WoW Shadowlands – Update 9.0.1 Druid Class Changes

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion Update 9.0.1 brings with it a bevy of various class changes, and the Druid was no exception. Many classes will find some of their more popular abilities that were removed many expansions ago returned, and their skill acquisition adjusted due to the massive level squish introduced in this same update.

Not every class received massive adjustments, but Druid certainly saw a large amount of class changes. Below is the full list of class changes to Druid in Shadowlands pre-expansion Update 9.0.1. For the full patch notes, be sure to check out the link here, where additional class changes are listed.

Druid – Shadowlands Update 9.0.1 Class Changes

GENERAL

• Travel Form’s ground forms are no longer mountable.
• The Stag Form ability has been renamed Mount Form and ground forms are mountable when using this ability. The ability is learned from Tome of the Wilds: Mount Form available in the Druid Order Hall, The Dreamgrove, and is automatically learned for players who have already learned Tome of the Wilds: Stag Form prior to the update.
• The Lunarwing appearance is mountable when selected as the Flight Form appearance at the Barber Shop.
• Lunar Strike has been renamed back to Starfire.
• Solar Wrath has been renamed back to Wrath.
• All Druids can now use the following abilities:
  • Ferocious Bite – Finishing move that causes Physical damage per combo point and consumes up to 25 additional Energy to increase damage by up to 100%. Requires Cat Form.
  • Barkskin – Your skin becomes as tough as bark, reducing all damage you take by 20% and preventing damage from delaying your spellcasts. Lasts 12 seconds. Usable while stunned, frozen, incapacitated, feared, or asleep, and in all shapeshift forms.
  • Cyclone – No longer a PvP Talent. Tosses the enemy target into the air, disorienting them but making them invulnerable for up to 6 seconds. Only one target can be affected by your Cyclone at a time.
  • Stampeding Roar – Shift into Bear Form and let loose a wild roar, increasing the movement speed of all friendly players within 15 yards by 60% for 8 seconds.
  • Ironfur – Increases armor for 7 seconds. Requires Bear Form.
  • Wrath – Hurl a ball of energy at the target, dealing Nature damage.
• Swipe now capped at 5 targets.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • New Talent: Heart of the Wild (replaces Typhoon) – Abilities associated with your chosen Affinity are substantially empowered for 45 seconds. 5 minute cooldown. Shifts you into the appropriate form upon cast, except in Restoration Affinity.
    • Restoration Affinity: Healing of your Restoration spells increased by 30%, and mana costs reduced by 50%.
    • Balance Affinity: Damage of Balance spells increased 30% Damage of your Balance abilities increased by 30% and Starsurge is instant cast.
    • Feral Affinity: Damage of your Feral abilities increased by 30%, and critical strikes with attacks that generate a combo point generate an additional combo point.
    • Guardian Affinity: Bear Form gives an additional 20% Stamina, multiple uses of Ironfur may overlap, and Frenzied Regeneration has 2 charges.
  • Mighty Bash now stuns the target for 4 seconds (was 5 seconds) and has a 1 minute cooldown (was 50 seconds).
  • New abilities have been added to their respective Affinities:
    • Restoration Affinity: Ursol’s Vortex
    • Balance Affinity: Typhoon
    • Feral Affinity: Maim
    • Guardian Affinity: Incapacitating Roar
• PvP Talent changes:
  • Cyclone is no longer a Talent and learned by all Druids at level 48.
  • Heart of the Wild has been renamed to Strength of the Wild.

BALANCE

• New Mastery: Total Eclipse – Solar Eclipse increases Nature damage by 11%, and Lunar Eclipse increases Arcane damage by 11%.
• Eclipse passive has been redesigned and works with Balance Affinity (Talent): Casting 2 Starfires empowers Wrath for 15 seconds. Casting 2 Wraths empowers Starfire for 15 seconds. These Eclipses occur in alternation.
  • Eclipse (Solar): Wrath cast time reduced by 15% and damage increased 20%.
  • Eclipse (Lunar): Starfire cast time reduced by 15% and increases the critical strike chance of Starfire by 20%.
• Starsurge now increases the damage bonus to Wrath and Starfire for the duration of the Eclipse and costs 30 Astral Power (was 40).
• Celestial Alignment maintains both Eclipses and grants 10% Haste for 20 seconds. Starfall now has a 40 yard radius around the caster and moves with the caster for the duration, avoiding targets not in combat. Starfall damage increased substantially.
• Shooting Stars is no longer a Talent and learned by all Balance Druids at level 49. Shooting Stars now generates 3 Astral Power (was 4) and the proc chance has been increased by 50%.
• Moonfire and Sunfire now generate 2 Astral Power (was 3).
• Wrath now generates 6 Astral Power (was 8).
• Starfire now generates 8 Astral Power (was 12).
• Celestial Alignment and Incarnation: Chosen of Elune (Talent) no longer have a global cooldown.
• Innervate’s duration has been reduced to 10 seconds and it no longer has a global cooldown.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • New Talent: Solstice (replaces Shooting Stars) – During the first 6 seconds of every Eclipse, Shooting Stars fall 300% more often.
  • Nature’s Balance now generates 1 Astral Power every 2 seconds while in combat (was 2 Astral Power every 3 seconds).
  • Soul of the Forest redesigned – Eclipse increases Wrath’s Astral power generation by 50% and increases Starfire’s damage to all other enemies by 150%.
  • Starlord now grants you 4% Haste for 15 seconds (was 3% Haste for 20 seconds).
  • Incarnation: Chosen of Elune now grants the benefits of Celestial Alignment and 10% Critical Strike.
  • Stellar Drift now increases Starfall duration by 2 seconds and damage by 15%.
  • Fury of Elune deals reduced damage on secondary targets.
• PvP Talent changes:
  • Prickling Thorns now causes Entangling Roots to deal damage every 3 seconds instead of damage upon removal.
  • Moon and Stars radius increased to 5 yards (was 3 yards).

FERAL

• Survival Instincts now has 1 charge (was 2).
• Rake deals 60% increased damage while stealthed (was 100%).
• Shred deals 60% increased damage while stealthed (was 30%).
• Berserk has been redesigned – Go berserk for 20 seconds, causing Rake and Shred to deal damage as though you were stealthed, and giving finishing moves a 20% chance per combo point spent to refund 1 combo point.
• Berserk and Incarnation: King of the Jungle (Talent) no longer have a global cooldown.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • Sabertooth now extends Rip by 1 second (was 4 seconds).
  • Balance Affinity Moonkin Form no longer has a 90 second cooldown.
  • Incarnation: King of the Jungle now grants the benefits of Berserk, reduces the energy cost of all Cat Form abilities by 20%, and allows the use of Prowl once while in combat.
  • Bloodtalons has been redesigned – When you use 3 different combo point- generating abilities within 4 seconds, the damage of your next 2 Rips or Ferocious Bites is increased by 30%.
  • Brutal Slash now capped at 5 targets.

GUARDIAN

• New Ability: Berserk – Go berserk for 15 seconds, reducing the cooldowns of Mangle, Thrash, Growl, and Frenzied Regeneration by 50% and the cost of Ironfur by 50%. 3 min cooldown.
• New Ability: Infected Wounds – Mangle and Maul slow the target’s movement speed by 50% for 12 seconds.
• Incapacitating Roar now shifts you into Bear Form when used.
• Berserk no longer has a global cooldown.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • New Talent: Renewal (replaces Ursol’s Vortex) – Instantly heals you for 30% of maximum health.
  • New Talent: Tooth and Claw (replaces Lunar Beam) – Auto attacks have a 20% chance to empower Maul, stacking up to 2. Empowered Mauls deal 40% increased damage and reduce the target’s damage to you by 15% for 6 seconds.
  • Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc has been redesigned – An improved Bear Form that grants the benefits of Berserk, causes Mangle to hit up to 3 targets, and increases maximum health by 30%. Lasts 30 seconds.
  • Pulverize now reduces the damage from the target by 35% for 10 seconds and has a 45 second cooldown (was reduces damage from all targets by 9% for 20 seconds).

RESTORATION

• Ironbark now has a 1.5 minute cooldown (was 1 minute).
• Swiftmend cooldown is now 15 seconds (was 25 seconds), costs 11% mana (was 14%), and consumes an active Regrowth, Wild Growth, Rejuvenation or Germination healing over time effect to instantly heal an ally.
• Innervate’s duration has been reduced to 10 seconds and it no longer has a global cooldown.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • New Talent: Nourish (replaces Prosperity) – Heals a friendly target for 135% spell power. Costs 15% mana, 2 second cast time and receives triple bonus from Mastery: Harmony.
  • New Talent: Overgrowth (replaces Stonebark) – No longer a PvP Talent. Apply Lifebloom, Rejuvenation, Wild Growth, Regrowth’s heal over time effect to an ally. Now a 1 minute cooldown (was 45 seconds).
  • Stonebark is no longer a Talent and its increased healing bonus effect will be learned once again in Shadowlands.
• PvP Talent changes:
  • Encroaching Vines has been redesigned and renamed High Winds – Cyclone leaves the target reeling, reducing their damage by 25% for 4 seconds.
  • Nourish has been removed.
  • Revitalize has been renamed to Reactive Resin.