Although I do not want to be discussing Cataclysm abilities directly in this thread, a few of us saw some of the posted-then-pulled information about new Druid abilities/talents and have started thinking about a 5xDruid teams for the expansion. Multi-druids are not by any means new, but they have never seemed to reach flavor-of-the-month status.

I'd like to have a more open dialog about the potential for this team in rated BGs, PvE, and possibly Arena. Priority for me personally is:

1.) Strong performer in Rated BGs
2.) Capable at gearing/farming 5man PvE heroic content
3.) Arena performance a bonus, but not required

Using these goals as a guideline, Druids have some advantages/disadvantages for Rated BGs:

Pros:
* Flexibility in terms of composition-- can have Melee DPS or Ranged DPS plus healing as an option, spec-wise.
* Hybrid/Healing capability (ranging from post-fight top-offs as Feral to active healing as Balance if you switch out of or ignore moonkin form)
* Stealth-- this cannot be underestimated for BG encounters
* Rez/B-Rez capability
* Certain key abilities border on Overpowered at the current time (5xStarfall, anyone?)
* Whole team instant travel form is very handy

Cons:
* VERY susceptible to fearbombs, unless using a cooldown-based immunity available only to Feral specs.
* DPS harder to manage compared to other classes (current Eclipse mechanics, kitty DoT management, etc)
* Forms can be somewhat harder to manage
* Lack of buff synergy compared to other classes (Multi-paladins/shamans can cross-buff to a much greater degree, relatively speaking)

(I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing, I'll edit to make this a working list if you provide a suggestion)

For PvE, there's a similar set of Pros/Cons:

Pros:
* Druids have all roles available to them, allowing multiple PvE options. Can go Tank+Healer+3 Ranged DPS, or Tank+Healer+3xMelee DPS, or Tank+4xBalance and allow 4xHoTs to provide heals. Can potentially do Tank+Healer+Mixed DPS as well, although the merits of that arrangement are iffy...

Cons:
* 4xDPS setups are probably harder to pull off than say DK+4xRets of Tank+4xShaman. The DPS roles that Druids can fill don't have the same degree of passive healing available to Rets or Shaman. Balance might come close with 4xHoTs rolling on the tank, but it's not as efficient as the Shaman setup.
* Potential mana-management issues that make stopping to drink more of a concern than other comps.
* Again, not as much buff synergy as other compositions.


Although arena is not as much of a focus, there are some noteworthy tricks to playing a multi-druid team.
* Berserk - Fear immunity on a cooldown. This mitigates one major pitfall of the group
* Cyclone - Strong CC that can be used effectively for arenas
* Starfall - 5xStarfalls does pump out a lot of damage and can be launched from...
* Stealth - Generally speaking, you'll have more control about the start of the fight and early targetting. This is not as big of an advantage for Arena as I think it is for BGs, where people aren't going to know there's 5 stealthed players in close proximity.




Anyhow, without going into NDA Cataclysm land, what are YOUR thoughts on 5xDruids now and in the future. I have my own Druid team in the works right now, and I know mosg2 and some others are also working on them. If you have one right now at L80, what have been your experiences with it and what are your thoughts going forward?