Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Is it accurate to say that Circle of the Moon plays like a different flavor of Barbarian?

Kind of yes, if you play it in accordance to the consideration of (druid) subclass comparisons.

Moon druid is basically the "screw spells, I just want to be a beast and use animal form at all times" subclass. So you can use spell slots to heal beast form in order for them to not be wasted by you never being in human form to actually cast spells.

Barbarian activates rage, runs in, and spends the whole fight melee while maintaining their buff.
Mood Druid activates wildshape (or already has it up), runs in, and spends the whole fight melee while maintaining their form.

Some people have been complaining about interactions between spells and wildshape, but my take is;
if you're using spells as a moon druid in the first place, you're doing something wrong, because it's the no spells - beast mode subclass. Like a barbarian.
If you're gonna use your druid spells &/or be in human form, use one of the other two subclasses.