Druids can only be one of two races: Tauren or Night Elf.
There isn’t much to divide the two available races for a Feral tank. I recommend picking whichever faction your friends play, or, if you haven’t got any friends, which race you think looks cooler! Personally, I can’t resist the male Night Elf aesthetic.
Horde
Tauren are the only available race for Horde Druids. They benefit from War Stomp, a useful AoE stun in PvP, and Endurance, a small health boost for PvE tanking.
Tauren Druids are iconic, with their spiritual ways and affinity for nature. Their racials are okay for tanking, with Endurance being a nice little health boost.
Enduranceincreases base health by 5% — meaning your natural health at level 80, without your extra health or stamina from equipment, buffs, etc. This translates into a ~400 HP boost, which isn’t massive, but every little bit can help as a tank.
War Stomp gives you an on-use AoE stun with a 2 minute cooldown. You unfortunately cannot use this ability while shapeshifted, meaning you’ll very rarely use it in PvE, though in PvP it can be very useful.
Nature Resistance reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%. This is mostly a neglectable racial when it comes to PvE.
Cultivation increases your initial Herbalism skill by 15. Druids are one of the best gathering classes out there, so if your druid is a gathering alt, this is a nifty little quality of life improvement.
Alliance
Night Elves are the only available race for Alliance Druids. They benefit from Shadowmeld, a useful stealth ability in PvP, and Quickness, a small avoidance boost for PvE Tanking.
Night Elf Druids are among the most iconic race & class combination in all of Warcraft, with Malfurion and his druids being among the main characters in Warcraft 3. Their racials are pretty good for Druids, which is fortunate as they’re your only option as an Alliance Druid.
Quickness reduces the chance you’ll be hit by melee and ranged attacks by 2%. This boost is not massive, but it’s a nice little avoidance boost for tanking.
Nature Resistance reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%. This is mostly a neglectable racial when it comes to PvE.
Shadowmeld can be used in order to escape combat and become stealthed once every 2 minutes. It will also cause you to drop all threat on every target you’re currently engaged in combat with, but all threat will be restored the moment you leave stealth — which will happen the moment you move or take any action. You cannot really use this racial while main tanking, but it can have its occasional niche use, and it can be very useful for fights where you’re going Cat Form, and especially in PvP, as it allows you to use Prowl and re-stealth at any time.
Elusiveness reduces the chance to be detected if you are stealthed. This applies both to your Prowl and Shadowmeld, which is a nice little boost in PvP.
Wisp Spirit increases your movement speed by 75% while dead. You generally don’t want to be dead.
About the Author
Oxykitten
I've been an avid WoW player since Vanilla. At 6 years old, I was slowly progressing through Blackfathom Deeps and levelling up with my brothers. Since Classic Wow launched, I've found a new way to enjoy the game; participating in Feral Druid theorycrafting communities and performing well in an underdog class has been a fun challenge. I hope to be able to share all I've learned with anyone who shares that interest!
Horde
Tauren are the only available race for Horde Druids. They benefit from War Stomp, a useful AoE stun in PvP, and Endurance, a small health boost for PvE tanking.
Alliance
Night Elves are the only available race for Alliance Druids. They benefit from Shadowmeld, a useful stealth ability in PvP, and Quickness, a small avoidance boost for PvE Tanking.
