Melee Druid Build - Optimization suggestions (multiclass/items)

[Illuminati MLG]

Hi everyone,

TL;DR: I have a melee pure druid lvl 7 now and am wondering if I can optimize this build perhaps by multiclassing (dipping) a little into other (melee) disciplines or which weapons/armor to pick, but I have no idea what fits well since I'm new. Would appreciate general hints for what could work well.



I only recently started playing this game and was overwhelmed at first. Now I'm slowly getting into it and understanding more. So now I want to improve (respec if necessary) my melee Druid build.

There are a few useful general ideas in this thread, but nothing more advanced. I went with similar starting stats: https://steamcommunity.com/app/640820/discussions/0/3393916911759283574/

I basically went for all the self-buff options and have used two-handed weapons, and it does work overall but my char dies pretty quickly in combat when focused. (playing on a custom diff. between normal and challenging)
I feel like it's just suboptimal yet and could be made much better by investing points into some other melee class.
I read about someone dipping into monk, but I have neutral good alignment.

The idea was a "nature" warrior, who fights together with his pet in close combat and uses nature power to empower himself (playing half-orc). Maybe barbarian would benefit it (and fit thematically as well)?

Also, any advice on armor/weapon combinations would be appreciated.

[Dixon Sider]

If you want a warrior with a pet you should go barbarian. They have a sub-class with a pet

[Mork]

I personally like scimitar/shield + bear companion for mid to end game

The more overpower option is 1 level of monk and a shapeshifter build
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1856510662

[Amigo]

There is also scared huntsmaster inquisitor. He gets a pet at lvl 1 and teamwork feats make it really good.

[Dixon Sider]

I have a mele blight druid right now, and I use shapeshift a lot. If you get the cape from the bridge with the fake stag lord in it, you get a lot of extra buffs to your wolf shape. Although you cant get the benefit of the reach from enlarged in wolf form, you do get the benefit of the stat boosts. I would suggest a reach weapon while not in animal form however.

[Illuminati MLG]

Thanks for the other class suggestions, but I don't want to completely change, I want to make the Druid work optimally.

Originally posted by Dixon Sider:

I have a mele blight druid right now, and I use shapeshift a lot. If you get the cape from the bridge with the fake stag lord in it, you get a lot of extra buffs to your wolf shape. Although you cant get the benefit of the reach from enlarged in wolf form, you do get the benefit of the stat boosts. I would suggest a reach weapon while not in animal form however.

This is some great advice, I have that cape. And a reach weapon is probably really the best option!

[Illuminati MLG]

By the way, Dixon, is the Blight subtype better for melee? Some other shapeshifter builds I've seen also used that.

[Dixon Sider]

Originally posted by Illuminati MLG:

By the way, Dixon, is the Blight subtype better for melee? Some other shapeshifter builds I've seen also used that.

Yes, but only slightly. You get a pretty cool skill that can automatically debuff enemies that are close to you. I wanted to be a mele druid as well, so I looked at all 4 types very closely and thought that one was the best. You also can use better domains. I am using the darkness domain (im pretty sure its not listed as an option in the tooltips, but it let me choose it anyways).

Miasma is really nice though. It will show up often if your aways in mele range.

The drawback of a mele druid though is you are going to have low BAB compared to other classes. Its still manageable however

[Blood Flowers]

Originally posted by Illuminati MLG:

I read about someone dipping into monk, but I have neutral good alignment.

That's unfortunate. I was just going to suggest dipping 1 level of Traditional Monk and playing as a Shapeshifter.

There's always just the option to throw on Distortion and buff your Druid like crazy. The problem with melee druids tends to be that you don't have access to the spells that give you really good AC bonuses until you get your eighth tier spells (seamantle and frightful aspect - which stacks with legendary proportions and your shapeshifting natural armor bonus).

Still, if anything, just buff your druid and have it shapeshift into something rather large (bear, shambling mound, smilodon). This will allow you to attack as if you had a reach weapon.

[dwarner]

Defender of the True World is insanely good vs fae.

Splashing 5 levels of mad dog barbarian to give your pet and yourself extra flanking (and 5 lvls of full BAB and an extra bite while raging) and your pet improved trip is strong and/or three levels of sacred huntmaster to give your pet and yourself outflank and tandem trip is great. That will slow down your casting, but you get wild shape wolf by lvl 6 so all out melee Druid could get it all by lvl 14 without even needing to use Boon Companion.

I’ve got Amiri as a straight caster Defender Druid with Boon companion and two levels of barb for uncanny dodge and bite and it’s great. She uses smilodon shape.

When you’re shifted, you get effects from weapon and armor, but not damage or AC. So mallet of woe gives you freedom of movement. Shields give full effect so always equip one. Bracers of armor/mage armor also works. Oak’s Pelt from Varnhold DLC gives you
five extra armor you can’t get any other way.

Ways to up damage = magic fang, greater (have to cast in animal form using natural spell), fist amulets, monk splash, late scimitar.

[Illuminati MLG]

Originally posted by dwarner:

Defender of the True World is insanely good vs fae.

Splashing 5 levels of mad dog barbarian to give your pet and yourself extra flanking (and 5 lvls of full BAB and an extra bite while raging) and your pet improved trip is strong and/or three levels of sacred huntmaster to give your pet and yourself outflank and tandem trip is great. That will slow down your casting, but you get wild shape wolf by lvl 6 so all out melee Druid could get it all by lvl 14 without even needing to use Boon Companion.

I’ve got Amiri as a straight caster Defender Druid with Boon companion and two levels of barb for uncanny dodge and bite and it’s great. She uses smilodon shape.

When you’re shifted, you get effects from weapon and armor, but not damage or AC. So mallet of woe gives you freedom of movement. Shields give full effect so always equip one. Bracers of armor/mage armor also works. Oak’s Pelt from Varnhold DLC gives you
five extra armor you can’t get any other way.

Ways to up damage = magic fang, greater (have to cast in animal form using natural spell), fist amulets, monk splash, late scimitar.

Thanks for the interesting suggestion, but what does splash mean? Same as dipping?

[jsaving]

Yes, splashing is the same as dipping. If you want a melee-effective druid with a max level animal companion then you would commonly take 5 mad dog levels, 3 or 6 sacred huntsman levels, 1-2 monk levels, and then druid the rest of the way. You wouldn't consider blight druid because they don't get an animal companion, and would instead go defender of the true world as their anti-fey bonuses would kick in at endgame exactly when you need them most.

However please note that a druid is never going to be a great melee combatant, lagging top-tier DPS classes by a considerable margin while also lacking the AC to be a serviceable tank. With the above-mentioned splashes your main role would be tripping, summoning, providing an extra warm body to the group (animal companion), and dishing out just enough melee DPS to not embarrass yourself on the frontline.

[Blood Flowers]

Originally posted by jsaving:

However please note that a druid is never going to be a great melee combatant, lagging top-tier DPS classes by a considerable margin while also lacking the AC to be a serviceable tank.

Erm, 19 DotTW/1 Traditional Monk is a pretty solid frontliner. A little lower on the DPS end, but you have more than enough utility to make up for that. It's a bit lacking for super difficult fights (AC maxes out somewhere around 70-75), but there aren't many of those in the Campaign and even then you can just spam Creeping Doom / Elemental Swarm to still be useful.

Try:
Race: Motherless
10/18/10/5/19/7

1 DotTW
2 Traditional Monk
3-20 DotTW

Feats: Weapon Finesse, Crane Style, Dodge, Wing, Riposte, Boon Companion, Natural Spell

Gear: Agile Fists Amulet, Winter Wolf Cloak, that scimitar that gives on-hit damage with natural weapons (chapter like 5-6).

Ideally, your fights involve shape-shifting to Smilodon + buffing like crazy + summoning whatever you want (sometimes I take spell focus conjuration -> augment -> superior summoning for this reason). You should put out pretty good damage while still being tanky, even in Unfair.

[Veganleader1]

I have a blight druid right now at level 19 in a normal playthrough in the House at the Edge of Time. She is a motherless tiefling for the extra bite attack and uses the cloak of the winter wolf for the bite/trip effect. She is using the Claw of the Bear God Scimitar. She has 17 levels blight druid, 1 level of traditional monk, 1 level vivisectionist. Buffed atm her AC is 66 before engaging a fight with crane style +4 bonus. Her attacks have got to be quite broken because she will attack nonstop back-to-back bites maybe 10 times per turn, with each attack doing its regular damage and also the 1d6 sneak from vivisectionist and the 2d6 extra damage from the scimitar, and with all these hits the proc on the sword goes off frequently. I don't even go into shapeshift form because she does so much in caster form.

[Remove skull merchant]

Problem with half-orc is Diehard, which will keep your character standing until the final deathblow. Vivisectuinist...well, the mutagen bonus is time-limited. As has been said, Druid is not the best martial BAB-wise, if I had to play Druid, I'd take the anti-fey subclass with a level of Ranger (favored enemy:Fey) to be able to contribute in fights against fey, and not suffer the AC penalty from Rage.
Also Neutral Good is a alignment that I would never take as it locks Inquis, Monk and Paladin.

[Illuminati MLG]

Originally posted by Herr Brappner:

Also Neutral Good is a alignment that I would never take as it locks Inquis, Monk and Paladin.

But I need it for my roleplay feel :(

Originally posted by Herr Brappner:

Problem with half-orc is Diehard, which will keep your character standing until the final deathblow.

Also, why is that a problem?

Originally posted by jsaving:

You wouldn't consider blight druid because they don't get an animal companion, and would instead go defender of the true world as their anti-fey bonuses would kick in at endgame exactly when you need them most.

Oh that's good to know, then Blight is really out of question for me.

Originally posted by Blood Flowers:

Erm, 19 DotTW/1 Traditional Monk is a pretty solid frontliner.

Is the monk level such a necessity? Can I not get feats like crane style by other means as well?