Major Druid problems

Why is the cast range for Wind Devil longer than the leash range?
Why is the leash range so unbearably short to begin with?
Why is the storm totem cast range shorter than the Wind Devil leash range?
I really want to enjoy playing Lightning Caster Druid, but the fact that I always have to run within melee range of my enemies just to drop Wind Devils and Storm Totems really kills any enjoyment I could get out of this class. This lack of consistency really annoys me.

You know you can use Pet Attack to direct Wind Devils?

I actually had no idea, because they don’t show up as commandable pets in the top left like other pets do.
This still doesn’t change my gripe about all the inconsistencies, though. Every time I drop new devils, I have to run forward even more to drop totems next to them, which is really frustrating and gets me killed constantly because of low armor caster gear.

mix in wendigo totem for survivability. i have a 100 druid in hc and its pretty tanky. max up maven’s + mogdrogen pact.

I’ve considered that, but I already feel like I’m lacking in skill points due to not having a complete endgame item set yet.

what are you using for damage? i’ve gone with AAR + totems, only use wind devils to apply debuff. I can post my build here if you like to take a look. I’m still using lvl 65 items and was able to finish Ultimate on HC.

because you’re not supposed to be this cheesy “i’m safe at max distance” caster with pets

storm totems can attack enemies at the same range of devils max leash range - if you could place totems further they could attack further and extend the cheese of using them/long range pet caster

you have a fat 0 heals, your problem isn’t low armour from caster armour, your problem is you have no way of sustaining yourself when you take dmg; and you will take dmg, there is no way of avoiding that in grim dawn

phys res is also low, way too low for most builds’ comfort
pierce res and acid res isn’t capped (on GT avg rolls at least, might differ in game for you) and also no vitality overcaps

you are taking some skills that don’t really benefit you much, atleast according to your method of play (savagery is a melee hit) - while not taking really important skills like 1pt Mirror of Ereoctes
not taking Mirror or 1pt Nullification or overspending on Iskandra’s Elemental Exchange isn’t really your biggest problem, it’s the heal and resist
if you look at most caster builds they go either regen (way more than the puny 200 you have there) or they go lifesteal procs ex bat, combined with heal procs like dryad or behemoth etc or from items
health potion is not enough to sustain you and is not intended to be your main or sole method of heal, so you need something “moar”

upping your phys res to 20 or more will also help a fair bit (along with sorting your other resist overcaps ofc) - but you need a way to heal, be it lifesteal regen or heal procs or a combination of them

it’s not an issue of endgame items (these just make resist and dmg better boosted), it’s some key fundamental shortcomings in the build approach
i’ve tried pseudo pets with minimal heals myself (still way more than you had) and since the pets dont’ tank for you like true pets does, ie you still take aggro and all the dmg, it’s impossible to survive without heals, no matter how high you get your devil or totem dmg

examples of GTs you can look at (from the starter build compendium); particularly look at the approaches they go to in terms of healing, despite mad focusing in lightning “pets”

Vindicator, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.1) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator (from Nery’s beginner vindicator)
Elementalist, Level 100 (GD 1.1.9.0) - Grim Dawn Build Calculator (from stupid_dragon’s beginner elementalist)

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The point of Savagery is because just having even 1 charge gives me +100% lightning and electrocute damage, so I can just keep doing single swings while kiting to keep the buff up, plus the extra devotion triggers for even more damage.
I understand the rest of what you’re saying, though. Kiting enemies around a circle of totems while they get whittled down by wind devils doesn’t work without more sustain.

it’s not really as much as you think since %dmg in GD is additive not multiplicative (1/27th or 3.7% of your current dmg)
so if it puts you in danger, or isn’t utilized “decently”, the points could potentially be better spent elsewhere with overall greater build benefit, despite the small dmg loss

but indeed, in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter that much, as currently the main issue you have is sustain/heal (and phys res)
after that is sorted it will probably be easier for you to determine whether you feel like you wanna utilize savagery, or use the points elsewhere ofc

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And also direct your Storm Totems to attack a target.