A small update for 1.9.6:
I recently played a bit again and, after some testing, found a few defensive improvements without changing the items, sacrifying damages or other stats.
So I tested a few naked challenges with this new setup and here are the results:
- We can now fully facetank the first half of ravager with a bit of luck and can kill him in 3 mins instead of 5.
Video here. - In SR 75-76, we can now fully facetank Fabius, Maiden and Grava Thul 1v1 (still need to dodge Grava Thul nullification projectiles though)
Here’s a run where I encounter the three of them. - Crucible 170 extra spawn is still doable naked, more easily but slower, 7:15.
Here’s a run with Alex, Fabius, Maiden and Grava. - For Callagadra, it does not change the difficulty at all
you still have to kite the hell out of her.
The changes:
Exit The Bat et Behemoth and welcome Scales of Ultama and The Dryad for a better and more consistent life sustain.
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“Tip the scales” of ultama works really well thanks to the 50 cdr, its trigger is also more effective than the bat since we want to be healed when being hit.
I made a small proof of concept video with a “tips the scale” test. Without anything I’m dying to regular mobs within 5 secs, with tips the scale enabled but no vitality to lightning conversion I die in less than 10 secs. With the conversion my hps are being refilled too fast for the damage and I just stop dying at all
. -
With dryad blessing bound on trozan sky shard (TSS) and again thx to our nice CDR, as long as you spam TSS without missing a beat you will also continuously heal. The 3 secs of mirror of ereoctes are usually enough to refill a half bar life just by spamming TSS.
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On top of that, Dryad an ultamas scales nodes are also far better for our build with the 4% physical resist, spirit, physique, and DA.
Better defensive stats thanks to the new devotion route :
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Oklaine’s lantern allow us to grab some %trap resist to reach a neat 72%: now all of our secondary resists are really good
. Our casting speed also went up a bit. -
With Jackal, Dryad and Tortoise changes in 1.9.6 we now jump from 17 to 27% physical resist. I also found a better lightbringer living ring (with the basilisk suffix) , it allowed me to replace some augments and components to boost the armor from 1973 (92% absorption, so 1815 damages soaked) to 2080 (100% absorption). With dryad being up most of the time it goes up to 2173.
We just leave one point in storm totems and keep using them to trigger Rhowan’s Crown Elemental Storm and spend the saved points into “overload” and “elemental balance” for OA and critical damage instead.
The only downside of this new setup is that since elemental storm is no longer bound to TSS but to the storm totems, you have more randomness to where the elemental storms triggers when theres a lot of ennemies. Its also a bit slower since you need to both deploy your totems and wait for the proc to happens. When bound to TSS, elemental storm (almost) always triggers and you are more certain about its location.
I also feel its fair to point out Monceaux Heal-Based Trozan Druid since it’s him who originally brought the Dryad healing druid to the table 
.