help with Druid

[Golpista]

So I want to make a druid but I'm not sure how items are supposed to work with spiritshifting and I've heard that the spiritshifting is timed in battle ? I thought that spiritshifting would end in the end of combat, I don't know how armor and the weapon works,does the weapon and armor works with the spiritshifting ? and shields works too ? I was thinking in a tanky druid with stag form priority would be int res percep stacking deflection casting spells and doing aoe

thanks(my english is terrible)

[IT'S A TRAP!]

Your weapon and armor stats do not carry over when you shapeshift it instead uses your base attributes so for attack it would use your base Accuracy for example. This makes the Druid insanely powerful early game but tapers off more towards the end because you will find weapons that compensates the damage and then with enchants on top they easily surpass the damage of shapeshift. This isn't that bad though as their real strength is in their spells anyway.

If you wish to play the Druid as a tanky char I'd suggest using the Stag as it has a passive called Druid Stag Defenses which increases all defensive stats. They also reduce the damage of all attackers within 1m every time they attack.

You can also make use of abilties to make youself tankier such as Nature's Vigor for Endurance regen or Barksin for higher DR.

Also yes, spirit shifting is timed. You can try a mod like this one if you want to permanently say shape shifted.

http://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity/mods/18/?

[Dorok]

It's weird that shapeshift is timed when the game shows it modal. Well perhaps the mechanism is good but it's weird it's described as modal. Such time limited mechanism could allow more powerful shapeshift thanks to a time limit. But that's also why a Druid can't be a tank with shapeshift.

[vinzi]

a tank druid is an excelent idea. Just max your deflection stats and int then put the rest into con. Instead of class talents you just pick defensive traits.

As people have said above you never really shapeshift as a tank. With the bear you can get of a shout and swap back. Stag gives passive stats, but is that really intended?
You get some great debuffs, utility and heals. Certainly one of the more interresting tanks to play.

[Dorok]

The bonus defense of stag is mentioned in his description, it's too time limited to be useful for a druid tank, but perhaps it can be useful anyway. As is the shaepshifting it's like a special spell, more useful for a non Tank druid than for a Tank druid.

[Init]

it also has a very short duration witch makes it almost unusable you get about 2-3 hits in.

[Trench Rat]

I'm thinking about trying a solo run. Do you guys think its doable as a tanky druid? I'd prob be playing on Hard.

[Saboth]

Spiritshift starts out strong (really strong), but by endgame, I never used it. Mobs hit too hard. A druid is about 10x stronger as a caster. They get mega AOE spells, some decent single target spells, some good buffs. It would be different if spiritshift lasted more than a few seconds, but all it does is force you to run into melee range, you get a few good licks in, then it wears off, and you get beat down/interrupted.

[vinzi]

Originally posted by Dorok:

The bonus defense of stag is mentioned in his description, it's too time limited to be useful for a druid tank, but perhaps it can be useful anyway. As is the shaepshifting it's like a special spell, more useful for a non Tank druid than for a Tank druid.

The stag bonus is there even unshifted and never goes away.

[feralgal]

Originally posted by vinzi:

a tank druid is an excelent idea. Just max your deflection stats and int then put the rest into con. Instead of class talents you just pick defensive traits.

As people have said above you never really shapeshift as a tank. With the bear you can get of a shout and swap back. Stag gives passive stats, but is that really intended?
You get some great debuffs, utility and heals. Certainly one of the more interresting tanks to play.

I agree with this but I would not put much into con. A druid's base health and endurance multipliers are not high and since con increases those as a percentage, not a fixed amount, I'd put it in might or intellect (for longer or stronger buffs/debuffs). I think either approach would work (con if you want more passive character, might or intellect if you want don't mind more management).

The stag form always giving bonuses to defensive stats is probably a bug but who knows when they will fix it.

Edit to add: I don't think a druid is the best tank. But if you want someone who can tank but can also do other things (e.g., damage AoEs, buffs/debuffs) I think a druid can be a good tank.

[vinzi]

The main problem of the druid Tank isn't endurance because of the heals n buffs, but it is actually health. If your con is too low you will be running out of it very fast. It may seem like a bad trade but you need the con. Also helps with not getting 1 shotted.

PS: i'd scrap the idea of any tank besides the broken barbarians doing damage.

[feralgal]

Originally posted by vinzi:

The main problem of the druid Tank isn't endurance because of the heals n buffs, but it is actually health. If your con is too low you will be running out of it very fast. It may seem like a bad trade but you need the con. Also helps with not getting 1 shotted.

PS: i'd scrap the idea of any tank besides the broken barbarians doing damage.

I don't but then I use Eder for my primary tank. OTOH, I haven't increased PER at all and RES only a little on my druid. (I have ~7 CON.) I built my druid for casting, not tanking but have ended up using her as the secondary tank bc, even with bad stats, she is better than the other recruitable companions. I have used my druid for the primary tank when Eder was low on health and didn't have problems. At this point, I regret not putting more RES and PER on her bc I use her for a 2ndary tank more than a caster (bc per rest restrictions on spells). Maybe casting will get better as I level up and encounter different enemies.

I agree that other classes make better tanks than druids.

[vinzi]

Originally posted by feralgal:

Originally posted by vinzi:

The main problem of the druid Tank isn't endurance because of the heals n buffs, but it is actually health. If your con is too low you will be running out of it very fast. It may seem like a bad trade but you need the con. Also helps with not getting 1 shotted.

PS: i'd scrap the idea of any tank besides the broken barbarians doing damage.

I don't but then I use Eder for my primary tank. OTOH, I haven't increased PER at all and RES only a little on my druid. (I have ~7 CON.) I built my druid for casting, not tanking but have ended up using her as the secondary tank bc, even with bad stats, she is better than the other recruitable compaions. I have used my druid for the primary tank when Eder was low on health and didn't have problems. At this point, I regret not putting more RES on her bc I use her for a 2ndary tank more than a caster (bc per rest restrictions on spells).

I agree that other classes make better tanks than druids.

I am playing path of the endless with 6 Druids. 2 Tanks 1 Melee Support (thats probably what you are playing) 3 range casters.
In pure tanking the Warrior is king. No questions asked. But the druid can provide lots of controll and heals, along with some buffs and summons. You kinda swap some tanking potential for utility. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on your party setup. So in some cases the druid will be a superior choice.

[feralgal]

Originally posted by vinzi:

I am playing path of the endless with 6 Druids. 2 Tanks 1 Melee Support (thats probably what you are playing) 3 range casters.
In pure tanking the Warrior is king. No questions asked. But the druid can provide lots of controll and heals, along with some buffs and summons. You kinda swap some tanking potential for utility. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on your party setup. So in some cases the druid will be a superior choice.

I think most classes can be the best choice, depending on how you play and also your party composition. I'm not doing much melee support with mine. It's either ranged (for easy fights) with Eder tanking (if he has enough health), my druid (along with Aloth and Durance) buffing/debuffing and then damage (for druid and Aloth) in hard fights, or my druid tanking (when Eder is lowish on health - heavy armor on the druid, obviously). In any of them, if I need a 2nd tank, I use my druid if feasible. (Sometimes it's not bc of positioning and needing a 2nd tank ASAP.)

I like druids bc they are so versatile. With only one or two druids, their role varies a lot depending on the fight (how many enemies, terrain/amount of space, how tough are enemies and what are their weaknesses, etc.)

How is it going on paths of the damned with six druids? (Or do you mean the Endless Paths of Old Nua? I wasn't sure bc it sounds like we are using different translations of PoE. If so, how is that going?)

[vinzi]

Druids sure are one of the most fun classes to play. As long as you know what weakness of your enemys to exploit you get some really amazing payoffs.
Right now i am at the end of ch 2 on path of the damned ( you are right sorry for the bad translation im playing the german version)
Most fights are over pretty fast. Send the tanks ahead and nuke with 4 blizzards. During some harder fights like the lighthouse or Lle a Rhemen Ghosts i stack all of them together then cast 6 heals. Another great thing is that my casters aren't helpless when an enemy does happen to get through the defensive lines. They can supoort each other use summons as a shield and quickly dispose of the threat.
Was pretty satisfying when i lured the wild druids into my thunderstorm :3. Also pretty much any wildlife i come across gets stunlocked,lol.
Overall smooth sailing.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by vinzi:

Originally posted by Dorok:

The bonus defense of stag is mentioned in his description, it's too time limited to be useful for a druid tank, but perhaps it can be useful anyway. As is the shaepshifting it's like a special spell, more useful for a non Tank druid than for a Tank druid.

The stag bonus is there even unshifted and never goes away.

Didn't noticed, didn't played much my druid sswitched to wizard. But it's obviously a bug.