Project: Moonkin

[Liebe]

Greetings,

I'm a dedicated moonkin player. I played balance in nearly every version of WoW, and while I did raid on Feenix as resto for a couple of months, something clearly was missing. The owlbeast of moonkin vanilla PVE eluded me ever since: years passed, new expansions came and with them new challenges. I enjoyed them immensely, but at the same time I knew a key piece was missing ...

My plan is to obtain insane gear as a balance druid.



Now, I won't be the first - there are numerous instances of players getting their owls kited in epics. Unlike hybrids such are ele shamans or ret paladins, moonkins in fact are capable of decent DPS. They just tend to struggle with mana, which is a problem that needs to be dealt in a couple different ways.

For more information about moonkin viablity and gameplay, check those links (Feenix might be a terrible project not worth playing on, but its forums include a lot of good info):

Moonkin Naxx raider

Moonkin pre-raid BiS

The above pre-raid BiS list assumes ZG released, which won't be the case on Nostalrius for a while. That's fine, because I won't start raiding until ZG is released. Here's the plan:



Project: Moonkin

1. Level to 60 as feral. Self explanatory, I'll try not to waste too much time, but won't rush either.

2. When 60, spec resto and heal dungeons. Get some +spirit and +int gear, try to snag some caster gear as well. Note: I may start healing dungeons before I reach 60, since some of them don't really require max level.

3. Spec balance. Start running 5-mans to obtain the best caster gear possible. Learn herbalism and tailoring. Start farming herbs for all the consumables needed for raiding as a moonkin. I don't know how long this phase will last, it all depends on how soon ZG is released, but I'll need a lot of plants.

4. Upon ZG release, spec resto. Run ZG to obtain the epic +spirit healing staff, which will be used for Innervates. Get the Bloodvine set.

5. Spec balance. Start writing insane applications to various raiding guilds. This may be one of the hardest parts, since the general view of balance druids is still fairly negative, but eventually I should land in a decent guild.

6. Raid. Hopefully at this point I'll have enough alchemy mats to last me a while, even though I'll probably still have to farm. I don't know for how long I'll be raiding, but the goal right now is to at least kill C'Thun and get AQ40/BWL geared. Possibly Naxx.

7. Keep raiding/start demolishing horde in BGs and world. Or stop raiding completely and just make people rage by critting them for over 1K with instants.

8. Sell the character for big money, buy an island, retire in great wealth and start working on your memoir. A life well lived!

9. Dubstep doesn't sound so terrible now that it's out of fashion.

10. Pancakes.



Of course I hope I won't be the only one partaking in this glorious adventure. I made this thread to inform and inspire other hatchlings like me, who plan to bathe their enemies in flames of Elune. The path ahead of us may be steep, but it's also a rewarding one. After all, that's what vanilla is all about: conquering challenges while laughing in the face of adversity!

Feel free to leave any questions or comments (Patreon link should be added shortly, since the above plan will require me to quit my job and sever most real life relationships - make sure to donate).

[Melvin]

Sounds like a well-thought-out plan.
It always makes me sad when people bring up the same old dogmas of how one should play this game to be 100% effective.
It's a game after all which I play for fun - still I'm dedicated (both seems to apply to you as well).
If you want to play a Moonkin, because you like it: Great, do it.
There will always be people who can't handle this, because they cannot take a broader view.
They will try to talk you out of it or even bash you - don't listen to them, just give them a smile.
Good luck.

[tunguska]

Gogo boomkin! I'll be playing feral, and I support your endeavors.

[Guirssane]

GL getting a spot in raid

[tunguska]

With the pop on this server.. i really don't see it being a problem. However, time will tell!

And +1, GL!

[Guirssane]

With the pop on this server.. i really don't see it being a problem. However, time will tell!

And +1, GL!

I mean oomkin is kinda useless in raid lel.

[Moxey]

With the pop on this server.. i really don't see it being a problem. However, time will tell!

And +1, GL!

Maybe once everything is on farm people will let you in raids out of pity.
Like when as a kid your parents forced you play with That Special Kid to not make him sad.

[Liebe]

Sounds like a well-thought-out plan.
It always makes me sad when people bring up the same old dogmas of how one should play this game to be 100% effective.
It's a game after all which I play for fun - still I'm dedicated (both seems to apply to you as well).
If you want to play a Moonkin, because you like it: Great, do it.
There will always be people who can't handle this, because they cannot take a broader view.
They will try to talk you out of it or even bash you - don't listen to them, just give them a smile.
Good luck.

Hey, thank you for all the positive comments ^^.

I always found it funny how people insist on playing vanilla, which requires a lot more grind than any other version of WoW, then lose their minds when someone decides to play a spec that requires a *little* more grind that, say, a mage. It's not like mages in top guilds raid without consumables, the only real difference is probably mana potion and dark runes spam, which is absolutely required as a moonkin.

Grinding some extra mana potions and dark runes isn't a big deal when you're already playing a game that demands grind on every level. If that's a problem for you, you can go play Cataclysm or Wrath, both great expansions in their own way.

Moonkin viability isn't something that needs discussing, there have been enough examples in the past. It's like saying trains don't exist while standing on a train station full of trains. Or perhaps on the railroad with a train approaching you at full speed. Poster above me, you should probably try that once.

Anyway, how long do you think 'till ZG release? About a year, or probably a little less?

[Keftenk]

I'm assuming 6ish months or so.

[Larsen]

Well, it's not like a bit of extra grinding makes a balance druid as good as a mage. It'll always be an inferior spec. Some people get a little too serious about raid comps and think that bringing some sub-par spec will cost them loot because the raid won't be as succesful, which is silly (assuming you don't bring 5 boomkins, 3 enh shamans and 4 feral druids...)

However, it is a weak spec and therefore you'll have to prove yourself to people. That's fair enough. They might wonder why you haven't chosen the spec that best improves the raid's chance of success, and this leads one to wonder if you're even doing your best at all. You've already picked one of the worst specs in the entire game, it's reasonable to wonder if you're underperforming in other regards (rotation, consumables etc.)

If people find out that this isn't the case, usually they'll accept having a spec like boomkin around. Every raid has place for one of each spec (except maybe palatanks), but in a game where the fundamental goal of almost every aspect of the gameplay is to improve your chances of success, it's reasonable to be skeptical of people who choose one of the worst specs available.