The Druid uses the forces of nature to destroy his enemies. From swirling Hurricanes, to Volcano eruptions, the Elemental Skill Tree has everything you can ask for in terms of natural disasters. Either summoning or even becoming one himself, the Druid makes use of animals from the wild.
Fissure is arguably the strongest damage Skill in the early game. With Leaf equipped, the Druid melts everything that comes into his path.
Hurricane and Tornado are nowhere near the strongest Skills around, but they are the Druid's bread and butter in the mid-late game.
Shock Wave is a massive Crowd Control ability and is useful in groups with almost no gear. Other Skills from the Shape Shifting Tree require a lot of gear to function well. Apart from Shock Wave, Shape Shifting Skills are not recommended until you have the required gear.
The biggest weakness of the Druid is his lack of build versatility, as most builds are extremely gear dependent. In addition to that, the Shape Shifting Skill Tree doesn't allow you to utilize Enigma fully, which limits the Druid's mobility.
Attributes
Every Character has the Attributes Strength, Dexterity, Vitality and Energy. At maximum Level, a Character has access to 505 Stat Points, which can be allocated into the Attributes. While Vitality only affects the Life pool and Energy only affects the Mana pool of your Character, Strength and Dexterity have additional uses:
Strength: Generally, Stat Points are only allocated to this Attribute to wear your gear, however, Strength has an additional use: it increases the Physical Damage portion of melee attacks.
Dexterity: Generally, Stat Points are only allocated to this Attribute to wear your gear, however, Dexterity has 4 additional uses:
It increases the % Chance to Block up to 75 while using a Shield.
The Attack Rating of every attack is increased, improving the Chance to hit your target.
Every 4th Stat Point into Dexterity increases the base Defense of the Character by 1.
On ranged builds, Dexterity increased the Physical Damage portion of your attacks.
Starting Attributes of the Druid
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Energy
15
20
25
20
Base
per Level
per Stat Point
Life
55
+1.5
+2 per Vitality
Stamina
84
+1
+1 per Vitality
Mana
20
+2
+2 per Energy
Breakpoints
Breakpoints are an integral way to improve your Character's performance. For in-depth explanations on them, please check out our article on Breakpoints.
Attack Rate
Due to his Skill set, Attack Speed is a Breakpoint the Druid cares about in certain builds. Due to the complexity, Attack Speed would go beyond the scope of this post. Check out our article on Attack Speed and use the d2planner to simulate your Breakpoints.
Block Rate
When using a Shield, the Druid has a % Chance to Block. When successfully blocking, he enters a block animation. Increasing your +% Faster Block Rate decreases the time your Druid needs to execute it.
Human form:
Faster Block Rate
0
6
13
20
32
52
86
Block Frames
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
Werewolf:
Faster Block Rate
0
7
15
27
48
86
Block Frames
9
8
7
6
5
4
Werebear:
Faster Block Rate
0
5
10
16
27
40
65
109
Block Frames
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
Cast Rate
The Druid's Cast Rate determines the rate at which he can use spells. Increasing your +% Faster Cast Rate decreases the time required for a cast. The Action Flag determines at which Frame the used Skill is actually triggered.
Normal:
Faster Cast Rate
0
4
10
11
19
30
46
63
68
99
142
163
Cast Frames
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
Action Flags
10
9
8
7
6
Werewolf:
Faster Cast Rate
0
6
10
14
26
37
40
60
95
157
Cast Frames
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Action Flags
8
7
6
5
Werebear:
Faster Cast Rate
0
7
15
26
40
63
99
163
Cast Frames
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Action Flags
9
8
7
6
5
Hit Recovery Rate
When being hit, there is a chance that you get stunned. Increasing your +% Faster Hit Recovery decreases the time your Druid needs to recover from this stun.
Structure Every Character has 3 Skill Trees to allocate their Skill Points into. Each Skill Tree consists of a total of 10 Skills. These Skills are placed into 6 rows, which represent the 6 Skill tiers. While tier 1 is available at Character Level (clvl) 1, the other tiers become available at clvl 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30.
Skill Points Every Character gains access to 110 Skill Points (98 from Levels and 12 from quests).
Prerequisites Not every Skill is available right away. The arrows on the Skill Tree show the prerequisites needed to obtain skills further down the Tree. Example: You have to put a Skill Point into Firestorm and Molten Boulder to gain access to Fissure.
Synergies A lot of Skills have Synergies, which are Skills that passively boost the strength of another Skill. The main Skill shows how much a Synergy increases its power per Skill Point allocated into it. Example: The base Physical Damage of Tornado is increased by a summed up multiplier which increases by 9% for each Skill Point allocated into Cyclone Armor, Twister, and Hurricane.
Summon Druid Guide Summon GrizzlySummon Dire WolfSummon Spirit WolfHeart of Wolverine
Aldur's Watchtower is the Elite Set, which was exclusively designed for the Druid. As one of the weaker Elite Sets, it becomes obsolete really quickly. The Boots are used in many end game builds. Long term, this Set gets out scaled by setups that focus on a combination of Uniques and Runewords.
Every Character has exclusive items that only it can use. For the Druid, these are Pelts. They can spawn with 0-3 "Staff mods" with the range of +1-3 to the Skills added by the Staff mods.
Base Items
Normal
Wolf Head
Hawk Helm
Antlers
Falcon Mask
Spirit Mask
Exceptional
Alpha Helm
Griffon Headdress
Hunter's Guise
Sacred Feathers
Totemic Mask
Elite
Blood Spirit
Sun Spirit
Earth Spirit
Sky Spirit
Dream Spirit
Set and Unique Items
Exceptional
Jalal's Mane
Aldur's Stony Gaze
Elite
Cerebus' Bite
Spirit Keeper
Ravenlore
Lore & In-Game dialogue
In this section you will find the lore of the Druid as well as the in-game dialogue she uses while travelling through Sanctuary.
Lore
In the ancient tome of the Druids, the Scéal Fada, it is written that Bul-Kathos, the great and ancient king of the Barbarian tribes, had a mysterious but trusted confidant, who was only referred to as Fiacla-Géar. This man is sometimes described as Bul-Kathos's close friend, and at other times, he is referred to as his brother. Whatever the source of their relationship, their bond was strong, and together they shared the secrets of the ancients: of the mysteries below the peaks of Mt. Arreat, of the venerated task put to their people to protect those mysteries, and of the prophecies regarding the dark times ahead. They both agreed that, in order to fulfill their sacred trust, their people must devote themselves to nothing save that charge. However, they disagreed on exactly how the people could best do this. Bul-Kathos believed that only by bringing the tribes together and training them in strict martial discipline could the tribes faithfully concentrate on their goal for generations to come. Fiacla-Géar, on the other hand, believed that only through obtaining a spiritual oneness with the land they had sworn to protect could the people truly appreciate the importance of their role. Both agreed the other's philosophy had merit, and so around the time Bul-Kathos united the tribes, Fiacla-Géar gathered together a small group consisting of the tribes' greatest warrior-poets and shamans and mysteriously retreated into the forests surrounding the area known as Scosglen. There he and his people created the first of the Druid Colleges, huge mortar-less stone towers, covered in vines and safely hidden beneath the leafy canopies of the dense forests. They have dwelt there ever since, forging a new way of life for themselves. They created a new culture and language, cutting themselves off from their Barbarian cousins and their ways, vowing not to return to the Steppes of Mt. Arreat until the time of the Uileloscadh Mór, the final battle between the men of the world and the demons of the Burning Hells. Here, in preparation for the impending conflict, he taught his people the Caoi Dúlra, a way of thinking that holds harmony with the natural elements of the world, its plants and animals, as the heart of its most intrinsic beliefs, for they are the personification of the very world that the Druids have sworn to protect. Not only was Caoi Dúlra the basis for their system of values, but through its study and practice, the Druids learned to bond with the natural entities of Sanctuary. This bonding was so absolute that eventually they discovered how to talk to the plants and animals, and these beings taught them all the secrets of the natural world. They taught them methods to call animals from far away, how to summon sentient plants from the earth, ways to change their own forms to share the strengths of their animal cousins, even, to a limited extent, techniques to control the weather. At the Túr Dúlra, the greatest of the Druid Colleges, stands the magnificent oak Glór-an-Fháidha. This tree is the most revered source of the Druids guidance and teachings. Under its branches, for centuries, the Druids of Scosglen have been honing not only their powerful arsenal of natural magic, but also the martial skills they have retained from their Barbarian forefathers. They have done this because they believe themselves to be the world's last line of defense when the time of the great conflict comes, a time they believe is at hand. Lashing out in fury at the recent insurgence of denizens of the Burning Hells, and at the Leathdhiabhala, demonic corruptions of the very creatures they have vowed to defend, the Druids have, at last, emerged from their forests, marching toward their final stand against the minions of Chaos.
Act 1
Blood Moor (Entering) Den of Evil (Entering) Den of Evil (All monsters killed) Burial Grounds (Entering) Blood Raven (After Kill) Cairn Stones (Clicking one) Tree of Inifuss (Clicking it) Tristram (Entering) Deckard Cain (Saving in Tristram) Forgotten Tower (Entering) The Countess (After Kill) Monastery Gate (Entering) Horadric Malus (Picking up) Jail (Entering) Catacombs (Entering) Andariel (After Kill)
"So it begins." "So, this is where evil hides." "Is that all of them?" "Planting the dead. How odd." "Your time has passed Blood Raven." "Hm, such stones are common back home." "This dead tree teems with energy." "Ah yes, ruins. The fate of all cities." "Deckard Cain, leave this place!" "I can smell why this tower was abandoned." "This tower has its charms." "Evil flows from here." "Charsi will be thankful to get this malus." "No way. Bars can't hold a force of nature." "I sense it, the supernatural is strong here." "Andariel, your reign is over."
Act 2
Sewers (Entering) Radament (After Kill) Lost City (Entering) Claw Viper Temple (Entering) Tainted Sun Altar (Clicking it) Arcane Sanctuary (Entering) The Summoner (After Kill) Tyrael (After talking to him)
"Face the light, or lurk in darkness." "Radament, return to dust." "Strange, an unexpected eclipse." "Oh no, snakes. I hate snakes." "Ah yes, the Sun warms the world once more." "This was not designed by Nature's architect." "Finally, now I can leave this twisted nightmare." "Diablo, I will find you yet."
Act 3
Jade Figurine (After picking up) The Gidbinn (After picking up) Lam Esen's Tome (complete quest) High Council of Zakarum (After Kill) Durance of Hate (Entering) Mephisto (After Kill)
"Ah, looks like jade. Perhaps it's worth something?" "Well, Ormus might know something about this unusual blade." "Ormus, study the book well." "At last there is hope once again." "What is that? Hatred stirs within me." "Mephisto's Hatred was a poisonous void."
Act 4
Izual (After Kill) Diablo (After Kill)
"I have no grief for him; oblivion is his reward." "This ends the plague of Terror."
"Baal, nothing will stand in my way." "The catapults have been silenced." "Follow me." "Nihlathak, you can't hide from me." "Betrayer, you've reaped your reward." "At last, the summit of Mount Arreat." "The legendary Worldstone, guardian of the natural realm." "Baal, join your brothers in oblivion."