Why I play a Moonkin

As I mentioned in my first post, I was lucky enough that the first class/spec combination I tried was the one that was perfect for me.  I never respec-ed and never rerolled.  I've loved Balance ever since I began understanding the concept of talent trees and I still remember being excited about getting Moonkin Form way before I was the level required for it.  At level 80, Balance is still as exciting for me as it used to be.  All my alts remain just that - alts, and I never have a serious thought about going Resto or Feral.

So why do I like Moonkin so much?

Why I picked Druid
Before I explain what I love about Moonkin, perhaps it would be best to look at the bigger picture.  Why did I choose to play a Druid in the first place?

In truth, I had no idea which class to pick when I started WoW.  Today, each class seems clear and well-defined to me, but at the time, even after lengthy research, it was all a little confusing.  Druid seemed the most versatile so that ended up being the class I chose, because I figured it wouldn't limit what I could do as much as the other classes.

Prowling to avoid the baddies.

I don't have a single regret.  Druid is really fun and it is one of the main reasons why I like Balance.  At any point in time I can go in Cat Form and Prowl around in Horde cities, off-heal if it's really needed without being bad at it, and shapeshift into Flight Form to escape sticky situation.  The capability to do so many things - even if I don't always make use of them (it's just the feeling of feeling free that matters, right? :P) - makes Druid a really enjoyable class.

Moonkin is creative
Each class or spec, to an extent, has it own unique theme, or style.  Its own flavor.  Rogues have stealth and poisons, Hunters use pets and guns, Priests use the power of words (how fitting), Druids shapeshift and control nature, etc, and all of these things contribute to the feel of the class.  Everyone's got their own thing.  If a certain class didn't unique, there wouldn't really be a point in having the class exist in the first place.

Hybrid classes have specs that define the role they play.  Pure classes have specs that determine the way they output damage.  For example, Destruction Warlocks get their damage through nukes while Affliction Warlocks do it through DoTs.  Some specs are more PvP viable and others are more PvE oriented - such as Subtlety vs. Assassination Rogues.

In the end, however, I feel like nothing compares to the epic style of Moonkin.  While a Warrior might charge you, a Hunter might shoot you, a Paladin might judge you, who else but a Moonkin will grow roots out of the ground and proceed to aligning the sun and the moon themselves in order to nuke you down?  A Mage might send chills down your spine with a Frostbolt, but a Moonkin will summon an entire typhoon your way and command the very wrath of the sun to destroy you.

Moonkin is fun
In part, this is because of the epic style.  Maybe I got so used to Moonkin that today I can't properly play any other class.  That said, I've tried every other class in the game and I haven't been able to stick to any (save Protection Warrior).

Somehow - and I don't always understand why because at times I will be extremely frustrated at my feathery character - Moonkin just never gets boring.  Maybe it's the huge Starfire crits or the amazing AoE burst of Starfall + Hurricane.  Maybe it's that I can solo nearly everything, or that I can do a silly dance.  I don't enjoy how saggy my butt looks when I'm running around, but who cares? - I have antlers!

Some people hate the Moonkin Form, but personally, I love it.  How could you dislike a giant, feathery chicken with antlers who looks like he has anger management issues?  Check this video out by Voodooray, it says it all :)

Not to mention that even today, after months of having seen hundreds - maybe thousands - of Eclipse procs, I still haven't gotten tired of them.  They still feel great every time.  I crit, and then a huge moon shows up above my head, as if telling me "You have become more powerful than you have ever imagined."  And then I fire it up.  That excitement is still there - Eclipse just feels great (except when you chain non-crits afterwards :P)

More powerful than you could ever imagine.

Moonkin is challenging
Let's face it - some specs are really easy.  When I was level 72, I switched to Restoration for a while, just to try it out, and owned every battleground I ever joined.  At level 74, I healed Heroic Shadow Labyrinth with 3 cloth-wearers and 1 Hunter and we didn't even struggle.

I don't really like easy mode.  Essentially, WoW is still going to be a moderately easy game (till you hit high level PvE content), no matter what class you play, but I don't think I'd ever roll a Retribution Paladin or a Shadow Priest.  You know what I'm talking about ;)

I believe Moonkin isn't downright facerolling material, like some other specs.  I saw a video of a Mage in the world's first Anub'arak hard mode (found it! Here's the link), and I was disappointed when I saw he had to do nothing more than spam Frostfire Bolt the entire time to achieve 4th DPS (he was 3rd the entire time except at the end, actually), punctuated by Blizzards when adds came.  Boring!  I want a character that scales well with skill, not gear. EDIT: Nevermind, it's most than just Frostfire Bolt spam :P I'm a noob.

I look at Recount after raids to see what abilities other classes use, what gives them the most damage.  My damage is spread out over 6 spells.  I remember I looked at an Arcane Mage's Recount once and he literally had only used 2 spells the entire time.

Now, I'm not going to say Moonkin PvE is hard, but it does require thought and careful timing.  We don't really have a rotation - our style is more reactionary than anything.  In a nutshell, Starfall is about 10% of our DPS.  That one is pretty easy - I just fire it and let it do its thing.  My two DoTs comprise about another 10% of my damage, but if I don't use them properly, they will reduce my overall damage.

Then about the remaining 80% of my damage comes from Wrath and Starfire.  But if I don't use them carefully in balance with each other, my DPS will hurt badly.  Moonkin PvE is all about timing, procs, and internal cooldowns.  In my opinion, that's much more fun than simple Frostfire Bolt spam.

PvP, however, is a whole different story - Moonkin isn't viable in PvP (sad face).  I'm not just saying this merely because it's the spec I play, but it is the most underpowered PvP spec in WoW, hands down.  No real survivability, no real control, no real damage.  I won't get into Moonkin PvP in this post because it deserves one all to itself, but suffice it to say that it is very hard to take down opponents of equal skill and gear.  Just google it or try dueling / 2v2 arena as a Moonkin and you'll see what I mean.  Maybe I'll post some links later.

TL-DR
In the end, it comes down to the style.  Moonkin is a combination of big crits, off-heals, and utility, all wrapped up in an epic theme of cosmological proportions.  I'm not saying sending bolts of frost at people isn't cool, but it just ain't quite as fun.