CC Wiz Considering Druid

[Charltonsexton]

I'm an Enchantment focused Wizard, and I'm thinking about playing around as a Druid. A caster Druid specifically. There are a few build advice threads available, but Ii am wondering about something. What is the role of caster Druid usually? Damage, heals, a mix? My only experience is as a Wizard. Are caster Druids squishy like a Wiz? Is there a bit of switching from melee to caster and back if I choose all caster feats and enhancements? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

[Vooduspyce]

I'm an Enchantment focused Wizard, and I'm thinking about playing around as a Druid. A caster Druid specifically. There are a few build advice threads available, but Ii am wondering about something. What is the role of caster Druid usually? Damage, heals, a mix? My only experience is as a Wizard. Are caster Druids squishy like a Wiz? Is there a bit of switching from melee to caster and back if I choose all caster feats and enhancements? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

Druids can be built to fill a variety of roles. My caster druid is a caster/healer/tank for example. Druids have among the best cc in the game. As an arcane, you will find familiarity with many arcane favorites that are druid spells such as Jump, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Wall of Fire and Sunburst. As well as a host of divine spells like Deathward, Freedom of Movement, Firestorm and a selection of some of the best healing spells in the game. Plus druids get a great many spells all their own. Some favorites include Call Lightning, Body of the Sun, Earthquake, and Greater Creeping Cold which is arguably the best DOT in the game. You don't have to invest in ridiculous spell DC's to be a very effective caster druid and even caster druids are in no way squishy like traditional arcanes; my caster druid can tank nearly anything in the game. One pitfall if you play a druid is people are tempted to try to play it like an arcane. IMHO, you have to embrace the fact that druids are a hybrid to take full advantage of their power.

If you are interested, you can check out this video of my druid caster in action: Solo EE Don't Drink the Water

Good luck

[Charltonsexton]

If you are interested, you can check out this video of my druid caster in action: Solo EE Don't Drink the Water

Good luck

Thanks for the in depth answer! Your video is pretty is pretty badass. Both have given me a good idea of what I can expect from the class.
I was really impressed with those AOE's.
In your vid you mentioned taking Shield Mastery and improved Shield Mastery. Did you feel like there any big feat trade offs for those?

[Vooduspyce]

Thanks for the in depth answer! Your video is pretty is pretty badass. Both have given me a good idea of what I can expect from the class.
I was really impressed with those AOE's.
In your vid you mentioned taking Shield Mastery and improved Shield Mastery. Did you feel like there any big feat trade offs for those?

I don't feel any loss by taking the shield feats. A more traditional caster would take maximize, greater evocation focus, epic evocation focus, etc. I don't feel I need the added DC to my spells, so I don't feel a loss without those. If you don't want to be extra tanky then you can skip the shield feats. With the recent armor changes, it's now worthwhile to take heavy armor proficiency earlier than I say in my build if you want to be tanky during heroics.

I hope you enjoy druid it can be tons of fun. Sorc used to be my fav, but I'm all about druid caster now, I feel it is so much more well rounded and versatile

[richieelias27]

I don't feel any loss by taking the shield feats. A more traditional caster would take maximize, greater evocation focus, epic evocation focus, etc. I don't feel I need the added DC to my spells, so I don't feel a loss without those. If you don't want to be extra tanky then you can skip the shield feats. With the recent armor changes, it's now worthwhile to take heavy armor proficiency earlier than I say in my build if you want to be tanky during heroics.

I hope you enjoy druid it can be tons of fun. Sorc used to be my fav, but I'm all about druid caster now, I feel it is so much more well rounded and versatile

There is almost zero heavy armor that isnt metal (pretty much limited to dragonscale), and druids lose all spellcasting and shape-shifting when wearing metal armor. I can't imagine taking a feat to wear heavy armor would be worth it unless you've already ground out the mats for dragonscale. Certainly won't do anything for you before level 14.

[Vooduspyce]

There is almost zero heavy armor that isnt metal (pretty much limited to dragonscale), and druids lose all spellcasting and shape-shifting when wearing metal armor. I can't imagine taking a feat to wear heavy armor would be worth it unless you've already ground out the mats for dragonscale. Certainly won't do anything for you before level 14.

That is correct. In my build post I indicate to take Heavy Armor Proficiency at L27 for the DR30/60 Shadow Dragonscale. But as you point out at L14 if someone wanted to do things like tank the DQ on heroic elite then taking heavy armor proficiency for the L12 feat could be worthwhile, especially since with the recent changes heavy armor provides a lot more benefit than Improved Shield Mastery. Heroic heavy blue or white dragonscale is a solid choice for this build, I did it with Scaryspyce in my Beginner's guide to the Gingerspyce build series but I don't use it on Gingerspyce because I have some other old random gen "Greater Warding" armor that I like to use. Sadly, warding and spell proofing armor and shields have been taken out of the loot tables

Getting heroic dragonscale isn't hard. The auction houses have a lot of cheap scales these days. I was able to get dragonscale armor on my "true first life" favored soul project, where I started on a new server with nothing (no guild, no friends, no plat, no gear, etc.) By level 13 I had built up enough wealth to purchase scales from the auction house

[Panzermeyer]

I'm an Enchantment focused Wizard, and I'm thinking about playing around as a Druid. A caster Druid specifically. There are a few build advice threads available, but Ii am wondering about something. What is the role of caster Druid usually? Damage, heals, a mix? My only experience is as a Wizard. Are caster Druids squishy like a Wiz? Is there a bit of switching from melee to caster and back if I choose all caster feats and enhancements? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

Caster druids are great and very comparable to Wizzy's. Melee Druids are a completely different beast, and from what I can tell would require a deep splash to make effective. You will definitely need to make a decision from the get go if you are going a melee animal form druid or a caster druid.

A caster druid can be made into a variety of things.

Druid's have fewer offensive spells so instead of switching things out you will find that you will be using the same offensive spells over and over. Which is about the only down side.

Some caster druids focus on healing which Druids are great at, once you get over a new mind set. Druid healing is front loaded before the damage hits, rather than back loaded after the damage hits. Once you get a handle on this, druid healing can easily compare with other traditional healers.

My first caster druid was a Shiradi caster druid. This worked excellently well. There is a touch of squishy that comes with a caster, however unlike wizzy's the druid has far better self-healing, even compared to a pale master. When desperate the druid can relay on spamming 2-3 different types of heals to get up, whereas the PM will rely on one, and the WF relying on mainly one as well.

I have switches to the Gingerspyce build, with a bit more of a caster focus. I always run with Enlarge, Empower, Max, Quicken and Hieghten, as well as the arcane past life for +1 to all DC's. I never bother taking Empower Healing as I find I never need it. Sometimes when I ETR I throw in some or all of the MT line, sometimes EF:Evo. Neither I need to rely on. As a Shiradi caster or Draconic Evo Nuker I always ran with the MT line. I add Enlarge to my pool (different from Spyce's build) since there are so many SLA's the druid can rely on it let's me target enemies and pull damage aggro before the mob even sees the group. I also run with DM of Passage for DD. Though I may be hitting completion

As a Shiradi or Draconic, I found I could nuke quite well, just not as effectively as a Sorc. But top number of kills in a group regularly was something I saw often.

I prefer the Tank/Caster build as the toon is more well rounded and survivable. Though there is a noticeable drop in DPS.

My earthquake DC without working hard at it too much is averages about 53. With this while in Ice Ellie form I drop Earthquake and Ice Storm, and and am to reliably CC most everything even in EE. While not a perfect always working DC's it works very very well. I have a field day in Lines of Supply.

Typically my style in party is to run ahead of everyone, as I move up to a mob I throw down Earthquake, the Ice Storm, then Sleet Storm, and the Storm of Vengeance. Jump right in the middle, with an energy burst, and turtle up. Cast a mass regeneration if needed by the melees. Before the mob is fully dead but on it's way out, I am off to the next group.

I am with Spyce, Druids are my favorite caster builds now.

[richieelias27]

That is correct. In my build post I indicate to take Heavy Armor Proficiency at L27 for the DR30/60 Shadow Dragonscale. But as you point out at L14 if someone wanted to do things like tank the DQ on heroic elite then taking heavy armor proficiency for the L12 feat could be worthwhile, especially since with the recent changes heavy armor provides a lot more benefit than Improved Shield Mastery. Heroic heavy blue or white dragonscale is a solid choice for this build, I did it with Scaryspyce in my Beginner's guide to the Gingerspyce build series but I don't use it on Gingerspyce because I have some other old random gen "Greater Warding" armor that I like to use. Sadly, warding and spell proofing armor and shields have been taken out of the loot tables

Getting heroic dragonscale isn't hard. The auction houses have a lot of cheap scales these days. I was able to get dragonscale armor on my "true first life" favored soul project, where I started on a new server with nothing (no guild, no friends, no plat, no gear, etc.) By level 13 I had built up enough wealth to purchase scales from the auction house

True, one could just buy them on the AH. I'm very very wary of buying ingredients from the AH anymore though... Too many "questionable" auctions.