Feral Cat Druid WotLK Guide
Feral Cat Druid DPS guide for WotLK 3.3.5a: rotation, cooldowns, the 0/55/16 talent build, glyphs, stat priority and BiS gear for ICC and Ruby Sanctum.
Feral Cat is the melee Druid, and it is a spec with a high skill ceiling. It works with a priority system and not a fixed rotation: you keep your bleeds and your buff up, build combo points, and spend them at the right moment. It is excellent on cleave fights and on fights with many adds, like Halion, and it stays competitive on Sindragosa and the Lich King.
This guide covers the priority, the cooldowns, the talents and glyphs we run, the stats to reach and the mistakes that cost the most. It is written for Icecrown Citadel 25 and Ruby Sanctum on 3.3.5a. The short overview is in the class guide.
1.How the Feral Cat Druid plays
You keep Rip and Rake on the target, and you keep Savage Roar up, because it raises your physical damage by thirty percent. You build combo points with Shred, and Ferocious Bite is a strong finisher that you use when your other timers are safe. Tiger's Fury is used on cooldown, and best when your energy is low.
The spec is about timers. Clipping a bleed loses damage, letting a buff fall off loses more, and capping energy loses even more. That is why the spec feels demanding, and why it feels good when it works. The other side is variance: the spec depends on critical strikes, so a run without procs can feel slow.
2.Priority
- Savage RoarKeep it up. It is a large damage increase.
- RipAt five combo points, when it is not on the target.
- RakeKeep it on the target.
- ShredYour builder, from behind the target.
- Ferocious BiteAs a strong filler finisher when Roar, Rip and Rake are safe.
- Tiger's FuryOn cooldown, and preferably when your energy is low.
Use Berserk together with your other burst cooldowns. On multi-target fights, multi-dotting Rake and Rip is where the spec is at its best. The Feral Cat also benefits fully from physical damage buffs like Hysteria.
3.Cooldowns and raid utility
Feral has a strong burst, and a few tools that other classes do not have.
A large burst cooldown, with a lower energy cost for your attacks. Use it with Bloodlust and your other burst.
Gives energy and a damage increase. Use it on cooldown, and when your energy is low.
A large damage buff that you keep up all the time.
Brings a dead player back during combat. A raid save.
Gives mana to a healer. Use it where the raid needs it.
Reduces the damage you take for a short time. Your personal defensive cooldown.
4.Talents and glyphs
Our recommended Feral Cat build is the 0/55/16 in the calculator, built around Berserk, Rend and Tear, Primal Gore, Leader of the Pack, Predatory Instincts and King of the Jungle.
The major glyphs are Savage Roar, Shred and Rip.
When activated, this ability causes your Mangle (Bear) ability to hit up to 3 targets and have no cooldown, and reduces the energy cost of all your Cat Form abilities by 50%. Lasts 15 sec. You cannot use Tiger's Fury while Berserk is active. Clears the effect of Fear and makes you immune to Fear for the duration.
Increases damage done by your Maul and Shred attacks on bleeding targets by 20%, and increases the critical strike chance of your Ferocious Bite ability on bleeding targets by 25%.
Grants the periodic damage from your Lacerate and Rip abilities the ability to critically hit.
While in Cat, Bear or Dire Bear Form, the Leader of the Pack increases ranged and melee critical chance of all party members within 100 yards by 5%.
While in Cat Form increases your damage from melee critical strikes by 10% and reduces the damage taken from area of effect attacks by 30%.
While using your Enrage ability in Bear Form or Dire Bear Form, your damage is increased by 15%, and your Tiger's Fury ability also instantly restores 60 energy. In addition, the mana cost of Bear Form, Cat Form, and Dire Bear Form is reduced by 60%.
Your Savage Roar ability grants an additional 3% bonus damage done.
Each time you Shred, the duration of your Rip on the target is extended 2 sec, up to a maximum of 6 sec.
Increases the duration of your Rip ability by 4 sec.
5.Stats, gems and gear
The priority is hit, then expertise, then critical strike, then attack power and agility, and armor penetration is a big stat for Ferals. The numbers are in the caps section.
Stat combinations matter a lot for this spec, and the guides we read say it depends on your gear and your procs. The BiS list below has three builds for different playstyles.
The only Horde option. Endurance (+5% base health) helps Bear tanking and general survival, and War Stomp is a genuine AoE-stun utility.
The only Alliance option. Quickness (+2% dodge) helps Bear tanks, and Shadowmeld is a useful threat-drop / mechanic-dodge button.
Oathbinder, Charge of the Ranger-General
Idol of the Crying Moon
Sharpened Twilight Scale
Deathbringer's Will
Sanctified Lasherweave Headguard
Sanctified Lasherweave Raiment
6.Common mistakes
• Clipping a bleed, or letting Savage Roar fall off.
• Capping your energy.
• Using Ferocious Bite when your timers are not safe.
• Shredding from the front, where you have to be behind the target.
• Not using Tiger's Fury on cooldown.
7.On the bosses
Feral Cats are strong on fights with many targets. A few notes:
A fight with many adds where the Feral Cat shines, with multi-dotting and cleave. See the Ruby Sanctum guide.
Keep your bleeds and your buff up, and stay behind the boss.
Multi-dot the add waves with Rake and Rip as your raid leader plans.
Keep your bleeds going through the transitions, and help with the adds. See the Lich King guide.
8.Questions people ask
Yes. It is a strong melee spec, best on cleave and multi-target fights, and it provides Rebirth and Innervate as well.
No, it is a priority system. Keep your buff and bleeds up, build with Shred and spend with Rip and Ferocious Bite.
Yes, it is a big stat for Ferals. The BiS list has the numbers.
Savage Roar, Shred and Rip.