Werewolf Druid

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rumblealex
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Currently updated for patch 1.4. This is the first revision and is subject to change as the season advances but the basics should all be up-to-date. There are plans to create a section for Labyrinth gearing, as well as Dex wolf (Crystal sword) and Mana Wolf (
Azgar's Crystal
Azgar's Crystal
Giant Sword (Sacred)

One-Hand Damage: 42 to 45
Two-Hand Damage: 65 to 67
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 480
Item Level: 130
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
While in Werewolf Form:
Adds 50% of Current Mana as Cold Damage
100% Attack Speed
150% Bonus to Attack Rating
-100% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Maximum Cold Resist +(2 to 5)%
Cannot Be Frozen
Socketed (4)
) in the future.

Hit me up if you see anything out of place.


Werewolf Druid



► Druid Lore

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Guide Content




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Guide Introduction




This guide takes into account that the player has pre existing game knowledge and thus might not include basic information that can easily be found in the website Documentation. Wolf Druid is a pretty fragile build at best but a king when it comes to clearspeed, and players seeking to play the build from level 1 have to understand that some dungeons/rifts require more strategy, investment and patience than with other builds. In this guide there is no shame in respec’ing to another Druid build better suited for the ubers we will face. Belladonna elixirs are plentiful still, and we will use them to our advantage.

The general use of a Werewolf Druid isn’t necessarily to kill bosses, but to clear large areas, or farm, quickly and efficiently. It requires decent gear investment in end-game to reach a point where any area is an easy smash & grab. This guide will work its way up to this point.


The Playstyle of the wolf druid is extremely fast-paced:

Hit & runs right on top of your enemies with Harbinger to spread decimation in their ranks, and leave nothing behind.

Melt static targets with overlapping Twisters from Twisted Claw, as long as the target stands still.


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Attributes and Skills




The main Attribute of a Wolf druid is Strength. Most if not all of your points will go into this attribute. Some Dexterity might be required to equip a shield should you chose to equip one, but late game charms should cover these requirements eventually. Vitality and Energy will receive no points at all.

Compared to the other Druid skill trees, the Werewolf 2nd and 3rd skill unlocks earlier: level 3 and 6 instead of 6 and 12.

Here is a recap of what each skill does. An explanation is provided under each skill, and how many points should be invested in each of them.

► Werewolf Skilltree


► Other notable Druid skills



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Basic how-to




Wolfdruid requires very little skill switching if you exclusively bind Mana Pulse to left click. If that is not the case then the build will require moderate switching between Mana Pulse and Harbinger.

A usual encounter will play like this: Prebuff with Symbiosis, Faerie fire, Mark of the Wild, then summon Acid Fiends if you have points into the skill. Cast Werewolf form and jump into the action.

Attack a target once with Mana pulse then pounce with Harbinger. Hit with Mana pulse once before you run out of Mana, then repeat. The idea is to never stay still. Keep moving, loot can be grabbed once the path is cleared. We will shine in areas with intense projectile/missile density thanks to our quick mobility and high (70%+) avoid. We will be more at risk against foes with powerful melee attacks.


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Early game, Normal difficulty




Gear recommendations

► Show Spoiler




Skill plan recommendations

Invest your first skill point into poison flash. It makes blood moor and the den of evil less of a pain. I recommend waiting a few levels before investing in Werewolf Form so that Mana pulse and Harbinger are available from the start. Investing a point into acid fiends as soon as they are unlocked will provide help as we benefit from their aura and early game high survivability. It will boost us and they will take hits for us.



Playstyle recommendations

Keep acid fiends up. They will keep bosses busy long enough for us to stack twisted claws on them and kill at a decent speed. Take a pause to resummon if required.

Don't be greedy. The monsters might be easy early on but they can definitely overwhelm the build if harbinger is cast in the middle of an elite pack. Pounce on the edges of monster packs then walk back to safety. Let the summons keep them busy, or attack with twisted claw. Keep an exit route available, since survivability definitely won't help if the character get surrounded or stunlocked for a few seconds.


Additional information

Act I : Grab any rares with decent stats on it. There is no point into targeting for a TU this early on unless you loot it. Don't hold on to Griswold's armor any longer than necessary. If you find a rare with better stats don't hesitate to replace it.
Don’t forget to run the Countess quest for a chance to get powerful runes.

Act II : Keep an eye out for resistance gems and runes, it will make a big difference in some key areas.

Act III : Killing Mephisto a few times to obtain the basic TUs needed might be helpful. Upgrading the gear to highest tier isn't required at this point but having everything to T1 or T2 should definitely help.

Act IV : Not much going on in this Act. Clear as normal and don’t linger. Complete the Hellforge Quest.

Act V : Nihlathak should be farmed to max out Tiered gear as much as possible. Every item should be Tier4 or ready to upgrade. Resistances at this point should all be maxed with socketed gems, and ready for Nightmare difficulty.


Special notes

The Level Challenge Takes place right before killing Baal, spawned from the infernal Contraption on his last wave. The challenge shouldn’t cause any issue to the build. Don’t be too greedy, don’t jump right into the middle of a large pack of amazons if you aren’t sure to survive.


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Nightmare difficulty




Gear recommendations

► Show Spoiler



Skill plan recommendations

Not much is different in terms of skill investments. Keep Wolf morph and Feed the Pack maxed, 8 pts into Harbinger, about 10 pts into Acid Fiends and Poison Flash for extra Acid Fiend life.


Playstyle recommendations

Acid Fiends are still useful in Nightmare, keep them up. They can take hits meant for you when you warp on enemies after casting harbinger, as they follow you (along with your merc) on each warp. Late nightmare can see a noticeable increase in time-to-kill if your gear isn’t properly upgraded, especially on bosses.


Additional information

Nothing to worry about much into Nightmare if the proper preparations are made. Bosses most likely won't crumble like wet paper from now on but regular leveling areas shouldn't hold any troubles.

Don't forget to grab the Veteran monster Tokens.


Special notes

The Ennead challenge Shouldn't cause any problems as long as it is done with caution. Once again staying on the edges of monster packs and keeping a safe exit route to walk away is a sure bet to make this challenge painless. Harbinger on top of a shield generator once it is certain to not be instantly surrounded, then use Twisted claw to bring it down. Harbinger away then repeat the process if it wasn't brought down in one pass. The Necromancers themselves are pretty weak and won't give us any trouble.
Gaining Lifeshield Ennead skill will help our survivability.

If you are confident in your survivability, you can simply use harbinger to move as fast as possible to the Necromancers while ignoring everything else around. Grab the Heroic Torch and TP home. The area can yield some high level runes though so it is worth running the area at least once to try your luck.

Use the portal towards act4 first, then come back to Kurast dock through waypoint, take your portal back into Seat of Hatred, that way you won’t have to walk all of K3K back, or from Durance of Hate 2 to get back into Act4 after completing the challenge.


______________________________________________________

105-120




Gear recommendations

► Show Spoiler



Skill plan recommendations

Once at level 115 a respec is required to reallocated the points put into Acid Fiends and Poison Flash to Elvensong.


Playstyle recommendations

The first Ubers levels are when the weaknesses of the build starts really showing. Bosses hit us hard, and we have little defense to help us against it. Hit and run is definitely the way to go for the first few ubers.


Additional informations

I will not mention many crafted items because the results and shrines obtained can vary wildly from player to player, so TUs and SUs will remain the priority items on the list, although Creepy crafted items can improve the equipment greatly if done correctly, and help fill some weak spots or serve as 'in between' items.

Leveling from 105 to 110 in other areas than Sunless sea might be easier for less geared players or solo players, although with enough %Phys res and decent defense it shouldn’t prove an issue. Red portals in Act5 yield good experience. Once 110 and 115 for Torajan Jungles and Tran Athulua, experience should be a bit less painful.

The ancients quest in Act5 should be kept for as late as possible. Most end-game players will keep the quest reward for lvl 139->140.


Special notes

The first few Ubers will be rough. A fresh level 105 Wolfdruid could face a pretty ruthless beating if going into ubers blindly. It can be done but might certainly require multiple attempts for inexperienced players. Dying will happen.

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Image
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120-125




Gear recommendations

► Show Spoiler



Runewords should be made in the highest defense items. Our build will have plenty of strength to equip these pieces.

Reroll for 30%+ Enhanced Def/Dmg, then lucky it for 50%+. MO 5 × 15% Enhanced defense on lvl 100 runewords, then MO Hit recovery as you level up beyond 120.

SharkXis should be made into a Longsword. If an Ethereal broad or long sword is found, it is better to use these Eth items. The only difficulty will be in Crafting a jewel with both 15% Attack speed and Indestructible.


Skill plan recommendations

115 and onward the skill distribution doesn't change.


Playstyle recommendations

With Faerie Fire and now Elvensong fully invested, the build should feel a bit better in terms of survivability with an increase in damage avoidance.


Additional information

This is the point where Wolfdruid reaches the beginning of its goal. Plain farming. Teganze and Duncraig will provide plenty of opportunities for the build to shine although the beginning might be rough if gear is lacking. It is an expensive build.


Special notes

Get a SharkXis as soon as possible. Its damage is among the highest achievable on a one-handed sword that can still reach 4 FPA. Farming for the rune solo is definitely possible, but clearing Teganze might be a bit slower in the meantime. Carsomyr will have better damage overall, but its rarity and price makes it unreasonable to expect for every player.

______________________________________________________

125 and beyond




Gear recommendations

► Show Spoiler


At this point the gear set can be customized to a lot more than what is listed above. The build isn't limited to these few items, but they provide a good guideline.

Skill plan recommendations

115 and onward the skill distribution doesn't change.


Playstyle recommendations

By this point playstyle recommendations shouldn't matter. If the build was leveled from scratch, plenty of opportunities to learn how to play werewolf were provided.


Additional information

Gear choice can vary greatly once at this level. This list is mostly what I use, but there are plenty of variations that can make it work.

Thanks to Pinball for Additional recommendations.


Special notes

Switching to Bear for a few key ubers (Toraja or Yshari) is possible, as most of the gear for wolf fits perfectly on Bear. The difference would be using a
Kodiak


Kodiak
One-Handed Axes

'ElGulSur'
Runeword Level: 75
70% Attack Speed
Idol of Scosglen Cooldown Reduced by 2 seconds
+(21 to 50) to Minimum Damage
(11 to 25)% Life stolen per Hit
+(141 to 170)% Enhanced Damage
(11 to 25)% Chance of Crushing Blow
+3 to all Attributes
Weapon Physical Damage +0.625% (Based on Character Level)
Regenerate Mana +15%
axe as a weapon.

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Mercenary




I have no real recommendations for mercenary. Play with what you like. Players seeking the maximum performance out of theirs should aim for an Abjurer or Act5 barb.

I prefer playing with an act3 Bloodmage. Even if his damage output is considered laughable, his gift of inner fire skill can keep him and us alive when death would've been certain. I prefer his lower DPS but near invincibility, because I dislike having to pause and go back to revive him. With the proper gear I just know he'll survive through the most dangerous zones.

His gear shouldn't matter all that much in early game. Any item with decent defense will do.

As progress is made into the game, Some TUs can be added to his gear, and Ral runes can be socketed into them for added Fire spell Damage.
Any item with these following stats are acceptable for this mercenary :
    • +all skills
    • % Fire spell Damage
    • % Poison spell Damage
    • % Spell Damage
    • -% Enemy Fire resistances
    • -% Enemy Poison resistances
    • % Cast rate
    • Energy Factor


At end game, a Bloodmage can be built into a vicious Punisher machine that deals insane damage as shown below:

► lvl 140 Punisher Bloodmage

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Uber Levels




A small collection of tips, explanations or showcases can be found in this section that might help some readers complete or understand some Uber levels better.
These are not tutorials on how to complete these challenges.

The order in which they are shown here isn’t a strict recommendation of the order they should be completed in-game, but somewhat close. Difficulty can vary from player to player, and their available gearset.

Efforts are currently made to complete and expand this section.

Easy
► Show Spoiler



Intermediate
► Show Spoiler



Hard
► Show Spoiler



Very Hard
► Show Spoiler



Impossible
► Show Spoiler


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Theory Crafting




One of the most notable differences with Wolf druid is the way the attack speed is calculated. Attack speed is taken into account differently on the main weapon than the rest of the equipment, and both are important. Both are needed to lower the FPA, or Frames per Action.

Here link to the original thread by SuchBalance mentioning Wolf attack speed and how it works : https://forum.median-xl.com/viewtopic.php?t=1700

Here is a table That shows how much Weapon attack speed and Gear attack speed is required to reach certain breakpoints, using different Weapon Speed Modifiers.

► Werewolf Attack speed


The speed modifier values shown on these weapons are either a bonus (negative value) or malus (positive value) to your speed modifier. This is the reason why a 15WSM malus requires more attack speed to cap than a -20WSM bonus.


Capped Speed Modifier is recommended to make sure to hit these breakpoints accurately, although some leeway exists between each value. Many breakpoints don't require reaching this cap, but keeping it at 75 guarantees the breakpoint.

Thanks to Deafwave who provided me with a list of breakpoints for -10WSM swords.
► Long or Broad Sword FPA per Breakpoint

wIAS = Weapon %Attack Speed
tIAS = Total %Attack Speed



It is more noticeable at higher wsm values like 15wsm from a Flamberge or Great Sword. For example only a speed modifier of 45 (120% tIAS) is required to reach 6 FPA using 121% attack speed on the weapon. Since the tIAS is already at 121% from the weapon, no additional %attack speed is required on the gear. But it is possible to reach 5 FPA with 121% attack speed on this same weapon, but reach 280% attack speed in total for a speed modifier of 69.


I would recommend using the wolfspeed.xlsx with your own % attack speed values to make sure you reach the breakpoints with your current gear. There are too many possibilities to list them all here.

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Disclaimer




This is a representation of how I play Wolf Druid. I do not claim it to be the best, nor are my recommendations in any ways perfect. These are my recommendations on how to gear up or distribute skill points for the way I played, and still play Werewolf Druid. Someone else might have a different opinion, or idea, and work better than mine.

It is how I do it, and I decided to share it with you. The reader isn't required to follow everything to the letter to have a functional build. Improve on it, try different items, variations, see what you like and dislike and build your character how you want it. There are certainly better ways to play a Wolf I have no doubts. I haven't expanded on 2 handed swords much in this build, but it is a powerful weapons in the hands of a Druid. 1 handed swords are the way I prefer to play, so I made it work. Some players might have never equipped a shield on their Wolf.

As I mentioned in the introduction, this build isn't a natural boss killer. It isn't the easiest of leveling experience either.
Werewolf Druid most likely cannot complete all of the uber bosses with a single static build. There is no shame in respec'ing your character to help you complete a challenge. The game doesn't require the player to 100% dedicate themselves to a single build yet, and we should use this to our advantage.
Edited by rumblealex 4 years.
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Please post some videos of this build at work
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Cool guide. Glad that finally there is an update for Werewolf guide.

As gear section for high-end game I would suggest some items:
- Belt:
Black Void
Black Void
Heavy Belt (Sacred)

Defense: (3060 - 3442) to (3304 - 3717)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
20% Attack Speed
Adds 10-15 Damage
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
Slow Target 10%
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Target Takes Additional Damage of (25 to 50)
30% Magic Find
Socketed (2)
as all its stats are great.
- Helm:
Greenwalker's Charge
Greenwalker's Charge
Antlers (Sacred)

Defense: (2372 - 2657) to (2577 - 2886)
(Druid Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
3000
Item Level: 120
Idol of Scosglen has no Cooldown
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
Adds 30-50 Damage
+(11 to 20) to Rend (Druid Only)
10% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(150 to 180)% Enhanced Defense
+(100 to 200) Life on Melee Attack
Requirements +500%
Socketed (4)
with massive flat damage, %cb
- Gloves:
Brawl (Xis)
for massive flat strength and some flat damage.
- Boots:
Steppe Sleeper
Steppe Sleeper
Boots (Sacred)

Defense: (1302 - 1627) to (1342 - 1677)
Required Level: 80
Item Level: 1
+1 to Barbarian Skill Levels
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(100 to 150)% Enhanced Defense
30% to Strength
Requirements -100%
Socketed (4)

Tundra Walker
(Barbarian Windcarver Set)
with 40% more strength or
Wind Runner

Wind Runner
Boots

'SilElqSilGul'
Runeword Level: 100
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
50% Attack Speed
10% Movement Speed
Adds 25-68 Damage
250% Bonus to Attack Rating
(12 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(171 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
for flat damage.
- Amulet:
Beads of the Snake Queen
Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet

Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 Damage
Stun Attack
+(200 to 500) Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+100 Life after each Kill
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Very nice work! :) Very clear guide! One thing i would want to mention is that mana pulse dont need to be your only source of mana. you can use jewels or teganze amulet for mana per kill to harbinger longer. :)
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Well Teganze amulet sucks.

The only reason ppl did used it because of mana regen MO bug. Now its gone so I would rather use Mana Pulse every 3 secs than using an useless amulet (you can find a better skills bonus in other amulets and spell damage bonus is meh...). Its better to use Dyer Eve or Beads Queen or just rare amulet with Doom/Banish procs.
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With how badly mana on striking was purged from this game it's a lot harder to compensate for 100% of the mana spent for Harbinger with leech and MaeK. Every little bit helps but in no cases will it compensate for the mana cost, especially at the fpa we're going at. I kept Teganze amulet until pretty late into this list because even if it isn't the ideal choice it is still easily accessible to someone with little trading and somewhat easy to obtain by playing solo. It can be kept until a better option is found.
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rumblealex wrote:With how badly mana on striking was purged from this game it's a lot harder to compensate for 100% of the mana spent for Harbinger with leech and MaeK. Every little bit helps but in no cases will it compensate for the mana cost, especially at the fpa we're going at. I kept Teganze amulet until pretty late into this list because even if it isn't the ideal choice it is still easily accessible to someone with little trading and somewhat easy to obtain by playing solo. It can be kept until a better option is found.


Exactly :) also i found that in some areas with lower gear you pretty much need this amulet / other source of MAEK to be able to run efficiently without dying as you cant stop in middle of the pack to mana pulse.
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what's the best base for a 1 hand
Shark (Xis)
?
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pugadon wrote:what's the best base for a 1 hand
Shark (Xis)
?


Sacred Long sword is the best base one handed sword. Broad sword can work as well but it has 2-3 lower base damage. Making the RW in an Eth sword makes a world of difference in terms of damage.
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Good to see someone posted a wolf guide, if no one did I was going to.

I tested virtually every combination of gear for end game farming (dunc/fautz/viz ect) areas in players 8 games where min maxing the raw dmg and/or procs are everything and here is the setup I have come up with (with explanations for each).

Keep in mind this is for maxing out the dmg output for specifically farming p8 zones, though it breezes though p1 areas at record speed in comparison to the tons of other builds/classes i have lvl'd this ladder.

Main Hand : Carsomyr . Shark Great sword just doesnt give us good enough frames anymore to be worth it. The scaling of raw flat on gear when things like greenwalker and giant knuckle ect exist help us make up for a lot of lost flat, thus scaling it better with 4 frame attacks. The highest damage setup would actually be a crafted sword with a good proc, but its pretty difficult since you need 40% or more attack speed on the base, to achieve 150% total after jewels to hit 4fpa, as well as losing 10% dr over caromyr which you noticed in p8 fautz and dunc.

Helm : Greenwalkers. I have tested sky spirit and coldhunger, neither really cleared faster then the amount of added raw that green gave.

Chest : Candlewake. This chest is just insane dmg. People underestimate str dmg bonus and how strong it is when paired with high str and high ewd% multi

Belt : Lilith's temptation. Now since I aim for 320% mf minimum while sacrificing as little dmg as possibly on all my builds, this belt is just mandatory on most. If you want to go for more damage you can use Cinadide's Anvil or black void, but i don't recommend it unless you have mf cycle + triune trophy and TA sleep and can hit 320 mf without losing out on damage. Important to note that I run all pdiamonds in my gear as well. I believe without mf cycle and triune trophy i needed 4 jewels with 10% mf

Gloves : Facebreakers. if you consider how many jewels saved to gain 5% dr and 3% str for each socket, this is our best option. If you have combat speed cycles and want to use more jewels for whatever reason, the highest dmg gloves are crafted with 65+ str 16% str and burning viel on kill.

Boots : Steppe sleepers will eventually be highest dps boots once you have all charms/gear, windrunner coming in right behind them

Amulet : 10% DR Dyres eve. This gives us the much needed DR for running p8 content deathless, and the proc is a huge dmg boost as well.

Rings : 2 Giants knuckles. There isnt really anything more to be said here.

Swap : I use a qarak's will with tu4 ringmail in my invo for total of 10 nih runes to keep the buff up entire game (you can get even nerdier but we will leave it at that). The reason I don't use ohm xis mark of wild axe for prebuff is simply because i feel the durandal sword on mercenary is too strong. 2% reanimate void archon which gives screen wide slow is amazing. You can give your merc a qarak's and use mark of the wild prebuff instead though with set shield Marchosias' Deception.