The Tornado Druid Leveling build is a simple to play, semi-ranged build that is great for progressing through the early game of Diablo 4. Tornado is a Core Skill that deals periodic damage to enemies in its path. Due to its semi-random pathing, it is pretty hard to aim. With any luck, you'll find the Stormchaser's Offensive Aspect, which makes the Tornado Druid a breeze to play.
Once you have the main setup together, it's smooth sailing until the endgame. Wind Shear generates the bulk of your Spirit, increasing your ability to cast Tornado. The Slow provided by Tornado's upgrade adds a consistent form of Crowd Control to the build, great for both damage and sustain. Poison Creeper is exceptionally strong in the early game, dealing a massive amount of damage and holding enemies in place. Trample is utilized for mobility and Spirit generation, while Earthen Bulwark and Blood Howl provide a variety of defensive and utility buffs.
This guide teaches you all about how to reach the endgame in Diablo 4 with the Tornado Druid. Let's get started!
This build guide takes you through the Campaign up to Level 50. Endgame guides will follow soon in our Druid Guides section. Stay tuned!
- Ranged Combat
- Extremely Tanky
- Consistent Damage
- Easy To Understand
- Low Mobility
- Mediocre Single Target
- Main Skill Hard To Aim
- Intensive Spirit Management
Season 4 - Loot Reborn
In Season 4, the Season Theme revolves around helping out the Iron Wolves. Compared to past themes, this one does not offer any borrowed power as the entire game has been redesigned with new itemization and crafting options, increasing player power substantially across the board. Instead, you can gather reputation similar to the Vampire Bounty Board from Season 2 to unlock rewards that supercharge your leveling journey to 100 with extra items, crafting materials and eventually even a Resplendent Spark to craft an Uber Unique.
We recommend to follow the seasonal questline until you unlock the reputation system, check which rewards suit you most and then follow your regular leveling path. To learn more, check out our full Season 4 guide for more information.
Skill Showcase
Skill Tree & Gameplay
Getting Started
To start off we have to put 2 points into Basic Skills to unlock the Core Skill section. Wind Shear is our choice because it is a ranged skill that generates Spirit, has a chance to proc Vulnerable, and grants bonus Movement Speed for each enemy it passes through.
Unlocking Tornado
Tornado is the centerpiece of this build. Due to its irregular pathing, it is beneficial to get close to your targets before you cast it. Utilize Trample and your various sources of bonus Movement Speed to close the gap.
Damage, Healing & Poison
Continue to increase your damage output by maxing out Tornado.
Blood Howl is added as an extra option for healing rather than using potions to help top off your health.
Poison Creeper is the Druid's highest damage ability in the early game, Poisoning and Immobilizing enemies in a massive area around you!
Use the slider on the bottom to see the Skill progression
Spirit, Mobility & Unstoppable
First, unlock another Spirit generator with Innate Blood Howl.
At this stage, you gain access to Spirit Boons - the Druid's unique class mechanic. Check out the Spirit Boon Progression below!
Then, move on to your primary mobility Skill, Trample. This Skill adds a solid amount of single target damage with Enhanced Trample, innately breaks Crowd Control effects, and generates 40 Spirit on cast with Savage Trample!
Next, move on to Earthen Bulwark, which creates a ring of rocks around you that absorbs a large amount of damage for 3 seconds (9 seconds with Mending Stone). You also become Unstoppable once you select Enhanced Earthen Bulwark, activating Ghostwalker.
Unlocking Key Passive
We are unlocking the Perfect Storm Key Passive in this section by first maxing out our Poison Creeper, then by allocating points into a variety of useful Passives in Nature's Reach, Call of the Wild, and 1 point (for now) in Defiance. Perfect Storm increases damage against Vulnerable, Immobilized or Slowed enemies. Storm Skills also generate Spirit, drastically improving resource management.
The Final Stretch
In this section, we exhaust most of the remaining offensive options on this build until we find new Legendary Aspects. Prioritize the damage Passives first (Defiance, Predatory Instinct and Wild Impulses), then allocate points into Utility options (Abundance and Circle of Life).
Spending Renown
After gathering all Renown in Diablo 4 you have 10 extra Skill Points to spend on every character. Your first priority is to spend them toward the leveling progression we've shown above. Once you've reached the end, put them into these nodes to build toward the Tornado Druid Endgame Build Guide:
Check out our Renown Guide to unlock all your additional rewards efficiently.
Druid Spirit Boons
Packleader is used to reset Poison Creeper. This is the most important ability for leveling early. Scythe Talons and Swooping Attacks provide some extra damage, whileWariness is there for defense. Masochistic does very little except for when using Trample, but there aren't many good options available with the Snake Spirit. Your main focus is to unlock Packleader as soon as Level 15.
Unlocking Spirit Boons
Once you reach level 15, you have to complete a short questline starting in Túr Dúlra, Scosglen. To gain access to the Priority Quest, you first have to defeat the Stronghold of evil forces that has overrun Túr Dúlra. You receive 25 Druidic Spirit Offerings to unlock your first Boon when you complete the questline.
Each Spirit has 4 Boons that are unlocked with 25 Druidic Spirit Offerings each. On 3 of the Spirits, they unlock in a specific order. The outlier is the Snake Spirit - You have to unlock all his Boons simultaneously, meaning you need to collect 100 Druidic Spirit Offerings to gain access to its Boons.
Learn more details in our full Druid Spirit Boons Guide.
Gear Progression & Stat Priorities
Ultimately, the best weapon for a leveling Tornado Druid is a Two-Handed Staff for as much damage as possible. Always go for higher DPS over the rest of a weapon's stats during leveling.
If you have multiple weapons with the same DPS, prioritize these stats:
- 2-Handed Weapon: Preferably Staves, prioritizing Weapon Damage, then Willpower, Resource Cost Reduction, Critical Strike Damage, Spirit on Kill and Max Life
Only upgrade your Weapon at the Blacksmith and fill weapon sockets with Sapphires.
Armor
Armor pieces typically grant us Defense and Utility stats, except the Gloves which offer a tidal wave of Offense. Here are the important stats to look for:
- Helm: Life, Spirit per Second, Willpower, Cooldown Reduction, Ranks to Poison Creeper
- Armor: Life, Spirit per Second, any Elemental Resistance, Willpower, Armor
- Gloves: Ranks to Tornado, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance, Willpower, Life
- Pants: Life, any Elemental Resistance, Willpower, Armor
- Boots: Movement Speed, Spirit per Second, Willpower, Life, Armor
Jewelry
Jewelry provides powerful Offensive stats that help us on our leveling journey. Pay close attention to the rolls as higher leveled pieces aren't always better:
- Amulet: Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance, Movement Speed, Spirit Cost Reduction, Ranks to Envenom / Defiance
- Rings: Attack Speed, Willpower, Critical Strike Chance, Maximum Life, Critical Strike Damage
Do not upgrade Armor or Jewelry while leveling. Socket Armor with Rubies and Jewelry with gems that correspond to your lowest Elemental Resistance.
Read more about itemization in our Damage Explained, Defense Explained, and Stats Explained articles.
Codex of Power
The Codex of Power is a collection of Legendary Aspects you can imprint onto Rare or Legendary items at the Occultist. They unlock after completing specific Dungeons located around Sanctuary. For leveling there are a few Aspects that can significantly help us if we have the funds to imprint them:
Codex Leveling Aspects in Order of Priority:
| POWER | DUNGEON |
| Retaliation | Seaside Descent - Dry Steppes |
| Aspect of the Umbral | Champions Demise - Dry Steppes |
| Rapid Offensive Aspect | Buried Halls - Dry Steppes |
| Aspect of the Expectant | Underroot - Scosglen |
| Defensive Aspect of Mending Stone | Sealed Archives - Dry Steppes |
| Ghostwalker | Broken Bulwark - Scosglen |
| Aspect of Might | Dark Ravine - Dry Steppes |
| Disobedience | Halls of the Damned - Kehjistan |
Warning: DO NOT imprint your Weapons as they are constantly replaced while leveling. Put Offensive Aspects on your Amulet, Rings, or Gloves instead.
Learn more details in our article covering the Codex of Power.
Helpful Legendary Aspects
Here are all helpful Legendary Aspects for the Tornado Druid that can either be found in the Codex of Power or Extracted from an item drop. Note that all Legendary Aspects can be found from item drops, and that these can roll better and often significantly better than ones sourced from the Codex of Power.
- Stormchaser's Offensive Aspect
- Gamble Totems
- If you get this, use it to replace Aspect of the Expectant
- Accelerating Offensive Aspect
- Gamble Totems
- If you get this, use it to replace Rapid Aspect
- Apply it to your amulet
- Conceited Offensive Aspect
- Combines with Defensive Aspect of Mending Stone and Earthen Bulwark
- Gamble Totems
Discover every Druid Legendary Power in our Druid Overview.
How To Level
In Diablo 4 you level by completing the Campaign, collecting Grim Favors for the Tree of Whispers, completing Helltide activities, grinding Dungeons, or interacting with the Seasonal mechanics. While there are many ways to level up in Diablo 4, not all of them are made equal.
Campaign Leveling
- For your first character in Diablo 4, completing the Campaign provides the best gameplay experience and gives you access to key unlocks like your Mount.
- If you don't have your Mount, you MUST progress the Campaign until you complete the quest Donan's Favor at the start of Act 4.
- After obtaining your Mount you can skip the remainder of the campaign at any time.
- The Campaign is the slowest way to level, but it's worth experiencing the Campaign and Diablo 4's storyline at least once.
- To play Seasonal Content you need to have completed or skipped the Campaign.
Seasonal / Alt Leveling
- Complete the Seasonal questline, progress your Seasonal Journey to unlock Legendary Aspects and work on your Seasonal powers.
- If your account is below Rank 5 Renown in each zone, focus on completing your Renown.
- This only needs to be done once per realm (Softcore / Hardcore).
- Complete the Dungeons needed for any Legendary Aspects from your Codex of Power.
- From level 1-50 you should focus on getting experience in Helltides by combining Helltide activities with Grim Favors for the Tree of Whispers or complete Gathering Legion Events.
- After level 50 you need to balance leveling up, Glyph Experience and participating in Endgame activities like Helltide, Tree of Whispers and Bosses. The fastest experience possible after reaching World Tier 3 is completing Nightmare dungeons with monsters exactly 10 levels above your current level. Check out our Nightmare Dungeon Tier List for the best Nightmare Dungeon layouts!
- Around level 30-45 you should move to World Tier 3.
- Around level 50-65 you should move to World Tier 4.
- Alternatively: Get boosted by a friend to World Tier 4 then leech experience/loot and Glyph exp (post 50), in Nightmare dungeons.
- Find the most efficient way of leveling your character in detail in our Speed Leveling Guide.
Leveling Tips and Tricks
Let's look at some tips and tricks to remember when leveling up!
- Level Up Your Potion. You need to farm materials to upgrade your character's potion.
- Make sure you collect all materials as you explore Sanctuary, especially Gallowvine which is used in many Elixir recipes!
- Compare your Items... Literally. Press Shift over an item in your inventory to compare it to what you're wearing.
- This makes it easy to determine what is and isn't an upgrade.
- Don't Imprint Your Best Aspect Onto Your Weapon. The most critical piece of gear while leveling up is your weapon, which gets replaced constantly.
- It is a better idea to put your best Offensive Aspect on your Amulet, which can be used for a long time.
- Sacred is just better. Between level 30 and 50 you're able to beat the Capstone Dungeon and enter World Tier 3, you gain access to powerful Sacred items which have higher item power and better stats. Getting a Sacred weapon significantly improves your farming speed.
- The same happens with World Tier 4 and Ancestral gear at level 60.
Summary
- The Tornado Druid is a great all-round build, combining decent area damage at range with healthy defenses.
- Your Poison Creeper has a long cooldown, so group as many monsters as you can prior to using this powerful skill.
- Focus on improving your 2-Handed Weapon, ideally Staves.
- If you find Stormchaser's Offensive Aspect, put it on one of your Rings, as these are the least likely item slots to be replaced while leveling.
- Look out for helpful Legendary Aspects in the Codex of Power, especially those that generate Spirit and buff your damage & damage reduction.
Credits
Written by IBoilerUp
Reviewed by Moxsy