Many players have requested a Balance Druid rework for a number of reasons, including stale gameplay or the restrictive and tedious Eclipse mechanic.
I believe returning to Empowerments similar to Legion or Battle for Azeroth, given that we are primarily a builder/spender spec, could solve this problem. Below is an example of how an Empowerment system might work for Balance, including baseline mechanics, rotational spells, and some supporting active/passive talents.
NOTE:
There are a number of passives and minor/rotational cooldowns not included in this list. Some of these are generally fine as-is, such as Fury of Elune, or need attention, such as Force of Nature. My goal with what I have included is to get a core concept rework out there. The smaller stuff can be looked into later.
HINT:
Click ► CHOICE NODE and ► SUPPORTING NODE in the sections below to reveal additional talents.
CORE MECHANIC
Empowerment
Passive
Starsurge or Starfall empower your next Solar Burst and Lunar Strike.Solar Empowerment
Increases the damage of Solar Burst by 20%.Lunar Empowerment
Increases the damage of Lunar Strike by 20%.Each effect stacks up to 5 times.
- Replaces Eclipse.
- Can function 1 of 2 ways:
– Solar Burst and Lunar Strike consume all stacks of their respective Empowerment to deal a massively buffed hit (better for burst damage profile)
– Solar Burst and Lunar Strike consume a single, or limited number of stacks of their respective Empowerment to deal a moderately buffed hit (better for sustain damage profiles)
NOTE:
Supporting talents may need to be revised, depending on how Empowerment consumption works.
CORE SPELLS AND EFFECTS
Mastery: Astral Invocation
Passive
Your Nature spells deals 4.0% increased damage and an additional 2.0% to targets affected by Sunfire.Your Arcane spells deals 4.0% increased damage and an additional 2.0% to targets affected by Moonfire.
- Unchanged.
Moonfire
Instant
Fire a quick beam of lunar light to burn the enemy for Arcane damage and an additional Arcane damage over 22 sec.Generates 8 Astral Power
- Unchanged.
Sunfire
Instant
Fire a quick beam of solar light to burn the enemy for Nature damage and an additional Nature damage over 18 sec to all enemies within 10 yards.Generates 6 Astral Power
- Unchanged.
Solar Burst
1.5 sec cast
Hurl a ball of solar energy, dealing Nature damage to the primary target.Generates 8 Astral Power
- This is Wrath, but renamed to fulfil the Solar and Lunar naming convention similar to how it was in Legion and Battle for Azeroth.
Lunar Strike
2.25 sec cast
Call down a pillar of lunar energy, dealing Arcane damage to the primary target and Arcane damage to all enemies within 10 yards.Generates 12 Astral Power
- This is Starfire, but renamed to fulfil the Solar and Lunar naming convention similar to how it was in Legion and Battle for Azeroth.
Starsurge
40 Astral Power
Instant
Launch a surge of stellar energies at the target, dealing Astral damage.
- Unchanged.
Starfall
50 Astral Power
Instant
Call down waves of falling stars upon enemies within 40 yards, dealing Astral damage over 8 sec. Multiple uses of this ability may overlap.
- Unchanged.
COOLDOWNS AND SUPPORTING TALENTS
Celestial Alignment
Instant
3 min cooldown
Celestial bodies align and grant an improved Moonkin Form that maintains Empowerment for 30 sec, and increases mastery by 10% for its duration.Increases maximum Astral Power and Astral Power generation by 100%.
- New concept that functions similarly to live.
- Since we lose the passive Nature and Arcane damage gained from having both Eclipses active, this cooldown now increases mastery for its duration to compensate.
- You maintain 1 stack of Empowerment at all times while active. This stack is not consumed and always buffs your builders (and you still gain additional stacks from spenders). For example:
– You have only the 1 maintained stack of Solar Empowerment, cast Solar Burst for 20% increased damage, and 0 stacks are consumed.
– You build up to 5 stacks of Solar Empowerment, cast Solar Burst for 100% increased damage, and only 4 stacks are consumed.
CHOICE NODE for Celestial Alignment
Orbital Strike
Passive
Celestial Alignment applies Moonfire and Sunfire to all enemies within 40 yards.Reduces the cooldown of Celestial Alignment by 60 sec.
Whirling Stars
Passive
Celestial Alignment now has 2 charges, and its cooldown and duration are reduced by 50%.
- These help to solve some problems we have with ramp-up time, burst, and cooldown periods.
CHOICE NODE for Celestial Alignment
Incarnation: Chosen of Elune
Passive
Celestial Alignment also increases your critical strike chance by 10%, and Arcane spell casts increase this effect by 1%, up to 20%.Moonfire does not expire while Celestial Alignment is active.
Incarnation: Blessing of An’she
Passive
Celestial Alignment also increases your haste by 10%, and Nature spell casts increase this effect by 1%, up to 20%.Sunfire does not expire while Celestial Alignment is active.
SUPPORTING NODE for Celestial Alignment
Harmony of the Heavens
Passive
Starsurge and Starfall increase the mastery bonus of Celestial Alignment by an additional 1%, up to a total of 20%.
Stellar Flare
2 sec cast
Burn the target for Astral damage and an additional Astral damage over 24 sec. If dispelled, causes Astral damage to the dispeller and blasts them upwards.Generates 8 Astral Power
CHOICE NODE for Stellar Flare
Stellar Surge
Passive
Starsurge extends the duration of Stellar Flare on the target by 1.0 sec, up to 30 sec.
Stellar Burst
Passive
Moonfire and Sunfire grant a stacking 1% chance to cause your next Stellar Flare to be instant and apply its periodic effect to all enemies within 10 yards.
- These help to solve some problems we have with ramp-up time and global cooldown usage.
Umbral Embrace
Passive
Starsurge and Starfall have a chance to cause your next Solar Burst or Lunar Strike to become Astral and deal 50% increased damage.
- Now procs from spenders instead of builders (so that builders aren’t overly prioritized).
- Multiple uses may stack so that procs can be banked and/or not wasted.
SUPPORTING NODE for Umbral Embrace
Umbral Inspiration
Passive
Consuming Umbral Embrace increases the damage of your periodic effects by 30% for 6 sec. This effect may overlap.
Shooting Stars
Passive
Moonfire and Sunfire periodic damage has a chance to call down a falling star, dealing Astral damage and generating 2 Astral Power.
SUPPORTING NODE for Shooting Stars
Solstice
Passive
When you gain a stack of Empowerment, Shooting Stars fall 100% more often for 2 sec. This effect may overlap.
SUPPORTING NODE for Shooting Stars
Crashing Star
Passive
Shooting Stars has a 15% chance to instead call down a Crashing Star, dealing Astral damage to enemies within 5 yards and generating 4 Astral Power.
Touch of the Cosmos
Passive
Solar Burst has a 10% chance to make your next Starsurge or Starfall free.Lunar Strike has a 15% chance to make your next Starsurge or Starfall free.
SUPPORTING NODE for Touch of the Cosmos
Cosmic Event
Passive
Touch of the Cosmos is 100% more effective when Solar Burst and Lunar Strike are empowered.
Soul of the Forest
Passive
Empowerment increases the critical strike chance and reduces the cast time of affected spells by 15%.
SUPPORTING NODE for Soul of the Forest
Balance of All Things
Passive
Casting an empowered spell increases the critical strike chance of your next Starsurge or Starfall by 3%, up to 15%.
Power of the Sun God
Passive
Nature damage has a chance to cause Solar Burst to become Solar Strike, dealing additional damage to all nearby enemies.
Fury of the Moon Goddess
Passive
Arcane damage has a chance to cause Lunar Strike to become Lunar Burst, dealing additional damage to your primary target.
Astral Amplification
Passive
Solar Burst and Lunar Strike increase the damage of your next Starsurge or Starfall by 6%, up to 30%.
Cosmic Shift
Passive
Arcane damage has a chance to trigger your next Sunfire and Nature damage has a chance to trigger your next Moonfire, causing them to deal 200% increased direct damage and grant a Solar or Lunar Empowerment.
SUPPORTING NODE for Cosmic Shift
Power of the Moon and Sun
Passive
Cosmic Shift direct damage bonus increased to 300% and critical strikes grant an additional Empowerment.
Celestial Vengeance
Passive
Fury of Elune and New Moon may now consume a Solar and Lunar Empowerment to increase their damage by 20% per stack consumed.
Rebounding Stars
Passive
You have a 30% chance to gain a Solar or Lunar Empowerment when casting an empowered spell.
Sundered Firmament
Passive
Consuming 10 stacks of Empowerment creates a Fury of Elune at 25% effectiveness that follows your current target for 8 sec.
Stellar Instability
Passive
Starsurge and Starfall have a chance to grant an additional Solar or Lunar Empowerment.If no more Empowerments can be gained, Starsurge and Starfall instead deal 10% increased damage.
This is a straightforward list of spec talents and does not take specific pathing into account, though I hope the CHOICE NODE and SUPPORTING NODE detail gives you some idea of how these talents are connected.
