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Boulder Druid Endgame Build Guide for Diablo 4 (Season 4)

Be the avalanche that buries your foes!

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TheSteve

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Updated: Posted:

HurricaneEarthen BulwarkTramplePetrifyShredBoulder


Build Introduction

Unleash an Avalanche to bury your enemies! Hurl your BoulderBoulders, obliterating those that stand in your path! Boldly barrage and batter the battlefield to beat your foes! The BoulderBoulder Druid build uses the Unique Item Dolmen StoneDolmen Stone and Aspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic Stone in combination to let your Boulders do massive damage in a large area around you.

This guide covers everything necessary to get started on your BoulderBoulder adventure including Skill Tree points, Paragon, Gearing, and Seasonal updates. The guide will primarily cover Endgame pushing, but will also cover alternative playstyle variants, in-depth explanations as well as Gauntlet considerations.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
  • Mobile gameplay
  • Excels at both AoE and Bossing
  • THROW ROCK
Weaknesses
  • Resource hungry build
  • Gameplay can be complicated
  • Heavy gearing investment

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

Build Requirements

The following Unique Items and Legendary Aspects are required for build functionality to get started on the Boulder Druid:

Required Uniques
Required Aspects

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar for Boulder Druid
Hurricane Hurricane Trample Trample Earthen Bulwark Earthen Bulwark Petrify Petrify Shred Shred Boulder Boulder

Spirit Boons – The Druid Class Specialization

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

Boon NameAnimalEffect
WarinessDeerTake 15% reduced damage from Elites.
Scythe TalonsEagleGain +5% increased Critical Strike Chance.
Avian WrathEagleGain 30%[x] Critical Strike Damage.
EnergizeWolfLucky Hit: Dealing damage has up to a 15% chance to restore 20 Spirit.
MasochisticSnakeLucky Hit chance of 75%. Critical Strikes with Shapeshifting Skills Heal you for 5% Maximum Life.

In hard hitting push content, swap the Eagle’s Scythe Talons for the Eagle’s Iron Feather.

Paragon

The following are the preferred Glyphs, Boards, and pathing recommended for making the most of the Boulder Druid. All Glyphs are placed as if they are max radius (Level 15+).

While leveling and gearing, prioritize the Spirit Generation Magic and Rare nodes from Ancestral GuidanceAncestral Guidance and the Lust for CarnageLust for Carnage Legendary Node.

Click this link to see the Paragon Board in its entirety! Paragon Board images are courtesy of d4builds.gg.

Starting Board

From the Starting Board, path up, placing the ShapeshifterShapeshifter Glyph into the Glyph Socket.

D4 Druid Paragon Board

Inner Beast

From the Starting Board, choose Inner Beast, placed against the Starting Board, rotated once. Socket the ExploitExploit Glyph. The Legendary Node is not taken.

Ancestral Guidance

For the third board, choose Ancestral Guidance, placed against the Inner Beast board’s top side, rotated three times. Socket the OutmatchOutmatch glyph, and take the Legendary Node Ancestral GuidanceAncestral Guidance.

D4 Druid Paragon Board

Earthen Devastation

For the fourth board, choose Earthen Devastation, placed against the Ancestral Guidance board’s left side, rotated once. Socket the Earth and SkyEarth and Sky glyph, and take the Legendary Node Earthen DevastationEarthen Devastation.

Heightened Malice

For the fifth board, choose Heightened Malice, placed against the Earthen Devastation board’s bottom side, rotated once. place the UndauntedUndaunted Glyph. The Legendary Node is not taken.

D4 Druid Paragon Board

Lust for Carnage

For the final board take Lust for Carnage, placed against the Inner Beast board’s right side, rotated three times. Socket the TerritorialTerritorial glyph, and take the Legendary Node Lust for CarnageLust for Carnage.

D4 Druid Paragon Board

For further info on Paragon choices, check the Paragon Information in the Additional Information Section.

Gear, Stats, Gems and Elixirs

Itemization has received significant changes with the Season 4 1.40 patch and will affect the game going forward.

Legendary Aspects

Below are the recommended Legendary Aspects for each gear slot. Gear Slots with multiple options are listed in recommended priority. Any slot with an Optional Unique Item will include a valid alternative legendary power.

SlotGemAspectUnique/Legendary Power
1 Handed AxeRoyal SapphireRoyal SapphireAccelerating AspectAccelerating AspectCritical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [10 – 25]%[+] for 5 seconds.
TotemRoyal SapphireRoyal SapphireAspect of Natural BalanceAspect of Natural BalanceWerewolf Skills function as Storm Skills and Werebear Skills function as Earth Skills for the Nature’s Fury Key Passive.
HeadRoyal RubyRoyal Ruby(Recommended)Godslayer CrownGodslayer Crown OR Juggernaut's AspectJuggernaut’s AspectWhen you Stun, Freeze, or Immobilize an Elite enemy, or damage a Boss, it Pulls In Nearby enemies. You deal [30 – 60]%[x] increased damage to them for 3 seconds. This effect can only occur once every 12 seconds.
ChestRoyal RubyRoyal RubySymbiotic AspectSymbiotic AspectWhen the Nature’s Fury Key Passive triggers a free Skill, your non-Ultimate Cooldowns of the opposite type are reduced by 2-5 seconds.
GlovesN/AAspect of Nature's SavageryAspect of Nature’s SavageryWerewolf Skills function as Storm Skills and Werebear Skills function as Earth Skills for the Nature’s Fury Key Passive.
PantsRoyal RubyRoyal RubyAspect of the Crowded SageAspect of the Crowded SageYou have 8% increased Dodge Chance. Successful Dodges restore 5-20% of your Maximum Life.
BootsN/AAspect of Concussive StrikesAspect of Concussive StrikesLucky Hit: Damaging an enemy has up to a 20% chance to Daze them for 2 seconds.

You deal 5-20[x] increased damage to Dazed enemies.
AmuletRoyal DiamondRoyal Diamond(Required) Dolmen StoneDolmen StoneCasting Boulder while Hurricane is active will cause your boulders to rotate around you.
Ring 1Royal DiamondRoyal DiamondAspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic StoneBoulder is now a Core Skill and costs 40 Spirit to cast dealing [100 – 120]% of normal damage.
Ring 2Royal DiamondRoyal DiamondStarlight AspectStarlight Aspect OR
Aspect of the UmbralAspect of the Umbral
Gain [20 – 40] of your Primary Resource for every 20% of your Life that you Heal.

Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Affixes and Tempers are listed in priority with the desired three Gearing Affixes at the top, but alternatives are also added. Affixes in Bold are the most important to target with the Masterworking quality upgrades. Tempering affixes have their associated Tempering Manuals listed. Unique Items cannot be Tempered, but can be Mastercrafted. Any slot with an Optional Unique Item will include a valid alternative legendary power setup.

SlotGearing AffixesTempering Affixes
1 Handed AxeResource Cost Reduction
Willpower
Attack Speed
Spirit on Kill
Earth AugmentsEarth Augments – Chance for BoulderBoulder Projectiles To Cast Twice
Earth FinesseEarth Finesse – Boulder Damage OR
Natural FinesseNatural Finesse – Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
TotemResource Cost Reduction
Critical Strike Chance
Attack Speed
Cooldown Reduction
Earth AugmentsEarth Augments – Chance for BoulderBoulder Projectiles To Cast Twice
Earth FinesseEarth Finesse – Boulder Damage OR
Natural FinesseNatural Finesse – Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
Helm – Godslayer CrownGodslayer CrownCooldown Reduction
Max Life
Damage
Crowd Control Duration
Helm – Legendary PowerCooldown Reduction
Max Life
Willpower
Spirit Per Second
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance – Dodge Chance
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune – Lucky Hit: [Any of] Chance to Immobilize/Stun/Freeze for 2 seconds
ChestWillpower
Max Life
Spirit Per Second
Armor
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance – Total Armor OR Dodge Chance
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune – Lucky Hit: [Any of] Chance to Immobilize/Stun/Freeze for 2 Seconds
GlovesCritical Strike Chance
Attack Speed
Ranks to Core Skills
Willpower
Earth FinesseEarth Finesse – Boulder Damage
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune – Lucky Hit: [Any of] Chance to Immobilize/Stun/Freeze for 2 Seconds
PantsArmor
Willpower
Max Life
Dodge Chance
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance – Total Armor%
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune – Lucky Hit: [Any of] Chance to Immobilize/Stun/Freeze for 2 Seconds
Boots – Legendary AspectImplicit: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown By 1.5 Seconds
Ranks to BoulderBoulder
Movement Speed
Max Life
Spirit Per Second
Natural MotionNatural Motion – Movement Speed
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune – Lucky Hit: [Any of] Chance to Immobilize/Stun/Freeze for 2 Seconds
Amulet – Dolmen StoneRanks to Wrath Skills
Nature Magic Skill Cooldown Reduction
Resource Generation
Maximum Life
Rings – Legendary AspectCritical Strike Chance
Attack Speed
Maximum Life
Resource Cost Reduction
Earth FinesseEarth Finesse – Boulder Damage
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability – Resource Generation

For pure functionality, the most important affixes for the Boulder Druid are the following:

  • Resource Cost Reduction on Weapon and Totem
  • At least one well-rolled Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies temper to max out Earthen DevastationEarthen Devastation.
  • Chance for Double BoulderBoulder Projectiles for cast volume total.
  • Ranks to BoulderBoulder.
  • Critical Strike Chance for Spirit Generation from Lust for CarnageLust for Carnage.

Armor cap is 9230 against any enemies Level 100 and above, for up to 85% Damage Reduction. This is generally reached at 925 Item Power with either one Armor Gear Affix with one Total Armor% Temper, or with a maxed Juggernaut's AspectJuggernaut’s Aspect.

Gems

Weapon GemsArmor GemsJewelry Gems
Royal SapphireRoyal Sapphire for Critical Strike DamageRoyal RubyRoyal Ruby For Max Life%Royal DiamondRoyal Diamond for resistance to all elements

Elixirs, Incense and Health Potions

The Alchemist offers helpful consumables at the cost of foraged materials found throughout Sanctuary.

  • Craft the highest available Elixir of Advantage for Attack Speed and Lucky Hit bonuses.
  • If mats are available, craft Chorus of WarChorus of War.
  • Remember to upgrade your potion as you level, increasing the instant healing of the potion!

Unique Items

The following Unique Items are required or recommended for the build:

  • (required) Dolmen StoneDolmen Stone is mandatory for the build, changing BoulderBoulder into a core skill and allowing BoulderBoulder to rotate around the player while HurricaneHurricane is active.
  • (recommended) Godslayer CrownGodslayer Crown is an effective grouping tool, as well as a strong damage multiplier.

Both these Unique Items can be target-farmed from Duriel.

Uber Unique Items

The Boulder Druid can benefit from several Uber Unique items:

  • (High Value) Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest is better defensively over Godslayer CrownGodslayer Crown, with strong Gear Affixes and ranks to all Skills. This can allow the build to push higher while staying safer.
  • (New, High Value) Yen’s Blessing – Casting a Skill has a [40 – 60]% chance to cast a Non-Mobility, Non-Ultimate Skill that is currently on Cooldown. This effect can only occur once every 12 seconds. This Uber Unique is interesting because it can recast HurricaneHurricane, which can mean there’s no need for Symbiotic AspectSymbiotic Aspect. This would be good with the Shepherd Boulder setup since the only skill ever on cooldown is Hurricane. The downside is boots are the slot with ranks in BoulderBoulder.
  • (Mid Value) Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies is a powerful Resource Cost Reduction tool and damage multiplier. With the 1.4.0 gearing system, Spirit Generation is largely handled but this can be good nevertheless. Replaces Accelerating AspectAccelerating Aspect.
  • (New, Mid Value) Tyreal’s Might. A solid defensive Chestpiece with strong Damage Reduction and Resistances, with a small damage bonus. Replaces Aspect of the Crowded SageAspect of the Crowded Sage.

Rotation

  1. Maintain HurricaneHurricane.
  2. Maintain Shapeshifting bonuses for Heightened SensesHeightened Senses and QuickshiftQuickshift. TrampleTrample for Werebear, ShredShred for Werewolf.
  3. Gap close, apply Poison and Slow with ShredShred.
  4. Roll out your BoulderBoulders! Maintain several at a time, recasting to keep multiple active.
  5. Cast PetrifyPetrify to apply Stuns and a strong Critical Strike Damage multiplier.
  6. ShredShred as filler. This will also maintain some Boulders from Nature's FuryNature’s Fury triggers.

Check out the advanced Mechanics and Playstyle section for a more in-depth description on how the build works, what synergies exist and what to look out for.

Season 4: Loot Reborn

Patch 1.4.0 and Season 4 bring significant changes. The following list details the important changes in the Season 4 Patch Updates that are specific to the Boulder Druid and its Variants. For general Season 4 information, check out our Season 4 Hub.

Itemization:

  • Tibault's WillTibault’s Will damage reduced from 20-40% to 10-20%.
  • The Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown affix has been increased from .8 to 1.5 seconds.
  • Physical Damage against Damage Reduction now caps at level 100. Note: this means Armor only needs to be 9230 to cap Armor against enemies level 100 and above.
  • Shepherd's AspectShepherd’s Aspect now includes Wrath Skills.
  • (New Item) Tyrael’s Might – Unique Chest Armor – While at full Life, your Skills unleash a divine barrage dealing damage.
  • (New) Yen’s Blessing – Unique Boots – Casting a Skill has a 40-60% chance to cast a Non-Mobility, Non-Ultimate Skill that is currently on Cooldown. This effect can only occur once every 8 seconds.
  • Aspect of the Crowded SageAspect of the Crowded Sage redesigned – You have 8% increased Dodge Chance. Successful Dodges restore 5-20% of your Maximum Life.

Skills and Stats:

  • Druid Companions now receive 100% of Player Attributes.
  • Damage Reduction from Fortify is now 15%, from 10%.
  • Energize Spirit Boon Spirit Restoration increased from 10 to 20.
  • Wariness Spirit Boon damage reduction from Elites increased to 15%.
  • Masochistic Critical Strike Healing increased from 3% to 5%.
  • ShredShred Damage increased by 10%
  • WolvesWolves
    • Wolves now gain Unstoppable when the Skill is cast.
    • Health increased by 200%.
    • Respawn reduced from 10 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • PetrifyPetrify
    • Prime PetrifyPrime Petrify now grants 50 Spirit when cast and its effect durations are increased by 1s.
    • Supreme PetrifySupreme Petrify – Killing an enemy affected by Petrify reduces its Cooldown by 1 second. Hitting a Boss with Petrify reduces its Cooldown by 10 seconds.
  • QuickshiftQuickshift redesigned. When Shapeshifting into a new animal form, you deal 1% increased damage for 3 seconds, up to 6%.
  • Heightened SensesHeightened Senses redesigned – When Shapeshifting into an animal form, Werebear grants 2% Damage Reduction and Werewolf grants 2% Movement Speed, each for 6 seconds. Bonuses are doubled while both are active.
  • Digitigrade GaitDigitigrade Gait Movement Speed increased from 3% to 4%.

Advanced Information

It is time to get started on your Boulder journey!

Or see below for further information on how the build works, as well as further explanations for Paragon, Gearing, and Gameplay, and available playstyle options.

Mechanics and Playstyle

This build has lots of moving parts that come together to make a powerful storm of abilities.

BoulderBoulder is our high-damage main Skill. When HurricaneHurricane is active, Dolmen StoneDolmen Stone causes the Boulders will revolve around the player. Aspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic Stone turns Boulder into a Core Skill, removes the cooldown, and adds a Spirit Cost to the skill. Keep several of these rotating around you at a time, and refresh them as they run out. BoulderBoulder does Physical damage, but is a Nature Magic Skill; meaning it benefits from Storm and Earth modifiers.

ShredShred is a mobility tool and filler Skill that will apply Poison and Slow. Because we use Aspect of Nature's SavageryAspect of Nature’s Savagery, Shred will also trigger even more Boulders from Nature's FuryNature’s Fury. Enhanced ShredEnhanced Shred‘s heal is also a significant source of Spirit Generation with Starlight AspectStarlight Aspect.

TrampleTrample is a mobility tool that also applies Unstoppable, and refreshes Werebear Shapeshifting buffs like QuickshiftQuickshift and Heightened SensesHeightened Senses.

Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark is a defensive tool for Absorb and Unstoppable.

PetrifyPetrify is our Ultimate ability, which Stuns enemies and applies a heavy Critical Strike Damage taken debuff. This stun is especially useful against Elite enemies that have the Suppressor Affix.

Our Key Passive Nature's FuryNature’s Fury gives us a large volume of secondary casts of our Skills, which helps maintain volume on BoulderBoulder.

Paragon Information

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. For general paragon board information, check the guide here.

The recommended Paragon boards with images for the Boulder Druid are listed above. The following section goes over some explanation and descriptions for the pathing process for the Boulder Druid.

Broadly speaking, decisions for pathing through the Druid paragon board are divided into three categories:

  • Damage – The paragon boards provide a significant amount of Damage Multipliers and Additives. This includes:
  • Defense – The paragon boards help reach goals on Damage Reduction, Armor and Resistances. This includes:
    • Damage Reduction is improved from UndauntedUndaunted and TerritorialTerritorial secondary effects, as well as individual nodes providing bonuses like Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies
    • Resistances are improved from Magic and Rare Resistance nodes, with Earth and SkyEarth and Sky and OutmatchOutmatch bonuses improving their nearby Resistance nodes.
    • Armor goals are reached with the help of Armor nodes in Inner BeastInner Beast.
  • Build Functionality – The paragon boards improve Spirit Generation for the build from a few sources, including:
NameEffect
ShapeshifterShapeshifterGrants +25.0% bonus to all Rare nodes within range.
Bonus (25 Dexterity): Shapeshifting has a 20% chance to cause the Skill’s damage to Critically Strike.
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.
Ancestral GuidanceAncestral GuidanceAfter spending 75 Spirit, you deal 30%[x] increased damage for 5 seconds.
OutmatchOutmatchGrants +25.0% bonus to all Rare nodes within range.
Bonus (25 Dexterity): You deal 16%[x] increased Physical damage to Non-Elites and Bosses.
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 +30.0% bonus to all Magic nodes within range.
Bonus (40 Willpower): Nature Magic Skills deal x10% increased damage to Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies.
UndauntedUndauntedFor every 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you deal + [7.7%] increased damage while Fortified.
Bonus (25 Intelligence): You gain up to 10% Damage Reduction the more Fortify you have.
Lust for CarnageLust for CarnageCritical Strikes with Werewolf Skills restore 2 Spirit.
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.

Spirit Generation

This build does not use a Basic Attack Spirit generator; instead, it relies on several alternative sources:

In the Endgame, these are sufficient sources for Spirit Cost needs, despite BoulderBoulder being a resource-hungry Skill. However, if the above are insufficient sources while leveling and gearing, consider using one or more of the following supplementary options:

Codex of Power and Gearing Affixes

With the release of Season 4 and Patch 1.4.0, Gearing has changed significantly. For the dedicated page, see the updated Gear Systems and Itemization Overview guide here.

The Codex of Power has changed. Extracting any aspect now upgrades it in the Codex of Power. All Aspects now exist in the Codex of Power. For example, extracting a Aspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic Stone of a higher rank than you currently have in your codex improves the Codex. All future applications of Aspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic Stone will have that higher value. This also means Gambling Obols can be a significant method of improving your Codex of power. Aspects in the Codex can be favorited.

Check our Legendary Aspect and Codex of Power Guide to see which slots can have which legendary powers. For example, Rings can have either Offensive or Resource powers. That meansAspect of Metamorphic StoneAspect of Metamorphic Stone could be on weapon, totem or gloves and there is still room for all the rest of the Legendary Aspects that complete the build.

For Gearing Affixes, Normal Items have no affixes, Magic Items have 1 affix, Rare Items have 2 affixes, Legendary Items have 3 affixes, and Unique Items keep their 4 affixes. Applying Legendary Aspects from your Codex will not improve the amount of Affixes on items. In the Endgame, this means Legendary Items are desirable and the rest are largely going to be just salvaged without much inspection. Many available affixes and their ranges have been changed. This is beneficial for this build on some Slots such as weapon with large Spirit Cost Reduction and Attack Speed, but will be worse on other slots. For example, every single resistance is an option on armor slots so rerolling at the Enchantress for the ideal affix can take many more rolls.

Ancestral Legendary items can drop with Greater Affix, indicated with a special icon * both in Inventory and on the ground. Items can have multiple Greater Affixes. Greater Affixes have a 1.5 multiplier to the base Affix.

Tempering and Masterworking

Tempering manuals are found across Sanctuary. The Blacksmith is able to apply extra affixes on items, up to two on Ancestral quality items. This would bring an Ancestral Legendary item up to a total of 5 affixes. When tempering at the Blacksmith, an item will randomly select one of the listed affixes from the chosen Tempering Manual. For example, the Weapon manual Earth AugmentsEarth Augments can give the desired extra projectiles to BoulderBoulder, or give something utterly useless to the build. There is a limit to the number of times a temper can be rerolled to try to get the desired affix. This means the item can get ruined for the build, and you must try again with a new item. Unique Items cannot be Tempered. Boulder getting access to the Extra Projectiles weapon temper means this system is a win for the build!

Legendary Ancestral Items and Ancestral Unique Items can then be upgraded in quality via Mastercrafting using materials from The Pit of Artificers. This increases affix, with special increases at levels 4, 8, and 12 that upgrade the Quality of a randomly chosen affix or temper by 25%. The same affix or temper can be chosen multiple times, further increasing the quality from Magic, to Rare, and finally to Legendary.

Controller vs Keyboard and Mouse

This build can play smoother on a controller, but more precise and controlled on keyboard and mouse.

On controller, when held, ShredShred can auto-move to the nearest enemies, or continue direction if no enemies are in range. The Dashes from casts of ShredShred auto-aim to the nearest enemy.

Keyboard and Mouse can offer better control, allowing you to choose targets to Dash to. Both options are valid. Keyboard and Mouse can also access the auto-aim behavior for ShredShred by going into ESC -> Options -> Gameplay, and changing Skill Toggle Behavior to Toggle All.

Variant Playstyles and Options

Druids generally have options available to flex between depending on game stage, gearing process, playstyle tempo, or accessibility.

Shepherd Boulder

Just want to toss some BoulderBoulder? Shepherd Boulder uses a Shepherd's AspectShepherd’s Aspect setup as a simplified version of Boulder. The perks are:

  • Fewer button presses since Companion Skills Active Skills are unused, with Companions strictly acting as a damage multiplier to BoulderBoulder.
  • Easier buff maintenance for Shapeshifting abilities like Heightened SensesHeightened Senses and QuickshiftQuickshift.
  • Higher potential damage, with a strong damage multiplier with Shepherd's AspectShepherd’s Aspect.

The downsides are the following:

  • No sources for Unstoppable.
  • No Ultimate Skill PetrifyPetrify as a Crowd Control, especially against Elites with the Suppressor Affix.
  • Fewer defensive layers, giving up Earthen BulwarkEarthen Bulwark.

To play this style, change the following:

Gauntlet Optimization

The Gauntlet is a Trial event dungeon that changes weekly. The format is a point score system over 8 minutes, and players will compete in weekly Leaderboards for fame and prize.

BoulderBoulder excels at all the aspects of the Gauntlet. This build offers:

  • High damage against Bosses
  • Strong AoE attacks
  • Sources for grouping enemies
  • High mobility and gap closing

The enemies are level 124, which is the equivalent to Tier 70 nightmare dungeons. Compared to a Tier 100 Nightmare dungeon, the enemies will hurt less, but speed counts even more!

The Gearing and Paragon Setups for Gauntlet will take less Armor, Max Life, Damage Reductions, and top-end multipliers, and instead tune for speed, uptime and efficiency. The following recommendations are for generic Gauntlet play, and considerations may change week to week as new maps are shown.

Gearing and Legendary Affixes for Gauntlet

Make the following changes for the Gauntlet:

Gauntlet Skills

Use the same Skill Tree for the Gauntlet.

Gauntlet Paragon

The Paragon tree has a similar layout, but gives up some Armor and Max Life nodes to take some more damage nodes, as well as replacing TerritorialTerritorial and UndauntedUndaunted for SpiritSpirit and GuzzlerGuzzler.

CLICK THIS LINK to see the Gauntlet Paragon Board in its entirety. Paragon Board tool is courtesy of d4builds.gg.

Changelog

  • 5 May, 2024: Guide reworked for the significant 1.4.0 changes to gearing and for season 4 speculative changes. Format changed to frontload basic build information and offer extra information and options afterwards.
  • 10 March, 2024: Guide created, fully replacing previous guide.
  • Ownership transferred.
  • Adjusted Gear, Skills, and Paragon sections to hit defensive stats targets and improve overall damage output.
  • Improved readability, explanations, and options.
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