The thing is before level 18? You can't do anything else but be a bear. You can't talk to your party, you can't cast spells, you can't even use items. You can't bloody climb up a ladder. We're only level 4, and the Druid is nowhere near the same powerhouse our Wizard tends to be with Sleep - remember, not until level 6 do they even get an option to bypass magical resistance and immmunities; which would be irrelevant if they were Druids of the Land casting things like Flaming Sphere instead.
But let's look at that Barbarian, the Barbarian has two or three really awesome things that happen when she rages - one they can choose to gain advantage to strength attack rolls, two they gain resistance to damage, and three they get a +2 to all weapon based damage rolls, that's at level 2. They effectively have double the HP due to their rage, and ridiculous damage potential from constant advantage, large weapon dice, and auto bonus to damage rolls.
I really do think it evens out. It just sounds insane because the Druid is still a primary caster that turn into a brown bear. Thankfully, they can't cast and be a brown bear until somewhere like level 18. At which point I think all classes become patently ridiculous anyway.
I mean if you feel that way, sure; but I feel that my level 4 Dex Battlemaster Figher (I shoot things, my melee weapons are crossbows...) is a better front line fighter than our Moon Cirlce Druid being a brown bear or a tiger.
