Fissure Druid Guide

Fissure* is your Primary Damage Skill. It opens volcanic vents beneath a section of ground that deal Fire Damage to monsters as they move through the affected area. Stationary monsters only take periodic damage. Use it against groups of enemies whenever it is off cooldown.
Note: This Skill has a 2 second cooldown; other Skills may be cast in the duration. Faster Cast Rate only improves this Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.

Firestorm* is your Single Target Damage Skill. It emits 3 lines of fire in winding paths directly in front of the Druid, dealing Fire Damage over a short duration to any monster caught in their paths. Use it against single targets such as isolated Elites, Bosses, and Ubers; this Skill is also effective against small 2-3 monster groups and can be used while Fissure is on cooldown.
Note: This Skill has a 0.6 second cooldown; other Skills may be cast in the duration. Faster Cast Rate only improves this Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.

Molten Boulder* is a Secondary Damage Skill that is primarily used while Fissure is on cooldown and against groups of Fire Immune monsters. It is your second most effective Area of Effect (AoE) Skill after Fissure. This Skill releases a boulder that slowly bowls over enemies in a straight line from your Druid, continually dealing both Fire and Physical Damage while knocking back any enemies in the process. It also explodes upon impact with an obstacle or "large monster".
Note: This Skill has a 1 second cooldown; other Skills may be cast in the duration. Faster Cast Rate only improves this Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.

Volcano* is a Secondary Damage Skill that can be used while Fissure is on cooldown and against isolated Fire Immune monsters. This Skill summons a volcano that deals both significant Fire and Physical Damage at the exact casting location. It also continually deals somewhat negligible damage in an Area of Effect (AoE) for a duration.
Note: This Skill has a 4 second cooldown; other Skills may be cast in the duration. Faster Cast Rate only improves this Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.

Armageddon* is your Passive Damage Skill. Cast it at any time prior to engaging monsters. Once cast, fiery meteors continually fall in random locations around your Druid in a limited Area of Effect (AoE) for a duration, dealing both immediate Fire and Physical Damage, along with progressive Fire Damage, to any enemy struck by a meteor. This Skill's duration is based on its Level.

* Cooldown Skills
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR)

Oak Sage* summons a pet Spirit that grants a percentage Life boost to all nearby allied Characters and minions while it is alive. It's own Life and its granted Life percent is based on its Level.

Summon Spirit Wolf* summons pet Spirit Wolves up to a limit of 5 that fight by your side, mainly tanking/blocking incoming damage and Chilling enemies that get too close.

Summon Dire Wolf* summons pet Dire Wolves up to a limit of 3 that fight by your side, mainly tanking/blocking incoming damage.

Summon Grizzly* summons a pet Grizzly Bear that fights by your side, mainly tanking/blocking incoming damage and Knocking Back enemies that get too close.

Raven* summons pet Ravens up to a limit of 5. These Ravens seek out and Blind nearby enemies. Ravens expire after pecking a certain amount of times based on this Skill's Level. It is not possible for monsters to target and kill Ravens. This is an Optional Skill that can provide additional Crowd Control on this build.

* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR)

While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.

Hover over any Item to see a pop-out with the full Item description.

Gear Notes: Any Items with specialized or niche uses have a superscript that refers here.
1) Use a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap to break monster Fire Immunity or to lower monster Resistances in general. When combined with Infinity's Conviction Aura, Lower Resist can even be used to take down Baal's Minions of Destruction.
2) Only use Naj's Puzzler, a Staff of Teleportation, or a Teleport Charge Amulet for Teleport Charges if you are not using Enigma.
3) Use Treachery to pre-buff Fade for All Resistances, Curse Length Reduction, and Damage Reduction prior to taking down Uber Bosses.

The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to Immunities or bad layouts.

Anything that has a ✔ in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Build Variant.

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 5

Ubers

This build is capable of farming Uber Tristram and the Mini Ubers before (See the "Ubers" Build Variant):

Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.

Act 2 Desert Mercenary

Infinity, Might

Use a Desert Mercenary with Might Aura to deal with enemies that are Immune to your main damage source. Equip him with Infinity to reduce enemy Resistances and Defense with its Conviction Aura, drastically boosting damage. This Aura is also capable of breaking monster Immunities, including Fire.

Alternatively, equip him with The Reaper's Toll to boost the Physical Damage of Molten Boulder, Volcano, and Armageddon. While this approach is generally not as effective as equipping the Mercenary with Infinity, it works well versus Fire Immunity.

Mercenary Gear Options

Your Mercenary needs maximum Resistances, Life Leech, a high damage Weapon, and high Defense and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive reliably. Cannot Be Frozen is also a great stat for maintaining Mercenary DPS and leech. Ethereal gear is preferred since it doesn't lose durability. Mercenary Types and Gear Options at each Gear Level perform equally well in different situations; choose based on Farming Spots and/or personal preference.

The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.

If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.

General

• Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, cast Summon Grizzly, Summon Spirit Wolf (5x), Summon Dire Wolf (3x), and Oak Sage anywhere inside or outside of town. Recast your Summons whenever they die.
• Cast Armageddon upon entering your Farming Spot prior to encountering any monsters. Recast Armageddon whenever it expires.
• Gather/group nearby monsters as much as possible to utilize the Area of Effect (AoE) of your abilities. High mob density is preferred on this build.
• All of the Fissure Druid's Damage Skills (except for Armageddon) have cooldowns. Use other Damage Skills or kite while waiting for a Skill or Skills to come off cooldown.

For Monster Packs:

• Cast Fissure directly on top of as many monsters as possible. While Fissure is on cooldown, use Molten Boulder (usually preferred) or Volcano. Alternate between Fissure and Molten Boulder/Volcano until most monsters in an area are dead.
• Move strategically so that as many monsters as possible pass through the area affected by Fissure. Use Teleport for this if possible.

For Isolated Targets:

• Repeatedly cast Firestorm directly in front of high value, isolated targets such as Elite Monsters, Act Bosses, and Ubers until they are dead. Molten Boulder can be used to snipe Elites in Low Player Count (see the "Mobility" Build Variant), but is ineffective against Act Bosses/Ubers.
• You can additionally use Volcano directly on top of your target whenever it is off cooldown.
• Fissure is typically ineffective against isolated, stationary targets.

Immunities

• Flame Rift sets all Immune to Fire monsters to 95% Fire Resistance, allowing any sources of -x% to Enemy Fire Resistance to take effect (including Conviction Aura from Infinity and Lower Resist at 1/5th effectiveness).
• Before obtaining Flame Rift and/or Infinity, you should purchase a Lower Resist Charge Wand from Nightmare Drognan and either equip it on your Weapon-Swap or keep it in your inventory/Horadric Cube. Use Lower Resist to reduce enemies' Fire Resistance or to break Immunity to Fire if necessary. Recharge this Wand as needed using Gold or the Chipped Gem + Ort Rune Horadric Cube Recipe.
• Volcano and Molten Boulder can also be used to reliably kill monsters that are Immune to Fire - both do a decent amount of Physical Damage. Volcano works best if cast directly on top of a single target, whereas Molten Boulder is most effective against groups of enemies. The Reaper's Toll on your Mercenary can increase the effectiveness of these Skills with its Decrepify proc. These monsters can also be killed by your Mercenary directly with his Jab attack.
• If a Unique mob happens to possess both Physical and "unbreakable" Fire Immunity simultaneously, or is simply highly resistant to both, it is always best to skip said mob.

Late-Game

• Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, first buff yourself with Battle Command from Call to Arms. Next, cast Summon Grizzly, Summon Spirit Wolf (5x), Summon Dire Wolf (3x), and Oak Sage on whichever weapon loadout has the most + to Skills. Finally, recast Battle Command and then cast Battle Orders. Refresh these Call to Arms buffs whenever they expire (approx. every 2-3 minutes).
• Use Teleport from Enigma to travel to your Farming Spot or to monster packs.
• Also use Teleport to reposition your Mercenary close to the enemies you are targeting to benefit from the Conviction Aura provided by his Infinity.

Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies

• Stony Tomb - This Max Level Area is an excellent Farming Spot for Fissure Druids of all gear levels (see the "Starter" Build Variant). While mob density varies quite a bit in this area, hosting 0 naturally Fire Immune monsters is very attractive for this build. Mobs in this area also typically have relatively low Life.
• The Secret Cow Level - The mechanics of Fissure take full advantage of the densely-packed Hell Bovines found therein. These legions of "Cows" are a great source of Runes, Charms, Jewels, Jewelry, Gems, and Runeword Bases. Farming this area is optimal in High Player Count games or /Players5-7 in Single Player if you have solid gear.
• Ancient Tunnels - This is one of the best Farming Spots for a fully-geared Fissure Druid. To optimally farm this Max Level Area in Low Player Count games or /Players1-3 in Single Player, check out the "Magic Find" Build Variant. To optimally farm this area in High Player Count or /Players5-7 in Single Player, check out the "Damage" Build Variant.
• Icy Cellar - This easily accessible Max Level Area typically sports high mob density and has 0 possible Fire Immune monster spawns. As a bonus, there are also no Fire Immune monsters on the way there in Ancients' Way. The only drawback of this area is that it can be extremely dangerous. Make sure you are well-geared!
• Tal Rasha's Tombs - These areas' consistent high mob density is attractive for a geared Fissure Druid. Since these areas are often packed to the brim with low Life monsters (including Apparitions), this farm can even outcompete The Secret Cow Level as a source of Runes, Charms, Jewels, Jewelry, Gems, and Runeword Bases in many cases. Farming this area is optimal in High Player Count games or /Players5-7 in Single Player if you have solid gear.
• Flayer Jungle - This is an excellent Farming Spot for Fissure Druids of all gear levels (see the "Starter" Build Variant). This area sports insanely high mob density in most cases with only occasional Fire Immune Flayer Shamans sprinkled throughout. The higher the Player Count the better!

Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.

Faster Cast Rate (FCR)

Faster Cast Rate speeds up your casting animation for spells. Aim for the 99% FCR Breakpoint on your main weapon loadout on the Standard Build. Note: FCR only controls the animation speed of the Character, and not any internal Cooldowns spells have (such as Firestorm, Fissure, Molten Boulder, and Volcano).

Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)

Faster Hit Recovery increases survivability. Aim for at least the 29% FHR Breakpoint. The Standard Build achieves the 42% FHR Breakpoint.

Faster Block Rate (FBR)

Faster Block Rate is not required for survivability on this build, but the 32% and 52% FBR Breakpoints can be utilized with Stormshield on the Hardcore Build Variant.

For all Hardcore gameplay, your primary focus is increasing your Resistances, Damage Reduction, Chance to Block and Maximum Life. This can mean sacrificing overall power level for a more secure playstyle.

The Fissure Druid can become Hardcore viable with key changes to Gear, Stat Point allocation, and Skills. Review the changes below before building this character in Hardcore, as some of these changes differ significantly from the Standard Build.

Gear Changes

• Damage Reduction: Equipping Stormshield is the surest way to keep a Hardcore Fissure Druid alive, especially given the Druid's less than ideal Faster Hit Recovery and Faster Cast Rate Breakpoints. With 35% Damage Reduction and Increased Chance of Blocking there is no better choice. However, either Crown of Ages or Harlequin Crest can also be used to shore up your Damage Reduction if you are willing to forgo a decent amount of damage. Even Verdungo's Hearty Cord can be used if you are willing to forgo a Faster Cate Rate Breakpoint. While it is possible to increase your Damage Reduction using one or more of these alternatives, continuing to use Phoenix Monarch over Stormshield is not recommended (dangerous).
• Phoenix Phase Blade instead of Phoenix Monarch: Using a weapon Phoenix allows you to maintain your Life/Mana sustain from Redemption Aura while using Stormshield. It additionally allows you to maintain the -28% to Enemy Fire Resistance stat.
• Maximum Life: Because Oak Sage scales so well with Life, it is highly recommended to use as many Life-granting Charms as possible on a Hardcore Fissure Druid.
• Stacking Resistances: Stack your Fire/Lightning/Cold Resistances beyond their default maximum values of 75 each (175 total in Hell). Stacking 85 additional Resistances in Hell completely negates the Conviction Aura of any Elite Boss or the Oblivion Knight's Lower Resist Curse. Beware of encountering both at the same time! Consider the primary damage type(s) of the monsters in the area you want to farm. Boots, Jewelry, and Charms are ideal sources of Resistances on this build.
• Lightning Absorb: Equip Thundergod's Vigor when farming or Teleporting through an area where Burning Souls are able to spawn such as Worldstone Keep/Throne of Destruction.

Stat Point Changes

• Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear Stormshield.
• Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%) while having Stormshield equipped.
• Allocate all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Skill Point Changes

• Max out Oak Sage before putting additional Skill Points into Armageddon (more than 1) for as much Life as possible. This also greatly improves the survivability of your Oak Sage.
  
  See the "Hardcore" Build Variant below for additional suggestions and visuals.