Druids of the moon

Is their a certain ritual a druid has to do to join a certain group of druids, specifically the druids of the moon? Is their some sort of test they have to complete? Or does a druid just chose what group he goes into. If their is some sort of ritual/test, is their a specific place he must do it in?

Seems like an apprenticeship dynamic to me? Like you train under a Druid of the Form you most want to be maybe?

I don’t think it’s like a “school” like Dalaran is implied to be.

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Oh hey, something regarding a lore niche I’m slightly obsessed about, neat!

So, of all the Druidic specs, Balance has always been the redheaded stepchild in terms of lore, especially as the themes changed from spells that summon giant exploding mushrooms and more towards celestial based spells. Up until Legion, there quite literally was no Druidic sect that matched them. Guardian had Claw, Feral had Claw and then Ashen in Legion, Resto had Branch/Grove (Blizz can’t settle on a name), but the only sect that matched Balance even slightly was Talon, and that changed as the spec shifted to star themes.

There is heavy overlap between Sisters of Elune, and Druids, especially Balance. Balance took a lot of spells from the WC3 priestesses, and priestesses have clear ties to nature. Moreover, owlkin are favoured of Elune and protect a lot of blessed relics when they’re not going crazy due to corruption.

So one could infer that maybe, Druids of the Moon were sort of there to bridge the small gap between Sisters of the Moon and Druidism itself. To gain a new form, a Druid needs the blessing of that form’s ‘Totem’, so either an Ancient representing that same animal, or the spirit of that animal itself.

Druids don’t shapeshift into that animal form directly, but instead an incarnation of that form, which is why they have both humanoid and animal traits, and why we can justify, lorewise, all the weird looking forms. Talon Druids get a blessing from Aviana, via a relic that ties them to her spirit, Claw Druids and Ashen Druids get theirs from the Great Bear spirit and the Great Cat spirit, Antler Druids from Malorne, etc. The connection can be made a variety of ways but there needs to be both some form of link and a tacit approval from what represents that Totem. Most Druids do not have access to all forms, let alone mastery of them, and multiple forms is a feat in and of itself, and indication of a ton of Druidic potential. An example would be Zen’kiki, who was shown to have access to several forms, indicating a vast talent for Druidism and the favour of nature, but was terrible at using them. However, he did turn out to be a stupidly powerful healer.

We don’t have much lore on Druids of the Moon, beyond ‘they exist’, but in terms of blessings, we can assume it must have something to do with Elune herself, in order to get that ability to take on Moonkin((or Astral) form. Their role could very well be protecting ancient relics, much like Owlkin do, and they might have sprung up as a result of men not being allowed to be priests, or it being frowned on. Where would a man attuned to Elune go? Why, become a Druid of the Moon.

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Going from the Zen’kiki quests in Western Plaguelands, some of it is just seeing what you even have a natural aptitude for. Not a ritual, or test, per se. But if you wind up Moonfiring yourself alot, Balance (and the Druids of the Moon) probably isn’t a good fit for you.

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Each of the forms require some sort of link or relic, and the quests said he just couldn’t find his place. I take that as saying he went to try all these different sects, was naturally gifted enough to gain those blessings and forms, but then sucked with them because natural aptitude isn’t the same as having a gift for something.

There are very few druids with more than two forms, let alone nearly all of them. So while the quests were probably played up a bit for laughs, I go under the assumption that he was a nature savant.

Acquiring forms might also be slightly different for Darkspear druids, though. The only reason they even are druids, is because Gonk bullied the other loa into giving them access to multiple forms at once.

Ah, I forgot about the Gonkian (best Druidic path name) differences when it comes to Druidism. Seems distinct from the Zandalari too, which is interesting.

And it never should have been changed to this. Moonfire and lunar strike were fine but we’ve lost the other druid nature damage spells like nature wrath, hurricane, insect swarm etc.

Yep. Druids of the Moon didn’t ebbed exist until they popped up in Val’sharah.

In my opinion this is a slap in the face to NE priests players and fans. Changing this spec to a celestial class was really unnecessary and it doesn’t even match the lore. I don’t mind the bridge between the two sects with the owlkin but other than that I think they should have a clear separation.

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Want to know something hilarious?

The Priestess of the Moon mobs that Horde can fight during a Nazmir invasion cast old school green Wrath.

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That’s really irritating. I’ve seen other mobs that fire that version of wrath.

I would believe that Druids may have more than one Shan’do, and in fact likely have many over the centuries including immortal spirits like Ancients. Your Totem (“Of the Claw” “of the Moon” “Of the Talon” etc) likely is based on the first spirit you connect with to unlock an animal form. In the case of the Moon, likely something involving Elune in order to tap into the form of the Wildkin and the innate powers she gave them by creating them. In fact, Moon may even take Wildkin as Shan’do to learn their more earthly version of Elune worship.

There is a school for young druids in the order hall in Val’sharah.

On a Related subject, anyone else fine it weird for non-Night Elf Druids having a Moonkin form, considering Owlkin are special to Night Elves and to Elune.

Zandalari have some kind of Arakkoa form (for some reason) but other races shouldn’t have Owlkin as their Moonkin form.

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To be fair, Druids really shouldn’t be for any other races lmao save all the retroactive lore added over time to make it seem less of the “Night Elf” class. They should have Moonkin only because Druidism is meant to be what NEs teach others, save the BfA ones when blizzard forgot that the whole point of the Cenarion Circle was governing Druids across the planet lol.

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For the other races, I chalk it up to everyone pre-BfA, Worgen, Tauren, and Troll, learning Cenarion Druidism. Which is basically Night Elven Druidism, overseen by Cenarius and the Cenarion Circle. It makes sense they’d all learn the same forms, because that’s the Circle’s primary purpose: to teach and oversee the forms they approve, after the Pack Form fiasco.

Kul Tirans don’t make sense, though. They probably should have gotten those bipedal wicker constructs, instead of dead Moonkins. I don’t even think there are Moonkin or Wildkin or Owlkin in Kul Tiras.

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In all fairness, neither Zandalari or Kul Tirans should have the balance abilities at all. The Lun’alai are an exception for Zandalar, but they’re also fringe outcasts not wanted in their society. Realistically they’d do nothing with that power but protect Zandalars wildlife, but if it’s Elune they’re using they also shouldn’t have much power over nature or other Spirit Totems… Zandalari Druids werent thought out in detail.

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I can get behind the Kul Tirans having the spec, at least in name. They’re very much about balance, being the Death to the Cenarion Druids Life. I feel like Ulfar even says as much, or something similar. And, as a seafaring people, the Kul Tirans would probably have a high regard for the sun, moon, and stars. It’s pretty much just them getting a Moonkin form, and not something more aligned to their brand of druidism, that I object to.

Zandalari, imo, suffer from having alot of disparate ideas (from shapeshifting Loa priests, to dinomancers to, now, the Lun’alai) forced into the constraints of the playable Druid class.

In my opinion, thats kinda misconception about the Cenarion Circle / Nature in general. Most things people relate with ‘death’ nature stuff is essentially just life in another state. Cenarion Druids use Mushrooms for example, they use the primal instincts passed down through life and death through their Spirit Totems. Ancients of War for example are meant to be manifestations of that cycle of life and death.

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I always assumed that the Kul Tiran druid forms looked twisted/cursed due to Drustvar itself being cursed. They may learn the ways of balance from an ancient owlkin spirit within the dream, or possibly the blighted lands. We don’t know much about the training thornspeakers go through, but maybe it involves the guidance of Ulfar through the dream/blighted lands to safe havens where friendly ancients hide, ready to impart their blessings of nature. They did learn the stag form from an ancient that roams Drustvar with it’s partner.