Okay, so now that the new talents are out, Balance looks like it is finally a viable leveling build, especially at higher levels (40+). Keep in mind that you should shift to bear form and dps when you are low on mana to reduce downtime, until you get Moonkin form and can mele in moonkin for the mana proc. At very low levels, you may not have a lot of mana, so remember that you don't lose your other forms just because you have points in this tree. Keep plenty of water and drink as needed. Keep in mind that your gear matters a lot as a caster (so read parts of section 6 & 7 that apply to balance).

Druids are heavily reliant on their gear to be able to perform whatever role they've chosen. Whether you are Feral, Balance, or Restoration, you will be significantly less effective compared to a well-geared druid if you do not carefully select your equipment. Most high level Druids carry at the very least two equipment sets on them at all times, with some carrying as high as seven (with some cross over items). To make it easier to manage your gear, you may want to look for the Wardrobe add-on which will let you easily select your desired equipment.

General Tips-Remember Power Word: Shield. It can stop a teammate from dying long enough for you to get a heal to them...

General Tips-Make sure to have the appropriate tracking ability active for the area you're in. Sometimes, you may have to switch between a few to see all the monsters around. One of the hunter's strongest points is being able to know their surroundings.

General Tips- The group weapon totems (i.e. Flametongue Totem) will overwrite any poisons or special abilities melee characters have which activate "on next strike". Coordinate with the group before you use them...

General Tips-If the group can handle the slight drop in damage, try mixing in some wand use. Casting one or two spells and then using your wand will save you some mana, as well as keep your aggro within reasonable levels...

General Tips-Judgement is often an underused spell. Judgement of Justice will stop monsters from running away. This behavior is very common in instances and it is good practice to get used to stopping them. Judgement of Light will act as a form of area healing.

General Tips-Curse of Recklessness will stop a monster from running away for two minutes as well as lower their armor substantially. If there is no one else in the party to stop them, make sure to use this spell. If a fight will take a long time, use a different curse until they are low on health and about to run.

After countless raids on Molten Core, Zul Gurub, and Ahn Qiraj, it's no surprise that some folks were growing tired of playing World of Warcraft at the level cap. Despite small content additions made to the game through patches, many people have several level 60 characters and there just wasn't much left to explore, with the possible exception of the game's most difficult instances. World of Warcraft has been nothing short of a sensation for last two years, but it was evident that fans were ready for a major expansion, and Blizzard has answered their call with The Burning Crusade.

The latest patch to World of Warcraft (WoW), which introduced the player versus player (PvP) Honor system, has created quite a buzz in the community, and plenty of that buzz is negative. Changes to online games are always a touchy subject among users, but, at the same time, subscribers do expect MMORPGs to evolve and grow. Here's my view of the impact of patch 1.4 on the game.