Caster Druid

[OrphineM]

* Foreword/Updates *

First and foremost, a shoutout to Bardamu and mortimer_85 for their excellent guide, which this one draws a lot of useful compiled data from; alongside everyone who contributed.
https://forum.median-xl.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=43016
Some gear, skill, uber suggestions are still very valid. Our important stats haven't changed other than wanting to now invest into minion resistance under a poisoner spec.

This guide is also a work-in-progress with updates as I can solve them with a quickness. Progression from 1-120 is covered in simple and useful detail though, and mainly for poison druid. Seer druid is a work-in-progress as it's built and I learn more from this patch. Roadmap items: Progression tips for normal/nightmare, Crafting reference, endgame stuff

* 2.1 notes *
No changes to the caster druid itself. TU strength requirements more smoothly scale up to sacred levels, so mind your str requirements.

* 2.0 notes *

► Show Spoiler

2.0 has changed quite a bit that makes things weird/interesting, and should be considered if you're coming from 1.8 or earlier:

* No more easy access to pierce via No runes. They were moved to poison runes in Teganze, so it'll take a LOT longer to get optimal pierce.
* Nihlathak farming in normal got nerfed to 2 TUs instead of 3. And the mobs there are even worse.
* We now have very early access to some mana sustain courtesy of Meditation being available from the start. Laadan is still an excellent swap choice once you get the runes for it.
* Barkskin no longer benefits from soft points. This does lower the value of +skills somewhat, but still worth it for damage.

* Introduction *

Caster Druid is an excellent starter character with a constant stream of upgrades meaning he's never behind the curve. Caster Druid is a simple and easy-to-play caster character with solid damage output especially with Bloom, solid survivability out the gate especially with Barkskin access and sturdy minions, and can cleanly farm 120 areas with no real issue just in hobo gear. From there there's many ways you could build a caster; either acquiring some incredibly powerful poison gear, or swapping over to Fire/Ice.

As for me, I've been starting a caster druid every single season since 1.3, and I'm (as of this posting) the only poison caster at 140+. I'm hoping work here will change that, but I always stand by the build just being overall an excellent starter with potential to reward some real investment down the line.

* Pros / Cons *

Pros:

* Solid survivability courtesy of Barkskin, sturdy minions, and some new 2.0 defensive layers
* Excellent damage via Bloom synergy leading to some very interesting gearing choices
* Comfortably can farm any 120 zone in just TUs/honorifics; even fauzt with some upgrades.
* Also can comfortably contend with Scosglen barring some nasty Etherborn or Spriggan spam. Might be a simple solution tho.

Cons:

* You're not going to actually go straight up poison out the gate. It's simply not as strong as Fire/Ice at first.
* There is a LOT of crafting involved, especially if you want to advance beyond 120.
* Not the most powerful boss killer. Consider a seer/bear spec for this.
* A lot of your damage comes from your Harvester auras, so if they're dying constantly, you'll struggle. Keeping them alive is impossible in some ubers making them even worse.

* Breakpoints *

(shamelessly stolen)
FCR:
24/46/86/174 (6 fpa) - Stave
11/24/78/142 (7 fpa) - 1 Hand Swing (Swords, Daggers, Sceptres,...)
FHR:
24/40/70/133/360 (4 fpa) - Stave
39/56/86/152/377 (4 fpa) - 1 Hand Swing (Swords, Daggers, Sceptres,...)
FBR:
32/42/52/68/86/120/174/280/600 (7 fpa)

Additionally, the following breakpoints are needed to completely break enemy resistance for maximum damage/duration:

- 135 for normal mobs
- 160 for Astrogha and Uldyssian
- 170 for most other bosses
- 190+ for Samael, Deimoss, Phoboss.

Since poison duration is cut by resistance, pierce is doubly important compared to other elements' pierce needs.

* Skills *

* Nature Tree *

Harvest: A small, melee-sized AOE. Does high poison damage and provides some regen while casting it. It has synergies with Harvesters (who gain more health per point in this skill). 1 point at first; add more later as needed for tankier Harvesters. A theoretical bossing spec would max this, but that's in testing currently.

Infected Roots: A delayed, large AOE that expands from it's target, hits multiple times in the center. This is your main damage spell. The delay is relevant to note, so make sure to aim just ahead of your targets if they're moving. Remember you can hold right-click, drag it to 'paint' an area, great for large swarms. You can also click a target and hold to constantly cast roots at your target, even if they teleport away, as long as they remain in line of sight. Try casting ahead of where you're walking; if mobs rush you, you double back and drop more roots for more damage. Max this, but not at first unless you want to struggle with mana costs.

Barkskin: Passive. Increases HP and defense, pretty self-explanatory. 20 points gets you the full benefit, with diminshing returns afterwards. Unfortunately no longer benefits from +skills.

Elvensong: Summons a short-lived minion that charms enemies for you. 1

Harvesters: Your own personal SWAT team. Caps at 5 minions with 12 points invested. Invest beyond this to taste if you need beefier minions.

Bloom: Passive. Bolsters your harvesters with an aura that applies to all allies; when maxed, it converts your minion resistance to even more spell damage at a 140% conversion rate, and a cool free 60% move speed to boot. Max it and don't look back.

Growth: Passive. Grants a bunch of minion resistances (read: spell damage) and synergizes with vine companion, giving even more minion res per point. Max it and don't look back.

* Seer Tree *

This guide is focused on poison for now, but you still will need to dip into this tree. In the early game, feel free to dump into ember spirit, hunting banshee, and rain of fire to your liking. Hell, even try out Hurricane; you have infinite respecs from Akara until level 50.

Pagan Rites: Consumes corpses around you and instantly heals you. Only one point needed, but feel free to add more to taste if you don't like the cooldown.

Rain of Fire: Excellent single-target early in the game, and even to 120 bosses with sufficient pierce, 1 point wonder.

* Mastery Tree *

You can only invest in three skills, and what you might need to invest in may change based on your gear.
Early game: Meditation (max), Purity (1+ point), Tenacity (max)
Later on: Tenacity (max)

Meditation: Mastery passive, grants more mana and mana regen. Damn good, max it early.

Purity: Provides poison/curse length reduction for you. Invest to taste, but early game feel free to max it.

Melee Devotion: lol

Tenacity: Provides physical res, 1% per point up to 5. Max it.

Endurance: Provides more life, 1% per point up to 10. We're not a necromancer, so we don't get 2%. Good skill, but we get plenty of life from other sources.
Max it if you're doing purify bosses like witch, laz, also great for yshari.

Continuity: Increases the duration of all your buff/debuff skills. Doesn't apply to poison damage though. I don't use it, but you might.

Specialization: Increases all active skills' max level you can invest by 1 per 2 base points, up to 10. This has utility in being able to both increase avoid from Symbiosis (5%!), and bolster one spell even further (Infected Roots or Harvest). Use with Force of Nature, as Vine Companion needs 15 points; Specialization and Survival Instinct are 11 points, with 4 going to a boosted max skill instead.

Chemistry: Improves your potion healing by a lot, at the expense of (useless for casters) leech. Absolutely great for sustain.

* Reward Tree *

Mythal: Curse that cuts enemy resistances by 20%. Great spell. 1 point, but feel free to add more if the cooldown is an issue.

Vine Companion: Uberskill that summons a pretty-hard-to-kill minion. It's attack slows enemies in an area, provides 5-19% life aura depending on investment, and synergizes with Bloom/Growth for spell damage. Max it.

Survival Instincts: Provides weapon damage (not relevant for us), spell focus, and 10 physical resistance. 1 point in this lategame, and pair it up with the Specialization mastery.

Symbiosis: Your black road skill from defeating Buyard Cholik. Gives you increasing life regen with points in Harvesters (to 20), and avoid. Max it.

* Stats *

This is a very generalized spread; keep in mind there are ways to help reach those lofty stat goals like MOs in honorifics for up to 50 points in each stat, charms from early uberlevels with attributes, etc.

Str: Enough for gear; This is going to cap as high as 595 for Fangskin Greaves.
Dex: Enough for gear; T4 Dubhdroiacht takes 126. The highest required dexterity value is 269 for a T4 war staff; only worth it once you have charms helping this one out though; it's an inefficient use of stats to rush that item.
Energy: All the rest.
Vit: None.

* Early Game (1-100) *

2.0 has increased the overall difficulty of normal and nightmare, so things are going to be challenging out the gate. Poison really doesn't get online until you get the TU staff, so we're going to level as Fire / Ice up until 45-50 and then respec, courtesy of the free respecs until level 50 with Akara in normal difficulty. Plenty of gear is shared between the specs this early on, so we can still acquire poison gear while levelling as Fire/Ice.

* Skills *

There's actually *two* different skill distributions here. First is Fire/Ice, which is pretty simple:

MAX: Barkskin, Spiritual Alignment, Ember Spirit (any other dmg spell is also good), Meditation
1 point wonders: Harvest, Elvensong, Harvesters, Hunting Banshee, Purity, Mythal

* Stick to the seer tree as your main source of damage.
* Elementals/hunting banshee are great for normal crowds, rain of fire is excellent single-target damage. Hurricane is a weird but very cool aoe with a leech upgrade.
* You should still put points into the nature tree for Elvensong, Barkskin, and Harvesters, as all of them are excellent defensive layers to have.
* Other than that, dump into whatever Fire/Ice spell you like. I'd recommend Ember Spirit just to get more missiles every 7 points you invest into it.

Respec to the following once you have at least a TU Gnarled Staff. Ideally have a T4 honorific ready to be MOed for minion resistances, strength:

MAX: Barkskin (to 20), Bloom, Growth, Harvesters (in multiples of 3 for minions; eventually to 20), Infected Roots, Meditation, Vine Companion (when unlocked)
1 point wonders: Harvest, Elvensong, Pagan Rites, Rain of Fire (single target), Mythal (when unlocked)

* Gear *

Weapon:

Pax Mystica

Pax Mystica
Staves
'Tir'
Runeword Level: 10
+1 to All Skills
+7% to Spell Damage
+(2 to 5) to Blink
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
(11 to 13)% Magic Find

->

Dubhdroiacht

Helm:

Honor

Honor
Helms
'Tal'
Runeword Level: 20
7% Movement Speed
+7% to Spell Damage
Elemental Resists +7%
Poison Length Reduced by (10 to 15)%
-7% to All Vendor Prices

->

Glowskull

Glowskull
Crown (4)
Defense: (164 - 187) to (248 - 281)
Required Level: 10
Required Strength: 26 to 29
Item Level: 19
+(6 to 8)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(4 to 6)% to Poison Spell Damage
-3% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(16 to 25)%
(11 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(11 to 20)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (561 - 620) to (785 - 868)
Required Level: 28
Required Strength: 50 to 56
Item Level: 36
+(11 to 13)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(10 to 12)% to Poison Spell Damage
-6% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(81 to 100)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(36 to 45)%
(21 to 30)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(16 to 25)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1272 - 1392) to (1754 - 1920)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 165 to 186
Item Level: 67
+(16 to 18)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(16 to 18)% to Poison Spell Damage
-9% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(101 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(56 to 65)%
(31 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(21 to 30)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1911 - 2076) to (2614 - 2839)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 306 to 349
Item Level: 85
+(18 to 20)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(18 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
-12% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(121 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(66 to 75)%
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(26 to 35)%
Socketed (4)

/

Ra

Ra
Helms
'ShaelThul'
Runeword Level: 35
Living Flame Gives +1% Fire Spell Damage per 8 Character Levels
+1 to All Skills
+10% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
35% Cast Speed
-(7 to 10)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(7 to 10)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
Attacker Flees after Striking (11 to 15)%
Cold Resist +25%
Poison Resist +25%
(7 to 13)% Gold Find
7% Magic Find

in a T4 Cap.
Chest:

Akara's Robe

->

Queen of Glass

Queen of Glass
Ancient Armor (4)
Defense: (315 - 344) to (630 - 688)
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 33 to 34
Item Level: 29
15% Cast Speed
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(76 to 125) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Requirements -(11 to 15)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (899 - 969) to (1718 - 1852)
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 57 to 60
Item Level: 40
25% Cast Speed
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(176 to 225) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Requirements -(21 to 25)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2084 - 2224) to (3911 - 4173)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 175 to 186
Item Level: 67
35% Cast Speed
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(276 to 325) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(41 to 45)%
Cold Resist +(41 to 45)%
Requirements -(31 to 35)%
Socketed (5)
Defense: (3013 - 3202) to (5650 - 6005)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 323 to 344
Item Level: 85
40% Cast Speed
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(326 to 375) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(46 to 50)%
Cold Resist +(46 to 50)%
Requirements -(36 to 40)%
Socketed (6)

Belt:

Rainbow

Rainbow
Belts
'Eth'
Runeword Level: 15
+5% to Spell Damage
+(6 to 10)% to Summoned Minion Resistances
Regenerate Mana +(5 to 10)%
Elemental Resists +(10 to 15)%
(6 to 8)% Magic Find
+2 to Light Radius

-> T4 Honorific Sash
Gloves:

Enlightenment

Enlightenment
Gloves
'El'
Runeword Level: 6
10% Combat Speeds
2% Life stolen per Hit
2% Mana stolen per Hit
+5 to all Attributes
+(3 to 5) Life Regenerated per Second
Lightning Resist +15%
+(4 to 6) to Light Radius

->

Vilehand

Vilehand
Leather Gloves (4)
Defense: 6 to 8
Required Level: 1
Required Strength: 25
Item Level: 1
+(3 to 5)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(6 to 10)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (31 to 35)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: 70 to 75
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 31
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
+(6 to 8)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(11 to 15)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (36 to 40)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 176 to 184
Required Level: 34
Required Strength: 175
Item Level: 51
+1 to All Skills
+(8 to 10)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(16 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (41 to 45)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: 243 to 258
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 350
Item Level: 77
+1 to All Skills
+(11 to 13)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (46 to 50)%
Socketed (4)

/ T4 Honorific Leather Gloves
Boots:

Epicenter

Epicenter
Boots
'Ith'
Runeword Level: 18
0.0625% Chance of Crushing Blow (Based on Character Level)
+(4 to 15)% Enhanced Defense
+(40 to 60) to Life
Elemental Resists +(3 to 5)%

-> T4 Honorific Boots
Jewelry: No real suggestions here, but look for the usual good stats. +skills, +spell damage, life, etc. Rares work perfectly fine here.

Sockets:
- Honorifics should use resistance gems (Bloodstone, Onyx, Turquoise, Amber).
- Lum Runes = 7% poison spell damage. Shael runes add duration. Diamonds in the staff.
- Runewords can use any jewels before the runes (NOT GEMS!), don't care for the rolls right now.
MOs:
- Weapon: Cast Speed -> Minion Resistance -> Poison Spell Damage
- Armors: Minion Resistance, Poison Spell Damage, Energy
- Honorifics: Prioritize Strength and some Dexterity first for gear requirements, then armor suggestions above.

* Early Hell / Midgame (100-120) *

* Skills *

The earlygame plan still is in effect here. Once you unlock Tenacity, max it asap. Similarly, a few points in Endurance or Continunity is absolutely solid here.

* Gear *

(Crafts use Shimmering shrines for poison pierce. From there use Magical or Eerie shrines for more damage. Reference available soon.)

Weapon:

Dubhdroiacht

->

Aes Dana

Aes Dana
Staves
'SurUmOhm'
Runeword Level: 75
+(6 to 7) to Druid Skill Levels
45% Hit Recovery
+(30 to 40)% to Poison Spell Damage
-10% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(50 to 60)% to Summoned Minion Life
+(70 to 80)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+50% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(100 to 200) to Life
Maximum Mana +40%
Regenerate Mana +15%
Elemental Resists +60%

in a T4 War Staff
Helm:

Glowskull

Glowskull
Crown (4)
Defense: (164 - 187) to (248 - 281)
Required Level: 10
Required Strength: 26 to 29
Item Level: 19
+(6 to 8)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(4 to 6)% to Poison Spell Damage
-3% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(16 to 25)%
(11 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(11 to 20)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (561 - 620) to (785 - 868)
Required Level: 28
Required Strength: 50 to 56
Item Level: 36
+(11 to 13)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(10 to 12)% to Poison Spell Damage
-6% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(81 to 100)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(36 to 45)%
(21 to 30)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(16 to 25)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1272 - 1392) to (1754 - 1920)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 165 to 186
Item Level: 67
+(16 to 18)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(16 to 18)% to Poison Spell Damage
-9% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(101 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(56 to 65)%
(31 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(21 to 30)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1911 - 2076) to (2614 - 2839)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 306 to 349
Item Level: 85
+(18 to 20)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(18 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
-12% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(121 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +(66 to 75)%
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -(26 to 35)%
Socketed (4)

/

Ra

Ra
Helms
'ShaelThul'
Runeword Level: 35
Living Flame Gives +1% Fire Spell Damage per 8 Character Levels
+1 to All Skills
+10% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
35% Cast Speed
-(7 to 10)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(7 to 10)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
Attacker Flees after Striking (11 to 15)%
Cold Resist +25%
Poison Resist +25%
(7 to 13)% Gold Find
7% Magic Find

-> Crafted Druid Helm.
Chest:

Queen of Glass

Queen of Glass
Ancient Armor (4)
Defense: (315 - 344) to (630 - 688)
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 33 to 34
Item Level: 29
15% Cast Speed
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(76 to 125) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Requirements -(11 to 15)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (899 - 969) to (1718 - 1852)
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 57 to 60
Item Level: 40
25% Cast Speed
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(176 to 225) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Requirements -(21 to 25)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2084 - 2224) to (3911 - 4173)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 175 to 186
Item Level: 67
35% Cast Speed
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(276 to 325) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(41 to 45)%
Cold Resist +(41 to 45)%
Requirements -(31 to 35)%
Socketed (5)
Defense: (3013 - 3202) to (5650 - 6005)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 323 to 344
Item Level: 85
40% Cast Speed
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(326 to 375) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(46 to 50)%
Cold Resist +(46 to 50)%
Requirements -(36 to 40)%
Socketed (6)

-> Crafted Quilted Armor /

Robe of Steel

Robe of Steel
Full Plate Mail (Sacred)
Defense: (6692 - 7471) to (8202 - 9156)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 469
Item Level: 105
+(11 to 20)% Bonus to Spell Focus
25% Cast Speed
+(21 to 30)% to Spell Damage
+(115 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
+100 to Strength
+100 to Energy
Elemental Resists +20%
+250 Life after each Demon Kill
50% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -33%
Socketed (6)

Belt: T4 Honorific -> Sacred Honorific (blessed with Shimmering) /

Ashaera's Armor

Ashaera's Armor
Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 1687 to 1760
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 575
Item Level: 105
+(21 to 25) Spell Focus
+(11 to 15)% to Spell Damage
+500 Defense
(11 to 15)% to Energy
Elemental Resists +(10 to 15)%
Physical Resist 10%
Socketed (2)

Gloves:

Vilehand

Vilehand
Leather Gloves (4)
Defense: 6 to 8
Required Level: 1
Required Strength: 25
Item Level: 1
+(3 to 5)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(6 to 10)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (31 to 35)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: 70 to 75
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 31
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
+(6 to 8)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(11 to 15)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (36 to 40)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 176 to 184
Required Level: 34
Required Strength: 175
Item Level: 51
+1 to All Skills
+(8 to 10)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(16 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (41 to 45)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: 243 to 258
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 350
Item Level: 77
+1 to All Skills
+(11 to 13)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
Poison Length Reduced by (46 to 50)%
Socketed (4)

-> Crafted Leather Gloves
Boots: T4 Honorific -> Sacred Honorific / Crafted Sash
Jewelry: Rares still work. Suggested unique options:

Gallowlaugh

Gallowlaugh
Amulet
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 110
+1 to All Skills
+50% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
-(20 to 30)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+1 to Sacrifices
Poison Length Reduced by 50%

,

Sigil of Tur Dulra

Sigil of Tur Dulra
Ring
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 105
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(15 to 20)% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
20% Cast Speed
-(1 to 10)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
Elemental Resists +(20 to 25)%

,

Dreamcatcher

,

Astrogha's Moon

Astrogha's Moon
(Wyrd Set)

Darkling
Viper Skin
Angel of Death

Set Bonus with 2 or more set items:
Maximum Poison Resist +2%
Poison Resist +75%

Set Bonus with complete set:
-25% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+23 to Amatoxin
Slow Target 5%

. Other options exist in the documentation.

Sockets:
- The above is still fine, but now there are Poison runes (-3 pierce, lv100 req) and Gul-crafted jewels that can be made with innate minion res, poison spell damage, 15 spell focus, combat speed mods, life, or 2% to a stat to use.
- Runewords lock jewels in, so make damn sure your jewels are as you like em for a new item.
MOs:
- Same as before, but also consider hit recovery MOs.

* Endgame (125+) *

WIP

* Skills *

WIP

* Gear *

WIP

* Mercenaries *

Anything works here. The old wisdom of using a barb merc is still entirely valid as a way to draw fire and help punch through annoying absorbs in teganze/help fight early ubers.
An excellent document on mercenaries is here: Hireling Handbook
A TU setup for the barb before going into hell is incredibly nice to have but not at all required; just make some creepy crafts, patch his resists with gems/mos/jewels; stack out with Ko runes.

Late-game, I like abjurer mercs to help farm Fautzinville.

* Ubers *

Keeping this one simple for now. Might do videos for tricky ubers later. But basic tl;dr for ubers 105-120:

VERY EASY

* Butcher: Walk in and kill. Mind the fire statues and just let your minions/mercenary tank; even a naked barb mercenary can solo this guy.
* Infernal Machine: Tank and spank; try to get yourself in position and try to blast it down asap. Back up and pull trash away when there's a critical mass of stuff shooting at you to manage the crowd size.
* Island of the Sunless Sea: Use Infected Roots liberally to try and pop the invisible mobs, sweeping areas ahead to not be surprised by them. Take it slow otherwise, and mind the sunless angels. Worth getting a -5 enemy res charm here.
* Invasion I: A pretty simple fight. First is is his Lightning Rift, which are circles that have a delayed Lightning Bolt do an absurd amount of damage; don't stand in these. Also stand near him otherwise to help avoid the spiral bolts he throws. Perfect ambers are useful.
* Death Projector: Walk in and kill. Mind the beam and mind standing near minions; the beam explodes on contact and it's a pretty funny way to lose this uber.

EASY

* Cow Level: Same approach as island of the sunless seas. Mind the zerg rush and definitely cover your advances and retreats with roots. Great for levelling to 115 and shrines
* Torajan Jungles: Less hectic, has rune and signet bias. Farm here if you're looking for low-grade Enchanted Runes.
* Jitan: Pretty easy. Just tank, mind the fortresses that get spammed and disengage if there's too many. He casts Pestilence at low hp.
* Akarat: Damage check. Just namelock him and spam roots on him; if he doesn't die, you'll need more damage. He's pretty easy though.
* Assault on Mount Arreat: Pretty easy, just mind getting stunlocked since diablo has shit frames.
* Binding of Baal: Lots of element spam; make sure you have 75+ all res and try to clear some of the density quickly.
Inquisitor of the Triune: Keep your distance and out-poison him. Exit through the portal if you're gonna die to avoid the soulstealer effect. Overall easy.
* Creatuure of Flame: Tank and spank. Just make sure to manage the portals so there aren't so many adds.

NORMAL

* Kurast 3000 BA: Pretty easy. Set drop bias, so you might get stuff to try other builds.
* Tran Athulua: It's exactly like the first level challenge when you get your sunstone, only more annoying. Trophy gives 5pr and is worth farming on a different build for sanity's sake.
* Library of Fate: The ear farm. Standard tank-and-spank approach.
* Bull Prince Rodeo: Hope you like spammed shockwave stun attacks. Moofy the Bovine Slayer here has an annoying hoofstomp that's physical, knocksback, stuns. Also summons chickens to chase and fire cows to come down in a random pattern. Easy, just really really annoying.
* Rathma Square: Stuff here doesn't stay dead. He's pretty squishy, just use minions to distract and tank your way to him at the far bottom corner of the area.
* Black Road: Manage him by teleporting directly into the fire ring and lure him in. Try to keep minions up and get him down in one go. If a large horde is summoned, disengage, kill them, and repeat.
* Legacy of Blood: Pay attention to the floor. When a golem dies, a bomb is set at your feet. If it goes directly off on you, you die, else it's manageable fire damage. So keep moving and just have minions tank bartuc. Pretty easy.
* The Veiled Prophet: Don't move when you enter. Just let minions tank, wait for the orb to stop shooting, then nuke it. Then kill the pilgrims and nuke Inarius.
* Heart of Sin: Tank and spank, just mind the invisible unkillable and intangible enemies here like the firebloods. Might have to do a few hit-and-run attempts to kill him.
* Invasion II: Perfect Ambers really help here (aim for 83+ light res). Fight is like before but he's even tougher and has a new mechanic; he'll summon a relatively weak ice shambler, and with it a blue circle. Stand inside that circle or the boss' fire aura will kill you in short order, and don't kill the shambler until the fire icon disappears from above his head. Fight is otherwise the same; don't stand in explodey circles, stand in the cool blue ones, and stand near him otherwise to minimize the spiral bolt.

HARD

* Teganze: Pretty simple, now with a side of dodgin' disco. You'll waste more time trying to kill absorbs than just ignoring the stragglers in most cases. Poison guys aint that dangerous otherwise. Zagraal at the center hurts like a truck, with the annoying ability to go invincible at random via batform. He will chase your ass down across the map too, he's fast. Use minions to distract; spam them during batform around him erratically to minimize the damage of his attacks. If you need to disengage, summon minions and run away.
* Triune: Enemies are easy, mind the temple spires (those meteors hurt) and the flying electric guys, they hurt too. Make sure to Unsummon your minions so you can more easily lure Lucion over to Malic.
* Duncraig: Great farming zone; just take it slow at first, mind the barrels (don't walk in the same place twice), and really learn to lead packs with roots to not die. Assur takes two purifies, but you can use minions to draw his fire.
* Judgment Day: This one is just rough. Malthael is a bit easier than Imperius. Tank and spank, for now you only need the charm itself. The upgrade is more easily achieved with better gear.
Twin Seas: Pretty easy, just spam minions and namelock her to deal with the teleport spam.
* Quov Tsin: He hurts a LOT. Get some throwaway jewelry and MO in physical damage reduction. Fill gear with resistance gems and shoot for 83+ allres (you can unsocket non-runeword stuff). Even with our minion res investment he still splats them in short order, so only expect them to live for a second or two at best. Lots of hit and run.
* Kingdom of Shadow: No. This one is awful. But use your minions to lead ahead by summoning ahead to bait zombies. Walk (DON'T RUN IT DROPS YOU TO 0 DEF AND YOU WILL GET STUNLOCKED), only running to juke a pack of zombies. It is doable as a caster druid but it's better to respec to bear for this one. It's desync hell and more in the domain of high def builds; we are not one of those.
* Baal: Punishes us badly because he punishes summons in general. You really need full pierce to handle this one cleanly. Only summon one harvester for the damage aura, and pull baal or clones away when he summons them. The summon is also on-hit so don't try to tank his frost wedge or the dark explosions. Otherwise just keep moving and remember you have 20 minutes.
* Kabraxis: He pounces if you break line of sight or get too far away, so keep a bit of distance on him to manage the spells he casts. Use minions to distract if you need to disengage, otherwise to distract. WATCH YOUR FEET; those flamestrikes are pretty much instantly lethal; if you see green welling up, run immediately; it's the most likely way you will die in this fight. Otherwise make like a clock and circle around him. Will take time as a fresh 120 but is doable.


VERY HARD

⨁ Astrogha ⨁

► Show Spoiler
Video coming of this one soon-ish?

Location: Web of Deceit (Torajan Docks -> red portal -> cave near Jitan)
Reward:
Astrogha's Venom Stinger

Astrogha's Venom Stinger
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to All Skills
Jitan's Gate Cooldown Reduced by 1 seconds
+(200 to 500) to Life
Poison Length Reduced by 50%

. We want a high HP roll, but there's quite a range. Good luck.

Suggested skills: Infected Roots, Tenacity, Chemist (tanking strat), Survival Instinct
Suggested gear: Physical resistance is useful for safely tanking the Darklings.
Ashaera's Armor

Ashaera's Armor
Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 1687 to 1760
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 575
Item Level: 105
+(21 to 25) Spell Focus
+(11 to 15)% to Spell Damage
+500 Defense
(11 to 15)% to Energy
Elemental Resists +(10 to 15)%
Physical Resist 10%
Socketed (2)

is excellent.

Strategy:
- Bring no summons in *to start*. They have a tendency to break statues. Yes, we lose our aura, but we can find a reasonable way to work a Harvester in mid-engagement.
- Astrogha will throw statues at you. Do not panic, just namelock him and let Infected Roots do some work.
- Mind where he teleports. If he teleports next to you, break the engagement immediately and refresh.
- You'll be attacked by darklings spawned from his statues. Tank them with physical resistance gear, defense, and simply moving, but try to stay in an area to constrain where Astrogha throws his statues at. Remember we want to minimize the risk of a broken statue as that is the single biggest killer in this uber.
- Where to work a harvester in. If you can isolate your harvester away from you, you can have it fight darklings off to the side while still being in line of sight to get the aura and boost.
- Take some time every now and then to do some batllefield management; pull excess darklings away and clear them safely, away from Astrogha.

Notes:
- 160 pierce is needed for full damage.
- So, this uber is pretty awful. But there's a lot of ways to make this one more manageable.
- For starters, he throws statues that spawn Darklings, and when destroyed, heal him and inflict culling curse on you, which makes any hit an instant kill and slows you down to an extreme degree. For casters, this is our issue; we have strong spells but AOE can also hit statues, so you must manage those.
- He also has frozen orb, which discourages melee tactics against him. It will probably kill you if you try to tank it.
- The Darklings he spawns are there to block you from Astrogha and trigger a kill from culling curse. They also occasionally deathstrike you on death, so don't stand still if you kill them.



EXTREME

- WIP

* Crafting Reference *

* Shrinecrafting Reference *

Below is a useful table listing most of the relevant crafting affixes and their maximum values.
Shrines below are the max rolls per use, normal or bless.



* D2Filter Loot Filter *

For newer players: D2Stats is a tool that will create a notification in-game when certain items drop that you specify. 100% worth having and absolutely improves on the gameplay experience. The following is what I use to quickly find gear I'd use:

# # Early game items
# TU items
"Flamen Staff" 2 3 4
"Crown" 2 3 4
"Ancient Armor" 2 3 4
"Leather Gloves" 2 3 4
"Amulet" rare
"Ring" rare
sacred rare

# Honorific Bases
"Sash" 4 sacred
"Leather Gloves" 4 
"^Boots" 4 sacred

# Shrinecraft (early) bases
"Leather Gloves" sacred
"Sash" sacred

# Important Crafting Items
# Also make sure to remove/comment out/adjust the 'hide' filters (# at the start of line is a comment) as needed 
# You want potions and runes to be displayed.
"Rune" 
"Oil of"
"Enchanted Rune" red
"(Amber|Bloodstone|Onyx|Turquoise)" # res gems.
"(Topaz|Diamond)" # The other useful gems.
"Jewel"

[OrphineM]

reserve 1, might need later?

[OrphineM]

reserve 2

[Meaux]

Thanks for the updated guide! I appreciate your poison build perspective - I haven't had much fun with it in 2.0 and earlier because I don't really enjoy the element, but I'll be paying more attention to it thanks to your writeup. I hope you don't mind me sharing my different 1-100 experience!

I'm a big fan of going Ice for early game. Most of the gear is dex-based, and Hunting Banshees are insane damage now that they increase by 1 every 10 levels. The only annoying/finicky thing is that they depend on the AI for targeting, so where you might be trying to kill your target, they may focus on a closer one.

Weapon:

Iceflayer

Iceflayer
Crystal Sword (4)
Required Level: 11
Required Dexterity: 73
Item Level: 19
Innate Cold Damage: (10.0% of Dexterity)
+1 to Paladin Skill Levels
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
15% Attack Speed
Adds 5-6 Cold Damage
-(3 to 5)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
Physical Damage Reduced by (5 to 10)
Socketed (2)
Required Level: 30
Required Dexterity: 110
Item Level: 36
Innate Cold Damage: (15.0% of Dexterity)
+2 to Paladin Skill Levels
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
30% Attack Speed
Adds 14-20 Cold Damage
-(6 to 10)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
Physical Damage Reduced by (15 to 25)
Socketed (4)
Required Level: 48
Required Dexterity: 216
Item Level: 59
Innate Cold Damage: (20.0% of Dexterity)
+3 to Paladin Skill Levels
+3 to Druid Skill Levels
45% Attack Speed
Adds 40-60 Cold Damage
-(11 to 15)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
Physical Damage Reduced by (31 to 40)
Socketed (5)
Required Level: 57
Required Dexterity: 427
Item Level: 85
Innate Cold Damage: (25.0% of Dexterity)
+4 to Paladin Skill Levels
+4 to Druid Skill Levels
60% Attack Speed
Adds 120-160 Cold Damage
-(16 to 20)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
Physical Damage Reduced by (41 to 50)
Socketed (6)

or

Naiad King

Naiad King
Flamen Staff (4)
Two-Hand Damage: 6 to 7
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 18
Item Level: 1
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.06 per Strength)%
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+6% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
(21 to 30)% Duration Bonus to Mark of the Wild
+60 Spell Focus
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Fire Resist +(11 to 20)%
Lightning Resist +(11 to 20)%
Poison Resist +(11 to 20)%
Socketed (2)
Two-Hand Damage: 13 to 16
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 32
Item Level: 31
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.06 per Strength)%
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+9% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
(41 to 50)% Duration Bonus to Mark of the Wild
+90 Spell Focus
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Fire Resist +(31 to 40)%
Lightning Resist +(31 to 40)%
Poison Resist +(31 to 40)%
Socketed (3)
Two-Hand Damage: 22 to 27
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 69
Item Level: 51
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.06 per Strength)%
+4 to Druid Skill Levels
+12% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
(61 to 70)% Duration Bonus to Mark of the Wild
+120 Spell Focus
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Fire Resist +(51 to 60)%
Lightning Resist +(51 to 60)%
Poison Resist +(51 to 60)%
Socketed (4)
Two-Hand Damage: 27 to 33
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 138
Item Level: 77
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.06 per Strength)%
+6 to Druid Skill Levels
+15% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
(71 to 80)% Duration Bonus to Mark of the Wild
+150 Spell Focus
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Fire Resist +(61 to 70)%
Lightning Resist +(61 to 70)%
Poison Resist +(61 to 70)%
Socketed (4)

Shield:

Cloudladder

Cloudladder
Spiked Shield (4)
Defense: (102 - 116) to (203 - 230)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 7
Required Dexterity: 55
Item Level: 10
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
+20 to all Attributes
+10 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (1)
Defense: (372 - 414) to (629 - 699)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 24
Required Dexterity: 81
Item Level: 36
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(71 to 90)% Enhanced Defense
+30 to all Attributes
+20 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (4)
Defense: (920 - 1007) to (1503 - 1645)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 42
Required Dexterity: 170
Item Level: 51
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(101 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
+40 to all Attributes
+30 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1443 - 1687) to (2346 - 2743)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 51
Required Dexterity: 353
Item Level: 85
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(131 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+50 to all Attributes
+40 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (6)

Helm:

The Celestial Crown

The Celestial Crown
Circlet (4)
Defense: 22 to 47
Required Level: 4
Required Dexterity: 14
Item Level: 1
+30 Spell Focus
+(7 to 12)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(2 to 3)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(11 to 20) to Energy
Cold Resist +30%
Socketed (1)
Defense: 61 to 113
Required Level: 22
Required Dexterity: 29
Item Level: 31
+60 Spell Focus
+(15 to 20)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(5 to 6)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(21 to 30) to Energy
Cold Resist +60%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 126 to 225
Required Level: 39
Required Dexterity: 69
Item Level: 51
+90 Spell Focus
+(23 to 28)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(7 to 10)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(31 to 40) to Energy
Cold Resist +90%
Socketed (3)
Defense: 173 to 304
Required Level: 48
Required Dexterity: 147
Item Level: 77
+120 Spell Focus
+(31 to 36)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(41 to 50) to Energy
Cold Resist +120%
Socketed (4)

or

Earth Song

Earth Song
Hawk Helm (4)
Defense: (54 - 63) to (79 - 92)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 25
Item Level: 10
5% Cast Speed
+(11 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(11 to 15)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(11 to 15)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(21 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +(11 to 15)%
Cold Resist +(11 to 15)%
Poison Resist +(11 to 15)%
+(8 to 13) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (2)
Defense: (211 - 238) to (276 - 311)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 31
10% Cast Speed
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(16 to 20)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(16 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(51 to 70)% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Poison Resist +(21 to 25)%
+(18 to 23) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (2)
Defense: (513 - 570) to (658 - 731)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 175
Item Level: 51
15% Cast Speed
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(71 to 90)% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Poison Resist +(31 to 35)%
+(28 to 33) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (3)
Defense: (788 - 908) to (1004 - 1157)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 350
Item Level: 77
20% Cast Speed
+(26 to 30)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(26 to 30)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(26 to 30)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(91 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +(36 to 40)%
Cold Resist +(36 to 40)%
Poison Resist +(36 to 40)%
+(33 to 38) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (4)

or

Grimspirit

Grimspirit
Spirit Mask (4)
Defense: (115 - 130) to (173 - 196)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 10
Required Strength: 33
Item Level: 19
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
+10% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(24 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (2)
Defense: (390 - 432) to (546 - 605)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 28
Required Strength: 65
Item Level: 36
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+16% to Cold Spell Damage
+20% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(58 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
4% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (2)
Defense: (971 - 1057) to (1340 - 1458)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 228
Item Level: 59
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+23% to Cold Spell Damage
+30% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(92 to 109)% Enhanced Defense
6% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1446 - 1563) to (1977 - 2137)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 455
Item Level: 85
+(2 to 3) to Druid Skill Levels
+30% to Cold Spell Damage
+40% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(109 to 126)% Enhanced Defense
8% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (4)

Chest: Akara's Robe ->

Lumen Arcana

Lumen Arcana
Body Armors
'Ith'
Runeword Level: 18
+1 to All Skills
-(3 to 8)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(3 to 8)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
-(3 to 8)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
-(3 to 8)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(25 to 50)% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Light Radius

->

Robe of Leaves

Robe of Leaves
Scale Mail (4)
Defense: (127 - 147) to (254 - 293)
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 27 to 28
Item Level: 10
+5% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
-(2 to 3)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(2 to 3)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
-(2 to 3)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(24 to 43)% Enhanced Defense
+10 Life Regenerated per Second
Maximum Life +(2 to 3)%
Poison Resist +(21 to 25)%
Requirements -(3 to 5)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (452 - 505) to (816 - 911)
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 52 to 54
Item Level: 31
+10% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
-(5 to 8)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(5 to 8)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
-(5 to 8)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(64 to 83)% Enhanced Defense
+20 Life Regenerated per Second
Maximum Life +(3 to 4)%
Poison Resist +(31 to 35)%
Requirements -(6 to 10)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1166 - 1275) to (2031 - 2221)
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 171 to 179
Item Level: 51
+15% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
-(10 to 13)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(10 to 13)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
-(10 to 13)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(104 to 123)% Enhanced Defense
+35 Life Regenerated per Second
Maximum Life +(4 to 5)%
Poison Resist +(41 to 45)%
Requirements -(11 to 15)%
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1738 - 1885) to (3030 - 3287)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 322 to 338
Item Level: 77
+20% Bonus Elemental Damage to Mark of the Wild
-(15 to 18)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(15 to 18)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
-(15 to 18)% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+(124 to 143)% Enhanced Defense
+50 Life Regenerated per Second
Maximum Life +(5 to 6)%
Poison Resist +(46 to 50)%
Requirements -(16 to 20)%
Socketed (6)

or

Queen of Glass

Queen of Glass
Ancient Armor (4)
Defense: (315 - 344) to (630 - 688)
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 33 to 34
Item Level: 29
15% Cast Speed
-(6 to 8)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(76 to 125) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Requirements -(11 to 15)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (899 - 969) to (1718 - 1852)
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 57 to 60
Item Level: 40
25% Cast Speed
-(11 to 13)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(176 to 225) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Requirements -(21 to 25)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2084 - 2224) to (3911 - 4173)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 175 to 186
Item Level: 67
35% Cast Speed
-(16 to 18)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(276 to 325) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(41 to 45)%
Cold Resist +(41 to 45)%
Requirements -(31 to 35)%
Socketed (5)
Defense: (3013 - 3202) to (5650 - 6005)
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 323 to 344
Item Level: 85
40% Cast Speed
-(18 to 20)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(326 to 375) to Mana
Lightning Resist +(46 to 50)%
Cold Resist +(46 to 50)%
Requirements -(36 to 40)%
Socketed (6)

Belt:

Rainbow

Rainbow
Belts
'Eth'
Runeword Level: 15
+5% to Spell Damage
+(6 to 10)% to Summoned Minion Resistances
Regenerate Mana +(5 to 10)%
Elemental Resists +(10 to 15)%
(6 to 8)% Magic Find
+2 to Light Radius

->

Moonwrap

Moonwrap
Sash (4)
Defense: (16 - 18) to (20 - 21)
Required Level: 1
Required Strength: 25
Item Level: 1
5% Cast Speed
+3% to Spell Damage
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +(11 to 15)%
Cold Resist +(11 to 15)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (119 - 129) to (131 - 141)
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 31
15% Cast Speed
+9% to Spell Damage
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (331 - 353) to (370 - 395)
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 125
Item Level: 51
25% Cast Speed
+15% to Spell Damage
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (493 - 524) to (542 - 576)
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 250
Item Level: 77
30% Cast Speed
+20% to Spell Damage
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +(36 to 40)%
Cold Resist +(36 to 40)%
Socketed (2)

or

Aerin Orbiter

Aerin Orbiter
Belt (4)
Defense: (88 - 96) to (121 - 132)
Required Level: 5
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 10
5% Cast Speed
+(4 to 5)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(4 to 5)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(4 to 5)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(11 to 15) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(3 to 5)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (3 to 5)
Socketed (1)
Defense: (310 - 334) to (389 - 419)
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 56
Item Level: 31
15% Cast Speed
+(8 to 9)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(8 to 9)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(8 to 9)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(9 to 11)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (9 to 11)
Socketed (2)
Defense: (754 - 805) to (938 - 1001)
Required Level: 40
Required Strength: 201
Item Level: 51
25% Cast Speed
+(12 to 13)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(12 to 13)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(12 to 13)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(15 to 17)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (15 to 17)
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1104 - 1173) to (1358 - 1443)
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 402
Item Level: 77
30% Cast Speed
+(14 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(14 to 15)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(14 to 15)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(18 to 20)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (18 to 20)
Socketed (2)

or T4 Honorific Sash
Gloves:

Enlightenment

Enlightenment
Gloves
'El'
Runeword Level: 6
10% Combat Speeds
2% Life stolen per Hit
2% Mana stolen per Hit
+5 to all Attributes
+(3 to 5) Life Regenerated per Second
Lightning Resist +15%
+(4 to 6) to Light Radius

->

Prodigy

Prodigy
Gloves
'AmnLum'
Runeword Level: 45
+1 to All Skills
+(10 to 15)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+5% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+93 Defense
(11 to 20)% to Strength
Regenerate Mana +(10 to 15)%
Fire Resist +(3 to 8)%
Lightning Resist +(3 to 8)%
Cold Resist +(3 to 8)%
Poison Resist +(28 to 33)%

or T4 Honorific Leather Gloves
Boots:

Epicenter

Epicenter
Boots
'Ith'
Runeword Level: 18
0.0625% Chance of Crushing Blow (Based on Character Level)
+(4 to 15)% Enhanced Defense
+(40 to 60) to Life
Elemental Resists +(3 to 5)%

->

Rabbit's Foot

Rabbit's Foot
Boots (4)
Defense: 8 to 14
Required Level: 1
Required Strength: 21
Item Level: 1
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+10% to Spell Damage
+5 Maximum Stamina
(1 to 5)% Gold Find
(1 to 5)% Magic Find
Requirements -15%
Socketed (1)
Defense: 75 to 88
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 35
Item Level: 31
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+12% to Spell Damage
+10 Maximum Stamina
(5 to 10)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Requirements -30%
Socketed (2)
Defense: 184 to 215
Required Level: 34
Required Strength: 96
Item Level: 51
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+16% to Spell Damage
+15 Maximum Stamina
(15 to 20)% Gold Find
(15 to 20)% Magic Find
Requirements -45%
Socketed (3)
Defense: 258 to 296
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 140
Item Level: 77
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+20% to Spell Damage
+20 Maximum Stamina
(25 to 30)% Gold Find
(25 to 30)% Magic Find
Requirements -60%
Socketed (4)

or

Wake of Destruction

Wake of Destruction
Greaves (4)
Defense: (90 - 102) to (135 - 152)
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 17
Item Level: 19
+(4 to 6)% Bonus to Spell Focus
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(11 to 13)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(6 to 8)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 8)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(24 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Energy
Requirements -20%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (333 - 369) to (462 - 512)
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 33
Item Level: 36
+(7 to 9)% Bonus to Spell Focus
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(15 to 17)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(10 to 12)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(10 to 12)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(58 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(26 to 30) to Energy
Requirements -25%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (854 - 930) to (1152 - 1254)
Required Level: 44
Required Strength: 158
Item Level: 59
+(10 to 12)% Bonus to Spell Focus
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(19 to 21)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(14 to 16)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(14 to 16)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(92 to 109)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Energy
Requirements -30%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1274 - 1378) to (1713 - 1853)
Required Level: 52
Required Strength: 272
Item Level: 85
+(13 to 15)% Bonus to Spell Focus
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(23 to 25)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(18 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(18 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(109 to 126)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Energy
Requirements -40%
Socketed (4)

or T4 Honorific Boots
Jewelry: Anything you can start adding the usual cold MOs to works. Cold spell dmg, spell focus, mana regen, etc

I also thought about going back and trying Lightning/Fire for leveling early game:

Weapon:

Rainbowcleave

Rainbowcleave
War Axe (4)
One-Hand Damage: 9 to 12
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 85
Item Level: 19
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.11 per Strength)%
+1 to All Skills
10% Attack Speed
10% Cast Speed
+(6 to 8)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 8)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(6 to 8)% to Cold Spell Damage
Fire Resist +(21 to 25)%
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (3 to 5)
Socketed (2)
One-Hand Damage: 17 to 25
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 125
Item Level: 40
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.11 per Strength)%
+2 to All Skills
20% Attack Speed
20% Cast Speed
+(11 to 13)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(11 to 13)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(11 to 13)% to Cold Spell Damage
Fire Resist +(31 to 35)%
Lightning Resist +(31 to 35)%
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (9 to 11)
Socketed (4)
One-Hand Damage: 29 to 45
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 244
Item Level: 59
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.11 per Strength)%
+2 to All Skills
30% Attack Speed
30% Cast Speed
+(16 to 18)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(16 to 18)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(16 to 18)% to Cold Spell Damage
Fire Resist +(41 to 45)%
Lightning Resist +(41 to 45)%
Cold Resist +(41 to 45)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (15 to 17)
Socketed (5)
One-Hand Damage: 35 to 54
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 481
Item Level: 85
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.11 per Strength)%
+3 to All Skills
40% Attack Speed
40% Cast Speed
+(18 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(18 to 20)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(18 to 20)% to Cold Spell Damage
Fire Resist +(46 to 50)%
Lightning Resist +(46 to 50)%
Cold Resist +(46 to 50)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (18 to 20)
Socketed (6)

or

Archon's Wrath

Archon's Wrath
War Hammer (4)
One-Hand Damage: 6 to 8
Required Level: 5
Required Strength: 33
Item Level: 10
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.14 per Strength)%
10% Chance to cast level 10 Seal of Fire on Melee Attack
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
30% Attack Speed
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(6 to 10)% to Fire Spell Damage
-3% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Requirements -40%
Socketed (1)
One-Hand Damage: 12 to 17
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 40
Item Level: 36
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.14 per Strength)%
10% Chance to cast level 19 Seal of Fire on Melee Attack
+(2 to 3) to Druid Skill Levels
40% Attack Speed
(81 to 100)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(11 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
-6% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Requirements -55%
Socketed (3)
One-Hand Damage: 19 to 26
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 73
Item Level: 51
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.14 per Strength)%
10% Chance to cast level 33 Seal of Fire on Melee Attack
+(3 to 4) to Druid Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
(131 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
-9% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Requirements -60%
Socketed (5)
One-Hand Damage: 22 to 31
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 128
Item Level: 85
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.14 per Strength)%
10% Chance to cast level 43 Seal of Fire on Melee Attack
+(4 to 5) to Druid Skill Levels
60% Attack Speed
(171 to 200)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
-12% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Requirements -65%
Socketed (6)

Shield:

The Ivory Tower

The Ivory Tower
Tower Shield (4)
Defense: (205 - 233) to (404 - 459)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 7
Required Strength: 17
Required Dexterity: 43
Item Level: 19
+1 to All Skills
+(4 to 5)% Bonus to Spell Focus
5% Cast Speed
+(11 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(11 to 15)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Mana +(3 to 5)%
Requirements -40%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (678 - 712) to (1219 - 1280)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 31
Required Dexterity: 58
Item Level: 36
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
+(8 to 9)% Bonus to Spell Focus
10% Cast Speed
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(16 to 20)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(81 to 90)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Mana +(9 to 11)%
Requirements -45%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1525 - 1593) to (2685 - 2805)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 101
Required Dexterity: 113
Item Level: 59
+2 to All Skills
+(12 to 13)% Bonus to Spell Focus
15% Cast Speed
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(101 to 110)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Mana +(15 to 17)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2278 - 2371) to (4002 - 4165)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 181
Required Dexterity: 210
Item Level: 85
+2 to All Skills
+(14 to 15)% Bonus to Spell Focus
15% Cast Speed
+(26 to 30)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(26 to 30)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(121 to 130)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Mana +(18 to 20)%
Requirements -55%
Socketed (4)

or

Cloudladder

Cloudladder
Spiked Shield (4)
Defense: (102 - 116) to (203 - 230)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 7
Required Dexterity: 55
Item Level: 10
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
+20 to all Attributes
+10 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (1)
Defense: (372 - 414) to (629 - 699)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 24
Required Dexterity: 81
Item Level: 36
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(71 to 90)% Enhanced Defense
+30 to all Attributes
+20 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (4)
Defense: (920 - 1007) to (1503 - 1645)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 42
Required Dexterity: 170
Item Level: 51
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(101 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
+40 to all Attributes
+30 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1443 - 1687) to (2346 - 2743)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 51
Required Dexterity: 353
Item Level: 85
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(131 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+50 to all Attributes
+40 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (6)

Helm:

Skyguard

Skyguard
Falcon Mask (4)
Defense: (101 - 113) to (148 - 166)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 8
Required Strength: 25
Item Level: 19
+(3 to 5)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(4 to 5)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(3 to 5)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(4 to 5)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(1 to 4) to Forked Lightning
+(30 to 46)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 2%
+(4 to 5) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (2)
Defense: (346 - 379) to (478 - 525)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 36
+(6 to 10)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(8 to 9)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(6 to 10)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(8 to 9)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(9 to 12) to Forked Lightning
+(64 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 4%
+(8 to 9) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (2)
Defense: (865 - 935) to (1174 - 1269)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 175
Item Level: 51
+(11 to 15)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(12 to 13)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(11 to 15)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(12 to 13)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(17 to 20) to Forked Lightning
+(98 to 114)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 6%
+(12 to 13) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1283 - 1385) to (1737 - 1874)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 350
Item Level: 85
+(16 to 20)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(14 to 15)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(16 to 20)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(14 to 15)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(21 to 24) to Forked Lightning
+(115 to 132)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 8%
+(14 to 15) Mana after each Kill
Socketed (4)

Also, while I like that they worked more on Hurricane for 2.0, it still feels clunky to me as a physical damage spell and I haven't looked at a way to make a build that excels with it yet. Do you think one is possible?

Finally, with your focus on poison, would you recommend Vine Companion over Survival Instinct?

[OrphineM]

I actually haven't properly tried out banshees yet, but the buff to the missile count you can get to is big game.
Hurricane is kinda... eh. Even when introduced it just feels like you get knocked out of it too easily. The banshees also whiff against enemies who are hard up against a wall sometimes for some reason. They are excellent otherwise though and might do a run with it up to hell real quick and try it.

As for poison, I would suggest Vine Companion early on; spell focus really does work later when you have more +skills available. It does scale with your harvester passives for even more spell damage. The 10 phys res and the spell focus are definitely better for later ubers like fauztinville.

[Meaux]

The banshees also whiff against enemies who are hard up against a wall sometimes for some reason.

Yeah! Not to mention "falling through the cracks" and randomly not working sometimes, against enemies that shouldn't have any avoidance. Also happens with Pagan Rites, which is one of the skills that is a huge draw to playing doodad, imo.

Thanks for the response!

[Coilfang]

Any updates on late/endgame gear yet? Or should I stick with the crafts

[ANTIDEPRESSION]

Waiting for updates on endgame .... can this build farm Scosglen?

[PizzaGater]

I hope you make a side post for the despondence build too
been trying to figure out stuff/skills by myself but have zero idea where to start from lol

[Semigloss]

Does maxed Harvest make an okay boss killer?