Hi folks,
I’m playing elemental druid atm. As I don’t like the slow leveling in multiplayer as Single Player I play in SP-mode at least with players 5 difficulty.
But instead of focusing on a single element-branch, maxing only 5 skiills, I try to use the full potential of the element-tree. That means, my goal is max one or two skills, and allocating the rest of the points through all skills in the element-tree. I’m at NM, Act II (nearly at the end, hunting the summoner atm.) and it’s very effective imho.
My sklls so far:
Firestorm 1 (only-pre-requesite. I’m not good at using this)
Moulten Boulder 10 (that’s one of my main skiills I use)
Fissure 5 (a fire-and-forget skill with very high damage. will get skilled additionally)
Vulcano 5 (like fissure, but especially for slow and ranged enemies, Most effective if cast directly at the target.)
Amarageddon 3 (fire and forge all-time-on-skill.)
Arctic blast 1 (I’m not good at those stream-skills. But it has the advantage to chill)
Cyclone Armor: 7 (will get at least to 10)
Twister: 6 (a better spell, than you might think. Sadly it gets its stun-length from arctic-blast which is one of the last skills I will skill, if ever…)
Tornado 5 (More damage, but no second effects and more difficult to aim as twister imho.)
Hurricane 3 (same as Armageddon.)
But I also use some summons
Raven: 5 (I LOVE them, especially the blinding effects 5 is max, you can summon. And if you die, you still can have 5 ravens…)
Poison vine: 1 (pre-requesite but also a life-regen-stopper. but dies very quick)
the other 2 vines: 3 (I mostly use solar, but if your health drops too much, I use carrion. Don’t underestimate them, especially after patch 2.4…)
Oak Sage: 3 (it just died too quickly for my taste, so I pushed it a bit.)
My goal is to get most elemental skills (with exception of fire storm and arctic blast and perhaps also amrageddon and hurricane) to at least 10 and then allocate the rest to the skills I use most often (MB, Twister, Tornado)
What do you think? will this me get along in hell? perhaps even only with player 1?
Oh, as merc, I use a huntress atm. (with cold arrow). But I opt also for an Act II-one. (although I don’t like the 08/15-things very much, so I try other options…)
BTW: this buiild is relative mana-heavy, so I don’t hesitate skilling energy (is at 90 atm…)
And I’m aiming to use a monarch eventually with as High block chance as possible. Yes, I know, that leaves not much points for vitality. Well, if I die too much (which isn’t realy a problem atm…) I will respec. I have still all respecs available so far.
I call this build the “apocalypse-druid” because you defiintily have a feeliing of apocalypse, if you have all spells runniing…
BTW: does anybody know a guide or rezension if this build is viable? I only found focused elemental builds… e. g. wind or fire, but not both.
Since I play SP, I don’t bother about gear-goals… since, only SF is possiible…
This build is also for using the direct-cast-opiton. E. g. via hot-key. You need ALL skills active constantly, so I think It won’t realy function with the D2-classic skill-use… (e. g. selecting skill via hotkey, casting with mouse.)
Edit: tested the Hell-druid on the PTR with this, and I must say, I don’t have any problems. Although this is only players one, because it’s online, but the tremors also are peace-cake.
Of course, the gear that druid has, is quite good. I doubt, that I’m able to get that… (I reskilled the level 85 wind-druid provided by the PTR.) And this druid has almost no dex with the gear… So I was forced to skill it to 140 hard points to get at least 40% block… (110 points strength is enough with the gear it has.)