Returning player needs druid advice

[Helexax]

I had played the game since September of 07, and stopped just before the Underdark expansion. Looking to come back and relive the good ol' days with a twist ( druid ) and am looking for any and all advice on how to be effective as a druid. I don't have a specific build or role in mind, and will decide on that based on what i find on the forums here. My search-foo is incredibly weak, and the forum appears to have changed dramatically, so here i am, asking for help!

[susiedupfer]

If you want a decent caster druid build, I would go here: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...survivability)

There are other builds out there, but this is a good place to start. That thread includes lots and lots of good info, both from Markeyx and others.

[Sokól]

and if you want to splash a little and go melee I can advice you but would need to know past lives if any, race and some other pref.

Then there are some wolf builds never liked playing 1 myself but could direct you to some threads.

[Helexax]

and if you want to splash a little and go melee I can advice you but would need to know past lives if any, race and some other pref.

Then there are some wolf builds never liked playing 1 myself but could direct you to some threads.

This character would have no past lives, race i'll decide when i choose a playstyle.

Any and all advice is appreciated

[unbongwah]

I like versatile classes; so druids have become one of my favorites, which surprises me, because I never cared for them in PnP or other CRPGs like NWN. But DDO druids can heal, DPS, CC - a little bit of everything. But they can't do it all at once (or at least not equally well), which involves making some important build decisions early on.

• Might or Magic? As with clerics & FvS, do you want to be melee-focused or caster-focused (STR or WIS)? [Or maybe ranged-focused, like a drunkcher.] If the former, you need to decide if you're going unarmed, TWF, THF, S&B, or shapeshifted (phew!), which will determine what melee feat(s) you need, too.
• Pure or multiclassing? Staying pure gets you one of the capstones, of course. Hierophant is okay for a caster druid: +2 WIS and +1 DC Conj & Trans. Natural Adept is pretty good if you're a wolf / bear build: extra sneak atks / PRR (depending on form), but more importantly reduces the spell cooldown penalty (2.5x -> 1.5x). OTOH, MCing helps you address some of the shortcomings of druids, like the lack of feats, Evasion, adding class skills, low Reflex saves, etc.

I've experimented with various druid builds, though I've only gotten one to lvl 20; pure human druid, supposed to be a dire bear tank expect bear-form still kinda sucks. I think WIS-based wolf builds are my favorite: good melee DPS (esp. if HE for extra sneak atk dmg) and good caster DPS, solid DCs, Essence of Shrike provides plenty of free SPs, esp. after taking IC:Blunt. The tough part is pure or MCed: that capstone is invaluable if you like spamming your spells, but this is a very feat-starved build; and I really miss Evasion.

[Helexax]

I like versatile classes; so druids have become one of my favorites, which surprises me, because I never cared for them in PnP or other CRPGs like NWN. But DDO druids can heal, DPS, CC - a little bit of everything. But they can't do it all at once (or at least not equally well), which involves making some important build decisions early on.

• Might or Magic? As with clerics & FvS, do you want to be melee-focused or caster-focused (STR or WIS)? [Or maybe ranged-focused, like a drunkcher.] If the former, you need to decide if you're going unarmed, TWF, THF, S&B, or shapeshifted (phew!), which will determine what melee feat(s) you need, too.
• Pure or multiclassing? Staying pure gets you one of the capstones, of course. Hierophant is okay for a caster druid: +2 WIS and +1 DC Conj & Trans. Natural Adept is pretty good if you're a wolf / bear build: extra sneak atks / PRR (depending on form), but more importantly reduces the spell cooldown penalty (2.5x -> 1.5x). OTOH, MCing helps you address some of the shortcomings of druids, like the lack of feats, Evasion, adding class skills, low Reflex saves, etc.

I've experimented with various druid builds, though I've only gotten one to lvl 20; pure human druid, supposed to be a dire bear tank expect bear-form still kinda sucks. I think WIS-based wolf builds are my favorite: good melee DPS (esp. if HE for extra sneak atk dmg) and good caster DPS, solid DCs, Essence of Shrike provides plenty of free SPs, esp. after taking IC:Blunt. The tough part is pure or MCed: that capstone is invaluable if you like spamming your spells, but this is a very feat-starved build; and I really miss Evasion.

Thanks for the input, as i said it's been a long time since i been on, and theres a ton of changes to get used to, like the new AC and spell power systems. So im here googling every term i dont know, lol. Any other advice is also appreciated