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One of the most anticipated classes of Path of Exile 2 is finally here: the Druid. This primal caster embraces the power of nature and different animal forms and is a force to be reckoned with. He not only uses his own skills, but can also grab gems from other classes to modify several of his abilities. If you’re unsure of what to do with the Druid or just need a quick starter guide, here we’ll tell you how this class works on Path of Exile 2.
Druid Gameplay Explained
In case you missed the livestream for the Last of the Druids update, this class is the first Strength/Intelligence hybrid, meaning that he can either work as a fully melee class with his animal forms or take a more caster-oriented playstyle in his human form. Or, since Path of Exile 2 allows it, create your own wild Druid that is a mix of everything.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the Druid will alternate between his animal forms by using Talismans. Talismans are equippable items, and once you have them in your possession, you can select the animal form. For example, the first Talisman you get includes the Bear and Wolf form, and you toggle which one will activate at the press of a button. However, you can also skills from another animal form by slotting them in your hotbar, and using a bear skill in wolf form, for example, will turn you briefly into a bear and then back to a wolf when attacking.
The truth is that swapping forms is relatively seamless, and getting used to this mechanic isn’t too challenging. The challenging part is timing your skills when fighting enemies, but that comes with practice.
Another thing to keep in mind is how skills interact with each other. To give you a quick example, the bear’s slam can trigger a volcano’s explosion, meaning that you’ll want to cast the latter first before slamming the ground as a bear. There are many other skill combos out there, so you should pay attention to the ones you want to use before committing to some skills.
Example Starter Build
While the Druid just launched for Path of Exile 2, we decided to put together a quick starter guide for those taking the class out for a spin. Keep in mind that this is more of a leveling build than an endgame one, especially since the class is fresh out of the oven, and we haven’t used it in any late-game content yet.
If you want an easy leveling experience, the best animal form you can take is bear, as it provides one of the best DPS combos, which also helps against most bosses in the game.
Keep your Talisman with the bear form active at all times and use Volcano followed by Furious Slam. You’ll obtain the latter skill after the tutorial, so make sure to add it to your hotbar as soon as you unlock it.
For your Maul skill, which is your main Rage-generation ability, you’ll want to slot gems that increase attack speed and generate more rage. You could also attune to a specific element if you want to.
Eventually, you’ll unlock Rampage, which will become your main DPS skill. Here, you’ll want to throw in Momentum and Aftershock gems to increase your damage potential.
When you get Ferocious Roar, try slotting in Ancestral Cry, which will basically turn you into a fiery bear, which goes well with the whole fire-themed build we’ve been using thus far with Volcano and other abilities.
In terms of passive skill points, we’re still experimenting with a few of them, but these abilities should be enough to help you level easily through the campaign. Also, many might wonder where the two other animal forms are. Well, while they are quite useful, and the wolf one has a tremendous potential for DPS, especially with Frost skills, we think the bear one is much better in terms of leveling speed and damage, at least for one. In any case, feel free to mix and match your skills and gems to come up with a different Druid or enhance this build—that’s the magic of Path of Exile 2, after all.
