The Druid was always known as a class that struggled to find its identity in the past. With its vast array of magic and a melee playstyle with transformations, the class was considered to be a hybrid of sorts. Now, in Diablo 4, the Druid has a more defined approach as a class and each build you can go for brings out a powerful facet of this character.
The build we are going to be talking about today is one of the best end-game builds of the Druid, the Shred build. While there are two variants of this build, we will be focusing on the Lightning Shred build instead of the Poison Shred build.
Diablo 4 Lightning Shred Druid build guide
The Lightning Shred build is a pure Shapeshifting-focused build that brings out the best of the Druid’s Werewolf form. But getting to the build’s power spike involves utilizing Grizzly Rage with Dire Wolf’s Aspect to transform you into a powerful Dire Werewolf instead of a Werebear. This build shares some similarities to the Pulverize build and after Patch 1.0.3, it is arguably even stronger.
Related: Best Druid builds in Diablo 4 season one
The main skill in this build is the Druid’s Shred ability. This Core skill transforms the Druid into a powerful Werewolf and lunges at the target. Upon reaching the target, the Werewolf Druid releases a flurry of three attacks, each dealing increasingly higher damage, with the third attack being a powerful finishing blow to end the combo.
Like any Core skill, it can be upgraded two times with one mandatory modifier and two optional ones.
- Enhanced Shred: You gain increased attack speed each time you strike an enemy. Additionally, enemies hit by Shred also heal you for a percent of your maximum life.
- Raging Shred: The final combo attack of Shred now deals double damage with half of the damage being dealt as poison damage over a few seconds.
- Primal Shred: The second and third combo attacks of Shred now also make you lunge toward the target. Additionally, you gain increased critical hit damage when using Shred.
Depending on the type of build you are going for, the Shred upgrades you pick up will vary. While Enhanced Shred is mandatory, Raging Shred is better suited for a Poison Shred build. For a Lightning Shred build, Primal Shred is the one to go for, granting you increased mobility and critical damage.
For the lightning damage in the Lightning Shred build, we go for the Stormclaw’s Aspect. This Aspect allows your critical strikes with Shred to deal bonus lightning damage and hit all nearby enemies as well, making Shred a potent density-clearing skill.
Now we choose the rest of the skills that synergize well with our Shred.
Skill progression
Once you get to the endgame, this is what your six-skill toolbar should consist of.
- Shred: The main Core skill of this build.
- Grizzly Rage: Turns the Druid into a Dire Werebear with bonus attack damage and increased damage reduction. Each kill made in this form extends its duration by one second.
We will be focusing on Grizzly Rage for our transformation. The skill lasts for 10 seconds by default but each kill will extend its duration by one second up to five seconds, for a maximum of 15 seconds as the total transformation duration. This build, however, changes the form a little bit.
Even though Grizzle Rage would normally transform you into a Werebear, with Dire Wolf’s Aspect, the skill will change the Druid into a Dire Werewolf. This form grants bonus movement speed and reduced spirit costs for your skills instead, making it a more offensive form that allows you to spam Shred.
Next, we choose our sustain and crowd control skills.
- Storm Strike: You strike with a lightning buff that also grants you increased damage reduction on casting. The attack can chain to up to three other targets.
- Hurricane: You deal consistent Storm damage every second to enemies in the vicinity.
When it comes to Basic skills that help you generate spirit, Storm Strike is the best choice. Not only does it hit multiple enemies, but it also generates more spirit per enemy it hits. The damage reduction aspect of the skill is perfect for Nightmare Dungeons or when farming Malignant Hearts and stacks with your other sources of damage reduction.
Hurricane is your main source of crowd control, damaging all enemies around you while it is active. If you choose the right modifiers for this skill, you can either reduce their damage output or leave them in a vulnerable state, allowing you to take them out quicker.
Finally, we choose the defensive skills needed to complete this build.
- Cyclone Armor: You generate strong winds around you that provide you with damage reduction. When activated, these winds spiral outwards, knocking back all enemies caught.
- Blood Howl: You turn into a Werewolf and howl, recovering a portion of your maximum life.
Cyclone Armor is the best defensive skill for your Druid. Its damage reduction stacks with that of Storm Strike and Grizzly Rage. Choosing the right modifiers for this skill can increase its damage reduction even further or slow the enemies knocked back by its active and turn them vulnerable.
And finally, if you find yourself in a bad situation and close to death, simply use Blood Howl. It recovers up to 20 percent of your maximum life by default. You can modify the skill to also recover 20 spirit if you so choose, with the other option granting you cooldown reduction when you kill enemies.
Now that the active skills are sorted, we move on to the passives.
Passive abilities
First, we choose the offensive passives that help us in combat.
- Predatory Instinct: Your critical strike chance against close enemies is increased.
- Wild Impulses: Your Core skills cost more spirit but deal increased damage.
- Envenom: You gain bonus critical strike damage against poisoned enemies.
- Toxic Claws: Your Werewolf critical strikes also poison enemies.
Next, we choose the defensive passives that are key to survival.
- Ancestral Fortitude: You gain increased damage reduction whenever you cast a Defensive skill.
- Vigilance: You gain an increase to all your non-physical damage resistances.
- Defensive Posture: You can an increased amount of Fortify from all sources.
- Nature’s Resolve: You have a chance to Fortify yourself when you take direct damage.
Following this, we choose the utility-based passives that bring out the most in our skills.
- Abundance: You generate more spirit with Basic skills.
- Digitigrade Gait: You gain increased movement speed in Werewolf form.
- Heart of the Wild: Your maximum spirit is increased.
- Endless Tempest: You gain increased duration for your Hurricane and Cataclysm skills.
- Elemental Exposure: Your Storm skills have a chance to turn affected enemies vulnerable.
- Neurotoxin: You slow enemies that are poisoned.
And finally, we choose the key passive ability that works as the backbone of the build.
- Lupine Ferocity: Every sixth attack made in your Werewolf form will deal bonus damage and is guaranteed to be a critical strike.
As you level up, put one point into each passive ability and then level them up as necessary when you gain extra skill points.
Spirit Boons
The Druid’s unique class ability, Spirit Boons, lets you choose up to five Spirit Boons in your build. These Boons work as additional passive abilities for your skills and attacks.
Related: Best leveling Druid build in Diablo 4 season one
These are the five Spirit Boons we will be choosing for this build.
- Deer: Wariness – Take reduced damage from elites.
- Eagle: Swooping Attacks – Gain increased attack speed.
- Wolf: Calamity – Increases the duration of your Ultimate skills.
- Eagle: Scythe Talons – Gain increased critical strike chance.
- Snake: Masochistic – Critical strikes with shapeshifting skills have a chance to heal you.
The last part of this build involves choosing the right Aspects for your gear.
Aspects
Choosing the best aspects for your Druid is the final push you need to maximize the build’s power.
- Stormclaw’s Aspect: Critical strikes with Shred now also deal lightning damage.
- Dire Wolf’s Aspect: Grizzly Rage transforms you into a Dire Werewolf. You gain increased movement speed and spirit cost reduction. Kills made in this form will heal you.
- Aspect of the Rampaging Werebeast: The duration of Grizzly Rage is increased. Critical strike damage in this form is increased as well.
- Stormshifter’s Aspect: You gain bonus levels in your Shapeshifting skills while Hurricane is active.
- Vigorous Aspect: You gain damage reduction when you shapeshift into a Werewolf.
- Nighthowler’s Aspect: You gain an increased critical strike chance when you cast Blood Howl. This effect also applies to all your allies.
- Aspect of Disobedience: Dealing damage grants you increased armor per attack.
- Aspect of the Umbral: You restore energy when you use crowd-controlling effects on enemies.
- Ghostwalker’s Aspect: While unstoppable, you gain increased movement speed and can run through enemies.
- Edgemaster’s Aspect: Your skills deal increased damage depending on how much energy you have. A higher energy pool translates to more damage.
- Rapid Aspect: Your Basic skills gain increased attack speed.
- Accelerating Aspect: You gain increased attack speed when you land critical strikes with your Core skills.
With these aspects, there are two Unique Legendary items you can get.
- Tempest Roar: Your Storm skills change to Werewolf skills and casting them restores your spirit.
- Waxing Gibbous: You gain Stealth when you kill enemies with Shred. Breaking Stealth grants you guaranteed critical strikes for a short duration.
Diablo 4 season one is currently ongoing till Oct 17, making it the best time to try out your Lightning Shred build while you farm Malignant Hearts.
