I recently started a druid with with TS, wind devil, and storm totem as core skills. I intend to use tome of arcane wastes or a seal skill as filler. I’ve been doing well up until ultimate Ugdenbog.
This build has absolutely no way to refill its life mid combat aside from potions. I find I’m using mirror almost all the time when I get ganked and once thats out, I’m kiting for my life. With my so-so DPS, it usually doesn’t end well a lot. For reference, I have experience with PB, Soulrend winter king and CT with lifesteal and I have plenty of sustain with those builds.
So my question is, how do you survive as casters without lifesteal or a skill-based heal. Just kite for dear life and build defenses up? Probably doesn’t help that I’m still below 94 and caster gear at those levels have pitiful armor with only 70% absorb. This question also applies to casters with no sustain like PRM or blackwater sorcs, etc.
Best healing for casters that can’t life steal are Tree of Life/Behemoth/Dryad procs from personal experience.
If you have the equipments, there are a few pieces of gear that enables periodic heals, such as the Judicator rings.
Other honorable mentions: Mend Flesh (pretty good, scales well with health, but for non-summoner the raven tends to die randomly). Wendigo Totem (limits your character’s movement but heals well).
I have a storm totem/mortar trap build and I rely on constellations mostly (only ToF/Dryad, no Behemoth). Don’t have much issue.
If you can get yourself tanky enough that enemies can’t blitz you down then Wendigo Totem is easily the most efficient heal in the game (point for point wise, you can get higher life per second regen but it requires tremendous investment)
Also as a TSS druid you’ll likely have 30+% CDR which means healing devotions such as Tree of Life or Giant’s Blood activate more regularly if you spec into those.
Ok got myself to 100. The difference between pre- and post-AoM caster gear is nuts. I went from an average of 800~ armor to 1600~ in the char sheet. That and the added res from top end gear really helped me out a lot.
I have wendigo totem and it helps but I really don’t feel it makes a big difference. Wendigo has always annoyed me by rooting me to a small radius and I’m never sure if I’m still under it if I move a little. However, the added firepower of mythical gear makes a big difference. For reference, my lightning damage went from 1200% to 2400%. Thats about double my pre-AoM damage. Not to mention the sweet new skill mods for WD and TSS are great.
I like the suggestion to use defensive devotions. Unfortunately, this build was inspired by looking at the 3 elemental T3 constellations at the bottom and I’m sticking with that. My screen is a massive mess of spells going on. I get 7 tornadoes from WD and cindertouch, whirlpools and lots of rocks raining from the sky. I suppose I’ve made my bed with this build and just have to accept the loss of survivability but its still crazy fun to play. I kill the bad guys most of the time before they get me.