The Druid is a master of the earthly elements – including the weather. Here’s how to assemble the Lightning Storm Druid build in Diablo 4 Season 6.
Diablo 4 Season 6 gave all characters a shake-up after the Vessel of Hatred changed the game forever by adding more story quests and endgame modes. This included the various character builds players had come to rely on.
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 Lightning Storm build this season, here’s everything you know about how to build it.
Of course, the Lightning Storm Druid may be a big hitter in Season 7, so here’s how to put the build together.
Best Lightning Storm Druid skills
To assemble the Lightning Storm Druid build, allocate this many points on these active skills:
| Active Skill | Upgrades | Points Allocated |
|---|---|---|
| Maul | Enhanced | 1 |
| Lightning Storm | Enhanced, Raging | 5 |
| Earthen Bulwark | Enhanced | 1 |
| Cyclone Armor | – | 1 |
| Blood Howl | Enhanced, Preserving | 1 |
| Cataclysm | Prime, Supreme | 5 |
Also, allocate this many points on these passive skills:
| Passive Skill | Points Allocated |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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-Season 6 version of 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.
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 6:
| Spirit | Boon | Buff |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Wariness | Reduces damage from Elites |
| Eagle | Avian Wrath | Gain more critical strike damage |
| Wolf | Calamity | Ultimate skills last 35% longer |
| Snake | Calm before the Storm | Magic skills cooldown reduced |
| Eagle (Bond) | Iron Feather | Increase your maximum life |
Best Lightning Storm skill rotation
When running the Lightning Storm Druid build, you’ll need to make sure that you use your skills in the following order against mobs and elites:
- Cyclone Armor
- Cataclysm
- Lightning Storm
- Maul
- Blood Howl
- Earthen Bulwark
First, cast Cyclone Armor and Earthen Bulwark before approaching the mob to make yourself harder to kill – and annoying to fight. Then blast the mob or elites with your Ultimate skill, Cataclysm to do massive damage, then jump into combat and hit them with Lightning Storm.
Now, we’re going to be alternating between Maul and Lightning Storm as it suits us. Hit enemies with Lightning Storm, then switch to Maul when you run out of spirit. Should combat get tense, cast Blood Howl to shapeshift into a werewolf, earn a damage boost, and heal yourself.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
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
- Spirit
- Keeper
- Earth and Sky
- Fulminate
- Electrocution
Level 46
- Spirit
- Keeper
- Earth and Sky
- Fulminate
- Electrocution
Best Mercenaries for Lightning Storm 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Raheir | Hire | Ground Slam |
| Aldkin | Reinforcement | Field of Languish |
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.
Best Aspects
Here are the best Aspects you should hunt down for the Lightning Storm Druid build:
| Aspect | Power | Dungeon / How to obtain | Region | Obol Gamble / Item type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retaliation | Core skills deal more damage | Seaside Descent | Dry Steppes | – |
| Skinwalker’s | Shapeshifting skills heal you | Fading Echo | Kehjistan | – |
| Unsatiated | Shred increases spirit | Tormented Ruins | Fractured Peaks | – |
| Tempest Roar | Boosts Storm and Werewolf skills | Defeat Lord Zir | – | Helm |
| Unsung Ascetic’s Wraps | Critical strikes cast lightning | Random drop | – | Gloves |
| Shroud of False Death | Increases stealth and movement speed | – | – | Torso |
| Wildheart Hunger | Shapeshifting boosts Bestial Rampage | Defeat Lord Zir | – | – |
| Ring of Starless Skies | Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resources cost of your Skills and increases your damage | Defeat Duriel | – | Ring |
| Mjölnic Ryng | Cataclysm boosts spirit | Defeat Lord Zir | – | Ring |
Best items, equipment & sockets
Here’s the best gear you should hunt down for the Lightning Storm Druid build, including the best Runewords to use:
| Item | Socket | Item type | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempest Road | 2x Amethyst for extra Willpower | Helm | Boosts Storm and Werewolf skills |
| Shroud of False Death | 2x Amethyst for extra Willpower | Chest Armor | Increases stealth and movement speed |
| Unsung Ascetic’s Wraps | – | Gloves | Critical strikes cast lightning |
| Skinwalkers Runic Leggings | 2x Amethyst for extra Willpower | Pants | Shapeshifting skills heal you |
| Wildheart Hunger | – | Boots | Shapeshifting boosts bestial rampage |
| Shamanistic Staff of Retaliation | YulWat | Two-Handed Polearm | Core skills increase damage by 150% |
| Unbending Choker of the Unsatiated | Skull for extra armor | Amulet | Shred increases spirit |
| Mjölnic Ryng | Emerald for poison resistance | Ring 1 | Cataclysm boosts spirit |
| Ring of Starless Skies | Amethyst for Shadow Resistance | Ring 2 | Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resources cost of your Skills and increases your damage |
Best Lightning Storm 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 Necromancer build, make sure to check out our guides for the Druid, 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.
