Bear DPS?

[Hanuremeap]

Just wondering if it would be possible for a druid to dps in bear form.
I believe it is possible because I see Bear form as Warriors. So i was thinking that if I speced bear and wore cat armour and gemmed/enchanted it with strength that is would work.

But what do you guys think?

[Saturo]

I seriously doubt it. All bearform abilities cause less base-damage and more threat. Even if it was possible to cause good damage, you'd get aggro instantly.

[Sarayana]

Why insist on dps'ing in bear form? If you're specced bear it's so close to kitty that wearing kitty gear you could do a lot of damage. You'd be missing key kitty talents, but you know, it's a trade of.

Bear form is kind of like warriors - it's a warrior's defensive stance. Kitty is more like beserker or battle stance.

[Fael]

Well if you spec bear and wear some high level dps gear you can easily solo a lot of stuff (especially if you like mount farming) so you're dps-tanking basically. If you're soloing stuff I think agi would be helpful as it adds to dodge and crits. Trying to do bear dps probably wouldn't do much in damage compared to cat if you were going to raid, though. A problem with trying to dps as a bear is that you can easily pull aggro, your attacks are meant to add threat and I've done it before in raid while messing around. :p If you don't have the agi and stam you might end up dying soon if healers get tired of taking care of you! I have worn DPS gear while tanking easier heroics and it certainly helps things die faster as well as stay on me.

You could always get a damage meter and test it out (on dummies for starters)... there's absolutely no harm in seeing for yourself what results you could achieve.

[Chrizesu]

Simple answer: no

My tanks does a lot of dps in bear form but part of that is because she's getting hit to gain rage (sometimes sitting in slime, but that dmg is mitigated).

[Hanuremeap]

thanks guys you have really helped

[Ryai]

And ontop of the answers already given, is you could be seen as one of the 'failrollers' IE they choose all roles available for them in a queue, even when they can not, will not or are not geared enough for said role. IE a tank tanking in dps gear just because he's a hybrid. A Healer healing in tank gear, because again, 'lol hybrid'.

You don't want that stigma on you, ontop of inferior dps.

[Ariamodasu]

It used to be posisble in the days of yore and feral was horribly designed like Balance but now? Well sure if you want to OUTLAST them but thats about it. Bear is designed to get threat via damage with Savage Defense popping up from crits if I recall correctly. Cats a lot faster and more than a couple buttons to press

Speaking as someone who has been playing as a Druid for an ungodly length of time.

[Hanuremeap]

I have just looked at the new talent trees and my brother showed me how he would spec DPS Bear. so maybe it will be possible in cata.

[Chrizesu]

Keep in mind I believe that master is effected by what form you are in.

[Ryai]

Keep in mind I believe that master is effected by what form you are in.

^this

This is basically why DPSing in bear is going to be impossible, outside of solo, because it would be like a Prot paladin or Warrior trying to dps, and I mean that's how it should be because the tank should be doing TPS over DPS anyways.

[Sarayana]

Keep in mind I believe that master is effected by what form you are in.

^this

This is basically why DPSing in bear is going to be impossible, outside of solo, because it would be like a Prot paladin or Warrior trying to dps, and I mean that's how it should be because the tank should be doing TPS over DPS anyways.

Yup. I can tell ya I'd be seriously peeved when tanking if a dps was in bear form. I'd probably assume they've no grasp of the class and, if they refused to switch to kitty form, I'd start a vote kick. A run doesn't need two tanks.