Shred Druid Endgame Build Guide for Diablo 4 (Season 3)

Build Introduction

The Shred Druid dashes and rips into the foes of Sanctuary, every strike echoing the ferocity of a werewolf under the moonlit sky. This build excels at speed, mobility, and Area of Effect attacks. Gather and destroy enemies with powerful Shred and cleave bursts of lightning with your Stormclaw’s Aspect.

This guide covers everything necessary to get started on your Shred adventure, including Skill Tree points, Paragon, Gearing, and Seasonal updates. The guide will primarily cover Endgame pushing, but will also cover alternative options as well as Gauntlet considerations.

Strengths and Weaknesses

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

Build Requirements

Required Uniques

Tibault’s Will

The Shred Druid requires Tibault’s Will to function well, as a strong multiplier and Spirit generator.

This build does not require, but recommends the following Unique Items:

• Airidah’s Inexorable Will
• Godslayer Crown

This build does not require, but will benefit from the following Uber Unique Items:

• Harlequin Crest
• Ring of Starless Skies

Season of the Construct

Season 3 patch updates

The following list details the changes in the Season 3 Patch Updates that are specific to the Shred Druid. For general Season 3 information, check out our Season 3 Hub.

The most significant change to the Shred build in Season 3 is that Aspect of the Blurred Beast is no longer based on active poison value on the target; it is simply a multiplier against poisoned targets now. This change is a noticeable damage downgrade, but the benefit is that the build is no longer compelled to play around the Aspect.

Patch 1.3

Aspect of the Blurred Beast

• Previous: While dashing, Shred seeks out Nearby Poisoned enemies instantly dealing 70–100% of the Poisoning damage to them.
• New: While dashing, Shred seeks out Nearby Poisoned enemies and deals 20–40%[x] increased damage to them.

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

New – Juggernaut’s Aspect – Gain 0.75 –1.25 Armor, but your Evade has 100% increased Cooldown.

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

Ring of Starless Skies – New Effect: Spending resources reduces your resource costs and increases your damage by x10% for 3 seconds, up to 40%. Now shows a buff on the bar while active.

Thick Hide – Fortify gained increased from 6.4% to 10% per rank.

Unrestrained

• Control Impairing Effects duration reduction increased from 3% to 5% per rank.
• Increased benefit while over 50% Fortify reduced from tripled to doubled.

Patch 1.3.3

New Aspect: Aspect of Metamorphosis – When you Evade you turn into a cloud of bats, becoming Unstoppable for 2.5 seconds. Enemies along your path take X Physical damage and are inflicted with Vampiric Curse. Evade’s Cooldown is increased by [10 – 5] seconds.

Wolves

• Passive damage increased by 30%.
• Active damage increased by 45%.

Poison Creeper

• Passive damage increased by 30%.
• Active damage increased by 40%.

Ravens

• Passive damage increased by 30%.
• Active damage increased by 20%.

Quickshift – Damage bonus increased from 5/10/15% to 7/14/21%.

Ursine Strength – Damage and Overpower damage bonuses increased from 25% to 30%.

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 for strong Damage Reduction and Spirit Generation.

Flash of Adrenaline

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

Tempest

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

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Recommended

Skill Bar for Shred Druid

Ravens Wolves Earthen Bulwark Trample Petrify Shred

Priority Skills	Cluster
Claw Rank 1, Enhanced Claw	Basic Skill
Shred Rank 5, Enhanced Shred, Primal Shred, Predatory Instinct Rank 3, Digitigrade Gait Rank 3, Iron Fur Rank 3	Core Skill
Earthen Bulwark Rank 1, Enhanced Earthen Bulwark, Preserving Earthen Bulwark, Ancestral Fortitude Rank 3, Vigilance Rank 3	Defensive Skill
Wolves Rank 1, Enhanced Wolf Pack, Ferocious Wolf Pack, Ravens Rank 1, Enhanced Ravens, Brutal Ravens	Companion Skill
Trample Rank 1, Neurotoxin Rank 1, Envenom Rank 3, Toxic Claws Rank 1	Wrath Skill
Petrify, Prime Petrify, Quickshift Rank 3, Heightened Senses Rank 3, Defensive Posture Rank 3, Thick Hide Rank 1, Nature’s Resolve Rank 3, Unrestrained Rank 3	Ultimate Skill
Ursine Strength	Key Passives

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.

Alternative Boons

If Spirit Generation while leveling and gearing is not sufficient, replace the Wolf’s Bolster with the Wolf’s Energize.

In hard hitting push content, change the Eagle’s Scythe Talons for the Eagle’s Iron Feather. Losing the Critical Strike Chance can be a Spirit loss from Lust for Carnage.

If healing is already sufficient from Enhanced Shred, swap the Snake’s Masochistic for the Snake’s Calm Before the Storm for more casts of Petrify and Airidah’s Inexorable Will.

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 Shred Druid. All Glyphs are placed as if they are max radius (Level 15+).

While leveling, prioritize placing Lust for Carnage Board for Spirit Generation.

Name	Effect
Territorial	For 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.
Inner Beast	After Shapeshifting, your Spirit costs are reduced by 10% for 5 seconds, up to 30% (Legendary Node not taken.)
Werewolf	For every 5 Willpower purchased within range, you deal + [6.24%] increased damage while in Werewolf form. Bonus (40 Willpower): You gain 10% Damage Reduction while in Werewolf form.
Ancestral Guidance	After spending 75 Spirit, you deal 30%[x] increased damage for 5 seconds.
Fang and Claw	Grants +50.0% bonus to all Magic Nodes within range. Bonus (40 Willpower): While in Werewolf or Werebear form, Close Enemies take x12% increased damage from you.
Lust for Carnage	Critical Strikes with Werewolf Skills restore 2 Spirit.
Exploit	For 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.
Thunderstruck	Storm Skills deal increased damage equal to 20%[x] of your Damage vs Close and Damage vs Distant bonuses (Legendary Node not taken.)
Undaunted	For 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.
Heightened Malice	While there are 3 or more Poisoned enemies Nearby, you deal 45%[x] increased damage (Legendary Node not taken).
Spirit	For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +4.0% increased Critical Strike Damage. Bonus (25 Dexterity): Critical Strikes increase the damage an enemy takes from you by 2%[x] for 20 seconds, up to 12%[x].

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE THE PARAGON BOARD IN ITS ENTIRETY! Paragon Board images are courtesy of d4builds.gg.

Starting Board

Inner Beast

Ancestral Guidance

Lust for Carnage

Thunderstruck

Heightened Malice

Legendary Aspects and Gearing Affixes

Below are the recommended Legendary Aspects and Gear Affixes for each gear slot. Gear Affixes in Bold are the ideal Affixes, but alternatives are added.

Slot	Aspect	Stats
2 Handed Axe	Shepherd’s Aspect	Willpower All Stats Damage to Close Enemies Critical Strike Damage Core Skill Damage
Helm	Godslayer Crown OR Harlequin Crest	Willpower Max Life Total Armor Cooldown Reduction
Chest	Juggernaut’s Aspect OR Mad Wolf’s Glee	Max Life Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies Damage Reduction from Close Enemies Damage Reduction Damage Reduction while Fortified
Gloves	Stormclaw’s Aspect	Ranks in Shred Critical Strike Chance Attack Speed Willpower Critical Strike Damage
Pants	Tibault’s Will	Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies Damage Reduction from Close enemies Damage Reduction while Injured Total Armor Max Life
Boots	Ghostwalker Aspect	Inherent – Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown by X Seconds Movement Speed Total Armor while in Werewolf Form All Stats Willpower Dodge Chance
Amulet	Aspect of Retaliation	Movement Speed Ranks to Envenom Total Armor while in Werewolf Form Cooldown Reduction Willpower
Ring 1	Airidah’s Inexorable Will	Critical Strike Chance Max Life Damage to Close Enemies Critical Strike Damage Resource Generation
Ring 2	Accelerating Aspect OR Ring of Starless Skies	Critical Strike Chance Max Life Damage to Close Enemies Critical Strike Damage Resource Generation

Alternative Aspects

While leveling and gearing, if Spirit Generation is not sufficient, use Aspect of the Umbral, replacing Accelerating Aspect.

For Eternal Realm players without access to the seasonal Seneschal Construct, Starlight Aspect or Aspect of the Umbral can be used for Spirit generation, replacing Accelerating Aspect.

Aspect of Metamorphosis can be used as a speed-running option, giving high mobility and a large damage burst to enemies you evade through. This is at the expense of top-end damage so it is not recommended in high push content. Replace Aspect of Retaliation on Amulet, and make sure Boots have the Inherent Affix to reduce Evade Cooldown on Attack.

Unique Items

The following Unique Items are recommended for the Shred Druid.

• Tibault’s Will is essential to the build, providing strong Spirit generation and a powerful multiplier with high coverage.
• Airidah’s Inexorable Will is a strong damage burst and helps group enemies for Shred and Stormclaw’s Aspect to do large damage to the most enemies.
• Godslayer Crown is another effective grouping tool, as well as a strong damage multiplier.
  

If acquired, the following Uber Items are recommended for the build.

• Harlequin Crest is better defensively over Godslayer Crown, with strong Gear Affixes. The bonus to Skills allows the point in Trample to be allocated elsewhere. This can allow the build to push higher while staying safer.
• Ring of Starless Skies is a powerful Resource Cost Reduction tool and damage multiplier, and well worth using. Replaces Accelerating Aspect. The downside is losing some Max Life from a non-unique ring.

The following Unique Items are situational additions for the build.

• Mad Wolf’s Glee is an excellent offensive Unique Item that gives movement speed and Skill Points to Werewolf abilities. The downside is it is significantly weaker defensively to a non-Unique chest’s Armor, Max Life, Damage Reduction, and Defensive Aspect. This can be used in speed-farming content or in the Gauntlet.
• Hunter’s Zenith can offer more access to Trample, which in turn is better Spirit Generation from Tibault’s Will. The downside is it is a significant damage loss to a well-rolled non-Unique ring. Replaces Accelerating Aspect.
• Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander can be an excellent for speed clearing content, but gives up substantial top-end damage. Move Shepherd’s Aspect to Amulet. Use Shrine Duration Gear Affix on Boots and Amulet.

Mechanics and Playstyle

The Shred Druid groups and dashes into enemies for strong Area of Effect damage from both Shred and Stormclaw’s Aspect. With high mobility, the Druid will attack, kill, and quickly get to the next enemies.

Several Damage multipliers are present, including Tibault’s Will, Godslayer Crown, Shepherd’s Aspect, Paragon, and Gear Affixes to layer together for the strongest output.

Spirit Generation

The Shred Druid does not use a Basic Attack spirit generator; instead, it relies on several alternative sources:

• Lust for Carnage legendary Node grants Spirit on Critical Strikes with Werewolf abilities, including Shred.
• Paragon nodes for Spirit on Kill in the Ancestral Guidance board.
• Tibault’s Will, with Unstoppable sources Trample and Enhanced Earthen Bulwark.
• Seasonal: The Resource Support Tuning Stone on the Seneschal Construct.

In the Endgame, these are sufficient sources for Spirit Cost needs. Shred is not an expensive spender. However, if the above are insufficient sources while leveling and gearing, consider the following supplementary options:

• Use Aspect of the Umbral, replacing Accelerating Aspect.
• The Wolf’s Energize Spirit Boon, replacing The Wolf’s Bolster.
• Spirit Cost Reduction on Boots and Amulet.
• Spirit Generation on Rings.
• Worst case in early leveling and gearing, use Claw as a Basic Attack Builder.

Rotation

1. For bosses, pre-place Ravens for more Critical Strike Chance.
2. Dash with Evade or Shred to approach enemies.
3. Activate your Unstoppable and Tibault’s Will multiplier with one of Earthen Bulwark or Trample. These should be staggered for better multiplier coverage.
4. Cast Petrify, stunning enemies and triggering Airidah’s Inexorable Will to gather enemies.
5. Cast Shred on enemies.
6. Killed all your enemies? Excellent work, Champion of Sanctuary. Run, Evade or Dash with Shred to the next threat. Stagger your Unstoppable sources to activate and maintain Ghostwalker Aspect.

If using Aspect of Metamorphosis, Evade through your enemies for damage, Unstoppable and Spirit Generation.

The actives for Companion pets are general not used, as their active casts can slow down movement or disrupt rotation.

Controller vs Keyboard and Mouse

The Shred Druid can play smoother on a controller. When held, Shred can auto-move to the nearest enemies, or continue direction if no enemies are in range. The Dashes from casts of Shred 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 by going into ESC -> Options -> Gameplay, and changing Skill Toggle Behavior to Toggle All.

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.

Shred excels at high density AoE and overall speed, but can lack Boss damage or not stand out in lower enemy density that may show up in Gauntlet maps.

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

Slot	Aspect	Stats
1 Handed Axe	Shepherd’s Aspect	Willpower All Stats Damage to Close Enemies Critical Strike Damage
Totem	Accelerating Aspect OR Aspect of the Stampede	Cooldown Reduction Critical Strike Chance Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies Damage Reduction while Fortified
Helm	Godslayer Crown OR Harlequin Crest
Chest	Mad Wolf’s Glee
Gloves	Stormclaw’s Aspect	Ranks in Shred Critical Strike Chance Attack Speed Willpower
Pants	Tibault’s Will
Boots	Ghostwalker Aspect	Inherent – Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown by X Seconds Movement Speed Total Armor while in Werewolf Form Shrine Buff Duration Willpower
Amulet	Aspect of Metamorphosis	Movement Speed Ranks to Envenom Total Armor while in Werewolf Form Shrine Buff Duration
Ring 1	Airidah’s Inexorable Will
Ring 2	Accelerating Aspect OR Ring of Starless Skies	Critical Strike Chance Max Life Damage to Close Enemies Critical Strike Damage

Aspect of Metamorphosis is a deadly damage proc against Level 124 enemies, and guarantees Spirit via Tibault’s Will.

Using a 1 Handed Axe and Totem setup may pull ahead in Gauntlet. Totem can offer double Cooldown Reduction, Critical Strike Chance, and more Damage Reductions and another aspect such as Accelerating Aspect or Aspect of the Stampede. This will be at the expense of the top-end damage that a 2 Handed Shepherd’s Aspect will offer.

Gauntlet Skills

With Aspect of Metamorphosis providing another source of spirit regeneration, Earthen Bulwark will not be necessary for the build. Instead, take Poison Creeper for more multiplier to Shepherd’s Aspect.

For Key Passive, use Bestial Rampage for the high damage multiplier over Ursine Strength. Use Trample to get the Werebear multiplier.

Gauntlet Paragon Board

The Paragon has a similar layout, but gives up some Armor and Max Life nodes to take some more damage nodes. This also swaps Undaunted for Guzzler.

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

Gems

See below for the best Gems to socket into your gear for each category.

• Weapon: Royal Emerald
• Armor: Royal Ruby
• Jewelry: Royal Diamond

Elixirs, Incense and Health Potions

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

• Craft the highest Assault Elixir available for Attack Speed bonuses.
• If mats are available, craft Chorus of War.
• Upgrade your potion as you level, increasing the instant healing of the potion.

Changelog

8 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.