Best Diablo IV Druid Build and Guide
Druids in Diablo 4 are in a good spot this season, as they have a bit more variety in their builds for endgame. For this guide, we’ll utilize the Lighting Storm core skill as the main damage source, thanks to the buff to its attack speed. At base, this skill is a great leveling and endgame damage source that can do well for AoE and single-target damage.
Since Lightning Storm is your main source of damage, we’ll use Werewolf skills as not only do they provide powerful passive buffs, but they also synergize completely with the Tempest Roar Unique helmet. This helmet counts Storm skills as Werewolf skills, buffing up Lightning Storm’s effectiveness even further.
When assigning skills on your hotbar, put these skills in the following order:
- Cyclone Armor
- Earthen Bulwark
- Blood Howl
- Cataclysm
- Maul
- Lightning Storm
Generally speaking, Maul will be your resource generator for the Druid’s Spirit gauge, which fuels your Lightning Storm attacks for most of the game. To keep yourself alive, the Cyclone Armor is a good choice as it not only grants 15% damage resistance to non-physical damage, but also knocks back enemies away from your vicinity. Meanwhile, Earthen Bulwark and Blood Howl are your emergency on-demand Barriers and 20% max life healing for surviving Tier 4 content.
Table of Contents
Skill Tree Allocation
When building your Druid, spend your points on the following skills:
- Maul
- Enhanced Maul
- 5 points in Lightning Storm
- Enhanced Lightning Storm
- Raging Lightning Storm
- Predatory Instinct
- 3 points in Digitigrade Gait
- 2 points in Iron Fur
- Earthen Bulwark
- Enhanced Earthen Bulwark
- Cyclone Armor
- Blood Howl
- Enhanced Blood Howl
- Preserving Blood Howl
- Ancestral Fortitude
- 3 points in Vigilance
- 3 points in Nature’s Reach
- Elemental Exposure
- 3 points in Endless Tempest
- Neurotoxin
- Toxic Claws
- 3 points in Envenom
- Cataclysm
- Prime Cataclysm
- Supreme Cataclysm
- 3 points in Defiance
- 3 points in Circle of Life
- 3 points in Quickshift
- 2 points in Natural Fortitude
- 3 points in Heightened Senses
- Bestial Rampage
For your Druid Boons, take the following:
- Wariness: Take 15% reduced damage from Elites.
- Avian Wrath: Gain 30% Critical Strike Damage.
- Scythe Talons: Gain 10% Critical Strike Chance.
- Calamity: Gain 25% extra duration for your Ultimate skills.
- Calm Before the Storm: Lucky Hits with Nature Magic have a chance to reduce Ultimate cooldowns by 2 seconds.
Lightning Storm Gear Affixes
Starting off with your Uniques, Tempest Roar, Unsung Ascetic’s Wraps and the new Mjolnic Ryng are your BiS headgear and gloves. Tempest Roar will grant your Lightning Storm and Cataclysm skills Werewolf effects like bonus Poison damage and extra crit chance on enemies that are poisoned by this effect. The Unsung Ascetic Wraps, on the other hand, straight up boost your Lightning Storm skill as it grants an extra lightning strike during critical hits, dealing increased damage.
Season 5 also introduced the Mjolnic Ryng, with its Unique effect granting you unlimited Spirit for the entire duration of Cataclysm while providing a general damage buff. Paired with your spammable Lightning Storm, you’ll be outputting serious endgame damage.
For the rest of your gear, you will need the following Legendary Aspects:
- Accelerating Aspect
- Aspect of the Changeling’s Debt
- Juggernaut’s Aspect
- Aspect of Might
- Aspect of Metamorphosis
- Aspect of Retaliation
- Aspect of the Unsatiated
For gem slots, use Emeralds on your weapon for the boost in Critical Strike Damage. Use Rubies in your armor for extra life and Diamonds in your jewelry for bonus resistances.
Lastly, when looking for gear affixes, use the following for an optimized build:
- Weapons
- Willpower
- Maximum Life
- Critical Strike Damage
- Resource Cost Reduction
- Spirit on Kill
- Totem
- Willpower
- Critical Strike Chance
- Cooldown Reduction
- Maximum Life
- Chest
- Willpower
- Max Life
- Spirit Per Second
- Armor
- Pants
- Armor
- Willpower
- Max Life
- Dodge Chance
- Boots
- Willpower
- Movement Speed
- Max Life
- Spirit Per Second
- Amulet
- Ranks to Envenom
- Attack Speed
- Critical Strike Chance
- Ranks to Quickshift
Although you can choose to use Legendary equipment, there are certain Unique items that can also be a fun option. The Mad Wolf’s Glee Unique chest will make the Werewolf form permanent as long as you have it equipped, which also boosts your Werewolf skills by 3. Wildheart Hunger is also a great alternative for your boots, as it gives you a stacking damage buff every time you shapeshift.
LS is far from “best” this season. Boulder, Landslide, Companions (wolves), and even Stormclaw are all far superior in survivability, damage, and speed.