AoEd4DruidEndgameGuide Pageseason 3

Pulverize Werebear Endgame Druid Build for Diablo 4 (Legacy)

Hulk smash your foes as a Werebear with crushing AoE damage!

TheSteveAvatar

TheSteve

WRITER


Updated: Posted:

PulverizeEarth SpikeEarthen BulwarkDebilitating RoarTrampleGrizzly Rage


This is a legacy build that is not competitive for the current version of Diablo 4, and which we do not recommend using. It only exists for documentation purposes.

Hi friends! We have updated the Shifter Pulverize to be the main Pulverize build for Icy-veins going forward. Check it out here!

Build Introduction

The Pulverize Werebear Build turns the Druid into a beast, dealing crushing blows and massive Area of Effects (AoE) damage. This is a popular Druid build due to its easy access and high DPS. Trample through all endgame activities with this optimized guide! This article covers everything you need to know to get started on your Pulverize adventure, including Skill Tree Points, Paragon, Gear, and seasonal considerations.

PulverizePulverize destroys entire groups of enemies with the Shockwave AspectShockwave Aspect. Not only does this build have insane DPS, but it also is extremely tanky with Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark and Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar as defensive Skills. Fortify is used as an additional layer of survivability.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
  • High Area of Effect damage
  • Great survivability
  • Ranged playstyle for safety
Weaknesses
  • Setup has essential aspects and uniques
  • Low vulnerable uptime

To see how this build compares to the other builds on our site, you can check out our build tier lists.

Build Requirements

Required Aspects

Shockwave AspectShockwave Aspect is recommended to make the most out of this build. If you do not have the Shockwave Aspect yet, you can also check out our Druid Leveling Guide for new character options!

Vasily's PrayerVasily’s Prayer is a common Unique Druid Helm drop that improves quality of life but is not required to play the Pulverize Werebear build.

Build Variants

A build variant is a modified version of an existing build that changes some aspects of it, such as the damage type, specific skills or passives, and even certain items like different Uniques or Legendary Aspects. Below you will find any variant that relates to the PulverizePulverize Werebear Druid.

Unlike the standard Pulverize Werebear Druid that stays in Werebear form, the Shifter Pulverize gets to take advantage of strong Storm/Earth combinations for higher damage, has a steadier Spirit Generation and Spirit use through a builder/spender alternator playstyle, and does not rely on Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage uptime or ramp. Check it out at the link above!

Season of the Construct

Season 3 Patch Updates

The following list details the changes in the Season 3 Patch Update that are specific to this build. For general Season 3 information, check out our Season 3 Hub.

Patch 1.3.0

Aspect of RetaliationAspect of Retaliation – Bonus damage reduced from 20–40% to 20–30%.

Overpower:

  • Overpower attacks now gain +1% damage, down from +2%, per 1% of your Base Life you have in Fortify.
  • Overpower attacks now gain +1% damage, down from +2%, per 1% of your Base Life that you have in bonus life above your Base Life.

This Overpower Change is largely offset by – Fixed an issue where effects that increased Max Life by a percentage (such as an Elixir of Fortitude) did not account for certain other Max Life bonuses, such as granted by an Affix on equipment.

Spirit Boot: Avian Wrath – Critical Strike Damage bonus is now Multiplicative instead of Additive.

Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies

  • Previous: Casting a Core Skill reduces Resource cost of your Core Skills by 12%, up to a maximum of 40%. Resets upon using a non–Core Skill.
  • New: Spending resources reduces your resource costs and increases your damage by x10% for 3 seconds, up to 40%.

Patch 1.3.3

Earth SpikeEarth Spike

  • Spirit Generation increased from 13 to 16.
  • Damage increased by 10%.

Enhanced Earth SpikeEnhanced Earth Spike – Chance to Stun increased from 10% to 15%.

Seneschal Construct

The seasonal theme adds a Seneschal Construct companion to aid your character throughout their adventures in Sanctuary. The Construct’s playstyle and support is modified by Governing Stones that grant the construct abilities, with up to three Tuning Stones per Governing Stone to supplement that ability. Stones can be obtained through Vaults, Arcane Tremors, Journey rewards, or crafting.

The Uber Unique Seneschal Tuning Stones Evernight and Genesis are powerful Tuning Stones that drop from the new boss, Malphas. If obtained, they replace non-uber options.

  • Evernight: The supported Skill grants you +4 to all Skills when used for 2.0s.
  • Genesis: Increase the effectiveness of the supported Skill by 150%

For this build, Use Flash of Adrenaline for a strong personal damage buff, and a Ranged Governing Stone to apply strong buffs and debuffs.

Flash of Adrenaline

  • Duration Support
  • Tactical Support
  • Fortify Support (Replace with Genesis)

For non-boss content, use Tempest with:

  • Efficiency Support
  • Arcing Support
  • Safeguard Support (Replace with Evernight)

For Boss farming content, use Focus Fire with:

  • Efficiency Support
  • Safeguard Support
  • Resource Support (Replace with Evernight)

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for Pulverize Druid (order does not matter)
Earth Spike Earth Spike Pulverize Pulverize Earthen Bulwark Earthen Bulwark Debilitating Roar Debilitating Roar Trample Trample Grizzly Rage Grizzly Rage
Priority SkillsCluster
Earth SpikeEarth Spike Level 1, Enhanced Earth SpikeEnhanced Earth SpikeBasic SkillBasic Skill
PulverizePulverize Level 5, Enhanced PulverizeEnhanced Pulverize, Primal PulverizePrimal Pulverize
Heart of the WildHeart of the Wild Level 1, AbundanceAbundance Level 3
Predatory InstinctPredatory Instinct Level 3, Iron FurIron Fur Level 3
Core SkillCore Skill
Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark Level 1, Enhanced Earthen BulwarkEnhanced Earthen Bulwark, Preserving Earthen BulwarkPreserving Earthen Bulwark
Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar Level 1, Enhanced Debilitating RoarEnhanced Debilitating Roar, Innate Debilitating RoarInnate Debilitating Roar, Ancestral FortitudeAncestral Fortitude Level 3
Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
Nature's ReachNature’s Reach Level 3Companion SkillCompanion Skill
TrampleTrample Level 1, Enhanced TrampleEnhanced Trample, Savage TrampleSavage Trample
Crushing EarthCrushing Earth Level 3, Stone GuardStone Guard Level 3, SafeguardSafeguard level 2
Wrath SkillWrath Skill
Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage, Prime Grizzly RagePrime Grizzly Rage, Supreme Grizzly RageSupreme Grizzly Rage
DefianceDefiance Level 3, Natural DisasterNatural Disaster Level 2, ResonanceResonance Level 3, Circle of LifeCircle of Life Level 3
Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
Earthen MightEarthen MightKey PassivesKey Passives

Alternative Skills

If you do not have Vasily’s Prayer Unique Helm yet, Earth SpikeEarth Spike will transform you back to Human form and cannot be cast while in Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage. Swap to Fierce MaulFierce Maul instead to remain in Werebear form. Unfortunately, this means you must get into melee range to use the Basic Attack.

If you want a more passive option to Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar, you can take Cyclone ArmorCyclone Armor for non-physical Damage Reduction. You will not use its active effect while using Vasily's PrayerVasily’s Prayer.

Spirit Boons – The Druid Specialization

Druids unlock powerful Spirit Boon passives, giving offerings to the animal spirits to receive their blessing. Once fully unlocked, you can activate the final boon by Spirit Bonding with one of the four animal spirits to take two passives from that row.

Boon NameAnimalEffect
Avian WrathEagleGain x30% Critical Strike Damage.
CalamityWolfExtend the duration of Ultimate Skills by 25%.
Calm Before the StormSnakeLucky Hit: Nature Magic Skills have up to a 10% chance to reduce the Cooldown of your Ultimate Skills by 2 seconds.
WarinessDeerTake 10% reduced damage from Elites.
MasochisticSnakeLucky Hit: Critical Strikes with Shapeshifting Skills have a chance to Heal you for 3% Maximum Life.

If your self-healing is sufficient, change Masochistic to a more offensive option such as the Eagle’s Scythe Talons or the Snake’s Obsidian Slam.

Paragon

The Paragon Board is a progression system unlocked at Level 50, giving player power through Common stat Nodes, Magic affix Nodes, Rare leveled Glyphs, and Legendary board-exclusive Nodes. Below you will find the preferred Glyphs, Boards, and pathing recommended for making the most of the build. All Glyphs are placed as if they are max radius (Level 15+).

The Rare Glyphs in the Paragon progression system are often the strongest player power, placed in the Glyph Sockets of each Board. Only one Glyph Socket is available per board. Six Boards are used to optimize the volume of Rare Glyphs to slot.

NameEffect
WerebearWerebear• For every 5 Willpower purchased within range, you deal + [6.24%] increased damage while in Werebear form.
• Bonus (40 Willpower): You gain 10% Damage Reduction while in Werebear form.
Inner BeastInner Beast After Shapeshifting, your Spirit costs are reduced by 10% for 5 seconds, up to 30%.
ExploitExploitFor every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal + [3.85%] increased damage to Vulnerable targets.
• Bonus (25 Dexterity): When an enemy is damaged by you, they become Vulnerable for 3 seconds. This cannot happen more than once every 20 seconds per enemy.
Survival InstinctsSurvival InstinctsWhile in Werebear form, you deal 1% increased damage, up to 50%, for every 1% difference in current Life percent between you and the enemy.
TerritorialTerritorialFor every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal + [9.6%] increased damage to Close targets.
Bonus (25 Dexterity): You gain 15% Damage Reduction against Close Enemies.
Earthen DevastationEarthen DevastationEarth Skills deal 10%[x] increased Critical Strike Damage, increased by 20%[x] of the total amount of your Bonus Damage to Crowd Controlled up to 40%[x].
Earth and SkyEarth and SkyGrants +50.0% bonus to all Magic Nodes within range.
Bonus (40 Willpower): Nature Magic Skills deal x10% increased damage to Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies.
ThunderstruckThunderstruckStorm Skills deal bonus damage equal to 20%[x] of the total amount of your Damage to Close and Damage to Distant bonuses.
TectonicTectonicFor every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, your Earth Skills gain 3.0%[+] Critical Strike Damage.
Bonus (25 Dexterity): You gain 20%[+] Lucky Hit.
Ancestral GuidanceAncestral GuidanceAfter spending 75 Spirit, you deal 30% increased damage for 5 seconds. (NOT TAKEN)
UndauntedUndauntedFor every 5 Willpower purchased within range, you deal +2.0% increased damage while Fortified.
Bonus (25 Intelligence): You gain up to 10% Damage Reduction the more Fortify you have

Starting Board

Click this link to see the Paragon path in its entirety. Paragon Board images provided by d4builds.gg.

Inner Beast

Survival Instincts

Earthen Devastation

Thunderstruck

Ancestral Guidance

Legendary Aspects and Gearing Affixes

Below are the recommended Legendary Aspects and Gear Affixes for each slot of the Pulverize Werebear Druid build. Gear Affixes in Bold are the ideal affixes, but alternates are added. For slots that recommend Uniques, the stat recommendations are for filler items until that Unique is obtained.

Shockwave AspectShockwave Aspect is a core part of the Pulverize Druid build, turning PulverizePulverize into a ranged Skill with massive AoE. Aspect of the Ursine HorrorAspect of the Ursine Horror enables many beneficial passive bonuses in the Skill Tree.

Gear SlotAspect NameStats
Two-Handed Staff (+100% bonus effect)Shockwave AspectShockwave AspectWeapon DPS
Willpower
All Stats
Overpower Damage
Overpower Damage with Werebear Skills
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Amulet (+50% bonus effect)Aspect of RetaliationAspect of Retaliation OR
Raw Might AspectRaw Might Aspect
Spirit Cost Reduction
Ranks of Nature’s Reach, Defiance, Natural Disaster, or Resonance
Movement Speed
Damage Reduction while Fortified
Damage Reduction while Injured
Total Armor
Ring 1Aspect of the UmbralAspect of the Umbral Critical Strike Chance
Max Life

Lucky Hit Chance
Resource Generation
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Ring 2Aspect of the Ursine HorrorAspect of the Ursine Horror OR Aspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging WerebeastCritical Strike Chance
Max Life

Lucky Hit Chance
Resource Generation
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
GlovesAspect of the Ursine HorrorAspect of the Ursine Horror OR Aspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging WerebeastRanks to Pulverize
Attack Speed

Lucky Hit
Willpower
Critical Strike Chance
Critical Strike Damage with Earth Skills
Helm (replaced by Vasily’s Prayer)Ballistic AspectBallistic AspectMax Life
Total Armor

Cooldown Reduction
Willpower
Basic Skill Attack Speed
Chest (replaced by Insatiable Fury)Aspect of MightAspect of MightTotal Armor
Max Life
Damage Reduction While Fortified
Damage reduction from Close Enemies
Fortify Generation
Overpower Damage
PantsAspect of DisobedienceAspect of Disobedience OR
Aspect of Mending StoneAspect of Mending Stone
Max Life
Damage Reduction
Damage Reduction While Fortified
Damage Reduction from Close Enemies

Total Armor
BootsAspect of QuicksandAspect of QuicksandMovement Speed
Fortify Generation

Spirit Cost Reduction
Damage Reduction while Injured
Willpower
Dodge Chance

Gear Choice and Stats

While farming with the Pulverize Werebear Druid build, make sure to pick up all Rare Item drops that may be upgrades. There are many combinations of Gear Affix rolls possible. Amulets in particular have more than 45 Gear Affixes for the Druid! Going from two favorable Affixes to three, then four, then high Affix rolls on each Gear Slot will help focus and optimize your build to compete in the highest content. Additionally, save Legendary Items that have useful aspects in your stash to be used later, or for extracting and imprinting onto well rolled Rare Items.

Use a Staff for Earthen DevastationEarthen Devastation.

Armor has a cap of 85% Damage Reduction, scaling against your enemy’s level. If your armor is sufficient from getting 2+ well rolled Total Armor items, it is safe to drop Aspect of DisobedienceAspect of Disobedience.

Higher Item Level gear provides higher stat values. Replace outdated gear often, and upgrade new gear at the Blacksmith to increase Item Levels further.

Gearing Considerations

Since Patch 1.2.0, Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable will have baseline multiplicative damage, but additional sources from Gear Affixes, Paragon Glyphs, and Paragon Nodes will be additive instead. This means while the stats are still strong and desirable, they will not scale out of control and be absolutely necessary for min-max on gear. Other additives such as Physical Damage will be equal in value provided their conditions are met.

Since Patch 1.3.0, Overpower attacks now gain +1% damage, down from +2%, per 1% of your Base Life you have in Fortify, and Overpower attacks now gain +1% damage, down from +2%, per 1% of your Base Life that you have in bonus life above your Base Life. Nevertheless, Overpower can be a strong addition to the build as a variant stat and gearing option, with strong attacks at frequent intervals. This can be overkill in any non-push content, but great when pushing or bossing.

Unique Items

The following are the recommended Unique Items for the build.

Vasily's PrayerVasily’s Prayer – This Unique Helm turns Earth SpikeEarth Spike into a Werebear Skill and allows it to be used while in Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage.

Insatiable FuryInsatiable Fury – This Unique Chest Armor provides a solid damage increase, 2/4 Strong defensive affixes, and +3 Ranks to all Werebear Skills.

The following are Optional Unique items that are situational or rare drops.

Banished Lord's TalismanBanished Lord’s Talisman – This amulet plays into a build that focuses more on Overpowers, replacing Aspect of RetaliationAspect of Retaliation. This item can be a strong option against high health enemies in push content, but can be low value in farm content, as the Overpower Critical Strikes can be infrequent or overkill.

To play into Overpower, consider the following options:

Tibault's WillTibault’s Will – A strong offensive and resource option with weaker Gear Affixes. Use TrampleTrample or Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark to trigger the effect. This is a heavy defensive tradeoff to use over a non-Unique piece with Damage Reductions, Armor or Max Life.

Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies (Uber Unique) – This Uber Unique ring is good Damage and excellent Spirit Cost Reduction option. If taken, move Aspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging Werebeast to Amulet, replacing Aspect of RetaliationAspect of Retaliation. The Gear affixes on the item are strong but does not have Max Life, which heavily scales Overpower hits.

Mechanics and Playstyle

Pulverize Werebear Druid hits hard with a massive AoE due to Shockwave AspectShockwave Aspect. Enemies at the edge of the initial slam of PulverizePulverize can also be hit by the following shockwave. Use this distance against elites and bosses to hit them with both portions of Pulverize for the most DPS.

PulverizePulverize becomes an Earth Skill with Aspect of the Ursine HorrorAspect of the Ursine Horror. This also automatically applies the Nature Magic Skill tag to benefit from Passives in the Skill Tree.

Pulverize is converted to Earth and Nature Magic Skill.

With Earth SpikeEarth Spike as a Basic Attack, the build can be played entirely at a ranged distance. It can also be used during Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage if you have Vasily's PrayerVasily’s Prayer.

This is an extremely tanky build with defensives from Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark, Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar, Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage and Iron FurIron Fur. There are plenty of Fortify sources to keep you completely Fortified at all times with Preserving Earthen BulwarkPreserving Earthen Bulwark, Enhanced Debilitating RoarEnhanced Debilitating Roar and SafeguardSafeguard.

Damage Rotation

Use the following rotation to optimize damage.

  1. Activate Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage against tough elites and bosses. This Ultimate Skill can be used fairly often due to the Spirit Boon, Calm Before the Storm.
  2. Cast Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar against enemies that deal high damage.
  3. Cast Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark to break Crowd Controls or apply Barrier when needed.
  4. Spam PulverizePulverize with proper positioning to hit as many enemies as possible, and overlap both portions of damage against elites and bosses.
  5. When you are out of Spirit, spam Earth SpikeEarth Spike to generate resource and proc Earthen MightEarthen Might. Savage TrampleSavage Trample can also be used to gain Spirit.

Gems

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each slot type.

Elixirs and Health Potions

Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Craft the highest Precision ElixirPrecision Elixir available for Critical Strike Chance and Damage.

Be sure to return to the Alchemist often to upgrade your potion as you progress your character. Each upgrade increases the instant healing of the potion!

Changelog

  • February 5, 2024: Significant changes to recommended Gear Affixes, Skill Tree and Paragon tree, to optimize for better total damage, Max Life, Resistance and Armor. Added separate Bossing and non-Bossing options to Construct Stone recommendations. Noting that Wild Impulses is underperforming from its tooltip.
  • January 26, 2024: Adjustments to Construct Stone recommendations. Adjustments to Legendary Power and Unique recommendations.
  • January 22, 2024: Initial review and reevaluation for Season 3 and 1.3.0 balance changes has begun.
  • December 7, 2023: Fully updated the entirety of the paragon board, along with updates for Abattoir of Zir.
  • October 18, 2023: Update to Vampiric Power recommendations, various tooltip updates.
  • October 12, 2023: Initial review and reevaluation for Season 2 has begun.
  • September 27, 2023: Ownership of page transferred, and guide reviewed. Small additions in Alternative Skills and Gear Choice and Stats. Deer Spirit Boon recommendation changed from Max Spirit to DR vs Elites. No further changes planned until season 2 review where the page may receive more significant updates or restructure. Thank you to Lexyu for all his hard work and excellent content.
  • August 2nd, 2023: Patch 1.1.1 section added with a Spirit gain buff to Earth Spike.
  • July 18th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 1.
  • July 14th, 2023: Stat Priority List reevaluated.
  • July 5th, 2023: Paragon optimized by placing Thunderstruck and Earthen Devastation as the first attached boards to gain important Rare Node Bonuses. Paragon Boards in earlier positions have lower requirements for Rare Node Bonuses.
ARPG Vault Logo

Have feedback or questions about our guides? Join our ARPG Discord community and let us know!