Not Getting the "Druid as Nuker" thing..

[Khurse]

Hey All

So finally have played my first Druid build ever... hated it until late teen levels where it became ok, and it was decent through epics.

I do like the healing over my sorc builds, but I don't feel (and it is just a feeling) that I'm doing nearly the damage I do as a cold sorc using icerberg/ thunderstroke /polar ray /chain lightning etc.

Is cold druid pretty much just about spamming icy flowers (which I just started doing when I got back to 32) or am I missing some great spells?

AS I said- just comparing cold druid to my cold/air sorc, the damage , especially vs bosses ,doesn't seem to be there. (Although as mentioned, just noticed icy flowers has basically no cooldown, so that will help)
Just wondering if someone has a basic spell rotation or any tips.

It's a Dragonborn, racial and class completionist , just haven't actually played Druid before and for some reason I'm not able to make the nuking work well enough to see why people compare it to sorc.

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide,

[Ultinoob]

Well depending on what reaper you play on you might wanna cast call lightning storm for extra damage, but you dont know who it hits so dont use it above r4.

My spell rotation on a druid nuker for multiple mobs is
color spray for cc
tsunami
dragonbreath
ice flowers
Maybe even an ice storm



For single target
freezing spray
salt ray for single target stun
(call lightning)
2*creeping cold
word of balance
ruin
greater ruin

Take ruin intensified in draconic.

I know some spells have a long cooldown but usually in r10 other players need healing and you do that in between.

The epic destiny mantle i suggest is primal avatar that can proc 100 temp spell points which is really nice when using ruin.

EDIT: And take wellspring of power perhaps.

[Ultinoob]

If going pure nuker and having almost no defense you can consider adding Thunder Snow to the list of spells.

It has a long cooldown and is a bit weird but it does decent damage.

I usually take shard storm for added 25% extra temp hp instead though.

[Michele]

I would like to test salt ray with master of the wilds, kinetic lore and force spell critical damage item: it's like an half Ruin with 256 average base damage with no save for the damage portion

- Salt ray caster level: 20 druid levels +5 epic levels +1 hierophant +1 time and tide = 27

- Salt ray max caster level: 10 capped levels +5 epic levels +1 hierophant +1 time and tide +10 master of the wilds = 27

[Melkazar]

Like OP I was only mildly impressed with my druid in heroics, but now he is my favorite spellcaster. I was surprised at how much damage he did and joked to my daughter I was going to have to go the forums and complain about how overpowered I was.

So anyway, here is my battle plan.
Pure druid in water form. Draconic and Magus destinies. Ironically I don't use Primal with him but i usually put all my other characters in primal. Go figure.

Call lightning Storm. Keep this on all the time. It's like an early warning assassination system. In epic normal and in many hard quests I something just put this on and walk around.

Salt Ray and Moon Lance. These are long distance high damage attention getters. Instant death in most hard quests. Alternately Cold Light of the moon has tremendous range but they can run out of it so I usually use it for closer.

The remaining mobs now rush you. Lay down some damage and delay zones of you wants. Ice Storm and earthquake are good. And once they are in range the damage from lightning storm begins.

Now at close range white dragon breath, burst of glacial wrath, tsunami. If anything is left ice flowers and cold light of the moon.

For bosses add in creeping cold, greater creeping cold and word of balance.

And don't forget the mantle to ensure they take damage even if immune to cold.

[PedXing20]

Ice sorc is a better DPS nuker, especially vs single targets.

Druid has better healing and is more survivable.

Having said that, in most r10s one rotation from an ice druid will delete most packs.

Now at close range white dragon breath, burst of glacial wrath, tsunami.

You will do more damage if you cast burst first as anything you freeze is now helpless.

• Burst - tsunami - flowers - breathe - flowers

I save GCS for the odd stuff that gets through.