Celtic Heroes

I would like to level a druid to 110 (to use a dark grimoire). How do I maximize the heal? Should I start off as a hybrid druid? Should I find someone to level with?

What build is recommended for a hybrid druid?
What build is recommended for a pure heal druid?
Is abundance better than shield of bark?
Should I go pure focus and use abundance to cover health?
Is sanctuary worth it?
What is the maximum heal of a lvl 110 druid with a +5, +4, +3 (fabled ring) and +3 (silverweb ring) nature's touch with pure focus, a focus of the seer and a dark grimoire of health?

Thanks for answering! The help is much appreciated.

Hi! Do check out the guides in the Lexicon, they are your friends!

I'll address your questions individually:

How do I maximize the heal?

Your heal relies on three components: Focus, Nature Magic, and Skill Level. A general rule of thumb is: +25 per skill point, and 5 Nature Magic = 1 Focus

So... maximizing these components will maximize your heals (and other spells).

Should I start off as a hybrid druid?

I always suggest Hybrid builds for new Druids, primarily for the ability to heal/buff themselves, secondarily because it is uneconomical to have ~30 unused skill points. You only have 2 DPS skills until level 50, and even then, you only receive the third if you're able to acquire all the pages. Best to also emphasize survival: dead people can't kill!

Should I find someone to level with?

*Almost* always try leveling with a Rogue or Mage, Warrior if the prior are unavailable. Groups are best optimized at you + 1-2 others. When leveling with others, you may find yourself running out of mobs around your level: If so, cut back on the number of DPS in your group when leveling in that area in the future, if possible. If you are able to comfortably clear a leveling area by your own, there is no need to level with others.

What build is recommended for a hybrid druid?

Stats: Split 5/5 foc/vit (5 in vit one level, 5 in foc next level), or 3/2 foc/vit. I personally recommend 5/5
Skills: Strike, Vines, Touch, Bark

What build is recommended for a pure heal druid?

Stats: same as for hybrid
Skills: Touch, Bark, Breath, Embrace (or Bless)

Is abundance better than shield of bark?

Nope, the health preserved by bark far outweighs the health gained from abundance, in almost every situation (exception: fighting mages, etc)

Should I go pure focus and use abundance to cover health?

This was a strategy I used throughout The Otherworld, however it was made obsolete by the introduction of Chaos. In the past, it was "easy" to be full focus, as mob AoEs did not reach druids standing at full cast-range from the tank, however now many bosses have a Chaos AoE with a significantly larger radius.

Also, while 1 vit = 6.25 health, 1 focus < 6.25 health in abundance + skill points -- the focus gain will be unable to fully compensate your health loss. Low health also brings about issues when leveling, such as a common pitfall where you get "mobbed" by mobs, unable to revive+abund+heal before being killed again. This is especially common when a boss spawns while you are leveling, and when elixed caused great frustration!

Overall, keep your stats split 5/5 or 3/2, ad opt for health-adding gear instead. Focus boosts your energy AND your spellpower, while vit only boosts health -- you can subsidize your vit with vit/health adding gear, and dump the excess into focus to increase your spellpower!

Is sanctuary worth it?

Not really, it is nowhere near as powerful as Mages' energy shield, however at level 1 can be used as a tiny block if needed.

What is the maximum heal of a lvl 110 druid with a +5, +4, +3 (fabled ring) and +3 (silverweb ring) nature's touch with pure focus, a focus of the seer and a dark grimoire of health?

No idea... Your base is 25, so with rings 40, so around 1000 from the skill points. With the focus and natmagic, I would predict around 1.3k.



Best of luck, feel free to post further questions!

Hi! Do check out the guides in the Lexicon, they are your friends!

I'll address your questions individually:

How do I maximize the heal?

Your heal relies on three components: Focus, Nature Magic, and Skill Level. A general rule of thumb is: +25 per skill point, and 5 Nature Magic = 1 Focus

So... maximizing these components will maximize your heals (and other spells).

Should I start off as a hybrid druid?

I always suggest Hybrid builds for new Druids, primarily for the ability to heal/buff themselves, secondarily because it is uneconomical to have ~30 unused skill points. You only have 2 DPS skills until level 50, and even then, you only receive the third if you're able to acquire all the pages. Best to also emphasize survival: dead people can't kill!

Should I find someone to level with?

*Almost* always try leveling with a Rogue or Mage, Warrior if the prior are unavailable. Groups are best optimized at you + 1-2 others. When leveling with others, you may find yourself running out of mobs around your level: If so, cut back on the number of DPS in your group when leveling in that area in the future, if possible. If you are able to comfortably clear a leveling area by your own, there is no need to level with others.

What build is recommended for a hybrid druid?

Stats: Split 5/5 foc/vit (5 in vit one level, 5 in foc next level), or 3/2 foc/vit. I personally recommend 5/5
Skills: Strike, Vines, Touch, Bark

What build is recommended for a pure heal druid?

Stats: same as for hybrid
Skills: Touch, Bark, Breath, Embrace (or Bless)

Is abundance better than shield of bark?

Nope, the health preserved by bark far outweighs the health gained from abundance, in almost every situation (exception: fighting mages, etc)

Should I go pure focus and use abundance to cover health?

This was a strategy I used throughout The Otherworld, however it was made obsolete by the introduction of Chaos. In the past, it was "easy" to be full focus, as mob AoEs did not reach druids standing at full cast-range from the tank, however now many bosses have a Chaos AoE with a significantly larger radius.

Also, while 1 vit = 6.25 health, 1 focus < 6.25 health in abundance + skill points -- the focus gain will be unable to fully compensate your health loss. Low health also brings about issues when leveling, such as a common pitfall where you get "mobbed" by mobs, unable to revive+abund+heal before being killed again. This is especially common when a boss spawns while you are leveling, and when elixed caused great frustration!

Overall, keep your stats split 5/5 or 3/2, ad opt for health-adding gear instead. Focus boosts your energy AND your spellpower, while vit only boosts health -- you can subsidize your vit with vit/health adding gear, and dump the excess into focus to increase your spellpower!

Is sanctuary worth it?

Not really, it is nowhere near as powerful as Mages' energy shield, however at level 1 can be used as a tiny block if needed.

What is the maximum heal of a lvl 110 druid with a +5, +4, +3 (fabled ring) and +3 (silverweb ring) nature's touch with pure focus, a focus of the seer and a dark grimoire of health?

No idea... Your base is 25, so with rings 40, so around 1000 from the skill points. With the focus and natmagic, I would predict around 1.3k.



Best of luck, feel free to post further questions!

Should be stickied

Hi! Do check out the guides in the Lexicon, they are your friends!

I'll address your questions individually:

How do I maximize the heal?

Your heal relies on three components: Focus, Nature Magic, and Skill Level. A general rule of thumb is: +25 per skill point, and 5 Nature Magic = 1 Focus

So... maximizing these components will maximize your heals (and other spells).

Should I start off as a hybrid druid?

I always suggest Hybrid builds for new Druids, primarily for the ability to heal/buff themselves, secondarily because it is uneconomical to have ~30 unused skill points. You only have 2 DPS skills until level 50, and even then, you only receive the third if you're able to acquire all the pages. Best to also emphasize survival: dead people can't kill!

Should I find someone to level with?

*Almost* always try leveling with a Rogue or Mage, Warrior if the prior are unavailable. Groups are best optimized at you + 1-2 others. When leveling with others, you may find yourself running out of mobs around your level: If so, cut back on the number of DPS in your group when leveling in that area in the future, if possible. If you are able to comfortably clear a leveling area by your own, there is no need to level with others.

What build is recommended for a hybrid druid?

Stats: Split 5/5 foc/vit (5 in vit one level, 5 in foc next level), or 3/2 foc/vit. I personally recommend 5/5
Skills: Strike, Vines, Touch, Bark

What build is recommended for a pure heal druid?

Stats: same as for hybrid
Skills: Touch, Bark, Breath, Embrace (or Bless)

Is abundance better than shield of bark?

Nope, the health preserved by bark far outweighs the health gained from abundance, in almost every situation (exception: fighting mages, etc)

Should I go pure focus and use abundance to cover health?

This was a strategy I used throughout The Otherworld, however it was made obsolete by the introduction of Chaos. In the past, it was "easy" to be full focus, as mob AoEs did not reach druids standing at full cast-range from the tank, however now many bosses have a Chaos AoE with a significantly larger radius.

Also, while 1 vit = 6.25 health, 1 focus < 6.25 health in abundance + skill points -- the focus gain will be unable to fully compensate your health loss. Low health also brings about issues when leveling, such as a common pitfall where you get "mobbed" by mobs, unable to revive+abund+heal before being killed again. This is especially common when a boss spawns while you are leveling, and when elixed caused great frustration!

Overall, keep your stats split 5/5 or 3/2, ad opt for health-adding gear instead. Focus boosts your energy AND your spellpower, while vit only boosts health -- you can subsidize your vit with vit/health adding gear, and dump the excess into focus to increase your spellpower!

Is sanctuary worth it?

Not really, it is nowhere near as powerful as Mages' energy shield, however at level 1 can be used as a tiny block if needed.

What is the maximum heal of a lvl 110 druid with a +5, +4, +3 (fabled ring) and +3 (silverweb ring) nature's touch with pure focus, a focus of the seer and a dark grimoire of health?

No idea... Your base is 25, so with rings 40, so around 1000 from the skill points. With the focus and natmagic, I would predict around 1.3k.



Best of luck, feel free to post further questions!

Thanks! Your guides are very useful. I have another question- are wind builds useful below lvl 100 as well?

The probability of landing an auto attack is:

( your attack ) / ( your attack + their defense )

So, when fighting mobs, you need a buffer of defense for Winds to be effective (around 100-200 I would suggest) -- most players do not have such gear at those levels.

I generally recommend using bark, as it is easier to manage a personal buff than a debuff on individual mobs (you have to cast and land wind on every mob attacking you, which can be tough; bark never misses, and lasts multiple mobs), however I have known several who successfully used winds pre-100.

Overall though, it's up to you and your gear circumstances: when I used an auto-attack leveling method on my Druid alt from level 1-100, I had plenty of defense, and winds was very effective!