The Ultimate Guide to the Tornado Werewolf Endgame Druid Build in Diablo 4 (Season 1)

Introduction

Welcome to the Wolf-Nado build, a comprehensive guide on how to create a powerful Tornado wielding Werewolf with unparalleled tankiness and damage output. This unique build focuses on unleashing non-stop Tornadoes while stacking fortified life and immunity to crowd control. With massive amounts of Vulnerable Damage and stacked Critical Strikes, this build will send endgame enemies straight to hell in a devastating tornado. In this guide, we will cover all the basic mechanics and provide an in-depth analysis of the optimal setup for skills, paragon, and gear. Additionally, we have included a supporting YouTube video to showcase the build in action.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Before we dive into the details, let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of this build. For a comparison with other builds, you can refer to our build tier list.

Build Requirements

To make this build work properly, there is a single unique requirement and several legendary aspects that need to be acquired. The Tempest Roar is a mandatory item for this build, as it provides the necessary skills to function while in Werewolf form. In addition to that, you will need the following legendary aspects at a minimum:

1. Stormchaser’s Aspect
2. Dire Wolf’s Aspect
3. Aspect of the Dark Howl
4. Mighty Storm’s Aspect

We recommend having these five aspects ready for imprinting at a minimum. To fully optimize the build, it’s recommended to acquire all the legendary aspects listed in this guide.

Season of the Malignant

Season 1 Patch Updates

The Season 1 Patch Update introduced several changes that impact this build. Here are the specific changes:

• Fixed an issue where the seeking Tornados produced by Stormchaser’s Aspect would not deal damage.
• Reduced Storm Strike Damage Reduction from 25% to 15%.
• Spirit Glyph’s bonus now affects all damage instead of just core skills.
• Maximum stacks of Aspect of Disobedience reduced from 100 to 60, decreasing the maximum bonus armor % from 25-50% to 15-30%.
• Prime Grizzly Rage now grants Unstoppable for 6 seconds instead of while active.
• Masochistic now also requires a Lucky Hit chance of 75%.
• Cooldown Reduction on gear slots reduced by approximately 30%.
• Significant reductions to Vulnerable and Critical Strike Damage values (needs further testing).

Patch 1.1.1

The second major update for Season 1, Patch 1.1.1, released on August 8th, 2023. This patch brings some positive changes to Basic Generator Skills for Druids. The changes that directly affect this build are:

• Storm Strike – Spirit gain increased from 14 to 15.

It should be noted that none of these changes are build-breaking, and we have full confidence in the effectiveness of this build.

Malignant Hearts

The theme for Season 1 introduces a new form of legendary gem called Malignant Hearts. These hearts need to be socketed into matching colored sockets on all equipped jewelry. There are three types of hearts that can be placed into specific sockets, as well as one type that can be placed into any socket. For more information about the Malignant Hearts theme, check out our Malignant Hearts guide. Here are the Malignant Hearts that are useful for this build, ranked by importance:

1. Caged Heart of Tempting Fate
2. Caged Heart of Inexorable Force
3. Caged Heart of the Malignant Pact

Please note that this list is based on our early opinions on the Malignant Hearts and may be subject to change as we gather more data.

Video Guide

While this written guide is constantly evolving, the accompanying video should serve as a guideline. The written guide will always have the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

To maximize the effectiveness of the build, follow the points allocated in the image above for the complete 58 point build. The additional 10 skill points can be obtained through the Renown system.

If you are still leveling up to Level 50, prioritize raising Poison Creeper to 5/5 and adding the two enhancements as soon as possible. Once you have completed those seven points, focus on putting points into Call of the Wild. Keeping your Poison Creeper as strong as possible is crucial for efficient leveling.

Boons – The Druid Specialization

Boons are additional buffs provided to the Druid class as part of their specialization. To unlock your Boons, complete a simple quest on the west side of the map in the stronghold of “Tur Dulra”. This quest becomes available at Level 15 and should be completed as soon as possible. The Boon mechanic allows you to choose a single buff from each of the corresponding master animals and an additional Boon buff from a chosen master animal.

If you are still leveling to 50, you will gain the most benefits from focusing on enhancing your Poison Creeper skill. The Boon setup below will allow Lucky Hit strikes to have a chance to reset the cooldown of the Poison Creeper skill through the Packleader Boon.

If you are in the endgame and have completed the skill tree as shown above, utilize the following set of Boons for the best results.

Staying in Grizzly Rage as much as possible is crucial for both survival and damage output. Two of the boons mentioned above directly support our Ultimate Skill durations and cooldown. Calamity helps extend our Grizzly Rage by 25%, while Calm Before the Storm constantly reduces the cooldown of Grizzly Rage. Fortify per second, increased movement speed, and being unstoppable are essential buffs for progressing past Level 50 Nightmare Dungeons.

Paragon

To truly optimize this build for endgame, we recommend using the following legendary nodes and rare glyphs. Each rare glyph’s information listed below is based on the Level 21 version.

Let’s break down each of these beneficial nodes and where to position your paragon points. The order of importance is reflected in the order presented below. If you don’t have enough paragon points for all the nodes, gradually work towards each step.

Starting Board

1. Begin by selecting the nodes on the left-hand side of the board towards the rare node Tenacity.
2. Collect all the magic nodes surrounding Tenacity, except the life node (skip this one). This will provide a raw damage boost and increased life.
3. Continue towards the glyph location in the center of the starting board.
4. Focus on selecting as many dexterity nodes in the surrounding area highlighted by inserting the territorial glyph. The territorial glyph offers increased damage and a 10% damage reduction for close enemies.
5. Select both rare nodes inside the glyph radius, Impel and Resolve. For Resolve, choose the magic nodes that provide a dexterity bonus for critical strike chance. For Impel, follow the path shown in the image above.
6. Finally, head towards the top of the paragon board and attach the Inner Beast Board in the same position as shown in the image.

Inner Beast (2nd Board)

1. Head towards the glyph slot and insert the Glyph Werewolf, ensuring you take all the willpower nodes needed for the bonus.
2. Take the two rare nodes in the glyph’s radius, Shapeshifter and Determination. These nodes will increase both our damage and armor.
3. Proceed up the right-hand side of the board and pick up the two rare nodes, Tenacity and Havoc, along with the magic nodes shown above. These nodes will boost our damage, maximum life, and armor.
4. Complete the pathway to the connection points on both the top and right-hand side of the board. These connection points will be used later.
5. Lastly, follow the pathway to the connection point on the left-hand side of the board, picking up the rare node Nimble as you pass by. This will increase our attack speed and damage.
6. Now attach the next Paragon Board, Lust for Carnage, to the left-hand connection point.

Lust For Carnage (3rd Board)

1. Head towards the open glyph slot and take a small detour to pick up the rare node Wild’s Call.
2. Move to the glyph slot and insert Undaunted. This rare glyph amplifies our damage while fortified based on the intelligence nodes in the radius.
3. Take the regenerative rare node along the path to the glyph slot.
4. Proceed to the bottom of the paragon board and attach our next board: Thunderstruck.

Thunderstruck (4th Board)

1. Path towards the glyph slot and insert Earth and Sky. This glyph will buff the two nearby rare nodes we will select: Stormcaller and Hubris. We will also receive a bonus benefit of increased nature skill damage against Vulnerable enemies.
2. Select all the surrounding magic nodes, then proceed to the legendary node Thunderstruck. This will increase our critical strike damage.
3. Drop to the bottom right corner of the board and pick up the rare node Tempest, along with the surrounding magic nodes, to further increase our critical strike damage.
4. Return to the previous board, Inner Beast, and head to the right-hand side of the board. Attach our fourth board, Survival Instincts.

Survival Instincts (5th Board)

1. This is a shorter board. Path towards the rare node Bulwark, which will increase our damage reduction while fortified and provide a small bonus to fortification generation.
2. Head back to the Inner Beast board and take the upper connection point to attach the paragon board Heightened Malice.

Heightened Malice (6th Board)

1. Head to the open glyph slot and insert Exploit. Take all the dexterity nodes shown above for bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies.
2. Take the two rare nodes Nature-born and Sinking Fangs, along with their corresponding magic nodes. These nodes amplify our damage against poison enemies and improve our defenses against them.
3. Finally, head back to the left-hand side of the board and attach our final board, Constricting Tendrils.

Constricting Tendrils (7th Board)

1. Head towards the open glyph slot and insert the Spirit Glyph. This will increase our critical strike damage. Don’t forget to take the necessary dexterity points for the bonus.
2. Take the rare node Courage for the increase in maximum life.
3. This completes the paragon tree for this build.

Paragon board images courtesy of d4builds.gg. You can view the build here.

Mechanics and Playstyle

The playstyle of the Wolf-Nado build is similar to our previous builds. Start by building up your Spirit using the Storm Strike generator. The unique aspect of this build is its ability to self-sustain your Spirit pool. Once your Spirit is full, activate Grizzly Rage to trigger Vigilance and start building fortified life. With increased movement speed, reduced Spirit costs, and amplified Critical Strike Damage from kills, your damage will quickly ramp up. Be smart with your movement and avoid elite attacks.

If things get too chaotic, use Debilitating Roar to increase damage reduction and target tougher enemies with concentrated Tornado skills. Blood Howl can be used for additional Life replenishment and increased attack speed. To further enhance your rotation, utilize Storm Strike attacks for additional damage reduction and a chance to immobilize enemies. Lastly, activate Cyclone Armor for even more tankiness and keep unleashing devastating Tornadoes.

It’s important to note that this build offers multiple layers of defense to keep your damage reduction high, allowing you to tank enemies while dealing massive damage with Tornadoes. With each Critical Strike, you’ll also gain a bonus chunk of Life from the Dire Wolf’s Aspect.

Gear Choice and Stat Priority

As you begin farming in World Tier 3 and 4, rare and legendary items will start dropping more frequently. To optimize this build, target specific legendary items with the necessary aspects listed below. Additionally, carefully inspect rare items for targeted affixes according to the recommended rolls provided in the chart below. The following affixes are recommended in order of importance:

Please note that recent balance changes in Season 1 have reduced the amount of cooldown reduction found on gear by 30%. This may result in longer Grizzly Rage cooldowns, but we plan to reassess this once Season 1 begins.

A final point on acquiring the right affixes and legendary aspects: use your Obols to target farm them. Obols can be obtained through various activities in the game and should be reserved until you reach the maximum number. Instead of randomly spending them, use them strategically to target specific slots and find the gear you need. For help with optimizing Obol gambling, you can use the Obol Gambling Optimization Tool provided by Icy Veins.

Legendary Aspects

Listed below are the best-in-slot aspects found on legendary items that are essential for the Tornado Werewolf Druid build. While aspects from the Codex of Power can be used as substitutes, they have weaker effects. Extract aspects from lower-level legendary items and imprint them onto better rare items with preferred stats. The endgame goal is to imprint aspects with the best values on Ancestral rare items with an item power above or close to 800, then upgrade them through the Blacksmith. Each aspect is listed with its corresponding gear slot. Try to keep each aspect in the recommended slot.

Unique Items

This build can utilize multiple unique items to enhance its strength and gameplay. However, one unique item is absolutely mandatory: Tempest Roar.

Gems

To further boost your power, socket the following gems into your gear slots.

• Weapon: Royal Emerald for increased critical strike damage to vulnerable enemies.
• Armor: Royal Sapphire for damage reduction while fortified.
• Jewelry: Exclusively use Malignant Hearts for these slots.

Elixirs and Health Pots

Craft helpful elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes at the Alchemist in any main town. Forage plants and collect necessary crafting materials during your adventures to use in crafting. Use an elixir that provides the resistance you need or the assault elixir to increase attack speed.

Upon reaching Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80, and 90, return to the Alchemist to upgrade your health potion. The extra healing provided by upgraded potions is essential for survival.

Changelog

Stay up to date with the latest changes made to this build. Here are the updates:

• August 8th, 2023: Added notes about Patch 1.1.1 and a link for paragon optimization.
• August 6th, 2023: Reviewed and improved the build, including updates to the paragon tree and affixes.
• August 4th, 2023: Updated information on Malignant Hearts and paragon optimization for clarity.
• July 19th, 2023: Added a section on the Season of the Malignant.
• July 18th, 2023: Reviewed and adjusted the build based on Season One Patch Notes.

With this comprehensive guide, you’re now ready to unleash the power of the Tornado Werewolf Endgame Druid Build in Diablo 4 (Season 1). Good luck, and may your tornadoes wreak havoc upon your enemies!