Druid Elemental Tree? Ewww, those skills are terrible! Who would want to use them? Someone who wants to play something a little different, that's who. The Druid's spell selection is actually not that bad, it is simply misused by most people. In this short guide I hope to show you a few tricks, so you will be able to better use them for the best effect possible: to kill in Hell difficulty, and look good while you are at it - and let's face it, anything that is different from 99% of other players has to look good! If you are after a guide on how to build an Elemental Druid, I would suggest reading Zarathustra's Guide to the Elemental Druid: I have not written my own guide, as I doubt I could even equal this one!
This is version 1.0 of the guide and was written for version 1.09 of Diablo II: Lord o Destruction. If you find any errors or inconsitancies in this guide, please let me know by my email: elricofgrans@yahoo.com.
Credits: Kudos to Heri for all his help with formulae here - I doubt I would have ever figured some of them out!
Firestorm is what every Elemental Druid begins with...and really is a bad intruduction to the whole tree. Not even comparable to Diablo's snakes of fire, the three small trails of fire from this skill are not very good. It may service to supliment your club at the beginning of the game, but other than killing two Fallen with one click, it does not really do much.
I've tried pumping points into this skill, but even in Normal Difficulty it is hard to get much use out of it. I would recommend only a single point ever be invested in Firestorm, unless Blizzard were to change it in future. Perhaps worst of all is the casting delay, preventing you from spamming the spell and at least getting a decent effect over time.
Statistics
Casting Delay: 0.6 seconds.
Fire Damage per second:
Levels 1-7: 2-6 * (3 + ((skill level - 1) * 3)) min, 2-6 * (6 + ((skill level - 1) * 3)) max.
Levels 8-16: 2-6 * (31 + ((skill level - 8) * 4)) min, 2-6 * (34 + ((skill level - 8) * 4)) max.
Level 17+: 2-6 * (87 + ((skill level - 16) * 5)) min, 2-6 * (90 + ((skill level - 16) * 5)) max.
Mana cost: 4 mana.
This is the first good spell available to your Druid: even with a single point, it can have utility use for you. Rolling a flaming boulder at your foes, they get knocked back every time it hits them, until at the end of its roll it explodes, leaving them in an area engulfed in flames, where they continue to suffer damage. While moving, the ball itself leaves a trail of flames, but this is of less use to you as few things walk into it, and what does shall not take a lot of damage for doing so.
With a single point, you can use this spell for two things: knocking things back to give yourself (and your allies) a little breathing space, and to look cool :D If you were to pile points into it, then you could also have a viable spell for Hell difficulty! Though it is not likely to ever become comparable to most powerful Sorceress spells, it still packs a mean punch, and if they cannot get near you, they'll have a lot more trouble scoring a hit.
Statistics
Casting Delay: 2 seconds.
Fire Damage per second:
Levels 1-7: 2-6 * (10 + ((skill level - 1) * 7)) min, 2-6 * (14 + ((skill level - 1) * 7)) max.
Levels 8-16: 2-6 * (38 + ((skill level - 8) * 9)) min, 2-6 * (42 + ((skill level - 8) * 9)) max.
Level 17+: 2-6 * (94 + ((skill level - 16) * 11)) min, 2-6 * (98 + ((skill level - 16) * 11)) max.
Explosion Radius: 4.6 yards.
Mana cost: 9.5 + (skill level * 1/2) mana.
I have long liked the Sorceress Inferno, so it was a natural progression to start using Arctic Blast. There are three ways this skill can be used: short bursts, long jets, or streams. The former is the most mana efficiant, and involves you simply clicking on the critter and sending off a few puffs of cold: this does decent damage, and chills them - making them easy prey for other spells. Long jets of Arctic Blast are definitely not the best way to preserve mana, but the totally damage for your attack can quickly add up: you simply click and hold until the critter falls. If you shift-click on the ground, and hold the button, you are able to move where the jet goes, creating a continual stream. This is very inefficiant damage wise, and is rarely of use for killing in Hell difficulty, but can be great for chilling a whole croud - this is a very effective tactic for managing large groups before ultimately crushing them with another spell. One thing you need to remember when using Arctic Blast is that it is actually two separate jets, side by side: if you want to deliver the full damage potential of the spell, you'll need to line your opponents up between the jets by attacking on the right angles. This can take practice, but you'll know when you get it right - after all, it's twice as much damage!
There's no halves with Arctic Blast: you need one point to get other spells along that branch of the tree, but if you plan to use it, you really do need to bring it to the max level by Hell Difficulty. At this power, you can kill with it alone, but if you do not put enough points into it, this would take a long time indeed.
Statistics
min mana to cast: 4 mana.
Cold Damage:
Levels 1-7: 2-6 * (21 + ((skill level - 1) * 16)) min, 2-6 * (40 + ((skill level - 1) * 16)) max.
Levels 8-16: 2-6 * (49 + ((skill level - 8) * 17)) min, 2-6 * (68 + ((skill level - 8) * 17)) max.
Level 17+: 2-6 * (105 + ((skill level - 16) * 18)) min, 2-6 * (124 + ((skill level - 16) * 18)) max.
Chilling length: 85 + (skill level * 15) frames.
Range: 2/3 * [(35 + (2 * (skill level - 1))) / 4]
Mana cost: [2-4 * (6 + (1 * (skill level-1))) * 12.5]
I was a little disappointed by this skill actually: it looked like it could be rather good, but in practice it's not great in Hell Difficulty. It is simple enough to use: you lay down the spell, then do whatever you can to keep things standing on the area of effect for the spell's duration: a stream of Arctic Blast would be perfect, but failing that you could run around the edge of the area, which would keep them walking over the vents.
I would recommend against using this spell, though if you are patient enough, it can be used through the game. Because it spreads its damage across an area, it would be best used against sizable groups, so that you get the most out of the attack. You would need to bring it to the max level if you were to use it, and I would strongly recommend also bringing either Hurricane or Arctic Blast to a good level to chill the critter so that they remain in place.
Statistics
Casting Delay: 2 seconds.
Fire Damage:
Levels 1-7: 15 + ((skill level - 1) * 6) min, 25 + ((skill level - 1) * 6) max.
Levels 8-16: 43 + ((skill level - 8) * 12) min, 53 + ((skill level - 8) * 12) max.
Level 17+: 99 + ((skill level - 16) * 16) min, 109 + ((skill level - 16) * 16) max.
4.1 vents open per second.
Radius: 4.6 seconds.
Duration: 3.2 seconds.
Mana cost: 15 mana.
This is one of those skills you just might as well get! Lets face it: no matter how good you are, you'll be hit by elemental attacks eventually, and being able to take them without damage at all is pretty darn handy! An Oblivion Knight hit you before you saw it? No problems: Cyclone Armour was up, and you're still at full life. Indeed, if you do not mind the prerequisite of Arctic Blast, I would recommend this skill for all Druids: not just Elemental Spell-based ones! You activate the spell, and then charge into battle.
You would probably need at least 15 points in this - in total, so less if you have +skills - for it to be worth while in Hell, but earlier you can get away with five or so. If you were to get more than this, then all the better, but I would not sacrifice killing speed for it...unless you are playing Hardcore, in which case this skill could potentially make all the difference. Any damage over the amount absorbed by the armour will be taken by your Druid, but if you have already reduced it by 100 or more, it would be significantly less painful than if you did not have this spell at all.
Statistics
Elemental damage absorbed: 28 + (12 * skill level) damage.
Mana cost: skill level + 4 mana.
This spell allows you to rapidly cast a series of twisters that deliver a small ammount of Physical Damage, and stun your foes. The problem with this spell is that the damage is not all that useful, and the stun lenght is way too short to be of any real use. The spell can be used to some effect in Normal, and if you wanted to it could also be quite viable in Nightmare, but in Hell difficulty it would be extremely difficult to make much progress with this spell. It does not even have any utility use, due to the stun wearing off before you can do anything useful.
I would not recommend use of this spell at all, but if you really wanted to, you would need to add a lot of points to it: a lot! Even in Normal difficulty you need quite a few points before it becomes truly useful. However, if you were to load up on enough skill adders, and get in close so that the damage of all three twisters hit the same critter(s) - relying upon the stun to keep you safe - then you could make use of this spell.
Statistics
Physical Damage:
Levels 1-7: 0.5 * (12 + ((skill level - 1) * 4)) min, 0.5 * (16 + ((skill level - 1) * 4)) max.
Levels 8-16: 0.5 * (40 + ((skill level - 8) * 7)) min, 0.5 * (44 + ((skill level - 8) * 7)) max.
Level 17+: 0.5 * (96 + ((skill level - 16) * 9)) min, 0.5 * (100 + ((skill level - 16) * 9)) max.
Stun Length: 0.4 seconds.
Mana cost: 7 mana.
Now we're getting into the particularly powerful spells. Volcano is so powreful that even a moderate level of it can be deadly in Hell difficulty, though effective use of it can be a little more difficult than most spells. When you cast the spell, a volcano appears at the point you selected: in no time at all it begins to erupt, spewing a firey death all around it. Due to the way is spreads its damage about, you could cast it in a group and let it spread damage all about them, however that is not the most efficiant way to use the spell. If you were to keep a critter or two - this tactic being especially effective against Mephisto, Diablo and Baal - standing on top of the volcano itself, they would recieve significantly more damage than they would if they wandered about. I find the best way to keep more mobile creatures in this area is to run tight loops around them, though if they are also speedy you may prefer to use Hurricane or Arctic Blast to slow them down.
I have found this spell can be effective in Hell difficulty at only level 10 or so, but for the best effect I would recommend bringing it to a much higher level, should you intend to use it as one of your main attacks. Still, if you only plan to use it in special circumstances - I like casting it under the Act Bosses, then attacking them with non-timer spells - then you should only put as many points into it as you can spare; you would need a few points invested here for it to be worth while though.
Statistics
Casting delay: 4 seconds.
Fire Damage:
Levels 1-7: 15 + ((skill level - 1) * 4) min, 20 + ((skill level - 1) * 4) max.
Levels 8-16: 43 + ((skill level - 8) * 8) min, 48 + ((skill level - 8) * 8) max.
Level 17+: 99 + ((skill level - 16) * 12) min, 104 + ((skill level - 16) * 12) max.
12.5 eruptions per second.
Radius: 8 yards.
Duration: 6 seconds.
Mana cost: 25 mana.
This is another often overlooked spell, that is actually rather useful. Now, most Elemental Druids have Bears or Mercenaries on hand, but if you want to go on your own power - or you want to throw in your own behind their attacks - then this spell is almost essential for Fire/Cold Immunes. Personally, I like to throw it at Cold Immunes while I already have my (timered) Fire Spell already causing decent enough damage. The way it zigzags, and will only travel along specific directions, makes it a difficult spell to use effectively, but with a little practice - and knowledge of how it moves - can make it effective at tearing up groups almost anywhere in the game.
I've found this spell can be effective in Hell difficulty with around 10 points invested into it, but if you intend to make any use of it I would urge you to put every point you can spare into this skill. On the other hand, many builds would not require additional physical damage - due to a powerul bear or mercenary - so for these only a single point need be invested. Do note that though it lists damage over time, you're not likely to score a second hit on a single critter - though I believe I have on occation (where it first hits them just as it is about to zip to the other side, then again as it moves). Also, it can move over areas players cannot (eg the 'space' in the Arcane Sanctuary and the fire in the River of Flame): when you know how to aim this spell correctly, it can be an effective tactic to sent it over these areas into groups that are unable to reach you.
Statistics
Physical Damage (every 0.6 seconds):
Levels 1-7: 25 + ((skill level - 1) * 8) min, 35 + ((skill level - 1) * 8) max.
Levels 8-16: 53 + ((skill level - 8) * 14) min, 63 + ((skill level - 8) * 14) max.
Level 17+: 109 + ((skill level - 16) * 20) min, 119 + ((skill level - 16) * 20) max.
Radius: 2 yards.
Mana cost: 10 mana.
This spell looks cool: what more need I say? Oh, yeah: it kills well too! The thing with Armageddon is that it aims the meteorites - in a circle centered on where you stand - before it drops them: this can be used to your advantage. If you are mobile, it is possible to make most hits count, and use Armageddon to tear groups to shreads. If you were to cast Armageddon, and stand before a group of critters, a few of the blasts would hit them, but not many. If you were to cast it, then start heading backwards, they would move to where you were standing before, and the first few blasts would be centered upon the group - if you kept this up the the spell's duration, then most of the blasts would hit them. My personal favourite is to load up a bit of faster run/walk, and run around the group: they will pretty well always be in the center of the area of effect, and with practice you can actually adjust your movements to ensure the blasts always hit something - as they fall in a fairly predictable pattern.
Although you could probably get by with less points, the best way to use this spell is to have it active at all times (well, except when fighting Fire Immunes), and use any non-timer spells as secondary damage. Because of that, I would urge you to bring this up to level 20 as soon as possible: for the end of Normal difficulty, and thoughout Nightmare, you'll tear things up like this. Things level off in Hell, but it is still extremely effective. To make the most of your damage output though, you really need to score as many hits as possible: how do you do that? Well, thankfully, the blasts of flame drop in a fairly predictable pattern, enabling you to predict where to position yourself for the next to hit. It is hard to describe, but the initial blast usually lands at about 11 o'clock (think of your druid standing at the center of the clock's face), and rotates around from left to right, up to down - never landing right where you had been standing. With some Fast Run/Walk equipment, you can zip about, lining critters up for easy hits.
Statistics
Casting Delay: 6 seconds.
Fire Damage:
Levels 1-7: 25 + ((skill level - 1) * 15) min, 75 + ((skill level - 1) * 15) max.
Levels 8-16: 53 + ((skill level - 8) * 20) min, 103 + ((skill level - 8) * 20) max.
Level 17+: 109 + ((skill level - 16) * 25) min, 159 + ((skill level - 16) * 25)
3.1 Meteorites per second.
Radius: 5.3 yards.
Duration: 10 seconds.
Mana cost: 35 mana.
Hurricane is your Armageddon for when fighting Fire Immunes: it works in a very similar manner, and in just the same way I recommend using it as a primary skill with a non-timer spell backing it up. It also works in a similar manner for where the damage is directed, however unlike the former spell, Hurricane gives you a great visual guide as to where the damage is being directed - this can also be used to help you learn to aim Armageddon! I have found either walking just in front of pursuing foes (or running if they are fast) is a great way to tick up Hurricane damage, while walking around a group can also be handy.
If you use it, I would suggest working on Hurricane right after your primary Fire spell - it would most likely be your Fire spell does more damage, but you'll want this for Hell difficutly - it is also quite handy through much of Nightmare too, even at lower levels. By the time you get to Hell, if you use this spell, you'll want to have it at as high a level as you can - like all cold spells, it does less damage than comparable attacks, so to make up for it you need to get the damage as high as possible. Unlike Armageddon, it's easy to score hits: every time it makes an attack, everything withing your area of effect takes a quick snap of damage. Perhaps the most useful aspect of this spell is that it does not seem to trigger Charged Bolts from Lightning Enchanted Bosses, so next time you see the power-builds running away, you can laugh and stand there, in complete safety.
Statistics
Casting Delay: 6 seconds.
Cold Damage (every 0.8 seconds):
Levels 1-7: 25 + ((skill level - 1) * 15) min, 50 + ((skill level - 1) * 15) max.
Levels 8-16: 53 + ((skill level - 8) * 20) min, 78 + ((skill level - 8) * 20) max.
Level 17+: 109 + ((skill level - 16) * 25) min, 134 + ((skill level - 16) * 25) max.
Radius: 5.3 yards.
Duration: 10 seconds.
Mana Cost: 30 mana.
Elemental Druids are rather difficult to play effectively, but I believe they are far more rewarding than most other builds out there. Currently they do not deliver much punch normally, but if you load up on skill bonuses, you can deliver impressive damage in Hell Difficulty. Indeed, they can be quite effective in Cows/Hell - if that is what you are into - where there are low numbers of players in the game. By the time it reaches five or so, even the powerful spells are becoming tedius, and I would expect you'd be adding very little in an eight player game, but if you want fast cow killing, play a Javelin Amazon or something!
My personal preference in playing an Elemental Druid is to put all points into the Elemental spells. Sure, you lose the life restoration of Carrion Vine, the hige life boost of Oak Sage, and the defensive qualities of Wolves or a Bear, but you do not need them: I do not even use a Mercenary! With a good cold and fire spell, Tornado, Cyclone Armour, and perhaps a few points spotted elsewhere for utility purposes, you have an effective build, throughout Hell difficulty. However, as I said before, if you want a real guide to making an elemental Druid, check out The Lurker Lounge: this is only a guide to using the spells.
