Diablo 4 Lightning Shred Druid Build Guide

By Wowhead Updated: 2024/08/01

Discontinued Build GuidehaveLightning Shred Druid Overview in Diablo 4Locking eyes with a Werewolf will paralyze even the toughest enemies.ShredSeason 5 PTR Changes for the Lightning Shred Druidhugedouble

Druids can now use 1-Handed Swords, Daggers, and Polearms. This isn’t a hugely impactful change, but it will give Druids more innate Item Affixes to choose from when selecting their preferred weapon.

Ranks of can now roll on Amulets, and and can now be cast while moving just like .

, , , and now have Tempering Recipes for Cooldown Reduction.

Ability radius of is doubled, and now teleports the caster to their target on use.

The Damage Reduction of has been cut by nearly half. It’s still a huge chunk of on-demand damage reduction, but it’s not as blatantly overpowered as it once was.

Damage Reduction has increased.

no longer buffs the damage of Core and Wrath Skills, instead buffing the damage of Companion Skills. This change was a long time coming, and though it’s a good change for the future of the class as a whole, most builds lost a huge chunk of multiplicative damage in Patch 1.5.0.

now triggers after 3 hits instead of 6. This isn’t a small change, and it’s one that has huge potential, especially considering the 3-hit combo of . This will require some extensive playtesting, but it’s possible that this change could have a really positive impact on the Shred Druid.

Damage Reduction increased slightly for Passive Skills , , and , and for the Paragon Glyph.

willEffects of Patch 1.4.3 on the Lightning Shred Druidfeel

damage is increased, making this an even more attractive option for quickly spreading Poisoning to large groups of enemies.

Poison damage receives a decent buff. The Passive Skill’s damage is fairly minor generally, so this doesn’t significantly impact the build.

receives a small damage boost. Damage scales extremely high as players stack multiplicative damage boosts here and there, so this seemingly small change definitely improves top end damage.

now grants Damage Reduction while Fortified. Werewolf Druids definitely feel a bit fragile compared to their Werebear counterpart - this change helps with that.

Strengths and Weaknesses for Lightning Shred Druidlightning

”PSA when using a controller: this build can feel clunky at times if you’re playing with a controller. While not using the ‘target lock’ feature, dashing to the intended target is not guaranteed; when using ‘target lock’ this build can sometimes be like riding a very aggressive, furry roller coaster. Get comfortable toggling this feature on and off, as needed, to get the most out of this build."

Strengths

Weaknesses

Lightning Shred Druid Skills in Diablo 4 Season 11allLightning Shred Druid Skill TreeLightning Shred Druid Rotation

- Initiate combat by dashing in with Shred.

- Roar to cripple enemy damage.

- Charge to gain Unstoppable, buffing your damage.

- Use Petrify to control groups, buffing your damage.

- Evade through enemies triggering .

Optional Step - Use Poison Creeper and/or Ravens.

- Tear through your enemies with massively buffed damage.

Repeat rotation, as needed, using to move between packs.

Detailed Breakdown:

- Your primary damaging ability is also the perfect initiation tool, thanks to . As a Werewolf with high Critical Strike Chance, your initiation is very likely to apply Poisoning to your enemy thanks to , so start combat off on the right foot with a three hit Shred combo. may end up triggering in this step, and that’s a great start to a strong rotation. However, don’t stress about actively tracking this buff - your Attack Speed is so high that this will always activate when you’re ready to go to town on your enemies.

- If you’re dancing with dangerous foes, you’ll want to Roar as soon as you initiate combat to soften up enemy attacks. Skip this step if you’re running instead.

- Trample straight through your enemies to knock them back while becoming Unstoppable; this will trigger , granting Spirit and massive damage buff for several seconds. Don’t worry about knocking your enemies all over the place in this step - you’ll bring them right back to you like a boomerang-ang-ang.

- Next, activate your Ultimate. This will Stun enemies while pulling them back into you with , and will grant a huge Critical Strike Damage bonus against affected enemies. Immediately after activating this skill, Evade through your enemies to lower the cooldown of your Ultimate with - this may not come naturally at first, but will soon be second nature with a bit of practice.

This step is optional. After pulling your enemies to you, you can activate certain Companion Skills to improve your damage potential:

- If you’ve brought Poison Creeper along for the ride, use this guy first to apply Poisoning to your enemies, activating , , and .
- Quickly follow up by casting Ravens to further improve your Critical Strike Chance via . Keep in mind, the damage buff from your will only last a few seconds, so skip this if you’re at risk of losing the buff.
- These little guys are the exception, if you’re running with a pack of Woofs, leave them out of your rotation - their activation would just waste precious time.
- Use Blood Howl if you have it to boost Attack Speed with .
- Finally, start unleashing Lightning-infused claw strikes into your enemies with Shred, and feel free to just rock that chord. You’ve done all the prep work, and no further input is required - your Werewolf will take care of business, furiously slashing away while triggering Lighting damage from , and Overload. This completes one full damage rotation!

After Rotation:ShredAs you move between groups of enemies, feel free to use Trample as a traversal tool, but keep in mind: this Werebear Skill is our only source of Unstoppable. Our maximum damage potential relies on becoming Unstoppable to trigger the effects of , so try to avoid triggering the skill’s cooldown if you’re about to engage a new group of enemies.Lightning Shred Druid Active SkillsStorm Strike (1/5)Basic

Shred (5/5)Core

ShredShredTrample (1/5)Defensive

Debilitating Roar (1/5)Defensive

nowPetrifyUltimate

Ravens (1/5)Companion

Shepherd's AspectShepherd's AspectyouWolves (1/5)CompanionareShepherd's AspectLightning Shred Druid Passive SkillsPredatory Instinct (3/3)CoreDigitigrade Gait (3/3)CoreIron Fur (3/3)CoreAncestral Fortitude (1/3)DefensiveVigilance (3/3)DefensiveroaringElemental Exposure (1/3)Wrathright Blizzard??Charged Atmosphere (1/3)WrathBad Omen (3/3)WrathBad OmenmassivedecimateNeurotoxin (1/3)WrathEnvenom (3/3)WrathToxic Claws (1/3)WrathToxic ClawsToxic ClawsDefensive Posture (1/3)UltimateThick Hide (3/3)UltimateTrampleUnrestrained (3/3)UltimateUnrestrainedThick HideQuickshift (3/3)UltimateHeightened Senses (3/3)UltimateBestial Rampage (1/1)Key PassivesUrsine StrengthLightning Shred Druid Spirit Boons SelectionsDeer

Wariness - Take 10% reduced damage from Elites.
The Damage Reduction against Elites provided by this Spirit Boon has been the clear winner in this tier for quite a while, and it’s generally going to be your best bet here. That said, Advantageous Beast is no slouch either, and pairs beautifully with a maxed out Unrestrained - consider the swap if you find that you're dying often while Control Impaired.

Eagle

Scythe Talons - Gain 5% increased Critical Strike Chance.
This is our top recommendation here, as the increased Critical Strike Chance has a direct impact on how much Lightning damage you’re able to trigger - of course, the higher the better.

Swooping Attacks - Gain 10% Attack Speed.
We prefer Attack Speed here in most content because attacking faster means more chances to trigger Lightning damage in a shorter time frame. Avian Wrath is an amazing alternative, and should be taken if you’d prefer to biggify your already big Critical Strike Damage numbers. You’ll want to grab Iron Feather instead, however, if you’re up against really challenging content.

Wolf

Bolster - Fortify for 15% of your Maximum Life when you use a Defensive skill.
This is our preferred Spirit Boon in this tier to ensure a smooth transition from to and back again when swapping skills based on the content that you’re running, but the added Fortify is definitely overkill in some situations. You can use whatever you’d like to in this tier without hindering the build.

Snake

Overload - Lightning damage has up to a 40% chance to cause the target to emit a static discharge, dealing 25% Lightning damage to surrounding enemies.
An awesome Spirit Boon for a lightning-infused Werewolf. This will trigger all the time and is a significant source of Lightning damage, so it’s not one we’d want to give up. You should have plenty of self-healing, but Masochistic is a solid alternative here if you feel like you need a bit more healing.

Diablo 4 Lightning Shred Druid Build Guide

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