Gauntlet Build Introduction
This is the Gauntlet build for Pulverize Shred Druid. This guide features a late-game setup, focused on speeding through and obtaining the highest score on the Gauntlet Leaderboards. Check our dedicated Gauntlet Guide for more information on this activity. The Shred Pulverize Druid excels at all requirements for the Gauntlet:
- Wide, map-clearing AoEs with
Pulverize and
Shockwave Aspect.
- High boss damage from large multipliers and Overpowers.
- Strong mobility to navigate the encounter-space with
Shred and
Trample.
There are key changes from the standard endgame Pulverize setup Shifter Pulverize:
- Several sources of defensives and Damage Reductions are traded in favor of maximizing speed and damage.
- The playstyle does not use a
Basic Skill, instead relying on alternative sources of Spirit Generation.
- This is a partial Companion setup for high damage multipliers from
Shepherd’s Aspect.
This Gauntlet build guide assumes your character is Level 100, Paragon Glyphs are max radius from being Level 15+, and all Paragon and Skill points from Renown have been obtained. While the build recommends some Uber Unique Items, there are alternative options listed. The build also offers some alternative Gearing Affix recommendations as well as some Skill and Playstyle options that can be beneficial as the Gauntlet changes layout week to week.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Huge Map Clearing AoE
- Large Overpowers to take out Bosses
- High Mobility and Unstoppable
- Lower survivability than the typical Endgame build
- High gearing investment including Uber Items
To see how this build compares to other builds on Icy Veins, you can check out our Gauntlet build tier list.
Build Requirements
The following Legendary Aspects are required for build functionality to get started on the Pulverize Shred Druid:
![Shockwave Aspect](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/static/d4/latest/images/aspects/offensive.webp)
Several Druid builds have shown to be popular and strong in the Gauntlet, and Druid has a large build diversity represented in the leaderboards. Short Gauntlet Consideration sections are now included in several of our endgame builds!
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Raging Pulverize can be used as a damage option over
Primal Pulverize.
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 Name | Animal | Effect |
---|---|---|
Advantageous Beast | Deer | Now – Gain 15% Movement Speed and 15% Impairment Reduction. |
Iron Feather | Eagle | Gain 20% Maximum Life. |
Avian Wrath | Eagle | Gain 30%[x] Critical Strike Damage. |
Energize | Wolf | Lucky Hit: Dealing damage has up to a 15% chance to restore 30 Spirit. |
Obsidian Slam | Snake | Every 10th kill will cause your next Earth Skill to Overpower. |
Paragon Board
The following are the preferred Glyphs, Boards, and pathing recommended for making the most of the Shred Pulverize Gauntlet Druid. All Glyphs are placed as if they are max radius (Level 15+).
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 Outmatch glyph into the Glyph Socket.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder1.jpg)
Ancestral Guidance
For the second board, choose Ancestral Guidance, placed against the Starting Board, rotated twice. Socket the Fang and Claw Glyph, and take the
Ancestral Guidance Legendary Node.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder2.jpg)
Earthen Devastation
for the third board, choose Earthen Devastation, placed against the right side of the Ancestral Guidance board, rotated thrice. Socket Earth and Sky and take the
Earthen Devastation Legendary Node.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder3.jpg)
Inner Beast
For the fourth board, take Inner Beast, placed against the right side of the Earthen Devastation board. Socket the Exploit Glyph. The Legendary Node is not taken.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder4.jpg)
Survival Instincts
for the fifth board, choose Survival Instincts, placed against the Inner Beast’s right side. Socket the Spirit and take the
Survival Instincts Legendary Node.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder5.jpg)
Heightened Malice
For the final board, choose Heightened Malice, placed against the left side of the Ancestral Guidance board, rotated twice. Socket the Guzzler Glyph. The Legendary Node is not taken.
![](https://static.icy-veins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/s4shredboulder6.jpg)
This build gives up the traditional Damage Reduction glyphs Undaunted,
Territorial and
Werebear in favor of offensive choices. If more Damage Reduction is necessary, trade
Guzzler for
Undaunted and
Spirit for
Territorial.
CLICK THIS LINK to see the paragon board in its entirety. Paragon Board images are courtesy of D4builds.gg.
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 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.
Gear Slot | Gem | Aspect | Unique/Legendary Power |
---|---|---|---|
2 Handed Staff | ![]() | ![]() | Pulverize creates a shockwave that travels forward, dealing [60 – 100]% of its damage to targets in the path. |
Helm | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Gain 20% Damage Reduction. In addition, gain +4 Ranks to all Skills. |
Chest | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Werebear form is now your true form, and you gain +3 Ranks to all Werebear Skills. |
Gloves | N/A | ![]() | Pulverize is now also an Earth Skill. After casting Pulverize, tectonic spikes continue to deal [X] damage over 2 seconds. |
Pants | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | You have 8% increased Dodge Chance. Successful Dodges restore 5-20% of your Maximum Life. |
Boots | N/A | ![]() | When you Evade you turn into a cloud of bats, becoming Unstoppable for 2.5 seconds. Enemies along your path take 9,652 Physical damage and are inflicted with Vampiric Curse. Evade’s Cooldown is increased by 10-5 seconds. |
Amulet | ![]() | ![]() | Core and Wrath Skills deal an additional 5-10[x] damage per Companion you have. |
Ring 1 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [10 – 25]%[+] for 5 seconds. |
Ring 2 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resource cost of your Skills and increases your damage by 10%[x] for 3 seconds, up to 40%[x]. |
Use a Staff for the Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies, useful for Earthen Devastation.
Check our Legendary Aspect and Codex of Power Guide for general information on Legendary Powers.
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Below are the affixes to prioritize on gear. Each line of affixes is listed in order of importance. Tempering Manuals and their recommended affixes are provided in the second column, and the bolded affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades. To masterwork, you will need rare materials that only drop from The Pit. Be sure to check our Tempering guide, our Masterworking guide, as well as our guide about The Pit for more details about these topics.
Unique Items cannot be Tempered, but can be Mastercrafted. Any slot with an Optional Unique Item will include a valid alternative legendary power setup.
Slot | Gearing Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
---|---|---|
2 Handed Staff | Resource Cost Reduction Willpower Max Life Overpower Damage | ![]() ![]() |
Helm – ![]() | Max Life Cooldown Reduction Resource Generation All Stats | |
Helm – ![]() | Cooldown Reduction Max Life Damage Crowd Control Duration | |
Chest – ![]() | Physical Damage Overpower Damage Damage Reduction While Fortified Total Armor while in Werebear form | |
Chest – Legendary Aspect | Willpower Max Life Armor Spirit Per Second | ![]() ![]() |
Gloves | Critical Strike Chance Ranks to ![]() Attack Speed Willpower | ![]() ![]() |
Pants | Willpower Max Life Armor Dodge Chance | ![]() ![]() |
Boots – Legendary Aspect | Impicit: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown By 1.5 Seconds Movement Speed Max Life Resistance to All Elements Spirit Per Second | ![]() ![]() |
Amulet | Ranks to ![]() Critical Strike Chance Movement Speed Ranks to ![]() | ![]() ![]() |
Rings – Legendary Aspect | Critical Strike Chance Attack Speed Maximum Life Resource Cost Reduction | ![]() ![]() |
A single well-rolled Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies is for maxing out the Earthen Devastation Legendary Node.
Gems
Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
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.
- If mats are available, craft
Chorus of War.
- Remember to upgrade your potion as you level, increasing the instant healing of the potion!
Unique Items
The following Unique Items are recommended for the Pulverize Shred Gauntlet Druid:
- (Recommended)
Godslayer Crown gives a large multiplier and grouping tool that can be triggered from
Raging Pulverize.
- (Recommended)
Insatiable Fury adds Skill Ranks to all Werebear skills, including
Pulverize and
Trample, along with offering good Gear Affixes.
- (Optional)
Tibault’s Will is a strong damage multiplier and source of Spirit. The trigger for these effects is gaining Unstoppable from both
Trample and Aspect of Metamorphosis when Evading.
Uber Unique Items
- (Recommended)
Harlequin Crest offers strong defense, great Gear Affixes, and 4 ranks to all Skills.
- (Recommended)
Ring of Starless Skies is a strong multiplier and Spirit Cost Reduction. Worry less about resource, and Gear for less Spirit Cost Reduction.
- (Situational)
Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander can be a powerful but highly unpredictable Uber Unique for the Gauntlet. The Spear has great Gear Affixes with high Critical Strike Chance and Attack Speed. The Gauntlet is a format with a lot of shrines and the build gears for Shrine Buff Duration. This plays into the Spear’s effect; random Shrine Effects triggered every 30 seconds. Which shrine effect that is triggered is uncontrollable which makes it a situational gain and big gamble. Another tradeoff is it takes up the 2 Handed Weapon Slot, so several top-end multipliers from
Shockwave Aspect and
Shepherd’s Aspect are diminished. To use this item:
- Move
Shockwave Aspect to Amulet.
- Move
Shepherd’s Aspect to ring, replacing
Accelerating Aspect.
- Move
Rotation and Playstyle
Shred to gap close, maintain the attack speed bonus of
Bestial Rampage, Poison and Slow enemies.
- For bosses and Elite packs, use
Petrify for another layered Critical Strike Damage multiplier.
- Send out waves of
Pulverize to destroy your enemies and gain Score.
- Use
Shred and
Trample to get to that next pack!
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 Shifter Pulverize Druid. For general Season 4 information, check out our Season 4 Hub.
Itemization:
- 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.
Tibault’s Will damage reduced from 20-40% to 10-20%.
Aspect of the Crowded Sage redesigned – You have 8% increased Dodge Chance. Successful Dodges restore 5-20% of your Maximum Life.
Shepherd’s Aspect now includes Wrath Skills.
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%.
Quickshift redesigned. When Shapeshifting into a new animal form, you deal 1% increased damage for 3 seconds, up to 6%.
Heightened 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.
Inner Beast redesigned – After Shapeshifting, your Spirit costs are reduced by 5% for 10 seconds, up to 45%. If you reach 10 stacks, this bonus resets and reduces the Cooldown of your Ultimate Skill by 5 seconds.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed an issue where the bonus damage from the Wild Impulses passive was additive instead of multiplicative.
- Fixed an issue where the Fortify values generated by Safeguard was using Base Life instead of Maximum Life.
Patch 1.4.3
- Scythe Talons – Critical Strike Chance increased from 5% to 10%.
- Iron Feather – Maximum Life increased from 14% to 20%.
- Energize – Spirit restored increased from 20 to 30.
- Obsidian Slam – Kills required for guaranteed Overpower reduced from 20 to 10.
Pulverize Damage increased by 76%.
Raging Pulverize – New Effect – Pulverize deals 30%[x] increased Overpower Damage. Enemies Overpowered by Pulverize are Stunned for 3 seconds.
Quickshift Maximum damage bonus increased from 6/12/18%[x] to 8/16/24%[x].
Advanced Information
It is time to hit the Gauntlet!
Or see below for further information on how the build works, as well as further explanations Gearing and Gameplay, Gauntlet tips, and available playstyle options.
Build Mechanics
The Pulverize Shred Gauntlet Druid is a zoomy and smashy bear, using map-clearing hits of Pulverize, high-mobility Skills
Shred and
Trample, and lots of stacked multipliers including Overpowers to destroy the enemies found within the Gauntlet.
Pulverize is our primary Skill, clearing enemies with strong, Earth-type Physical damage smashes.
Shockwave Aspect creates a shockwave with a higher multiplier in a line from the
Pulverize.
Key Note: There is an overlap between the Pulverize and its Shockwave, near the outer radius of the Pulverize. line your attacks on this overlap for a huge double hit!
Shred and
Trample are our mobility tools. Use them to travel between and to packs.
Shred also applies the Poison for
Envenom and Slow for Crowd-Controlled multipliers, so is a useful opener.
Companion Active Skills are not used. They are there to morally support you and give multipliers from Shepherd’s Aspect.
Ultimate Skill Petrify Stuns and applies a heavy Critical Strike Damage multiplier to enemies. Stacked multipliers with
Tibault’s Will, Overpower and if used,
Godslayer Crown allow Bosses to be burst down quickly.
Key Passive Bestial Rampage gives both a high Attack Speed bonus and Damage Multiplier. These buffs are both easily maintained from frequent casts of
Shred and
Pulverize.
Overpower
Like many Werebear builds, the Pulverize Shred Gauntlet Druid has several sources of Overpower for Boss killing and map-clearing hits of Pulverize:
Enhanced Pulverize will overpower Pulverize every 12 seconds while you remain Healthy. Healthy means being above 80% Life.
- if used, Aspect of Blood Boil guarantees a skill to Overpower every 20 seconds.
- A passive 3% chance for any non-channeled skill to Overpower.
Playing around having Overpower to kill that Boss can mean some small map route adjustments, and taking some time to gather or leash Bosses, but it can be worth it when the boss takes several fewer Pulverize to kill. These delays would be small adjustments; don’t make huge delays for this!
Spirit Generation
This build does not use a Basic Attack Spirit generator; instead, it relies on several alternative sources:
- Resource Cost Reduction on 2 Handed Weapon, and Resource Generation on Rings.
- The Wolf’s Energize Spirit Boon.
- If used,
Tibault’s Will, with Unstoppable sources
Trample and Aspect of Metamorphosis.
Ring of Starless Skies for Spirt Cost Reduction.
- Paragon nodes for Spirit on Kill in the
Ancestral Guidance board.
Once geared, these are sufficient sources of Spirit to keep smashing. While gearing or without access to some sources like Ring of Starless Skies or Aspect of Metamorphosis, do one or more of the following:
- Take Paragon points from
Ancestral Guidance Legendary node, and place them in
Inner Beast Legendary Node.
- Use
Starlight Aspect.
Enhanced Shred,
Aspect of the Crowded Sage and other healing sources will keep your Spirit up.
- Exchange the
Spirit Glyph for
Tectonic. More Lucky Hit will be more triggers for Wolf Spirit Boon Energize.
Gauntlet Tips and Tricks
Here’s a couple tips, tricks, and observations for playing the Gauntlet:
- Overpower is a strong tool, and periodically up with trackable buffs from
Enhanced Pulverize. Having these up when engaging a boss guarantees a faster kill.
- While the dungeon has fixed positioning and spawns for enemies, they can drift, be leashed or aggro’d into different positions as you do your circuits around the map.
- Variable access to Cooldown Reduction including shrines, total attack events and Lucky Hit triggers can mean mobility tool timings like
Trample may not be consistent from pull to pull, or up as often. This is especially true if using
Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander.
- Sometimes stopping to pick up that key for the chests isn’t worth the time! They stay on the ground after Pillar of Proving (respawn shrines) and in subsequent laps, and may be worth delaying the pickup to even near the end of the run when several are on the ground together.
- Bear🐻 in mind that the Pillar of Glory gives a high score multiplier for its duration. It can be worth planning around having this when routing to dense packs of Elites or Bosses.
- Proofs of Might from chests have to be walked over to be collected. However, drops from slain enemies are picked up automatically, which means you can kill and move on!
- Armor is capped for enemies 100 and above! You now only require 9230 for any enemy above level 100 to hit the 85% Damage Reduction cap.
- Heard about a cheat or exploit from your buddy? Don’t! That’s an easy way to have your run removed from the Leaderboard!
- Weekly Gauntlet Map updates can be found Here, with our friends at D4builds.gg.
Alternative Skill Options and Playstyles
Depending on weekly layout of the Gauntlet and personal playstyle, there’s a few alternative Skill Options and playstyles that are available, including one or more of the following in combination:
Petrify is used as a high Critical Strike Damage multiplier. If bosses are not as prominent in the layout, change
Poison Creeper for
Petrify for a higher base multiplier to
Shepherd’s Aspect and as a single target source to apply Poison.
- Depending on mob density,
Shred may be all the mobility tool needed, making
Trample overkill for movement needs. Swap
Trample for
Poison Creeper for a higher base multiplier to
Shepherd’s Aspect and as a single target source to apply Poison.
- Depending on mob density and map layout,
Airidah’s Inexorable Will may be desirable. Replace
Accelerating Aspect, and use the Snake’s Calm Before the Storm for cooldown Reduction on
Petrify.
- For a Pet-less version of the build that offers more Active Skill options:
- Remove points in
Wolves,
Ravens,
Enhanced Ravens and
Brutal Ravens, and
Nature’s Reach.
- Swap in
Blood Howl,
Enhanced Blood Howl
Preserving Blood Howl,
Hurricane, and
Resonance. Keep Blood howl up for an Attack Speed bonus and
Hurricane up to trigger extra damage events for
Resonance and Lucky Hits like Wolf Boon Energize.
- Replace
Shepherd’s Aspect, placing
Aspect of Metamorphosis on Amulet and
Ghostwalker Aspect on boots.
- Remove points in
Changelog
- 17 June, 2024: Updated for mid-season patch 1.4.3.
- May 15, 2024: Small changes in gear affixes to adjust for season launch changes from PTR.
- 6 May, 2024: Speculative Changes for 1.4.0 and Season 4. Page restructured to frontload relevant information.
- 12 March, 2024: Build Created.