A buffer druid with spear. What concept could I use?

[Slack83er]

Hail!

Doing nightshift is sooo boring...gotta find out something to do...here I am, thinking of one of the most interesting classes out there. But I know little to none of druids... maybe I'd like being a shaman of sort... the only thing I know, is I want a spear in his hand...or something like it... staff... halberd... something with a long reach. Then I don't know which animal to shift into... this is because I don't know sinergies nor I have any concept in mind 'cept the shaman.

Will you help me?

 

 

[prototype00]

Druids are good buffers? Really? I mean I had thought they were okay, but not gold standard like priests.

 

Druids to me are DPS, when casting spells, they are ranged DPS, when Spiritshaping, straight melee DPS.

[Ben No.3]

Take a look at Boeroer Batsh!t build.... It is very fun. Other than that you can obviously have a druid with a reach weapon like quaterstaff or pike. But about the buffer thing, prototype is right... While Druids indeed have numerous buffs, it is not their main focus. What you could try is going melee with durance. Give him some heavy or medium armour (I always choose breastplate cause I find it to offer a very good balance) and a pike (or quarterstaff... Especially early on you can use his quaterstaff. Later on go for the tall grass pike), so he'll be behind the frontliners casting buffs and debuffs and hitting the enemy simultaneously. If an enemy breaches your lines, switch to weapon and shield and protect your casters (go for a small shield to avoid accuracy loss for casting).

[Boeroer]

Druids have some ok party buffs, but nothing spectacular like priests do. Form of the Delemgan is one of the best. Garden of Life is a very good healing over time spell once there are dead enemies on the ground. Nature's Vigor is also not bad. But I wouldn't say a druid can be a superb buffer.

 

The principle of the Batsh!t Crazy build - pairing high defenses with front line spellcasting (doesn't need to have the exact same stat distribution) - works perfectly fine with a spear and shield. If you use Relentless Storm + Nature's Terror + Returning Storm - and later Avenging Storm - there are few other build that can tank so well while dishing out lots of damage and CC at the same time. It's basically a paladin with Sacred Immolation (just that it's shock damage) plus hefty CC while you can hit with your weapon at the same time. Secret secret: you can cast Nature's Terror more than once to generate a lot of those static fields around you which hit all the time - making it superstrong in combination with Combusting Wounds.

But this druid doesn't shift.

 

But note that when you shift your weapon diappears. You will always have two claws/tusks/stag horn/whatever that are considered unarmed and have inherent DR penetration and a high base damage that scales with level. So, no spear then. The above approach with Nature's Terror/Storm spells of course also works when shifted.

[Slack83er]

Uhm... These posts make me realize that I knew nothing about Druid. Sometimes I tend to compare Poe to other rpgs... and assume that roles can just be the same...

a Druid that doesn't shift might be ok, but you can't take out the ability now, can you? So you will remain with a useless talent...

[Dr <3]

And what is the problem? That you have an icon you don't push all the time? I do that all day with the wacher abilities...

[Boeroer]

Yes - you will have a button for spiritshift all the time that you won't use. But the combinataion of those spells with good tankyness and equipment make up for that.

But Spiritshift is also very potent. You just can't use any equipment while shifted.

[Slack83er]

Mm don't know... it's just not the idea I had of the Druid... some kind of protector, warden... this is the reason I wrote buffing... I thought of a blessing from the nature, a sort of paladin of the wild.... is this not possible?

[prototype00]

You could be like, an actual Paladin? They're great at buffing, and not too shabby with spears either.

[K Galen B]

Pillars of Eternity druids are great protectors, wardens, etc. They just prefer to defend via killing the life out of the offending parties...

 

 

 

Of ~8 ish spells in most levels, druids only have 1, sometimes 2 buff/healing spells per level. Contrast this with damaging spells - about half of druids' spells are focused on direct damage or damage over time, with or without other effects.

Edited October 4, 2016 by K Galen B

[Slack83er]

You could be like, an actual Paladin? They're great at buffing, and not too shabby with spears either.

Thought of it... but never really came to something good. Maybe nature godlike pally?

[AndreaColombo]

Why not Priest for a buffer? They've got the best buffs in town.

[DreamWayfarer]

Druids can be great protectors. They are not great buffers, but when they have healing on par with priests and CC on par with Wizards that doesn't matter that much: weakening a foe is not so different from strenghtening an ally.

 

And your build will work best with hide armor anyway, since you only need to tank as long as your spells are charging, so you will still look like a druid. Spears are nice weapons too, even tough hatchets nay be better. BTW, have you considered swords? There is an early nice looking black sword that makes you sturdier, and if you choose the Knights of The Crucible faction at Act 2 one of your rewards is a shining sword that buffs the accuracy of allies targeting the same foe, fitting the idea of a leader, guardian and blesser.

[omgFIREBALLS]

 

You could be like, an actual Paladin? They're great at buffing, and not too shabby with spears either.

Thought of it... but never really came to something good. Maybe nature godlike pally?

A Darcozzi Paladini paladin could perhaps fly (NPI) as a follower of Hylea.

[Boeroer]

Druids can be great protectors. They are not great buffers, but when they have healing on par with priests and CC on par with Wizards that doesn't matter that much: weakening a foe is not so different from strenghtening an ally.

 

And your build will work best with hide armor anyway, since you only need to tank as long as your spells are charging, so you will still look like a druid. Spears are nice weapons too, even tough hatchets nay be better. BTW, have you considered swords? There is an early nice looking black sword that makes you sturdier, and if you choose the Knights of The Crucible faction at Act 2 one of your rewards is a shining sword that buffs the accuracy of allies targeting the same foe, fitting the idea of a leader, guardian and blesser.

You can do that with a spear, too: Cladhaliath can be created with the marking enchanment. That would be buffing + spear. And it's green, too.

[Slack83er]

Yeah.. all good inputs.. they surely work game-wise...but are ordinary....banal... 

I like something that stands out... That's why I wanted a different approach, but not knowing the druid class, it's my fault.

I'd close this thread and I'd open a new one, focused on a nature godlike paladin.

[DreamWayfarer]

Yeah.. all good inputs.. they surely work game-wise...but are ordinary....banal...

I like something that stands out... That's why I wanted a different approach, but not knowing the druid class, it's my fault.

I'd close this thread and I'd open a new one, focused on a nature godlike paladin.

Ordinary? What is ordinary about them?

[Slack83er]

Ordinary...I mean... normal... the classic druid... nothing exceptional that makes that druid different.... something that makes you say.. "this is really an original approach to druid"

[Ben No.3]

Well... How about a cone AoE damage dealing fast runner?

There is a cape called "cape of the cheat" which gives a once per encounter escape... What do you think of a high Dex frontline Druid with fast runner, sugar and boots of speed (overall a permanent +4 move speed,with sugar +5) running around (and once per encounter "beaming" across the entire battlefield) dishing out AoE-cone damage spells on the enemies from all sides, then switching to spiritshift (maybe cat

To fit the speed theme, but go with whatever you like) and clearing up the rest. With escape you can even get behind the crowd in situations like doorway-fights, and make full use of all those beautiful AoE-cone attacks.

If you don't like spirit shift, go with your desired spear and a small shield (no acc loss when casting) instead and wear Aru Brekr... It is an Bridangie (so a high DR armour) which also gives you +1 move speed, so if you are looking for non spiritshift melee protection here you go. Otherwise I'd recommend Angio's gambeson, which Hasan Delirious accelerity of motion (+50% speed!) spellbind, which is a perfect fit as well.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Ben No.3

[Ben No.3]

So basically you'll be running insanely fast around spreading those beautiful beautiful cone AoE that you'll otherwise rarley use due to friendly fire on enemies from the sides or behind, or maybe to clear up the ranger/caster line... Or both.

[Slack83er]

Nono wait... this is bit too much! How can the speed make me avoid friendly fire? 

The other thing I don't understand is my role... just dps?

[Ben No.3]

On a side note: do consider taking a rouge into your party... Druids are excellent at triggering sneak attacks.

[Ben No.3]

Nono wait... this is bit too much! How can the speed make me avoid friendly fire?

The other thing I don't understand is my role... just dps?

My idea is that your Druid will at the start of combat, when everyone runs towards your party, uses escape to get behind the enemies and then goes crazy with the AoE cone attacks... Additional move speed makes us very efficient at this since we'll move very quickly when engaging the enemy from behind. Yes, he'll mainly be dps, but also some CC that come with certain attacks.

He should basically nuke the enemy from behind while being uncatchable due to fast move speed.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Ben No.3

[Slack83er]

Ok, now things are clearer. Not exactly what I had in mind with my Druid, but, as I said before, i'ts my fault. I expected the druid to be a buffer/debuffer, not a dps... other rpgs contamination Does the druid have CC?

[Ben No.3]

Hey, I just tried to come of up with a "less ordinary" Druid

 

Yes, the Druids attacks often do also have some powerful CC effects, however, he also has a few dedicated CC spells.