Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the extremely versatile (and fun)Druid. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Druid – Mage/Summoner Build
TheDruidis aSummonerwho utilizes hisConjure Incarnateto the fullest by buffing him to extreme lengths that make theIncarnateextremely deadly.Druidsalso come equipped with many utilitySkillsfrom many different skill lines and this allows them to have a wide variety of spells for nearly every situation.DruidsstackArmourup high so that they cannot be controlled and they force their enemies to deal with their Incarnate or face the consequences. NoBuilduses moreSkillsthan theDruid. TheDruidis simply anElementalistliving vicariously via the Incarnate.
Druid Attributes and Equipment
Druidsfocus primarily onMemorywith a secondary focus onIntelligence(yes you read that right).Druidsneed a butt load ofMemorybecause they use moreSkillsthan any otherBuildin the game, so be sure to place as many points as needed.Druidsdon’t deal much direct damage, but when they do, they want their spells to hit as hard as they can…thus theIntelligence. There is not anAttributethat increases summon strength, so you can match summoning with other sorts ofBuilds(like theRanger).
Druidswill utilizeIntelligence-based Armourand in doing so will have very highMagic Armour. This makes their primary threat melee and archer enemies, so they will need to watch out for these and deal with them accordingly. With thisBuildyou want to pumpSummoningup as high as you possibly can, so taking gear that hasSummoningon it is advised. However, becauseDruidsutilize such a wide variety ofSkills, taking the one with the highest number of overall bonuses may be better in some cases. When in doubt, just prioritizeSummoning.
Sometimes things like this ring are better than just something with Summoning on it. Always prioritize Summoning, but not over just overall better gear.
As far asWeaponsgo, you’ll want to use aWandandShieldfor maximumArmour. You won’t ever need to attack with yourWeapon, so we’ll take aWandhere just because you’ll have the correctAttributesfor it and they generally give a bonus toIntelligence. Always pick the one with best bonuses, not damage.Shieldswill help keep you alive, and will allow you to replenishArmouron yourself (and yourIncarnateif you haveSoul Mateon it). You can also useDeflective Barrierwith aShield, which works great with thisBuild.
Druid Talents and Abilities
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aDruid.
Druidswant to max out theirSummoningas quickly as they can, but they will need at least 1 point in nearly every skill line early on to make the best use of thisBuild.Druidsshould shoot for at least 2 points into every skill line exceptPolymorph,NecromancerandHuntsmanby somewhere in the middle of Act 2. The idea here is that you have access to all buffs for yourIncarnateas well as many usefulSkillslikeTeleportationorShackles of Pain, that help you control the situation while yourIncarnatemangles target after target. Your own character will have pretty mediocre damage on its own, but yourIncarnatewill hit like a freight train and you will be free to buff and cast supportSkillsfor you and your party.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Mnemonic- ThisTalentis extremely useful for thisBuildbecause you will be casting tons of buffs and spells and you will need to have the slots available for them all. Take this one first or second.
All Skilled Up- I really like thisTalentfor thisBuildbecause you’re spread all over the place and even one moreAbility Pointcomes in handy. Take this one 2nd or 3rd.
Far Out Man- A really goodTalentfor thisBuildbecause it will allow you to buff anyone you need more often than not. Take this orAll Skilled Upsecond.
Stench- Consider taking thisTalent4th because you don’t want to be attacked if you’re able to help it. It’s better if enemies attack yourIncarnateor another player that you can buff from behind (you heard me…).
Druid Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Druidswill use a heavy dose ofSummoning Skills,as well asSkillsfrom nearly every other skill line available.This allows them to buff theirIncarnateefficiently as well as cast other buffs and spells that help the group. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Summoning Skills
Conjure Incarnate- This is obviously a must have skill for thisBuildas being aDruidrevolves completely around it. Take this duringCharacter Creationand always cast it turn 1.
Elemental Totem- A great way to spend AP when you don’t have the greatest attacks in the world. Use extra AP on this when casting a damaging spell wouldn’t do a whole lot.
Dominate Mind- If you’re going to runSummoningyou might as well slot this skill. It comes in handy now and then and can help give you an edge for a turn or two by controlling an enemy.
Soul Mate- This is a great way to clearStatus Effectsfrom yourIncarnate(if you ever need to) and from other party members, while granting them bonusArmourandVitality. Very good for thisBuild.
All Infusions- You want to get EVERY single Infusion you can for yourIncarnate. You don’t need to get them all right away, but you should getPower, Farsight, Shadow and Warpas soon as you possibly can while filling in the others when convenient. Focus onFire,Lightning,Poisonand thenWater, in that order.
There are a total of 12 Infusions. Water is relatively useless so I didn’t bother getting the Source version.
Miscellaneous Skills
Teleportation- A great way to move melee units away from you or to get archers down from their height advantage. Has many uses outside of combat as well, so be sure to get it.
Nether Swap- Great for swapping places with archers or mages who have the high ground, or for moving melee units further away from you. Can also be used to move yourIncarnate.
Erratic Wisp- A great skill for increasingAir Resistanceon a target and for preventing them from being hit by multiple attacks from the same target. Consider casting this on yourself or a ranged DPS.
Fortify- Good for buffingPhysical Armouron whichever target needs it:Incarnate, yourself or anyone else. Also prevents you from beingTeleportedand removes someStatus Effects.
Armour of Frost- Excellent for buffingMagic Armourand removing unwantedStatus Effects. you may buff yourself,Incarnateor any other party member in range.
Rain- Can put outBurningteammates or create aWetsurface that you’re able to later freeze. This skill has just a lot of different uses both in and out of combat so it’s good to have.
Global Cooling- I like this skill because it has some wicked uses when used properly and only costs 1 AP. You might not need it every fight, but it’s nice to have just in case.
Peace of Mind- A great way to boost damage andCritical Chanceon a target and only costs 1 AP. Just an all around good skill to use on anyone in your party. Always cast when off cooldown.
Haste- An excellent skill for aDruidbecause you can buff yourIncarnatewith it on turn 1, giving him an additional AP right away. Even if it does not use it right away, yourIncarnatewill get an extra attack turn 2.
Adrenaline- This skill is sooo good forDruidsbecause they have many many 1 AP Skills that they can cast. Use this right away on turn 1 and buff the living shit out of everyone!
Phoenix Dive- This skill is great for moving to where you need to go for 1 AP. You can use otherSkillslike it as well but you shouldn’t need more than 1 or 2 tops. Great for getting away from melee.
Bouncing Shield- Since this skill doesn’t scale off anyAttributeit might be the best source of damage for thisBuild. Take this one early and never unslot it. Use as often as you can without sacrificing buffs.
Enrage- You can buff your Incarnate or other party members allowing them to deal huge damage. Use this wisely because it won’t work well onMagesor anyone who needs to move before attacking.
Deflective Barrier- A great way to punish enemies who attack you instead of yourIncarnate. I like to cast this turn 1 to ensure I get the most use of it, excepting when there doesn’t seem much of a chance I’ll be hit right away.
Final Tips
Firstly, when choosing how to buff yourIncarnatebe sure to inspect the target you want it to attack. It may have really high resistances to what you were going to attack with, so be sure to choose the least resisted type. You can inspect a target by right-clicking on it and then clicking “Examine”. Sometimes there is not obvious choice and you might just be better off attacking with physical damage.
Fully buffed stats on a Level 16 Incarnate.
You can play theDruidas aLone Wolf, but it is not nearly as useful as you will find that you have plenty of buffs to use every round, but only a couple of targets to use them on. The key to playing successfully here is to ensure that you always maintain yourIncarnate’sand your ownArmourvalues so that you cannot be CCed for 1 or more turns. Prioritize the lower of the two values and make sure neither of you are ever reduced below 0. When playingLone Wolfit is also suggested that you have some damage dealingSkills, that way you can help yourIncarnate.
When playing aDruidin a full party it shouldn’t be necessary for other characters to have many buffingSkillsslotted (if any at all because you should have them covered). For all intents in purposes your primary goal is to buff yourIncarnate, then your party, then yourself in that order. Your job is to make sure no one dies and to prioritize buffs based on what is happening on the battlefield and cast heals if you absolutely need to, and you’re able to slot 1 or 2 if necessary. Extra AP can be used castingElemental Totemsor rarely attacking.
You may be tempted to choose another “pet” for this sort ofBuild, however, you won’t find a more powerful one out there. The text on the the tooltip for theInfusionsis very misleading and they can seem underwhelming at first glance. For example onPower Infusionit says adds 521Physical Armourto yourIncarnate(atSummoning13), when in fact yourIncarnatewill actually gain closer to 1200Physical Armour. Same goes forFarsight InfusionandMagic Armour, and when you’re playingLone Wolfthese numbers only grow even higher. These twoInfusionsalone will make yourIncarnatehave moreArmourthan any other party member, with nearly as much damage, and much more flexibility.
I recommend playing as anElfwhen playing aDruidsimply because of theFlesh Sacrificeskill that can give you 1 extra AP for 1 turn.Druidsneed to throw out as many buffs as they can on the first turn and this can really help accelerate the effectiveness of thisBuild. Another good choice isFane, if you don’t mind being locked into a pre-made character who is alsoUndead, because he has theTime Warpskill that will allow you take 2 turns in a row, which is even better. No otherRacehas anyTalentsthat really help aSummonertype ofBuild.
Finally, you may play this sort ofBuildwith limiting yourself to one element and yourIncarnateto one as well, but it isn’t recommended. The reason for this that if you’re only going to do one type of damage, likeFire, you’ll have much less damage then if you just played aBattlemage. You also won’t have very much flexibility at all, because both you and yourIncarnatewill deal the same type of damage. You could try to split into two elements but then you’d be doing even less damage on average. This is why I suggest simply biting the bullet and realizing the role of theDruidisn’t as a primary damage dealer, but as a “Buffer” who has an extremely powerful pet.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
