Druids Don’t Need Strength…
BySo. It might be a bad thing that I’m getting to write on here. But I’m going to vent because first of all it is useful information, but mostly because I was called an IDIOT and booted out of an instance.
I may not be an expert on being a druid, but I do know that strength is something very beneficial for us in cat and bear form. And during this wonderful instance, I was in cat form as dps. I was the lowest level in the instance by two levels. The rest of the group were 49-54.
I suppose I wouldn’t have lost it had I not asked first. I never need what I don’t need and when I do need I always ask. I’m usually overly patient, and friendly when dealing with PUGs. I was a little surprised by how I reacted, but I’m certainly glad I reacted the way that I did.
So the summoned boss, Atal’alarion drops Headspike.
I thought it was really nice and a way much faster weapon with more damage than what I had equipped. Plus it still had strength and it had stamina too which is always nice. The point is, everyone in the group selected greed. And it wasn’t like it was a Mail item or a Sword for goodness sake. Other than to vent my frustrations, I do believe it is important to discuss the importance of understanding the different stats and how it applies to your specific class.
Since the genius is on my server, and for the sake of respecting people’s anonymity I will make up names instead of using real ones.
***
Genius has selected Greed for: Headspike.
Shammy has selected Greed for: Headspike.
Tank has selected Greed for: Headspike.
DPS has selected Greed for: Headspike.
me: Hey guys can I need?
Genius (level 54 who was also the healer and Dungeon Guide): I don’t care
So I clicked on need.
me: Thanks
Genius: “WHYD YOU NEED?”
Genius: WTF?
Genius: omg
Genius: WHY
Me: it’s a polearm
Me: and it has strength
Genius: no
Genius: ITS NOT
Me: ummm yes it is
Me: can you not read?
Genius: no its not
Genius: YES
me: Linked Headspike
Genius: IM A GENIOUS (who can’t even spell the word genius)
Genius: THATS NOT A POLEARM
(at this point I wasn’t sure if he was just messing with me. Clearly this weapon is a polearm!)
me: yeah ok
Genius: THATS AHEAD SPIKE
me: you’re retarded
Genius: NO
Shammy: Druid’s don’t need strength
Genius: IM A GENIOUS
me: well genious…(clearly mocking him)
me: it’s mine
Genius: Druids need Agi your idiot
me: whatever
Tank: why kick?
Genius: Rolled on loot that he didn’t need
You have been removed from the group.
Needless to say, Genius has been /ignored. These are the kinds of dynamics you get into when doing random dungeons. 95% of the time, you end up grouped with some very decent players. And the instance becomes fun, and you meet people you wish were actually on the same server as you. The above conversation isn’t one of those times, but very comical.
So do Druids need strength or am I really an idiot?
What does strength mean for a feral druid? What do the rest of the Attributes mean?
There are five primary attributes: strength, agility, stamina, intellect, and spirit.
These are known as simply “stats”. (source)
Increases AP (attack power) with melee weapons. Warriors, Death Knights, Druids, and Paladins get 2 melee attack power for every point of Strength. For example: +15 strength, would give me the druid, 30 additional AP with my melee attacks. This also applies to when I’m in cat form and bear form
Strength and Agility have a unique relationship to where they both affect dps-but on different levels. Strength affects dps in a linear manner, while Agi affects dps by increasing the player’s chance to do critical damage. The way it equates, there is a point of equilibrium where 1 point in Strength=1 point in Agility. This point of equilibrium is when your dps equals 314.16 (This calculated equilibrium point is based on 100% increased damaged on Crit derived solely from Agi. There are cases where you get a source of secondary crit such as feral druids or rogues that will make Agi more important than Str before the equilibrium point. If you are more interested in PVP, Agi might also be preferred as it will give you more boost in spike damage compared to sustained damage.) As long as your dps is below 314.16, it is more beneficial to put +1 Strength into your character, than +1 agility. Usually you will break the point of equilibrium by the time you reach close to L60 at which point, it will be more beneficial for you to concentrate on Agi vs. Str. Right now, looking at recount, at level 47 my damage is at 111.1. So Strength is more beneficial for my character than agility at this point.
Increases AP with ranged weapons (except for wands) and for melee weapons for certain classes.
For hunters, warriors and rogues, +1 agility gains them 1 ranged AP.
For druids (in cat form), hunters, shamans and rogues, +1 Agi equals +1 melee AP.
+1 Agi increases armor by 2.
It also increases the chance to score a critical hit with a weapon.
Depending on class and level, Agi can increase the chance to dodge attacks.
Is wonderful for everyone. Basically it increases your health, and if you have pets, it increases their health as well. Certain classes get bonuses for stamina if they choose certain specs. Druids for example get 2% Stamina bonus in bear form with Heart of the Wild. Read the article about Stamina. It is very easy to understand, and I couldn’t word it any better.
Intellect has to do with mana. How much mana you have. Which is extremely important for a lot of classes, especial those who heal..And yes, it is important if you are a druid and you’re a tree. Intellect has the ability to help you with mana regeneration but is subject to diminishing returns, unlike the mana regen you get from spirit. Read all about it here. With Patch 3.0, Shammys also get +1 attack power for every point in Intellect.
Spirit increases health and mana regeneration. You can’t gain health while in combat, except if you’re a troll. Trolls have a racial ability to gain 10% of their total health even during combat.
Your mana regenerates while in combat except for the first immediate five seconds after casting a spell. This is known as The Five Second Rule, or FSR.
I hope that this article will be beneficial to some people and perhaps it will reduce the chance of people ever saying “Druids don’t need strength..”
