Spiritshifting and Druids

[Fiaryn]

Having not played the game since launch, I'm eager to have another go at things come White March Part 2. I see that much has changed and, in particular, my favorite class has gotten much love in the form of Spiritshift actually scaling worth a damn. Also Perception actually does things worth mentioning now, what a crazy world we live in.

 

I'd welcome any advice for making a strong Druid that makes as much use of Spiritshift as it can get away with in this scary new 3.0 world. I'm not aiming to do a PotD run but I like to be effective all the same.

 

Stat distributions, spiritshift choice (stag? bear? cat? who is driving?), what's competitive these days?

Edited February 5, 2016 by Fiaryn

[limaxophobiacq]

Thankfully, you don't have to really prioritise different attributes for Spirtshift than you do for spells casting, and druids don't have much in the way of must-have talents so you can be a good caster and be effective in spiritshift.

 

Primary stats for all druids should be Might and Intelligence, since the class is primarally about doing AoE damage, and Intelligence also increases the duration of spiritshift so it works for that as well. Dex and Perception are nice and you certainly don't want to lower them but high Might and Int is what really matters. You also  don't want to lower Con since you are going to be at the frontline but I think you can survive while dumping Resolve a bit.

 

You obviously want Weapon Focus: Peasant and Two-Weapon Fighting for the claws.

 

For Wildstrike I think either Shock or Burn, since either or both of those you'll want the elemental damage talents for anyway for your spells.

[Mocker22]

Without going to in depth here is a starting point for you. I'm sure some experts could go more in-depth, but to be totally honest I don't feel like druids need precise min-maxing. Stats will depend a lot on how you want to play your druid also. For my druids I concentrate on Shock damage as it has great synergy with druid spells. If your going to main druid, I would also plan on having someone using Stormcaller. Sagani is a favorite.

 

Talents(in no particular order)

Wildstrike Shock

Greater Wildstrike Shock

Weapon Focus Peasant

Two Weapon Style

Scion of the Storm

 

After that you got options. Apprentice sneak attack for some more melee dmg. Defensive Talents. Vulnerable or Savage attack. Outlanders Fury could be good depending on whether or not it is 1/encounter or rest. Depending on your party setup and how you typically position your group Gallant's Focus can be nice also. Effects spells and weapons. You got some room for personal flavor here.  

 

For attributes I would have might, perc, and int all fairly high. 16+ish. Int maybe all the way to 18 for AoE and durations.  I'd also want some points in dex. Con I would say keep around 10 for when you shapeshift and get in and mix it up. Res could be sacrificed though.

[Heijoushin]

So... sorry, something I've never been clear on: do druids stats all directly affect the animal form?

Edited February 5, 2016 by Heijoushin

[SimpleEnigma]

So... sorry, something I've never been clear on: do druids stats all directly affect the animal form?

Yes that is correct. Special perks from equipment tends not to follow you though.

[Boeroer]

Right. Only exception is the Wildstrike Belt that boosts your Wildstrike Damage a bit.

 

Everything that is directly tied to your character will influence you Spiritshift Form. Stats, Talents & Abilities (like Vulnerable and Savage Attack for example - as long as not tied to special item usage like weapon & shield style and so on), active consumables, resting bonuses and so on. However, Novice's Suffering is not working with Spiritshift Form's unarmed attack - but that's also mentioned in the explanation of that talent ingame.