Any tips for getting the most out of my first druid?

[Rfkannen]

So I think I might try playing a druid soon (last thread I posted) and I never have before.

Whenever I try out a new class I really want to get the most out of what the class is, and I often really regret it when I don't fully get a class before playing it.

For example, my first bard was a lawfull good streangth based goliath valor bard who I specifically said in his backstory hated illusions and mind control magic and thought they were evil. The entire time played him I kept thinking, oh gosh bards really get a lot of cool enchantment and illusion spells i really wish I was playing a trickster type. Also str based valor bard.... didn't work well. Also I really wished I was a lore bard because I wound up doing incredibly little actual melee combat as I was so much better at debudding enemies.


Even with other characters though, I always want to get the most out of a class and really get into what makes it special and fun.

Any tips for making a classic druid that really takes advantage of the class? What subclass, race, or play style really shows off the druid?

[Fable Wright]

The thing to remember, first and foremost, is that a Druid is a very flexible class, with some of the best non-Concentration battlefield control in the game (short of Forcecage) and excellent damage over time.

It is difficult to summarize everything that a Druid can do, so I'll just go with two broad categories of Druid: Constitution-based and Wisdom-based.

Wisdom-based Druids are what you usually think of with the class. They are the ones who call down Moonbeams from the sky, shoot Lightning Bolts (if they're a Mountain Druid), Call Lightning, and throw down powerful save or suck effects that make the battle impossible to win. At low level spells, your most common spells will be things like Entangle, Faerie Fire, Moonbeam, and Call Lightning. Your goal is usually to support the rest of the team by setting up situations where it's very hard for them to lose, like using Entangle to separate enemies into two groups or Faerie Fire to let your party's Sharpshooter just annihilate whatever's in front of them.

Constitution-based Druids are the ones who have one goal: Don't fail a concentration save. You probably favor spells like Spike Growth, Goodberry, Conjure Animals, Plant Growth, and Control Water/Transmute Rock to Mud with Water Walking to make the battlefield a deadly hazard for your enemies, and keep them from ever making meaningful progress while your designated damage deals with them. As a bonus, remember to keep Goodberry prepared—at the end of the day, convert all your leftover slots into free healing for tomorrow. For a Shepherd Druid, that damage might be their summons; if you're a Moon Druid, that designated damage might be your wildshape!

Of course, the vast majority of Druids combine these tactics. Wisdom Druids have the spells known available to have Water Walk prepared all the time; Constitution-based Moon Druids can get huge value out of Moonbeam when they shift into a form that automatically grapples the target (like a giant octopus) and drag them in and out of the Moonbeam to double-dip the damage.

The one thing to never forget is your Wild Shape. The ability to turn into a Giant Spider and shoot off some webs can help in combat, even for high-level non-Moon Druids; the ability to turn into a giant badger and make a tunnel sized for your party has solved many problems in my adventuring days; the ability to scout as an inconspicuous animal is never to be underestimated; and in a pinch, it can serve as a HP buffer when you're in a bad situation. I never have enough uses of it to do everything I want to do; it has always been extraordinarily handy.

The one thing to remember is that the a strength of the class is keeping the enemy from moving where they want to move. Damage isn't your strong suit, but of all the casters in the game, you have the most endurance. Cherish any non-Concentration spells you find useful, because what they are is powerful.

[Man_Over_Game]

Druids have much shorter range of spells than Wizards or Sorcerers (that is, in distance). Most of their spells revolve around mid-range combat and battlefield control. They also have excellent utility.

Mechanically, play them as a Cleric oriented around locking down bottlenecks and priority targets with more utility than buffs.