Our Path of Exile 2 Druid guide shares the details about the long-awaited Druid class. Here you’ll learn the basics of Druid gameplay, its form-changing abilities, Ascendancy classes, active and passive skills, as well as Skill Gems. We also provide a list of useful tips to help you master your skills. Make sure to also read about another powerful class — PoE 2 Sorceress.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Key Takeaways:
- Druid is added to PoE 2 with patch 0.4.0, The Last of the Druids.
- Path of Exile 2 Druids have 4 forms in total: Human, Bear, Wolf, and Wyvern.
- The Druid ascendancies in Path of Exile 2 are the Shaman and the Oracle.
- PoE 2 Druid is a STR/INT class.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Overview
Path of Exile 2 Druid is the newest hybrid Strength + Intelligence class, released with patch 0.4.0, The Last Druids. In this league, it appears alongside a new talisman system and extensive changes to passive skills and gameplay mechanics. The Druid in Path of Exile 2 is built around nature magic and animal forms:
- Human form casts nature spells: Volcano, Entangle, Thunderstorm, and Spell Totem. These spells continue to work after transformation, so you can combine elemental strikes with attacks in animal form.
- Animal forms are accessible through a new type of weapon called Animal Talisman (two-handed talismans). Each talisman unlocks one animal: Bear, Wolf, or Wyvern, with the form determining the set of attacks and unique resource (Rage, Moon Energy, or Power Charges).
- Shifting forms is important for combining effects: for example, you can leave Thunderstorm on the field and then attack with a wolf to freeze enemies drenched by the storm.
Thanks to the starting Passive Skill Tree position, you’ll be able to focus on Armour/Life/Energy Shields and allow better survivability and protection. To make sure that your build is the best available option, ask our team for Custom Build option.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Changes
There is simply no other version of Druids in the Path of Exile series, and thus, it can’t be contrasted with anything. At launch, the class has two ascensions, Shaman and Oracle, and also has synergy with external ascensions such as Amazon and Ritualist. The new league also brought more than 20 new skills, 35 additional support stones, and hundreds of passive nodes for Druids to use.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Basics
Path of Exile 2 Druids are great elemental manipulators due to the abilities they have: such as shocking and damaging enemies by calling a Lightning Storm or creating a lingering eruption with Volcano, raining down projectiles. Also, the class is good in close combat by transforming into a Bear using rage-based abilities to deal loads of damage while being quite durable.
To play Druid effectively, you need to remember three basic Path of Exile 2 Druid forms and their associated resources:
- Bear Form — Rage;
- Wolf Form — Moon Energy;
- Wyvern Form — Power Charges.
Additionally, the druid has a Spell-to-Animal synergies system: you can cast spells in human form in advance, then transform into an animal while retaining the effects of the spells. This allows you to create combos: for example, cast Volcano and Thunderstorm, then fly in as a bear to cause lava explosions. All forms are unique, so we advise you to get your Leveling Gear and start testing Druid’s shapeshifting abilities.
Path of Exile 2 Bear Form
In Bear Form, Druid turns into a large bear with high health and powerful attacks. The main skill, Maul, deals heavy damage and generates Rage; Furious Slam creates shockwaves; Rampage allows you to break through crowds; Ferocious Roar is a battle cry that enhances attacks and allows you to insert other battle cries into it.
Path of Exile 2 Wolf Form
When casting PoE 2 Wolf Form, you receive a fast Druid form with an emphasis on cold and minions. Lunar Assault freezes enemies and adds lunar energy to attacks, Rake delivers a series of blows and knocks out ice shards, Pounce marks enemies and summons wolves, and Cross Slash activates a mark explosion. The form can transform into Arctic Werewolf, gaining acceleration, bonus cold damage, and increased duration through Rage.
Path of Exile 2 Wyvern Form
Wyvern Form in Path of Exile 2 provides a mixture of melee and ranged combat for Druids. Rend jumps to enemies and charges its wings with lightning. Wing Blast releases a shockwave, Rolling Magma spews bouncing magma, Oil Barrage fires oil shells (which turn into electric shells when charged), Flame Breath is a channeling fire beam, and Devour consumes corpses, restoring health and charges.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Ascendancy Classes
There are two Path of Exile 2 Druid Ascendancies: Shaman and Oracle. They focus on different mechanics and can be used to achieve different gameplay styles:
- Shaman is suitable for hybrid builds (e.g., Wyvern + Flame Breath), where you simultaneously cast spells and attack in beast form.
- The Oracle prefers speed and intermittent rotations: you gain Rage/Moon Energy in one form, then use foresight in another to gain additional effects.
To unlock the ascendency for Druids, you’ll need to spend hours on training and build optimization. Make sure that you always have enough Divine Orbs in your wallet, or ask our team to deliver the required amount of currency to your character.
The Shaman Ascendancy
The central idea around the Shaman Ascendancy for PoE 2 Druids is combining spells with Fury. Shamans can use the resources of animal forms to enhance spells (for example, adding Rage to Fireball damage) and have the passive Wisdom of the Maji, which enhances runes and idols (talismans) with various effects.
The Oracle Ascendancy
The Oracle Druid in PoE 2 plays around foresight and controlling future events. The Fateful Vision, Moment of Vulnerability, and The Unseen Path nodes allow you to glimpse into the future, which gives bonus damage when reality and predictions coincide, and also unlocks new passive clusters.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Abilities
Path of Exile 2 Druid abilities can be divided into two common categories Passive Skills and Active Skills. As a STR/INT class, Druids start at the top-left part of the Passive Skill Tree, consisting of powerful strength-based and magic spells.
Active Druid Skills, in turn, are represented by Skill Gems — a unique PoE 2 system of skill distribution. There are Earth-based spells when shifted into the Human form, but when shifted into Bear, Wolf, and Wyvern, it’s a whole different experience.
And keep in mind that gathering all the required Skill Gems, supplying your character with the best Weapon, and Ascending is a challenging task. You’ll need a reliable amount of PoE 2 Currency, which you can obtain in advance from our team.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Skill Gems
The Path of Exile 2 Druid uses skill gems from the Primal and Spell categories. The list below contains some of the most notable stones and their features. See the section above for the complete table; here is a summary to help you understand the dynamics:
- Primal: Rake, Pounce, Arctic Howl, Lunar Assault, Cross Slash, Lunar Blessing (wolf); Maul, Rampage, Furious Slam, Ferocious Roar, Walking Calamity (bear); Rend, Wing Blast, Devour, Oil Barrage, Flame Breath, Rolling Magma (wyvern).
- Spell (Human): Thunderstorm, Volcano, Entangle, Tornado, Spell Totem.
It is important to choose the right support for each form: Added Cold and Hypothermia for the wolf, Melee Phys and Rage Support for the bear, and Inspiration and Elemental Focus for the wyvern.
| Name | Short description | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Maul | Bear attack | Swipes with extended claws, generating 4 Rage per hit and adding +9 to melee reach. It takes a bit longer if you aren’t already in Bear form |
| Rampage | Bear charge | Charges forward while pounding the ground, burning through all stored Rage until it’s gone. The more Rage you have, the longer and more damaging the rush |
| Furious Slam | Bear slam | Slams the ground to create two shockwaves. Spending 10 Rage turns it into an enraged version with a wider radius and extra damage |
| Ferocious Roar | Bear warcry | A warcry that gives Rage and lets you socket other human warcries. You can bypass its cooldown with Endurance Charges |
| Rake | Wolf attack | A flurry of claw strikes that can convert physical damage to cold and knocks ice shards off enemies, which then explode |
| Pounce | Wolf jump | Leaps onto an enemy, marking them. When the marked target dies it summons a wolf minion. You can also socket other Mark abilities into it |
| Arctic Howl | Wolf warcry | A warcry that chills the ground, adds cold damage to your attacks and buffs any wolves you’ve summoned |
| Lunar Assault | Moon claws | Swipes that send out a crescent of moonlight/ice. It converts 80 % of its physical damage to cold and has much stronger chill and freeze effects |
| Cross Slash | Back‑flipping slash | Your wolf leaps backward, tearing the ground and triggering an icy shockwave if it hits a marked target. It’s great for dodging boss swings |
| Lunar Blessing | Moon buff | A buff that consumes all your Rage to give you and your wolves cold damage, attack speed and movement speed. While active, hits call down beams of moonlight |
| Rend | Wyvern leap | The wyvern’s main attack. It leaps forward and, when you consume a Power Charge, your wings crackle with lightning, turning the next swing into a bigger AoE hit |
| Wing Blast | Wyvern wing blast | Kicks you backward while knocking enemies away and stunning them. With charged wings, it releases lightning explosions |
| Devour | Corpse eater | Leaps to a corpse or low‑health enemy and consumes it. Each devoured target restores life and gives a Power Charge |
| Oil Barrage | Wyvern oil spit | Spits three globs of oil that slow enemies and lower their elemental resistances. When empowered by Power Charges, it converts some physical damage to lightning |
| Flame Breath | Wyvern fire breath | Takes to the air and breathes a stream of fire. It deals massive fire damage and, with Power Charges, adds lightning damage while reducing Rage consumption |
| Rolling Magma | Bouncing magma | Hurls bouncing balls of magma that explode on impact |
| Thunderstorm | Storm spell | Conjures a localized storm that fires lightning bolts every 0.35 s. It also drenches enemies, making them easier to freeze and shock |
| Volcano | Volcano spell | Raises a small volcano that spews molten projectiles every half‑second. You can channel it to increase eruption power, up to four stages |
| Spell Totem | Totem gem | Summons a totem that casts any socketed spell. It consumes Power or Endurance Charges to boost damage and duration, but reduces cast speed |
| Entangle | Vine fissure | Opens a fissure that sends out vines, slowing and damaging enemies. Overgrown fissures last longer and spawn extra vines |
| Tornado | Tornado spell | Summons a tornado that homes in on foes, dealing physical damage over time. It even hinders them, making it harder for them to escape |
To ensure that the Active and Passive skills combination that you use is optimal, do not forget to Improve Build with the help of our team. Our pro players will provide even more advice on how to get the most damage and survivability out of this transformational juggernaut.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Tips
Though being a new class to Path of Exile 2, Druids inherit a lot of common Druid features that can be found in other games: shapeshifting, ground slams, and elemental damage. Therefore, its gameplay will be dynamic and variable.
We prepared a list of useful PoE 2 Druid Tips based on the official Druid gameplay walkthrough and general information about the class capabilities. These few tips will help make the most of your spells and the Bear Form, and movement stuff. The rest is just practice, and before you know it, you are going to be wrecking enemies in Path of Exile 2.
The list of short Path of Exile 2 Druid Tips:
- Unleash the Frenzy of Lightning Storm;
- Unleash the Wrath of the Volcano;
- Enter Bear Form Easily;
- Bear Maul: Inflicts Fury;
- Rampage for Devastation;
- Abuse Furious Slam for CC;
- Follow-up with Fierce Roar After Stun;
- Position Volcano for Bonus Damage;
- Calling the Wolves for Backup;
- Dodge Rolling for Continuous Survival.
✏️ Use your spells intelligently intermingled with your Bear Form for better results. Move in, control the field with your spells, and then switch to bear, knocking them around with critical slams. Master this, and you’ll be an absolute powerhouse on the field of battle.
Additionally, make sure that your character has the best gear and weapon, enhanced via crafting, enough currency, and consumables. And you can always Improve Build with the help of our professional team.
Unleash the Frenzy of Lightning Storm
This super solid spell, Lightning Storm, persists, hits, and deals damage, inflicting enemies with the Shock status, causing them to take more damage, which is great for the commencement of an intense fight or when surrounded by a lot of enemies. Cast this early and just let it do its thing as you prep to jump in close.
Unleash the Wrath of the Volcano
Volcano excels at area-of-effect control, vomiting projectiles around its area for extended times. Want to make it even more effective? Hold that cast button down a little longer to spew out a few more projectiles during that initial burst to create a fearful area-of-effect display.
Enter Bear Form Easily
Once your spells are up, such as Lightning Storm and Volcano, immediately shapeshift into the full melee beast Bear Form, as you can utilize full rage-based skills and have the spells create chaos in the background.
Bear Maul: Inflicts Fury
Rage is what fuels most of your really destructive bear abilities. Continuously use Bear Maul in order to rapidly generate Rage and maintain pressure. Make sure targets have more health for the best results.
Rampage for Devastation
Just pop Rampage, and break into the ground continuously until your Rage runs out for a serious beating; that is great versus groups or for handling tougher opponents.
Abuse Furious Slam for CC
Furious Slam isn’t just purely about dealing damage but also a great way to stun enemies who get within range. Chain it after Rampage for maximum utility, not giving your enemies a chance to do anything before taking them down.
Follow-up with Fierce Roar After Stun
After Furious Slam on enemies, charge them up with Ferocious Roar. This ability will grant a second effect to your slams, triggering socketed Warcry skills with increased damage. The timing in using this ability will mostly depend on seeing the stun effect being applied.
Position Volcano for Bonus Damage
Any Slam ability used in the area of effect of an active Volcano will explode additional projectiles, including those Warcry skills from Ferocious Roar too. Positioned correctly around your Volcano’s AoE to make it into a deadly combo generator.
Calling the Wolves for Backup
Summon Wolf isn’t quite a decoy; wolves debuff enemies upon arrival, making them easy prey to handle. Use this ability tactically to distract the dangerous foes or create openings in chaotic fights.
Dodge Rolling for Continuous Survival
Remember, when you are dying a little too much, there is Dodge Roll! It is set to spacebar by default for this lifesaving move to have you change positions in a split second to avoid deadly attacks. Try to show good timing with your dodge rolls in order to avoid bosses and big hits from enemies.
Path of Exile 2 Druid Weapon
Here you will find Path of Exile 2 druid weapons and items that best reflect the gameplay. Each of them affects the mechanics of changing the appearance and spells of this class.
| Weapon | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Talisman (two‑handed) | A special weapon that controls which animal form you shift into | Form swapping happens instantly: you move between Bear, Wolf, and Wyvern by using the talisman’s linked skill. Each talisman unlocks a matching skill branch |
| Staves | Used in Human form to cast nature spells | Staves let you channel skills like Volcano, Thunderstorm, and Entangle before switching into an animal. They give you time to set up lingering spells and then go all‑in with a shapeshift |
| Astramentis Stellar Amulet | A unique attribute amulet | Grants +80–100 to all stats and reduces physical attack damage taken by 4. It helps meet Strength and Intelligence requirements on gear and works with any form you choose |
4.9To sum up, Path of Exile 2 Druid is a really intriguing class with a versatile toolkit and outstanding shapeshifting abilities. In this guide, we have shared the latest news about this new class, Druid basics, and changing form abilities. We discussed the active and passive skills, and Skill Gems. Now you are fully prepared to start the game as PoE 2 Druid, making the enemy tremble and run away in fear.
