Druids v Casters

Using Maim, Pounce, Charge and Bash to stop Spellcasting.


At level 62, druids acquire Maim for cat form, which allows incapacitation of targets for a duration based on combo points accumulated. This ability also turns off auto- attack. Bleed effects continue during incapacitation without waking the target, but any new application of damage will return the target to combat. Only one combo point is required for the "silence" effect. Use Maim after using combo points to apply Rip or for an especially bad spell being cast, such as a healing spell. Maim is a great talent to use in a raid to frequently Silence casters. There is no effective cool down for Maim.

Pounce can also be used against casters, but can only be used when Prowling and is therefore only feasible for out-of-combat use (usable on the first DPS mob in an instance pull). Pounce will silence casters and is a stun. Newly applied damage can still occur during the Pounce effect. As a druid fighting casters and not the primary DPS, wait for the caster to start a spell before Pouncing.

Feral Charge requires a minimum and maximum range (8-25 yards) and is best used on targets who are being newly acquiring or those that have cast a knock-back effect. This ability silences the target for 4s. It has a 15s cool down.

Bash is used as a stun, and should be cast when a heal or other spell is about to be cast. It has a 1 minute cool down and should be used judiciously during long fights.

Druids have a modest amount of tools to stop mobs and other players from casting spells. These abilities need to be used intelligently to avoid DPS loss or inability to use the ability due range, out-of-combat requirements and cool down restrictions.