Tank Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Guardian Druid abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: The War Within (11.1.7).

Single Target

Ensure Moonfire is active on the target before engaging.

• MoonfireView detailsMaintain uptime on the target.
• ThrashView detailsMaintain 5 stacks.
• Heart Of The WildView detailsUse off cooldown.
• BarkskinView detailsUse off cooldown.
• MaulView detailsUse when possible.
• MangleView detailsUse to generate Rage.
• ThrashView detailsUse to generate Rage.
• MoonfireView detailsUse with Galactic Guardian proc.
• Incarnation Guardian Of UrsocView detailsUse for burst phases.
• Rage Of The SleeperView detailsUse for burst phases.
• SwipeView detailsUse as a filler.

Maintain Moonfire and 5 stacks of Thrash. Use Maul for damage and Mangle or Thrash to generate Rage. Activate Heart Of The Wild and Barkskin off cooldown, and use Incarnation Guardian Of Ursoc or Rage Of The Sleeper during burst phases.

AoE

Pull mobs together with Moonfire before starting.

• ThrashView detailsMaintain 5 stacks.
• Heart Of The WildView detailsUse off cooldown.
• BarkskinView detailsUse off cooldown unless saving for dangerous moments.
• RazeView detailsUse when possible.
• ThrashView detailsUse to generate Rage.
• MangleView detailsUse to generate Rage.
• Incarnation Guardian Of UrsocView detailsUse for burst phases.
• Rage Of The SleeperView detailsUse for burst phases.
• MoonfireView detailsUse as needed.
• SwipeView detailsUse as a filler.

Maintain 5 stacks of Thrash and prioritize Raze for AoE damage. Use Heart Of The Wild and Barkskin off cooldown, and activate Incarnation Guardian Of Ursoc or Rage Of The Sleeper during burst phases.

Cooldowns

• BarkskinView detailsReduces damage by 20% for 12 seconds. Use frequently or during magic damage phases.
• Survival InstinctsView detailsReduces damage by 50% for 6 seconds. Use preemptively for lethal damage or emergencies.
• Incarnation Guardian Of UrsocView detailsBoosts survivability and damage. Use during burst phases.
• Rage Of The SleeperView detailsProvides damage reduction and reflects damage. Use during burst phases.

Use Barkskin liberally for consistent damage reduction. Save Survival Instincts for lethal damage or emergencies. Activate Incarnation Guardian Of Ursoc and Rage Of The Sleeper during burst phases for maximum impact.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.