Questions about Shifter Druid with Fighter (Warden)

[Rohkai]

I know that new players aren’t supposed to multiclass.... but I just need to. I have remade my character 3 times now, and this current one is SO much better than the others.

My main questions at this point are...

1) How exactly do the weapons I have equipped affect my character when spirit shifted?

2) Does their damage apply to my claws/teeth?

3) Do the additional affects apply, such as +5 accuracy ect.?

4) I’m currently using dual daggers, or dagger medium shield. Should I be on the lookout for something different as far as named weapons go?

5) Why don’t I see any Warden builds out there? Is there something Bad about them that I haven’t discovered yet?

 

Thank you for the help and advice.

[gkathellar]

Multiclassing is fine for new players - just be aware that you'll be getting a greater number of lower level abilities.

 

1) They don't. You switch to a set of dual-wielded "paws" when you shift (if you're a fury or stormspeaker, your paws are two-handed, incidentally).

2) Negatory.

3) Nope.

4) Stuff that helps your defense/spellcasting. You'll be shifting for heavy melee, so you want your gear to emphasize the other side of things. Griffin's Blade is an easy choice.

5) There's a good Fighter/Lifegiver up on the build list, actually. But I think it's a mix of things. Druid is complicated, hence the lack of builds in general. Many people want to play it first and foremost as a caster, so there's that. Druid lacks the obvious defensive or offensive synergies of something like wizard or cipher, since shifting is more "I have this can of melee that I can open on command," than "here have some stats." Finally, all of the fighter subclasses are incompatible, to some degree, with shifting.

[Rohkai]

Thank you so much for the info. It’s a little disappointing, but at least I know now at level 6.... I think I’ll be re-rolling after I get home from work

[Boeroer]

Fury's weapons are now one-handed now (dual wielding like all others). It got patched.

 

I don't know about Tekehu's Spiritshift but I guess that got altered as well?

[gkathellar]

Fury's weapons are now one-handed now (dual wielding like all others). It got patched.

 

I don't know about Tekehu's Spiritshift but I guess that got altered as well?

 

Ah, good to know.

[arkane83]

Druid and fighter actually have a few good synergies. I think they are fairly unpopular because of just how amazing devoted is for almost every other class, especially in PotD. In PotD everything has boatloads of armor, and the devoted subclass helps you overcome that. Unfortunately, druids are not considered proficient in their animal form claws, so they get an accuracy penalty when playing as a devoted and no bonus penetration with claws. I'm not sure why this was done, monk/devoted are considered proficient with their fists, but this is what we have.

 

Druid/Fighter is great for Veteran or Below. As already stated, the subclasses don't make much sense for a druid, but a no-subclass fighter isn't a bad thing. You can get tactical barrage, which is a boost to accuracy, aoe size, durations, and power levels for your nukes. As a shifter, you SHOULD be using your attack spells to open a fight. I like opening with any of the aoe damage over time abiltiies, shifting into boar form, and bleeding them out. All of your fighter abilities are going to be usable as a Shifter, and they will also really help. Stances while in bear form should make you a fairly good tank if needed as well. The combination of constant recovery and healing when you shift is going to give you a ton of self heals as well.

 

Unfortunately, on PotD this build is going to be much harder to make viable because you can't pick devoted. Not being able to make your shifted weapons have bonus penetration will make you feel like you can barely hurt anything. Being stuck with animal form armor, with no other armor buffs, generally means that you will get penetrated and take full damage anyway. On the plus side, you do get multiple sources of self healing (constant recovery, unbending, shifting between forms, and druid spells) which can be really strong if you build with support in mind.

Edited August 14, 2018 by arkane83

[colma86]

I think the main issue folks have is if your focus is shifting and melee, you really don't do much other than watch the character auto attack. I did potd as a tempest (berserker/shifter) and it worked ok, I never felt like it was lagging behind, but it was pretty boring all told.

 

They at least need to let the shifter use the beast spells (and only those) and maybe get +1/+2 power level to them.

Edited August 15, 2018 by colma86

[Heburnll]

Fury's weapons are now one-handed now (dual wielding like all others). It got patched

I'm pretty new here so I apologise for the stupid question. So I should take the two weapons feat instead? Are there any other talents that help the fury's spirit shift attack?

[Rohkai]

I’m still playing through it, but from what I gather so far, yes, take the “Two Weapon” fighting. Not the “Two Handed” aside from that... I’m still learning too

[thundercleese]

 

Fury's weapons are now one-handed now (dual wielding like all others). It got patched

I'm pretty new here so I apologise for the stupid question. So I should take the two weapons feat instead? Are there any other talents that help the fury's spirit shift attack?

 

Yes two-weapon style is the one you want. Any martial passive that doesn't specify "proficient weapons" will work on them. From the Druid side I believe the only one that will boost it is Heart of the Storm (+1 PEN).

[insertcoin]

I think the main issue folks have is if your focus is shifting and melee, you really don't do much other than watch the character auto attack. I did potd as a tempest (berserker/shifter) and it worked ok, I never felt like it was lagging behind, but it was pretty boring all told.

 

They at least need to let the shifter use the beast spells (and only those) and maybe get +1/+2 power level to them.

 

I'm one of those weird people that doesn't mind a character that mostly auto-attacks. I'm pretty heavy on the AI instructions side of things so it's like I'm a spectator anyway, heh.

 

I've run that tempest combo as well but I felt like it was starting to lag behind from around lvl 14 onward (maybe a little earlier) - although it probably didn't help that I stubbornly stuck to the melee oriented focus I wanted instead of at least opening with some spells first before shifting.

[Boeroer]

Yes. Two weapon style. Heart of the Storm gives your Fury-attacks +1 PEN since they are shock-based and properly keyworded.

 

Fighter/Druid can do lots of Penetrating Strikes (Full Attack with +4 PEN + scaling on top). You can even get the +2 discipline from bracers (applies when shifted). So weapon PEN shouldn't be a problem even on PotD difficulty while you are shifted. Cleaving Stance is really nice (if you are not a Fury). Unbroken/Shifter can be great when you use Defender Stance to bind enemies after you cast Relentless Storm or Nature's Terror or Plague oI on your own head and prevent enemies to leave (or else get punished by severe Disengagement Attacks which have +10 PEN).

Edited August 17, 2018 by Boeroer

[MaxQuest]

My main questions at this point are...

1) How exactly do the weapons I have equipped affect my character when spirit shifted?

2) Does their damage apply to my claws/teeth?

3) Do the additional affects apply, such as +5 accuracy ect.?

4) I’m currently using dual daggers, or dagger medium shield. Should I be on the lookout for something different as far as named weapons go?

5) Why don’t I see any Warden builds out there? Is there something Bad about them that I haven’t discovered yet?

Your questions have already been answered, but I'll add 2c:

4). You might want to check the interaction between spiritshift and weapons/armors that place a buff at start of combat. Iirc you retain the Drawing Parry (+20 def for 15s) buff from Duskfall when shift; and Veteran's Maneuver from Eder's armor. But better re-check it.

5). Maybe because the build is pretty straighforward, or maybe because there are some multi-class combinations that do the same thing, but better. E.g: unbroken/lifegiver is nice, but a wayfarer/lifegiver or goldpact/lifegiver is even more useful.

 

I would definitely try a watershaper hireling though. Some affliction-focused combination with unbroken, wizard/illusionist or trickster.

Edited August 17, 2018 by MaxQuest

[Harpagornis]

This small litte mod solves the problems of Devoted/Druid: https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/213

 

As Spiritshift Weapons now count as unarmed they will recieve the full bonus from Devoted while still using Spiritshift damage tables.

On top of that Spiritshift Duration and Abilities will now scale with Power Level. I never understood why Obsidian skipped that...

 

Happy hunting!

[thundercleese]

This small litte mod solves the problems of Devoted/Druid: https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/213

 

As Spiritshift Weapons now count as unarmed they will recieve the full bonus from Devoted while still using Spiritshift damage tables.

On top of that Spiritshift Duration and Abilities will now scale with Power Level. I never understood why Obsidian skipped that...

 

Happy hunting!

Does that mean they also benefit from Transcendant Suffering and Monastic Unarmed Training? Because that would make them a little too OP IMO.

[mant2si]

I tested this approach and end only with few viable options for (Warden):

1. Maelstrom scroll caster, this scroll has a lot of keywords and Druid with all his passive +1 pen can abuse such cool synergize

1.1 It can cast other scrolls for example with fire keyword, but Maelstrom is really good one :D
2. Land poisons, with Will-breaker and His modal and Fighter stance and Venombloom and 20 alchemy result (120 acc to poisons) and (-35 to enemies Forititude)
3. Support other party members with healing 
4. Land skills that block boss concentration regeneration
 

Edited September 2, 2018 by mant2si

[Harpagornis]

@thundercleese: No, Spiritshift Weapon does not get benfit from Monastic Unarmed Training or Transcendent Suffering. Unless you mod this in (Version 1.1) so they use the normal unarmed damage tables and can use the Haymaker Modal.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Harpagornis