So we all know that if a druid stays in a form for too long, they risk their mind slipping away and becoming more like that form that they take, and eventually lose the ability to shift out of that form and pretty much go feral - if a druid stays in bear form for too long, for instance, they pretty much “become” the bear.
However, that really only seems to apply to bestial forms. When it comes to forms like Astral Form and Treant Form, what’s the general consensus? Astral Form doesn’t really have a bestial/primal aspect to it since it’s just stardust, and while an argument could be made that Treant Form’s “bestial” aspect could mean that a druid who uses it too much risks becoming a Treant, it’s not really a form that is too bestial or feral. What’s your take on this, guys?
I really wouldn’t read too much into it. There is no lore, that I’ve seen anyway, that mentions druids transfoming into moonkins or treants. I think this was a game play thing that Blizz gave us as the other specs also transform. Quite frankly I’m such of moonkin and the glyphed astral form. I was so glad when they took away tree of life for resto.
I for one love the lore implications and the ideas. Game mechanics don’t translate to lore, but I do think that Blizzard has left enough (sometimes far too much) gray area to allow us as players to interpret what may be implied… or otherwise left undefined. I think considering game mechanics in these instances can yield some fun and interesting results.
I do seem to remember that there was mention of druids going feral in bear and cat forms before. I want to say it was something mentioned in early classic druid quests, but I can’t be certain. Seems I remember a tale that one had to be careful utilizing the bear form because of it’s ferocity, that the wielder of that power had to have a strong mind and powerful will to maintain control, or else the power of the bear would overtake you. You’d be lost to it. It wasn’t as dangerous as the wolf form, which was absolutely uncontrollable (once upon a time). Actually, I hesitate to claim that the wolf form has been truly controlled or tamed; though I know we have Worgen. I’m not certain that they count. They’re more of a melding of two minds, but see, this is where some interesting deep lore discussion can happen. Disagreeing and arguing about these lesser defined (gray) points.
I digress…
Just as a druid can lose themselves to the ferocity of the bear, or the feral cunning of the saber, I don’t see why one couldn’t lose themselves to the attentive simplicity of the Treant. To wander the deep woods of the world seeking to care and protect nature and the wilds. Or lose themselves to the Moonkin, for whatever they represent. I admittedly don’t know much about them. They always felt silly to me, to be honest. I could see how one might gain a preference for the Astral form, if we could imply that they’d receive particular benefit from it over their usual mortal Night Elf form. Or perhaps they just like to sparkle and glow. Who knows. To each their own.
Moonkin and Treants do have a feral side however. You come across them all the time while leveling in certain areas. If you strip away the game mechanics and focus on the lore implications of the quests you’re completing, I think you’d start to see a different side of them. They watch and protect the wilds, often viciously.
To draw a parallel outside of WoW, look at Treebeard from Lord of the Rings and the other Ents. There was a point at which (plucking from the movies) when the Hobbits weren’t safe in the little grove anymore because the trees were awakening. One even tried to eat the Hobbits before Treebeard came to their rescue. I think there are some interesting parallels that could be pulled from looking at possible inspirations for these outside of WoW.
With what they do have in lore, i think a quote from one of my favorite authors is applicable here “Form shapes the mind, like water into a jug.” -Terry Pratchett.
With bears and cats as mentioned above having the potential to go feral i agree the notion that a tree druid going the way of treebeard sounds kinda cool.
Likewise an astral form druid i could see becoming detached ala Dr Manhattan from watchmen.
One thing to note though is that everyone who studied the Druidic path before Malfurion generally wound up frozen in either arboreal or animal forms. And of course there’s the story of the Order of the Pack.
I also notice that when you switch your specs to any form other than Restoration, you default to the spec form, not your humanoid one.
Wait, where does it say that spending too much time in a single form risks succumbing to some primitive mindset? I mean some of the druids sleep in bear form for hundreds of years. What is this alleged time limit? I know the Pack form AKA Worgen was a bit different compared to the other more established forms.
Not just spending time in form can do that. Before Malfurion, no one who studied the drudic arts maintained their humanoid form at all. They became creatures such as the first Ancients. The Order of the Pack Druids permanently became deranged worgen because they went in too deep to an animalistic psyche.
Even Malfurion himself, who had a normal Night Elf form as late as Reign of Chaos no longer does so.
Woah, do you have a source for that? Are you talking about mortals becoming treants, or becoming demigods? And didn’t Cenarious teach the tauren druidism before he taught Malfurion?
You are right in that The Druids of the Pack obsessed over the Pack Form grew addicted, and more the mind of wolves. But they did snap out of it thanks to Ralaar Fangfire. But, this excerpt was only in beta Cata.
You’re off there in saying the druids got lost in their wolf minds and became worgen. Ralaar Fangfire snapped them out of it and became their leader. Knowimg the Pack Form was too hard to control, he then had the Scythe of Elune made, which made them into worgen instead.
Because he slept and dreampt for an extended amount of time, his dreamform tending the emerald dream, his mortal body began to take on features of his animal forms. This is due to his dreaming, not a side effect of being a druid, and it does not effect his mind.
Ah, another source example may be the Fangs of Ashamane artifact questline for druids, when the cat druid loses control while weilding the fangs and you have to go after him.
Interesting though… for both the Druids of the Pack and Verstok, there were bones involved. The fang of Goldrinn and fangs of Ashamane respectively.
Something like that. I think it was more he tried and they were not interested. Also the Tauren as we know them today did not exist back then. They were technically something else. An ancestor of the Tauren, Taunka, and the other subspecies. He tried to teach them but I think it is said that Malfurion was the first to take to his teachings, enter the dream proper and become Azeroth’s first druid as we know the class today.
Exactly. That much I know, and can be found on Wowpedia.
So can explanation as to his bestial features.
“No, little one, it’s nothing like that. My spirit spent many years in the Emerald Dream while my body slept, and it started to take on attributes of our animal forms.” https://wow.gamepedia.com/Malfurion_Has_Returned!
There is also Wolfheart, which describes this as well.
Knaak, Richard A.. World of Warcraft: Wolfheart (pp. 25-26). Gallery Books. Kindle Edition.
Only closer inspection revealed that some of these attributes were a part of him, the results of his ties to Azeroth and the many years his spirit had spent in the Emerald Dream. While his dreamform had become more and more attuned to that other realm, his sleeping body— still bound to his spirit— had begun to take on elements of these powerful creatures. Thus, the edges of his arms grew into the expansive gray wings of the storm crow. The nightsaber, its bond especially close to those of Malfurion’s race, was marked by what were not boots but the archdruid’s very feet. They now mimicked the look of the feline’s mighty paws. In addition to all this, his kilt bore in front as decoration the curved teeth of the nightsaber, and his hands were clad in gloves ending in the claws of the bear.
Knaak, Richard A… World of Warcraft: Wolfheart (pp. 25-26). Gallery Books. Kindle Edition.
Again, there is no mention of this effecting his mind that I have found. And these are side effects mentioned specifically to be because of walking in dreamform in the Emerald Dream, not a mere side effect of simply being a druid.
Now if one were to tell me you become more akin to the animal form you’re using, I’d believe you. The Druids of the Pack, even Ralaar Fangfire who did not use it as much as the Druids of the Pack, had become savage in appearance just before Belysra Starbreeze created the worgen curse. He went from a regular looking Kaldorei, to an overmuscled hunchback with Wolverine sideburns and an overabundance of thick body hair. Changes that even sound similar to the “Primal” class described in the RPG, which is non-canon.
However, when it comes to self-taught druidism turning you into an Ancient, I would need a source. It sounds plausible, but it also sounds like headcanon.
Also in one of the expeditions what you think is just a bear drops a quest item that takes you to Moonglade. That’s how I found out about this. It was a real neat and organic bit of world building.
Back to OPs point I don’t have a straight answer but it would be interesting as a story reasoning for why tree form is temporary. Wouldn’t want to get too comfortable and start putting down roots.