*PvP Vita Druid Guide v1.10*
By: Eclipse
*v1.10
-added pics on some gear (will add rest later)
-updated a few descriptions on gear selection
*v1.09
-added pics
-added allies/enemies section for team pk
*V1.08
-updated dueling strats again
-added gear set ups in vi.
*v1.07
-updated all dueling strats
-updated gear choices
*v1.06
-updated a few dueling strats
-updated section vii.
*v1.05
-changed a few color schemes
-added more points in section vii.
*v1.04
-added a quote from hippo to section vii.
*v1.03
-more specific gear choices.
-added more to dueling strats.
-added Hybrid Zon to dueling strats.
*v1.02
-added SS to Shield choices.
-added Spirit Sword to weap choices.
-worked again on dueling strats.
*v1.01
-changed the order of things to max
-more thorough dueling strats.
-editted some errors.
i. About Me
ii. What is a Wind Druid?
iii. Why the Wind Druid?
iv. Stats/Breakpoints
v. Skill Placement
vi. Equipment
vii. Max Block/DR Druid vs. Vita
viii. Your Allies/Enemies
ix. Dueling Strategies
x. Author's Note
i. About Me
Hello RPGF members. My name is Chris and I have been playing Wind Druids for about a year until I just recently decided to take it apart. I have noticed that Wind Druids are one of the dominant forces in Diablo II dueling. They show great power and intimidation with the right skill. Through my experiences of playing D2, I have noticed that the Wind Druid is a tough opponent and can put up a good fight. I have played BOTH the Block Druid and the Vita Druid, but I find that the vita druid does better then the max block druid, so my guide will be focused on the Vita Druid.
ii. What is a Wind Druid?
A Wind Druid is the Druid character utilizing mainly the Elemental Skills tab. And even more into that, the "wind" attacks. Things like Tornado, Twister, and Hurricane. The Wind Druid spits out deadly Tornadoes at its enemies, causing them to flinch and take heavy damage.
iii. Why the Wind Druid?
With the right skill and determination, the Wind Druid can be ones trophy. It is a great character because it can achieve massive amounts of life, even if u are going for max block. The Wind Druid has lots of minion stack, very useful for tanking attacks. This is extremely useful for vita druids because ur minion stack takes the hits for u, so u dont "need" block. The Wind Druid also has the very useful skill Cyclone Armor, which I found to be very versatile and handy against attackers of element (except poison). It absorbs up to a certain amount of elemental damage, which furthermore prolongs the druids survival. When Cyclone Armor is taken down, u can simply recast it. Also, with Tornado being the main attack, is another reason why to use the Wind Druid. Tornado travels in random paths, theres no way to control how it moves, u can only simply control which direction to cast it from.
Tornadoes are also physical damage.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by BRIAN
Can tornados be blocked with my shield?
- Yes to some degree.
- Tornado has the chance to hit anywhere from 1 to 4 times per single Tornado.
- The average time a single tornado will hit a opponent is 2 times
- So... a Single Tornado is Casted, it will usualy hit you Twice.
- The First Hit, is blockable with your shield.
- The Second Hit, is NOT blockable at all. It will hit you 100% of the time
- Like all blocking things, the more block you have (max is 75%) the better you will block.
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As u can see, tornadoes can be blocked to a degree. But u can also note that tornadoes can hit anywhere from 1-4 times. When ur packing an average 6k nado, divided by 6 for pvp penalty, 6000/6 = 1000. Thats 1000 dmg per hit if the opponent has 0 dr. So if the nado hit 4x, thats 4000 dmg from one nado. That's a one hit ko for most casters of no block/dr.
iv. Stats/Breakpoints
These are the stats that any druid starts with at lvl 1:
Strength: 15
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 25
Energy: 20
Hit Points: 55
Mana: 20
Stamina: 84
Distributing Points:
1 Vitality point gives 2 Life
1 Vitality point gives 1 Stamina
1 Energy point gives 2 Mana
Strength: Put only enough here to use all your gear and no more.
Dext: None.
Vitality: All remaining points after STR.
Energy: None.
Levelling Bonuses:
Life +1.5
Stamina +1
Mana +2
The faster hit recovery frames for a druid in human form are as follows, your frames will be different depending on the type of weapon you hold.
When Wielding Swinging Weapons (Flails, hammer, axes, etc.)
14 frame = 0%
13 frame = 3%
12 frame = 7%
11 frame = 13%
10 frame = 19%
9 frame = 29%
8 frame = 42%
7 frame = 63%
6 frame = 99%
5 frame = 174%
4 frame = 456%
When Wielding Stabbing Weapons (Daggers, spears, pikes, etc.)
13 frame = 0%
12 frame = 5%
11 frame = 10%
10 frame = 16%
9 frame = 26%
8 frame = 39%
7 frame = 56%
6 frame = 86%
5 frame = 152%
4 frame = 377%
Block Rates in Human Form:
11 frame = 0%
10 frame = 6%
9 frame = 13%
8 frame = 20%
7 frame = 32%
6 frame = 52%
5 frame = 86%
4 frame = 174%
3 frame = 600%
Total Blocking = (Blocking * (Dexterity - 15)) / (Character Level * 2)
Faster Cast Rate Breakpoints (Human):
18 frames = base
17 frames = 4%
16 frames = 10%
15 frames = 19%
14 frames = 30%
13 frames = 46%
12 frames = 68%
11 frames = 99%
10 frames = 163%
I have decided that the 163/6 frame fhr rates are good. Sometimes the 6th fhr frame isnt good enough but you will find it good 90% of the time. I find that hitting the 6th fhr frame maximizes all around capability at the same time maintaining good fhr. 163 is also the fcr bp to hit, 99 is far too low. Try catching a 200fcr sorc with a 99fcr druid. GL.
v. Skill Placement
Things to max in order:
Oak Sage
Tornado
Hurricane
Cyclone Armor
Twister
1 Point Wonders:
Raven
Spirit Wolf
Dire Wolf (optional, only put into here if u want to get Grizzly)
Grizzly (optional)
Completed at level 92 (without Grizzly) and 94 with Grizzly. I find that my wolves can do most of what the grizzly can. Grizzly is only better for tanking more Guided Arrows and more Frozen Orb shards. Grizzly also stays on top of ur char when u tele, but ur wolves walk away from u. So to maintain wolf stack u cant let them walk away for too long, meaning u always have to tele to get them back on top of u.
vi. Equipment
This is not intended to be a "poor man's" build. So I am only listing the higher and upper end gear.
Helms:
Druid Pelt: This is your number one choice. These are
generally good and expensive but the best choice imo. Pelts help u reach higher dmg which really does pay off. Try to get one with the most stats out of:
+2druid/10fhr/+3nado/+2hurricane/+3oak sage/+life/res/2sockets if u wanna use one of these. The bolded stats are the main 3 u should look for in a pelt, and everything else are bonuses.
Crown of Ages (CoA): This is a very versatile helm. It offers a skill point, damage reduction, lots of FHR, resistance, up to 2 sockets and huge defense. Double Ber this baby and u can get up to 31% DR off this alone. This is a top choice in terms of helms, the only downfall to this is the huge str requirement of 174. If you're willing to use up more stat points or if u can hit 174 str from gear, than i suggest this helm.
2/20/2 Circlet: +2Druid skills/+20Faster Cast Rate/2Sockets. This is an alternate helm depending on what gear variants you wanna use. Socket 2x Bers in this. Second choice IMO.
Jalal's Mane: A great and cheap helm. It offers skills, FHR, res, STR, and a socket. A great alternative if one of the above cannot be afforded. Usually shael or p ruby this helm.
Armors:
Enigma: The only armor u should be wearing. This Runeword offers the skill Teleport, huge str boost, DR, Life, huge 45% faster run/walk, and even a helpful 15% damage taken goes to mana.
Weapons:
Suicide Branch: Highly recommended for a Druid. The +life/+skill on it is a huge boost to ur life. This wand offers 50FCR, equivalent to Wizardspike. It also gives Mana and +10 all res. The +40 life on this is a HUGE life boost for a druid because it is bo + oakable. For a druid, this > wizzy. Try to socket this with a 20life/15res jool.
Wizardspike: A good alternative to Suicide Branch. Offers huge mana and res, but lacks life and +all skills, also the dext req on this is too high =/. Only wear this if the stacked res is A MUST, most of the time it wont be though. Socket this with a res/life jool.
Another good stash weapon. Spirit offers good FHR, FCR, life mana and 2 skills. I use this when i need to hit 174 fhr or just when i swap gear and need the fhr.
Heart of the Oak: A decent choice, the above choices are better than this but it is an alternative. Lacks 10% FCR compared to SB/wizzy, which is hard to make up while keeping high DR.
Shields:
Spirit: This is the best and only shield for the vita wind druid. Some may think the str req is too high on this, but on my druid i hit 156 str just with my gear/torch/anni alone. The only thing u would have to touch str for in this build is if u decide to use a CoA.
Stormshield: Stash this shield. Only use this when u druid vs druid and when u need DR. Using this u will not be able to hit 163fcr. Socket with ber or shael or 9dext/res jool.
Gloves:
Trang Oul's Grasp: These gloves are your number one choice. Offers 20% FCR and a massive 30% cold res stack. These > Magefists.
Bloodfist: Secondary gloves, i use these sometimes when i need the fhr when i stack/sorb. Stash these.
Wizardspike Gloves: Viable on west only, #1 choice if u can get a hold of them, but then ur druid will be unpermed.
Boots:
Duped Rare: These are the best boots for this build. They usually offer huge stat boosts, huge double or tri res, and FHR.
If u cant or dont want to get a hold of a duped rare boot, than these are probably ur next best choice. Offers FHR, STR, VIT, and hi defense if u are able to attain an eth one.
Belt:
Arachnid's Mesh: Depending on gear variations, this will probably be ur #1 choice for a belt 95% of the time.
Verdungo's Hearty Coil: Use this belt if u have over 163FCR not including ur belt slot.
If u find one that hits 10%fcr and good fhr along with other good mods, maybe u can fit this in somewhere.
Rings:
2x FCR Rings: The ring above would be the best rare ring to use on a druid, only thing better would be a crafted ring with 60 life and 9rep with str/res etc. Try to get a ring with close to those mods and u'll be fine.
Use these if u have 163 FCR from all other gear already.
Amulet:
2/18+/...: +2Druid Skills/18%+ FCR/ other mods. This is ur #1 choice, depending on the mods, the prices on these can vary. Generally these are very expensive. 18 or higher fcr is needed because of all ur other gear u will have 145 FCR, so u need 18 or more fcr to hit the 163 BP. A good one is
fairly hard to find.
Armageddon's Fletch: A very good alternative if u cant get ur hands on a druid ammy. This is a sorc ammy, but it fits everything a druid needs. 20%FCR, str, life, mana, res. Very good ammy, but its only available on East.
Cta + Spirit
Charms:
Combination of 9 Ele Lifers/FHR depending on ur gear. Generally, if u hit the 6th FHR frame, u shouldnt need any Ele FHR charms.
Torch
Anni
Fill remaining spaces with 20life/x mod sc's, preferably res.
Fitting in 1-2 bmanas isnt a bad idea either.
Stash:
Your stash will be made mostly stack/sorb gear. But when using these MAKE SURE u can make up lost stats else where. Other gear in ur stash will just be alternate equipment, like if ur wearing a CoA, in ur stash should be a 2/20/2 circ.
x amount of Ele FHR's may also be in there, because if u feel like u need to hit the 5th FHR frame then go for it. I feel u will only need to go to the 5th frame if u are vs'ing Sins.
Some stuff i have in stash:
Hspurs
Tgods
Wisps
Ravens
Dwarf
Spirit sword
Bfists
2x Ele FHR
2/20/2 Circ
etc.
Personal Druid vs All set up:
Suicide Branch socketed with 20/15 jool.
Enigma
Arachs
2/18+/life/mana/res ammy or 2/18+/life/mana/str ammy
Trangs
2/10fhr/3nado/3oak/2hurr/2os pelt with Shael/P Ruby
Spirit Monarch
Wraith Bands
2x fcr/life/mana/res rings
From this set up u get 105fhr/163fcr high life and good res.
Druid set ups when u need DR, change the following gear:
Arachs --> dungoes
Pelt --> 2/20/2os circ with Ber Ber
Swap 1-2 Lifers for ele fhr gcs and or a few 20/5 sc's for 5res/5fhr charms to hit 99fhr. This build maintains 163/99/39dr.
Another set up is:
Pelt --> Ber Ber CoA.
As the other build, this will offer 163/99/39dr and good life. Determining which build will have more life will depend on ur lifers/mods on your circ etc.
But if u need dr u can always just go 99fcr and slap on an ss, as some ppl like to do.
vii. Max Block/DR Druid vs. Vita Druid
Ok, there has always been a debate on whether to go max block/dr on a druid or all vita. Here are the pros and cons of each to make it easier to see:
Max Block/DR
Pro's:
-u have max dr possible
-u have highest block possible when block is needed
-u will be able to survive longer against melee type attacks and arrows
Con's:
-if u dont have good gear/life charms, ur life will be relatively low
-u will have about 2k less life than a vita druid
-u dont "need" block as u can have minion stack to take hits
-u will have lower life vs opponents where block isnt a factor, ie if u were dueling a hammerdin or blizz sorc.
-can't hit the 163% FCR BP.
-99% FCR is too slow when catching sorcs, necs, etc.
Vita Druid
Pro's:
-u will have a huge amount of life
-u have minion stack to make up for block
-u will be able to tank a lot more missile type atks = survive longer when block isnt a factor
-good for "out-tanking" duels
-u are still able to achieve a high amount of DR.
-hits the 163% FCR BP, making it easier to catch sorcs, necs, etc.
Con's:
-u need to kno how/when to recast ur stack when it dies out
-u dont have 50% DR.
So overall, IMO, i believe a Vita Druid > Max Block/DR druid. It has an AVG of 7k life and can do almost everything the block/dr druid can. It hits only 11% less dr, and has stack to take hits which block can also contemplate for.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by hippo
perm 163/99/39dr > perm 99/99/50 or 99/174/50.
7.5K Life vs. 5.5K Life
1 Frame faster tele/nado spam.
People who argue that a certain char will beat you if you lack block are simply inexperienced in playing druids. Sure, max block makes it easier to beat a BvC, bowazon, v/t, etc, but it doesn't mean its impossible for a nonblock druid to win...
Also, consider the massive amount of nonmelee opponents you can potentially face, where your block is completely useless, such as in team duels where you will be forced to Lo and whatnot.
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viii. Your Allies and Enemies
-->Allies:<--
The necromancer. This is one of your best dueling partners as necs have amp which doubles ur dmg. Pretty self explanatory.
Trap assassins provide great stun with their mind blast and traps. When the trap assassin puts the opponent in a stun lock it is quite easy for the druid to telestomp the enemy and kill it. A very good team.
-->Enemies:<--
Sins can be ur friend and ur enemy. This is because druids have fairly bad fhr frames, so even at 99fhr a sin can still stun lock u more easily than some other chars. This can leave u open for attacks and even death.
ix. Dueling Strategies
Strategies are told assuming all stack/pre buffs are done.
Amazons:
Bow: Depending on how good the other player is, bowas can be easy or hard. Just make sure to keep ur stack up, if it gets destroyed tele away and recast it. Play fairly aggressive. Vs good zons its hard to win because it is easy to walk druids and zons desy a lot too. Just play aggressive and try to tele in front of them and not "on" them when they are running. Recommended using grizzly > wolves here cuz grizzly is a lot easier to resummon than 5 wolves, and grizzly has a lot of life too.
Charged Strike: Just slap on tgods or LoLo ur helm. From there, just jump them and spam nados. Try not let them hit u with cs, cuz it hurts even with sorb, thats why u have to play very aggressive vs these zons. When u see them just telestomp them insantly and spam nadoes = dead zon. An easy win if u follow tht.
Assassin:
Trap Assassin: A very hard duel. Druids simply get raped by trapsins. Even with sorb on its very hard to kill a good trapsin. It is very hard for a druid to get out of the sin's stun locks, go 174fhr vs these guys and just keep ur cyc armor up when u can and dont play too aggressive, ull only get urself killed. Spam a few nadoes here and there and just play defensive and telestomp when there are few traps lying around.
WWsin: A fairly hard duel depending on the player. imo a wwsin is a harder duel than a normal bvc because wwsin has traps/mind blast to stun u. Stun = bad for druids. play defensive and never telestomp the sin unless ur almost certain u can kill it in one go. just spam a few nadoes here and there and tele into them and then tele away quickly and repeat.
Ghost: A good ghost will most likely win vs u. This is probably the only time i would actually recommend going block. Prepare to be stun locked while getting ww'd at. A tough duel just try to stay away from traps and lure the sin to u. 174fhr is recommended. Follow tactics for vs wwsin.
Barbarians:
BvC:
Keep ur stack up. Good BvC's are hard to win against without block, thats why u MUST keep ur minion stack up so they can take the hits for u. When ur stack gets whiped out tele away and recast it. Just spam nadoes and tele around. Rarely telestomp bvcs, ull probably end up dieing. Sometimes wearing a shaeld ss helps. ofc, ull only be able to hit the 99fcr bp but slap on ss and some dext gear and itll help vs bvcs. i generally dont do this but it might help some players. Also, try not to get within the barbs leap radius, as it can leave u open for an attack.
WW Barb: Basically a bvc w/o much leap.
Throw Barb: Just name tele them over and over again. They cant do much when ur right on top of them. If they do run however, just keep a namelock on them.
Singer: I dont find these guys much of a problem, because when u have 7k+ life, their warcry does like // of the total HP from one, u can just tank them and spam. They will be stunning u, so IF they get u to lower than half hp, then start treating them like a WW barb. Cast a few nadoes and tele away. If they happen to get u in wc lock, just WALK out of it and tele away.
Druid:
Wind: Go 99/99 for dvd. Slap on ber ss. Rarely tele jump the druid, wut u wanna do is just spam nados and tele around. Generally telestomping them will only get urself killed. Do it only when they are resummoning or when they arent spamming nadoes. DvD is kinda boring, and pointless but just try to chip away their life and jump them when they are resummoning.
Personally i like to wear ss and go 99 instead of staying 163fcr in dvd cuz i find the dr/block helps a lot.
Fury/Rabies: Treat them as a melee char, just cast a few nadoes and tele away, they will sometimes run into the nadoes and just keep doing it until they die. Or just stack and name tele them, if u start to die tele away and just spam nadoes and tele into them.
Fire Druids: Generally a cat and mouse duel. they will be teleing around everywhere while u have to chase them. just keep cyc armor up and try to catch them. not a hard duel.
Necromancers:
Bone Necro: An easy duel vs crappy necs. Just telestomp and its game over. But when u play good necs, its a lot harder to win. when necs know how to walk a druid, just try to predict where the nec is gonna go and tele there and spam nadoes, instead of telestomping them. if u want further detail just post.
Poison Necro: Try and make them come closer to u because they have to cast Lower Resist and Poison Nova which have limited radius. When they try to get close, just namelock them and they will usually end up dead.
Summon Necro: Theyre skellies dont really put up much of a match, if u nado a few times it will kill most of them. Just name teleing and nadoing them untill theyre dead.
Paladins:
Tele Hammerdins: Make sure u have stack up before jumping them. Just keep tht in mind and they are pretty easy. Telestomp with stack and spam nadoes. Tele away once ur stack gets diminished as it will leave u vulnerable to hammers. If they desynch try to get a nl on them and just telestomp them with it and spam nadoes. Repeat this and ull be fine.
Grief Hdins: Grief wielding hdins make it very hard for a druid to win. Wut u have to do is either telestomp them when they are casting hammers and hope tht they dont smite u by the time u get on them, or tele next to them instead of on them and spam nadoes. This is hard to do because hdins are usually sitting in a hammer field but rmb, u have stack so just take a chance and tele next to them even if they are hiding in a hammer field, and spam a few nadoes, stack runs out, tele away repeat.
Templars (FoH): Very easy duel, because u have cyc armor + 6minion stack just constantly keep a name lock on them and theyre practically done.
Vindicator (Smite): Easy if u just spam and tele around. dont let them charge u down so when u notice they might have a charge namelock on u tele far far away so they lose tht namelock. then just spam nadoes, tele into them and when the pally comes theyll get hit by the nadoes and just repeat.
V/T or T/V: Well, theyre FoH is useless so just treat them as a Smiter.
Zealots: If they have life leech, ull probably wont want to have ur wolves/grizzly out. Just treat them as a smiter, cast a few and tele away.
Sorceress:
Side note: For the sorcs with MASS bmanas + high es sorb %, i generally try to out tank them and pray that their endless mana pool will soon die out. This generally works against light/cold sorcs, i am able to break their es before they kill me. Es break = dead sorc, since ill be on them already. FB's with mass mana/es are harder to kill cuz fb owns the druids FHR. So standing there trying to outtank them is not an advised idea. This is wut i
generally do, there are always some cases where trying to outtank them is a bad idea, only do this if u kno u can kill them.
Blizzard: Have stack on + ravens. Just jump them and spam. Do not tele into a blizzard storm (where the sorc casts blizzard in one spot and sits in it), or else u will most likely die lol.
Fire: Hardest of the 3 types of sorcs. The stun from FB hurts the druid alot. Make sure ur wearing Hspurs and just try to catch them and spam on them. Grizzly is more effective than wolves in this situation because fb wipes out almost all ur wolves in 1 hit so instead of recasting 5 wolves; which takes a fair amount of time in the midst of a duel, u can just cast grizzly which tanks more than 1 fb and is a lot less time consuming to summon. When ur sage dies or when ur cyc armor is down, tele away and make sure u have enough time to recast cyc armor/oak and then try to telestomp the sorc. A telestomp will usually do the trick when u have grizz/oak/cyc armor all up. If they get away then just keep trying to telestomp it but dont play too reckless and tele into random fb's.
--> Request: How to beat an es/fb sorc without hotspurs: <--
Instead of hspurs wear a 2/20/etc circ with vex vex and u can even wear a dwarf if needed and u can still maintain 163/99. Another alternative is infernostrides which give +10max fire res instead of +15. Use grizzly over wolves and follow the strategy above.
Lightning: Just slap on stack/sorb gear. A Lo Lo helm is again, ur friend. Because lightning has a incredibly low to high range, just hope u get hit by a low rolled lightning if u get hit by one.
x. Author's Note
I would like to thank u for taking time to read my guide. It is the first copy so i am sure there is a lot to add/fix. C&C is always welcome and do not copy this guide without my permission.
Eclipse's Detailed PvP Vita Wind Druid Guide
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