Which Druid Race is the best?
When it comes to class/race combos, few classes are as affected by their race choice as druids! Since every race has special druid forms, you’ll be reminded of why you chose your race every time you swap forms. The race you pick can also help fill in the missing parts of your class’s toolkit when it comes to damage or crowd control. With seven different races to choose from, it can be hard to decide which one is perfect for you. Luckily, we’ve narrowed down the top 5 best race options for druids!
5. Kul Tiran Human
Two Kul Tirans gaze at Boralus
Added as an Allied Race in Battle for Azeroth, Kul Tiran Humans are a race of hardened sailors. Unlike the humans in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Kul Tiran can be a kind of druid known as Thornspeakers. Thornspeakers practice a dark form of druidism based off of the Drust who are native to Kul Tiras. It’s important to note that Kul Tiran Humans are an allied race that has to be unlocked by an already level 50 Alliance character, so take that into consideration when making your choice!
Why Kul Tiran Humans are Great for Druids:
- Lore: If you’re the kind of player who loves the many stories featured in World of Warcraft, then you’ll love the story behind the Kul Tiran Thornspeakers. They have incredibly unique druid forms that tie in heavily with their lore and set them apart from other races. This is an especially great option for players who like to RP.
- Tanking: For players wanting to tank, Kul Tirans humans are a fantastic choice! Especially for Mythic+, The racials of the Kul Tirans give them an edge over many of the other druid races. The racial ability Haymaker is an additional knockback stun that is usable in all druid forms. Their racials Brush it Off and Rime of the Ancient Mariner provide additional healing and damage reduction. These racials work really well for Guardian Druids, and should definitely be considered if you’re looking to tank.
Pick Kul Tiran Humans if:
- Druid forms are one of the main reasons to pick one race over another, and Kul Tirans are a cut above the rest. It’s undeniable that Kul Tiran druid forms are just plain cool. Their Bear, Cat, and Travel forms are unmatched when it comes to the other alliance races. Their Moonkin form is definitely a little goofy, but the unique assets it features still make it stand out! Given how much time you’ll be spending in these forms, if looking cool is important to you then definitely go with Kul Tirans!
- If you’re looking for an additional stun for PvP and PvE content, then Kul Tiran is the choice for you. With Haymaker being usable in all forms, it’s a great option for druids who want to maximize their crowd control abilities. For those that push harder content but still want to pick an Alliance race, go with Kul Tiran Humans!
Kul Tiran Human Details:https://www.wowhead.com/kul-tiran-human-allied-race
Kul Tiran Preview:
A preview of the Kul Tiran druid forms
4. Zandalari Trolls
A preview of the Zandalari Trolls in their heritage armor.
Alongside the Kul Tirans, the Zandalari Trolls are an Allied Race that were added in Battle for Azeroth. While the normal Darkspear trolls can also be druids, there’s a big difference between them and the Zandalari. The druidism practiced by the Zandalari reflects how important Dinosaurs are to them, and it’s a sign of their connection to Rezan and the other Loa. Just like the Kul Tirans, this race does have to be unlocked by a l;evel 50 Horde character before they can be played.
Why Zandalari Druids are Great for Druids:
- Dinomancy: Yes, you read that correctly. Zandalari Druids practice dinomancy, meaning that they get to turn into dinosaurs instead of the normal bear, cat, moonkin, and travel forms. Their bear form looks like an Ankylosaurus (the dinosaur with a club on its tail), and their aquatic form looks like a terrifying Mosasaurus! The most noticeable difference between Zandalari and other druid forms is their Moonkin form. Unlike the space chicken model that all other races use, the Zandalari get a lithe dino-chicken with unique animations!
- Racials: Zandalari Trolls are unique in the fact that one of their racials is technically six different ones that you get to choose from! Depending on which Loa you decide to embrace, you get a different buff. These embraces are great and can seriously benefit you depending on your spec and the kind of content you’re doing. The variety of racials you have here gives Zandalari a nice edge over many of the other Druid races!
Pick Zandalari Trolls if:
- If you want to play a Balance Druid, Zandalari is an amazing option. First of all, you get arguably the best Moonkin form in the entire game. On top of this, the racial Embrace of Pa’ku gives a very nice DPS increase. This racial gives your abilities the chance to increase your crit strike chance by 4% for 12 seconds, which can be a huge bonus depending on how it lines up with your cooldowns.
- It can’t be overstated how cool it is getting to be a dinosaur. The Zandalari Troll forms are very diverse, especially compared to the other Horde options. You’ll be spending a lot of time in your forms, especially if you plan on playing Feral or Guardian druid, so you want to make sure that they’re cool. If you want unique form options but maybe don’t like the out-of-form look of Kul Tiran Humans, consider playing a Zandalari Troll instead!
Zandalari Troll Details: https://www.wowhead.com/zandalari-troll-allied-race
Zandalari Troll Preview:
A preview of the Zandalari druid forms
3. Highmountain Tauren
Two Highmountain Tauren in their Heritage armor.
The last of the Allied Races we’ll be featuring on this list, next we have the Highmountain Tauren. Highmountain Tauren may look similar to their Tauren cousins, but those giant antlers definitely set them apart! Those antlers can be found on all of their forms, as well as their face paint! Once again, Highmountain Tauren are an Allied Race, so they’ll need to be unlocked by a level 45 Horde character before they can be played.
Why Highmountain Tauren are Great for Druids:
- Racials: The Highmountain Tauren racials are absolutely fantastic for druids. Their ability Bull Rush makes your charge forward, knocking down enemies for 1.5 seconds on a 2 minute cooldown. This really picks up the slack in some spots where the normal druid kit is lacking. Balance druids do not have a good interrupt, so this can serve as a way to interrupt mobs. For any druids who chose to talent out of Mighty Bash, this gives you a stun while still letting you pick Mass Entangle or Heart of the Wild! High Mountain Tauren also have a passive racial called Rugged Tenacity that serves as a great damage reduction ability.
- Lore: As you could probably guess by just looking at them, Highmountain Tauren, and Tauren in general, have a deep bond with nature. This obviously works very well with the theme of druids as a whole. They also represent a different kind of druidism, as these druids worship the sun god Anshe instead of the Moon Goddess Elune.
Pick Highmountain Tauren if:
- If you’re a Horde player looking to play a Guardian Druid, Highmountain Tauren are definitely the way to go! Bull Rush is very good for Mythic+ and can definitely come in clutch. Bull Rush also has the added benefit of not knocking you out of form! Their other racials are great for damage mitigation, which makes them perfect for tanking.
- If you’re a fan of the normal Tauren but find their customization lacking, go with Highmountain Tauren. The standard Tauren have been out since the launch of vanilla, so it makes sense that lots of players are bored of them and are looking for something to spice it up a little bit. Luckily, Highmountain Tauren provide just that!
Highmountain Tauren Details: https://www.wowhead.com/highmountain-tauren-allied-race
Highmountain Tauren Preview:
A preview of the Highmountain Tauren druid forms.
2. Troll
Two Darkspear trolls on the Echo Isles
The Darkspear Troll have been playable since the release of World of Warcraft back in 2004, but it wasn’t until the Cataclysm that they were able to roll as druids. While Troll druids do share the same general appearance as the other base druid races, they’re a bit more hairy and have bright, vibrant colors!
Why Trolls are Great for Druids:
- Berserking: Trolls have a racial ability called Berserking, which allows them to increase their haste by 15% for 10 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown. For those who are already familiar with WoW, you’ll notice that this is a very similar ability to Bloodlust, which is considered one of the best cooldowns in the game. Having a personal version of Bloodlust is incredibly strong and makes Troll an insanely viable option for players looking to push high end content.
- Survivability: While they’re not as strong as Berserking, Trolls have two other racials that play a very big part in making them a strong choice for Druids. The first one is called Regeneration. As the name implies, it increases your health regeneration by 10%. On top of that, 10% of your total health regeneration will continue while in combat. Their other racial is ,amazingly, known as Da Voodoo Shuffle. Not only is the name great, but this is actually a fantastic passive for anyone wanting to do PvP as a druid! This racial reduces the duration of any movement impairing abilities by 20%!
Pick Troll if:
- If you plan on pushing high-end content and you want to maximize the amount of damage you can do, Troll is about as good as it gets. The usability of Berserking cannot be overstated, and it gives you lots of room to min/max and grow as a player. This is especially true if you exclusively want to play on the Horde side, as none of the other races can really touch the damage increase given by Berserking.
- Many of the races in World of Warcraft that have a strong focus on nature tend to be very ‘serious’ races, like races like Tauren, Night Elf, and Kul Tirans. Trolls, on the other hand, tend to be some of the more goofy, humorous, and fun-loving characters. If you want to play a druid but don’t want to be stuck in the “staunch protector of nature” trope, Troll is definitely the go-to option!
Troll Details: https://www.wowhead.com/troll
Troll Preview:
A preview of the Darkspear Troll druid forms.
1. Night Elf
Two Night Elves showing off their armor in Kul Tiras
Without a doubt, Night Elves are the most iconic option for druids in all of World of Warcraft. Since the Night Elf druid was featured in the original WoW cinematic, Night Elves have been one of the most popular options for druid by far. From their lore to their power, there’s nothing that they don’t excel at when it comes to druids.
Why Night Elf is Great for Druid:
- Shadowmeld: While all of the Night Elf racials are pretty good, especially Touch of Elune, none of them are anywhere near as useful as Shadowmeld. When activated, Shadowmeld will drop your threat and put you into stealth. Not only is this great for outdoor content, but Feral druids will really want to pay attention to this racial as it works well with your rotation! It’s also great for many, many different scenarios in M+ where a pull goes wrong and you need to Shadowmeld to save your life.
- Lore: Everything about the Night Elf lore just works so perfectly with druid lore. First of all, the Night Elves are dedicated worshippers of Elune. Elune is the goddess that gives many of the druids their abilities, with some abilities even being named after her! Night Elves are also all about nature, which obviously fits in perfectly with the druid’s lore. Currently in Shadowlands and going forward into Dragonflight, there are a lot of stories surrounding Night Elves, so now is a great time to be playing a Night Elf!
Pick Night Elf if:
- If you’re an alliance player and plan on doing Mythic+ dungeons at all, Shadowmeld is such a life-saver. Anyone who watches the MDI will know that pro-players almost always go Night Elf if they can because this racial is just that strong. Depending on which spec you play, like Feral for example, this ability can also be worked into your rotation for a significant DPS increase!
- If you want the classic druid experience, Night Elf is unmatched. There’s nothing like leveling a druid through Teldrassil and really getting into the class fantasy. It’s a very fun experience and should be very nostalgic for many. Overall, Night Elf is a unique experience when it comes to druids and I’d always highly recommend picking it.
Night Elf Details: https://www.wowhead.com/night-elf
Night Elf Preview:
A preview of the updated Night Elf Druid Forms
At the end of the day, you should always just pick the race that you like the most. However, we hope we made that choice a little bit easier.
