Are you playing Druid because you wanted to shapeshift into fantastical forms like a Werewolf and Werebear? Me neither. Shapeshifting is a crutch used by lesser Druids who lack the force of will to harden their human bodies against the forces of Hell. It’s Lightning time, baby.
Lightning Druids are a primarily (barring extremely rare Uniques) Human-form build that relies onLightning Storm,Hurricane,Cyclone Amor, andCataclysm. Throw in your fifth skill of choice (I opted forEarthen Bulwarkfor a little extra defense), and you’re good to go. Gear up for Vulnerability bonuses and Lightning Damage, as well as Critical Strike, and it’s time to start looking at the best Legendary Aspects to complement it all.
Best Offensive Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Lightning Dancer: This is a build-defining Offensive Aspect thatis not in the Codex, meaning you’ll need to find and either use or extract it from world drops. It gives our Critical Strikes the added bonus of spawning3 Dancing Boltsthat seek out foes and deal huge damage. It’s especially useful in large packs, as the boltscannot hit the same target they’re shed from.
Overload:Another hugely important Offensive Aspect, this time complimenting both oursingleandmulti-targetdamage. Overload gives our Lucky Hits a chance to cause the target torelease a damaging lightning burst on each instance of direct damage. This basically turns the target into a lightning rod and absolutely melts Bosses and Elites.
Related:Diablo 4 Extracting Aspects Explained
Runeworker’s Conduit:This is another Critical Strike-dependent Aspect that makes our Storm Skill Critical Strikescause Lightning Strikes in the area.Additional Critical Strikes extend the effect.
Aspect of the Tempest: This Aspectincreases our Hurricane’s damage by a percentage forevery second it’s active. Less important than those mentioned above, but still powerful since we will be using Hurricane at every opportunity.
Best Defensive Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Cyclonic Force: This Defensive Aspect makes ourCyclone Armor grant Physical Damage reductionin addition to its usual non-Physical reduction, and also applies it toall nearby allies. Who said we can’t play a little support?
Earthguard (if using Earthen Bulwark):This Aspect increases the barrier granted by our Earthen Bulwark by a percentage foreach enemy we Crowd Control. Since there’s so much Slow and Immobilize baked into our passive Lightning Skills, the bonus is basically always going to be 100%.
Mending Stone (if using Earthguard):If you’re going all-in on Earthen Bulwark, this Aspectincreases its duration to 6 seconds. Combine this with the huge shield from Earthguard listed above for a meaty defensive option.
Best Utility Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Exploiter’s Aspect:This increases theduration of Crowd Control effectsand grantsbonus damage to Unstoppable Enemies. The increased duration of our Crowd Control feeds into damage % bonuses against them granted by our Paragon board and Passive skills.
These are my personal, and there for objectively best, choices for Lightning Druid Aspects in Diablo 4. Truth be told, though, the best build isthe one you enjoy most.
If you’re still a little confused, we have aguide for both Legendary Aspects and the Codex of power.How convenient!
David Morgan
David is a pediatric asthma researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital by day, and Prima Freelancer by night. He always finds time for the games he loves, and then some more to tell you all about them.
