1.11 PvM Earth Shifter Druid Guide (v1.0)

[Liquid_Evil]

The 1.11 PvM Earth Shifter Druid Guide (Version 1.0)

Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Stat Placement
III. Skill Placement
IV. About the Build
V. Gear Selection
VI. Formulas
VII. Mercenaries
VIII. Thanks

I. Introduction
As the Druid picked through a collection of Gheed's junk wares, his steely eyes searched and scanned the assortment of sub par weapons before they finally fell upon *it*...a maul of such raw power that it couldn't fail to ensure his success in the conquest of Baal. Quickly, he dug through this bargain bin, tossing aside Puss Spitters, Brainhews, and Stormriders to get to his prize. His fingers curled tightly around the handle as he hefted it out of its neglected home. He barely had the strength to wield this behemoth of a weapon, but knew at that moment that this is what he would use to bludgeon his way to the Prime Evils. His lips parted in a smile as he thought about the potential of this hammer…He would simultaneously crack open fissures in the earth and the skulls of demons to conquer this world. A chilling laugh rattled out of his throat as he paid mere gems for his newfound prize and walked away to begin his adventure.

This build is based around the Earth Shifter Thunder Maul and I believe that it capitalizes best on the hammer's assets to make for a fun, rewarding character.

Earth Shifter
Thunder Maul
Two-Hand Damage: (115-132) To (630-720) (372.5-426 Avg)
Required Level: 69
Required Strength: 253
Durability: 60
Base Weapon Speed: [20]
+250-300% Enhanced Damage (varies)
+50% Damage To Undead
+7 To Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
25% Chance To Cast Level 14 Fissure On Striking
10% Increased Attack Speed
33% Chance of Crushing Blow
10% Faster Cast Rate
Level 14 Volcano (30 charges)
(Only Spawns In Patch 1.10 or later)

At first glance it offers the following as the most notable mods:
Huge Damage- This is the highest, base, raw physical damage of any unique item in the game.
Crushing Blow- The greatest boss-killing mod comes with a nice 33% standard.
+7 Elemental Skills- This huge amount given to a specific skill tree makes it ideal to capitalize on.

So basically we have a huge, damaging, 2-handed weapon that comes with a bonus to a skill tree that doesn't require physically damaging weapons to be effective. On the surface, this looks like a problem. I've seen a lot of people propose using it just as an elemental druid weapon (to make use of the skills) and more still try and pawn it off as a pure charger weapon (to make use of the damage). This particular build, however, does a good job at using all of the Earth Shifter's assets and here's why...

Since it offers bonuses to Druids, the character class should be a Druid. Since it has such great physical damage and crushing blow, it should be a Druid that uses a melee attack. Since all of the best melee attacks are found in the Shape Shifting tree, it needs to be a Wolf or Bear. Since the weapon is faster, and therefore, more effectively damaging, on a Fury Wolf than a Maul Bear, it needs to use Fury. Now, to capitalize on the all the juicy skills, we need to be able to cast an elemental spell. You can only cast one elemental spell in wereform...Armageddon. To make the most use of that maul, the build we want is a Fury/'Geddon variant.

When it's spelled out like that, it looks almost intuitive, doesn't it? Now even some of the other mods look more appealing.

10% IAS- This weapon may look bulky and slow, but a Shael rune socketing will net you a 7 fpa Fury attack.
25% Chance to Cast Level 14 Fissure- Fissure is one of the most underrated Druid spells. It will be synergized with the proposed skill set and it offers an area of attack spell to compliment a shifter druid's more melee-oriented arsenal. A 3.2 second bonus of ~800 fire damage isn't anything to sneeze at.

II. Stat Placement
Strength- You'll need 253 to be able to equip the Earth Shifter so be prepared for a heavy investment. Although this is a large number of stat points to spend in a non-vita area, an indirect bonus comes in the form of extra Fury damage. Maul-type weapons have an innate attribute that translates points in strength to more enhanced damage than other classes of base weapons. (1.10*str / 100)
Dexterity- None is needed. You will not be blocking and there are easier ways to boost attack rating.
Vitality- All you can spare. Once strength is taken care of, boosting this should be your main concern.
Energy- Zip. Zero. Nadda.

III. Skill Placement
20 Fury
20 Armageddon
20 Firestorm
20 Volcano
1 Werewolf, 1 Lycanthropy, 1 in all the pre-requisites to Fury

The remaining points can be spent in any of the following areas to taste:
Molten Boulder- This synergizes Armageddon's damage even further.
Lycanthropy- This will boost your life in wereform. If you have an inclination that you will be partying with other Druids that utilize Oak, then points are better spent here.
Oak Sage- This will boost your life and the life of your party. The only drawback is that a low level Oak Sage is often killed quickly in Hell.
Heart of Wolverine- This spirit is tougher than Oak and will enhance your Fury damage as well as your party’s physical damage.
Fissure- Points spent here will lengthen the timer, but not the damage of Armageddon. If you are impatient with the rain of fire and would like it to last longer, then this is an option, but I’d recommend any of the above before considering this route.

The skills should be pretty straightforward for the build. We need Fury and Armageddon as our main damage sources and a point in the wolf skills to remain in that form with a decent amount of health. We choose to max Firestorm and Volcano because they not only synergize Armageddon, but also because they synergize the level 14 Fissures that will randomly go off.

IV. About the Build
This build is played like a standard Fury Druid for the most part. Armageddon should be treated like supplemental damage to your Fury instead of as a main killer. Its fire damage is impressive, but very sporadic. That skill is most effective when you get yourself surrounded or when you have packs of monsters chasing after you. The length of Armageddon is also relatively short and will need to be recast every ~12 seconds which becomes less of an annoyance the more you play and will soon be second nature. The Fury speed is somewhat slow to anyone that has built a Werewolf around a Ribcracker or Tomb Reaver, but still very competitive in my opinion. The chance to cast Fissure on the Earth Shifter will interrupt Fury, but the minor delay isn't really enough to be troublesome. Depending on gear and mercenary choice, 1,800-10,000 Fury damage (7 fpa) and 6,200-7,000 Armageddon damage should be close to the end game numbers you’ll be looking at. There isn’t a huge learning curve to this character and with minimal hotkeys you just need to remember to keep the fire falling and the Fury claws fighting.

V. Gear Selection
When deciding on items, you'll want to exploit +All skills and +Druid skills to boost both of your main offensive skills while indirectly raising your attack rating and life. Other mods to look for are resists, +life, crushing blow, deadly strike, and attack rating.

WEAPON:
Earth Shifter- Go big or go home. Your only option if you want an Earth Shifter Druid.

WEAPON SWITCH:
Demonlimb- I like the spectacular bonus to attack rating. Cheap too.
Other options are “Call to Arms”/ “Spirit” Monarch for a life boost or anything with +skills or +Druid skills to aid in transformation.

HELMS:
Jalal’s Mane- Great resists, FHR, and a +strength bonus on top of lots of juicy Druid skills make this old favorite hard to beat. It benefits every aspect of the build.
Guillaume’s Face- 30% FHR, 15% DS, 35% CB, and +15 to strength make for a spectacular melee helm for an emphasis on a good Fury.
Rare/Magic/“Delirium” Pelt- Appropriate +skills can make these tailor made helms very successful on this character type.

GLOVES:
Dracul’s Grasp- +Strength, +life after kill, gravy open wounds, but most importantly a 5% chance to cast Life Tap. They are the ultimate safety gloves and offer the most in terms of keeping your character alive.
Laying of Hands- The IAS is useless, but 350% damage to demons makes them almost equivalent to a Fortitude armor in PvM.
Steelrend- A bonus to this build is that you’ll have the base strength required to utilize the unique pair of ogre gauntlets. They come with some %ED, some nice +strength, and a nice chunk of crushing blow (10%) which is always a welcome addition to a melee character’s arsenal.
Magefist- If you’re trying to have an emphasis on the Armageddon half of your build, look no further than these.

ARMOR:
“Chains of Honor”- I think this runeword benefits this build the most. It offers some great offense: +2 skills to boost both of the main attacks, some nice +strength, and lots of gravy enhanced damage towards monsters, while maintaining an awesome defense in the form of +65 resists, 8% PDR, and some minor life replenish and leech.
“Enigma”- We can’t utilize the teleport, but +2 skills, 45% FRW, and scaling +strength make it a nice alternative.
Arkaine’s Valor- +2 skills, 30% FHR, and a nice life bonus aren’t mods to sneeze at.
“Fortitude”- Good resists and life on top of 300% enhanced damage makes for an impressive melee armor, but it only really benefits the Fury side of this build.
“Duress”- Great FHR and some minor resists coupled with Crushing Blow and Open Wounds makes a cheap alternative to some of the more expensive armors, but again, it only really benefits the Fury half of this character.

BELTS:
Arachnid’s Mesh- This is the only belt that offers +1 skills, so I find it the most beneficial in terms of increasing the offensive power of this Druid. The slow target modifier is also gravy.
Thundergod’s Vigor- Awesome +strength and lightning resists. If you’re having trouble with Gloams, look no further than this belt. Definitely a nice option if you are looking to increase your defensive staying power.
Wilhelm’s Pride- A good source of dual leech if you’re having mana problems. Using it in conjunction with Guillaume’s Face adds a partial set bonus of +35 life.
String of Ears- Life leech on top of PDR and MDR. A good survival belt but I’d opt for one of the above first.
Hsarus’ Iron Stay- If your AR is poor, use these in conjunction with the boots for +10 AR per lvl.

BOOTS:
Gore Riders- Open Wounds, Crushing Blow, and Deadly Strike rolled into one convenient little pair of boots. Hard to beat.
Goblin Toe- Excellent Crushing Blow, but that’s about it. If you don’t mind the lack of FRW, they make a good footwear option.
Immortal King’s Pillar/Aldur’s Advance- These boots both offer +life and speed. Depending on whether you want higher fire resistances or a better attack rating will be the deciding factor between the two.
Hsarus’ Iron Heel- If your AR is poor, use these in conjunction with the belt for +10 AR per lvl.

AMULETS:
Highlord’s Warth- Great lightning resists, +1 skill, and scaling Deadly Strike to take your effective Fury damage to new heights.
Rare/Crafted- These have the potential to be spectacular. Look for +2 Druid skills, +stats, +resists, and FRW (crafted only) among other mods.
Mara’s Kaleidoscope- +2 skills, minor stats, and a healthy chunk of resists. Nice.
Angelic Wings- No +skills, but a nice +life boost and huge AR bonus when used with an Angelic Halo.

RINGS:
Ravenfrost- At least one of these! It’s a cheap source of ‘Cannot Be Frozen’ and a great way to boost your attack rating.
Rare/Crafted- Potentially great +stats, resists and dual leech.
BK Wedding Band/SoJ- This build loves extra +skills.
Angelic Halo- Just another way to boost AR when used with its amulet counterpart.

CHARMS:
Spiritual skill charms- They increase, life, AR, and Fury damage. The %enhanced damage to Fury really shines with a huge base damage weapon like the Earth Shifter. Natural skillers (+elemental skills) aren’t nearly as beneficial.
Steel charms- Hitting consistently should be a priority.
Life charms- More life = better tanking abilities.

FRW, FHR, and Resistance charms might also be applicable depending on gear. (And of course, Anni and Torch if you're realm)

VI. Formulas
Faster Hit Recovery
Werewolves are blessed with the best hit recovery of any character. It isn’t a crucial mod in PvM, but I try to always have at least 20% on my wolves for a minimum 5 frame recovery (which is surprisingly easy). Fury is an interruptible attack so having a little can be very beneficial in mob situations. Tailor gear accordingly but don’t feel like a 3 frame is even close to necessary.

Frame- FHR%
6- 9
5- 20
4- 42
3- 86

Chance to Hit
100 * AR / (AR + DR) * 2 * alvl / (alvl + dlvl)
AR = Attack Rating; alvl = Level of Attacker; dlvl = Level of Defender; DR = Defense Rating

That’s a lot to calculate, but I try and aim for ~10,000 AR on my melee characters. With most Act 5 Hell monsters, it gives me better than an ~80% chance to hit them. With a weapon like Earth Shifter that isn’t exceptionally fast, attack rating becomes more of an issue at contributing to effective damage. Steel charms and Enchant charges are great ways to boost AR, but don’t sweat if it you don’t achieve the 10K mark as you can get by with much less. As you level past the mlvl of your enemies, you’ll find you hit more often.

VII. Mercenaries
Finding a suitable mercenary is a keystone to crafting a successful character. They are a matter of taste, but I have listed a few of my favorites in order of how I rate them.

Act 2 Might- Sends effective Fury damage to new heights.
Act 2 Holy Freeze- This guy takes care of any crowd control issues you might encounter. The only real time I find it as a godsend is fighting Lister and his pack though.
Act 2 Blessed Aim- Helps to remedy any AR problems.
Act 1 Rogue- They are similar to a Blessed Aim merc in that they cast Inner Sight to indirectly improve your chance to hit. A “Harmony” bow can be used to provide you with a very welcome Vigor Aura to speed.

Equip mercenaries with slow target, +skills, Crushing Blow, a CtC curse (if applicable), and an appropriate amount of IAS whenever possible.

VIII. Thanks
-Lothric, for the inspiration needed to write this guide.
-Tommy Gustafsson, for all his testing and knowledge of game mechanics. I borrowed the CtH formula straight from his archive.
-The Druid and Single Player Forums. Those subsections alone make dii.net worth a bookmark.
-And of course you for reading. :wink3:

Comments welcome and appreciated.

[Thyiad]

Very very nice, Liq. :thumbsup:

Well presented, beautifully set out and very detailed.

Congrats!

[MalVeauX]

I love it.

I always looked at the Earthshifter and thought "What caster would bother just for the +7 skills when they can get +5 with way better casting mods elsewhere?" And you just shed the light. Duh. Not a caster. A beat stick that comes with fire!

I'm going to make this. As soon as I figure out how to get that kind of STR and still be ok for HP, I'll make this.

Suggestions for hitting the STR and keeping gear right? Ik Gloves/Belt? What else? This is gonna be my project for next week. Thanks for the idea!

Cheers, :sunny:

[Liquid_Evil]

Suggestions for hitting the STR and keeping gear right? Ik Gloves/Belt? What else? This is gonna be my project for next week. Thanks for the idea!

Firstly, you're going to need to invest a good chunk into strength regardless of gear, but it's not that big of deal. Dracul's or Steelrend are going to be better than IK gloves, and Thundergods is going to trump the IK belt as far as your suggestions go. Make sure you don't sell out items with better mods just to net some extra strength stats. And honestly, you really don't have to worry about cutting corners to save every Vitality point you can muster because Druids really don't receive very much life for each point spent there (quite unlike the barb). Hard +life items (small charms of vita, P.Rubies in helm, etc) are where it's easiest to make up life. So really, this is a character that you can splurge a little extra in the strength department with no real problems.

@ Thy- Thanks! :wink:

[Enigmers]

Wow, this is something I never expected. Nice build.

I'd like to point out that Verdungo's Hearty Cord, offers some nice Vitality and Damage Reduction, and Metalgrid is another good amulet choice for those who are lacking AR, but still need resists. (I use both of the items I just mentioned on my Fury druid)

[Magicboy]

Nice guide write up! Just gotta find that Earth Shifter now! :grin:

:thumbsup:

[MalVeauX]

Firstly, you're going to need to invest a good chunk into strength regardless of gear, but it's not that big of deal. Dracul's or Steelrend are going to be better than IK gloves, and Thundergods is going to trump the IK belt as far as your suggestions go. Make sure you don't sell out items with better mods just to net some extra strength stats. And honestly, you really don't have to worry about cutting corners to save every Vitality point you can muster because Druids really don't receive very much life for each point spent there (quite unlike the barb). Hard +life items (small charms of vita, P.Rubies in helm, etc) are where it's easiest to make up life. So really, this is a character that you can splurge a little extra in the strength department with no real problems.

Quite true. This isn't a barb after all.

20 str from Jalal's. 20 str from Thundergod (and 20 Vit). 10~20 from gloves (Dracs or Rends). That's 50 to 60 str from great gear, so that brings the req of hard stat placement into the 200-startingSTR zone. That's not too bad. Leaves a healthy 200+ for Vitality placement.

I'll work out some deals and make this guy. I'll post again when I've had some fun crushing & fissuring things to death.

Thanks again! :sunny:

[sirpoopsalot]

I was actually tempted to make something very much like this not very long ago, but never got around to it. Now if I do, I guess I'll have to give you some credit (and I was thinking of a elemental emphasis with melee backup, but I see that melee emphasis is probably better overall). Nice work Liq.

BTW, you forgot verdungos for a belt. I'll never forgive you.


Another thing: Depending on how much fury-speed would deteriorate, I'd be quite tempted to socket a Ruby/Realgar Jewel of Freedom into the Earthshifter. I haven't done the math on that yet, and I suspect even one breakpoint is better overall, but... thoughts?


Edit: What were your experiences against the few PI/FI that you encountered? Painful? Park 'em? Reapers on the Merc? Amp charges on The Gavel of Pain (just for coolness)?

[Liquid_Evil]

Thanks for the praise and comments, guys. It's always nice to hear some thoughts on improvement. I'll address the concerns I saw.

Yeah, I left Verdungo's off the list because the +vit bonus is actually pretty minor and doesn't get multiplied by Lycanthropy like hard +life items. In my opinion, SoE > Verdungos in PvM (unless you need the 10% FHR to hit a breakpoint). Besides, for this build, Arachnid Mesh is my hands down pick. Metalgrid is an alright amulet choice, but it tries to fill too many roles and doesn't do a good enough job at any of them (for this build anyway). The defense is next to pointless for a werewolf, and it can't outshine Angelics in the AR department and Mara's provides the same resists with some +skills on top of that. I guess I just really wanted to hammer home the point that +skills and +druid skills really shine on this build. Life, AR, and both sets of damage increase.

I didn't even really want to toy with another socket choice for the Earth Shifter. Shael provides a quicker Fury breakpoint and quicker attacks mean more safety in mob situations and a better dmg:second ratio. I'd have to isolate all the other indirect damage modifiers (OW, CB, DS) and sit down with a calculator to see if the added %ED of an Ohm rune or jewel at a slower attack rate would trump a quicker Fury breakpoint, but my gut says no. And besides, when you start getting slower and slower, Crushing Blow indirectly becomes less and less effective while AR problems change from minor to glaring. (Hopefully this isn't misleading, Crushing Blow doesn't get mathmatically worse, I'm just trying to illustrate that slower weapons can't rely as heavily on chance to hit effects as faster weapons. The same is true about slow weapons and AR, if you're only hitting once every second, you better have some awesome AR for a good chance to hit. Make sense?)

As for the PI issue. I used an eth Reaper's Toll on the merc. The Armageddon fire balls will hit everything *except* the PI when you are counting on it. Thankfully, PI/FI didn't appear to be extremely common.

Realm players looking to save strength:
15 Starting Str
10-20 Anni
10-20 Torch
20 Jalal's Mane
5 Mara's K
20 Chains of Honor
10-15 Dracul's
20 Thundergod's
10-15 Sandstorm

There's 120-150 right off the bat and you could save even more with an Enigma. I'd probably opt for Gore Riders, Highlord's, and Arachnid Mesh though. Like I said before, don't shoot yourself in the foot trying to save every drop of strength to spend in vita. It's a PvM char and doesn't really need a bucket of life. I should make a Titan one of these to prove that.

[Jaquiezz]

I've always thought Earth Shifter was a cool wep, very cool use of it. If I can get over my build ADD (I tend to jump around builds I think are cool) I will go for this. I think an act 1 merc with harmony would be sweet, and be able to take out PI's pretty easily, although reapers would be pretty nice for the decrip... hard choice and one to play around with.

I think a very cool varient of this build that would work much the same way would be using an up'd Earthshaker and a Phoenix Shield which has some very nice geddon/fury properties. Again, something to mess around with.

[sablast]

Great build, great guide, thanks Liq and congrats

[Eilo Rytyj]

Aww man, this is cool. I remember the first Druid I ever tried to make, an untwinked Armageddon/Maul Bear... didn't get far with that one. I've got Armageddon as a 1-point wonder on my Fire Elemental Druid so far (investing more than 1 point after the other four fire skills are maxed... too far to level). I've always like Armageddon as a skill, the awesome potential damage and randomness of it, the nice feeling you get when that one little rock falls and finishes off a particular tough monster for you.

But this... very nice job on making something out of a seemingly useless and forgotten Unique. Kudos on your creativity.

Might I suggest... 1 point in Oak Sage? It's only 1 skill point, and having a temporary life boost on call IMO is a good thing.

I don't think the Earthshaker/Phoenix combo would be as good. It also hits a 7 frame Fury, but has much less physical damage, only +3 to Ele skills, and your Fury would now be interrupted by both Firestorm and Fissure, which is only slvl 7, and 5% ctc. So for what it's worth, the -fire res%... probably wouldn't be worth it.

Oh, and for the record: That fully synergised Slvl 14 Fissure will do 817-875 fire damage. Doesn't seem like much, but remember how Fissure works with multiple monsters moving over the vents... nice and buggy, just the way we like it.


BTW... by losing the Shael in the Maul, you go down to a 9 frame Fury... or an 8 frame Fury with a high slvl WW (roughly slvl 10 or more) and lots of off-weapon IAS (40% or more). I don't think it's worth it either. And you can't substitute an IAS Jewel for the Shael in the Maul either... it's an 8 frame max speed with an IAS Jewel in the Maul.

[Jaquiezz]

You forget the massive +ED on Phoenix and Redemption Aura, also much less of a str. Req. This build would use fire as more of a killer and physical to leach/kill FI's. Just an idea tho.

[zarirazz]

cool guide.. have always wanted to make one, however i still have to complete 5+ unfinished builds=P

i've always wanted to try out the ctc on earthshifter. it's one of the first few tc87s i got off pindle, and it's 299ed =)

[Jary]

When I first officially came to west ladder about a year ago, this was my second build. I got my woofy to lvl 86, but that was it. I lucked out on a near perfect Earthshifter, very rare :)

Personally, I did a few things different:

1) I maxed Lycanthropy instead of Armagedon. Why? Sounds like a waste of easy +7 skills, but I found armagedon just hits so terrible, and without any life and a relatively "slow" Fury at 7fpa, I die easy. You still get the ~700 damage synergized Fissure, and that's what matters :) With fissure and firestorm going off left and right it does look really sweet! :thumbsup: +7 ele is still nice for cyclone armor, to say the least ^_^

2) 1 point Grizzly Bear. I think this was an automatic if you've made this build before, this needs to be mentioned. Slow Fury, no shield... tankability is a must. I started out with no pets, eventually added it down the road when I got to hell 'cause I realized I was having a tough time tanking any groups coming 3+ at a time.

3) 1 point oak.

Sorry, but other "must have" mentions:
- Aldurs Armor (+20 strength, +50% lightning resist, +skillz, +15 dexterity with 2 item combo...perfect candidate)
- Aldurs boots (+40-50%fire resist, +50 life, 40%frw. +15 vitality with 2 item quick-combo ^_^ )
-IK Gloves
-IK boots (hmm... wut to say, maybe +60 strength! +20 dext, +30 light/fire resist, +25% ias... otherwise you need lvl 15+ Werewolf, and a lot of ppl might not reach that for max fpa)

I also went the 0 dexterity route, and I will say... even with ~lvl 15 werewolf, my AR was horrible unless I had Anghellics + raven. Even with, it was like ~14k at best :[
Unless you can add points into dext or find a better way, I'd scratch highlords for this build, just doesn't cut it, unless you're ok with 6k ar

I'm glad you made this guide though, it is a lot of fun to play, well done! :)

[omgwtfbbqpwned]

I might actually build this in my spare time. :scratch:

+1 vote for sticky if mine works out :p

Edit: Also, you definately need to get a more creative name. [xxx], the PvM Earth Shifter using Druid Guide.

[prion]

i dunno i think the name of the maul implies this build all by itself :)
very cool guide and nice use of the weapon.

however I am curious what you do in Chaos Sanctuary. Melee is dangerous and there's enough fire immunes to give you a rough time.

I am also wondering, would a beast or faith merc help you with speed?

[Liquid_Evil]

Thanks for the praise and feedback from everyone, it's always nice to hear your thoughts. :thumbsup:

Now, to address some more stuff...
1) I maxed Lycanthropy instead of Armagedon. Why? Sounds like a waste of easy +7 skills, but I found armagedon just hits so terrible, and without any life and a relatively "slow" Fury at 7fpa, I die easy. You still get the ~700 damage synergized Fissure, and that's what matters :)
Well, I if you're maxing the skills to boost Fissure, they are going to naturally synergize Armageddon. Couple that with it's rarely scene animation, +7 innate skills to help boost it, and the all out coolness factor, I had to incorporate it. Plus it just seems like a more thorough use of the Earth Shifter.

2) 1 point Grizzly Bear. I think this was an automatic if you've made this build before, this needs to be mentioned. Slow Fury, no shield... tankability is a must. I started out with no pets, eventually added it down the road when I got to hell 'cause I realized I was having a tough time tanking any groups coming 3+ at a time.
I've had Grizzly on a couple of my druids, but was never very impressed with it. With a single point in it, he will come with 825-1125 life. I suppose that isn't anything to sneeze at, but you can definitely do without him, especially in a party setting.

3) 1 point oak.
You guys keep saying this. I didn't advocate no points in it, just however many suited your taste. There's always reason to spend at least one point in your spirit of choice on any Druid. I just made a case for Oak's 1 point life weakness. Even with +15 skills, it will still have less than 350 hit points.

Sorry, but other "must have" mentions:
- Aldurs Armor (+20 strength, +50% lightning resist, +skillz, +15 dexterity with 2 item combo...perfect candidate)
- Aldurs boots (+40-50%fire resist, +50 life, 40%frw. +15 vitality with 2 item quick-combo ^_^ )
Yeah, I spaced that combo. Definitely worth a mention.

-IK Gloves
-IK boots (hmm... wut to say, maybe +60 strength! +20 dext, +30 light/fire resist, +25% ias... otherwise you need lvl 15+ Werewolf, and a lot of ppl might not reach that for max fpa)
This I'm not sure I understand. How are you netting +60 strength with those two items? Dual Fal runes socketed in the gloves? :wink3:

I also went the 0 dexterity route, and I will say... even with ~lvl 15 werewolf, my AR was horrible unless I had Anghellics + raven. Even with, it was like ~14k at best :[
I touched on that earlier, but I think 14K is more than sufficient in Act 5 Hell with a decent lvl character. (That actually translates to about an ~87% chance to hit most monsters)

however I am curious what you do in Chaos Sanctuary. Melee is dangerous and there's enough fire immunes to give you a rough time.
I wish I had a good answer for this, but basically just play it safe and cautious. I wasn't gonna wield a Widowmaker/Azure switch because I didn't want to displace my Demonlimb.

I am also wondering, would a beast or faith merc help you with speed?
Fanatism is next to useless in terms of IAS for shifted druids.

Also, you definately need to get a more creative name. [xxx], the PvM Earth Shifter using Druid Guide.
I thought about doing something like that (gogo gadget "Fury Flamer", "Rapture Wolf", etc) but decided it might be more straightforward if I kept it simple. Every so often a guy will come out of the woodwork to ask about potential Earth Shifter uses...Now in the off chance he searches before he posts, this thread should answer some of his questions...

[Jary]

Damnit Liquid lol... naw, jk that's cool.

We've been here before Liquid, almost a year ago... it's like the past is repeating itself :wink3: : good times
http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=546077&highlight=fissure+eartshifter


wups sry, I meant +45 strength with IK gloves/belt... but look at the bonuses dude... I mean... dudeee! :grin:
here, arreat: http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/sets/sets5.shtml#immortalking

[Liquid_Evil]

Yeah, I've liked the weapon for a while (it's terribly underused so it comes with lots of style points if you find a good use for it, ya know) and was heartset on trying to make a Maul/'Geddon variant work so I could utilize Shockwave (If I'm gonna play a PvM Druid, I really want to make use of that skill if I can), but after all the number crunching I did it still looked too slow so I settled with a Werewolf instead. I'm still pretty satisfied with the build though. It plays kind of like a Titan with the impressive damage and lower-than-usual hit point pool. Let's just say that Iron Maiden is *not* a friend of this build. But yeah, thanks for the comments, Jary.

[Cubbie]

Wow, cool idea and well written guide. Good job!

[safetypro]

Liquid_Evil, Great job writing this guide. I like the fact that you went away from the normal paradigms and developed a build around what many consider an unusable item.
Keep up the good work.

[Coldfire]

Just a quick question, would a Fireclaw varient be feasable with this weapon (since Firestorm and Volcano synergize this skill as well)? Just a thought...I didn't run any speed or skill calculators yet

[zarirazz]

Just a quick question, would a Fireclaw varient be feasable with this weapon (since Firestorm and Volcano synergize this skill as well)? Just a thought...I didn't run any speed or skill calculators yet

you'll hit stuff pretty slowly =P

[Liquid_Evil]

Fireclaws is all about the maintaining a great weapon speed since its damage comes from +skills. The physical damage of the Earth Shifter would be more or less wasted on a pure FC. Even with a good lvl Werewolf skill, you'd still be swinging that maul ungodly slow at 12 frame on a wolf...and even slower on a Bear.

Could you make one work? Probably. Would it kill as quickly as the ones with the emphasis on Fury? Probably not. (Plus it's going to have immunity problems to boot)

[Coldfire]

Gotcha, I kind of figured that but I wanted some expert advice ;)

[Ray Patean]

Another non-cookie cutter, yet very sexy and powerful build from Mr. Evil.


I might have to give this a try some day soon :smiley:

[NightCreature]

Has anyone tried this build? How good is in pvp?

[Liquid_Evil]

I've never dueled with this character, but have with a lot of other characters and I could tell you that an Earth Shifter druid would be terrible in PvP. A non-teleport, close-quarters, 7 fpa Fury, no blocking, low(ish) lifed druid that drops random balls of fire will be eaten alive in the duel scene. Not to mention his gear choices don't especially cater to a good PvP setup.

This build is definitely PvM and does pretty well in that arena. Take him out of that setting at your own risk.

[skyjuice]

I must applaud for efforts used to write this brief guide :) I've got mine currently in lvl 50 and slowly but surely getting to hell level range. A couple of questions:

1) using butchers cleaver right now. But i would like to know what suggestions to weapon options (single + shield or 2-handed) for NM viability.

2) Is it true that highlords IAS does not benefit the attack speed in WW form?

[BAMFSpecialOps]

1-ribby
2-at slower frames it may be able to bump you up a frame, but when your swinging faster it does nothing.

[skyjuice]

1-ribby
2-at slower frames it may be able to bump you up a frame, but when your swinging faster it does nothing.

ribby=ribcracker?
ok as for #2, other than pts in werewolf what will add to attack speed?

[Jary]

If I remember right when I was doing the calculations, a lvl 15+ Werewolf skill covers all the bp's for Fury with Earthshifter. If you had... say, only lvl 10 Werewolf then the highlords 20%ias would bump your attack speed up one.

As far as using a 'shael' up'd Ribcracker... I believe the base speed is 10 but as far as how much oias you need to reach 5 fpa Fury I don't remember its been a while. I think with 70% weapon Ias at that lower base it doesn't require any ias from your gear, but I'll have to double check.

EDIT: kk, lol... yeah lvl 2+ Werewolf automatically hits 5 fpa with Fury. ^.~ Feral Rage will automatically be 6 fpa with lvl 2+ Werewolf too, so it looks like no Oias is needed. I'd still use highlords dude 'cause the damage from Deadly strike is just sick

[Liquid_Evil]

An up'ed Ribcracker is cheap and very effective. I also used a Windhammer to some good effect until I finally traded for an Earth Shifter. (I'm just a fan of 2h weapons on wolves.)

Jary is also right concerning the breakpoints. You'll need ~15+ lvl Werewolf to take care of the IAS enough to get that 7 fpa Fury if you're not using OIAS. With plain shape skillers trading for ~15 pgems a pop, it's not difficult to achieve a solid lvl Werewolf with a single hard point though.

Here's a screenie of my latest Earth Shifter Druid, Earth-Shifter (http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5871/screenshot011zf8.jpg), so you have something to aim for as far as stats go. My charms are poor, I'm using a Harmony merc, and I'm not using a switch weapon so with some effort you should trump all those end game numbers. Anyway, good luck!

[dryzalizer]

Awesome guide Evil, I think this will be my next build if I can find/trade for Earth Shifter. I guess with all the +skills you get a good WW duration, but what about during development? It seems like you would have to recast WW a lot early on, but I guess that is a minor inconvenience which will go away later. Thanks for the great guide!

[omgwtfbbqpwned]

Items at the time when you took the SS?

[Liquid_Evil]

@ dryzalizer- It's a minor inconvenience if an inconvenience at all. Even when building Fury/Rabies builds and the like, no real hard points are invested in Werewolf. If the shorter-than-average duration bothers you in the beginning, then you can just use Fissure. That skill works wonders in normal and nightmare, and your skills naturally synergize it. (Remember though, you need lvl 15 Werewolf at end game somehow)

@ omg- I believe his gear is as follows:

Jalal's Mane
"Chains of Honor"
Thundergod's Vigor
+2 Druid Skills, resistance, +strength, 6% ll rare amulet
Ravenfrost (mid dex, emphasis on good AR)
Dual leech rare ring with some resists
Immortal King's Pillar
Dracul's Grasp
Earth Shifter s/Shael

2 Steel Grand charms (with minor mods, life and dex I think)
4-5 Shapeshifting Skillers (most plain, one with +strength, one with +35 life)
Junky anni and torch...rest of charm space under the grands filled with single element resists and minor life charms.
*I was not using a Demon Limb enchant for that screenie.
(This specific character was built on USWest)

[dryzalizer]

Here's a dumb question, sorry for my ignorance. Liquid, did you forget to include the prereq skill points for armageddon on the right side of the elemental tree in your guide? Or does the maul let you skip them? I am talking about arctic blast, cyclone, etc. This is a lot of points into prereqs, and made me think about leaving armageddon untouched and synergizing it with maxed molten boulder. Any idea if the damage would be comparable? Probably not but I was a little bummed when I realized I would have to put 5 more points into prereqs before getting armageddon. :cry:

[Liquid_Evil]

Here's a dumb question, sorry for my ignorance. Liquid, did you forget to include the prereq skill points for armageddon on the right side of the elemental tree in your guide? Or does the maul let you skip them?

Oh, I thought it was implied that you'd have to spend them but looking back I didn't expliticly state you need a point in pre-reqs. It's just 5 points and I use Cyclone armor when I first shift just for kicks (every little bit helps right?).

The maul doesn't allow you to skip anything, it just powers the skills once you have a solid point in them. If you're worried about ~5 points, then you might consider a rare helm that grants +1 'geddon, but I didn't think it was a big deal and believe you'll be much more satisfied with the pre-reqs and the hard points in Armageddon.

[dryzalizer]

Thanks Evil, I should have known that already but I got excited when the prereqs weren't mentioned. No problem, i will enjoy casting the armor and the benefits of it. Looking into skill point distribution, yes it looks like maxing Armageddon is the way to go. Mahalo!

[Cronanius]

So, question.
I'm finding this build loads of fun to play, but if I get stuck in a tight spot (esp vs fire immunes or undead... or BOTH ~ ewwww) I tend to get eaten in short order. Now, granted, I'm only level 75, and I'm not wearing dracs, and I don't have a coh for this guy yet, but I'm just wondering if anybody has any suggestions on improving staying power.
I'll list my [current] gear too, might help.
-Jalal's
-Up'd Um'd Guardian Angel (Have a good Arkaine's waiting for the levels tho)
-Shael'd Earth Shifter (of course)
-Crafted Vampbone Gloves -3% lifeleech, 10%CB, 17 str, some other nice mods.
-Crafted Mesh Belt -2% lifeleech, 10%OW, 25% Cold Res, 50 life, other mods
-Gore Riders
-9%lifeleech carrion wind
-212AR ravenfrost
-3 shapeshift/43 life amulet
Charms are basically junk. I could definitely pop dracs on if absolutely necessary, but I wish it weren't. I've been wanting to use my nice crafties for a while ;).
I'm hoping my completely uber coh will even the score a bit, once I get the runes for it (14/15 sup sacred armor). Also, as I like to concentrate a bit more on the armageddon side than maybe others would, do you think it would be plausible to stick a 5/5 die fire facet into a perfect ravenlore and still stay alive? I love the helm, so I'm kind of looking for an excuse to use one.

Thanks! Great guide, btw.

[Edit]: Oh yes, I had another question as well. If I were to, say, stick a 40ed/15ias jewel in a high shifter, would I still hit the 7fps fury with lvl 15 werewolf?

[Liquid_Evil]

So, question.
I'm finding this build loads of fun to play, but if I get stuck in a tight spot (esp vs fire immunes or undead... or BOTH ~ ewwww) I tend to get eaten in short order. Now, granted, I'm only level 75, and I'm not wearing dracs, and I don't have a coh for this guy yet, but I'm just wondering if anybody has any suggestions on improving staying power.
Those gloves make a world of difference.

I'm hoping my completely uber coh will even the score a bit, once I get the runes for it (14/15 sup sacred armor).
The extra defense will only net a higher repair bill on a character that has no way of boosting it to competitive levels (i.e. a werewolf). Still, getting the strength required to wear it shouldn't be a problem at all. :wink3:

Also, as I like to concentrate a bit more on the armageddon side than maybe others would, do you think it would be plausible to stick a 5/5 die fire facet into a perfect ravenlore and still stay alive? I love the helm, so I'm kind of looking for an excuse to use one.
Sure, it's plausible. Just remember that you'll lose out on +4 skills to the shapeshifting tree so it cuts into your dmg, AR, and life. You'll also need to negotiate those missing skills and make them up somewhere so you can still maintain that lvl 15 Werewolf. Jalal's supplies some nice strength but you can live without it, however, 30 resists is a large chunk to lose all in one swoop.

To me, it's just not worth it because I view Armageddon as a secondary, bonus form of damage used just to compliment my Fury. You're going a different route and focusing more on Armageddons so it might be worth it to you.

The damage increase from 1 facet and an additional +1 skill (+3 ele on raven vs. +2 all on Jalal's) is negligable, but the -resists can really shine. Something to keep in mind though that something like a third of all monsters in Hell are immune to fire. I'd say stick with Jalal's if this build was any form of a cookie cutter...but it isn't. You're already playing with a unique thunder maul usually passed off as garbage by most so why not complete that ensemble in the chicken head if that's what's going to be the most fun for you. Maybe compromise though and trade out your nice crafts for Drac's. And remember, find a way to keep those resists high.

[Edit]: Oh yes, I had another question as well. If I were to, say, stick a 40ed/15ias jewel in a high shifter, would I still hit the 7fps fury with lvl 15 werewolf?
I'm afraid we're forever stuck with a Shael.

Good luck with your Earth Shifter Druid! :thumbsup:

[lumpor]

nice guide! I would try it out if i had the patience to come to level 69. Sadly i don't. Anyway an earthshifter should use hurricane right? it become lvl 15+ with the maul and other +skills, and it's a cast and forget spell. It works like a holy freeze right? Just that it doesn't take a action button since it's a buff. Also, when maxing synergies, molten boulder and volcano should be maxed first right? Because if you put points in fissure it doesn't benefit the fissures coming out of your maul and if you put points in firestorm it won't synergize the firestorms from your torch.

[Mitch Turnbuckle]

Hello,

I am currently playing a build that is based around an Earthshifter Thunder Maul.

However, I have yet to actually get my hands on one. Where is a good place to hunt for these? Or should I just keep scouring the trade forums. By the way I am looking for an Ethereal example. . .

[lumpor]

Oh also,should I put a point into carrion vine? With + skills,and a level 1 oak sage with + skills too it'll survive quite a bit while giving me life and eating corpses so they can't get resurrected right? or should I ignore it? And I should use cyclone armor too right?

[Liquid_Evil]

Anyway an earthshifter should use hurricane right? it become lvl 15+ with the maul and other +skills, and it's a cast and forget spell.
It lasts a mere 12 seconds and can't be recast in wereform, so no. I never use it.

Because if you put points in fissure it doesn't benefit the fissures coming out of your maul and if you put points in firestorm it won't synergize the firestorms from your torch.
The first part is correct. Raw points in fissure will not synergize ctc fissures. However, you've got the Firestorm on the torch confused. It's actually Diablo's Firestorm attack so it will not be synergized no matter what points are spent in the druid's elemental tree. Blizzard just used the same name twice. (To see for yourself just cast a Firestorm and you'll notice it looks nothing like what your torch gives you)

Oh also,should I put a point into carrion vine? With + skills,and a level 1 oak sage with + skills too it'll survive quite a bit while giving me life and eating corpses so they can't get resurrected right? or should I ignore it? And I should use cyclone armor too right?
Carrion vine is a taste issue. I have never used them and have managed just fine. Just do what suits your play style. I use Cyclone armor right before I shift for the first time and sometimes between Baal minion waves. It gives a nice little bonus, but I don't waste my time unshifting to recast it because it isn't super effective being unsynergized and a relatively low level. (compared to wind druids and such)

Where is a good place to hunt for these? Or should I just keep scouring the trade forums. By the way I am looking for an Ethereal example. . .
Well, when Jary and I were looking for one a while back, we found it the most beneficial to just spam channels that you were needing one or simply create "Brg Earthshifter" games. Most people don't know the difference between that maul and an Earthshaker so a lot get sent away. An ethereal one will prove more difficult to find (obviously since they are a lot rarer), but the above ways still might work to some good effect. It also wouldn't hurt to get a forum trade thread up and going as the backup plan though. Give that sucker a bump every 48 hours and keep the nose to the grindstone, actively seeking it on realm. Something will bite sooner or later. Good luck, Mitch.

[Mitch Turnbuckle]

Hello,

I did find a few through searching the Useast trade forum threads, but most of those threads are from 1994. There is one more that I saw a few days ago, however it is low at 261% enhanced damage and more importantly not ethereal (50 stat points is a big deal).

Setting up a game is a great idea, I think that I need to get a lot more Pgems or a decent Rune (currently a Dol is my highest - pathetic) before I create one 'though. I can always settle for a crappier or non-ethereal iteration, but it will require the maximum of 253 strength (this is poopy) to use and my equipment options are not that flexible.

I think that I will be best off starting an ISO thread in the trade forum in the near future and seeing where that leads. . .

Thanks for the advice Liquid_Evil!

[Mitch Turnbuckle]

Hello,

I just did some research and learned that an Ethereal item adds among other things
50% more base damage.

For some imbecilic reason I had thought that it reduced requirements like a Hel Rune. This is quite wrong, but still a good omen as I do not have to search for a Ethereal Earthshifter any longer.

Crappy Earthshifter, here I come!

[Liquid_Evil]

It adds base damage/defense, yes, but you were also correct concerning the lowered requirements.

[sweetalmonds]

Is this build possible with "doom" or "destruction" as well? I like my new ava :D

[Liquid_Evil]

Is this build possible with "doom" or "destruction" as well? I like my new ava :D

Is an Earth Shifter Druid possible without an Earth Shifter? :rolleyes:

You can use the same proposed skill set with another weapon, sure. But! The ones you listed aren't the most advisable. "Doom" is going to be slow, but "Destruction" is going to be the equivalent of a hobbled grandmother in the hands of a werewolf. In principle it looks great with Volcano and Molten Boulder CtC affects getting synergized, but it comes with no innate WIAS. This means it will be ungodly slow because of how Fury speed is calculated.

Like I said though, other weapons can be used to some good effect, but when you lose the Earth Shifter, you lose +7 skills to your Armageddon, the CtC Fissures, and the all-around coolness factor of using an odd and rare unique Thunder Maul.

[lumpor]

Oh, and are you using oak sage or heart of the wolverine? I think I'll take HoW. What would you recommend?

[Ed from Russia]

I think you can't have either. The build uses about 90 skill points in Fury and Armageddon & synergies.

[Liquid_Evil]

Oh, and are you using oak sage or heart of the wolverine? I think I'll take HoW. What would you recommend?

I find a single point in a spirit beneficial for almost any druid build. This one is doubly so because it has so many +skills to boost your spirit level. I found Oak pretty terrible in terms of its own hit points and survivability (plus that seems to be the spirit of choice for 90% of druids anyway). So, with Heart of Wolverine being slightly beefier and aiding in a nice AR boost that's where I spent one lone point. After +skills it's much more and quite a welcome addition to the battlefield. Sure I waste 2 skills to get it in a build that requires so many, but I found it worth it in the end.

[skyjuice]

Got my shifter to Hell mode, and his resists took a global slump heh.

I reckon now is the time to invest in a nice 4 skt armor for my end game armor, COH.

Anyone have recommendations for which the armor type of choice for it?

[Verashiden]

I'm fond of Wyrmhide >.>

[Reticent Drappa]

Liquid_Evil This is a bit late but I've read through your guide and just wanted to say grats on the concept, finally a use for that huge maul!!

[skyjuice]

As for the PI issue. I used an eth Reaper's Toll on the merc.


Would this effect conflict with the CtC curse coming off from draculs? Reapers CTC triggers more often than draculs so what is your take on it?

[Verashiden]

Not really. You only need LT on for one hit to refill your bulb, the Decrep triggers again and you kill. Also, Decrep has a extremely small radius with LT covers most of the screen. So you'll still have targets to leech off of regardless.

[skyjuice]

Not really. You only need LT on for one hit to refill your bulb, the Decrep triggers again and you kill. Also, Decrep has a extremely small radius with LT covers most of the screen. So you'll still have targets to leech off of regardless.

Epic awesome! That makes sense, thanks for clearing up! :thumbsup:

[lumpor]

This build should be more of a caster type in the beginning right? And then start focusing on shapeshifting in the mid 40's. Or should I max fury earlier?

[Stevomoo]

has anyone tried this with a fast weapon on switch

eg use earthshifter until fissure procs then switch to tomb reaver (or simaler) then get some super fury beating in then switch back when fissure is finished to proc another?

just a crazy idea to maximise the damage

[Liquid_Evil]

@ Reticent Drappa- Thanks! Always nice to hear some praise.

@ skyjuice- What Verashy said.

@ lumpor- Whatever your playstyle is. I think the caster aspect is a lot easier in the early to mid game stages. However, if you get a ribcracker, it's easy going with Fury too though (and those are pretty darn cheap).

@ Stevomoo- The CtC effects of the Earth Shifter don't last especially long so it would seem a waste to constantly switch back and forth between weapons. Although a couple frames slower, the raw Fury damage is actually pretty competitive when compared to the Reaver and similar weapons.

Besides, unless your Tomb Reaver has some Ber runes in it, it's not going to have any crushing blow and that's going to slow down killing speed in higher player setting games.

[djactionman]

I forgot what I was doing, and I've been putting a lot of points in Fissure; am I totally screwed now? Or do I just keep using it to kill guys, because it is still pretty good on Act5 especially at the beginning.
Also, is Infinity a good option for a Merc?
I really can't remember much, it has been so long since I played.
Thanks everyone and take care.

[Liquid_Evil]

@ djactionman- Yeah, this build relies on a lot of skill points and you've wasted a lot. Depending on how many are in there and how far you've gone (and your amount of d2 time I suppose), I'd consider I restart. You can keep going as is, but you'll lose out on some dmg at end game. I hate wasted skills, but to each their own. Infinity is a good merc stick because it improves your chances of landing a hit and aids in more Armageddon damage to non-FI monsters. It doesn't really break fire immunities in Hell though. Still, a very good option.

[lumpor]

Hey, liq, is it really best to socket the earth shifter with shaels? Aren't ruby jewels of fervor better? Is it worth it sacrificing 40% enhanced damage for 5% weapon speed?

[Liquid_Evil]

Shaels are indeed the best when you look at how Fury speed is calculated. Really, it isn't a matter of 5% more IAS, it's a matter of actually hitting a quicker frame. More ED% is great on high base damage weapons like the shifter, but 15% IAS from a fervor just isn't enough to reach 7 frame Fury like you could with a Shael. A quicker attack equals a higher effective damage output.

[dryzalizer]

Just wanted to let anyone who cares know that I finally made and Pat'd this awesome build. Didn't deviate much if at all from this guide's suggestions. Thanks again Liquid_Evil and contributors to this thread! Y'all can check my little writeup here (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=661610)

[Liquid_Evil]

Thanks for posting. Congrats!

[srulz]

Hi Liquid_Evil,

I'm really really new to the world of Druids. I'm quite content with the slow-n'-steadyness of my Fishymancer, super-hecticness of my Kicksin, & ultra-fragileness of my Meteorb. However, I guess I clicked the wrong forum today, n' voila! Here's your guide! It seems to be lots of fun too fighting along dependable summons + being able to actually fight for yourself... :nod:

So, with all that intro out of the way, may I ask for a skill progression to your build please? I don't really have lots of D2 time/patience to experiment with skills and/or restarting if I messed up something, So if you could at least give a basic outline on how you level *your* skills (though a detailed one would be better of course :yes:), it'd would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance! :thumbup:

[lumpor]

I just thought of something. It really is a shame that the earth shifter is 2-handed. The "phoenix" runeword (in a shield) would be perfect for this build. It both helps tremendously with physical damage AND -to enemy fire resistance. I haven't seen another build that uses both ophysical damage and fire damage (enchantress and fireclaw don't really use the physical damage), so this would've been the first build that could use it to its maximum potential.

[Verashiden]

No it wouldn't. NEVER use Phoenix on a shifter.

[Liquid_Evil]

I'm really really new to the world of Druids. However, I guess I clicked the wrong forum today, n' voila! Here's your guide!
Welcome!

It seems to be lots of fun too fighting along dependable summons + being able to actually fight for yourself... :nod:
I don't know how dependable the summons are. Oak is pitiful, HoW is decent, but there are no points spent in any of the fighting pets.

So, with all that intro out of the way, may I ask for a skill progression to your build please? I don't really have lots of D2 time/patience to experiment with skills and/or restarting if I messed up something, So if you could at least give a basic outline on how you level *your* skills (though a detailed one would be better of course :yes:), it'd would be greatly appreciated!
This is hard because there's no real correct way of doing things. I usually just play with a skill calculator to see where points would be the most beneficial, but the early levels speed by so quickly, it doesn't matter if you're less than optimal for a couple levels because everything should be the same at end game. Anyway, just ask yourself whether you'd like to play a melee werewolf or a fire elementalist in the beginning. If it's the former, get the point in HoW and a max Fury as soon as possible while investing in some good normal/nm weapons (Ribcracker, etc). If it's the latter, a solitary point in Fury (for certain situations) is fine, while the majority of your points are being spent in Fissure synergies. A Ribcracker Fury werewolf and a Fissure Elementalist will both tear it up in the beginning. If you're keen to be mixed the entire time, you'll be slower than the pure variants at the start, but will progressively pick up speed. Still, I can't give you optimal skill points because I don't know your gear as you go. Just keep your AR and dmg high with Fury points and then when those aspects are taken care of, nuture the 'geddon half. Anyway, sorry I'm not more help, but good luck!

[srulz]

First of all, thank you for the detailed explanation! :) I do appreciate it. Anyway, the reason I said about the summons because I was reading several druid guides at the time, and got confused I guessed :whistling: so, I was trying one other druid guide, and even when I got summons and all fighting for me, I got bored fast, perhaps because the maul/shockwave/hunger skills did not look as cool as I'd thought. ;) so now I'll try to be a werewolf then!

Since the Fury is so far (I honestly never would have guessed that it's a lvl 30 skill), I guess I would go the caster path then. Got lots of caster items here and there thanks to my lovely sorc anyway. Thanks again!

[reismj]

So I've been following this guide religiously and now I'm level 40. I got my hands on a fleshrender, as this is my first ladder character I don't have much in the way of options for a weapon. I spent 1-30 building up prereqs to geddon / fury AND maxing out firestorm. I have to say it's worked brilliantly. The extra 280% fire damage thanks to the fully synergized firestorm helps a helluva lot. I'm working on getting the earth shifter. I just wanted to say this is an awesome build, great strategy and utilization of a seemingly misplaced / misunderstood weapon. Second I wanted to know who uses this build still? And what, if any, problems do they have with it?

[dryzalizer]

I love my ES druid, built thanks to this awesome guide by Liquid_Evil. You haven't even seen this build shine yet, wait until you get to Hell with the maul and it looks like doomsday wherever you go!

My biggest problem with this guy is that you have to recast his spirit so often because you don't have the spare skill points to pump it up enough. HoW lasts a few seconds longer than OS :( Also you need to be somewhat careful in Hell while waiting for your Dracs to cast life tap; you have no shield after all. And lastly, just as a reminder make sure you get Demon Limb on switch and a Reaper's Toll for your merc so PIs aren't a problem. Best of luck!

[reismj]

I'm slightly worried about going into Hell. How many of the monsters are FI/PI? Enough to make this build struggle through it?

[Verashiden]

Not really, just have a weapon with ctc amp on switch and whack them with it until amp procs, then smile and rape normally.

[lumpor]

I thought wands could have charges of amp?

oh yeah, forgot that you can't use charges in werewolf form

[lumpor]

Sorry for spamming your thread, but I thought of something else

Wouldn't it be better o use a zodded eth earth shifter? 7 frames is 14,3% faster than an 8 frame attack, but an etheral weapon does 50% more damage. Your crushing blow would be weakened, as well as your open wounds, and basically everything except damage and leech, but it would make the sheer damage much more deadly.

[schnelltot]

I have a Shael and a Hel rune. Which would be better to socket the Earth Shifter? Shael will make the attack faster, but I'm kinda leaning toward the Hel--with minus 20% requirements on the 253-strength-demanded maul, that frees 50 stat points that can go straight into vitality. But without the Shael the attack speed will be slower; the question is, how much? Enough to be annoying?

[lumpor]

Nah, 1 frame more for 100-200 life isn't such a good idea.

[Paercival]

I've started this build, working towards level 69 now.
My current plan, based on the equipment I have available to me, is

shaeled earth shifter (obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be posting in this thread!)
Jalals
crafted amulet (+1 skills, resists, mana. best I have right now).
Ravenfrost
rare 8% ll, 104 ar, 5 str, couple minor mods ring
and 4 peice IK (belt, gloves, boots, armor)
I've got a decent torch, but no anni

Gives me +8 in the SS tree, and +13 in elemental.
my str willl be about 270 when I equip the torch, so I went slightly over, but not bad.
Life is starting to bump up.

I'm using 1 pt oak sage right now.

I guess I really have no choice but to put a few points into wolf to get to lvl 15 right?
So seven points in wolf
20 in geddon
20 in fury
20 in volcano.

Puts me up around 80 points spent. After that firestorm I assume?

What should be my priority on item aquisition? Will the 25% IAS on the IK gloves help me in any way ? (ie if I take them off with a 15 point wolf, am I going to lose a frame? or, alternatively, with the 25% IAS on the gloves, do I need to get to lvl 15 wolf?)

One of the reasons I'm using 4 part IK is my resists blow so badly, and with 4 parts, I get the lightning and fire from the belt, and poison fire and cold on the armor. The boots and belt seem like great options regardless (though I'm scared of undead souls in hell without thundergods and dwarf star or other big MDR). The gloves gives me big life leech, str, IAS, and AR, and the armor gives me 130 points of resistance.

Anyrate, suggestions would be appreciated

[Liquid_Evil]

I don't know how this post escaped me for so long, but here's a belated reply for you, Paercival.

I guess I really have no choice but to put a few points into wolf to get to lvl 15 right?
So seven points in wolf
If you have 7 hard points in wolf, you should get there relatively easy. Shape skillers, Jalals, torch, misc should have you there before long. Just look at end game gear to see if you'll be able to save a few hard points in wolf.

Puts me up around 80 points spent. After that firestorm I assume?
Yes. That's where I'd be throwing mine.

What should be my priority on item aquisition? Will the 25% IAS on the IK gloves help me in any way ? (ie if I take them off with a 15 point wolf, am I going to lose a frame? or, alternatively, with the 25% IAS on the gloves, do I need to get to lvl 15 wolf?)
They should help, but I wouldn't build around them. Play with the Dragoon's speed calculator to see what you come up with. End game, I'd recommend Dracul's. They just make that much difference in my opinion.

One of the reasons I'm using 4 part IK is my resists blow so badly, and with 4 parts, I get the lightning and fire from the belt, and poison fire and cold on the armor. The boots and belt seem like great options regardless (though I'm scared of undead souls in hell without thundergods and dwarf star or other big MDR). The gloves gives me big life leech, str, IAS, and AR, and the armor gives me 130 points of resistance.

Anyrate, suggestions would be appreciated
"Smoke" or "Gloom" are cheap armor classics that will help your resists (if you can't just grab the more $ "Chains of Honor"). I'd concentrate on getting them higher so you can swap out the gloves for Drac's and ditch some of the inferior IK pieces for something better. Excellent resists and a constant, consistent source of leech in Hell are keystone to this build surviving and progressing forward at a decent pace. Have those taken care of and you'll go far.

Anyway, sorry this reply has taken so long and good luck with your druid.

[lumpor]

If you use high lords or LoH, you don't need a level 15 werewolf either right?

Anyway, how would reapers toll be as a merc weapon option? Crowd control and damage all in one merc weapon

[dryzalizer]

I think the IAS from Highlord's or LoH won't help your attack speed reach the breakpoint, only a lvl 15 Werewolf will. I might be wrong on that though.

Reapers on your merc was the direction I went, it worked great. Fire and Physical were enough to kill everything on my way to Patriarch.

[Liquid_Evil]

You can actually reach breakpoints through OIAS if you have a low lvl werewolf skill. Just play with dragoon's calculator. I built a lvl 15 werewolf into my Earth Shifter druid because I didn't want to use IAS gear (and it was pretty easy to boost the skill lvl to 15 with the standard gear choices).

Reaper's Toll is an excellent option for a merc weapon. It's a perfect blend of offense (Decrep helps you net more effective damage) and defense (slows down targets so they hit you less). Only problem is that since two curses can't be active on enemies at the same time, your Life Tap from Drac's will be overridden constantly. More of a minor annoyance though since Life Tap isn't needed 100% of the time (or even 50% of the time in most cases).

[lumpor]

I really don't think you should diss metalgrid that quickly. It's great for this build. If it weren't for the fact that you've already maxed your resists with jalals and CoH, I would definitely use it. It solver resist problems AND ar problems. Angelics gives a little bit more ar, but doesn't have any resists. Maras gives +skills, but doesn't give any ar. Metalgrid is the best of both worlds. With all the ar% from fury and ww, the +400 ar will become thousands of ar. It's too bad jalalas gives resist, cause now you get too much resists if wearing coh, jalals, metalgrid, torch, anni etc.

I'm also wondering, does the earth shifter need mana leech? I just can't fit it into the build anywhere. I'd much rather wear bk than a rare ring, and I don't know if wilhelms pride is worth it if you don't use guillames. I understand that a single 1% mana leech would solve everything, but there's no equipment spot available. Is mana leech that important. If so, from where do you get yours?

I'm building my earth shifter right now by the way. Almost level 20

[Liquid_Evil]

I really don't think you should diss metalgrid that quickly. It's great for this build.
Use what you like. I'd rather just throw on a couple of Steel charms to boost the hard AR than commit to an amulet with basically just one useful mod. (Resists are usually pretty decent with other selections and defense is next to pointless on a wereform). Still, nothing about this build is especially cookie, so use what works for you.

I'm also wondering, does the earth shifter need mana leech?
It needs it like any other werewolf needs it. In short, you can get away with it, but I always try and fit in a little bit of it somewhere (usually in the form of a dual leech ring). Which is what I did. Wilhelm's Pride is definitely an option, especially if you are using a BK ring for the skill (so Arachnid's wouldn't be missed as bad).

I'm building my earth shifter right now by the way. Almost level 20
Nice. Good luck with him.

[Jary]

Man... think it was like over a year ago when I made mine, but I believe that I used lower IK set so I didn't even need lvl 15 WW necessarily, like 8 or something. Its good option for strength and if you dont wanna invest points into WW.

One thing I loved about this build is it doesn't require a lot of skill items. I think I only had like 2-3 Shapers and a torch at the time and it still worked awesome 'cause the fissure damage is based on ctc synergies.

I totally agree with Liquid in the fact that, you can totally just load up with AR/Lifer charms and damage/lifers or whatever else needed, 'cause one great advantage is since it isn't as +skill demanding you have an entire inv to fill all the holes in your build.

I wouldn't use Metalgrid, or highlords, etc. in this build mainly for one reason. . . when I built mine I do remember having AR problems at first. Although I put 0 points into dexterity and rocked Anghellics + raven my attack rating was still in the 12-14k area. Metalgrid gives.... descent AR, but its still pretty small in comparison with Anghellics. Try it out I guess, but I really woulda been hurting at the time without anghellics >.<

EDIT: as far as mana leech... mana pots worked well for me lol :P

[Neksja]

If people are interested how Titan Earthshifter build worked out, here's link to my SP Patriarch thread:

Titan Earthshifter (http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701390)

Thanks L_E, Earthshifter build is one the best I've done :thumbup:

[Xena1985]

Neksja was that damage with might merc or without ?? Congrats on the Pat anyway :)

[Neksja]

Neksja was that damage with might merc or without ?? Congrats on the Pat anyway :)

Oh, it's with Might Merc and Enchant from Demon Limb (like that fire damage would help much).

[Bethrezen]

Tried it. Loved it. I never even took a look @ any maul type weapon before I stumbled upon this guide. Earth Shifter is a really interesting weapon, and you made a good job of utilizing it.
My Earthshifter druid named Ragnaros (lol, WoW freak too) is lvl 77 atm and for some time now sadly, as I don't have enough time to play, and I only have to get my hands on Arachnid mesh to complete the gear choice. I was lucky and got nigh perfect maul (297%) and the rest of the gear I had lying around.
One point for all of you about to start this guy: since you will be putting points into STR, try to get full Sigons (except for shield)... you can wear it somewhere from lvl 10 up to 30+ and it is dirt cheap. For weapon, I used Shadowfang until I got Ribby, with no problems. It is dirt cheap too, dual leech (9% each), cold dmg).
Also another tip: Get Armageddon as soon as you hit 30, and learn to use it. It takes time to get accustomed to recast it. And remember: it DOES kill things, even that early.
And if you don't plan on hotkeying Feral rage and using it on later levels, DON'T use it in the early ones either... Before I taught myself of using it I was really annoyed with how slow I was running (after the feral rage practice on low levels lol).

So, I guess I bumped this old one, a?

[Liquid_Evil]

Thanks for your perspective and I'm glad the build was fun for you. Sigon's is indeed a good twink gear setup for those early levels as well. I'll usually use Bonesnap at lvl 24 until I meet the lvl reqs for Steeldriver or Ribcracker.