Blizzard EntertainmentThe Druid is a master of nature – and nature can be a brutal enemy in the fight against Hell. Here’s the best Shred Druid build in Diablo 4.
Diablo 4 Season 7 gave all characters a shake-up after the Vessel of Hatred changed the game forever by adding more story quests and endgame modes. This also allowed various character builds to rise in the meta and become more dominant than before.
If you’ve decided that the Druid is the right class for you, and have looked over the various Druid builds and landed on the Shred build this season, here’s everything you know about how to build it.
Blizzard EntertainmentBest Shred Druid skills
To assemble the Shred Druid build, allocate this many points on these active skills:
| Active Skill | Upgrades | Points Allocated |
|---|---|---|
| Maul | Enhanced | 1 |
| Shred | Enhanced, Primal | 5 |
| Earthen Bulwark | Enhanced | 1 |
| Blood Howl | Enhanced, Innate | 1 |
| Debilitating Roar | Enhanced, Innate | 1 |
| Petrify | Enhanced, Supreme | 5 |
Also, allocate this many points on these passive skills:
| Passive Skill | Points Allocated |
|---|---|
| Heart of the Wild | 1 |
| Wild Impulses | 3 |
| Predatory Instinct | 3 |
| Iron Fur | 3 |
| Backlash | 3 |
| Ancestral Fortitude | 3 |
| Vigilance | 3 |
| Feral Aptitude | 3 |
| Charged Atmosphere | 1 |
| Electric Shock | 3 |
| Bad Omen | 3 |
| Neurotoxin | 1 |
| Toxic Claws | 1 |
| Envenom | 3 |
| Devensive Posture | 3 |
| Catastrophe | 3 |
| Quickshift | 3 |
| Heightened Senses | 3 |
| Bestial Rampage | Key Passive |
When you start a new character, if you’re a returning player, you’ll likely have lots of skill points ready to assign from your Renown or by being boosted to level 50 from the start.
But if you’re a new player, you’ll need to start from scratch. The good news is you’ll be able to hit level 50 very quickly in the post-Vessel of Hatred Diablo 4.
Below, we’ve detailed how many skill points you’ll need to assign to each passive and active skill using your leveling and Renown points.
You may find yourself needing to select other skills to progress across the skill tree. That’s okay, just respec to the ones included in the build once you’re able. Who knows, you may create a custom build that suits your needs better.
The Druid can turn into a werewolf or werebear!Best Spirit Boons
Out of the 16 different Spirit Boons that Druids can unlock, you can only grab five. These are the Spirit Boons we recommend for your Druid build in Diablo 4 Season 7:
| Spirit | Boon | Buff |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Wariness | 15% reduced damage from Elites |
| Eagle | Avian Wrath | Gain more critical strike damage |
| Wolf | Bolster | Defensive skills bolster your Fortify for 50% of your life. |
| Snake | Masochistic | Critical Strikes from Shapeshifting skills can heal you. |
| Eagle (Bond) | Iron Feather | Increase your maximum life |
Best Shred skill rotation
When running the Shred Druid build, you’ll need to make sure that you use your skills in the following order against mobs and elites:
- Earthen Bulwar
- Blood Howl – Debilitating Roar
- Petrify
- Maul
First, cast Earthen Bulwark before approaching the mob to make yourself harder to kill.
Now, we’re going to be alternating between Blood Howl to shapeshift into a werewolf, earn a damage boost, and heal yourself when battling mobs – or Debilitating Roar to turn into a Werebear and face down elites.
Now cast Petrify to blast the mob with AoE damage and to increase your critical hit chance. Then it’s time for the main event – Shred. Use this to do the bulk of your damage, resorting to Maul when low on spirit, alternating between the two. Repeat the rotation with the next mob.
Powers of Witchcraft
Season 7 adds Witch Powers to give each character a boost and something new to do this season. While all Witch Powers are beneficial, some are more suited to certain classes and builds.
For this build, choose the following Witch Powers:
- Soul Harvest – Sucks the life from nearby enemies.
- Purging Touch – Boosts Eldrich power.
- Force of Will – Boosts overpower damage.
- Decay Augmentation – Does additional type damage.
- Hex of Flames – Deal extra AoE damage.
- Force of Will – Boosts overpower damage.
- Doom Orb – Damage reduction.
Powers of Witchcraft may disappear after Season 7, but they could return in another form like Vampire Powers and Malignant Hearts did.
Best Occult Gems
Here are the best Occult Gems for this build:
- Toadling’s Wish – Growth and Decay Witch Powers are 35% more powerful.
- Witching Hour – Gives the “Eldritch” label to your Core Skill for extra damage.
- Phantom String – Buffs damage.
Best Paragon Glyphs
Once you reach level 60, you’ll gain access to the Paragon Board to continue leveling. You’ll essentially boost your stats each time you unlock a node, but eventually, you’ll need to select a Glyth for a more substantial upgrade.
More of these will unlock as you progress, so select the following Glyphs to maximize the potential of this Druid build:
Level 15
- Outmatch
- Headhunter
- Spirit
- Fang and Claw
- Electrocution
Level 46
- Spirit
- Fang and Claw
- Outmatch
- Headhunter
- Electrocution
Best Mercenaries for Lacerate Druid
Since the introduction of the Mercenaries mechanic in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, they’ve become an important aspect of maxing out the potential of a build.
Pick the following Mercenaries and set them on this path:
| Mercenary | Hire or Reinforcement | Skills to select |
|---|---|---|
| Varyana | Hire | Bloodthirst |
| Raheir | Reinforcement | Bastion |
Hire Varyana and set her skills towards Bloodthirst to provide you with a 25% attack speed increase. Then recruit Rahier and set his skills towards Bastion to ensure you’re protected from danger.
Spirit Boons are unique to the Druid class.Best Aspects
Here are the best Aspects you should hunt down for the Shred Druid build:
| Aspect | Power | Dungeon / How to obtain | Region | Obol Gamble / Item type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stormclaw’s | Critical Strikes with Shred deal 60-80% of the damage dealt as Lightning Damage to the target and surrounding enemies. | Anica’s Claim | Fractured Peaks | – |
| Shroud of False Death | If you haven’t attacked in the last 2 seconds, gain Stealth and 40% Movement Speed. | – | – | Torso |
| Retaliation | Your Core skills deal up to 35-75% increased damage based on your amount of Fortify. | Seaside Descent | Dry Steppes | – |
| Agile Wolf | Shred gains a 4th attack that hits all surrounding enemies, deals 20-60% increased damage, and Knocks Down enemies for 2 seconds. | Salvage | – | – |
| Blurred Beast | While dashing, Shred seeks out Nearby Poisoned enemies instantly dealing [55-75%] [x] increased damage to them. | Salvage | – | – |
| Heir to Perdition | Give in to hatred and earn Lilith’s Favor, increasing your damage dealt by 60%. Slaughter enemies to briefly steal Lilith’s Favor from Nearby allies. | Craft at the Jeweler | – | – |
| Wildheart Hunger | Shapeshifting into a new animal form increases the value of your Bestial Rampage bonuses up to 5%. This bonus decays by 2% per second. | Defeat Lord Zir | – | – |
| Ring of Starless Skies | Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resources cost of your Skills and increases your damage by 10% for 3 seconds, up to 50%. | Defeat Duriel | – | – |
| Hunter’s Zenith | Every 30 seconds you spend in an animal form, your next Core Skill is guaranteed to Overpower and Critically Strike, and deals 30 – 60% increased damage. Casting a Shapeshifting Skill reduces this timer by 1 second, or 2 seconds if it changes you to a new animal form. | Defeat Grigoire, The Galvanic Saint | – | – |
Best items, equipment & sockets
Here’s the best gear you should hunt down for the Shred Druid build, including the best Runewords to use:
| Item | Socket | Item type |
|---|---|---|
| Heir to Perdition | MoniXan | Helm |
| Shroud of False Death | NeoXan | Chest Armor |
| Runic Gloves of the Changling’s Debt | – | Gloves |
| Runic Leggings of the Agile Wolf | 2x Sapphires for extra Willpower | Pants |
| Wildheart Hunger | – | Boots |
| Stormclaw’s War Crest | 2x Emerald for extra Crit Strike chance | Main Hand |
| – | – | Offhand |
| Ocelot’s Eye of the Unsatiated | Skull for extra armor | Amulet |
| Hunter’s Zenith | Emerald for poison resistance | Ring 1 |
| Ring of Starless Skies | Emerald for poison resistance | Ring 2 |
Best Shred Druid build for PvP
Luckily, the PvP variant of this build is the same as the PvE version. So, you can keep it as it is. However, if you need to make some tweaks to make it easier for you as a player, then feel free to turn it into a custom build.
Now that you know how to craft this top-tier Druid build, make sure to check out our guides for the Necromancer, Sorcerer, Rogue, Barbarian, and Spirtiborn. There’s also our Diablo 4 Class tier list so you can see where this build fits in the current meta.
