Diablo 4 Storm Druid build and best skills

Discover the best Storm Druid build in Diablo 4

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Blizzard Entertainment

Want the best Diablo 4 Storm Druid build? Diablo 4 recently received its biggest update yet, ushering us into Season 1 and introducing the new Malignant Hearts mechanic. These offer strong new powers for every class, and the Storm Druid sees some significant buffs that’ll make it far more viable in the endgame.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to make the best Diablo 4 Storm Druid build, covering the Skills, Paragon Boards and Glyphs, Spirit Boons, Aspects, Stats, Gems, and Malignant Hearts that you’ll need.

We’ve updated this guide for Season 1, making it current with Patch 1.1.0. If it sees any changes in future updates, we’ll be sure to let you know!

If you’d like to try different Druid builds , take a look at our Diablo 4 Pulverize Druid build !

What is the best class in Diablo 4? Watch this video to find out.Watch on YouTube

Best Diablo 4 Storm Druid build

Our Diablo 4 Druid build is an AoE champion that spreads huge damage through mobs of enemies while also applying countless debuffs, nerfing hordes of enemies until they can do little more than stand there waiting for death.

We do have a single-target option in Trample, which is practically a must-have for most Druid builds, but we otherwise focus on melting mobs with surges of electricity.

Since it has an AoE focus, you should find that this Storm Druid build performs best while clearing Dungeons. That could be Side Dungeons during the campaign or those challenging Nightmare Dungeons in the endgame - as long as there are groups of enemies to obliterate, this Diablo 4 Druid build will wreak havoc.

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build skills

Below, you’ll find a full list of the skills that you should acquire for our Diablo 4 Druid build, in order:

Below, we’ll break down each of the active skills in this Diablo 4 Druid build:

Storm Strike

When you use Storm Strike , it will chain between enemies to deal damage to up to four enemies total with each hit. It also grants you 25% damage resistance, helping your Druid to tank enemy hits as you start swinging.

With upgrades, each hit will also have a 15% chance to Immobilize enemies for 2.5 seconds, and a 50% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.

Lightning Storm

Lightning Storm will bring one bolt of lightning crashing down in the target area. However, if you hold the skill and maintain casting, it will continue to unleash lightning strikes, with the number of bolts increasing each time up to a maximum of five. That means the longer you can hold Lightning Storm, the more damage you’ll deal and the wider its AoE effects will become.

Enhanced Lightning Storm makes that more consistent by preserving the size of your Lightning Storm for four seconds when you stop casting it. That means if you increase it to five bolts, dash into a group of enemies to refill your Spirit, and then start casting Lightning Storm again within four seconds, it’ll start at maximum power.

Cyclone Armor

Cyclone Armor is your main defensive skill for this Storm Druid build, offering 10% non-physical damage reduction and pushing back all nearby enemies, while also dealing some damage as they get knocked away.

The real boost comes from the upgrades though, with Enhanced Cyclone Armor slowing enemies and Innate Cyclone Armor making them Vulnerable for 3 seconds. That makes Cyclone Armor an excellent comeback skill, giving you some space and making all nearby enemies weaker so that you can tear them apart with your Storm skills.

Hurricane

Hurricane is another excellent skill to activate if you find yourself surrounded by enemies Unsurprisingly, it unleashes a Hurricane around your character that deals huge damage over 8 seconds to all surrounding enemies.

Like Cyclone Armor, it will also slow enemies and has a 15% chance to make them Vulnerable, making the two abilities work perfectly in tandem.

Trample

When you use Trample , you shapeshift into a Werebear and become Unstoppable, which ends any status effects that are currently on your character (such as Stunned).

You then charge forward, dealing huge damage and knocking back any enemies in your path. As an added bonus, it’ll also stun any enemies that are knocked into terrain, while dealing additional damage.

Trample’s upgrades turn it from a decent skill into one of the best in this build. Enhanced Trample increases the damage dealt by an additional 150%, which is an absolutely huge increase. This damage bonus does decrease by 50% for each additional enemy hit after the first, so save it for when you’re facing down a boss or Elite enemy that you want to take the brunt of the damage.

Cataclysm

Cataclysm unleashes a massive storm around your character for eight seconds, sending out bolts of lightning and twisting tornadoes all over. The Prime Cataclysm upgrade will extend it for an extra two seconds, giving you more time to devastate your enemies.

The final upgrade, Supreme Cataclysm, will make any enemies hit by its lightning strikes Vulnerable for two seconds.

If you’re not sure how to use these skills effectively, follow the attack pattern below:

1. Dash into a group of enemies and use Storm Strike to generate Spirit while making enemies Immobilized and Vulnerable.
2. Use Whirlwind and Cyclone Armor to knockback enemies, apply more debuffs, and deal plenty of damage while giving yourself some space.
3. Use Lightning Storm while manoeuvring between enemies.
4. Use Trample to escape if you find yourself boxed in, or use it to deal massive damage to a boss or single Elite enemy.
5. When you’re out of Spirit, get back in the fray with Storm Strike and use Cataclysm to keep up the AoE damage while waiting for Spirit to regenerate.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build: Best Paragon Boards and Glyphs

After reaching level 50, you will unlock Diablo 4’s Paragon system . This is a far more expansive set of passive abilities and Stat boosts that really unlock the full potential of a build.

Below, you can find our breakdown on which Paragon Boards and Glyphs we’d recommend taking, along with information on how to piece the boards together and which important nodes to grab. For a clearer view of how we’ve spent each and every Paragon Point, check out our Diablo 4 Storm Druid page on the Lothrik build calculator .

Starting Board

Take the right path up on the first board, heading through the rare Prime node. Continue to the Glyph socket and insert the Territorial Glyph. Then, grab 25 points of Dexterity nodes around the Glyph, before taking the left path up through the rare Impel node. Grab the three magic Damage nodes here, and then head to the Board Attachment Gate.

In total, the Starting Board should use 27 Paragon Points .

Thunderstruck

Thunderstruck is the first Paragon Board we should add, because it significantly buffs our damage against Vulnerable enemies. Rotate the board so that the Glyph socket is on the lower-right, and the Legendary node is near the top-left corner.

Start by taking the path right towards the Glpyh socket, through the rare Hubris node. Insert the Earth and Sky Glyph, gather up at least 40 Willpower from nearby nodes, and grab the rare Stormcaller node and any surrounding magic nodes. Then, continue up to the left, up through the rare Deluge node, until you reach the Legendary node.

Spend a few more points to grab the rare Tempest node and any surrounding magic nodes, and then scroll back over to the Glyph. Take the short path up from the Stormcaller node to reach the nearby Board Attachment Gate.

In total, the Thunderstruck board should use 56 Paragon Points .

Ancestral Guidance

With Ancestral Guidance , you’ll be able to get some huge boosts to your damage and Spirit Generation. To attach the board, rotate it so that the Legendary node is in the top-left corner, and the Glyph socket is in the lower-right corner.

Then, starting at the Board Attachment Gate on the left, head up and grab the Legendary node. Then, cut back down through the rare Reclamation node, grabbing all surrounding magic nodes, and continue right to reach the rare Natural Attunement node. Once again, grab all surrounding magic nodes, and then continue up and right to get the rare Spiritual Power node and the surrounding magic nodes.

Finally, make your way down to the Glyph socket and insert the Guzzler Glyph, grabbing at least 25 points worth of Intelligence from nearby to activate the additional bonus. Then, make your way over to the Board Attachment Gate on the right.

In total, the Ancestral Guidance board should use 63 Paragon Points .

Constricting Tendrils

Moving onto the Constricting Tendrils Board, we’re now purely focusing on getting Glyph sockets, as there aren’t any more powerful Legendary nodes that really synergise with this build. To get the Glyph socket easily, rotate the board so that the Glyph is in the lower-left corner.

From the left side, move down and across into the Glyph socket and insert Fulminate for increased Lightning damage. Scoop up any remaining Dexterity nodes nearb, and then continue to the Board Attachment Gate on the right side, grabbing the rare Devastation node and any surrounding magic nodes on the way.

In total, the Constricting Tendrils board should use 50 Paragon Points .

Inner Beast

Like the previous board, Inner Beast is purely about grabbing an extra Glyph socket. For the best position, rotate it so that the Glyph socket is in the center, and the rare Nimble node is near where you enter the board.

Starting on the left, move up and through the rare Nimble node, grabbing all surrounding magic nodes, and then continue to the Glyph socket. Insert the Exploit Glyph, and then scoop up any remaining Dexterity nodes for as much extra Vulnerable damage as possible.

In total, the Inner Beast board should use 29 Paragon Points .

Diablo 4 Druid build: Best Spirit Boon

The Druid class also has access to a unique Spirit Boon system, which allows you to pick a single unique effect from four different spirit trees. Each tree has four Boons that you can choose from, and you can have one Boon from each tree active at once, giving your four total. After unlocking all of the Boons, which you do by spending Druidic Spirit Offerings, you’ll gain the ability to activate a fifth Boon of your choosing.

Below, we’ll break down the five Boons that we’d recommend using with our Diablo 4 Druid build:

• Prickleskin : Gain 48 Thorns.
• Avian Wrath : Gain +30% Critical Strike Damage.
• Energize : Dealing damage has up to a 15% chance to restore 10 Spirit.
• Overload : Dealing Lightning damage has up to a 20% chance to cause the target to emit a static discharge, dealing 20% Lightning damage to surrounding enemies.
• Calm Before the Storm : Nature magic skills have up to a 10% chance on Lucky Hit to reduce the cooldown of your Ultimate skill by 2 seconds.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build: Best Aspects

As you complete Side Dungeons in Diablo 4, you will gain access to Aspects which modify or improve your abilities. Below, we’ll list the best Aspects for the Storm Druid and which dungeons you must complete to get them:

• Aspect of Cyclonic Force (Collapsed Vault - Kehjistan): Cyclone Armor also provides Physical damage reduction. In addition, Cyclone Armor will also be applied to all nearby allies.
• Aspect of Inner Calm (Campaign unlock - Scosglen): Deal 5% increased damage for each second you stand still, up to 30%.
• Aspect of Might (Dark Ravine - Dry Steppes): Basic skills grant 20% damage reduction for 2 seconds.
• Aspect of Shared Misery (Oblivion - Hawezar): Lucky Hit: When you hit a crowd controlled enemy, there is up to a 30% chance for that crowd control effect to spread to another unaffected enemy.
• Aspect of the Expectant (Underroot - Scosglen): Attacking enemies with a basic skill increases the damage of your next Core skill by 5%, up to 30%.
• Aspect of the Tempest (Blind Burrows - Hawezar): Hurricane damage is increased by 7% each second while active.
• Aspect of the Umbral (Champion’s Demise - Dey Steppes): Restore 1 of your primary resource (Spirit) when you crowd control an enemy.
• Aspect of Disobedience (Halls of the Damned - Kehjistan): You gain 0.25% increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to 25%.
• Overcharged Aspect (Mariner’s Refuge - Scosglen): Lucky Hit: Up to a 10% chance when dealing Lightning damage to overload the target for 3 seconds, causing any direct damage you deal to them to pulse 336 additional damage to surrounding enemies.
• Lightning Dancer’s Aspect (Legendary drop): Lightning Storm Critical Strikes spawn 3 Dancing Bolts that seek enemies in the area and deal Lightning damage.

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build: Best Stats

Gear will also drop with random Stats, known as Affixes in-game. Hunting for Gear with the best Affixes for your build is also crucial if you want to maximise its potential. Below, you’ll find the Stats that we’d recommend focusing on with this build:

• Vulnerable Damage
• Damage with Storm
• Damage with Core
• Willpower (increases skill damage)
• Intelligence (increases Spirit Regeneration)

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build: Best Gems

Many pieces of Gear in Diablo 4 will have gem sockets, in which you can place Gems to gain additional passive effects. These effects differ depending on whether the Gem is placed in a piece of Armor or a Weapon, but they’ll each offer small boosts that stack up to make your build far more powerful.

In Weapon Gem Sockets, use Skulls for some Life each time you get a kill. With your AoE-focused Call Lightning, you’ll be able to destroy large packs of enemies in moments, which will quickly take you back to full health with some Skulls in your weapons.

In Armor Sockets, Rubies offer increased maximum Life. This is especially useful for the Druid, as you’ll be stood still while casting Lightning Storm and therefore an easier target for any damage that enemies might sling your way.

For Jewelery, we’d usually recommend using Skulls for additional Armor. However, the new Malignant Hearts must be placed in Infested Sockets, which can only appear on Jewelry, so check the section below to learn how to use these.

Diablo 4 Storm Druid build: Best Malignant Hearts

The new Malignant Hearts bring powerful abilities that significantly enhance this Storm Druid build. These powers are similar to those offered by Legendary Aspects, but can only be gained when you equip a Caged Heart in an Infested Socket on a Jewelry item.

Below, you’ll find the best Malignant Hearts for the Storm Druid:

• The Unconstrained Beast : When you are hit with a Stun, Freeze or Knock Down effect, there is a 40-60% chance to automatically activate Grizzly Rage for 3 seconds.
• Revenge : 10-20% of incoming damage is instead suppressed. When you use a Defensive, Subterfuge, or a Macabre skill, all suppressed damage is amplified by 250% and explodes, dealing up to 1360-2040 Fire damage to nearby enemies.
• The Picana : Critical Strikes electrically charge the enemy for 0.72-2.50 seconds, causing lightning to arc between them and any other charged enemies dealing 68-136 Lightning damage.

That wraps up our Diablo 4 Druid build guide. If you want to check out a different class, take a look at our Diablo 4 Barbarian builds , Rogue builds , Necromancer builds , and Sorcerer builds .

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

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