Druids: Medieval Fantasy's Greenpeace

Now that we've gone over Bards, Barbarians, and Avengers, we have come to Druids. Druids are the Primal Controllers. I want to state up front that Druids, like Shamans and Avengers are not a very friendly class for new players to take on. Their abilities require a lot of strategy to use effectively, and finding the balance between your standard and beast forms can be very difficult. They also are heavily dependent on their teammates not getting in the way of their abilities and making use of any advantage the Druid gives to them.

So What's A Druid All About?

Druids are the primal controllers, but thinking that they are largely reskinned wizards because of this would be a huge mistake. Druids play very differently from Wizards, or the other new controller class, Invokers. Druids have many abilities which dip into defender and leader territory as well, and if well utilized can be a powerful force in any group.

Although the book has it in a different order, one class feature that really defines Druids is the Wild Shape power. Letting them turn into some kind of ferocious beast or turn back from that form once per turn as a minor action, this is one of the Druid's most unique abilities. Druid get powers with the Beast Form keyword, and these can only be used while you have Wild Shaped into that form, and while you are in Beast Form you can use no other powers. Most of the Beast Form powers are used from a closer range, but they allow you to control the battlefield in new ways, and can be very useful if you are fighting in close quarters. When you use Wild Shape to go back into your standard form, you get to shift one square which is very important and often overlooked. This opens up a lot of strategies in your turn: you can move in attack, and then shift back to human form, automatically backing away for casting a ranged spell either next turn or with an action point. If you start your turn adjacent to your enemy and in beast form this means you can make an attack, switch out and shift, and then escape back to long range again without provoking an attack of opportunity with your retreat. It is amazing how valuable that one square shift can be. You continue to gain the benefits of your gear in Beast Form, though you drop any equipment you are holding besides implements.

Balance of Nature is the next Druid class feature, and it basically boils down to giving you three at-wills. However, one of your at-wills must have the Beast Form keyword, and no more than two may have it. This means you have an at-will attack no matter what form you are in. This means that when you create your character you probably want to determine how much time you plan on spending in Beast Form. If you plan on being up front, clawing at enemy's and slowing them or pushing them around a lot, take two of the Beast Form at-will powers, but if you plan on only dipping into Beast Form rarely then you only need one of the Beast Form at-wills.

Druids get Ritual Casting as a bonus feat, and automatically start with Animal Messenger and one other ritual. I like this because I think Animal Messenger is actually a pretty useful ritual, and roleplaying its use as a druid can be very fun. If you don't have another ritual user in your party, you might want to consider Gentle Repose as your other ritual, and eventually plan on taking Raise Dead when it becomes available.

Guardian or Predator

As a Druid you choose a Primal Aspect, either Primal Guardian or Primal Predator. These give you a passive bonus, and can change the way certain powers work at certain levels. As a Primal Predator you gain +1 speed while not wearing heavy armor, while as a Primal Guardian you can use your Constitution modifier instead of Dexterity or Intelligence to determine your ability bonus to AC as long as you are not wearing heavy armor.

Some people might see this choice as the same choice about whether they will be primarily in Beast Form or their natural form, but that isn't entirely the case. While almost all of the powers that gain a direct benefit from Primal Predator are Beast Form powers and almost none of the Primal Guardian ones are, you can deviate to varying degrees.

As a Primal Guardian, the most common way of playing it is to only dip into Beast Form when absolutely necessary and only choose one or two Beast Form powers, if any at all. But in general Primal Guardian druids are going to have a few more hit points as well as more Healing Surges so it is perfectly feasible to make a Primal Guardian Druid who uses a lot of Beastform Powers and remain on the front lines. If your party is short on melee characters, this can be a good option for you.

As a Primal Predator, the most common way of playing it is exactly the opposite, using your increased speed and initiative to close into melee range and using Beast Powers to disable important targets, but again you have some variety. While in general I think you should favor Beast Form at least a little as a Predator Druid, having a good selection of range and area implement attacks is probably a good idea as well. Your increased speed should make it easy to dart in and out of the fray, and hit and run tactics should be taken advantage of as a Predator Druid.

Ability Scores

All Druid attacks use Wisdom, so prioritize it as your primary ability score, regardless of Primal Aspect or whether you favor Beast Form attacks, or standard implement ones. Druid is a class where it may even be beneficial to buy it up as high as possible, unlike many classes where having a tertiary high score can be very important.

As a Primal Guardian, Constitution is going to be your next most important ability score. It determines your AC bonus, as well as the effectiveness of many of your powers, and as always grants you additional hit points and healing surges. No score really stands out as a tertiary option unless you are planning on a specific multiclass build. Dexterity can give you a boost to Initiative and Reflex, but if you don't mind having one weak defense it might be a good idea to buy your Wisdom up to 18 (before racial modifiers), and just not have any solid tertiary score.

As a Primal Predator, Dexterity is going to be your secondary score. It affects all of your Primal Predator powers, as well as boosting your Reflex, Armor Class, and Initiative. You can either choose not to have a tertiary high score, and again buy an 18 in Wisdom, or you can choose Constitution to gain some more hit points and surges, which can be useful if you plan on remaining up front and in Beast Form a lot.

Race Choices

Dwarves have the ideal ability scores for a Primal Guardian Druid, while both Elves and Razorclaw Shifters have the ideal ability scores for Primal Predators. As usual, there are other races that make excellent choices though, and these include Half-Elves, Halflings, and Humans from the Player's Handbook; Drow from Forgotten Realms Player's Guide; and Devas, Goliaths, Half-Orcs, and Longtooth Shifters from Player's Handbook 2. Let's go over them each in detail.

With bonuses to both Constitution and Wisdom Dwarves have great ability scores for Guardian Druids. Unfortunately, beyond this they simply don't have much else that works well for the class. Their ability to use Second Wind as a minor action and resist forced movement is great for the times when they are in Beast Form and using melee powers, but as Guardian Druids this is likely to be the minority of the time, and their 5 movement speed doesn't work well for hit and run tactics, which are often what you want to try and use as a Druid. Dwarven Weapon Training doesn't really benefit them at all, though some of the later feats like Dwarven Durability can help. So while they make really good Guardian Druids, they definitely aren't the best race for it.

Elves have a bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom, a 7 speed, and can shift on difficult terrain with their Wild Step class feature. They can reroll a crucial attack for increased accuracy, have low-light vision, and get bonuses to Nature and Perception. There really is no better race than this for a Predator Druid. Just as they are built perfectly for Archery Rangers, they work likewise for the Primal Predator build. There is literally no downside to this choice.

Razorclaw Shifters also have bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom, but their racial power is different. If you do plan on playing a Predator Druid who spends most of their time on the front lines in Beast Form, then your chances of becoming bloodied and getting to use your Razorclaw Shifting power each encounter is pretty good, but the more you plan to mix up melee and range, the less useful it becomes.

Half-Elves get a Constitution bonus which definitely aids in their capabilities as Guardian Druids, though their Charisma bonus is largely extraneous. They can use Dilettante to take an at-will from any class that uses Wisdom for implement attacks (like Clerics) to give them some added utility. My personal favorite choice is Sacred Flame so that they can't grant a saving throw if need be. And, as I'll state every time the Half-Elf is an option in one of these guides, being able to take the Human racial feats is an excellent bonus. The only downside is that they do not get a bonus to Wisdom, but if you only need two high ability scores for your build, you can still get an 18.

Halflings make excellent Predator Druids, because the class ignores all of their downsides. With no need to use weapons, being small size doesn't matter, and as a mobile class your AC bonus against opportunity attacks and Second Wind for attacks that get through are invaluable additions. Add in feats like Lost in the Crowd and Underfoot and you have a great character option for a Primal Predator Druid who can spend most of their time in Beast Form tearing through foes.

Human is my personal favorite race for a balanced Guardian Druid, though either build will work. They can boost their Wisdom, and still have a decent secondary ability score. They get a bonus to Reflex, Fortitude, and Will and can have an extra skill from what is a pretty good class list. Their bonus feat is helpful as always but the bonus at-will is where they really shine. Allowing them to either specialize further in one of their forms, or be equally good at both, this is a great help because Druid at-wills are some of my favorites.

Drow have the same ability score bonuses as Halflings, which means that a really high Wisdom will be hard to come by and the Charisma bonus will be largely wasted, but they have really good racial powers for helping control the battlefield and boosting your allies by giving them combat advantage. Also, Darkvision can be really useful depending on the campaign. Plus, having your Wild Shape be a giant spider or lizard would be pretty cool.

Deva get a bonuses to Intelligence and Wisdom, so like most of the races I have mentioned, that's one good and one useless ability score bonus. They can do equally well as either Predator or Guardian Druids since they don't have any bonus to Dexterity or Constitution. They do get two really good resistances though, and a racial power which can both aid in accuracy or really help to make a clutch saving throw.

Goliaths make good Guardian Druids due to their Constitution bonus, but only if the Druid is going to spend enough time in Beast Form to make use of their racial power. The racial power is great if you are in danger on the front line, but in back where being attacked is less common, the ability isn't as good. Goliaths also get +1 to Will, raising their best defense even higher, and reducing the chance that your Druid will get hit with a fear or charm effect that could take them out of the fight.

Half-Orcs, like Goliaths, get an extraneous STR bonus, but their boost to Dexterity is useful for a Predator Druid. Coupled with some decent racial feats like Thirst for Battle, and +2 Speed when charging, this can be a good race for a melee-heavy Primal Predator build.

While Razorclaw Shifters are one of the best races for druids, Longtooth Shifters can also be good for a druid who favors his Beast Form, though either build is equally as good. Their Strength bonus isn't necessary but a quick reckless charge so that they can activate Longtooth Shifting and get a damage bonus and regeneration can be a useful tactic for them.

Skills

Druids automatically have the Nature skill which can be very useful in a lot of campaigns that spend time outside of dungeons, as well as for some skill challenges and monster knowledge checks. They get three other trained skills, and have access to Heal, Insight, and Perception, which are three important skills that all key to their best ability score. While these aren't as often useful in skill challenges, they are very commonly used within combat encounters, and are my personal choice for skills.

Endurance is a good option for a Guardian Druid, and Athletics can be useful though you likely won't be getting an ability score bonus in it. If you want to be more useful in Skill Challenges consider Diplomacy or History, but again, you aren't likely to have a good bonus from your ability scores in either of these.

Feats

All Druid powers, even Beast Form powers, have the implement keyword. This means that there is pretty much no reason not to take Implement Expertise as a Druid. The earlier you grab it, the more attacks that you will hit with throughout your character's lifespan. There aren't any other general feats that really help you offensively, which isn't too much of a bother since you are a controller not a striker. You can take Coordinated Explosion if you find yourself having allies inside your area or close attacks, but otherwise its best to focus your feats elsewhere or Distant Advantage if your allies are flanking the targets of your ranged attacks often. Combat Reflexes can be useful for a Predator Druid since they can substitute some of their Beast Form at-wills for opportunity attacks and its important that they hit with them.

Armor Proficiency feats don't much help Druids since they can't wear Heavy Armor without losing some of their benefits and they already start with access to hide. Likewise with Shields since they would have to drop them when in Beast Form. Defensive Mobility is a good choice for Predator Druids since you are trying to remain mobile and hit the right targets with your melee abilities. Toughness can also be a good idea for any druid who plans to be in melee range often.

Improved Initiative is a good feat for utility, as you want to disable important enemies before they can act. Durable is also a good choice so that you can go longer between extended rests. If you plan on using rituals often, or you are the sole Ritual Caster in your party, consider taking Expert Ritualist to aid in their use.

Druid specific feats are good in general, but none are totally necessary in Heroic Tier. Enraged Boar Form gives you +1 to attack and +2 damage while you charge in Beast Form, while Ferocious Tiger form gives you +2 damage with combat advantage in Beast Form. I favor the second because as a Predator Druid it is easier to get into flanking position, and this boost in damage may be almost constant. Primal Fury is a feat specific to Primal Predator druids that gives you +1 to attacks against bloodied creatures, which is a good filler if you find you have an extra feat slot while the Guardian specific feat allows you to let an ally reroll initiative, which is useful but probably not worth a feat on most builds.

Power Selection

Druids have 8 total at-will powers to choose from, so this section will be a little longer than usual. Three of these powers are Beast Form powers, so you must take at least one of them.

Call of the Beast is an implement power that targets an area burst 1, hits each creature and makes it so that they can't gain combat advantage. Also, anyone hit by the target takes 5 + Wisdom Modifier damage if they don't make an attack that includes your nearest ally. The use for this power is so situational that I can't really see myself ever taking it when the other Druid at-wills are so much better. It can be used to make a target that hasn't been marked by your defender attack your defender, but the problem is that if they're already close to the defender, you might hit some allies with this power. Which means that your allies either have to attack eachother or take damage and they can't gain combat advantage. Overall I'd say this power is something you should pass on, regardless of build.

Chill Wind is another area burst 1 that hits all creatures but this one deals 1d6 cold damage and slides the target 1 square. This power is a great minion killer that doesn't really deal too much collateral damage and if you hit your ally can even help you slide them into flanking positions. If your druid is going to stay mainly Beast Form, I'd probably consider taking this at-will so that you can still have a minion killer to use when not using Wild Shape.

Flame Seed is an implement power that hits a single target within 10 squares. It deals 1d6 fire damage, and the squares adjacent to the target become a fiery zone that lasts until the end of your next turn. Any enemy that starts its turn or enters the zone takes fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier. This is your other option as a minion killer and area damage spell as a Druid. What's really nice is that if you hit a target with this right before he goes, he is going to take the damage from the fire from it if he wants to move at all, since he will have to pass through the zone.

Grasping Claws is the first of the Beast Form powers and it deals 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage and slows the target until the end of your next turn. You might find this kind of underwhelming since it only hits a single target and has to be used from melee, but this power can also be used as a basic melee attack. Which means that you can stop enemies from getting by you and attacking your enemies with your opportunity attacks. Regardless of build, I would make sure to have either this or Savage Rend within your repertoire.

Pounce is another Beast Form power and it deals the same damage as Grasping Claws but instead of slowing it, it causes the target to grant combat advantage to the next creature that attacks it before the end of your next turn. This ability can also be used in place of a basic melee attack when charging which is nice, but I'd still say its the least useful of the Beast Form powers in general. However, if you have a rogue in your party, especially if they're crossbow based, then you should take this power as it will probably be more useful to aid him in dealing his sneak attack damage every round.

Savage Rend is much like Grasping Claws except that it slides the target 1 square instead of slowing them. It can still be used as a basic melee attack. I do like Grasping Claws just a bit better because suddenly reducing someone to 2 movement when they're trying to move past you can pretty much end their move, as where in the same application this just effectively reduces their movement by 1. However, if your party has several melee characters, you might be able to slide them into a square where if they continue their movement, it will provoke further attacks of opportunity, so it does have that advantage. Also, outside of opportunity attacks, this power has other positioning uses for setting up flanking or ruining enemy flanking position.

Storm Spike is a range 10 implement power that deals 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. If the target doesn't move at least 2 squares on its next turn, it takes lightning damage equal to your wisdom modifier. The reason I like this is it makes it impossible for most enemies to just shift, so you can almost guarantee some extra damage with it if you cast it on an enemy who's already in melee by making them trigger opportunity attacks or take the damage. It can also be used to force ranged monsters closer to your party in some situations just like Thorn Whip.

Speaking of Thorn Whip, it deals the same damage as Storm Spike but pulls the enemy 2 squares instead of forcing them to move. There are definitely times where this will come in hand more than Storm Spike, but Storm Spike is probably going to be slightly more useful for you overall. However, this power targets Fortitude and only one other Druid power, Chill Wind, does that. So you might consider taking it just to vary the defenses you attack.

The first Encounter Power is Cull The Herd. It's a Beast Form power, but unlike the vast majority of those powers, it is range 5. It also targets Will, which is relatively rare for Druids as well. The power deals 2d8 + Wisdom Modifier damage, and it pulls the target 3 squares, so it is kind of like a glorified Thorn Whip, but honestly I just can't see this power being all that useful. It can be used to pull an enemy back into melee, but you could also charge them if you were still in Beast Form, or shift and begin hitting them from range if you aren't. If you really want to have a power that targets Will, I'd consider taking this, but otherwise, I'd pass.

Darting Bite is another Beast Form power but its a Melee attack that targets one or two creatures and targets Reflex. It deals 1d10 + Wisdom modifier damage, and if at least one attack hits you can shift 2 squares. If you chose Primal Predator as your aspect, you can instead shift a number of squares equal to your dexterity modifier. If you really want to take a Beast Form power, than I'd take this one, as it can help set up positioning, and attacks multiple targets.

Frost Flash is a range 10 attack against Fortitude that deals 1d6 + Wisdom modifier cold damage and immobilizes the target until the end of your next turn. It's great for keeping melee attackers at range. If you're a Primal Guardian Druid than it deals additional damage equal to your Constitution modifier, but that's really just an extra bonus since you're not a damage dealing class, and this can be an effective power regardless of Primal Aspect.

The last level 1 encounter power is Twisting Vines and it targets a burst 1 within 10 squares and attacks reflex. It hits each creature in burst for 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage and each square adjacent to the target becomes difficult terrain until the end of your next turn. This is nice because it can make it impossible for enemies to shift, but it can also hinder allies. However, if hitting multiple enemies, it can create a pretty large area of difficult terrain, which you can use to an advantage to prevent enemies from charging or to hinder their escape.

The Druid has outstanding daily powers, and they start right from level 1. Faerie fire is another burst 1 within 10 squares power, though it targets Will. If it hits, the target is slowed and grants combat advantage until it makes a save. The aftereffect is 3d6 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn. If you miss entirely, it still deals 1d6+ Wisdom modifier radiant damage and the target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn. This power is fantastic. It targets a commonly weak defense, hinders your enemy, and deals decent damage when they save, all the while being effective even if it misses. It also deals a damage type that is rarely resisted, and almost all undead are vulnerable to. This is a great power, and one of the standouts at its level.

Fires of Life targets the same area, but attacks Reflex. It deals 1d6 + Wisdom modifier fire damage and an ongoing 5 fire damage. If the target drops to 0 hit points before it saves against the ongoing damage, one creature of your choice within 5 squares of it regains hit points equal to 5 + your constitution modifier. If they make their save the after-effect is that a creature within 5 squares regains hit points equal to your constitution modifier. On a miss the attack simply does half damage. This power is good for a Guardian Druid who is in a party light on healing, because it can heal multiple targets for small amounts and doesn't cost anyone healing surges. It doesn't do a lot to control the enemy's actions though, and that may be what your party is expecting of you.

Savage Frenzy is the only Beast Form power in the level 1 daily category. It is a close burst 1 that targets reflex and deals 1d6 + Wisdom modifier damage and slows the target until they make a save. If it misses, it deals half damage and slows until the end of your next turn. If you are absolutely inclined to use almost all Beast Form powers than I guess this is your only option, but otherwise I just can't see using this power when its contemporaries are so much better.

Wind Prison is a single target ranged 10 power that hits Reflex. It deals really good damage, 2d10 + Wisdom modifier, and causes the target to grant combat advantage until it moves or until the end of the encounter. If the target moves, all enemies within 5 squares of the target is knocked prone. This can be great for keeping an elite monster in place and getting a bonus to hit it for most of the encounter, because unless it is a ranged monster, it's probably not going to want to risk knocking all of its allies prone, and if it does, that's a pretty good advantage for you too. I would probably choose Faerie Fire or Fires of Life over this in most situations, but depending on the party and the campaign this might be the superior option for you.

The first level 2 utility power is Barkskin. Its a minor action that targets you or an ally and grants a power bonus to AC equal to your Constitution modifier until the end of your next turn. While this isn't an amazing ability by any means, it is the only encounter power of the bunch, and its probably something you can make use of every single encounter, and will prevent at least one attack from hitting in all likelihood.

Fleet Pursuit gives you a power bonus to speed equal to your Dexterity modifier until the end of the encounter, but its a daily power and it will be really rare that you need more than 7 speed (which you likely already have if you are considering this power, you might even have 8 speed) in an encounter unless it is heavily based around outdoor areas instead of dungeon crawling.

Obscuring Mist targets an area burst 1 within 10 and is a standard action. It creates a zone of lightly obscured squares that lasts until the end of your next turn. If you sustain it with a minor action, it grows by size 1 to a maximum of burst 5. This can be great to grant allies some additional defense against ranged monsters especially, and aside from Barkskin is probably the most utilitarian option.

Skittering Sneak allows you to assume the form of a tiny natural beast. It gives you a +5 bonus to stealth checks but you can't pick up anything or manipulate objects. Until the encounter ends you can use wild shape to shift between this form, your beast form, and your humanoid form. This power is probably not going to be very useful in combat ever, but can help you spy on an enemy or see what's in the next room a lot of times, so it will definitely see some use unless your party is the "Bust down every door and run in screaming" type. I like this power just because it can be really cool flavor wise, and seems like something a Druid would be able to do.

Multiclassing

With all the new classes that use Wisdom for their attacks, you have plenty of options including Avenger, Invoker, Cleric and Shaman. Depending on what you are going for, these can be effective in varying levels. Multiclassing Cleric and taking healing spells can be nice to raise your utility to your group, and Shaman can do largely the same, but since you drop any weapon you are holding when you shift into Beast Form Avenger isn't that useful and Invokers do mostly the same things you already do anyway.

Overall Druid is not the most multiclass friendly class, since weapons are largely useless to it. Guardian Druids could multiclass Warlock for some striker powers if they take the Constitution powers, though I'm not sure how you reconcile the flavor of the two different classes, especially if you aren't taking the Fey Pact powers.

Combat Strategies

Between the hit and run tactics, switching in and out of Beast Form, and the unique nature of many of your powers, Druids are one of the most complex classes currently in the game. They are a hard class for new players to learn and master, and I would tell any new player who wants to play one right up front that its probably not a good way to learn the game.

However, Druids can be valuable in ways that no other Controllers can. By attacking from range, then shifting into Beast Form and positioning yourself to provoke opportunity attacks from enemies attempting to get to your allies, you can seriously hinder an enemy advance. On the next round you can then use Wild Shape to return to humanoid form, shifting back from the enemy so that you can make a safe escape to range and then hit them with Storm Spike or another ranged power on that turn. This kind of tactic isn't something any other class can really do well at, but the druid is built for it.

Many of the Druid powers create zones, and you'll need to be careful not to hinder your allies with these, so really think about where you position them. The Druids can also grow a lot of these zones by sustaining them, so in large area encounters, they maintain a level of control that Wizards can't hope to, but in confined spaces and hallways might find themselves more limited than the other controllers.

If you have a good understanding of 4th Edition's combat mechanics, and you want a class that opens up a lot of strategic options for you and your party, this class would be a good choice for you, plus who doesn't want to shapeshift into a man-sized beast anyway? Druids, despite what I've read about them on many other forums, and despite my own initial impressions, are a great class that plays in a unique way, and add a whole new dimension to the Controller role.