I recently updated my Guides section, and added a “Strategies and tips” section – for boss guides, encounter tips, and general tricks that druids may find handy to know.

I won’t be posting full strats for the Icecrown encounters; plenty of other sites do that, and they do a fantastic job of it, too (I recommend StratFu and Tankspot). Instead, I wanted to go over some druid-specific tips for Icecrown – things that I have found really useful to employ.

I’ll add this to the Guides page, and later, when the next wing is released (and Arthas is down) I’ll update it. And, hopefully, I’ll be able to update the posts with heroic tips as well, if there are specific tricks to help beat heroic mode. If you have any little tips to add, please let me know, and I will edit them (with credit of course).

As always – this is not a strict “you must do this” guide – your guild may use entirely different strategies, and these tips may not apply.



• You can’t use Barkskin during Bone Spike Graveyard.

• During Bone Storm, hit Barkskin, toss a Rejuv on yourself, and stay put to keep healing (just avoid fires, obviously). His Bone Storm damage is not very strong on normal mode, so there’s no need to run.
• We stack right up behind him, on his hit box – if your guild does this, right click on the boss and start tree-punching for some Omen procs, if you need the mana.


Lady Deathwhisper

This is mostly a reactive healing fight, so there isn’t much to say, other than:



• Decursing is top priority.

• Toss Wild Growth onto someone when they get the Death & Decay debuff; you should hit all victims that way.
• In the final phase, if you see a ghost aggro on you, Barkskin and run (kitty sprint if you have to). If you’re missing health, or if there is a badly timed D&D or other damage from the boss, you can’t afford to be hit by a ghost. Kite him until he de-spawns.


Gunship Battle



• Stand on the very edge of your “home ship”, between the cannons. As long as the boarding party stay fairly close to the edge of the enemy ship, you will be able to heal both ships at the same time.

• If for some reason you can’t afford to move much – for example, if you are assigned to the tanks and need to stand still to cast Regrowth/Nourish a lot – you can stand still and take rockets – just hit Barkskin and throw a Rejuv on yourself (beware of doubles or triples though!). Yeah, it’s a bit noobish to stand in the Bad Stuff(tm) but if it means you’re going to save someone, I consider it the lesser of two evils. Plus, on normal mode the rockets don’t hurt much anyway.


Deathbringer Saurfang



• Don’t ever battle rez someone who died from Mark of the Fallen Champion! They will rez with the debuff still, die immediately, and heal Saurfang again.

• In the early stages, I find there is little healing to do, so I often help DPS the blood beasts. Just don’t let them touch you!
• By hanging back on the healing in the early stages, I have full mana later if there are marks building up and things get a bit frantic. It also means I can easily give my Innervate away.
• If you are arranging in advance to give your Innervate to someone, make sure they pick a position in range. You don’t want to have to move to go Innervate them, or you may give the boss more Blood Power.
• If you have been assigned a Mark victim to heal, put full HoTs on that person. I keep Lifebloom rolling on them, and use Nourish if they are dipping low.
• Try to keep at least a Rejuv on the other victims, to help your other healers. I Nourish if I see anyone dropping low, but don’t forget your assignment (if you have one).
• Save Barkskin for if you get Mark on yourself.
• If you see a Blood Beast running for a ranged player, you can use Entangling Roots to hold it in place until it can be nuked down. Just don’t root one next to a player, or it will turn and hit them, which gives Blood Power to Saurfang.
• If you aggro a Blood Beast, hit Nature’s Grasp and leg it. Hopefully it won’t touch you, but if it does, it will only get one hit off before you escape to a safe distance.

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