Updated for Season 8
Build Introduction
The Shred Druid is a fast and mobile build, ambushing foes and overwhelming them with ferocious attacks! Dash and cleave enemies down with 
Shred and use your 
Poison Creeper for lethal Area of Effect Poisons. Supporting abilities help keep up Spirit, heal, and apply debuffs to enemies.
After progressing through the Main Story and reaching level 60, continue your Shred adventure with the Shred Druid Endgame Guide, or choose any of our Endgame Builds.
For general tips and information about leveling a Druid in Diablo 4, check out our Druid Leveling Page.
Seasonal: Looking for the right Boss Powers for the build? Check them out here.
Quick Navigation
This guide covers everything necessary to get started on the Shred Leveling Druid, including Skill Tree points, Paragon, Gearing, and Seasonal updates. Jump to the sections you’re looking for here:
Allocation of Skill Points
The table below outlines the recommended order for spending Skill Points. 59 Points are gained from leveling, and the remaining 12 are from completing Renown events in each zone, for a total of 71 Skill Points.
Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points
Petrify 
Blood Howl 
Trample 
Poison Creeper 
Storm Strike 
Shred Primal Shred is great for speedrunning through lower content.
Raging Shred is for higher total output when pushing content. This also interacts with Seasonal Power Ashava’s Poison Breath!
The Build Mechanics section helps explain how these Skills play and interact. Head there after setting up your skill bar.
Druid Class Mechanic – Spirit Boons
Druids unlock powerful Spirit Boon passives, giving offerings to the animal spirits to receive their Blessing. Once fully unlocked, activate the final Boon by Spirit Bonding with one of the four animal spirits to take two passives from that row. To access Spirit Boons:
- Reach Level 15, accepting the quest chain beginning with Druid: Spirits of the Lost Grove.
- Clear the Túr Dúlra Stronghold scenario in Scosglen.
- Complete the quest chain to gain access to the Animal Spirits.
| Boon Name | Animal | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Gift of the Stag | Deer | 30 Maximum Spirit. You gain 10 Spirit every second. |
| Scythe Talons | Eagle | Gain +15% increased Critical Strike Chance and 15% increased Lucky Hit Chance. |
| Pack Leader | Wolf | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a 30% chance to reset the Cooldowns of your Companion Skills. |
| Energize | Wolf | Lucky Hit: Dealing damage has up to a 15% chance to fully restore Spirit. |
| Masochistic | Snake | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes with Shapeshifting Skills have a chance to Heal you for 10% Maximum Life. |
Prioritize your first Spirit Offerings to unlock the the Deer’s Gift of the Stag for Spirit Recovery, then Wolf’s Pack Leader; Poison Creeper is a significant source of our damage so cooldown resets go a long way!
Gear, Stats, Gems, and Runes
Check these sections for important Shred gearing considerations to improve the power of your character while leveling.
Legendary Aspects
All Salvaged Legendary Powers will update within your Codex of Power. Legendary Items with Aspect powers can be found across all content in Diablo 4. Random dropped Legendary Aspects can have a specific range of power on them. For example, 
Stormclaw’s Aspect can roll between 60-80% for the effect. Salvaging a higher rank will improve the Aspect’s rank within your Codex from then on.
Aspects gained from Dungeons will enter the Codex of Power at rank 1. This makes Dungeons a great way to get started when putting together a build, without having to rely on random drops. For example, to access Stormclaw’s Aspect directly without needing a random drop, you can clear Anica’s Claim in Fractured Peaks. Some are locked behind Strongholds, and those will need cleared before accessing the dungeon.
The highest priority Legendary Aspects to get started with the Shred Leveling Druid build are available from the following dungeons:
| Legendary Aspect | Aspect Power | Dungeon Location | Recommended Slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stormclaw’s Aspect | Critical Strikes with Shred deal 60-80% of the damage dealt as Lightning damage to the target and surrounding enemies. | Anica’s Claim, Fractured Peaks Stronghold: Malnok Stronghold | Amulet |
 Aspect of the Unsatiated | After Critically Striking an enemy with Shred, you gain 15 Spirit. While at 100 Spirit, Werewolf Skills deal 20-40% increased damage until you go below 30 Spirit. | Tormented Ruins, Fractured Peaks | Ring |
| Aspect of the Umbral | Restore 1-8 of your Primary Resource when you Crowd Control an enemy. | Champion’s Demise, Dry Steppes | Ring |
- Stormclaw’s Aspect makes Shred Critical Strikes splash for extra Lightning damage in a small area. An Amulet is recommended for the higher multiplier. It can be placed on a 2 handed weapon as well, but while leveling, weapons are replaced often so it can get expensive in Gold and Crafting Materials.
- Aspect of the Unsatiated grants Spirit on Kill when killing enemies with Shred.
- The Wolf’s Spirit Boon Energize has a Lucky Hit chance to give 30 Spirit.
- Aspect of the Umbral is useful for Spirit Generation. Crowd-Controls are applied in a variety of ways. For this build, it is through ways like:
Neurotoxin and 
Toxic Claws interacting when Werewolf skills Critically Strike to apply a poison to the enemy.- Poison Creeper‘s passive attack applying Poison and the Active Skill’s Immobilize and Poison.
Other useful Aspects from the Codex are the following, sorted by type:
| Legendary Aspect | Aspect Type | Aspect Power | Dungeon Location |
|---|---|---|---|
 Aspect of Disobedience | Defensive | You gain 0.4-0.8% increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to 25-40%. | Halls of the Damned, Kehjistan |
| Aspect of Might | Defensive | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for 2-10 seconds. | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Skinwalker’s Aspect | Defensive | When you use a Shapeshifting Skill that changes your form, gain 5-25% Life. If you are at full Life, gain the same amount as Fortify. | Fading Echo, Kehjistan |
| Aspect of the Protector | Defensive | Damaging an Elite enemy grants you a Barrier absorbing X damage for 10 seconds. This effect can only happen once every 20 seconds. | Lost Archives, Fractured Peaks |
| Aspect of the Changeling’s Debt | Offensive | You deal 25-65% increased damage while hitting a Poisoned enemy as a Werebear or a Crowd Controlled enemy as a Werewolf. | Conclave, Kejistan |
| Aspect of Retaliation | Offensive | Your Core Skills deal up to 35-75% increased damage based on your amount of Fortify. | Seaside descent, Dry Steppes |
| Edgemaster’s Aspect | Offensive | Skills deal up to 5-25% increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. | Oldstones, Scosglen |
 Ghostwalker Aspect | Mobility | While Unstoppable and for 4 seconds after, you gain 10-30% increased Movement Speed and can move freely through enemies. | Broken Bulwark, Scosglen |
There are many notable Legendary Aspects that do not drop from dungeons. Look out for these while leveling:
 Aspect of the Agile Wolf | Utility | Shred gains a 4th attack that hits all surrounding enemies, deals 20-60% increased damage, and Knocks Down enemies for 2 seconds. |
| Aspect of the Blurred Beast | Offensive | Shred deals 55-70% more damage, and Shred has a 33% chance to land an additional strike, up to 4 times. |
| Aspect of Impending Deluge | Offensive | Storm Strike chains to twice as many targets and increases the damage the targets take from other skills by 30-50%[x] for 6 seconds. |
| Starlight Aspect | Resource | Gain 25-45 of your Primary Resource for every 20% of your Life that you Heal or every 120% Life that you Overheal while at Maximum Life. |
Druid can adjust to what drops or to playstyles they enjoy when they level. See what flex choices are available in the Druids Have Options! section.
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Below are the recommended Gear Affixes for each slot for the Shred Leveling Build. Gear Affixes are listed by importance. Affixes in Bold are the most important for the build, and alternatives are added as well.
| Slot | Gem | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Staff |  Emerald | Chance to Restore Spirit on Hit Willpower Max Life Spirit on Kill Critical Strike Damage |
| Helm |  Sapphire | Ranks in Poison Creeper Ranks to Companion Skills Willpower Max Life Spirit Per Second |
| Chest | Sapphire | Max Life Spirit Per Second Willpower Armor |
| Gloves | N/A | Ranks in Shred Critical Strike Chance Attack Speed Willpower Critical Strike Damage |
| Pants | Sapphire | Max Life Armor Willpower Dodge Chance |
| Boots | N/A | Movement Speed Spirit Per Second Willpower Dodge Chance |
| Amulet |  Diamond | Movement Speed Ranks to  EnvenomCritical Strike Chance Ranks in Companion Skills Resource Cost Reduction |
| Rings | Diamond | Critical Strike Chance Attack Speed Maximum Life Resource Generation Critical Strike Damage |
Critical Strike Chance is important for several parts of the build, including:
- Pack Leader Spirit Boon to reset Poison Creeper.
- Toxic Claws to help apply Slow with Neurotoxin for more Spirit from Aspect of the Umbral.
- Critical Strike Damage Multipliers from Primal Shred,
Petrify and Envenom. - Later, in the paragon system,
Lust for Carnage will give Spirit back on Werewolf Critical Strikes.
Tempering manuals are found across Sanctuary. The Blacksmith applies Tempering affixes on items. Manuals are divided by types; a Resource manual like 
Worldly Stability has Resource type tempers, and can only be placed on rings and amulet.
When tempering, the item will select one of the affixes from the chosen Manual. Temper rerolls to get the desired affix are limited. Unique Items cannot be Tempered.
Here’s a list of Useful tempers to look out for, sorted by type.
| Manual Type | Manual Name | Manual Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Werewolf Augments | Chance for Shred to deal double damage |
| Offensive | Natural Finesse | Damage to Close Enemies |
| Offensive | Werewolf Finesse | Werewolf Attack Speed Werewolf Critical Strike Chance |
| Utility | Worldly Fortune | Lucky Hit Impairment Reduction |
| Defensive | Worldly Endurance | Total Armor% |
| Mobility | Druid Motion | Ranks to  Digitigrade GaitMovement Speed |
| Mobility | Natural Motion | Movement Speed |
| Resource | Worldly Stability | Resource Generation |
Our endgame builds are designed for gameplay after level 60, including interactions and systems found in Torment difficulty and beyond. Check the Druid Builds page to progress your character further.
Uniques
Here’s some Uniques to look out for while leveling:
Mad Wolf’s Glee, with high ranks in all Werewolf Skills, including Shred.
Hunter’s Zenith, with strong gear affixes and an effect that grants periodic Critical Overpowers.
Waxing Gibbous increases ranks to Shred and kills with Shred grant stealth. After Stealth is broken, attacks are guaranteed Critical Strikes. 
Malefic Crescent is a good mid-game Unique Amulet that gives favorable affixes and boosts our 
Lupine Ferocity. It is ultimately replaced by a strong Legendary Amulet.
Gems and Runewords
See below for the best Gems to socket into your gear for each category:
Gems
- Weapon: Emerald for Critical Strike Damage.
- Armor: Sapphire for Willpower.
- Jewelry: Diamonds for All Resistances.
Runewords
Runewords are a flexible power to help strengthen a build or fill its weaknesses. Two Runes combine for the total Runeword effect:
- A conditional trigger Rune of Ritual that supplies Offerings when the condition is met
- An effect Rune of Invocation that costs Offerings.
Once the Rune of Ritual has supplied enough Offerings, the Rune of Invocation will trigger its effect. Runes of Invocation will have overflow effects, where excess Offerings will spillover to empower the triggered effect.
Runewords replace Gems in gear. Up to two sets of Runeword pairs can be placed at a time. Runeword combinations are placed within 2 sockets of the same item e.g. Helm, Chest, Pants or 2-handed Weapon.
The following are Runeword combinations for the Shred Leveling Druid. These leveling recommendations are limited to Magic and Rare quality runes, and are placed in 2-Handed Weapon and one Armor slot:
| Runeword Combination | Runeword Effects |
|---|---|
| Moni Lum |  Poc – Gain 100 Offering. Cast 2 Mobility or Macabre Skills. Lum – Requires: 5 Offering (Overflow: Increased Resource Restored) Cooldown: 1 Second.Restore 2.5 Primary Resource. |
| Noc Gar |  Noc – Gain: 5 Offering. Inflict a Crowd Control, gain double offering if it isn’t a Slow or Chill. Gar – Requires 25 Offering. Overflow: Gain Multiple Stacks. Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%. |
Shred is a mobility skill so works with 
Moni. Moni Lum will give a refund on Spirit after spending. Noc Gar will be a tidy Critical Strike Chance increase for damage and Packleader Boon resets. Crowd Control effects are applied from sources like Poison Creeper, or Toxic Claws with Neurotoxin.
There will be several Runeword combinations that help out and work, feel free to try them all out as you acquire the runes. For example, some of the damage effect triggers like 
Ton will do especially good damage in very early levels.
Boss Powers (Season 8)
Season 8: Belial’s Return offers Boss Powers, equipped from the Boss Power tab of the character sheet. One Main Power is chosen, and three modifier powers boost the Main Power or offer smaller bonuses.
Leveling Power recommendations will be limited to dungeon, incursion or world boss powers. Here’s a general recommendation for the Shred Leveling Druid:
Main Power
- Ashava’s Poison Breath OR
- Sinerat’s Flame
- Shred is a Mobility skill.
Ashava’s Poison Breath can be further boosted by Raging Shred, if used.
Secondary Modifiers
- Hatred’s Embrace’s Haste
- Wandering Death’s Chest Beam
- Blackmailer’s Sabotage
Mercenaries
Once unlocked, Mercenaries are followers that aid the Player in combat. A main mercenary is chosen to fight alongside you, granting strong buffs or perks, and a secondary Mercenary is chosen to periodically Reinforce you under a chosen Opportunity condition. As you build Rapport with your Mercenary, you gain more access to their Skills and Perks.
The following Mercenary options are recommended for the Shred Leveling Druid:
Main Mercenary – Varyana, the Berserker
- Skills:
Cleave, 
Hysteria, 
Bloodthirst, 
Bloodlust
Reinforcement – Raheir, the Shieldbearer
Hysteria and Bloodlust will both give strong Attack Speed bonuses.
Build Mechanics
Rotation and Playstyle
- Use Shred to close distance or to help gather enemies.
- Use Poison Creeper on gathered enemies for lethal Poison damage.
- Petrify to apply Stun and Critical Strike Damage multipliers to significant enemies like Bosses and Elites.
- Shred your enemies, fishing for resets of Poison Creeper from Spirit Boon Pack Leader.
Blood Howl and 
Trample for Spirit generation.
Storm Strike as filler to generate Spirit and to apply Vulnerable status.
Skills, Support and Synergies
The primary sources of damage for the Shred Leveling Druid are Shred and Poison Creeper.
Shred dashes to enemies, dealing a three-hit combo in a cleave, with the third cast doing more damage in a wider arc. Stormclaw’s Aspect allows Shred Critical Strikes to explode in a small area to the target and nearby enemies.
- Enhanced Shred makes Shred cast faster and heal on attack.
- Primal Shred increases Shred’s Critical Strike Damage, and you will now dash towards enemies if they are not already in range for the second and third hit of Shred’s 3-hit combo.
Poison Creeper is a Companion that passively attacks to apply a small Poison. The Active Skill deals significant Poison damage over time in a wide area around the player and Immobilizes enemies.
- Enhanced Poison Creeper increases the Immobilize duration.
- Brutal Poison Creeper gives extra Critical Strike Chance when enemies are Immobilized by the Creeper.
The active cast of Poison Creeper, especially in early levels, is lethal damage to all but the toughest enemies, making it very efficient to use on most leveling builds. We take Pack Leader boon to reset the Companion Active Skill, and Shred‘s improved attack speed helps reset this faster.
Supporting Skills
Supporting abilities for the build include Storm Strike, Blood Howl, Trample and Petrify.
- Storm Strike is our Basic Skill to generate spirit, apply Vulnerable status, gain Damage Reduction.
- Blood Howl is a handy heal and with Innate Blood Howl, a Spirit Generator.
- Trample is a damage and mobility tool, knockback, and source of Unstoppable for Crowd Control prevention or removal. With Savage Trample it is another Spirit Generator. Trample also upkeeps Werebear Shapeshifting buffs like
Heightened Senses and 
Quickshift. - Petrify is an Ultimate ability in a wide area. This is used as a Stun, significant Critical Strike Damage multiplier to all affected enemies, and with Aspect of the Umbral helps generate Spirit when the Stun is applied.
Our Key Passive is Lupine Ferocity. Guaranteed Critical Strikes will help trigger Pack Leader resets and trigger Stormclaw’s Aspect.
Spirit Generation
This build has a few sources of Spirit Generation to keep Shredding. These include:
- Our Basic Skill Storm Strike generates Spirit when hitting enemies.
- Innate Blood Howl and Trample generate Spirit on Active Skill use.
- Aspect of the Unsatiated grants Spirit when Shred kills an enemy.
- Aspect of the Umbral restores Spirit when enemies are Crowd Controlled. This includes:
- Stuns from Petrify.
- Immobilizes from Poison Creeper and Storm Strike.
- Knockbacks from Trample.
- Slows applied from Werewolf skills and Poison sources from the combination of Toxic Claws and Neurotoxin.
- Stuns from
- The Poc Lum Runeword gives Spirit Refunds after Spending Spirit.
Druids Have Options!
Any of the supporting skills Blood Howl, Trample, or Petrify can be substituted for another desirable supporting Skill depending on looted Legendary Aspects, playstyle, leveling content, or preference. Some examples to try can include:
- Want another Single Target option and Fortify Generation? Take
Wolves up to Ferocious Wolf Pack. - Want the whole Companion Zoo? Sure! Take Wolves and
Ravens. Use them with Shepherd’s Aspect from Bloodsoaked Crag in Dry Steppes. If you find a Aspect of the Alpha, Wolves can deal serious damage and tank hits well. - This build recommends the Spirit Generation on Blood Howl and Trample for smoothness of play, but the other passives, such as Enhanced Blood Howl for Attack Speed and Natural Trample for Fortify Generation work too!
- Want an additional Defensive?
Earthen Bulwark can provide Barrier, Unstoppable, and Fortify. - Interested in other Ultimates?
Lacerate can be an effective shorter cooldown buff and set up strong hits with its damage buff. If you found a Blood Boiling Aspect, line that up with casts of 
Cataclysm for large screenwide overpower for the entire cast.
Looking at the other Basic Attacks? Storm Strike gives great Damage Reduction and can apply Vulnerable status. The other Basic Attacks are usable as well! 
Fierce Wind Shear gives some nice movement speed. Grab Aspect of the Calm Breeze for some extra damage.
Lupine Ferocity is used for the guaranteed Critical Strike chance and periodic high burst damage, and is also useful for things like Spirit Boon Pack Leader or Stormclaw’s Aspect. 
Bestial Rampage can be more total damage but is disruptive, requiring 2 seconds in Werebear form each cast of Trample to maintain the damage multiplier. 
Ursine Strength can also be used as a more consistent Modifier and Health bonus.
Which Elixirs Should You Use?
The Alchemist offers helpful consumables at the cost of foraged materials found throughout Sanctuary.
- Craft the highest
Elixir of Precision for Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage and bonus Experience. Or 
Iron Skin Elixir can help push the Capstone Dungeons earlier and easier. - Remember to upgrade your potion as you level, increasing the instant healing of the potion. Upgrades are available when you reach Level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60.
Season 8 Updates
There’s a few improvements for the Shred Leveling Druid this season. Spirit Management will be easier than ever and Storm Strike got a few buffs.
The following list details the important changes in the Season 8 Patch Updates that are specific to the Shred Leveling Druid. For general Season 8 information, check out our Season 8 Hub.
Itemization:
- Worldly Fortune
- Lucky Hit: Chance to Apply Crowd Control affixes have been removed.
- New Affixes: Lucky Hit Chance, Impairment Reduction, Crowd Control Duration.
- New Aspect – Aspect of Impending Deluge (Offensive) – Storm Strike chains to twice as many targets and increases the damage the targets take from other skills by 30-50% for 6 seconds.
Skills and Stats:
- Enhanced Blood Howl
- Previous: Kills reduce the cooldown of Blood Howl Blood Howl by 1 second.
- Now: Killing enemies reduce the Cooldown of Blood Howl by 1 second and hitting a Boss reduces its Cooldown by 0.3 seconds.
- Storm Strike – Chain acquisition radius increased by 50%.
- Fierce Storm Strike –
- Previous: Storm Strike has a 50% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
- Now: Storm Strike makes enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
- Gift of the Stag Spirit Boon – Maximum Spirit reduced from 40 to 30. Spirit generation increased from 5 to 10.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed an issue where the bonus description for Lupine Ferocity had incorrect information.
- Fixed an issue where the description for Malefic Crescent said damage was increased “to” instead of increased “by.”
Difficulty and Endgame
Once you’re ready, at level 60 or even sooner, it’s time to start those Endgame Activities.
Choosing your World Tier: The fastest experience is Adventurer. Each additional step in difficulty will increase experience and rewards; but can be at a total speed loss if things are living too long, extending the leveling process. If you find a high value Legendary Aspect multiplier like Aspect of the Blurred Beast, try out higher difficulties!
Once you’re ready at level 60 or even sooner it’s time to start those Endgame Activities.
After Level 60, you gain no more Skill Points and instead start progressing in the Paragon Board. Allocate Paragon Points into nodes along the path to gain further power. Rare Glyphs start at 3 Radius, growing by 1 Radius at level 15, and then at level 46. Level up your glyphs by running The Pit. Early investment for this build might prioritize Spirit Generation nodes from the Lust for Carnage board.
This will get you ready for that transition to the Shred Endgame Guide or other Endgame Druid Builds.
Thanks so much for reading and good luck on leveling!
Changelog
- 24 April, 2025: Updated to new unified format and for Season 8 Patch 2.2 changes.
- 22 January, 2025: Adjusted recommended Witch Powers. This accounts for Lost Powers and Occult Gems being hard to get while leveling.
- 19 January, 2025: Updates for Season 7 and Patch 2.1.
- 17 November, 2024: Minor updates for Patch 2.0.5.
- 15 October, 2024: Updated for new onsite Paragon Tool. Aspect and Unique section updates.
- 26 September, 2024: Updated for season 6, Season of Hatred, including more Skill Points, new Paragon, Runeword and Mercenary systems.
- 7 August, 2024: Updated for post-launch of season 5. Small updates to Tempering recommendations.
- 2 August, 2024: Updated for patch 1.5.0 and Season of the Infernal Horde.
- 17 June, 2024: Updated for mid-season patch 1.4.3.
- 15 May, 2024: Small changes in gear affixes to adjust for season launch changes from PTR.
