# Forum > World of Warcraft > World of Warcraft Guides > [PvP] [Guide] The way to Gladiator | Resto Druids in Arena

## Classicclean

-Updates-

07/07/10 - added my saved variables so my UI works better  :Stick Out Tongue: 
07/02/10 - uploaded my UI
06/26/10 - added video section
06/24/10 - answered questions, fixed some mistakes  :Wink: 
06/21/10 - even more tips!
06/20/10 - added some macros in the UI & Keybinds section
06/20/10 - added alternative gear choices
06/20/10 - added some tips&tricks
06/20/10 - fixed some minor mistakes in the text



Introduction


You probably ask yourself who I am. I'm a druid player who achieved Gladiator in 4 seasons on different realmpools, with different comps, different partners and different druids. Regardless of the combination I played with, we were always rank 1 worldwide (among our comp) from season 3 till today. My highest rating in TBC was 2378 with 91% winratio with Druid Priest Rogue and my highest rating in WotLK was 2854 with 82% winratio with DK Druid Mage (this comp was only 3 times above 2.2k worldwide, pretty exotic comp but STILL viable but this is a point I'll get later on).
Before we get started please don't expect that this is a bulletproof way to gladiator. This is just me trying to help you to improve your gameplay, your overview and your situational awareness. I'm probably giving you some tips you didn't know about, too. 

What you should know

You've probably made some arena games before and came to a point where you are stuck. It can be the gear but in most cases it's not, the gear will get important if you play at your limit. At first you should realize that you can _ALWAYS_ improve yourself, even at the top end.
If you still think it's the gear, ask yourself why other people with much better gear than you are stuck on the same rating as you are. Why don't they play higher? 
If you accept this "rule" and if you're willing to improve yourself, then you're ready to enter the arena

Partners and possible Comps

As a resto druid you can play so _many_ different comps that are viable but there are some differences between them. You shouldn't try to find partners for comp X or comp Z. You should find partners or know good pvpers and THEN ask yourself: _Which can I play with them?_. Bring the player not the class even counts for arenas  :Wink: .
The comp is important, but you probably won't get far if you focus on your comp only. A bad player will be a bad player in every comp. Some comps will carry him to higher ratings but that won't help you.
There could be also some comps that doesn't fit to your playstyle. I know a priest who achieved rank 1 with resto shaman, disc priest and mage but he couldn't play the well known rmp-comp. You will see what you can play and what not but I can't tell you this, you need to experience it for yourself. 
To give you some ideas on what you can play as resto druid, here is a list of viable comps. I will order them from strong to weak, but this is only my personal opinion.

[spoiler]#1 LSD (Destro / Affliction Lock, Elemental Shaman, Resto Druid) - the top tier 'wizzardcleave' and one of the strongest combos if not the strongest.
#2 WLD (Warrior, Affliction Lock, Resto Druid) - this is a very balanced combo, it's strong and was very popular in TBC. Now it's even stronger, I guess
#3 MLD (Icemage, Affliction Lock, Resto Druid) - this is a 'wizzardcleave'-comb, too. You will win your games with coordinated cc's and some burst. strong and fun comp!
#4 Shadowcleave (Affliction Lock, Deathknight, Resto Druid) - this is the comp I'm currently playing and it's a balanced comp like WLD. You've got a lot of defensive cooldowns, you can control the game and can even burst targets. fun comp nonetheless
#5 RLD, RSD and 'Frostcleave' (Shadowdance Rogue, Affliction Lock, Druid / Rogue, Melee Shaman, Resto Druid and Deathknight, Icemage, Druid) - played RLD and 'Frostcleave' this season and I think that these comps (RSD too) are one of the weakest. They're still all viable and very strong but you probably need some time to get it working.[/spoiler]
_remember: bring the player, not the class_

Gear and Itemization
Stats & Gear

[spoiler] I suggest you to aim for atleast 120hit, 75 spell penetration and around 1.1k resilience while maintaining 3200+ spellpower, 27k HP and 21k Mana. This gear-setup is nearly perfect and should be your 'target' but it will be probably a long, strange trip.
At first you should get the full arena set and the pvp offset pieces, after that you can complete your gear. When you've got that, this is what you're going to do next.
Find a group for cc25 and loot the 'Solace of the Fallen' from Lord Jarraxus. (solace of the fallen - Wowhead Search) OR go to ICC25 and get the 'Bauble of True Blood' (bauble of true blood - Wowhead Search)
If you can't obtain these trinkets, get Purified Lunar Dust (Purified Lunar Dust - Item - World of Warcraft) for 60 frost emblems.
_These trinkets are gamebreaking_
While you're in ICC25, don't forget the 'Professor's Bloodied Smock (professor's bloodied - Wowhead Search) or, if you aren't lucky, get 'Circle of Ossus' for 80 frost emblems (Circle of Ossus - Item - World of Warcraft) and 'Marrowgar's Frigid Eye' (marrowgar's frigid eye - Wowhead Search)
Now you should craft the 'Blessed Cenarion Boots' (Blessed Cenarion Boots - Item - World of Warcraft) and farm your way to Ashen Verdict exalted  :Smile: 
The weapon you need is the arena-haste-dagger (1800 version and 2200 version later) and the arena-haste-offhand.
Tip: [spoiler] get the arena-spellpen-offhand, too. You will need it against mage-teams [/spoiler]
The idol you're going to wear is the 'Idol of the Black Willow' Idol of the Black Willow - Item - World of Warcraft for 30 frost emblems.
When you've got everything from this list, your gear is _perfect._[/spoiler]

Gems
[spoiler]
Meta: Insightful Earthsiege Diamond - Item - World of Warcraft

If you're JC, socket 43 spell penetration and enchant +35 spell pen to cloak.
Red/Blue: Runed Cardinal Ruby - Item - World of Warcraft
Yellow: Reckless Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft, if you lack hit Veiled Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft or if you lack resilience Durable Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft

If you're engineer, socket 3x +25 spell penetration in blue, enchant +27 spell power on cloak and pyro-rocket to hands. Use the blue socket in the hands for +23 spell power.
Red: Runed Cardinal Ruby - Item - World of Warcraft
Yellow: Reckless Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft, if you lack hit Veiled Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft or if you lack resilience Durable Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft

For every other profession I suggest you to base your gemming around the suggested stats  :Smile:  as a rule, if it's possible,...
Red gems ALWAYS: Runed Cardinal Ruby - Item - World of Warcraft
Yellow gems ALWAYS: Reckless Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft, if you lack hit Veiled Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft or if you lack resilience Durable Ametrine - Item - World of Warcraft[/spoiler]

Enchants
[spoiler]
Head: Arcanum of Dominance - Item - World of Warcraft
Shoulders: Inscription of Dominance - Item - World of Warcraft
Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Spell Piercing - Spell - World of Warcraft , if you're engineer -> spellpower 
Chest: Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats - Spell - World of Warcraft / Enchant Chest - Exceptional Resilience - Spell - World of Warcraft
Bracers: Enchant Bracers - Superior Spellpower - Spell - World of Warcraft , if you're leatherworker -> spellpower
Hands: Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Spellpower - Spell - World of Warcraft , if you're engineer -> pyro-rocket
Legs: Sapphire Spellthread - Item - World of Warcraft
Boots: Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality - Spell - World of Warcraft
Rings: if you're enchanter -> spellpower.
Weapon: Enchant Weapon - Mighty Spellpower - Spell - World of Warcraft[/spoiler]

Talents & Glyphs
Talents
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft
This is my current spec. You can swap some points around and spec into "Living Seed" instead of "Living Spirit".

Glyphs
Major Glyphs:
- Glyph of Swiftmend
- Glyph of Rapid Rejuvenation
- Glyph of Barskin

Minor Glyphs:
- Glyph of Dash
- Glyph of the Wild
- Glyph of Thorns

This is my current glyph-setup. You can swap some glyphs around (Glyph of Nourish/Innervate) but with my gear I don't need them. Decide it for yourself 

UI and Keybinds

My UI
RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting
& Saved Variables 
http://rapidshare.com/files/40552156...dVariables.rar

UI
Okay, let's talk about the user interface. The standard UI is okay, but I don't like the unit frames. They don't give enough information. I can't see all debuffs, I'm not aware of all buffs my teammates got so I'm using 'Shadowed Unit Frames'. Here's a screenshot of my UI (pally twink): [spoiler][/spoiler]
As you can see it's pretty 'clear'. You will need this, you just need the overview of the complete arena situation. My UI is just an example so that you get the idea  :Wink:  
You will see it later in action and I will give you a downloadlink if you like it.

Keybinds
Before you start doing arenas, you should keybind every ability. And not only this. You're the healer and you need to target switch FAST. That's why you should keyind your partners, too. At the beginning it will be hard to switch from clicking to binds but you will get used to it and it will improve your gameplay A LOT. Also: download this addon, it will use the ability when you press the key. Normally it would cyclone your target when you release your key. This makes your actions faster  :Wink: 
AddonLink -> SnowfallKeyPress : Action Bar Mods : WoWInterface Downloads
Here are my keybinds to give you an idea how much it is.. *(German Keyboard Layout)*
[spoiler]

```
1 Barskin
2 Roots
3 Healing Touch
4 Regrowth
5 Rejuvenation
C Swiftmend
V Lifebloom
SQ Abolish
< Remove Curse
SE Moonfire
SR Wild Growth
^ Tranquility

B Nourish
SideM8 Nature's Swiftness
G Innervate
SV Cure Poison
S2 Wrath
S3 Starfire
R Cyclone
SC Hurricane
SF Hibernate
6 Drink
ST Health-Stone
T Insignia
Z Bauble (if I had one)

S5 Shadowmeld/Warstomp
S^ Fearie Fire
SW Nature's Grasp
S1 Rezz
A1 GotW
F3 MotW
F4 Thorns
SG Innervate on Mate
S6 Magefood
SX Hand-Mounted-Pyro-Rocket
. Flying Mount
, Ground Mount

Q Bear
E Cat
F Travel
S4 Tree
G15 Flying Form
G14 Swim Form

AQ set focus
C2 focus Roots
CF focus Hibernate
CR focus Cyclone

SideM1 target self
SideM2 target Partner1
SideM3 target Partner2
SideM4 target pet (self) /there is no pet
SideM5 target pet (Partner1)
SideM6 target pet (Partner2)
```

[/spoiler]

Why focus? The answer is easy. 
If you focus cyclone/root/whatever you don't need to change your current target. That makes cc'ing faster AND your opponents won't know WHO you gonna cc and won't LoS you (experienced players feel when they will get focus cc'ed and see that, too. But you will have a great advantage over 90% of your opponents with focus cyclones)
Tip:[spoiler]focus-hibernate other druids..~70% of them don't switch forms cause they don't realise it  :Smile:  [/spoiler]

Addons
Unit frames: Shadowed Unit Frames
Combat-Text: Scrolling Combat Text
Bars: Bartender 4
Arena frames: Gladius+Gladminish
Cooldowncount: fortexorcist
Cast bar: Quartz

Macros
Self-Innervate
[spoiler]

```
 /cast [@player] Innervate
```

[/spoiler]
set Focus
[spoiler]

```
 /focus
```

[/spoiler]
Focus Cyclone
[spoiler]

```
 /cast [@focus] Cyclone
```

[/spoiler]
Focus Roots
[spoiler]

```
 /cast [@focus] Entangling Roots
```

[/spoiler]
Focus Hibernate
[spoiler]

```
  /cast [@focus] Hibernate
```

[/spoiler]
All-In-One Faerie Fire
[spoiler]

```
 #show Faerie Fire
/cast [nostance] Faerie Fire
/cast [stance:4] Faerie Fire
/cast [stance:5] Faerie Fire; Faerie Fire (Feral)()
```

[/spoiler]
Spam-Dispell
[spoiler]

```
#showtooltip Abolish Poison
/castsequence reset=3/target Abolish Poison, Cure poison, Cure poison, Cure poison, Cure poison
```

[/spoiler]





Step into Arena
Communication

Skype: Get Skype - Download for free
TS³: TeamSpeak - Downloads 
Choose your destiny.
Communication with your teammates is probably the most important thing. You can't see EVERYTHING. They need to talk to you, they need to tell you what's their plan, they need to coordinate switches and they need to know if they should use defensive cooldowns, play defensive and so on. Talk with your team mates, all the time. Tell them every detail like "used insignia".."Instant heal".."Innervating, can you fear the shaman?".."going to drink now, stop them"
The same thing goes for the tactics..you probably have a tactic against lineup x but you will come to a point where your tactic doesn't work everytime at the first try. You're going to do a lot of switches, you maybe need to reset an arena fight and thats why you need to talk. Your partner's should say when it's the right time to switch. We, for example, play 'Shadowcleave' (Deathknight, Affliction Lock, Druid) and it goes like this. Lock: "okay, druid is fully dotted up, can you deathgrip -> strangulate him?" DK: "DEATHGRIP" Druid: "Going to bash him after strangulate! deathcoil when he trinkets!"
The same "rule" goes for defensive tactics..if you play against a wizzardcleave and you see that you fall behind on healing or get cc'ed announce that loud! "I'm feared" "Bloodlust, jump down, go behind this pillar" "outlast". 
The worst thing that can happen is that you don't talk. Really. 

Communication after the match
Whether you won the game or not. The first thing you think about should be what and how YOU and YOUR MATES can do better, it should be always your first thought. If you find something, tell them and talk about it.
If you lost a match, don't nerdrage. You will learn from it. You should make clear what went wrong and try to prevent these failures in the future. Tell your mates things like "You can't play SO offensive there while bloodlust is active, try to play more defensive and if we get Blade's Edge next time, lets jump down and reset there." "btw: we should switch more often to the locks pet, we can easily kill the lock afterwards. I guess that the lock is a way better target than the druid if we can't make a _perfect_ switch."


Overview
You should always have the complete overview about the game. You need to see if your opponent is drinking, you need to see when your lock is feared, you need to know where your mates are. I suggest you to set raid target icons on your team mates. Using them will become very handy. Not only for you. Your mates can easily see you too through pillars and anything. 
Also: FOCUS the other cc'er. Always set your focus to the target. Even if you don't kill this target. Example: Against an RMP (Rogue Mage Priest), focus the mage. You will see switches before the rogue gets away from his current target and you win time to re-position/prehot yourself or to HoT a mate.
Against LSD (Lock Ele Shaman Druid) ask yourself: What's more crucial? Where do you need to take care the most? Switches, fears on you? Cyclones on you? I would personally choose the warlock. He has longer CC than the druid and if you get caught by fear, you're going to be cycloned afterwards 95% of the games cause the other druid is free to do so. 

Positioning 
Positioning is, after communication, the most important thing for you. If you stand on open field like an idiot, you're probably gonna die in a split second against wizzardcleaves or you're going to eat the cc-chain-of-death and your mate dies. I will show you a clip of our team now and you've got the chance to see my UI in action and you can see that the opponent team hasn't got ANY chance to switch on me, except when I made a wrong decision and decided to run trough my mates (@1:16).
In this clip is also an example what COMMUNICATION is good for. @2:16 I got seduced by the lock's pet and my deathknight drops extremly low. BUT I don't trinket the seduce because the insignia is way more gamebreaking then my instant theal and my DK is safe because he has Anti-Magic-Zone, Ghoul Sacrifice and Insignia ready. You wouldn't know this if you don't talk and can easily lose a game this way. If you're playing arenas you need to make decisions. You won't choose the best decision all the time, but communication helps you to choose a better decision.
Clip: [spoiler]

[/spoiler]

Healing
We are not in PvE, so I can't tell you something like "3x lifebloom + rejuvenation on offtank, 3x lifebloom +rejuvenation +regrowth on maintank. You will get CC'ed or your hots get purged and you often don't have the time cause it's not a static encounter. You need to play with LoS, you need to stop someone from drinking etc. What I can give you here are tips. 
#1 Don't use your swiftmend on a target affected by "Wound Poison".Try to save it if you got the time, CC the Rogue and cleanse it or just try to cleanse it and use it in the split second where it isn't up. BUT don't let your team mate die and say "sorry, couldn't swiftmend you cause you had wound poison up." The same goes for warriors. If your teammate doesn't get raped by double melee or something, try to root/cyclone the warrior and save your swiftmend to CAP your mate when MS runs out and heal with nourish.
#2 Lifebloom > Rejuvenation! When you don't need to cap your mate with swiftmend, apply Lifebloom before Rejuvenation. Sometimes you will apply 2x Lifebloom before Rejuvenation. You will get the feeling for it
#3 Purge is our archenemy! Believe me. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing the other healer spampurging your teammate with heroism up and you can't do shit about it. You need to try to get rejuvenation on your target and swiftmend it before he purges rejuvenation. This won't work unless you're really lucky because he's ~0.5s faster with heroism. Apply lifeblooms in between the rejuvenations. If he purges lifeblooms, you will get small heals on your target and the chances of getting swiftmend up are doubled. If you can't handle it anymore use your instant heal or heal your target with Regrowth! Regrowth is a spell you're using rarely under normal circumstances BUT against a spampurger it's golden. If you cast regrowth, your target gets the heal, nonetheless the regrowth hot gets purged AND you don't have global cooldown after you've finished your cast because the GCD went off while casting and you can instantly swiftmend before the shaman/priest can purge your HoTs!
#4 Decide what's more important. Your instant heal or your insignia. Against some lineups you really need to make a decision. Against wizzardcleaves for example I would save my insignia.. If you get deathcoiled and afterwards silenced (Mage/Shadowpriest Silence) you're left to die without insignia..you can't use your barskin while deathcoiled/silenced and your instant heal is worthless, too. The insignia would probably save your life. You could trinket the deathcoil, barskin and run behind the next pillar healing you up with bandages if you want too. This is the same thing that goes for "HoT-Rotation" (#2) you will get the feeling  :Wink: 
#5 prehot, prehot, prehot - prehotting is the most important thing while healing. You don't have oh-shit-buttons like a priest where you just shield and then have time to heal your target while it absorbs damage. You need to anticipiate switches and don't fall behind on time. You should keep yourself hotted all the time with at least rejuvenation and always be ready to react to switches on your mates. If you have 2x lifebloom&ejuvenation up on your mate before the melee gets to your mate, you've got a great advantage
#6 CC > Heal? Yes, sometimes when not most of the time it is. 6-9seconds cyclone on a hunter stops more damage than you could ever heal. Not only this. Your teammate can LoS the last second and get MS-Shot off. For RMP it's the same. If you don't focus the mage, cc the shit out of him. You should always cyclone/root the target you don't focus at the moment to stop damage and healers if you're going for a kill. 

Fakecasting
_outplay or be outplayed_
In the times of WotLK you're probably gonna die everytime you eat a full counter. You just can't eat it. No!
In these 8 seconds _every_ HoT on _every_ mate is gone or, if they're on you, you can only watch yourself dying. To prevent this there's a "mechanic" called fake casting. You've probably heard from it. What you do is "fake" a cast and get the other casters to use their counter on you. If you watch my video again you can see me fakecasting @0:25. I'll try to get the spell lock from the lock pet but he doesn't counter me. This is the way you're going to do it. You start a cast and at 1/3 jump/cancel casting. Against experienced players you should change that and should try to fake at 1/5 and after it at 1/2 or something like that  :Wink:  You can easily practice this in duels.
remember: not every interrupt is the same AND YOU NEED TO FAKE CAST SPELLREFLECTS, TOO. Don't spend your time faking shocks if you see the other shaman won't shock you. If you eat a shock, it's 1 second you lose. But if you stand they're faking for like 3 seconds, you're fu***. But this counts for _SHAMANS ONLY_


Tips & Tricks


#0 *Turn 'SECURE ABILITY TOGGLE' in the Main Menu (-> ActionBars) OFF*
This will allow you to LEAVE your form without global cooldown so you can shift out of frost nova for example to prevent a deep freeze
#1 No matter what comp you play, your team needs your CC. You aren't a paladin who stands there and spams heals. No, you need to CC the healer to get the kill and you need to cc the damage dealers to save lives.
#2 NEVER Cyclone or Root more than twice unless you're trying to get the kill now. Just cyclone a warrior 6 seconds, then 3 seconds and then root him. Don't cast a third time. You will trade 15s DR against 1,5 sec more cc but 18s DR
DR = Diminishing Return => Diminishing returns - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft
#3 Know your DR's and the ones of your partners. For example: Don't warstomp or bash a target when you're playing with a rogue. His Kidney Shot lasts longer. You can bash for half time AFTERWARDS if you want to.
#4 Always have enough arena water in your bags. 80+ for 2on2, 40+ for 3on3.
#5 Cyclones on kill targets CAN be golden. Yes, you've heard right. Cyclone can be used on kill targets as well, but you should know what you're doing. Cyclone makes your target IMMUNE to everything. Don't save your target with your cyclone, try to kill it. I will give you some examples. Ring of Valor, the opponent druid is on the middle of the map with rejuvenation (5s left) and 2x lifebloom (3s left). If you cyclone him now, he's in the middle of the map without HoT's after your cyclone. If you're playing with a silence class, you can beat him now. The same goes for cyclones like "oh, the warrior used shield wall. going to cyclone him." He will stay at low hp and his shield wall runs out, freekill.
Another example: If you're playing with a lock and your warlock manages to fear a druid fulltime and your kill target (warrior for example) drops low, MOST DRUIDS will panic and INSTANLY use swiftmend/natures swiftmend on the warrior. If you cyclone the warrior right after the fear runs out, you probably "catch" the instant heal with your cyclone and then you just quickly cyclone the druid and watch the warrior die.
All those things were examples. Cyclone is so versatile and you will feel it by time.
#6 Use your innervate when you're at about 50% mana. Don't use your Innervate too late! Since Season 6 your innervate only has 3min CD and if you use it early, you will have it twice or even more in one game without overmana'ing.
#7 If you're nigh telf protect your Innervate with Shadowmeld! Purgers can't get you that easy then and have to run to you before they can purge and in most cases it's already done. If you are tauren or shadowmeld is on CD and you don't play against meleecleaves OR don't need 'Natures Grasp' use it to protect your Innervate and it doesn't cost any mana. Throw some HoT's on you, too. Nothing is more frustrating than wasting an Innervate, believe me.
#8 For nightelfs again: You can use your shadowmeld to get out of the opponents focus and you can "vanish" casts like a rogue. If you see, for example, a deathcoil you can try to shadowmeld it.
It can be also used as an "oh-shit-button" cause your opponents will lose their target for a split second and casts will be interrupted then. Use it when you're @low hp and on openfield  :Wink:  
#9 If you get a clearcast proc use lifebloom as you gain some mana back! 

Videos!
Shadowcleave vs. LSD (@2550 on Live)
YouTube - Scleave vs. [email protected]
Shadowcleave vs. RLS (@ATR)
YouTube - Shadowcleave vs RLS on ATR

Questions or Suggestions?
Feel free to post them here, this was my first guide  :Smile: 

Shoutout
SPECIAL THANKS to Arcádia aka Stan for helping me with the translation <3

Guide by Classicclean for mmowned.com

----------


## Henessy

TL;DR

Thanks for the guide

----------


## Classicclean

> TL;DR
> 
> Thanks for the guide


seen that coming  :Smile:

----------


## spleen

Very nice guide. Odd that you're reaching out to [B] for heals but nevertheless a nice compilation of info. If I can bare levelling my druid I'm sure it will be useful so bookmarked and +rep

----------


## Ponjon

Nice guide but..

RESTO DRUID IS HARD YO'

----------


## I Hypnotoad I

I've been waiting for a thorough guide on resto druids like this!
Casting Order helps me a TON!

Thanks for the guide bro, cheers!

----------


## Zytan

*Really nice guide matey! Maybe I should roll again for my druid :P
+Rep*

----------


## Unholyshaman

I honestly didn't read the full guide because I don't have a druid, but skimmed through it and it looks like a good effort and well written guide.

+rep and hope to see more from you in the future  :Smile:

----------


## Jackie Moon

This is a really well written guide, great job! Also make sure you don't tunnel vision in Arena, a cyclone at the right moment can win games. +Rep

----------


## Classicclean

Thanks for your feedback  :Smile:

----------


## Jeremiah

Very detailed and colorful guide! You did a great job putting this one together. I look forward to your other guides in the future! +Rep

----------


## Anti-Christ

OMG you have no idea how long i have searched on google for an updated arena guide for resto druids ... (not how to play but all the stats etc.) I love you and i hope i can give rep xD

----------


## Icelandic1717

Great guide. I noticed one of the main issues I have as a resto druid is that I get spam mana burned. Obviously, shifting into bear form is preferrable, but then I feel like I'm stuck in bear while my parnters are dying. Is this a case of my partners needing to take care of the priest so I can heal, or is it that I'm not positioned well enough? I can't even count the number of times that I've been playing priest/afflock/anything else and it's a constant fear->drain/burnfest. What is the best way to counter this incredibly frustrating strat? Have my partners tunnel damage into the priest and LoS the lock's fears so I can heal?

----------


## Dobbs

Nice guide, I also play druid, however i'm feral, can't seem to get into healing.

----------


## [LT]

Man im also been working on a resto druid guide, guess we don't need it anymore  :Frown: .

When you talk about saving swiftmend until you cleansed the wound poision, my partner often have wound, deadly x5 and crippling on him, do you only cast a abolish poisons or do you spam cleanse poioson aswell ? as it can take some time to get it to cleanse the right poision.

In a average 3vs3 match how much damage do you have to do?, a part from moonfires and stuff like that to prevent anyone in the other team to get a restealth or get out of combat?.

----------


## Classicclean

@Icelandic
Bear form is ONLY better than eating mana burns when you're going to eat more than 2 burns. If you can travelform out of range or LoS without eating more then 2 mana burns, don't shift. Since WotLK bear form costs 1.1k mana and you just gimp yourself while in bear like you've already said. It really depends on the arena but in general you shouldn't eat mana burns in 3s. Either your team is doing so less pressure or they aren't helping you controlling the priest. You should always keep priests slowed anyway (if possible) so you've got free time to cc him and change positions etc because you would get into a bad position if you need to run away from the priest the whole game. Just keep the priest slowed/or focus/switch on him when he starts burning and cyclone him when he gets near and switch sides after it. You could also tell me what LineUp you're playing..that would help me alot and I could give you some specific tips  :Wink: 

@[LT] 
- Poisons - 
It really depends on the situation and your partners. When we play against Rogue teams (usually RLS (Rogue Lock Shaman), Heroic RLS (Rogue Shadowpriest Shaman)) they go for my DK. My DK can easily kite a rogue when I've cycloned him and he runs away and chains him..Then I've got enough time to save my swiftmend..against RMP's for example which go for our Lock or me, I'll usually cc the mage anyway so I just try to cleanse wound with abolish -> cure poison -> swiftmend or, if mage cyclone is on dr, I'll cyclone the rogue to get some breathing room. 
- Damage - 
I'll support our switches with moonfire+ingi rocket all the time and if I got the time, I'll spam some wraths..but that's really rare. You should focus yourself on cc'ing and bearform -> bash when you're doing switches. Your 2k wrath will never bring you a kill when your partners are feared for example. You better should prevent cc's on your partners with your cc or stun the nuke target  :Wink:

----------


## Igzz

*Great guide.

I'm not sure whether or not I should write a PvP guide for priests and rogues. I'm very experienced with them too ;p (Priest: S4 Brutal Glad, S6 Glad, S7 Glad, and on Rogue: S2 Gladiator, S3 Vengeful Gladiator, S4 Brutal Gladiator, S5 Deadly glad, S6 Glad, S7 Glad).

Although I did quit WoW due to just not paying ;p (if anyone got a priest/rog they want boosted feel free to msg me hah). Anyways, not sure if I should take the time to do it, since Cata is going to come out sort of soon, and I haven't played in the latest patch yet, only on the arena tourney :S.

Anyways, +rep.

*

----------


## Classicclean

> *Great guide.
> 
> I'm not sure whether or not I should write a PvP guide for priests and rogues. I'm very experienced with them too ;p (Priest: S4 Brutal Glad, S6 Glad, S7 Glad, and on Rogue: S2 Gladiator, S3 Vengeful Gladiator, S4 Brutal Gladiator, S5 Deadly glad, S6 Glad, S7 Glad).
> 
> Although I did quit WoW due to just not paying ;p (if anyone got a priest/rog they want boosted feel free to msg me hah). Anyways, not sure if I should take the time to do it, since Cata is going to come out sort of soon, and I haven't played in the latest patch yet, only on the arena tourney :S.
> 
> Anyways, +rep.
> 
> *


Thanks for the cookies  :Smile:  

If you want to ask your questions via PM, please do so. Also, if you speak german, write in german

----------


## JimmyTheGoat

+rep from me
Btw as a starting fresh leveled druid would you say this would be a good gear setup? character planner - chardev.org  :Smile:

----------


## Classicclean

> +rep from me
> Btw as a starting fresh leveled druid would you say this would be a good gear setup? character planner - chardev.org


can't see the chardev link..it's just empty for me. I'm sorry  :Frown:

----------


## JimmyTheGoat

Sorry there  :Smile:  fixed the link now  :Smile:

----------


## TSBowsta

_Nice guide, really useful and nicely setup. Always wanted to pvp on my druid but I have always been pretty lazy for the most part. Anyways, I really like the setup of the guide. Thanks bro._

----------


## Classicclean

> Sorry there  fixed the link now


Your gear seems to be okay for the beginning but you should either get 10 more or 40 less hit (and get other stats like haste/spellpower). Choose between 120 (4%) and 180 (6%) hit.

----------


## danimal

Nice guide, the other day my friend and I were trying to do 2s, I don't have the best gear, just full furious and i get bursted in seconds, any tips?

----------


## Grif

> I honestly didn't read the full guide because I don't have a druid, but skimmed through it and it looks like a good effort and well written guide.
> 
> +rep and hope to see more from you in the future


 Pretty much this, looks like a awesome guide! +Rep

----------


## Classicclean

> Nice guide, the other day my friend and I were trying to do 2s, I don't have the best gear, just full furious and i get bursted in seconds, any tips?


 
If you could tell me against what specific lineups I could help you better but a druid is one of the squishiest healers if you don't be careful. Keep yourself prehotted even if they aren't on you with atleast rejuvenation and always be ready to react when they switch on you with more hots&repositioning. Try to stay close to pillars and don't stand into the open  :Wink:  You should also CC to stop damage..most of the time it's better than healing

----------


## danimal

> If you could tell me against what specific lineups I could help you better but a druid is one of the squishiest healers if you don't be careful. Keep yourself prehotted even if they aren't on you with atleast rejuvenation and always be ready to react when they switch on you with more hots&repositioning. Try to stay close to pillars and don't stand into the open  You should also CC to stop damage..most of the time it's better than healing


 We ran DK/Druid. Arenas have never been my strong point, but im always prehotted. I guess I really need practice in arena. Ret pallys take shits on me in seconds, even with barkskin. Thats the same for warriors. Rogues are iffy, depends on their skill.

----------


## Igzz

*




Originally Posted by danimal


We ran DK/Druid. Arenas have never been my strong point, but im always prehotted. I guess I really need practice in arena. Ret pallys take shits on me in seconds, even with barkskin. Thats the same for warriors. Rogues are iffy, depends on their skill.


Your DK has to peel 

Never played a WotLK Druid, but I ran Priest/DK, and DK had to peel against hard burst teams.

*

----------


## Classicclean

> We ran DK/Druid. Arenas have never been my strong point, but im always prehotted. I guess I really need practice in arena. Ret pallys take shits on me in seconds, even with barkskin. Thats the same for warriors. Rogues are iffy, depends on their skill.


Ret pallys are very easy to cc compared to warriors and rogues. You don't need to fake. Just cyclone him and get away. Otherwise, like Igzz said, ask for peels from your DK. Let him deathgrip the warrior when he's bladestorming, the rogue when you are cheap shotted so you don't eat kidney shot before hotting yourself again and so on. Chains of ice are also golden.

----------


## oneone

Awesome written guide man! Ace.

----------


## ArenaRating

Really nice guide. I like the *structure and quality of the content*, it's also a bonus that you kept it short and simple while still pointing out many important facts and probelms that occur in arena.
In my opinion, this article is more useful and better than most of the stuff you would get on sites like SkillCapped etc.

The only thing I want to point out is, that getting gladiator isn't just as easy as it seems with the topic title. You need to have *in-depth knowledge of the game* and all classes, to be able to deal with all the situations that can occur. The standard 1200-1800 rated player (90 % of all arena players) doesn't have that usually. This, coupled with the *right teammates* and a lot of dedication is needed, you can't just learn to become gladiator with just reading a guide, no matter how good the guide is.

By the way, it would be nice to see a general guide about arena from you, or guides about specific setups as well!

----------


## Classicclean

> Really nice guide. I like the *structure and quality of the content*, it's also a bonus that you kept it short and simple while still pointing out many important facts and probelms that occur in arena.
> In my opinion, this article is more useful and better than most of the stuff you would get on sites like SkillCapped etc.
> 
> The only thing I want to point out is, that getting gladiator isn't just as easy as it seems with the topic title. You need to have *in-depth knowledge of the game* and all classes, to be able to deal with all the situations that can occur. The standard 1200-1800 rated player (90 % of all arena players) doesn't have that usually. This, coupled with the *right teammates* and a lot of dedication is needed, you can't just learn to become gladiator with just reading a guide, no matter how good the guide is.
> 
> By the way, it would be nice to see a general guide about arena from you, or guides about specific setups as well!


Yes. I agree with you. Like I've already said in the introduction this guide isn't a bulletproof way to gladiator, just some tips  :Wink: 
Hmm. A general guide ..that would be very complex and I don't have an idea what I should include and what not  :Embarrassment:  
But you should keep your eyes open for some arena vids..going to upload them and posting them here later  :Smile:

----------


## AfterMidnight

God I hope you have alts, this guide is golden!
MOARR!!
+Rep

----------


## Classicclean

added a new video and the video section to the guide!


btw! If anyone is interested in a druid rogue 2v2 video-guide I could do that

----------


## BaboonX

> added a new video and the video section to the guide!
> the quality of my newest vid will improve, just need to wait for youtube :s
> 
> btw! If anyone is interested in a druid rogue 2v2 video-guide I could do that


I would be interested, as I have 2 druids and a rogue friend :P. 

You guide was really nice +rep

----------


## Classicclean

> I would be interested, as I have 2 druids and a rogue friend :P. 
> 
> You guide was really nice +rep


I think I'm going to fraps some games then  :Wink: 

edit: currently rendering some 2on2 clips and wrote the first lines of the 2v2 guide

----------


## Icelandic1717

> @Icelandic
> Bear form is ONLY better than eating mana burns when you're going to eat more than 2 burns. If you can travelform out of range or LoS without eating more then 2 mana burns, don't shift. Since WotLK bear form costs 1.1k mana and you just gimp yourself while in bear like you've already said. It really depends on the arena but in general you shouldn't eat mana burns in 3s. Either your team is doing so less pressure or they aren't helping you controlling the priest. You should always keep priests slowed anyway (if possible) so you've got free time to cc him and change positions etc because you would get into a bad position if you need to run away from the priest the whole game. Just keep the priest slowed/or focus/switch on him when he starts burning and cyclone him when he gets near and switch sides after it. You could also tell me what LineUp you're playing..that would help me alot and I could give you some specific tips


Well, only 856 mana if you have natural shapeshifter talent in resto, but I take your point. I would assume maps like Ring of Skill would probably use bear form more because of the limited LoS opportunities. I've taken great care in learning when the pillars move, but it's still a pretty shitty map. Anyway, I don't have a team right now because of some flaky-ass players, so I've just been healing a hunter/ele shaman comp in the 1800s while I try to find some higher-tier players. Shit. Sucks.

----------


## haggle

Dont play resto druid but must say that this is a pretty awesome guide. Nice job man.  :Smile:

----------


## [LT]

I would like to see some more videos. And is it possible you can upload your UI ?.

----------


## Classicclean

> I would like to see some more videos. And is it possible you can upload your UI ?.



Yeah, I think I'm going to fraps some more games then. Currently focusing on 2's videos for my other guide, but I've got some footage from ATR. Only need to render and upload it (and this takes about ~3-4 hours). 
My UI: RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting
It would be nice if someone could reupload it with a rapidshare account, I will post the link here then. Otherwise I will reupload it some more  :Wink:

----------


## [LT]

I must be doing something wrong I placed the WTF and Interface folders into my world of warcraft folder renamed my account name, server name and char name but i still get this when I login.

----------


## Classicclean

Wherever you can choose a profile in the addon-config, choose it. Then you should be fine. If this doesn't work, either. I'm going to ask somebody who knows more about addons than me  :Wink:

----------


## doodlydude

Amazing Guide :O Definatly helped me, I had wrong gems and my talent build sucked xD Thanks!

----------


## thedruid

You didn't mention the comp DPS (Resto *D*ruid, Shadow *P*riest and Elemental *S*haman). It's a really good comp. Insane burst and at the same time 3 healers. We played at 2.5-2.6k mmr with it and i think we would have gone higher if the shaman didn't go emo, win ratio of 95% after 100 games  :Smile:

----------


## Classicclean

> You didn't mention the comp DPS (Resto *D*ruid, Shadow *P*riest and Elemental *S*haman). It's a really good comp. Insane burst and at the same time 3 healers. We played at 2.5-2.6k mmr with it and i think we would have gone higher if the shaman didn't go emo, win ratio of 95% after 100 games


The comp is not very popular and after your opponents realise that you have got NO peels for your druid, they stomp your druid every game in split seconds. Espacially RLS, RMP and Heroic RLS or meleecleaves will do that  :Smile: 
As you can see in this video (the first clip): Squackles 1 By Squackles - World of Warcraft Movies

----------


## thedruid

> The comp is not very popular and after your opponents realise that you have got NO peels for your druid, they stomp your druid every game in split seconds. Espacially RLS, RMP and Heroic RLS or meleecleaves will do that 
> As you can see in this video (the first clip): Squackles 1 By Squackles - World of Warcraft Movies














First of all i will quote the video "Opponents filmed are anywhere between 1800-2400 TR MMR". You base your statement on a clip where a druid is *sapped* in the *middle*, no *pre-hots* what so ever, ofcourse he is going to get globaled. If you had an idea what you are talking about you should have notice all those things before posting your stupid statment!

Second, if you watched MLG Columbus tournament you should have notice how DPS cleave pretty much farmed most of your teams. That team was the most feared one in the whole tournament! Remeber these player are the best in the world they are meeting.

----------


## [LT]

> Wherever you can choose a profile in the addon-config, choose it. Then you should be fine. If this doesn't work, either. I'm going to ask somebody who knows more about addons than me


What's the unitbars called your using ?.

----------


## Classicclean

> First of all i will quote the video "Opponents filmed are anywhere between 1800-2400 TR MMR". You base your statement on a clip where a druid is *sapped* in the *middle*, no *pre-hots* what so ever, ofcourse he is going to get globaled. If you had an idea what you are talking about you should have notice all those things before posting your stupid statment!
> 
> Second, if you watched MLG Columbus tournament you should have notice how DPS cleave pretty much farmed most of your teams. That team was the most feared one in the whole tournament! Remeber these player are the best in the world they are meeting.


I know that the druid is badass but this clip shows what no peels mean  :Wink:  I bet the same druid wouldn't have died there if he played LSD :P And yeah, I've watched columbus and know that. But you can't compare MLG to liverealm. You can't even compare the tournament realm to liverealm because people play other lineups than on live, they just play top tier lineups or have you seen MUCH rmp there  :Wink: ? (It's just not as strong as it was before)
Apart from this, MLG teams are often designed to counter lineup x or y. That's why teams like this are strong there. Do you often see Paladin Lock Warrior on live? No, but it was very strong in the S5 tournament. My guide is designed for liverealm and for players who don't compete on tournament realms or even MLG, cause these players don't need a guide anymore  :Smile: 




> What's the unitbars called your using ?.


 
Bartender 4

----------


## rain321cz

Nice guide for beginners  :Smile:

----------


## thedruid

> I know that the druid is badass but this clip shows what no peels mean  I bet the same druid wouldn't have died there if he played LSD :P And yeah, I've watched columbus and know that. But you can't compare MLG to liverealm. You can't even compare the tournament realm to liverealm because people play other lineups than on live, they just play top tier lineups or have you seen MUCH rmp there ? (It's just not as strong as it was before)
> Apart from this, MLG teams are often designed to counter lineup x or y. That's why teams like this are strong there. Do you often see Paladin Lock Warrior on live? No, but it was very strong in the S5 tournament. My guide is designed for liverealm and for players who don't compete on tournament realms or even MLG, cause these players don't need a guide anymore


Just cuz druid would have survived in LSD dosn't mean that the comp is strong, it just means that it's idiot proof. Like Druid, affli lock in 2s, most boring setup ever. They can't really die and most of the game is 25+ min. The comp is not strong it's just the most gay comp ever made and i have a really hard time to understand how ppl can play it.

"Do you often see Paladin Lock Warrior on live? No, but it was very strong in the S5 tournament."

I'm not even going to comment that sentence.

----------


## Classicclean

Believe me or not. As soon as they realise that your druid can be stomped w/o any problems, they will do it  :Smile:

----------


## Classicclean

If profiles still doesn't work, extract these file into WoW/WTF/Account/Accountname
It's my SavedVariables folder and it should fix your problems  :Wink: 
RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting

----------


## discobob

bump, re up ui imo!  :Big Grin:

----------


## Cowcrazy

Wonderful guide! I just started a resto druid just for arena/bg purposes and this guide was a great read.

I was wondering if you would be be able to upload your UI again as the rapidshare link say's that the amount of d/l's for it have been used up.

Maybe a wowinterface upload or something of the sort? 
Thanks again for the well written post.

----------


## [the Sills]

This is awesome, was just leveling a druid! Im 78 atm, im finding this very helpful!

----------


## Chronic1337

Awesome! Do you got any tips for leveling a druid 60-80 asap?

+rep

----------


## Halo636

Guide has been laid out perfectly and a lot of useful information has been added.
When I roll a druid I will definitely use this +rep  :Smile: 

Oh ya thanks for the "Velile & Safri Duo - Helele (Klaas Radio﻿ Edit)"
Tis epic  :Big Grin:

----------


## Halucent

Im not so sure if WLD is the #2 comp, it takes alot more skill to play WLD then it does MLD, and probably shadowcleave. WLD probably is probably more viable, but that is only if you are skilled.

----------


## Pyrobover

Thanks a lot best guide! +rep  :Big Grin:

----------


## Pyrobover

Uh any link to armory? @Classicclean

----------


## uchihake

> Uh any link to armory? @Classicclean


Hey mate - his Armory profile is here:

The World of Warcraft Armory - Alydria @ Eredar - Profile

Thanks again for this guide, and your druid/rogue one!

It's our first time playing arena, so we're still working out strategy and kinks versus different teams, but thanks to your guide, me and my rogue friend are slowly progressing - ranked 1360 atm! 

-Uchihake

----------


## feliprex

Your guide was a HUGE improvement on how I see, and I react on arena, Thanks Classiclean  :Big Grin: ! Can u upload the Saved variables and the UI? both links are broken.

Thanks again, great guide !

----------


## kozzzan

> Your guide was a HUGE improvement on how I see, and I react on arena, Thanks Classiclean ! Can u upload the Saved variables and the UI? both links are broken.
> 
> Thanks again, great guide !


Why the heck would you bump this, it's over a year old? You should just've pmed him..

----------


## Fizlespark

Great Guide rep+, sad resto's are worthless in to elite of the elite :/

----------


## ozzmann

Update your guide!

----------


## wn2142

Necro thread...

----------


## LoveOne

on my way to make a druid  :Big Grin:  joking, it is necessary to necro a thread  :Frown: ?

----------


## Buhzerk

edit: Just realized this was necro'd by someone else a little while ago.. Woops.

----------


## tigers1144

Hi there! I know this is a really old post but I figured I'd shoot my shot- I was trying to take a look at your talent tree(s) but the link will not properly open and I am thinking it is too old/out of date. I was wondering, if you still have access to your talents, if you could repost a new link or screenshot of your talents so that I could view them? Thank you!

----------


## 0wn3r

> Hi there! I know this is a really old post but I figured I'd shoot my shot- I was trying to take a look at your talent tree(s) but the link will not properly open and I am thinking it is too old/out of date. I was wondering, if you still have access to your talents, if you could repost a new link or screenshot of your talents so that I could view them? Thank you!


This just may be the oldest necro I have seen in all my years of internet.

----------

