The Druid has a pretty simple path in Diablo 4 when it comes to being a main tank, ranged caster, or melee damage in PvE instances. With so many strong paths against bosses and dungeons, gamers might be afraid that the downside of this is a PvP build that is lackluster.
As a testament to the class, this is not the case. Diablo 4 had a build for Druids that is perfect for PvP skirmishes. When opponents find an unkillable tank that makes it so they can't move with ranged attacks, odds are they've run into a Druid who made good skill and gear choices to take on human opposition.
Skill Tree
Skill | Points |
Earth Spike | 5 |
Enhanced Earth Spike | 1 |
Fierce Earth Spike | 1 |
Landslide | 5 |
Enhanced Landslide | 1 |
Raging Landslide | 1 |
Heart of the Wild | 1 |
Wild Impulses | 3 |
Earthen Bulwark | 5 |
Enhanced Earthen Bulwark | 1 |
Preserving Earthen Bulwark | 1 |
Defensive Posture | 3 |
Poison Creeper | 5 |
Enhanced Poison Creeper | 1 |
Brutal Poison Creeper | 1 |
Nature's Reach | 3 |
Boulder | 5 |
Enhanced Boulder | 1 |
Natural Boulder | 1 |
Crushing Earth | 3 |
Safeguard | 3 |
Stoneguard | 3 |
Petrify | 1 |
Prime Petrify | 1 |
Supreme Petrify | 1 |
Earthen Might | 1 |
At the maximum level and with all the Renown gathered, players will have 58 skill points to invest. This is a very particular brand of an Earth build, focusing on stunning or immobilizing targets and locking them in place. The Druid does this better than other casters can because Earth Spike is not a projectile. In a caster versus caster battle, the PvP Druid wins.
In addition to the disables, there are plenty of fortification and defense going on. If for whatever reason an opponent manages to get close to the Druid, it's simple to release an immediate immobilize, become unstoppable, and then return to making enemies vulnerable and stunned from a safe distance.
Players that aren't interested in this style of play should try out an amazing PvE Druid build or maybe another class because this is about as strong as it gets on the Fields of Hatred. As gamers lock opponents in place, it's genuinely fun to juggle enemies with these skills and keep them from acting until their health bar disappears.
Paragon Boards
Board | Paragon/Legendary Nodes | Glyph |
Start | Prime, Impel | Dominate |
Earthen Devastation | Oppress, Earthen Devastation, Earthen Power, Crushing Earth | Earth and Sky |
Constricting Tendrils | Superiority, Devastation, Constricting Tendrils, Nature's Will | Spirit |
Ancestral Guidance | Harmony, Spiritual Power, Ancestral Guidance | Keeper |
Heightened Malice | Overturn, Toxic Bane, Sinking Fangs | Tracker |
The paragon boards and glyphs can be a bit tough to figure out. It's a matter of adjusting the boards so that they snake properly. Few players will get to the maximum 200 paragon points but those that do will find that their powers are enhanced by enormous magnitudes.
Listing all nodes would be tedious and impossible to read, but if gamers move between the major nodes listed, it shouldn't be an issue. Make sure to purchase all relevant stat bonus nodes inside the designated glyph areas.
The PvP Druid has several boards that matter for the build because the class will be consistently dishing out crowd control, poison, and Vulnerable effects. So anything that boosts these will be helpful. The Heightened Malice legendary node can be skipped unless players plan on jumping into group fights.
Gear
Slot | Aspect/Piece |
Helm | Harlequin Crest |
Chest | Aspect of Quicksand |
Gloves | Exploiter's Aspect |
Pants | Aspect of Mending Stone |
Boots | Ballistic Aspect |
Amulet | Crashstone Aspect |
Ring | Aspect of the Aftershock |
Ring | Aspect of Retribution |
Main Hand | Aspect of Retaliation |
Off-Hand | Aspect of Metamorphic Stone |
With the new aspect system, gamers have a ton of freedom to take the piece of gear they find with the best stats and then add their favorite effect to it. Increasing potion efficiency helps out a bit but these aspects are game-changing. Note that some of these aspects can be swapped in and out on other pieces of gear; which piece has which aspect is not important.
Farming gear is going to take a while so consider using a perfect leveling Druid build in the meantime. After acquiring these items, though, the whole scope of the battlefield shifts for the Druid. Aspect of Quicksand alone permanently Slows players who get hit by the Druid's skills.
Unlike the PvE damage dealer variation, the PvP Druid build needs to be defensive with gear choices which is why options like Ballistic Aspect as so critical. Anything that attaches Fortify or healing to skills that will already be used should be heavily considered. More damage is fine but that won't mean much if gamers die before landing their first immobilize.
Spirit Boons
- Wolf (Bonded) - Bolster, Calamity
- Snake - Calm Before the Storm
- Eagle - Avian Wrath
- Deer - Advantageous Beast
World Tiers can get out of control when it comes to difficulty. Thankfully, Spirit Boons are a simple way to keep pace with the escalating challenge. Bonding with the Wolf allows the PvP Druid to get an increased stun duration on the ultimate skill, guaranteeing an even longer stun. It also gives the class more Fortiy power for health and Overpower damage.
The Calm Before the Storm boon from the Snake is a can't-miss pick. With each hit, the cooldown on the ultimate skill will be reduced. After guaranteeing a stun and unleashing a full rotation from these skills, if the target is somehow still alive, the Druid will be ready to go all over again. Once stunned by the Druid, most opponents will die before getting control of their characters again.
Diablo 4 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.