Shapeshifter Druid Endgame Build for Diablo 4 (Season 3)

This is a legacy build that is not competitive for the current version of Diablo 4 and which we do not recommend using. It only exists for documentation purposes and will not receive any further updates.

Build Introduction

This is your comprehensive guide for building a multi-form Druid who shifts between Werebear and Werewolf, tearing enemies apart with your animalistic rage. Welcome to the Shapeshifter build. This build is focused on cycling our generator, Maul, into dumping our Spirit with Shred, all the while staying safe with Earthen Bulwark. This build uses Trample to dive in and out of combat, as well as having access to top notch defenses with Debilitating Roar and Poison Creeper to trap enemies.

Our guide will cover all basic mechanics and deep dive into the optimal setup for skills, paragon and gear for the build. Further down below you will find a supporting YouTube video as well to showcase the build in action.

Strengths and Weaknesses

To see how this build compares to the other builds on our site, you can check out our build tier lists.

Build Requirements

Required Uniques

Tibault’s Will

Required Aspects (Non-codex)

Aspect of Nature’s Savagery

Symbiotic Aspect

Subterranean Aspect

Aspect of The Aftershock

Aspect of the Trampled Earth

Season of the Construct

Season 3 Patch Updates

The following list details all changes of Season 3 that may pertain to Druids.

Skills

• Maul
  • Spirit Generation increased from 17 to 20.
  • Damage increased by 10%.
• Enhanced Maul
  • Fortify amount increased from 3% to 5% max Life.
• Wild Maul
  • Knockdown duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds.

Aspects

• Aspect of Retaliation
  • Bonus damage reduced from 20–40% to 20–30%.

Seneschal Construct Companion Powers

The Season 3 theme introduces a Seneschal Construct Companion that can deal damage or provide support to complement your character. Equip the Seneschal with two Governing Stones to activate their abilities, and then link them to three Tuning Stones each to augment the abilities. There are 12 different Governing Stones and 27 different Tuning Stones that can be found in Vaults scattered across Sanctuary. Fuse together duplicate stones to level them up, increasing the potency of Governing Stones or adding augments to Tuning Stones.

Listed below are the general recommended Governing Stones and their linked Tuning Stones for Druids, ranked by importance.

1. Focus Fire: The Seneschal Construct channels a ray of fire onto targets dealing damage to each over time.
   • Evernight: The supported Skill grants you +4 to all Skills when used for 2.0 seconds.
   • Resource Support: Player gains an amount of Primary Resource when the supporting Skill first deals damage.
   • Efficiency Support: When the supporting skill deals damage, you gain Critical Strike Chance to the same targets hit.
   • Arcing Support: The supported Skill can hit additional enemies.
2. Flash of Adrenaline: Administers a quick flash of adrenaline into the player, granting bonus damage for a duration.
   • Genesis: Increase the effectiveness of the supported Skill by 150%.
   • Safeguard Support: When used, the supported Skill grants Damage Reduction to you.
   • Tactical Support: Decrease the cooldown of the supported Skill.
   • Duration Support: Supported Skills have their durations increased.

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for the Shapeshifter Build (Order does not matter)

Maul Trample Earthen Bulwark Debilitating Roar Poison Creeper Shred

Follow the points allocated in the image above for the complete 58 point build. The additional 10 skill points are completed using the Renown system.

Priority Skills	Cluster
Maul Level 1, Enhanced Maul	Basic Skill
Landslide Level 5, Enhanced Landslide, Primal Landslide, Shred Level 5, Enhanced Shred, Primal Shred, Heart of the Wild Level 1, Wild Impulses Level 3, Predatory Instinct Level 2, Iron Fur Level 3	Core Skill
Earthen Bulwark Level 1, Enhanced Earthen Bulwark, Preserving Earthen Bulwark, Debilitating Roar Level 1, Enhanced Debilitating Roar, Preserving Debilitating Roar, Ancestral Fortitude Level 3, Vigilance Level 3	Defensive Skill
Poison Creeper Level 1, Enhanced Poison Creeper, Brutal Poison Creeper	Companion Skill
Trample Level 1, Enhanced Trample, Savage Trample , Neurotoxin Level 1, Envenom Level 3, Toxic Claws Level 1, Crushing Earth Level 1, Safeguard Level 1, Stone Guard Level 1	Wrath Skill
Quickshift Level 1, Heightened Senses Level 3	Ultimate Skill
Nature’s Fury	Key Passives

Boons – The Druid Specialization

Boons are additional buffs provided to the Druid class as part of their specialization. To unlock your Boons, you will need to complete a simple quest on the west side of the map in the stronghold of “Tur Dulra”. This becomes available at Level 15 and should be completed as soon as possible. The Boon mechanic allows you to pick a single buff from each of the corresponding master animals and the addition of a second Boon buff from a chosen master animal you select.

Once you are in the endgame and have completed the skill tree from the previous section, utilize the following set of Boons for the best results.

Paragon Points

We recommend using these Legendary Nodes and Rare Glyphs to truly take this build into the endgame. Note that each Rare Glyph’s information listed below is for the Level 21 version.

Rare Node	Effect
Territorial	– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[10]% increased damage to Close targets. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain 10% Damage Reduction against Close enemies.
Undaunted	– For every 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you deal +[10]% increased damage while Fortified. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Intelligence points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain up to 10% Damage Reduction the more Fortify you have.
Fang and Claw	– Grants +[150]% bonus to all Magic Nodes within range. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Willpower points are purchased in the glyph’s range: While in Werewolf or Werebear form, Close enemies take 12%[x] increased damage from you.
Spirit	– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[20]% increased Critical Strike Damage. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Critical Strikes increase the damage an enemy takes from you by x2% for 20 seconds, up to x12%.
Earth and Sky	– Grants +[150]% bonus to all Magic nodes within range. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Willpower points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Radius Bonus: Nature Magic Skills deal x10% increased damage to Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies.
Exploit	– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[8]% increased damage to Vulnerable targets. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Dealing damage to a Vulnerable enemy increases your damage by x1% for 6 seconds, up to x10%.
Protector	– Grants +[150]% bonus to all Rare nodes within range. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Intelligence points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain 10% Damage Reduction while you have an active Barrier.
Earthen Devastation	– Your Earth Skills deal 10%[x] increased Critical Strike Damage, increased by 20%[x] of your Damage vs Crowd Controlled bonus, up to 40%[x].

Let’s break down each of these beneficial Nodes and where our paragon points are positioned in each of the paragon boards we use. This part of the build is presented in order of importance – so if you do not have enough paragon points for use in your paragon tree, just slowly work towards each step.

Starting Board

1. Head up the left hand side and pick up the Rare Node Tenacity. This will give us some Armor and increase to our Maximum Life.
2. Before you hit the glyph slot, drop down on the right hand side and pick up the Rare node Prime.
3. Next, continue towards the open glyph slot and insert Exploit. This will help increase our damage against Vulnerable enemies .
4. Inside of the glyph radius pick up the Rare Node Resolve. This node will increase our Resistances increase.
5. Finally, head to the top of the Board and attach our next Board, Heightened Malice.

Heightened Malice

1. First, head towards the glyph slot and pick up the Rare node Nature-born along the path.
2. Take the other Rare node Sinking Fangs.
3. Now insert Protector into the glyph slot, this increases Damage Reduction while under a barrier.
4. Head to the left side of the board and attach the Thunderstruck board.

Inner Beast

1. Path towards the open glyph slot, picking up the Rare node Hubris.
2. Take the open glyph and insert Earth and Sky, increasing our Magic nodes within the radius and increase our Nature Skills.
3. Next take the other Rare node Stormcaller inside the glyph’s radius, to further boost our Storm skills.
4. Now before you take the path to the top of the board, go and get the Rare node Deluge.
5. At the top connection point we can attach our next board Earthen Devastation.

Earthen Devastation

1. Path towards the empty glyph slot, picking up the Rare Node Earthen Power, increases our damage with Earth Skills.
2. Head towards the Glyph slot and insert Fang and Claw. Focus on the Willpower nodes inside the Glyph’s radius for the bonus damage to Close Enemies.
3. Take the other Rare node Resolve inside the glyph radius, for the increase in Resistances.
4. Go path over to the Legendary node Earthen Devastation and take it.
5. Now head towards the Rare Node Oppress, increasing our Damage against Crowd Controlled Enemies.
6. Follow the pathway to the top side of the board, and attach Constricting Tendrils.

Constricting Tendrils

1. Head to the open glyph slot and insert Spirit, this will boost our Critical Strike damage.
2. Now take the two Rare Nodes, Nature’s Will and Courage, this will our Nature Damage and increase our Maximum Life.
3. Follow the pathway and pick up the Rare node Devastation.
4. Take the next Rare node Superiority for the increase to Damage against Crowd Controlled Enemies.
5. Head to the right hand side of the board, and attach the next paragon board Inner Beast.

Inner Beast

1. Take the pathway towards the Glyph slot, and insert Undaunted. This will increase our damage while Fortified.
2. Next move toward the Rare node Determination, this will boost our total Armor.
3. Head towards the other Rare node Tenacity, granting us Maximum Life and some extra armor.
4. Take the attachment point on the bottom side of the board and attach our final board Lust for Carnage.

Lust for Carnage

1. Path towards the Glyph slot and insert Territorial , increasing our Damage and Damage Reduction against Close Enemies.
2. Our last step is selecting the Rare Node Feral.
3. This paragon tree is now fully complete.

Paragon Board images courtesy of d4builds.gg.

Mechanics and Playstyle

The mechanics are very cyclical in this build. We will be rotating through our Poison Creeper, renewing it with our boons, and Trample to trigger Nature’s Fury to get free Earth skills from our Skill Tree. This will include our Earthen Bulwark for added defensives and protection. We have also added Symbiotic Aspect to help with our Cooldowns and resetting our skills. Basically, we will trying to crash into enemies with our Trample as much as possible slamming them into walls and knocking them around.

The second part of Nature’s Fury that will help us keep our Cooldowns low and trigger Earth skills is the Aspect of Nature’s Savagery. This will make our Shred a Storm skill so we can trigger that Cooldown recovery so much faster. In addition to these skills helping with Nature’s Fury, we will be adding two Aspects to directly amplify our Shred.

• Aspect of Retaliation
• Stormclaw’s Aspect

The Stormclaw’s Aspect takes a percentage of our Shred‘s Critical Strike Damage and blasts enemies with Lightning damage. The Aspect of Retaliation will add more damage to our Shred from all of our Fortify from the Vampire Aspect Sanguine Brace. Add to this our defensive skills and the ability to jump into enemies or escape from them with Trample, a skill that grants Unstoppable, so we can benefit from the Tibault’s Will for the bonus damage.

Damage Rotation

The playstyle for this build is difficult to describe, as you often play this build very situational. The great thing about his build is the options you have to go about tackling (literally, if you want) any group of enemies. Let’s start with our basic rotation using Maul and Shred. First, use your Maul to build up your Spirit and smack your enemies around while they begin to collect around you. This is where Debilitating Roar can prove to be valuable, as you cut your incoming damage down using the 70% Damage Reduction bonus. Once everything is close enough to you, start to off load your Spirit with Shred.

Now the fun begins, while you dash around with Shred you will begin to unleash Lightning damage all over the enemies. This is from Stormclaw’s Aspect, our free damage modification to Shred, and it will pack a punch. This is because Shred is affected by not only our Paragon bonuses for Critical Strike Damage, but several of other of our Aspects (as discussed in the Build Mechanics) to harness Shred’s power even higher, which in turn means more AoE Lightning damage hitting enemies all around you.

Mobility

That’s the basic loop for our damage, but what gives us so much more is our other abilities: Trample is a great example. Trample can be looped into your attack patterns to offer you the opportunity to slam enemies into nearby objects or walls for bonus damage. In addition to the extra damage, Trample makes you Unstoppable so it can not only be used for an extra attack, but also to create some space in a tough fight.

Defensives

Earthen Bulwark this skill is we use to gain Unstoppable. With an increase in Elites and Enemies that have the capability of completely locking you down, we have added an additional defensive layer to push back against this. This becomes even more critical as you scale into higher Nightmare Dungeons.

Gear Choice and Stat Priority

As you begin to farm in World Tier 3 and 4, Rare and Legendary item drops will begin to appear with some regularity depending on your luck. We recommend saving the targeted Legendary items that have the needed Legendary aspects listed below. We also recommended to keep multiple copies of the build’s Aspects in your Stash for future upgrades.

As for the Rare items, you will need to inspect each one for targeted affixes for use in each specific slot and do your best to match the recommended rolls. We have listed our targeted affixes in order of importance. Check the chart below and make note of what affixes you are searching for when you see a Rare gear piece drop.

Season 2 Update (1.2.0): Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage affixes are changed to be additive with other damage increases. All additive damage increases of the same amount are equal in value, as long as their conditions are active.

Gear Slot	Targeted Affixes
Helm	1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Basic Attack Speed 3. Maximum Life 4. Needed Resistances
Chest	1. Damage Reduction 2. Maximum Life 3. Damage Reduction while Fortified 4. Damage Reduction from Close Enemies 5. Damage Reduction from Distant Enemies 6. Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies
Gloves	1. Critical Strike Chance 2. Rank Up Shred 3. Attack Speed 4. Werewolf Critical Strike Damage 5. Willpower 6. Lucky Strike Chance
Pants	1. Damage Reduction 2. Damage Reduction while Fortified 3. Damage Reduction While Injured 4. Damage Reduction from Close Enemies 5. Damage Reduction from Distance Enemies 6. Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies
Boots	1. Movement speed 2. Damage Reduction while Injured 3. Willpower 4. Needed Resistances
Amulet	1. Cooldown reduction 2. Damage Reduction while Fortified 3. Damage Reduction While Injured 4. Damage Reduction from Close Enemies 5. Movement
Rings	1. Critical Strike Chance 2. Damage To Crowd Controlled Enemies 3. Maximum Life 4. Damage to Slowed Enemies
1-handed Weapon	1. Willpower 2. All Stats 3. Damage to Slowed Enemies 4. Critical Strike Damage
Totem	1. Cooldown 2. Critical Strike Chance 3. Damage Reduction while Fortified 4. Willpower

Please note that these Affixes are the recommended picks for the blank, but that is simply our opinion. Other Affixes could certainly work instead of the ones listed above, but may not be optimal. There are several very specific Affixes that are very helpful with this build, they are as follows:

1. Cooldown
2. Rank Up Shred
3. Damage Reduction (Close Enemies, Fortified, Injured)

Please note the recent Season One Balance changes have lowered the amount of Cooldown Reduction found on gear by 30%. This may cause this build to feel more sluggish while Cooldowns are finishing, we plan to revisit this once Season One begins.

A final point on acquiring the correct Affixes and Legendary Aspects, use your Obols to target farm them. Obols are awarded from many different activities in the game, you will always stockpiling them until you hit your maximum. Instead of just randomly spending them on a random pick, use them to target what you might be missing from this build. It is a great way to target a specific slot of loot and find what you need.

If you are interested in checking out a new tool for gambling Obols check out this article below from Icy Veins.

Legendary Aspects

Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects found on Legendary items that are important for the Shapeshifter Druid build. Aspects from the Codex of Power can be used if you cannot find the proper Legendary items, but they have weaker effects. Extract Aspects from lower level Legendary items and imprint them onto better Rare items with preferred stats. The endgame itemization goal will be to imprint Aspects with the best values Ancestral Rare items with Item Power above or as close to 800, then upgrade them through the Blacksmith. Each aspect is listed with its matching gear slot. Do your best to keep each aspect in the slot it was posted with

Gear Slot	Legendary Aspect	Legendary Aspect Power
Helm	Aspect of Might	Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2.0-6.0] seconds.
Chest	Aspect of Disobedience	You gain [0.6 – 1.1%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [33.00 – 66.00%].
Gloves	Aspect of Nature’s Savagery	Werewolf Skills function as Storm Skills and Werebear Skills function as Earth Skills for the Nature’s Fury Key Passive.
Pants	Tibault’s Will
Boots	Symbiotic Aspect	When Nature’s Fury Key Passive triggers a free Skill, your non Ultimate Cooldowns of the opposite type are reduced by [3-5] seconds.
Amulets(50% bonus)	Aspect of Retaliation	Your Core skills deal up to [20-40]%[x] increased damage based on your amount of Fortify.
Ring	Aspect of The Aftershock	Landslide’s earth pillars each strike a second time and deal an additional [6-12%] bonus damage per hit.
Ring	Aspect of the Trampled Earth	Trample now summons 6 Landslide pillars of earth during its duration that deal [70-80%] normal damage. Trample is now also a Nature Magic and Earth Skill.
1-handed Weapon	Stormclaw’s Aspect	Critical Strikes with Shred deal [20-30]% of the damage dealt as Lightning Damage to the target and surrounding enemies.
Totem	Subterranean Aspect	Poison Creeper’s active also casts Landslide in a circle around you. Earth Skills deal [10-20%] increased damage to Poisoned Enemies.

Uber Uniques

The chart below is our recommendation for Uber Uniques that will work within this build. However, all Uber uniques are extremely powerful and can shine in different situations. Good Hunting!

Uber Uniques	Recommended(Y/N)	Replaces
Andariel’s Visage	Yes (2nd)	Aspect of Might will be dropped
Harlequin Crest	Yes (1st)	Aspect of Might will be dropped
Melted Heart of Selig	No
Ring of Starless Skies	No
Doombringer	Yes (2nd)	Stormclaw’s Aspect will be moved to the Totem Slot
The Grandfather	Yes (1st)	Drop both 1-handed weapon and Totem slot.
Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander	No

Gems

Listed below are the best gems to socket into gear for each slot type.

• Weapon: Royal Emerald for critical strike damage to Vulnerable enemies.
• Armor: Royal Ruby for an increase to Maximum Life.
• Jewelry: Royal Diamond for All Resistances, however, certain bosses may require you to switch to their corresponding resistances. If Resistances are capped, use Royal Skull.

Elixirs and Health Pots

Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats, and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Use an Elixir providing any Resistance you need most, or the Assault Elixir to increase Attack Speed.

Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.

Changelog

• March 5th 2024: Updates for Patch 1.3.3
• January 20th 2024: Season 3 speculative changes.
• December 8th 2023: Build Refreshed.
• October 13th 2023: Build Adjusted to prepare for Season 2 launch.
• August 10th 2023: Full build review and adjustments for Season 1 Patch 1.1.1
• August 8th 2023: Added notes about Patch 1.1.1.
• August 4th 2023: Malignant Hearts and Paragon sections updated for clarity.
• July 19th, 2023: Season of the Malignant section added.
• July 18th, 2023: Reviewed and altered build with Season One Patch Notes.