1.09 singleplayer HC druid strategy

[Count Duckula]

After the deaths of Zoloft (destroyer summonmancer, clvl 36) and Trazodone (multi-shot bowazon, clvl 23), I decided to make Effexor, a hardcore druid. He's level 5, with one point in werewolf, lycanthropy, poison creeper, and raven.

I plan to go werewolf, and put points in fatal fury (whatever the skill's called), lycanthropy, and werewolf. Points in summons as needed. I don't plan on using the elemental tree at all. Is this feasible? Please keep in mind that my HC chars usually die before hitting Act 2, as I use "players8", so long-term plans may not work so well. ;)

I dumped all of my points in STR and used a few items so I can use a bardiche. Had the good luck to socket it with emerald, topaz, and sapphire chips. Rest of equipment is nothing to write home about. What should I look for, gear-wise? Please keep in mind that I don't care about uber gear, partly because I'm playing singleplayer and partly because I just need what works.

My wereform has the same elemental attack damage that my normal druid + bardiche form has. Is this normal?

What merc should I take? I'm thinking a rogue for the missile attack.

[DeeBye]

A great Hardcore Werewolf Druid build is:

MAX Werewolf (for the IAS and AR)
MAX Lycanthropy (for the +Life and Duration)
MAX Oak Sage (+Life is everything in HC)
MAX Fury (for the Damage)

A point in Carrion Vine can help a lot early on, as can a few (or more) points in Feral Rage (for the Life Steal). Down the road you'll want to invest in some summons, like Dire Wolves or a Grizzly Bear.

This build is a nice HC starter's build, as a WW Druid w/ Oak Sage can have some pretty high Life at high levels (easily 2,000+ untwinked). He can also dish out some enormous melee damage. Just these two features will take you right up through Nightmare difficulty. It's pretty easy to play, too. In Hell, you'll need to find a way to deal elemental damage for the PIs. But don't worry about that just now.

As for gear, you'll want to find a weapon with as much IAS and damage as possible. In Wereform, your attack speed is most affected by the IAS on the weapon itself. Just keep that in mind. A GREAT starter weapon for a WW Druid is a runeword "Steel" Large Axe (Tir+El). The runes are common enough, and it has decent damage and some IAS. This can carry you pretty much through Normal difficulty (though it may be tough going in Players 8).

I like the two-handers the best, but I'll use pretty much anything as long as it (in order of preference):

1) is fast
2) has lots of damage

IMO, the best mercenary for a WW Druid is a Holy Freeze town guard (NM/Act 2 Defensive). I've tried them all, and I can honestly say that Holy Freeze can make ALL the difference in the world. It's not even a contest, especially in HC.

As for stat point placement, it can get a bit tricky. Leave Energy at base, and boost Str and Dex just so you can wear your gear. Everything else goes into Vit. The problem arises in determining just how much to put into Str and Dex. If you don't know what your "end game weapon" is (and you won't in untwinked SP), you can't really guess at it. The better end-game weapons either require lots of Dex, or none at all. I tend to just save a bunch of stat points. It's not uncommon for me to have 150 unallocated stat points hanging around when I'm playing a new Druid. I want to be able to immediately equip any amazing weapon that might drop.

Please read The Dragoon's druid guides, as well as Jonathon Spectre's druid guides. There is lots of great advice contained there -- pretty much everything you need to know.


-DeeBye

[Teiur_Embisque]

*If your are trying to make a werewolf durid, you should only put about 15-20 skill pts into enegery. One nice thing about the durid is that he gets 2 mana with every skill point, and lv up. This means with a reletivly low enegery, he will have alot of mana. I use to have a lv 56 werewolf durid, and he had 45 enegery, and approx, 500 mana. if all you do is fury, and recasting pets, that's more than enough.

*max out oak sage, carrion vine, lycany, werewolf, and fury.

*(i guess it's too late but) put your first 5 skill pts into strenght.

*every level after lv 1 put 2 skill pts into strenght, or Vitality.

*once u have reached about 40- 50 enegery put the extra skill point into dex.

hope this was helpfull.

[Count Duckula]

Thanks for the help. Effexor is now clvl 11, I believe, and lost somewhere in the Dark Wood searching for the stupid tree.

I cannot get my attack speed up no matter what weapon I equip (where's ForkInToaster's Shael-Shael socketed Kris of Quickness when I need it?!), so I've just been wolverizing around tough enemies.

My gear, on the other hand, stinks. I found a perfect preserved head for a starting Necromancer (fire/cold/poisonghtning resistance, thorns damage, +3 skeleton mastery; Blood Raven dropped it), a nice barb hat (one socket, +2 axe mastery, +2 potion find I think; jumped out of a chest), a nifty rare jewel (+1 max damage, +6 defense, +6 max stamina; has the awe-inspiring name of Storm something-or-other and I can't remember where I got it), and the greatest of all treasures, a Tir rune from a CEB Carver Shaman.

I'm not dead yet. I think that's a good thing. :)

[Sir_Die_alot]

To get your attack speed up use a large axe, for a shapeshifted druid weapon speed is more important than anything else. You commented that you did elemental damage in your wolf form like you did in normal form, all damage you do in wolf form is directly related the weapon and other such damage adding gear you use. This is why baranars star is so popular especially for fighting physical immunes in hell.

For skills I suggest:
lycanthropy: max
fury: max
oak sage: max
optional: max
werewolf: maxed (attack rating is useful)

I personally hate offensive summons they tend to be more trouble than they are worth.

As for your character you found a tir that is great! All you need now is el for a steel runeword weapon. Unfortunately playing in players 8 by the time you get to act 3 you will be too high of a level to buy a socketed great axe (you will probably die to duriel anyway with the setting that high :):) ). Also if you get this far beware of diablo, for young melee characters he is absolutely deadly. He is worse when that character swings so slow that you can't hit and run very effectively; IE young shapeshifted druid with a less than optimal weapon. If your fire resistance is less than 30% (and that is dangerously low) I would treasure hunt/shop for something to get it higher.

Young druids especially ones started from scratch face a lot of challenges you will want to find leech, a fast weapon, and resistances. Doing it in hardcore only compounds it so if you make it to any significant level at all I suggest hitting mephisto a few times and hope for sigon gear to drop. Other drops to hope for are: Aldur's mace from normal Baal and Ribcracker from NM Mephisto. If you find any of those you are luckier than I can ever hope to be. :lol:

[Jeunemaitre]

After the deaths of Zoloft (destroyer summonmancer, clvl 36) and Trazodone (multi-shot bowazon, clvl 23), I decided to make Effexor, a hardcore druid.

Just wondering if you've already gone through Prozac, Paxil, Calexa, Wellbutrin, and Remeron? Just remember that if Effexor kicks off too soon for your liking, you have the option of going to EffexorXR...

[Count Duckula]

As for your character you found a tir that is great! All you need now is el for a steel runeword weapon. Unfortunately playing in players 8 by the time you get to act 3 you will be too high of a level to buy a socketed great axe (you will probably die to duriel anyway with the setting that high :) :))

I don't die against tough enemies. I just die against the piddly little ones that cast charged bolt. :P

Just wondering if you've already gone through Prozac, Paxil, Calexa, Wellbutrin, and Remeron? Just remember that if Effexor kicks off too soon for your liking, you have the option of going to EffexorXR...

Prozac: double-swing swordbarb
Paxil: three-on-the-tree (tri-elemental) sorc
Celexa: trap'sin
Wellbutrin: sacra-shockadin
Remeron: javazon, died in the Den of Evil

Most of the allergies (Allegra, Flonase) didn't make it out of Act I. (Exception: Claritin, an axebarb, died against the Summoner.) I think my next bout of inspiration will come from the meds in the closet once all the antidepressants are dead.

(*evil cackle*)

[Layzd]

My HC werewolf did very well throughout the game until he was pked... :(. He got through hell a2 using only modest gear. I suggest maxing Lyc first and then fury. I didnt put many points into werewolf and It worked fine(5 maybe). I HIGHLY (see: must have) putting a point into grizzly bear. Toss him into big packs and start clearing them out. Hope I helped.

Sincerely,
Layzd

[dta]

Just wondering, if a druid equips a 1-handed weapon and a shield, will he still benefit from the blocking chance when he's transformed into a werewolf/werebear?

[Layzd]

I'm pretty sure that they do. Else werebears wouldnt be quite as good of tanks.

[Occhidiangela]

. . . going to be named Viagra?

Or are you confining names to meds in _your_ medicine chest and not just any old thing Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, or others present in the spirit of "better living through chemistry?"

Now that I think of it, Johnson and Johnson should have figured out Viagra first, given their brand name. :P

[NERDmanWhippy]

Another good hint, is to avoid Public games.... ;)

If you ever want to do some hc in small groups wisper me /w *NERDmanWhippy.....Ive just lost another char to the inevitiable PK...at least this time it was only hydras.....But I just started again with a sorc....

J

[TheDragoon]

Absolutely! In fact, Werewolves have just about the fastest blocking in the game (next to a holy shield-using Paladin). Check out my Wereform Calculator for block rate details. :)