08-05-2003, 03:51 AM
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
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