DIABLO 2: LOD v1.12
FISSURE DRUID GUIDE
By: J. Alter
Table of contents
I. Intro
II. Stats
III. Skills
IV. Equipment
V. Alternative Equipment
VI. Inventory
VII. Stash
VIII. Mercenary
VIIII. Strategy
a. Player Vs. Monster
b. Player Vs. Player
X. Credits I. IntroductionAre you ready for a challenge? Great! This guide will teach you how to make one of the most challenging characters in Diablo 2... The Fissure Druid! Fissure druids are extremely fun and can be very effective in all gameplay situations, including PvP. The key to a successful Fissure Druid is patience.
I will address the strengths and weaknesses of this character throughout this guide, however there are a few things I feel you should know up front... First of all, every one of your attacks has a cool down time (casting delay), so it's very important that you play with a Defensive mindset. Secondly, a Druid's fire attacks are very unique in the way they deal damage. For example, your Fissure may have a damage readout of around 4K. If you look a little closer at this skill, you will find that it has a duration, and upon being cast opens several vents that have the potential to deal damage. The point is that although the damage readout may sound low, it has the chance to hit several times with a single cast, multiplying the damage output.
Other attacks such as Volcano and Molten Boulder deal fire AND physical damage. If it weren't for the physical damage of these attacks you would be toast in areas such as the Chaos Sanctuary where there is a heavy concentration of fire immune monsters.
Again, patience is the key with this build. The battles will be hard-fought and at times grueling, but if you dedicate yourself to this character, it will be a rewarding experience!
II. StatsStat distribution is pretty straight forward...
Strength - Enough to wear your equipment. (Take into account any additional strength you will get from items)
Dexterity - None
Vitality - Every point (after you establish that you have enough strength to equip all of your items)
Energy - None
III. SkillsUpon deciding what skills to place points into for this character, you must choose whether or not you want to invest points into Cyclone Armor and Armageddon. I suggest not putting points into either. Armageddon IS NOT a synergy for Fissure, which is our main attack. Also, if you DO decide to put points into these skills you will in the process waste a few points on prerequisites which I feel are unnecessary. You can get Cyclone Armor and Armageddon by other means that will be explained below.
Here is the skill setup I suggest:
Elemental Skills:Firestorm: 20 points (MAX) ... Synergy for Fissure
Molten Boulder: 20 points (MAX) ... This is your Left click attack
Fissure: 20 points (MAX) ...This is your main attack (Right click)
Volcano: 20 points (MAX) ...This is your secondary attack (Right click), also a synergy for Fissure.
Summoning Skills:Oak Sage: 15-20 points ... The more points invested here, the better!
Raven: 1 point
Spirit Wolf: 1 point
Dire Wolf: 1 point
Grizzly: 1 point
Poison Creeper: 1 point
This skill setup is attainable by level 88 if you complete all skill quests in all difficulties.
IV. EquipmentHelm:Rare Druid Pelt OR Delirium Runeword (Lem+Ist+Io) w/ +2 to All Skills, +3 to Fissure, +1-3 Armageddon...
...Ahha! There's your Armageddon! The +5 (total) to Fissure will give a nice damage boost to your main attack. This will be one of the hardest items to get your hands on. Pelt is the best choice because you can put 1-2 Fire Facets in it (depending on the number of sockets). Delirium runeword is a nice alternative and will be a little bit easier to obtain. As a bonus it gives you a chance to cast Terror and Confuse, which are very nice skills for this Druid.
For more helm options, see section V.
Armor:Enigma Runeword (Jah+Ith+Ber)...
... This armor is amazing! Grants the Skill Teleport, Massive Strength bonus, +Skills, DR% and more!
Can be made with any 3 open socket armor. When choosing an armor to make Enigma, take into consideration the
Strength requirement to wear it!
Weapon:Heart of the Oak Runeword (Ko+Vex+Pul+Thul)...
... A good all around weapon for this build. For more weapon options, see section V.
Shield:Spirit Runeword (Tal+Thul+Ort+Amn) w/ 29% fcr or greater...
... Best caster shield in the game. Make with a Monarch shield. Unfortunately this runeword can only be made in Single Player and Ladder games,
so if you're playing Non-Ladder, you'll have to trade for one of these puppies.
Belt:Verdungos Hearty Cord...
... Great vitality boost and damage reduction for those sticky situations! This is my belt of choice. More belts listed in section V.
Amulet:Rare Druid Amulet w/ +2 to All Skills &10% fcr...
... The fcr bonus will help you reach the 99% fcr breakpoint which will increase your Teleport speed. Life/str/dex/res are good stats to look for on this item.
Gloves:Magefist Gauntlets...
... This is really the only option because you can utilize the +1 to fire skills bonus on these gloves.
Boots:Eth Sandstorm Treks...
... There is some flexibility here. Treks are great boots, but definitely not the only option.
Rings:1) Bul-Kathos wedding band...
... I prefer Bk over Soj simply because I like the additional life. The more life the better with this build!
2) Ravenfrost...
... I use this ring mainly for the "Cannot be frozen". It also absorbs cold damage, gives mana and dex.
On Switch:Call to Arms Runeword (Amn+Ral+Mal+Ist+Ohm)... Make this using a flail or crystal sword. Gives you the skills Battle Orders,
Battle Command, and Battle Cry.
Spirit Monarch Shield or Lidless Wall Grim Shield.
V. Alternative EquipmentHelm:Ravenlore Sky Spirit...
... +3 to Ele Skills, Reduces enemy fire resistance, pretty badass. The downside here is that you lose some Fissure damage, and you don't get Armageddon.
Weapon:30/30 Crystal Sword...
... Adds about 1K to Fissure damage, which is pretty significant. A great option, however, it lacks some important stats you get from Hoto.
An excellent choice for PvP.
Belt:Arachnid Mesh... This belt is a little more expensive than Verdungos, and works well with this build.
Amulet:Mara's Kaleidoscope
The Rising Sun... I haven't tested this yet, but it could be an option if you don't have a rare druid ammy or mara's. +2 to Fire Skills, Replenish life, and Absorbs fire damage.
Boots:Rare Boots w/ FHR, FRW, and high resistances.
Waterwalk Sharkskin Boots... These provide a nice life boost, and have some nice defensive stats.
Rings:Stone of Jordan
Rare 10% fcr w/ res/str/life... A nice option if your short on fast cast rate.
Summary, sections IV & V:This is a great character to get creative with. There are other items out there that could benefit you, but I have listed the ones I have personally played with (with a couple exceptions) and found to be the most effective.
Depending on what items you end up using, your max damage readout should look something like this:
Fissure: 4.6 - 6K
Volcano: 2.2 - 3K
Molten Boulder: 3 - 3.5K
Armageddon: 6 - 6.5K
The higher damage range can be reached by using a 30/30 Crystal Sword, but this only helps your fire damage, and will actually lower the physical damage of Volcano and Molt. Boulder.
You will reach 4K life with Oak Sage and Battle Orders.
I also want to point out that it is fairly easy to reach 99% fcr & 99% fhr with my build. One thing you will need that hasn't already been mentioned
are Ele Gcs w/ FHR (See Below).
VI. InventoryBecause the damage of your attacks isn't extremely high, you will need to boost it as much as possible using +Skill Charms.
The ideal inventory looks like this:
1x Hellfire Torch Large Charm... Get one with the best stats you can afford.
1x Annihilus Small Charm ... Ditto
7x Elemental Skill Grand Charm... Look for life or FHR% on these.
6x 20 Life Small Charm... Another sc option would be Resist All. If you can afford it get 20 life w/ 5% res all.
1x Tome of Town Portal
VII. StashOk so there are a few items you want to keep stashed. These will come in handy mainly in PvP games...
Rare Druid Helm (Pelt) w/ +1-3 Cyclone Armor... Here's our cyclone armor. Just pre-buff once you enter a game (See the Strategy section)
Rare Druid Helm (Pelt) w/ +2 to All Skills, +3 to Volcano... Can be helpful in areas consisting heavily of fire immune monsters.
Ondal's Wisdom Elder Staff... I always try to keep one of these stashed. Adds 5% to experience gained when equipped.
Treachery Runeword (Shael+Thul+Lem)... This armor has a chance to cast the skill "Fade" which can come in handy. It boost's your resistances.
Pre-buff ONLY! Do not attempt to wear this armor during combat.
2x Elemental Skill Grand Charm... These will be used in PvP situations. More damage boosting!
4x Small charms... Any sc that will benefit you. Options are always a good thing!
1x Dwarf Star Ring... Fire Absorb
1x Wisp Projector Ring... Lightning Absorb
VIII. MercenaryMerc selection for this character is really in your hands. He/She will help you take out fire immunes, so it's definitely beneficial to have one.
Act 2 mercs are always a strong choice. I recommend either the Holy Freeze merc (hire in NM difficulty, Offensive), or a Defiance merc (hire in NM difficulty, Defensive) I'm currently experimenting with an act 3 lightning mercenary. My next test will be a Act 1 freeze arrow merc. Get creative
VIIII. Strategya. Player Vs. Monster (PvM):The Challenge Begins!! As I mentioned earlier, it is very important to have patience, and play defensively with this brutally HOT character
When I enter a game, the first thing I do is cast Battle Orders and Battle Command. The next step is to cast all of your summons - Oak Sage, Dire Wolves, Poison Creeper, and Ravens, and then cast BO & BC again.
Summoned Creatures:One of your best assets is your summoned creatures. Try to keep them all alive and healthy throughout your battles. If one dies, re-cast. If they all die, retreat and recast. I personally prefer Dire Wolves when playing PvM. They are the happy medium between Spirit Wolves and Grizzly. Dire wolves do a low amount of damage, but more importantly have the ability to survive, so you don't have to constantly re-cast as you would with Spirit Wolves. You can have up to 3 Dire Wolves fighting for you at a time.
Every one of your summons will act as a tank (Take hits). This is a great thing because it gives you the breathing room you need as a Fissure Druid. Let your creatures occupy monsters while you oversee the battle and cast from a far... It's great fun!!
It's also important to note that Spirit & Dire Wolves, and Grizzly all receive passive bonuses from one another. That's why even if you never use your grizzly, drop at least one point into it so your wolves will benefit from the bonus.
Fire Immune Monsters:Fissure is going to wipe out anything that isn't fire immune in a matter of seconds... No worries there! But, as any experienced player knows, Hell difficulty is packed with monsters that have immunities to certain forms of attack. So how will you deal with fire immunes? The answer is Volcano and Molten Bolder. Both of these attacks do fire damage, but also supply a modest amount of physical damage which is what you need to take out your fire-retardant foes!
Volcano will work faster than Molt. Boulder but still takes some time. Your best option is to sit back and cast Volcano directly under the monsters while your summons keeps them off your ass. Molten Boulder can be a life saver in closed combat situations against fire immunes because it has "Knockback" which knocks back your opponent allowing you to take a step back and let your summons move in.
Killing fire immunes will be a challenge. It requires patience. Besides your attacks, you're pets will deal some damage adding to the equation. You will also have the option of hiring a merc to fight by your side.
Playing in Parties:This is one of my favorite aspects of the Fissure Druid. You will get lots of questions and compliments! The visual effects are beautiful... My favorite is the Volcano attack, spitting hot magma all over the place!! If you are the only Druid in a game you can pretty much stand there and people will praise you for your Oak Sage.
When I play this character in a party game I treat it similar to soloing (Hang back and oversee the battle while casting your spells). The difference is you have other players to do the grunt work instead of relying solely on your pets. Another helpful tactic is tele-stomping with Molten Boulder... Give your partners some room to breath
It's a simple attack... You namelock your target monster, Teleport on top of them, and immediately roll a boulder on em and watch them take the abuse helplessly!!
Summary:What it all boils down to is having fun and enjoying some of the best visual effects in the game. Fissure the hell out of everything! Plan out your strategies, experiment, and get creative. The challenging aspects of this character make the game more enjoyable and thought-provoking.
b. Player Vs. Player (PvP):Believe it or not, this character is a badass dueler! It makes me laugh every time I see an opponent tapping juvs or running to town (losing!) to get their absorb gear. It happens a lot, so don't be discouraged... All this means is that your opponents are horrible and can't stand the thought of being PK'd by a Fissure Druid. I consider it a win if I have someone reeling that badly that they can't finish a duel. You can avoid this by dueling with a group of trustworthy people.
Pre-Buff:The first thing you should do when entering a duel game is pre-buff if you choose to at all. This means take a second to put on your helm that grants Cyclone Armor, cast it, and then switch back to your fissure helm. If you want to use the Treachery armor I mentioned in order to get Fade, put the armor on, make sure you have some healing or juv pots, take a WP to an act 1 location, and take hits from monsters until Fade activates (You will turn translucent). VERY IMPORTANT... Make sure that once you complete this task you take Treachery off and re-equip your Enigma armor. If you don't, you're toast! Treachery is not to be worn during combat... EVER! Also note that some people consider using Fade as "BM" (Bad mannered). I don't use it a lot but sometimes it’s nice to have an edge if you're facing a worthy opponent.
Dueling:This section will give you a broad idea of how to approach PvP with your Fissure Druid. .
Every once in a while I'll enter a duel game and there will be a Fissure Druid (A rare occurrence) that does nothing but run in and out of town laying Fissures and never actually dueling anyone. This is called Town-hugging (AKA TH, TG). Do not strive to be "that guy"! TH is fun to do every once in a while just for kicks, but if it's all you do, than you look like a coward. I don't want that. I want YOU to be a BADASS!! So save the town-hugging for one of those bad days when you feel like pissing everyone off. K? Good.
You enter a duel game. First, take a WP to a secluded location, get all your creatures summoned, and cast your Warcries. Please note that in PvP you will want to use Spirit Wolves rather than Dire Wolves because you can have up to five Spirit Wolves active at a time. Approach the edge of town and chill. If no one has hostiled you yet that’s fine. And you do the same... don't hostile anyone just yet. If you have been hostiled, just be prepared because you're going out into the battle grounds to check out the lay of the land. Once you've gotten your fingers warmed up and you feel comfortable, return to town and choose an opponent. Once you've done this, cautiously enter the battle grounds again and immediately tele away from the town entrance - You don't want to be in close quarters with your opponent, and sitting right at the edge of town makes you a sitting duck. Cast Armageddon (if you have it), and lay back for a couple seconds. At this point it's time for your instinct to take over. Duel smart, defensively, and keep your distance. Always keep a watchful eye on your summons and recast them if they die.
The basic strategy I usually stick with is a combination of ranged casting, and luring. Luring seems to be the most effective because people never expect it! I've raped many a dueler by simply casting fissure and teleing away once they give chase. This method works extremely well against paladins.
Well, that's it for the strategies. I will be happy to answer any questions you have, as there is a lot more to this character than I have revealed here. PM or Email me with comments/questions.
X. Credits: This guide was written by: J. Alter (USA).
Thanks to: Krissy, Ghost AKA Flittermice, Chris AKA C$, and Doug AKA Reeper.
Copyright 2008
Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited by law.
Contact: jagr500@hotmail.com