BIG GRIZZ 2.0 Druid BUILD for Diablo IV [RDY-4-Launch]
Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).
Diablo IV‘s Launch is getting closer and it’s time to make some Ready-For-Launch full Builds/Theorycrafts that should be good for both ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters as well as late endgame. I’ also plan to evolve them further when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Druid Class called BIG GRIZZ 2.0.
I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect + unique item + gems & sockets + suggested stat rolls + paragon boards that work well with the build which you can use to tinker. Alternatively, i’ve added build calculator links (mostly needed for the paragons)
This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have more in-game information as reference.
Video Version:
Skill Trees
Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken + alternative skill options, you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (BIG GRIZZ 2.0) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.
Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )
- (active) Storm Strike – Electricity gathers around your weapon, dealing 20% (X-?) damage to your target and chaining to up to 3 surrounding enemies, dealing 20% less damage each time it chains. You gain 25% Damage Reduction for 3 seconds after dealing damage with Storm Strike. Lucky Hit Chance: 25% Type: Storm Magic ; Damage: Lightning Generates: 15 Spirit
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Storm Strike – Storm Strike has a 15% chance to Immobilize all enemies hit for 2.5 seconds.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Fierce Storm Strike – Storm Strike has a 50% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
Spirit / Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )
- (active) Pulverize – Shapeshift into a Werebear and slam the ground, dealing 50% (X-?) damage to nearby enemies. Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Type: Shapeshifting ; Damage: Physical Spirit Cost: 35
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Pulverize – Your next Pulverize will Overpower every 10 seconds while you remain Healthy.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Raging Pulverize – Enemies are Stunned for 2 seconds when they are Overpowered with Pulverize.
- (passive) Predatory Instinct – Critical Strike Chance against nearby enemies is increased by +3%/+6%/+9%.
- (upgrade) Iron Fur – You gain 3%/6%/9% Damage Reduction while in Werebear form. This bonus persists for 3 seconds after leaving Werebear form.
- (upgrade – did NOT take cuz it’s a Werewolf synergy) Digitigrate Gait / Lycanthropic Speed
- (passive) did not pick other Spirit/Core passives to save points
Defensive Skills (Required Points: 6 ) I took both of the Defensive skills listed below
- (active) Earthen Bulwark – Rocks surround you for 3 seconds, granting a Barrier that absorbs 45% of your Base Life in damage. Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Cooldown: 16 seconds Type: Earth Magic ; Damage: Physical
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Earthen Bulwark – Earthen Bulwark makes you Unstoppable while active.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Preserving Earthen Bulwark – Casting Earthen Bulwark grants 18% Base Life as Fortify.
- (active) Blood Howl – Shapeshift into a Werewolf and howl furiously, Healing you for 20% of your Maximum Life. Cooldown: 15 seconds Type: Shapeshifting
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Blood Howl – Kills reduce the Cooldown of Blood Howl by 1 second.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Innate Blood Howl – Blood Howl also generates 20 Spirit.
- (passive) Ancestral Fortitude – Increase your Non-Physical Resistances by 5%/10%/15%.
- (upgrade) Vigilance – did not take to save points
- (passive) did not pick other Defensive passives to save points
Companion Skills (Required Points: 11 ) I did NOT take a companion BUT if you want to sacrifice one of the Defensive skills, I recommend the skills & upgrades below
- (active) DID NOT TAKE a Companion active due to using already full skillbar
- (1st upgrade)
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2)
- (passive) did not pick any Companion passives to save points
Wrath Skills (Required Points: 16 )
- (active) Hurricane – Form a hurricane around you that deals 97% (X-?) damage to surrounding enemies over 8 seconds. Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Cooldown: 20 seconds Type: Storm Magic ; Damage: Physical
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Hurricane – Enemies who are damaged by Hurricane are Slowed by 25% for 2 seconds.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2)Savage Hurricane – Enemies affected by Hurricane deal 20% less damage.
- (passive) Crushing Earth – Earth Skills deal 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage to Slowed, Stunned, Immobilized or Knocked Back enemies.
- (upgrade) Stone Guard – While Fortified for over 50% of your maximum Life, your Earth Skills deal 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative) increased damage.
- (upgrade) Safeguard – Critical Strikes with Earth Skills Fortifiy you for 2%/4%/7% Base Life.
- (passive) did not pick any other Wrath passives to save points but there are some worth considering
Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )
- (active) Grizzly Rage – Shapeshift into a Dire Werebear for 10 seconds gaining 20% (multiplicative) bonus damage and 20% damage reduction. Damage bonus is increased by 3% each second while in this form. Kills extend the duration by 1 second up to 10 additional seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds Type: Shapeshifting
- (1st upgrade) Prime Grizzly Rage – You are Unstoppable when Grizzly Rage is active.
- (2nd upgrade) Supreme Grizzly Rage – Gain 8% Base Life as Fortify per second while Grizzly Rage is active.
- (passive) Defiance – Nature Magic skills deal 4% (multiplicative) increased damage to Elites.
- (upgrade) Natural Disaster – Your Earth Skills deal 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Your Storm Skills deal 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative) increased damage to enemies that are Stunned, Immobilized, or Knocked Back.
- (upgrade – did NOT pick to save points) Circle of Life – Nature Magic skills that consume Spirit restore 1%/2%/3% of your maximum Life.
- (upgrade) Resonance – Nature Magic Skills deal 2%/4%/6% (multiplicative) increased damage. Triple this bonus if an Earth Skill is the next Skill cast after a Storm Skill, or a Storm Skill is the next Skill cast after an Earth Skill.
- (passive) Defensive Posture – Increases the amount of Fortify you gain from all sources by +5%/+10%/+15%.
- (upgrade) Thick Hide – Whenever you are Stunned, Immobilized, or Knocked Down, Fortify for 6%/13%/19% Base Life.
- (upgrade – only invested 1 point due to lack of points) Nature’s Resolve – 5%/10%/15% chance when struck to Fortify you for 4% Base Life.
- (upgrade) Unrestrained – Reduce the duration of control impairing effects by 3%/6%/9%. Triple this effect while you have Fortify for over 50% of your maximum Life.
- (passive) did not pick other Ultimate passives to save points
Specializations (Required Points: 33 )
- (passive) Ursine Strength – Gain 20% (multiplicative) additional maximum Life while in Werebear form and for 3 seconds after leaving Werebear form. While Healthy, deal 30% (multiplicative) increased damage.
Class Mechanic (Spirit Boons):
I don’t have much info regarding the Spirit Boons but I think you can pick at least 2 from the same category + maybe 1 more from another. I’d advise getting the following 2 for now.
- Eagle Category, Scythe Talons: +5% Critical Strike Chance.
- Eagle Category, Avian Wrath +30% Critical Strike Damage.
Unique Item
In Diablo IV apparently (I have multiple sources that confirmed this) we can equip more than one unique item at the same time (not so ‘unique’ if we can get decked out in full uniques I guess). It seems that the one unique per build idea that Unique inherited from the Mythical gear they supposedly replaced was scrapped even before the closed beta tests. My top pick will be the following one but check the notes under the Aspects list for some additional picks:
Insatiable Fury (Chest Armor)
Werebear form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werebear Skills.
+[0.07 – 0.14] Physical Damage
+[21 – 42]% Overpower Damage
[7 – 14]% Damage Reduction while Fortified
+[0.07 – 0.14] Armor
When the Days of Ash began, the great druid Nafain reminded his disciples that nothing, not even the loss of their humanity, was too great a sacrifice to protect Túr Dúlra from Astaroth’s flames.
Sockets & Gems
Full Diamonds is a good fit for many builds, including this one. I’ve shortlisted 5 total gems that work well with the build so pick based on your preference. I’d recommend doing for Weps: Diamond, Skull, Saphire, Ruby or Emerald. For Armor: Diamond, Skull, Saphire, or Ruby. For Jewelry: Diamond unless you need specific resistance more than all.
XYZ Diamond (Requires Level XY)
• Weapon: +N% Ultimate Skill Damage
• Armor: +N% Barrier Generation
• Jewelry: N% Resistance to All Elements
+5%/+5%/5 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)
XYZ Skull (Requires Level XY)
• Weapon: +N Life On Kill
• Armor: +N% Healing Received • Jewelry: +N Armor
+13/+5%/+170 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)
XYZ Saphire (Requires Level XY)
• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
• Armor: N% Damage Reduction While Fortified
• Jewelry: N% Cold Resistance
+7.5%/5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)
XYZ Ruby (Requires Level XY)
• Weapon: +N% Overpower Damage
• Armor: +N% Maximum Life
• Jewelry: N% Fire Resistance
+15%/+5.5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)
XYZ Emerald (Requires Level XY)
• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
• Armor: +N Thorns
• Jewelry: N% Poison Resistance
+7.5%/39/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)
Legendary Aspects / Powers
I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (BIG GRIZZ 2.0) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.
- Helm: Stormshifter’s Aspect
- Amulet: Ballistic Aspect
- Chest: *Earthguard Aspect OR Exploiter’s Aspect OR Symbiotic Aspect (see note below)
- Pants: Mending Stone
- Gloves: Aspect of The Ursine Horror
- Boots: *Symbiotic Aspect OR Exploiter’s Aspect (see note below)
- Ring 1: Aspect of Retaliation
- Ring 2: Mangled Aspect
- 1H Weapon (see note below): Aspect of Natural Balance
- Off-hand (see note below): *Shockwave Aspect (see note below)
- 2-H Weapon (see note below): Aspect of Natural Balance
NOTE 1: Get rid of 1, keep 1 in the boots, and use temporarily the other between: Earthguard Aspect OR Symbiotic Aspect OR Exploiter’s Aspect. This is a tough choice to make and it's up to you which one you like most to keep in the Boots and which one you want to use until the Unique. We'll need to empty this slot for the awesome unique eventually. You can have 1 here & the other in the Boots before you get the Unique Chest. I'd go Earthguard in the Chest as temp and Exploiter's in the Boots NOTE 2: You may wanna consider putting Crashstone Aspect in the Off-hand slot or maybe put Aspect of The Rampaging Werebeast there
Paragon Boards:
Use the links below to check the paragon boards selected and the nodes I’ve taken. One link is for what the boards will look like at lvl 92 without any paragon points from renown (so more paragon points will be obtained on the way to 100 as well as from renown. The other link will be what the boards will look like when fully maxed out on paragon points.
- LVL 92 & no Points from renown: Click THIS LINK
- MAXed out points: Click THIS LINK
Suggested Gear Rolls to look out for (NOT in order of priority):
I’ve shortlisted 37 different affixes that work well with the build of almost 300 total. I’ll highlight in Orange the ones I think should get higher priority
| Bonus to All Damage | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage Bonus | ||||
| Critical Strike Chance | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage with Core Skills | ||||
| Damage with Core Skills | ||||
| Lucky Hit Chance | ||||
| Earth/Lightning Damage Bonus | ||||
| Earth/Lightning Critical Strike Damage Bonus | ||||
| Resistance to All Elements | ||||
| Cooldown Reduction | ||||
| + % Critical Strike Chance with Earth/Lightning Damage | ||||
| + % Damage to Elites | ||||
| + % Earth/Lightning Damage to Elites | ||||
| Damage Upon Killing an Elite | ||||
| + % Critical Strike Chance with Earth/Lightning Damage Against Elites | ||||
| Damage Reduction for X Seconds After Killing an Elite | ||||
| + % Damage for X Seconds After Killing an Elite | ||||
| Damage Reduction from Elites | ||||
| Vulnerable Damage | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage to Close Enemies | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage with Nature/Earth/Shapeshifting/Storm Skills | ||||
| Damage while Healthy | ||||
| Damage to Vulnerable Enemies | ||||
| Damage to Close Enemies | ||||
| Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies | ||||
| Damage while Fortified |
| + All Stats | ||||
| Damage vs Injured Enemies | ||||
| Damage vs Healthy Enemies | ||||
| Weapon Damage (not sure if there are any bonuses to that as rolls) | ||||
| Spirit Generation / Regeneration / On Kill | ||||
| Movement Speed | ||||
| Attack Speed | ||||
| Willpower | ||||
| Resource Cost Reduction |
Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):
For all of my Diablo IV RDY-4-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet
For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet
For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet
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This concludes the BIG GRIZZ 2.0 Druid Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game, below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):
PC (Battle.Net)