GUIDE SCOPE
Built for repeatable Phase 3 raid execution
This searchable web edition is adapted from the original MCK Boost carrier handbook. It focuses on the included class, specialization and role only; it does not create placeholder coverage for missing specializations.
- Build
- 0 / 44 / 17
- Role
- Tank
- Raid tier
- Phase 3
- Source
- 18-page PDF
TALENT BUILD
0 / 44 / 17
The same 0/44/17 hybrid delivers full Bear performance and an off-tank Cat lane. The 0/47/14 roar variant is reserved for an explicit raid-debuff assignment.
View chapter index
01 - Gear & items
The 60-second setup
A carrier is first unkillable, then consistent, then fast.
0/44/17 hybrid bear/cat. Use 0/47/14 only for an assigned improved roar.
Alliance: Night Elf. Horde: Tauren; Endurance is the stronger tank racial.
Crit immunity first. Save mitigation, threat, resistance and cat sets.
Enter before contact
Highest-priority GCD
Build and maintain 5
Filler at high AP; three targets
Queue only with excess rage
Pull / armor debuff if assigned
Taunt; match top threat
Emergency fixate, not threat
| Gate | Ready when... | Failure prevented |
|---|---|---|
Crit immunity | Set satisfies Defense/59.15 + Resilience/39.4 >= 2.6. | Raid-boss critical hits. |
Armor + HP | Buffed values match the encounter and healer plan. | Physical spike deaths. |
Threat | Hit/expertise swaps are saved without breaking safety. | DPS throttling or parry/dodge streaks. |
Sets | Mitigation, threat, Mother SR, Illidan FR and cat packages are named. | Unsafe mid-raid improvisation. |
Consumables | Two elixir lines, food, potions, seed/stone, scrolls, reagents packed. | Losing progression attempts to logistics. |
Five pre-run gates
02 - Raid plan
Faction race, reputation and access
The best race is simple; the preparation path is not.
| Raid | Character/account requirement | Carrier action |
|---|---|---|
Mount Hyjal | Finish The Vials of Eternity: Lady Vashj + Kael'thas quest items. | Complete the full chain on an eligible character before relying on the account unlock. |
Black Temple | Complete Akama's chain through the Medallion of Karabor sequence. | Do not confuse partial progress with an account-wide unlock. |
Both | Reputation and other character-specific prerequisites are not magically transferred. | Verify the new Druid at the actual entrance before roster lock. |
Alliance - Night Elf
Shadowmeld
Reset / setup utility; not a throughput button
- The only Alliance Druid race in TBC.
- Quickness adds 1% dodge, a real tank advantage.
- Do not use Shadowmeld as a substitute for a tank swap or threat plan.
Horde - Tauren
War Stomp
Emergency control when form restrictions permit
- The only Horde Druid race in TBC.
- Endurance adds 5% health; this makes Tauren the stronger pure tank race.
- War Stomp is utility, not a boss mitigation cooldown.
Fortitude of the Scourge is the optimized legacy option. Choose for logistics, alts and available reputation.
Raid access checklist
- Get crit immunity, Earthwarden/entry feral weapon, head enchant and saved gear sets before chasing damage pieces.
- Clear Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon, SSC and Tempest Keep for durable Phase 3 bridge items.
- Validate the exact raid calendar and any Anniversary hotfixes in game before deadlines.
03 - Talents
0 / 44 / 17 hybrid bear
Full bear performance without sacrificing the off-tank cat role.
Cost reduction
Bear threat
Armor
Dodge + movement
Mobility / interrupt
Lacerate / Shred cost
Feral AP
Rage / combo points
Mangle / Maul / cat damage
Free pull / debuff
Stamina / cat AP
3% crit reduction + stats
Group crit
Group sustain
Cat crit damage / avoidance
Bear threat engine
Reliable rage/energy on shift
+10% physical damage
Cheaper shifts
Rage retention / Enrage
Clearcasting
Feral Combat - 44 points
Restoration - 17 points
Feral Aggression - 5/5
Niche 0/47/14 raid-debuff assignment
Leader of the Pack 2/2 and Intensity 3/3. This is an assigned raid-debuff build, not the default.
04 - Gear & items
Crit immunity is a set constraint
Survival of the Fittest solves 3%; your equipment must solve the remaining 2.6%.
| Control | Target / behavior | What it means |
|---|---|---|
Boss crits | At least 2.6% gear-based crit reduction after 3/3 SotF. | Recalculate every set and resistance swap. |
Armor hard cap | 35,880 versus a level 73 target. | Additional armor is wasted only while actually capped. |
With 25% armor buff | Dynamic pre-buff cap about 28,704. | Do not assume permanent Inspiration/Ancestral Fortitude uptime. |
Crushing blows | Bears cannot block or parry and do not become crush immune. | Soak the table with armor, health and healer planning. |
Weapon damage | Displayed weapon DPS is irrelevant in form. | Feral Attack Power and stats drive form output. |
| Job | Priority after crit immunity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Progression main tank | Enough HP for the worst combo > armor to useful cap > Agility > threat. | Deaths matter more than a small TPS win. |
Farm main tank | Armor/HP floor > Expertise > Hit > Agility/AP/Crit/Haste. | Increase threat only against the actual raid ceiling. |
Add / snap tank | Hit and Expertise gain consistency; AP and Agility raise threat. | Taunt has a spell-hit-style resist risk in TBC; carry reliability swaps. |
Off-tank / cat | Keep tank safety when assigned; then maximize cat DPS in downtime. | Two-piece T6 enables the non-Wolfshead hybrid route. |
Stat priority by job
These are ceilings, not orders to sacrifice survival.
05 - Gear & items
Build packages, not one costume
Every saved set has a job and an immutable safety rule.
| Set name | Purpose | Locked constraints | Typical swaps |
|---|---|---|---|
BEAR - PROG | Hard physical bosses | Crit immune; high HP; useful armor; two health on-use trinkets | Armor cloak/ring, stamina, defensive trinkets |
BEAR - THREAT | Farm bosses / contested opening | Still crit immune; agreed HP floor | Expertise belt, DPS ring, threat trinket/idol |
BEAR - ADDS | Hyjal priority adds | Crit immune if raid-level melee can connect | Hit/expertise, snap trinket, Engineering |
BEAR - SR | Mother Shahraz if required | Raid resistance target + crit immunity unless raid plan proves otherwise | Shadow-resist cloak/neck/rings/armor |
BEAR - FR | Flame of Azzinoth assignment | Fire-resist target + crit immunity + HP | Dedicated resistance pieces, not random greens |
CAT - OT | No active tank target | One button from safe bear set; no missing tank pieces | Cat weapon/trinkets/rings; 2p T6 |
| Step | Action | Verification |
|---|---|---|
1 | Copy the current set in your gear manager. | Never edit the only known-safe set. |
2 | Equip the candidate and recalculate crit reduction. | Use actual Defense and Resilience ratings. |
3 | Compare raid-buffed HP and armor to the assignment floor. | Model realistic buffs, not perfect uptime. |
4 | Check hit, expertise, AP and trinket use plan. | Threat is evaluated after safety. |
5 | Name, keybind and test the set out of combat. | Combat gear swaps are restricted; resistance mistakes are fatal. |
Upgrade sequence
06 - Gear & items
Balanced BT + Hyjal endpoint
A destination list for the default safe set; threat and resistance pages define the swaps.
| Slot | Balanced target | Source / decision |
|---|---|---|
Head | Thunderheart Cover | Archimonde; mitigation default |
Neck | Vindicator's Pendant of Triumph / Telonicus' Pendant | Crit-immunity efficiency / best individual value |
Shoulders | Thunderheart Pauldrons | Mother Shahraz token |
Back | Gilded Thorium Cloak | Karazhan; armor default |
Chest | Thunderheart Chestguard | Illidan token |
Wrists | Vindicator's Dragonhide Bracers / Insidious Bands | Crit swap / best individual value |
Hands | Thunderheart Gauntlets | Azgalor token |
Waist | Belt of One-Hundred Deaths | Lady Vashj; exceptional Expertise value |
Legs | Thunderheart Leggings | Illidari Council token |
Feet | Treads of the Den Mother / Vindicator's Dragonhide Boots | Mitigation / crit swap |
Rings | Violet Signet of the Great Protector + Ring of Deceitful Intent | Armor anchor + balanced threat |
Trinkets | Shadowmoon Insignia + Battlemaster's Determination or Cruelty | Independent health on-use pair |
Weapon | Pillar of Ferocity | Anetheron; default Phase 3 feral weapon |
Idol | Idol of the Raven Goddess / Idol of the White Stag | Raid group DPS / personal TPS |
07 - Abilities
Turn surplus survival into raid speed
Swap deliberately; do not let a damage item silently break the tank contract.
| Lever | Defensive / balanced | Aggressive / hybrid |
|---|---|---|
Head | Thunderheart Cover | Vengeful Dragonhide Helm or Cursed Vision |
Back | Gilded Thorium Cloak | Thalassian Wildercloak / Shadowmoon Destroyer's Drape |
Wrists | Vindicator Dragonhide for crit budget | Insidious Bands |
Feet | Treads of the Den Mother / Vindicator | Shadowmaster's Boots |
Rings | Violet Signet + Deceitful Intent | Deceitful Intent + Stormrage / Eternal Champion |
Weapon | Pillar of Ferocity; Vengeful Staff as a crit-budget swap | Pillar remains the default |
Idol | Raven Goddess for total group value | White Stag for personal TPS |
| Pairing | Use | Rule |
|---|---|---|
Shadowmoon Insignia + Battlemaster | Progression main tank | Can deliver about 3,500 temporary HP together; Battlemaster trinkets share with each other, not Insignia. |
Shadowmoon Insignia + Badge of
Tenacity | Armor + emergency health | Strong when armor is useful and incoming damage is physical. |
Bloodlust Brooch + Madness of the
Betrayer | Snap / sustained threat below hit cap | Madness loses value above the hit cap. |
Bloodlust Brooch + Dragonspine Trophy | Farm threat above hit cap | Use only when survival floor is comfortably met. |
Badge of Tenacity + Tsunami Talisman | Hybrid bear/cat | Efficient shared value across both jobs. |
Best-known Phase 3 levers
Trinket matrix
08 - Encounter
A priority system, not a cast sequence
Mangle on cooldown, stable Lacerate, intelligent filler and controlled rage dumps.
Maintain only if assigned
Pull / debuff
Use every cooldown
Reach 5; refresh safely
High-AP filler
Excess-rage queue
| Priority | Action | Execution detail |
|---|---|---|
0 | Position and face the boss away. | Never trade raid safety for a faster first global. |
1 | Maintain assigned Demo Roar / Faerie Fire. | Avoid duplicate debuff work; a Warrior may own the stronger Demo effect. |
2 | Mangle (Bear) on cooldown. | Highest-priority bear GCD and enables bleed damage. |
3 | Build and hold 5 Lacerate. | Refresh before expiry without delaying Mangle. |
4 | Use Swipe as filler at high raid-buffed AP. | Around 2,700 AP is the common crossover where Swipe beats extra Lacerate filler. |
5 | Queue Maul only with excess rage. | It replaces the next white attack and is the least efficient threat per rage. |
| Time | Action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Pre-pull | Use safe pre-pull Enrage if rage is needed; cancel the armor penalty before contact. | Never carry the armor loss into the first swing. |
Range | Faerie Fire (Feral) if assigned. | Starts the pull without spending rage. |
Contact | Mangle -> Lacerate; queue Maul only if rage permits. | Front-loads reliable threat. |
Stabilized | Build Lacerate to 5, then Mangle > refresh > Swipe. | Converts rage into sustained TPS. |
Opening script
09 - Encounter
Control the dangerous targets
Bear AoE is limited to three-target Swipe; the plan must respect that reality.
| Situation | Correct play | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
Three targets | Swipe every GCD; tab Maul with spare rage; mark the kill target. | Tunneling one mob while the third eats a healer. |
Four or more | Own priority melee; let the Protection Paladin stabilize the mass pack. | Pretending Swipe is unlimited AoE. |
Loose target | Mouseover Growl, then land real threat immediately. | Treating the matched-threat taunt as permanent control. |
Pack collapse | Challenging Roar for brief fixate while raid recovers. | Assuming it grants threat; targets can leave when the fixate ends. |
Caster | Line of sight, Feral Charge interrupt/root and coordinated kick assignment. | Charging away from the healer or exposing your back. |
Matches top threat; follow with Mangle
Brief emergency fixate
Gap close + interrupt utility
Pre-pull only when armor loss is safe
Last resort; consumes rage
Pre-pull/off-tank use; form shift is dangerous
10 - Consumables
Convert inventory into survival and speed
Engineering is the raid-control profession; the second slot follows group duty.
| Slot | Default | Swap rule |
|---|---|---|
Battle elixir | Elixir of Major Agility | Demonslaying on demon targets when modeled higher. |
Guardian elixir | Gift of Arthas | Ironskin only to repair a crit-immunity gap; other defensive elixirs by assignment. |
Flask | Flask of Chromatic Wonder | Use instead of elixirs during death-heavy progression; Fortification is weaker overall. |
Food | Fisherman's Feast / Spicy Crawdad | Spicy Hot Talbuk when threat, not HP, is the constraint. |
Potion | Ironshield while below armor cap | Haste Potion when armor is capped and threat is safe to push. |
Weapon | Adamantite Weightstone | Late-TBC form behavior makes it a powerful feral imbue. |
Chest | Greater Rune of Warding | Temporary absorb; refresh as logistics allow. |
Scrolls | Agility V + Strength V + Protection V | Use if they coexist with your current raid buffs on the live ruleset. |
- Leatherworking: drums and crafted bear pieces;
choose it when your subgroup requires your drum rotation.
- Enchanting: +4 Stats to each ring for the strongest personal-only alternative when drums are covered.
Core raid bag
- Elixir of Major Agility; Elixir of Demonslaying for demon targets.
- Gift of Arthas; Flask of Chromatic Wonder as death-safe fallback.
- Fisherman's Feast / Spicy Crawdad; Spicy Hot Talbuk for threat.
- Ironshield and Haste Potions; Free Action and protection potions.
- Nightmare Seed, Master Healthstone, Rebirth/Gift reagents.
11 - Gear & items
Finish every slot; gem the whole set
Phase 3 favors Agility by default, but sockets still solve safety and set constraints.
| Slot | Recommended enchant | Decision |
|---|---|---|
Head | Glyph of the Gladiator | Survival and threat package. |
Shoulders | Fortitude of the Scourge | Best optimized legacy option; otherwise Greater Vengeance / Blade. |
Back | Greater Agility | Balanced avoidance + threat. |
Chest | Exceptional Stats | All-round scaling. |
Wrists | Fortitude | Stamina for spike tolerance. |
Hands | Superior Agility | Avoidance + threat. |
Legs | Nethercleft Leg Armor | Stamina + Agility; Clefthide is the budget version. |
Feet | Boar's Speed | Stamina + movement; uptime and positioning win pulls. |
Weapon | Major Agility (2H) | Permanent enchant; add Adamantite Weightstone as allowed. |
Rings | Stats (Enchanting only) | Use Striking before Stats is available. |
| Color / job | Gem | Use |
|---|---|---|
Meta | Relentless Earthstorm Diamond | Balanced Phase 3 default; meet color requirements across the full set. |
Red | Delicate Crimson Spinel | Default Agility when safety floor is met. |
Purple | Shifting Shadowsong Amethyst | Agility + Stamina; excellent blue requirement bridge. |
Orange | Glinting Pyrestone | Agility + Hit for yellow sockets and hit-set repair. |
Blue emergency | Solid Empyrean Sapphire | Only when a real HP breakpoint outweighs avoidance/threat. |
Yellow defense | Enduring Seaspray Emerald | Defense + Stamina for crit-budget/survival tuning. |
Phase 3 gem palette
-> fill remaining sockets with the best balanced Agility mix. Re-run the safety formula after every gem change.
12 - Raid plan
Group placement is tank throughput
A bear makes the physical group stronger and receives the threat tools needed to carry.
| Category | Required coverage | Why the bear cares |
|---|---|---|
Tank buffs | Fortitude, Mark/Gift, Kings, Sanctuary, armor aura/totem, Commanding Shout if used | HP and armor breakpoint stability. |
Threat buffs | Windfury/Grace of Air choice, Unleashed Rage, Battle Shout, FI, Hunter aura | Faster threat lead and raid speed. |
Damage reduction | Thunder Clap, Demoralizing effect, Curse of Weakness when assigned | Lower physical spikes; avoid weaker debuff overwrites. |
Armor debuffs | Sunder/Expose, Faerie Fire, Curse of Recklessness where safe | Personal and physical-group damage. |
Fear plan | Fear Ward / Tremor Totem and encounter-specific positioning | Especially relevant to Archimonde stability. |
Healer armor proc | Inspiration / Ancestral Fortitude | Powerful, but dynamic; never assume 100% uptime when gearing. |
Ideal physical subgroup
FERAL
Leader of the Pack
Improved LoTP
ENH
Grace of Air
Unleashed Rage
FURY
Battle Shout
Physical DPS
BM
Ferocious
Inspiration
3% group damage
BM
Second FI
Pet synergy
switch to 0/47/14 only when the roster explicitly needs it.
13 - Encounter
Wave control without pretending to be a Paladin
Own priority threats, preserve healer safety and arrive at each boss with resources.
| Assignment | Bear plan | Output lever |
|---|---|---|
Trash waves | Mark dangerous melee, Swipe the controlled three, tab Maul, Growl escapes. | Let Protection Paladin AoE establish the mass pack; kill priority targets faster. |
Engineering | Pre-place Flame Turret / execute explosives only in a safe form window. | Do not cancel bear under active melee to chase meter damage. |
Rage Winterchill | Stable front-facing tank; respect Death & Decay movement and frost mechanics. | Keep Mangle and Lacerate through movement; move early. |
Anetheron | Main tank boss or own infernal assignment per roster. | Pillar of Ferocity drops here; treat it as top feral weapon priority. |
Kaz'rogal | Maintain position and clean threat; manage mana before the pull. | Avoid unnecessary form shifts or mana spending. |
Azgalor | Face cleave safely; coordinate healing through silence windows. | Health trinkets are planned, not reactive panic buttons. |
Archimonde | Confirm fear coverage, Doomfire path and emergency movement. | Every player carries Tears of the Goddess; survival is the parse. |
| Moment | Call | Action |
|---|---|---|
Spawn | Mark skull / square | Faerie Fire or body pull the priority target into the Paladin zone. |
Contact | Melee stack | Mangle skull; Swipe; tab Maul only with rage. |
Escape | Loose on healer | Mouseover Growl -> Mangle; do not spin the pack through melee. |
Collapse | Multiple loose | Challenging Roar; announce duration so the raid kills or re-controls. |
End | Next wave timer | Stop spending rage too early only if the next pull benefits; drink/Innervate off-tank windows. |
Wave pull protocol
Action removes current movement/stun effects but provides the shorter immunity. Confirm item/form behavior before the run.
14 - Encounter
Assignment-first tanking
The raid is a sequence of different set checks, not one continuous threat race.
| Encounter | Likely bear value | Preparation checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
Naj'entus | Reliable boss tank with large health pool. | Healthstone/seed/trinket plan around burst; do not shift under swings. |
Supremus | Excellent physical boss tank. | Keep frontal away; obey kite/volcano positioning rather than greed globals. |
Shade of Akama | Priority add control or boss pickup. | Hit/expertise add set; growl mouseover ready. |
Teron Gorefiend | Stable main tank and high sustained threat. | Threat set only after progression HP floor is confirmed. |
Gurtogg Bloodboil | Tank rotation / threat-rank management. | Follow roster threat order; do not Maul through a planned handoff. |
Reliquary of Souls | Phase-specific assignment. | Confirm which essence you tank and its threat/interrupt rules before gear lock. |
Mother Shahraz | Boss tank or resistance wearer by strategy. | Dedicated Shadow Resistance set; validate crit immunity and HP after every swap. |
Illidari Council | Assigned boss/add tank. | Build for the target's damage type; do not chase Council-wide meter value. |
Illidan | Boss tank or Flame of Azzinoth tank. | Dedicated Fire Resistance set for Flame duty; exact threshold follows raid strategy. |
| Set | Non-negotiable | Then optimize |
|---|---|---|
Mother SR | Raid-assigned Shadow Resistance, crit immunity unless the validated strategy says otherwise, enough HP. | Threat and movement only after the survival package is complete. |
Illidan FR | Raid-assigned Fire Resistance, crit immunity, HP, controlled pathing of Flame of Azzinoth. | Hit/expertise for pickup consistency; never trade the resistance target for TPS. |
Resistance set contract
15 - Abilities
Reduce clicks; keep judgment
Macros make the correct target fast. They do not make unsafe form shifts safe.
#showtooltip Dire Bear Form
/cast !Dire Bear Form#showtooltip Feral Charge
/cancelform
/cast Dire Bear Form
/cast Feral ChargeCarry Flintweed Seed; call target
Schedule only outside active tank window
Convert downtime into boss damage
Use only in a safe non-tanking form window
| UI element | Required information | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Threat meter | Your rank, next tank and top DPS | Prevents bad swaps and unnecessary threat gear. |
Nameplates | Threat state, target, cast, debuffs | Hyjal loose-add control. |
Boss timers | Tank busters, taunt windows, silence/fear | Turns trinkets and movement into planned actions. |
Gear manager | Named set + visible confirmation | Resistance and crit-immunity control. |
Aura tracker | Lacerate, Mangle, Demo, FF, armor buffs | Stops missed maintenance and false armor assumptions. |
Powershift Bear
Mouseover Growl
#showtooltip Growl
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Growl
Any-form Feral Charge
Emergency set call
/run SendChatMessage("BEAR CD USED","YELL")
/use Shadowmoon Insignia
Off-tank utility
16 - Gear & items
Read the wipe before buying gear
Logs separate healer coverage, bad sets, threat mistakes and execution failures.
| Question | Log evidence | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Was I crit? | Incoming melee event flagged critical. | Recalculate the exact set; check a resistance or threat swap. |
Was the death healable? | Time-to-die, overheal, heal gaps, boss ability + melee sequence. | Adjust cooldown/external plan or encounter HP floor. |
Was threat limiting? | DPS throttled, target swaps, resisted taunt, dodge/parry streak. | Add consistency stats or improve the opening/taunt follow-up. |
Did armor cap? | Raid-buffed armor and Inspiration/Ancestral uptime. | Move surplus armor to HP/threat only when the cap is actually active. |
Did I waste rage? | Mangle delays, Lacerate drops, low-rage Maul queues. | Follow priority; Maul is the rage dump, not the rotation. |
Did I carry downtime? | Cat uptime and damage when not assigned to tank. | Improve set swap, powershift and boss uptime without delaying pickup. |
Did adds escape? | Enemy target history and Growl/Challenging Roar timing. | Improve marks, nameplates and target ownership. |
| Priority | Action | Done when |
|---|---|---|
P0 | Repair crit immunity in every bear/resistance set. | Formula is written beside each saved set. |
P0 | Confirm race, 0/44/17 talents, head enchant and complete slot enchants. | Armory and in-game inspection match. |
P1 | Acquire Pillar of Ferocity and double health on-use trinket path. | Default weapon and planned boss cooldown set saved. |
P1 | Create PROG, THREAT, ADDS, SR, FR and CAT sets. | Every set is keybound and tested out of combat. |
P1 | Pack consumes and reagents by pull count. | Two wipes beyond planned raid length remain in bags. |
P2 | Review one death, one opening and one Hyjal wave per raid. | Next raid has one measurable change, not ten vague goals. |
One-week improvement loop
17 - Raid plan
Current research, clickable references
Mechanics and Phase 3 recommendations were cross-checked against live 2026 TBC guide updates.
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Open source | |
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| Open source |
Wowhead spell 33987
Wowhead spell 33745
Wowhead spell 26997
Wowhead spell 6795
Wowhead spell 33856
Wowhead spell 16864
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ORIGINAL MCK BOOST HANDBOOK
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