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Bear Form
Ability racial bearform
  • Bear Form
  • Level 8 druid ability
  • Instant
  • Shapeshift into Bear Form, increasing armor by 220% and Stamina by 25%, granting protection from Polymorph effects, and increasing threat generation.

    The act of shapeshifting frees you from movement impairing effects.
Properties
Class Druid
School Physical
Cooldown None/Global Cooldown
Other information
Level learned 8
Improvements Ability druid protectorofthepack [Celestial Guardian], Spell holy elunesgrace [Elune's Favored], Ability druid cresentburn [Fury of Nature], Ability druid mastershapeshifter [Master Shapeshifter], Ability druid protectorofthepack [Strength of the Wild], Ability druid markofursol [Ursine Vigor]
Related buff
Ability racial bearform
  • Bear Form
  • Armor increased by 220%.
    Stamina increased by 55%.
    Immune to Polymorph effects.

Bear Form is the second shapeshift ability learned by a druid. This form has tank-like abilities, similar to a warrior. While in Bear Form, the druid's mana bar is replaced by a rage bar. The druid's armor and Stamina are also boosted.

For Guardian druids, Bear Form now also increases armor by 285%, reduces magical damage taken by 10%, reduces the chance to be critically hit by 6%, and reduces the chance for attacks to be parried by 3%. Note that as of patch 6.0.2, this information is not displayed in the ability's tooltip, or anywhere else in-game.[citation needed] 

Tips and tactics[]

  • As a druid, you really need to get a feel for when to change forms. Early on in the game, you may find it useful to cast a few long range spells, such as Spell nature starfall [Moonfire], then change to Bear Form when an enemy gets close.
  • Bear Form is generally good to use against non-casters or those with higher armor, since you do higher melee damage, but at a slower attack speed.
  • If you're not sure if you can handle your (melee) enemy(s) (i.e. higher level, may be adds), use Bear Form until you get a feel for the fight.
  • Also, as a tank, Bear Form has a pretty reliable taunt to draw aggro away from more squishy party members.
  • In Bear Form, or as a Druid in general, you cannot block or parry, so your only method of ignoring damage is through dodging. However, keep in mind that you do not gain rage from dodging an attack.

Notes[]

  • Each race has a distinct model for its Bear Forms, and there are five different textures for each model. These textures correspond to the skin tone of Tauren druids, or the hair color of the other races. Druids can change their design at any time by visiting a barbershop and choosing a new skin tone or hair color as appropriate for their race. Since there are more hair colors and skin tones than unique textures, some colors and tones will produce the same designs. The hair and skin colors chosen will, in most cases, correspond to the colors seen in the design of each form.
  • Prior to 4.0.1, you had to complete the Bear Form quest chain, starting with the quest B Druid [10] Heeding the Call to get Bear Form. It is now simply trainable at any druid trainer.
  • Can only use Bear Form abilities, with the exception of Spell nature stoneclawtotem [Barkskin].
  • You are considered a beast, so abilities that target beasts can be used on you. On the flip side, abilities like Spell shadow shadowworddominate [Mind Control] won't.
  • Shapeshifting breaks snare effects. As such, a much used principle is Powershifting, using /cast !Bear Form or alike, to instantly shift out and in, breaking snares at the cost of some mana and a global cooldown.
  • Your caster form will start regaining mana immediately after you change to Bear Form, with a convenient extra mana bar displayed below the rage bar.
  • You cannot parry or block in Bear Form, so your only method of ignoring damage is dodge.
  • Druids in Bear Form generate 500% of the normal threat.
  • The attack speed in Bear Form is 2.50. Weapon damage is normalized so that DPS remains the same.
  • The armor bonus is only applied to natural armor (received from white effects), and not item modifiers (enchantments, armor kits, etc).
  • Auto-attacks generate 5 Rage.

Gallery[]

For images of all artifact weapon appearance colors see Claws of Ursoc

Spell druid incarnation [Incarnation: Guardian of Ursoc] gives armor to the appearance of the base bear form (without having Claws of Ursoc).

Old models
TCG

Patch changes[]

  • Dragonflight Patch 10.0.0 (2022-10-25): Rank 2 removed.
  • Shadowlands Patch 9.0.1 (2020-10-13): Now learned at level 8 (was 10). Rank 2 now learned at level 12 (was 52).
  • Battle for Azeroth Patch 8.2.0 (2019-06-25): Shifting to Bear Form now gives 25 Rage (was 20).
  • Battle for Azeroth Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17):
    • In Bear Form, Druids now generate Rage in the same way as Warriors, with Rage generated from both melee attacks dealt and melee attacks taken.
    • Rank 2 added for Guardian at level 52: Bear Form gives an additional 20% Stamina.
    • Bear Form has received updates to its stand, walk, and run animations.
  • Legion Hotfix (2017-04-03):
    • In PvP, Bear Form now grants 125% Armor (was 200% Armor). Guardian Druid Bear Form unchanged.
    • In PvP, Bear Form now grants 40% Stamina (was 55% Stamina). Guardian Druid Bear Form unchanged.
  • Legion Patch 7.1.5 (2017-01-10): Auto-attacks now generate 7 Rage (was 7.875 Rage).
  • Legion Patch 7.1.0 (2016-10-25): Now learned at level 10 (was 8).
  • Legion Hotfix (2016-09-13): Shifting into Bear Form will no longer freeze resource decay for non-Guardian druids.
  • Legion Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19):
    • Now increases armor by 200% (down from 250%) and stamina by 55% (up from 20%). No longer increases threat generation. Mana cost removed.
    • Model updated.
  • Warlords of Draenor Hotfix (2015-06-30): Fixed a bug that was preventing Balance and Restoration Druids from gaining attack power from Intellect in Bear Form or Cat Form.
  • Warlords of Draenor Hotfix (2015-02-25): Fixed an issue where various item effects that provides a buff based on the player's highest stat sometimes picked the wrong stat for Balance and Restoration Druids that were shapeshifted into Bear Form or Cat Form.
  • Warlords of Draenor Patch 6.2.0 (2015-06-23): Now increases armor by 285% (up from 250%) for Guardian druids.
  • Warlords of Draenor Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14):
    • Inv misc pelt bear 03 [Thick Hide] has been removed and its effects have been incorporated into Bear Form.
    • Bear Form now increases armor by 250% for all druid specializations (down from 330% for Guardian druids, but up from 120% for non-Guardian druids), no longer increases Haste and Critical Strike from items by 50%, but instead causes Haste to reduce the global cooldown, increases Stamina by 20% (down from 40%), and reduces magic damage taken by 10% (down from 25%).
    • For Guardian druids, Bear Form now also reduces magical damage taken by 25%, reduces chance to be critically hit by 6%, and reduces chance for attacks to be parried by 3%.
  • Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.4.0 (2013-09-10): Now increases Stamina contribution from cloth and leather items by 40% (up from 20%).
  • Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Now also increases haste and critical strike from items by 50%, and sets Rage to 10 upon shapeshifting. Now learned at level 8 (was 15).
  • Cataclysm Patch 4.3.0 (2011-11-29): Now provides an armor bonus of 120% at all levels, up from 65% for characters below level 40, making it easier for lower level druids to tank dungeons, and now provides a Stamina bonus of 20%, up from 10%. Threat generated has been increased to 500% damage done, up from 300%.
  • Cataclysm Hotfix (2011-08-16): Threat generation for all tanks has been increased to 500%, up from 300%. This includes druids in Bear Form.
  • Cataclysm Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Now provides 10% bonus health, down from 20%.
  • Cataclysm Patch 4.0.1 (2010-10-12): The Bear Form quest chain is removed. Now learned at level 15 for 17s 28c. Now costs 5% of base mana, down from 35%. Now increases armor contribution of cloth and leather items by 65% (was 120%). Now causes agility to increase attack power. No longer turns into Ability racial bearform [Dire Bear Form] at level 40.
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Patch 3.2.0 (2009-08-04):
    • New textures for bear models, adjustable at the barbershop.
    • Mana energizes that occur while in this form will now appear in the combat log and floating combat text.
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Patch 3.0.8 (2009-01-20): This ability will now grant the correct attack power per level for levels 71-80.
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Patch 3.0.2 (2008-10-14): The mana regeneration penalty when in Bear Form, Ability racial bearform [Dire Bear Form] and Ability druid catform [Cat Form] has been removed.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): The bonus health from shapeshifting into this form will again be removed correctly when shifting out of this form.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.0.10 (2007-03-06): Now grants 25% increased stamina instead of 25% increased health.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): The Health bonus of Bear Form has changed to a 25% percent health increase instead of a flat increase.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.10.0 (2006-03-28): It is no longer possible at very low health to die when shifting out of this form.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.9.0 (2006-01-03): Effects that lower armor will now lower armor by a percentage of the druid's full armor, rather than just base (caster form) armor.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.6.0 (2005-07-12):
    • Shapeshifting will now counteract the slowing effects of frost-based spells (Spell frost frostbolt02 [Frostbolt], Spell frost frostshock [Frost Shock], Spell frost glacier [Cone of Cold], etc.).
    • Druid shapeshift form buttons are no longer dimmed while under the effects of Polymorph.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.4.0 (2005-04-19): Shapeshifting into an animal form will now remove Polymorph effects.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.2.0 (2004-12-18): Armor bonus increased from 65% to 180%.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.1.1 (2004-11-17): Bear Form has been improved to hold aggro more effectively.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.1.0 (2004-11-07): Bear Form abilities that target one or more enemies now generate additional threat.
  • Test-inline Patch 0.12 (2004-10-11):
    • Shapeshifting now breaks roots, snares, and freeze effects.
    • Shapeshift forms now include an immunity to polymorph effects.
    • HP gain increased.
  • Test-inline Patch 0.9 (2004-08-17):
    • Now considered a beast in Bear Form.
    • Shapeshifting will no longer cancel all buffs on the Druid.
    • Shapeshifting cooldown reduced from 10 to 1.5 seconds.
    • Druids now regenerate mana while in shape shift form.
    • When shapeshifting into and out of Bear/Dire Bear forms, you should now end with the same % of health as you had in the previous form.
    • Bear Form's armor increased.
    • Bear Form and Ability racial bearform [Dire Bear Form] mana cost slightly reduced.

See also[]

External links[]

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