In Diablo 4, the Druid class is pretty broken when it comes to certain builds. This class can be experimented with for eons and yet you will never see the end of it. Sometimes, the builds you create with the Druid, like the Stormclaw Druid in Diablo 4, might not be up to your expectations. They may be slow, have less damage output or are weak in health.
It is necessary to keep the pros and cons of any build in mind when creating a Druid character. The Druid class in Diablo 4 is not a tank like the Barbarian Class. However, if carefully created, the Druid class has no match.
There are several builds out there that keep up with the expectations of many players. However, the D4 Stormclaw Druid build is for those who want to keep dealing damage even whilst walking. Along with the agility and high DPS of this build, it is a pleasure to note that this build IS a tank and not to be messed with.
This guide contains the complete recipe for cooking up the Stormclaw Druid build in D4 with every part explained in detail.
Jump To:
- Skills and unlock order
- Druid Spirit Boons
- Playstyle and skill rotation
- Gear, Gems and Stats priority
- Paragon Board
- Unique Items
- Legendary Aspects
- Elixir choices
Diablo 4 Stormclaw Druid skill progression and unlock order
The Stormclaw Druid build revolves around two Basic skills and two Unique items. Without any one of these, this build would prove to be a total failure. The key ingredients for this build are;
- Greatstaff of the Crone
- Tempest Roar
- Claw skill
- Storm Strike skill
These are the key details. Moving on to the active and passive skills for this build, they need to be unlocked with their respective ranks and modifiers. As this is an endgame build, we expect you to have all 58 points in your inventory.
The unlock order does not necessarily require to be the same so you can go ahead and unlock them as you wish. Below is our recommended order to progress through the Druid skill tree in D4 for the Stormclaw Druid build
| Unlock Order | Skill Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Claw (Rank 5) |
| 2 | Enhanced Claw |
| 3 | Wild Claw |
| 4 | Storm Strike (Rank 5) |
| 5 | Enhanced Storm Strike |
| 6 | Fierce Storm Strike |
| 7 | Predatory Instinct (Rank 3) |
| 8 | Digitigrade Gait (Rank 3) |
| 9 | Cyclone Armor (Rank 1) |
| 10 | Enhanced Cyclone Armor |
| 11 | Preserving Cyclone Armor |
| 12 | Ancestral Fortitude (Rank 1) |
| 13 | Vigilance (Rank 3) |
| 14 | Blood Howl (Rank 1) |
| 15 | Enhanced Blood Howl |
| 16 | Preserving Blood Howl |
| 17 | Debilitating Roar (Rank 1) |
| 18 | Enhanced Debilitating Roar |
| 19 | Preserving Debilitating Roar |
| 20 | Hurricane (Rank 5) |
| 21 | Enhanced Hurricane |
| 22 | Savage Hurricane |
| 23 | Elemental Exposure (Rank 1) |
| 24 | Endless Tempest (Rank 1) |
| 25 | Bad Omen (Rank 1) |
| 26 | Neurotoxin (Rank 1) |
| 27 | Envenom (Rank 3) |
| 28 | Toxic Claw (Rank 1) |
| 29 | Defiance (Rank 3) |
| 30 | Defensive Posture (Rank 3) |
| 31 | Grizzly Rage (Rank 1) |
| 32 | Prime grizzly Rage |
| 33 | Supreme Grizzly Rage |
| 34 | Lupine Ferocity |
The skills with ranks 1 are just there so that their modifier can be brought into play. For example, Neurotoxin needs to be unlocked in order to get through to Envenom and Toxic Claw. Both of these passives go hand in hand as Envenom increases the poison damage while Toxic Claw works alongside Claw and poisons enemies. This leads to overall increased damage output.
The agility of Werebear is slow but Grizzly Rage is the only skill with Unstoppable so it is a necessity against Elites.
The Tempest Roar turns the Shock Skills into Werewolf Skills. So, every time you cast a Storm Strike skill, it will automatically proc the Claw skill.
The main skills we will be using in this build are obvious; Claw and Storm Strike. Both of these skills go hand-in-hand due to the presence of Greatstaff of the Crone and Tempest Roar.
You can choose to select any one of these skills going into a fight and you will have the effect of both. Defense wise this build is also pretty sturdy.
We have the options of Ice Armor and Debilitating Roar. The Cyclone Armor would be the way to go followed by Debilitating Roar or Blood Howl as it Knocks back enemies getting you out of a tight spot while also increasing your health and providing Fortify.
Best Stormclaw Druid Spirit Boons
Each class in Diablo 4 has its own unique class mechanics. For the Druid class, this mechanism is known as Spirit Boons. It unlocks after level 15 and players need to offer Spirit to 4 different animals to receive their boons.
Below are some of the best Spirit Boons for Stormclaw Druid in D4 which have a great synergy with this build;
Wariness (Deer): the only threats to this build is Elites. They have a high health bar and take up a lot of time dealing high damages alongside. This Boon Reduces the damage taken from Elites by 10%.
Swooping Attacks (Eagle): if the build wasn’t fast enough for you already, this Boon increases your attack speed by 10% increasing DPS.
Masochistic (Snake): this is the third level of the snake animal. Equipping this Boon will heal you for 3% of your Maximum Life after you deliver a Critical Strike with a Shapeshifting Skill.
Calm Before the Storm (Snake): this boon is the fourth level of the skill. Equipping this skill will provide you with a lucky hit chance. What it does is it gives Nature Magic skills a 10% chance to reduce the cooldown of your Ultimate Skill by 2 seconds. In this case, our Ultimate Skill is the Grizzly Rage which already has a high Cooldown time. So after you use it, better start spamming Claw and Storm Strike.
Calamity (Wolf): this is the fourth level of the Wolf. It increases the duration of the Ultimate Skill by 25%. So you have prolonged Grizzly Rage.
Diablo 4 Stormclaw Druid playstyle and skill rotation
Spirit Regeneration a real problem in the Rogue Class. The Stormclaw Build is independent of this problem as most of its attacks are using the Baic Skills. Every other passive skill is there to aid these Basic Skills. In this section we’ll be taking a look at the stats of this build and the reasons behind it;
Increased DPS
A key component of the Stormclaw Druid in D4 is to maximize your DPS, damage per second, to insanely crazy heights. The skills we have selected for our build, which we will detail below, help us in achieving that
Claw: Shapeshift into a Werewolf and claw at enemies for 30% damage at Rank 5. Along with the modifiers, Claw’s attack speed increases by 10% and has a 15% chance to strike twice. Due to the Greatstaff of the Crone, it will also automatically proc Storm Strike for a certain percentage of damage.
Toxic Claw: this is an add-on for the Claw skill. Claw starts dealing Poison damage to enemies whilst maintaining its own stats.
Storm Strike: Lightning gathers around your weapon dealing 27% damage while it also chains up 3 enemies giving them damage. You also gain a 25% Damage Reduction for 3 seconds after dealing damage with this skill. Due to the presence of Tempest Roar, triggering Storm Strike will also proc a random Werewolf Skill. The modifiers aid further by giving a 15% chance to Immobilize enemies and a 50% chance to make enemies Vulnerable.
Predatory Instinct: as this is a melee build, Predatory comes in handy as it increases the Critical Strike Chances of nearby enemies by 6% at Rank 3.
Digitigrade Gait: this ability increases your movement speed by 9% in Werewolf form. This speed still stays for 3 seconds after you leave the werewolf form and turn back into human form.
Grizzly Rage: Grizzly Rage is the only skill that has Unstoppable in the Druid skill tree. It is necessary to be involved in your build otherwise if you get crowd controlled there will be no escape for you. It also has a high cooldown timer so watch out for it.
Fortification and Health Regeneration
This build uses both Fortify and Health Regeneration;
- Blood Howl: Transform into a Werewolf and howl to regenerate 20% of your base life.
- Debilitating Roar: Transform into a Werebear letting out a roar that reduces the damage taken from nearby enemies by 70%.
Another thing about this build is that it is completely on the offensive side. An example can be seen below
- Cyclone Armor: Strong gusts of wind surround your character which knock back enemies and deal 30% damage.
Cooldowns and Status Effect
A lot of the skills mentioned above have a high cooldown rate. Thankfully, the game has provided a smart solution in the form of modifiers and passive abilities;
- Lupine Ferocity: Every sixth Werewolf hit critically strikes dealing 70% more damage.
- Preserving Debilitating Roar: Debilitating Roar heals you by 6% of your Maximum life for each second of its duration.
- Enhanced Blood Howl: the cooldown of Blood Howl is reduced by one second per kill.
- Vigilance: This ability grants you a 15% damage reduction for 6 seconds after you use a Defensive Ability.
Stormclaw Druid Damage rotation
Every build can be proven useless if you have no idea how to start or finish your attack. A proper sequence should be established beforehand of how the fight is going to go. On-time changes should be made to turn the tide of battle your way.
Here are some tips to make your gameplay less miserable and more professional as Stormclaw Druid in Diablo 4:
Start off with smaller attacks if you encounter a mob. Since your build uses Basic skills as its base, use these skills repeatedly as they have no cooldown limits. Claw and Storm Strike both are your main skills for a reason. They have the highest damage-dealing properties.
Use these skills to keep your gameplay simple. If you happen to run into a medium-sized crowd, it might be best to use the Hurricane as well. It will spread your area of damage and increase your overall damage.
If you think that you have taken a little bit of damage and it will not pose a threat, or if you’re crowd controlled without Grizzly Rage available, use Cyclone Armor ability to knock back enemies and make an escape.
Fighting Elites will be the real test of this build. As soon as you see an Elite, minimize your gap as much as possible for Predatory Instinct to kick in. Use Werewolf abilities as much as you can on Elites. This will give the Lupine ferocity a chance to work its magic and the Elite will fall right into your feet.
Don’t worry about their subordinates as the attacks have a pretty wide range. They will be dealt with automatically once they get caught in the attacks. Focus your attacks solely on the Elite enemy. Fighting in this game requires a quick thought process. You never know what monster may spawn on the edge of your screen and you need to be mentally prepared first to counter the oncoming attacks
Gear, Gems, and Stats priority
There are 4 stats for every class in Diablo 4. These stats help by affixing minor details which can change the outlook of your build overall. The top priority stats for the Stormclaw Druid Build are as follows;
| Order | Stat Name | Stat Effect |
| 1 | Willpower | Willpower increases skill and overpower damage by 0.1% and 0.25% respectively. Additionally, it increases healing by 0.1% with the use of healing items. This percentage can be increased by upgrades. |
| 2 | Dexterity | Dexterity increases the Critical Strike chances by 0.02% upon every upgrade. Additionally, it increases improvement in dodge by 0.025% on every upgrade. |
| 3 | Intelligence | Upgrading intelligence provides increased resource generation and resistance against elements by 0.1% and 0.05% respectively per upgrade. |
| 4 | Strength | Strength only has a secondary effect. Adding increases Armor by 1 per upgrade. |
The recommended gems to socket in gear for the Stormclaw Druid Build are as follows;
| Gear Type | Gem | Effect |
| Weapon | Emerald | Provides 12% Critical Strike damage to Vulnerable enemies |
| Armor | Ruby | Grants you 4% additional Maximum Life |
| Jewelry | Skull | Provides +250 Armor |
Paragon Boards for Stormclaw Druid
Paragon Boards are a true test of your planning skills. A paragon board contains a Legendary Glyph and Rare Nodes which can give you powerups boosting your build ultimately. These boards are unlocked once you hit level 50 and for each level up, you gain 4 paragon points.
Every skill available on the board is worth one paragon point so it is extremely important to know the path you will take.
Here is a list of our favorite glyphs and nodes from the Druid paragon board to complement the Diablo 4 Stormclaw Druid build
- Exploit: as the first paragon board has only one rare node spot, you should equip this Rare Node. For every 5 Dexterity you purchase within its range, you deal a certain percentage of increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- Thunderstruck: This Legendary Glyph provides 30% increased Critical Strike Damage to Storm Skills against Vulnerable or Immobilized enemies.
- Lust for Carnage: This Legendary Glyph restores 2 Spirit for every Critical Strike performed in the Werewolf form.
- Constricting Tendrils: This Legendary Glyph provides a Lucky Hit Chance as Nature Magic Skills will have a 15% chance to entangle enemies with vines which Immobilizes enemies for 2 seconds while also poisoning them for 120% of Base damage for 4 seconds.
- Heightened Malice: this Legendary Glyph increases your damage dealt by 45% if there are 3 or more Poisoned enemies nearby.
- Spirit: For every 5 Dexterity you purchase in the Vicinity of this Rare Node, your Critical Strike Damage with Core Skills increases by a certain percentage.
- Undaunted: for Every 5 intelligence purchased within Range of this Rare Node, you gain the ability to deal increased damage by a certain percentage while you are Fortified.
- Werewolf: this Rare Glyph increases your damage dealt in Werewolf form depending upon the Willpower purchased within its range.
- Territorial: this Rare Node increases the Damage dealt to nearby enemies depending upon the Dexterity purchased in its vicinity
Unique Items
Every class is Diablo 4 has been assigned some Unique items which increase your damage dealt, give you Fortify or deal some other kind of Buff.
Unfortunately, there is no way to get a specific unique and you will just have to hope for good luck while farming for unique items. However, we still recommend finding a couple of useful unique items for Druid that will aid you immensely in the late-game sections.
Greatstaff of the Crone
The unique staff merges your Claw with Storm Skills. Every time you use a Werewolf skill, it will automatically proc a Storm Skill alongside it. There are several other damages that this staff does. It deals increased damage to Crowd Controlled and Close enemies. It also deals Non-Physical damage.
Tempest Roar
The unique helmet Tempest Roar is one of the best gear items for a Stormclaw Druid in Diablo 4. It gives you Poison Resistance, Life per Kill, Maximum Spiri and increased damage while you are in Werebear or Werewolf form.
Tempest Roar also merges Storm Skills with Werewolf Skills. Every time you use a Storm Skill, a Werewolf skill will automatically proc. Storm Skills also have certain chance to grant you 10 Spirit.
Legendary Aspects for Stormclaw Druid
Here is a list of legendary Druid aspects we found really help the Stormclaw Druid build in Diablo 4.
Aspect of Disobedience: slotted in the Chest armor. Aspect of Disobedience provides increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal damage to enemies.
Rapid Aspect: slotted in the Gloves spot. Rapid Aspect gives your Basic Skills a certain percentage of Attack Speed.
Vigorous Aspect: slotted in Pants. The Defensive Vigorous Aspect gives you a certain percentage of Damage Reduction when you are in Werewolf form.
Aspect of the Dark Howl: slotted in Boots spot. The Aspect of the Dark Howl merges debilitating Roar with Werewolf Skills and also allows it to Immobilize Poisoned Enemies for a certain time period.
Dire Wolf’s Aspect: slotted in Amulet. Dire Wolf’s Aspect allows Grizzly Rage to turn you into a Dire Werewolf form. This form has increased movement speed and spirit Reduction. Kills will heal you for 10% of your Maximum Life.
Overcharged Aspect: slotted in Ring. There is a lucky hit chance that you overload the target for 3 seconds when dealing Lightning damage when you Overcharged Aspect equipped. This damage also pulses to nearby enemies.
Aspect of Rampaging Werebeast: Slotted in Ring. The Aspect of Rampaging Werebeast increases the duration of Grizzly Rage and also increase the Critical Strike Damage by 10% for every Critical Strike you perform while Grizzly rage is active
Elixir and Potion Choices
As always, make sure to upgrade your healing potions at Alchemists once you reach endgame in Diablo 4.
Since the Stormclaw Druid build in Diablo 4 is almost unkillable if played right, you can never go wrong with the selection of elixirs you take with you. We recommend that you take Elixir of Lightning Resistance (20% resistance from Lightning Damage), Strong Elixir of Poison Resistance (25% poison resistance) and Elixir of Demon-slaying (20% increased damage against Goatmen, Fallen, Flies and Demons)
