect Swarm is no longer a DoT, therefore our damage will have to be casted. Hopefully this means a buff to our casted damage -- but it still remains unclear whether we will be able to reliably get casts off, especially with the increasing amount of CC/interrupts.
- The PVP talent tree is probably even more cookie cutter than it is now, with http://us.battle.net...lator#Ua!202202 being the obvious spec for almost all situations. The 5th tier is really the only one that I could see being switched depending on comp, as perhaps Ursol's vortex would synergize well with some classes, such as Fire Mages and Ring of Frost (if Disorienting Roar DR's dragon's breath).
The Retarded:
- Regrowth, gone. Lifebloom, gone. The two heals that we can currently use -- impotent as they are compared to other hybrids -- are perplexingly resto-only. This leaves us Rejuvenation and Healing Touch, which basically leaves us nothing. Moonkins won't really be hybrids in MoP, and that is really discouraging.
- Skull Bash, gone. The one spell that raised our skill cap and differentiated good druids from bad ones is now Feral-only. This is flat-out retarded.
The main thing to keep in mind with these changes is that I can't see survivablity/control getting any better; if anything it will get nerfed. Traditionally, when things are available to both Resto Druids AND Balance druids, the fact that Resto Druids are healers usually gets the control nerfed (Instant Roots). Most of the time things become Resto-only and it severely hampers the Moonkin spec. I would have liked to see Wild Mushroom: Heal be available to all specs, but it really looks like they don't want us to be able to heal (retarded given the inclusion of Tier 6 healing talents).
When it's all on paper, I don't feel as though there is much to look forward to in terms of MoP Moonkin PVP. The spec is set to lose its hybrid properties with the removal of offhealing and Skull Bash. The move to a cast-oriented damage system is welcomed, but without the capability to heal I fear the spec will feel like a neutered arcane-mage playstyle, without the high numbers. Again, it's too early to know for sure, but to me the situation looks pretty grim. To be a truly viable spec outside of LSD2 gimmickery, we would probably need our current healing abilities PLUS all these talent changes. Trading one for the other doesn't seem like it will have a positive impact.
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