Diablo 4 is finally here, and in this newest installment of the Diablo franchise an old fan-favorite character finally makes their return as well. The Druid was incredibly versatile in Diablo 2, capable of specializing in melee DPS, tanking, or even summoning armies or casting powerful weather magic.
Fortunately for us, all these things are also true for Druids in Diablo 4! But, while Druids are more versatile than ever before, they are still a bit more complicated than the hack-and-slash classes. Here are some tips and tricks to get started on your journey as a Druid in Diablo 4.
10 Keep Your Distance
As you get further into the game and the mobs grow in number, keeping an eye on your surroundings becomes much more important. The only Druid build able to handle being swarmed constantly is the Werebear tank. But, even they can struggle if cornered by heavy-hitting elites.
Use your dodge ability often to create gaps and line enemies up for AOE attacks. Also, don't be afraid to kite tough enemies by running them around in circles just wide enough to avoid their attacks. It might seem cowardly, but it could help you survive a tough fight.
9 Specialize Your Skills
This can mean two different things, and both are equally important. Build up each skill that you choose to the point that you pick specialized effects for them all. Also, choose skills that all align with a specialized build — at least while you're first getting into the game.
Skill specializations give them additional, often very powerful effects that you won't want to miss out on, and choosing a specialized build, for example Werewolf or Nature magic, also has related passive perks that will be extremely useful as you continue to grow in power.
8 Don't Fret Over Dying
It's always frustrating, but unless you're playing on a Hardcore character then death in Diablo 4 isn't the end for you. Unlike the older generations when you had to go back to recover all your stuff, now, your gear just takes a little bit of damage. You even get to respawn at the nearest checkpoint.
Relaxing the consequences for dying has made it much easier to enjoy playing Diablo 4 on a higher difficulty. But, if you keep dying repeatedly during a certain quest or dungeon, it's usually best to find a different way to work on your Druid for a while and then come back later.
7 Quest At First
There's a ridiculous amount of content packed into Diablo 4, from dungeons scattered around the world to PVP battles. But if you want to unlock more content and level up faster, then questing is the way to go. Unlocking services doesn't necessarily require doing quests, but those tutorial quests can teach you how the game works.
Especially when you're in the main towns, always look out for obvious quest icons and other points of interest. Finding special events while you're traveling is always a treat, but don't get too distracted with dungeons early on. They give good XP and loot, but they aren't going anywhere.
6 Get A Companion Skill
No matter what build you play with, Druid companion skills are awesome. Even Werebear tanks who don't need extra protection can make good use of Poison Creeper's crowd control. Ravens can do more damage than wolves, but they won't distract enemies for you.
Wolves are the best all-around when starting out. They deal decent damage and can keep you from getting swarmed by too many enemies. Their activated attack is extremely useful, allowing you to direct them towards a targeted enemy for high damage.
5 Be Careful With Healing Potions
Similar to Diablo 3, adventurers aren't able to stack up as many potions as their belts can carry. Potions have a hard limit, but unlike Diablo 3, enemies no longer randomly drop health globes. This makes healing potions an extremely precious resource that you should take the time to upgrade.
Boss fights in particular need to be handled with care, since you'll only get healing potions whenever their health drops to certain points. Take some time to gather herbs in the world and visit the herbalist to check out new recipes. You can also craft elixirs there to increase your toughness or power.
4 Utilize Walls
Although this trick works best in dungeons with lots of little nooks and crannies, you can definitely still take advantage of walls and other hard obstacles in the open world. Even a little bit of cover from ranged attackers can make a huge difference.
There are bound to be many occasions when you're exploring and run right into an overwhelmingly powerful group of enemies. Even a common group of archers can do tons of damage to you out in the open, so there's really no shame in exploiting the natural environment to your advantage.
3 Watch Out For Chests
Chests are yet again a fantastic source of decent leveling gear, and they're surprisingly common throughout the game. Unlike previous generations, chests in Diablo 4 can be a little tough to spot. Rarer types of chests are usually easy to see, but the basic ones sometimes blend in a little too well.
Just take your time when you're exploring or questing if you don't want to pass up the common chests. In addition to those, there are tons of little hiding spots that you can search for some quick and easy gold.
2 Save Up Your Obols
It can be super tempting to spend this rare currency on the chance of getting powerful gear from the Curiosity Vendor — especially when you're struggling with certain quests or grinding levels, the thought of getting powerful gear for free can be tantalizing.
But, any gear you get early on is only going to be replaced, and sooner rather than later. Higher-level gear in any Diablo game always puts lower-level gear to shame. It's far better to save up your Obols until you hit max level, then spend them all at once!
1 Gear Isn't Everything
Once you start to find multiple pieces of Rare gear, inevitably you'll have to start comparing drops. Sometimes, lower quality Magic gear may have way more armor than your Rare gear, but much worse bonus effects. You may find yourself holding onto that gear with less armor but more useful bonuses.
It's important to remember that gear at this point isn't likely to make or break your game. You don't need to use gems on every socketable item you equip, or always have the best weapon possible. Just get out there and have fun, and worry about perfecting your build when you're at max level.