Balance Druids Relevant in raiding?

[ahetal]

playing with other class/specc combo from the ones expected to raid is playing WOW in hard mode.

none of the so called "hardcore" or "elitists" players wants to play this game in hard mode because in the end they only feel happy when looting some boss.

and since the easy mode is decided for ten years, expect a lot of opposition and much less chances of going to raid with other specc, different from the ones they expect you to.

they don't care if you have fun playing this game from another view point, if its fun for them to heal as a druid IT HAS TO BE fun for you too.
if not, leave the game and let them get their loot. you're a stone in their path.

(did MC as elemental in the retail version of vanilla, so its possible if you find the right guild with the right mindset, otherwise the game will only be fun when you did it all and then... well, no more fun for you.)

good luck and hope you have fun. (that's what counts even if you're a "hardcore" or "elitist")

[Setup]

They are arguably one of the best utility classes in the game. BREZ, Innervate, MoTW, etc...

That's a misleading statement, since resto druids have all the same utility AND aren't terrible at their job.

QFT! 3% crit buff for heals and spells in vanilla is OP as fuq

People do a lot of hand-waving when it comes to 3% crit. Crunch the numbers -- the crit aura doesn't get close to closing the gap on the damage you lose by bringing a moonkin.

[Setup]

Vanilla WoW isn't a hard game. You don't need to min:max your raid comp to kill the bosses. You don't need everyone flasked. You can carry terrible players through almost every fight.

If you want to play a class that can't contribute much to the raid, go for it. That includes DPS shamans, DPS paladins, DPS druids, and hunters on fights that don't have frenzy.

If you want to take Mish'undare from a mage, go for it. You don't need to min:max to be successful in this game, you only need a raid full of happy players who want to show up every week.

Just be prepared to work twice as hard for half the results, to collect the ire of the people who believe you don't deserve loot, and to suffer through the worst itemization in the game.