d4DamageDruidEndgameGuideS-Tier

Poison Shredder Druid Endgame Build Guide for Diablo 4 (Season 1)

A toxic werewolf with enhanced poisoned attacks and a solid defense.

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AaronActionRPG

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Updated: Posted:

ShredPoison CreeperDebilitating RoarGrizzly RageClawBlood Howl


Build Introduction

This is your comprehensive guide for building a toxic werewolf, whose bite is filled with rabies and claws are laced in poison! Welcome to the Poison Shredder build. This ShredShred focused build leaps from target to target, unleashing a devastating flurry of critical strikes as it flickers between enemies, ending each one with ease.

Our guide will cover all basic mechanics and deep dive into the optimal setup for skills, Paragon points, and gear for the build. Further down below, you will find a supporting YouTube video as well to showcase the build in action.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
  • Very strong movement with Shred dash
  • Can handle tier 45+ Nightmare Dungeons
  • Avoids most Crowd Control lockdowns
Weaknesses
  • Cooldown Management
  • Managing Poison DoTs

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

Build Requirements

This build has several Legendary Aspects that are required before it will function properly. There is also an option to use the 1-handed Unique Waxing GibbousWaxing Gibbous, but it is not a requirement for the build. As for the Legendary Aspects, you will need the following at a minimum to make the build work at its most basic level. These Aspects are all non-codex, which means you will need to find them on a Legendary Item and then imprint them onto specific gear.

Optional Uniques
Required Aspects (Non-codex)

To even begin this build, we recommend you have these four Aspects ready for imprinting at a minimum. For the build it become fully functional, we recommend you have all the Legendary Aspects listed further in this guide for the build to work optimally.

Season of the Malignant

Season 1 Patch Updates

Below is a list of specific changes from the Season 1 Patch Update that affect this build. If any of these changes create significant issues within the build, they will be discussed in more detail under their relevant sections.

  • Enhanced Claw Attack Speed bonus increased from 10% to 15%.
  • Prime Grizzly Rage now grants Unstoppable for 6 seconds instead of while active.
  • Masochistic now also requires a Lucky Hit chance of 75%.
  • Aspect of Disobedience maximum stacks reduced from 100 to 60, reducing maximum Bonus Armor % from 25-50% to 15-30%.
  • Fixed an issue where Stormclaw’s Aspect allowed Shred to do extreme amounts of damage.
  • Cooldown Reduction: Reduced by ~30% on gear slots.
  • Significant reductions to Vulnerable and Critical Strike Damage values (needs to be tested more).

Patch 1.1.1

The second major update for Season 1, Patch 1.1.1 released on August 8th 2023, brings some positive changes to Basic Generator Skills for Druids. The changes that directly affect this build are listed below.

  • ClawClaw – Spirit gain increased from 11 to 12.

None of these changes are build-breaking and we still have full confidence in this build.

Malignant Hearts

The theme for Season 1 introduces a new form of legendary gem called Malignant Hearts. There are three types of hearts that need to be socketed into matching colored sockets on all equipped jewelry and one type of heart that can be placed into any socket. For more information about the Malignant Hearts theme for Season 1 check out our Malignant Hearts guide.

Listed below are the Malignant Hearts that are useful for this build, ranked by importance. Stats displayed reflect what a Level 20 character would receive as a drop. Note that this list is based on our early opinions on the Malignant Hearts, and we will update it as and when it is necessary.

  1. Caged Heart of Tempting FateCaged Heart of Tempting Fate
  2. Caged Heart of RevengeCaged Heart of Revenge
  3. Caged Heart of the Dark DanceCaged Heart of the Dark Dance

Video Guide

Please note that since this written build guide is ever-evolving and videos cannot easily be updated, the below video should serve as more of a guideline, whereas the written guide will always have the most accurate information.

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for Poison Shredder (order does not matter)
Shred Shred Claw Claw Debilitating Roar Debilitating Roar Grizzly Rage Grizzly Rage Poison Creeper Poison Creeper Blood Howl Blood Howl

Follow the points allocated in the image above for the complete 58 point build. The additional skill points past Level 50 are acquired using the Renown system.

Priority SkillsCluster
ClawClaw, Enhanced ClawEnhanced Claw, Wild ClawWild ClawBasic SkillBasic Skill
ShredShred Level 5, Enhanced ShredEnhanced Shred, Primal ShredPrimal Shred, Predatory InstinctPredatory Instinct Level 3, Digitigrade GaitDigitigrade Gait Level 3, Heart of the WildHeart of the Wild Level 1, AbundanceAbundance Level 3, Wild ImpulsesWild Impulses Level 3Core SkillCore Skill
Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar Level 5, Enhanced Debilitating RoarEnhanced Debilitating Roar, Preserving Debilitating RoarPreserving Debilitating Roar, Blood HowlBlood Howl Level 1, Enhanced Blood HowlEnhanced Blood Howl, Innate Blood HowlInnate Blood Howl, Ancestral FortitudeAncestral Fortitude Level 1, VigilanceVigilance Level 3Defensive SkillDefensive Skill
Poison CreeperPoison Creeper Level 5, Enhanced Poison CreeperEnhanced Poison Creeper, Ferocious Poison CreeperFerocious Poison CreeperCompanion SkillCompanion Skill
NeurotoxinNeurotoxin Level 1, EnvenomEnvenom Level 3, Toxic ClawsToxic Claws Level 3Wrath SkillWrath Skill
Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage, Prime Grizzly RagePrime Grizzly Rage, Supreme Grizzly RageSupreme Grizzly Rage, Defensive PostureDefensive Posture Level 3Ultimate SkillUltimate Skill
Ursine StrengthUrsine StrengthKey Passives

Spirit Boons – The Druid Specialization

Boons are additional buffs provided to the Druid class as part of their specialization. To unlock your Boons, you will need to complete a simple quest on the west side of the map in the stronghold of “Tur Dulra”. This becomes available at Level 15 and should be completed as soon as possible. The Boon mechanic allows you to pick a single buff from each of the corresponding master animals, and the addition of a second Boon buff from a chosen master animal you select.

The Druid Boon Specialization

Once you are in the endgame and have completed the skill tree from the previous section, utilize the following set of Boons for the best results.

Boon NameMaster AnimalEffect
WarinessDeerTake 10% reduced damage from Elites
Scythe TalonsEagleGain 5% increased Critical Strike chance
Swooping AttacksEagleGain 10% Attack Speed
CalamityWolfExtend the duration of Ultimate skills by 25%
MasochisitcSnakeLucky Hit: Critical Strikes with Shapeshifting skills have a 75% chance to heal you for 3% maximum life.

As with many other Druid builds, we are going to use the Boon Calamity to extend our Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage quickly. With the new balance patch changes for Season One, having Grizzly Rage constantly off Cooldown has proven to be quite challenging, however, this build offers a very short Cooldown.

Paragon

We recommend using these Legendary nodes and Rare Glyphs to truly take this build into the endgame. Note that each Rare Glyph’s information listed below is for the Level 21 version.

Rare NodeEffect
TerritorialTerritorial– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[9.6]% increased damage to Close targets.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain 10% Damage Reduction against Close enemies.
Lust for Carnage– Critical Strikes with Werewolf Skills restore 2 Spirit.
UndauntedUndaunted– For every 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you deal +[9.6]% increased damage while Fortified.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Intelligence points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain up to 10% Damage Reduction the more Fortify you have.
Fang and ClawFang and Claw– Grants +[144]% bonus to all Magic Nodes within range.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Willpower points are purchased in the glyph’s range: While in Werewolf or Werebear form, Close enemies take 12%[x] increased damage from you.
SpiritSpirit– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[10.4]% increased Critical Strike Damage.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Critical Strikes increase the damage an enemy takes from you by x2% for 20 seconds, up to x12%.
WerewolfWerewolf– For every 5 Willpower purchased within range, you deal +[6.24]% increased damage while in Werewolf form.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Willpower points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain 10% damage reduction while in Werewolf form.
ExploitExploit– For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[3.85]% increased damage to Vulnerable targets.
– Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Dealing damage to a Vulnerable enemy increases your damage by x1% for 6 seconds, up to x10%.

Let’s break down each of these beneficial nodes and where our paragon points are positioned in each of the paragon boards we use. This part of the build is presented in order of importance – so if you do not have enough paragon points for use in your paragon tree, just slowly work towards each step.

Starting Board

Starting Board
  1. Head up the right hand side and pick up the Rare Node PrimePrime. This will give us some flat damage and an increase to our Maximum Life.
  2. Next, continue towards the open Glyph slot and insert TerritorialTerritorial. The main purpose of this Glyph is to increase our offenses and defenses against Close Enemies.
  3. Inside of the Glyph radius pick up Rare Nodes ImpelImpel and ResolveResolve. These Nodes will increase our Resistances and offer us a flat damage increase.
  4. Be sure to collect the DexterityDexterity Nodes beside ResolveResolve to complete the bonus for TerritorialTerritorial.
  5. Head down on the left side and pick up the Rare Node TenacityTenacity.
  6. Finally, head to the top of the Board and attach our next Board, Lust for Carnage.

Lust for Carnage (2nd Board)

Lust for Carnage
  1. First, head towards the Rare Node FerocityFerocity, pick up the additional Critical Strike Damage node. This Node continues to build up our Critical Strike Damage bonus.
  2. Next, move towards the Legendary node Lust for CarnageLust for Carnage and select it.
  3. Continue towards the middle of the Board and select the Glyph Node. Insert our next Glyph, UndauntedUndaunted.
  4. Follow the image above, select RegenerativeRegenerative inside the Glyph radius. These Nodes offer us some damage increases and a small healing bonus.
  5. Be sure to collect enough IntelligenceIntelligence Nodes to collect the bonus for UndauntedUndaunted before moving on. This will enhance both our damage and Damage Reduction while Fortified.
  6. Now before you head towards the attachment point on the right hand side of the board drop down and pick up the Rare Node Wild's CallWild’s Call. Be sure to path through the Magic Nodes to focus on the Attack speed bonuses.
  7. Head towards the right side of the Board and attach our next Board, Inner Beast.

Inner Beast (3rd Board)

Inner Beast
  1. Take the pathway towards the open Glyph slot, picking up the Rare Node NimbleNimble. This will enhance our Attack speed and damage.
  2. Move towards the Glyph slot on this Board and insert the Glyph WerewolfWerewolf. This Glyph adds to our offenses and defenses while in Werewolf form.
  3. Next off the nodes inside the Glyph radius, ensuring you have both Rare Nodes, ShapeshifterShapeshifter and DeterminationDetermination. These two Nodes will enhance our armor and damage. Be sure to select the correction Magic Nodes surrounding each one.
  4. Now follow the pathway up to the top of the board, picking up the Rare Nodes TenacityTenacity and HavocHavoc. These will boost our health pool and Critical Strike Damage.
  5. Before we continue, take note that this board has three attachment points. As we work through the next three boards, please come back and refer to the image above to follow the proper pathways.
  6. Now head to the bottom of the paragon board and attach our first of three connections, Thunderstruck.

Thunderstruck (4th Board)

Thunderstruck
  1. Path towards the empty glyph slot, picking up the Rare Node HubrisHubris for the damage reduction Vulnerable enemies.
  2. Head towards the Glyph slot and insert Fang and ClawFang and Claw. Focus on the WillpowerWillpower nodes inside the Glyph’s radius for the bonus damage to Close Enemies.
  3. Now head towards the Rare Nodes DelugeDeluge, taking the Magic Nodes that boost our Critical Strike Damage.
  4. This board is now complete, head back to the Inner Beast board and follow the pathway to the right hand side of the board and attach Survival Instincts.

Survival Instincts (5th Board)

Survival Instincts
  1. Take the short pathway towards the Rare Node BulwarkBulwark. This will give us enhanced fortification for generation and damage reduction.
  2. Take the Magic Nodes for the bonus to Damage Reduction while Fortified.
  3. Now return the paragon board Inner Beast and take the upper pathway to the new attachment point, add the paragon board Heightened Malice.

Heightened Malice (6th Board)

Heightened Malice
  1. Take the pathway towards the Glyph slot, pay attention to the image above and follow the nodes closely. First, we take the Rare Node Nature-bornNature-born and the surrounding Magic Nodes.
  2. Next move toward the other Rare Node before the Glyph slot and selecting Sinking FangsSinking Fangs and the corresponding Magic Nodes.
  3. Now you can take fill the Glyph slot with ExploitExploit. Be sure to select the DexterityDexterity Nodes shown above, this will increase our Damage against Vulnerable enemies.
  4. Take the attachment point on the left hand side of the board and attach our final board Constricting Tendrils.

Constricting Tendrils (7th Board)

Constricting Tendrils
  1. Path towards the Glyph slot and insert SpiritSpirit, be sure to take all the DexterityDexterity nodes for the bonus damage to Critical Strike Damage.
  2. Our last step is the Rare Node CourageCourage. Select the Magic Nodes for the bonus maximum life. This paragon tree is now fully complete.

Paragon board images courtesy of d4builds.gg.

Build Mechanics

The Poison Shredder build utilizes the Core werewolf skill ShredShred as our primary source of damage. Shred builds its damage through the combination of a three-staged attack. The initial stage dashes towards targets in a forceful engagement to strike for 43% skill damage. The attack continues with a second simple strike for 60% skill damage, and ends with a larger finishing move that strikes for 119% skill damage as a cone attack in front of your character.

This build focuses on further developing the damage of the ShredShred with bonuses provided by Enhanced ShredEnhanced Shred and Primal ShredPrimal Shred. These two extended skill properties provide the build with the following benefits:

  1. Increased attack speed.
  2. A 1% Life heal per enemy struck.
  3. An increase to critical damage dealt.

When you combine these benefits with a high chance to critical strike and an ample supply of Spirit, the build really comes alive.

However, this build truly shines in the endgame once you add the Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast. This legendary Aspect pairs with the Primal ShredPrimal Shred enhancement of ShredShred allowing you to “flicker” towards enemies and trigger an eruption of poison – causing any poison DoTs (damage over time) to be dealt instantly. This deals a significant amount of damage to all poisoned enemies your Shred dashes into.

When this build is complete, you will have a toxic werewolf that flickers through packs of standard enemies and elite mobs dealing huge amounts of triggered Poison damage as you leap from pack to pack, chaining your deadly attacks across any map or dungeon. 

Playstyle

The Poison Shredder playstyle jumps in and out of action, leaping towards packs of enemies using a “flicker” style attack pattern to unleash the release of Poison damage instantly with the help of Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast. However, using this Aspect takes a bit of finesse to truly master. Let’s review a simple, yet effective rotation of skills you will need to learn to master. 

Begin by spreading your Poison across your surrounding enemies. We can accomplish this in so many different ways with this build: Poison CreeperPoison Creeper, ClawClaw, or ShredShred. For our example, let’s start with Poison Creeper – this has two main benefits for us: spreading Poison and immobilizing targets. As the enemies break free from the immobilize and rush towards you, find a central location between them and get ready with Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage.

Once activated, your Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage will push the enemies slightly away from your location. This small knockback is the opening you’re looking for to use ShredShred. This is where the Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast can start to trigger all of the Poisons you have inflicted on the enemies as you flicker between them using the enhanced Primal ShredPrimal Shred bonus. Each attack of your Shred will cause you to dash between targets which will trigger the Aspect of the Blurred Beast, turning those Poison DoTs into Poison bombs – triggering for 60% – 90% of their Poison DoT as instant damage.

Continue to jump and strike enemies with ShredShred while using your ClawClaw to keep your Poisons moving through the enemy packs. In addition to Claw, use your Debilitating RoarDebilitating Roar to keep enemies immobilized and buff your defenses with increased Damage Reduction. After your Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage expires, you will be ready to repeat the entire skill rotation once Grizzly Rage comes off a short cooldown. 

While you wait, it is best to use the Poison CreeperPoison Creeper skill- it will be made available to you, as you are no longer in Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage. Activate the skill to keep enemies at bay while you wait for Grizzly Rage to finish its cooldown. With the right investment in gear, you will be ready to activate Grizzly Rage again shortly.

Now, simply rinse and repeat – moving from enemy pack to enemy pack, all the while keeping Blood HowlBlood Howl in your back pocket for any additional healing or need to top off your Spirit. 


Now that you understand the skill rotation and benefits for using ShredShred in this build, we can look at some of the additional benefits our skills gain from skills or certain Legendary Aspects.

Debilitating Roar and Blood Howl

Both of these skills benefit from using the VigilanceVigilance node in our skill tree. This node offers us 15% Damage Reduction whenever we cast either of these skills. Your best strategy is to balance the use of both skills for the 6 seconds of Damage Reduction at Level 3. Keeping the Vigilance buff active during endgame activities will be paramount to you staying alive.

Poison Creeper

Poison CreeperPoison Creeper is the best companion skill available to us. We have no Legendary aspect to enhance this skill further, but its basic functionality will offer a strong crowd control option as well as an extremely powerful Poison DoT effect to all enemies hit by it. However, with this build you will be in Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage for the most of the playtime, which cannot access Poison Creeper. So to combat this small setback, we keep Poison Creeper ready for when we come out of our Grizzly Rage and wait for our cooldown to reset.  

Claw

ClawClaw is all about Poison damage and Spirit if you still need a generator. It massively benefits through our paragon tree and really shines in the endgame. This skill should be applied to packs of enemies, used in between your attacks with ShredShred so when you activate Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast everything is already Poisoned and ready to be blown up.

Grizzly Rage

This skill is paramount to the build – you cannot push endgame content with an effective setup to use with your Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage. To create an effective setup for endgame, we will equip two specific Legendary Aspects: Dire Wolf's AspectDire Wolf’s Aspect and Aspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging Werebeast.

First, Dire Wolf's AspectDire Wolf’s Aspect alters the Werebear only skill to be performed as a Werewolf, offering movement speed instead of Damage Reduction as well as a huge amount of Spirit reduction so we can spam ShredShred. This further supports us not needing a generator skill, by lowering the Spirit cost on our Shred. Also, it adds a steady supply of fortification to us as a defense layer and enhances our heal on kill while the ultimate skill is active. Basically, we can stay in Werewolf using Shred, ClawClaw and Blood HowlBlood Howl then gain additional defensive layers with fortification and new source of health gained from kill.

The second part of this setup is Aspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging Werebeast. This Legendary Aspect focuses on not only extending the uptime for our Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage to be active, but also builds up a staggering amount of Critical Strike Damage with each Critical Strike you make. By using this Aspect and focusing on Critical Strike on our gear, we can effectively boost our Critical Strike Damage by over 500% – 1000%. This adds a huge damage boost for running endgame content.


Overall, the gameplay style is simple to follow: keep your Poisons up on enemies, use ShredShred with Primal ShredPrimal Shred to add a dash to each stage of our attacks then Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast will kick in and kill automatically as you flicker from pack to pack. 

As for single target or endgame bosses, you will follow the same pattern but add one additional move. Here is how that will look.

  1. Keep your Poisons up by using any one of our skills to initiate a Poison DoT.
  2. Step back from the target and use ShredShred to dash into the target. This will trigger the Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast and cause the Poison DoTs to do their damage instantly, all at once. However, now that it is just you and a boss, your Shred cannot dash or flicker to another group to reactivate the Aspect of the Blurred Beast again. This is when we add a new maneuver.
  3. Refresh your Poison DoTs on the boss with ClawClaw or another ShredShred attack, then use your dodge skill to jump back from the boss.
  4. Re-engage with a new ShredShred attack, activating Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast once again.

This pattern of bouncing in and out from the boss will continue to make all of our Poison DoTs do their damage instantly. Additionally, if you can activate your Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage during the boss encounter, your damage will be even higher.

Gear Choice and Stat Priority

As you begin to farm in World Tier 3 and 4, Rare and Legendary item drops will begin to appear with some regularity depending on your luck. We recommend saving the targeted Legendary items that have the needed Legendary aspects listed below. We also recommended to keep multiple copies of the build’s Aspects in your Stash for future upgrades.

As for the Rare items, you will need to inspect each one for targeted affixes for use in each specific slot and do your best to match the recommended rolls. We have listed our targeted affixes in order of importance. Check the chart below and make note of what affixes you are searching for when you see a Rare gear piece drop.

Gear SlotTargeted Affixes
Helm1. Cooldown reduction 
2. Basic Attack Speed
3. Maximum Life 
4. Healing Received
5. Total Armor
Chest1. Damage Reduction 
2. Damage Reduction while Fortified 
3. Damage Reduction to Close Enemies
4. Maximum Life 
5. Willpower
Gloves1. Critical Strike Chance
2. ShredShred Ranks
3. Attack Speed
4. Willpower
5. All Stats
Pants1. Damage Reduction
2. Damage Reduction while Fortified
3. Damage Reduction while Injured 
4. Damage Reduction from Close Enemies 
5. Lucky hit: Chance to Restore Life 
6. Maximum Life 
Boots1. Movement speed 
2. Damage Reduction while Injured
3. Willpower
4. Spirit Cost Reductions
5. Total Armor While In Werewolf Form
Amulet1. Cooldown reduction 
2. Rank Up Toxic ClawsToxic Claws
3. Damage Reduction while Injured
4. Spirit cost reduction
5. Movement speed
Rings1. Vulnerable Damage
2. Critical Strike Chance
3. Critical Strike Damage
4. Maximum Life
5. Resource Generation
Totem1. Cooldown
2. Critical Strike Chance
3. Damage Reduction while Fortified
4. Spirit Cost Reduction
5. Willpower
1-Handed Weapon1. Vulnerable Damage
2. Damage to Close Enemies
3. Willpower
4. Core skill Damage
5. Resource Generation

Note that for the weapon slots, the recommended affixes should only be taken into account if you are not using Waxing GibbousWaxing Gibbous.

Please note that the affixes above are our recommended picks for this build, but other affixes could certainly work instead of the ones listed above, although they may not be optimal. Also, there are several very specific affixes that are required to make the build work, as follows:

  • Critical Strike Chance. In our build showcase, we had this value close to 50% to help assist with Spirit generation with each Critical Strike.
  • Cooldown Reduction. Cooldown Reduction is a very important affix when you use any Ultimate skill; without it the Poison Shredder build might suffer keeping Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage active at all times.
  • Skill Rank-Ups. This build focuses on several skills having as high of a rank as possible. While you can overlook these affixes, understand that your skill will not operate the same as our skills in the build showcase. 

Please note the recent Season One Balance changes have lowered the amount of Cooldown Reduction found on gear by 30%. This may cause this build to feel more sluggish while Cooldowns are finishing, we plan to revisit this once Season One begins.

A final point on acquiring the right affixes and Legendary Aspects, use your Obols to target farm them. Obols are awarded from many different activities in the game, you will always stockpiling them until you hit your maximum. Instead of just randomly spending them on a random pick, use them to target what you might be missing from this build. It is a great way to target a specific slot of loot and find what you need.

If you are interested in checking out a new tool for gambling Obols check out this article below from Icy Veins.

Obol Gambling Optimization Tool

Legendary Aspects

Below you will find the optimal setup for Legendary Aspects for the Poison Shredder build. Each aspect is listed with its matching gear slot. Do your best to keep each aspect in the slot it was posted with.

Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Poison Shredder Druid build. Aspects from the Codex of Power can be used if you cannot find the proper Legendary drops, but they have weaker effects. Extract Aspects from lower level Legendary Items and imprint them onto better Rare Items with preferred stats. The endgame itemization goal will be to imprint Aspects with the best values Ancestral Rare items with Item Power above or as close to 800, then upgrade them through the Blacksmith.

Gear SlotLegendary AspectLegendary Aspect Power
1-handed WeaponAspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred BeastWhile dashing, ShredShred seeks nearby poisoned enemies instantly dealing [70-100]% of the poisoning damage to them.
TotemStormclaw's AspectStormclaw’s AspectCritical Strikes with ShredShred deal [20 – 30%] of the damage dealt as Lightning damage to the target and surrounding enemies.
HelmAspect of DisobedienceAspect of DisobedienceYou gain [0.25 – 0.50%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [15.00 – 30.00%].
ChestAspect of the Crowded SageAspect of the Crowded SageYou heal for [X] life per second for each close enemy, up to [X] life per second.
GlovesAspect of RetaliationAspect of RetaliationYour Core skills deal up to [20-40]% increased damage based on your amount of Fortify.
PantsVigorous AspectVigorous AspectGain [10.0 – 15.0%] Damage Reduction while Shapeshifted into a Werewolf.
BootsAspect of the Dark HowlAspect of the Dark HowlDebilitating RoarDebilitating Roar is now a Werewolf Skill. In addition, Debilitating Roar will Immobilize Poisoned enemies for [2 – 4] seconds.
Amulets(50% bonus)Accelerating AspectAccelerating AspectCritical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15-25]% for 5 seconds. 
RingAspect of the Rampaging WerebeastAspect of the Rampaging WerebeastThe duration of Grizzly RageGrizzly Rage is increased by [1 – 5] seconds. In addition, Critical Strikes while Grizzly Rage is active increase your Critical Strike Damage by 10% for the duration.
RingDire Wolf's AspectDire Wolf’s AspectGrizzly RageGrizzly Rage now shapeshifts you into a Dire Werewolf. As a Dire Werewolf you gain [15-25%] Movement Speed instead of Damage Reduction and a [30-50%] Spirit cost reduction bonus. In addition, kills Heal you for 10% of your Maximum Life.  

Please note that in our YouTube showcase of the build, we are using the Unique 1-Handed Axe, Waxing GibbousWaxing Gibbous and a Totem with the Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast. This is not required for the build, but does offer some unique benefits for including it. If you do not have that Unique item, do not worry; any 1-Handed or 2-Handed melee weapon with strong stats will work as long as you imprint the Aspect of the Blurred BeastAspect of the Blurred Beast on it.

Gems

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

  • Weapon: Royal EmeraldRoyal Emerald for critical strike damage to Vulnerable enemies.
  • Armor: Royal RubyRoyal Ruby for increase to Maximum Life.
  • Jewelry: Exclusively using our Malignant Hearts for these slots.

Elixirs and Health Pots

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. Use an Elixir providing any Resistance you need most, or the Assault ElixirAssault Elixir to increase Attack Speed.

Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.

Changelog

  • August 10th 2023: Updated full build for Season 1.
  • August 8th 2023: Added notes about Patch 1.1.1.
  • August 4th 2023: Updated Hearts and Paragon sections for clarity.
  • July 19th, 2023: Season of the Malignant section added.
  • July 18th, 2023: Reviewed and altered build with Season 1 Patch Notes.
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