Level a Druid in World of Warcraft: Forever as Feral, in Cat Form, from the moment you finish the level 20 Cat Form quest: Shred and Claw hit much harder after the launch notes, your form’s damage now comes from your weapon, and you can drink potions without leaving form. Before 20, cast Wrath and Moonfire in caster form and switch to Bear Form (a level 10 quest) when a fight turns against you.
Below is why Feral wins for leveling, the talents to take first, when your forms and key abilities arrive, the class quests and the shapeshifting changes worth knowing. It is checked against Blizzard’s Hunter and Druid class deep dive and its beta development notes up to the November 2 launch notes, as of November 7.
Which Spec to Level a Druid As
Blizzard says Druids can “serve any combat role” but cannot snare, Silence or Interrupt and have “weaker and less reliable crowd control.” For leveling, what matters is how fast you kill and how little you rest:
| Spec | How it levels | Why pick it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feral, Cat Form (our pick) | Melee with Energy | Big launch buffs, no Mana between fights | Nothing until Cat Form at 20 |
| Feral, Bear Form | Tank every fight | Very safe, great for dungeons | Slower kills |
| Balance | Caster with Wrath and Starfire | Starfire up about 40% at launch | Drinking between pulls |
Cat Form is our pick. Blizzard’s launch notes raised Shred to 200% weapon damage, Claw to 140% and Ravage to 435%, and raised Rip, Rake, Ferocious Bite and Pounce by about 25%. Cat Form uses Energy, so you heal yourself in caster form between pulls and go again, instead of drinking for Mana like a Balance Druid.
Bear Form is the safe choice and the one to switch into when a pull goes wrong. Blizzard raised Bear Form’s threat bonus to 115% at launch, which also makes the Druid an easy dungeon tank on the way up; our best tank guide compares it with the other tanks.
Druid Talents to Take First
Talents start at level 10, and the milestone talents open at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points, which is levels 20, 25, 30 and 40 if every point goes into Feral. The launch notes reshuffled this tree, so here is our order using the trees as they stand at launch:
- Levels 10 to 19: Furor, which the launch notes moved into the Feral tree in a swap with Heart of the Wild. In Forever it lets you regenerate Energy outside Cat Form as if you were in it, so you shift in with a full bar. Then Ferocity and Feral Swiftness, which now works indoors and gives its Dodge bonus all the time.
- Level 20: Feral Charge, the 11-point talent, which now includes a Cat Form version on a 30-second cooldown, plus Savage Fury and Sharpened Claws (now 2 points).
- Level 25: Predatory Discipline, the new Cat-focused 16-point talent: Ferocious Bite still deals extra damage from leftover Energy but no longer spends it. Bears take Lacerate on the same row instead.
- Level 30: Leader of the Pack, the 21-point talent, which now raises all critical strike chance for your group.
- Levels 31 to 39: Predatory Strikes (up to 20% more critical strike damage) and Rend and Tear, now worth up to 15% more damage to Bleeding targets.
- Level 40: Shifting Power, now the Cat 31-point talent, which turns Mana into 40 Energy instantly. Bears take Primal Bite instead.
Because the tree changed this close to launch, open the talent window before you spend and check the rows match. Our talent reset guide covers the fee if you need to start over.
When Druid Forms and Abilities Arrive
| Level | What you get |
|---|---|
| 10 | Bear Form (class quest), Nature’s Grasp (now baseline), first talent point |
| 12 | Revive, a new out-of-combat resurrection |
| 20 | Cat Form (new class quest), Shred, Omen of Clarity (now baseline) |
| 24 | A new first rank of Ferocious Bite |
| 32 | Poised: at full Energy out of combat, your next Energy ability costs 10 less |
| 40 | Dual Specialization, plus riding |
Our guides to getting Bear Form and getting Cat Form walk through both quests.
Druid Class Quests
Druids have more class quests than anyone. Bear Form comes from a level 10 quest chain (Skyborne Druids do theirs on Zephras Isle) and Cat Form from a level 20 one in Moonglade. Blizzard’s October 1 notes also added “Power Over Poison” so High Order Skyborne Druids can learn Cure Poison. In the original game, Aquatic Form came from a class quest around level 16 and Travel Form from the trainer at 30; Blizzard has not announced changes to either, so check your trainer at those levels too.
Shapeshifting Changes That Help Leveling
- Your weapon matters again. In Bear, Cat and Dire Bear Form, your auto attack now does the same damage per second as your equipped weapon, so upgrade weapons like any melee class.
- Potions work in form. Nearly all potions and similar consumables can be used without leaving form, and weapon enchants and procs now work while shapeshifted.
- Racials work in form. War Stomp, Shadowmeld and Walk on Air no longer pull you out. Our best Druid race guide covers which race benefits most.
- Doors and objects can be opened without leaving form, and Faerie Fire (Feral) is free in Bear or Cat Form on a 6-second cooldown.
Where to Level a Druid
Druids are Tauren or Night Elf, or Skyborne on either faction, who start on Zephras Isle. Follow your faction’s route: Darkshore and then Ashenvale for Night Elves, The Barrens for Tauren, with trips back to Moonglade for your form quests. Leave a little time for those trips, since they pull you out of your zone at 10 and 20.
Druid Leveling Tips
- Train every time. Blizzard’s launch notes put class training from 1 to 60 at about 206 to 207 gold for every class.
- Drag new abilities onto your bars. Since launch, learning a spell no longer adds it to your action bars.
- Heal in caster form, then shift. Furor and Poised make that shift cheap.
- Expect tuning. Blizzard plans a large tuning pass once enough players are past level 30.
Every WoW Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Druid spec for leveling in WoW Forever? Feral in Cat Form, in our view, from level 20. Shred and Claw got big launch buffs, and Energy means no drinking between pulls. Use Bear Form when a fight goes badly.
What level do Druids get Cat Form in WoW Forever? Level 20, from a class quest rather than the trainer.
What level do Druids get Bear Form? Level 10, from a class quest chain.
Is Lacerate baseline for Druids? No. The launch notes made Lacerate a Feral talent on the 16-point row instead of an ability every Druid learns.
Can Druids use potions in forms now? Yes. Almost all potions and similar consumables can be used while shapeshifted without cancelling your form.