In Diablo 4, Druid has always been a class that focuses on physical damage and has super survivability, but it is often overlooked that it is also a master of earthly elements and can manipulate all kinds of weather.

In the first expansion of this game, Vessel of Hatred DLC, not only a lot of story missions and improved endgame modes are added, but also some new skills and items are brought to each class, which makes the build that players rely on very differently. For Druid, it may be one class that has changed the most - from a build that focuses on physical damage that players have been using to a build that can use various elemental damage, such as Lightning.

If you are interested in this strange and powerful build, this guide will give you a detailed introduction based on the skills and items selected in this build and Mercenary. Of course, this Lightning Storm Druid Build may become a very prominent build in the next Season 7. Come and grab the opportunity together!

Skills

When you start your Druid quest in the DLC, you’ll need to level up to level 50 to get the most skill points gradually. But thankfully, you can reach this level very quickly in the DLC, so don’t worry too much. Here are some skills you can choose from in Lightning Storm Druid Build and the points they cost.

Active Skill

• Maul: 1
• Lightning Storm: 5
• Earthen Bulwark: 1
• Cyclone Armor: 1
• Blood Howl: 1
• Cataclysm: 5

Passive Skill

• Predatory Instinct: 1
• Iron Fur: 3
• Backlash: 3
• Ancestral Fortitude: 1
• Vigilance: 3
• Nature’s Reach: 3
• Feral Aptitude: 3
• Electric Shock: 3
• Bad Omen: 2
• Endless Tempest: 2
• Neurotoxin: 1
• Envenom: 3
• Natural Disaster: 3
• Defiance: 3
• Circle of Life: 3
• Devensive Posture: 2
• Catastrophe: 3
• Quickshift: 3
• Heightened Senses: 3
• Key Passive: Bestial Rampage

As you build your own skill tree, you’ll need to choose other skills to progress through the skill tree, which can disrupt some of the set build ideas. This is completely fine, as long as you can use some Diablo 4 Gold to respec the key skills included in the build. You can also adjust accordingly based on your play style to make this build more suitable for you.

Best Skill Rotation

After understanding the skills needed in Lightning Storm Druid Build, you also need to learn how to rotate the 6 active skills in the actual combat process to exert their maximum effectiveness effectively. First, cast Cyclone Armor and Earthen Bulwark before you get close to the boss or enemy to get the ultimate boost to your defense. Then use your Ultimate skill Cataclysm to bombard the target for tremendous damage.

After the health of the target you hit has been greatly reduced, you can jump into the battle and continue to hit them with Lightning Storm. You can also alternate between Maul and Lightning Storm depending on your build: when your spirit is exhausted, switch to Maul.

If the battle you are facing is really difficult, you can also cast Blood Howl to turn yourself into a werewolf and get the damage increase and healing ability increase from it. From this, you should invest as many points as possible in Lightning Storm and Cataclysm to achieve the best damage output.

Best Mercenaries

In Vessel Of Hatred expansion, a new Mercenaries mechanic has been added. In this mechanic, you can choose one or two of the four Mercenaries to help you complete some battles. For Lightning Storm Druid Build, Varyana and Rahier will be your best choices.

There are also differences in the way they are hired. You can hire Varyana as the main Mercenary and hire Rahier as Reinforcement. Because Varyana’s Bloodthirst skill can give you an absolute advantage in some long-lasting battles, and the 25% attack speed increase it provides you with is unmatched by other Mercenaries.

As for Rahier, its Bastion skill can make Druid’s already strong survivability and defense capabilities even stronger, making the entire build have excellent tankiness. In addition, its Ground Slam skill can also help you gain offensive priority in some battles that require crowd control.

Best Legendary Aspects & Uniques

Of all the gear you can choose for your build, Legendary Aspects and Uniques are the most important. First, they are very rare and may take a long time to farm. They are also very important in a build and can even determine the play style of the build. Below are some of Legendary Aspects and Uniques you can choose in Lightning Storm Druid Build, but it is worth noting that you can also adjust them accordingly based on your inventory of Diablo 4 Items or your play style.

• Aspect of Retaliation: Core skills can deal with more damage.
• Skinwalker’s Aspect: Recover yourself with Shapeshifting skills.
• Aspect of the Unsatiated: Shredding enemy can enhance the spirit.
• Tempest Roar: Improves Storm and Werewolf skills.
• Unsung Ascetic’s Wraps: Critical hits unleash lightning.
• Shroud of False Death: Increased stealth and movement speed.
• Wildheart Hunger: Shapeshifting skills boost Bestial Rampage.
• Ring of Starless Skies: Spending primary resources reduces the resource cost of skills and increases damage.
• Mjölnic Ryng: Cataclysm can lift spirits.

These are some skills, mercenaries, and gear you can choose for Lightning Storm Druid Build in Diablo 4 Vessel Of Hatred DLC. Hopefully, you can use this unconventional build to explore the expansion easily, and expect this build to perform even better in the upcoming Season 7. Have fun playing!

Diablo 4 has maintained its popularity with constant updates and support. The team also ensures that the game remains attractive and fresh to both new and old players by continuously releasing seasonal content.

The release of Vessel of Hatred, the first official expansion this year, added a lot of new content to the game, including a variety of new enemies, loot pools, and boss encounters, further enriching the ways players can obtain Diablo 4 Gold. In particular, the new class Spiritborn introduced in Vessel of Hatred quickly became the first choice for many players with its unique skills and play styles, and was even overused to an almost ridiculous degree.

This class is a new and cool redesign of Witch Doctor in Diablo 3, which brings many unique skills and play styles to make players feel fresh and excited. As Diablo 4 Season 6 progresses, some particularly powerful Spiritborn builds have gradually surfaced, making this class extremely strong in the game.

Faced with this situation, the development team chose not to adjust these overly powerful builds through nerfs, but allowed players to enjoy the thrill of this power throughout Season 6. However, the development team also made it clear that this unbalanced state will not last forever, hinting that there may be changes in the future to restore the balance between the various classes in the game.

Now, Diablo 4 is about to enter the seventh season and has started the Public Test Realm (PTR). According to the current information, as previously announced, the seventh season has indeed been adjusted to a certain extent. Fans who want to dominate in Season 7 may need to switch from Spiritborn to Druid class.

Druid Build Beats Spiritborn

With the continuous updates and balance adjustments of the game, the peak period of Spiritborn seems to have passed, and new powerful builds are gradually emerging. A Diablo 4 player recently showed the Druid build he tested in PTR, which showed amazing potential.

This display reveals the potential capabilities of Druid class in the upcoming Season 7. By inspecting the details of this new build, we can find that it has defeated Spiritborn class, which was previously considered the strongest in the game, in actual combat.

While Spiritborn class is already very powerful with the right build, the new Druid build is clearly superior, with a damage output of a staggering 9.3 quadrillion. This data is not only impressive but also indicates that Druid may become the new dominant class in Season 7.

Broken Druid Build

To achieve this amazing damage output, the player used a special build of Diablo 4’s Druid class, Boulderstorm Druid build. This is an expansion and enhancement of the existing Boulder build in Druid class. By combining Boulder and Lightning Storm skills, he managed to achieve a damage output of up to 9.3 quadrillion.

However, it is worth noting that this achievement is still in PTR, so the development team may adjust or weaken some of Druid’s abilities before the official start of Season 7 to ensure the balance of the game. Nevertheless, judging from the current performance, Druid will undoubtedly play an important role in Season 7.

Druid Builds May Be Adjusted In Season 7

Looking back at the early release of Diablo 4 Season 6, we can see how powerful Spiritborn has become. Spiritborn has become one of the most powerful builds in the game over the past few weeks by stacking unique abilities and attribute improvements. Boulderstorm Druid is a response and development to this trend.

The developers are happy to see players enjoy the fun brought by Spiritborn. After all, it helps to increase the sales of Vessel of Hatred dungeons. They are unlikely to tolerate a completely unbalanced Druid build that is rampant in Season 7 and destroys the balance of the game.

Therefore, we can foresee that the development team may make some adjustments to Druid before the start of the next season to ensure that it is not too powerful. If the development team does not make too many changes to the new Druid build, it is likely that players will turn to this character when entering Season 7.

However, the good news is that Druid players are likely to be in the spotlight next season. With Season 7 update set to be released in January 2025, this will give players at least a month to use and explore the various possibilities of Spiritborn class.

This is exciting news for players who are keen to challenge new play styles and strategies. As Diablo 4 Season 7 approaches, players can look forward to a new chapter full of challenges and opportunities. Whether continuing to explore the powerful potential of Spiritborn or trying new Druid builds, every player will find their own unique gaming experience in the new season.

The continuous updates and support from the development team ensure that the game always remains fresh and attractive, while the enthusiasm and creativity of the players make Diablo 4 more vivid and interesting. Let us look forward to creating more unforgettable moments and legendary stories in Season 7.

In Diablo 4, in order to enhance the unique gameplay of the different builds of the six major professions, the game provides dozens of different equipment options, which can significantly improve the effect of your build. Among them, Razorplate is a special type of breastplate that is particularly suitable for Thorns-based builds.

Additionally, some unique items designed specifically for Spiritborn are introduced in Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred Expansion. Among them, Sepazontec is a Unique Quarterstaff that is very attractive for players looking to enhance their builds later in the game. However, obtaining this powerful piece of equipment requires some effort.

If you’re interested in how to get Razorplate and Melted Heart of Selig charms, we’ve got a detailed guide. Below, we’ll cover how to obtain these two powerful items and explain their effects.

How To Get Razorplate?

In Diablo 4, Razorplate is a unique item that can be obtained in multiple ways. First off, this unique item only drops under Torment difficulties, so you need to be at least Torment 1 to have a chance of getting it.

As you increase your Torment tier, the chance of a unique item dropping will increase accordingly, so if you want to maximize your chances of getting a Razorplate, it is recommended that you try to challenge higher Torment tiers. Of course, you can also use Diablo 4 Gold to speed up the process of reaching the highest Torment tier to save time.

Besides specific difficulty requirements, Razorplate can be obtained from any place where other types of items may be dropped, such as randomly dropped by defeating monsters, as a reward after completing Nightmare Dungeons, defeating World Bosses, or opening Helltide chests.

In order to obtain Razorplate, a unique item, more efficiently, players can choose to challenge Uber boss Lord Zir, as he has a higher chance of dropping Razorplate and other unique items.

To summon Uber boss Lord Zir, you can collect 12 Exquisite Blood by participating in Legion Events, World Bosses, Helltide Blood Maiden or Treasure Goblins in the game and use them to summon at Ancient’s Seat in Fractured Peaks. If you don’t get Razorplate after defeating Lord Zir once, you can try a few more times.

What Effects Does Razorplate Have?

Razorplate focuses on improving Thorns. Each attribute slot of this piece of equipment will directly increase the player’s total Thorns value. Additionally, Razorplate has a 10% chance to grant your Thorns an additional 100 to 200 points. This extra damage bonus can significantly improve your survivability and ability to hit enemies in combat.

Because of Razorplate’s special effects, it is particularly suitable for those builds that rely on Thorns damage, such as Rock Splitter Gorilla build in Spiritborn characters. In this build, players can utilize Razorplate to maximize their Thorns damage output. Also, this piece of equipment can be used by other Thorns-based Spiritborn builds or Thorns-based Barbarian builds, such as Rock Splitter Gorilla build.

How To Get Sepazontec?

In order to have a chance of obtaining Sepazontec, players first need to advance to the later stages of the game and collect the necessary materials for one of the two Lair Bosses. Not only are these boss battles challenging, but Sepazontec drops are not guaranteed, and it may take multiple attempts to successfully defeat them and get the desired drop.

• Duriel, King of Maggots
• Echo of Andariel

Players can try to obtain this Unique Quarterstaff by challenging the standard boss without having to invest a lot of time and energy in dealing with higher difficulty enemies. Because while fighting Tormented versions of Duriel and Andariel can also yield a Mythic Unique item, standard boss summons also has the same chance of dropping Sepazontec, and requires far fewer materials.

While the process can be long and difficult, Sepazontec is undoubtedly worth it for players looking for ultimate power and a unique gaming experience. Not only can it significantly improve the abilities of Spiritborn characters, but it can also bring players a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

What Effects Does Sepazontec Have?

• [16.0–35.0%] Chance for Basic skills to deal double damage
• [2–4] to Follow Through
• [0 - 242] Dexterity
• [1.6–6.0%] Basic Lucky Hit Chance
• Your Basic Skills Deal [25 - 50%] increased damage and always use their third attack Every third attack of a Basic Skill strikes three times

Sepazontec is best suited for builds that rely on base abilities to deal damage. There are a few particularly popular builds for Spiritborn class that effectively utilize their basic skills to deal damage, including Thrash Thorns Build and Rocksplitter Thorns Build. However, for builds using a standard Core ability or Focus ability, Rod of Kepeleke or a Legendary Item may be a more suitable choice.

In summary, in Diablo 4, by proper planning and strategically challenging enemies of various difficulty levels, players can acquire unique equipment like Razorplate to enhance their Thorns-based builds.

Meanwhile, for those players who are eager to further enhance the strength of their Spiritborn characters, while the process of obtaining Sepazontec may be challenging, the powerful buffs it brings are definitely worth a try. Whether you are pursuing ultimate damage output or enjoying the fun of exploring the unknown, Diablo 4 has prepared a wealth of content for every player waiting for you to discover.

Diablo 4 development team recently announced the upcoming 2.1 Public Test Realm. This move marks that the game developers are actively preparing for the next season of content updates and hope to collect data and feedback from players through PTR.

Although Season 6 has brought many popular additions to players, the development team is not resting on its laurels. They plan to launch Season 7 in January 2025, when a large amount of new content will be integrated again.

In order to ensure that the new season can be launched smoothly and meet player expectations, the development team revealed some of the upcoming changes through PTR 2.1 Campfire Chat. Now, with the newly released PTR patch notes, players can get a more comprehensive understanding of the upcoming changes.

2.1 PTR Patch Notes

In an article published on its website, the development team detailed all the features of the upcoming Diablo 4 2.1 PTR that will be available for players to try from December 3 to December 10, 2024. Some highlights mentioned in the article include the new Armory, where players can save and swap character builds. In addition, the article also introduces Witchcraft powers, including Eldritch, Psyche, and Growth and Decay.

Besides the new features, the article also mentioned the upcoming new enemy, Headrotten. This is a terrifying creature in Headhunt subzone. In addition, players can use Witchcraft to summon Diablo 4 weaponized amphibians to assist in combat. After successfully defeating Headrotten boss, players will obtain new socketable Occult Gems, runes, and numerous legendary aspects.

How To Get Into Diablo 4 Season 7 PTR?

Currently, the highly anticipated Diablo 4 Season 7 PTR has been announced for players on PC platform. Unfortunately, this test does not provide corresponding support for console users. To participate in this PTR test, players need to access your Diablo 4 through Battle.net launcher. If you have already obtained Diablo 4 through Battle. net or PC Game Pass, you can directly use this platform to operate without additional steps.

Once you have successfully opened Battle.net launcher, please find and click the drop-down menu option at the top of the interface. In the drop-down menu, find and select “in development tag” and then enter Public Test Realm.

Players need to wait patiently for a while before PTR is officially opened. At this time, players can prepare some resources in advance to optimize your gaming experience. For example, Diablo 4 Gold can be used to obtain equipment, props, and other necessary game items, which will help you perform better in the test.

It is worth mentioning that this PTR is open to all eligible players. As long as you can play the game normally on Battle.net, you can join the test without submitting an additional application.

In order to ensure the stability and balance of season 7, the development team is very eager to get as much user feedback as possible. Therefore, they encourage players to actively participate in PTR testing and share your opinions and suggestions through the in-game feedback tool or visit Diablo 4 PTR forum.

Diablo 4 2.1 PTR Fixes Loads

In the latest game update announcement, the development team announced a series of major fixes for Diablo 4 that will be released in the coming weeks. This update will not only introduce new Diablo 4 Items and runes to enrich the player’s gaming experience, but will also focus on solving multiple problem points that have long plagued the community.

One issue that has attracted much attention is the abnormal situation that occurs in Kichuk Stronghold under stagger builds. Since mid-October, when players using this play style encounter enemies called Dweller in the Dark, if these enemies are in a slowed state, they will become almost unbeatable.

This situation has seriously affected the game progress and fun of some players. The good news is that according to the official information released, this problem will be completely resolved in the upcoming Diablo 4 2.1 PTR. In addition, there are much other feedback collected opinions that will also be addressed accordingly.

Armory System

According to PTR patch notes, Armory will be introduced in Diablo 4, which is particularly suitable for players who like to try different character builds. With Armory, every hero has unprecedented freedom in how they equip their equipment, with each set of equipment being associated with specific skills and paragon points.

Armory in Diablo 4 is a tweak on Armory in Diablo 3, allowing each character to have five separate equipment slots. These slots not only store and load all items of equipment, including weapons and armor, but also keep track of the currently selected skill selections, paragon board, and glyph choices. When you view a saved set of equipment, the interface reveals all the components that make up the build.

In addition, if there is equipment that is no longer owned because of reasons such as selling, trading or recycling, its icon will be marked to distinguish it. It is worth noting that even if some components have changed, you can still freely replace any piece of equipment stored in Armory without being affected by the consumption of Diablo 4 Gold.

Although Armory is mainly used in major cities such as Sanctuary. It also provides access to important locations, such as Citadel and Kyovashad’s Training Grounds. It has yet to be confirmed whether smaller-scale scenes like Mercenaries’ Den will be supported.

The above information comes from PTR patch notes, so we may still see changes to this feature before it is released to the live game.