Over the years, I've gained a reputation as one of the most experienced wereform Druid players on the realms.

My home is LoD Druid Grove USEast-1, but I played West for a few years and have also had a small presence on Europe. I started back in 2002, so I've also played through the various game mechanics changes from 1.08 through the current patch. At one point, I used to receive literally dozens of messages a week asking for build advice, and I still get at least one or two per week. So, after all these years, I'm releasing a short guide on the best builds for PvP/melee vs. melee oriented fury wolves. In the future, I may add information on Fury vs. All/Public duel strategies, but this guide will be centered specifically on dueling other fury wolves, zealers, concentrate barbarians, jabbers, and other melee class characters.

I. Gear

There are numerous setups that will work, and a "cheap" Druid can still compete with very expensive builds (cheap = jalals, botdz, ravenfrosts, and random life shapeshift charms). This guide is by no means 100% comprehensive, but these are the gear choices which have been time tested and proven to work.

Helms:

Cerebus - socketed with 30ed/60ar/9str/9dex (general melee)
Guillaume's - socketed with 30ed/60ar/9dex/10min (Best vs other druids, especially those who use rare pelts or jalals - which are both generally weak)
Rare Pelt - Only use a rare pelt if it is 2druid/3fury/2sockets/visionary/high life - if it is missing any of these don't use it. If it has these, 30ed/18min/9str + 30ed/60ar/9dex/10min it. Look for one with 10% FHR on it if you're going to use Verdungo's.

Jalals is useable, but honestly with the other choices it's practically worthless. It doesn't do anything better than any other helm. Only use this on a budget, or maybe just keep one in your stash for going into pub games with an eth tomb reaver.

Armors:

Fort
Fort of Chains*
100 life/4 socket Jewelers armors - should be oriented toward stats since this armor is for HP tweaking rather than damage tweaking.

Good choices for jeweler's armor socketing are 120%enhanced damage/120attack rating/36strength/36dexterity and similar, OR BerBer, 60%ed/120attack rating, 18strength/18dexterity (not prefered because of damage loss, but works well with BotDZ life builds with craft belts - 12k life is achievable like this). 7fhr/30ed/9str/9dex is also usable, especially if you want to go for the 42fhr breakpoint with Steelrends and Cerebus.

*If you decide not to use hybrid runewords i.e. the Fort of Chains, you will need to sub in 7fhr/30ed/9dex/60ar stormshield and 7fhr/30ed/9str/9dext Cerebus. Guillaume's jewel will stay the same. Belt will become Verdungo's.

Shields:

Stormshield with Jewel (30/60/9/9 or 30ed/18min/9dext are best choices)
Stormshield Ber'd if using Fort of Chains
Stormshield Shael for cheaper builds, gains a frame on faster block rate but isn't usually worth it
Stormshield with Jah can work, but it's not really any better than ed/stats jeweled Stormshields

Boots:

Gore Riders - nothing else really works as well as Gores. Go for upgraded if you can.

Amulet:

Highlords. 1.08 highlords if possible (gets you to opponent faster).
Angelics can work on some builds, but you're a druid, you have high attack rating already.

Rings:

With a 4 frame weapon*:

9min damage
100+ar
20+str
40+ life
x2

Or

100+ar
20+str
10+dext
40+life
x2

I prefer minimum damage.

*you don't need cannot be frozen with a 4 frame weapon

If you decide to use a botdz or a 5 frame fools weapon, use 1x ravenfrost and one stat ring. 2x Ravenfrost only for the cheap/poor.

Gloves:

Bloodfists with Cerebus or Rare Pelt
Steelrends with Guillaumes (crushing blow intensive setup)

You maintain 42% faster hit recovery breakpoint this way, which is 4 frame Faster Hit Recovery speed. I've had some success with 20% FHR as well, so you can use Steelrends with Cerebus, I just don't always recommend it unless you have top notch other gear and very high life.

Belts:

Crafted 24 Faster Hit Recovery, 10% Open Wounds, 30 Strength, 80 Life (20+ Strength, 60+ Life is acceptable here) - Fire Resistance is a nice additional bonus
Verdungo's with regular fort setups

Acceptable Weapons:

40ias/270+ed/2sockets/fools in any of the following:

Phase Blade: 2x 40ed/15ias jewels
Fanged Knife: 1x Shael. 1x 40ed/15ias jewel

Cryptic Sword: 40ed/15ias jewel, Lo Rune (5 frame per attack, use 1x ravenfrost)
Scourge: 40ed/15ias jewel, Lo Rune (5 frame per attack, use 1x ravenfrost)
Berzerker Axe: 2x 40ed/15ias jewels OR 1x Shael Rune, 1x Lo Rune (I prefer the 40/15ias jewels personally - either is 5 frame per attack, use 1x ravenfrost)
5 frame Fanged Knife: Should be 40 ias with 1x Lo rune (prefer other 5 framers over this one)
(3x 40/15ias + Lo griz caddy is usable with angelics vs conc barbs and some zealers, but BotDZ is generally better)

BotDZ*

*BotDZ build uses an Ethereal Spirit Monarch on Battle Orders swap, stats to 146 strength on swap, and then maxes block with BotDZ on main weapon side. This will gain you 40 extra stat points, which is 80 extra base life or more than 400 life after Oak Sage, Battle Orders, and Lycanthropy.

Swap:

6 Battle Orders Call to Arms, Spirit Monarch
Ethereal spirit monarch for BotDZ life tweak builds

Charms:

25/20/20 Hellfire Torch
20/20/10 Annihilus Small Charm
37x 3max/20ar/20life Small Charms with 4 frame weapons
9x 45 life shape charms + 10x 3/20/20s OR 36ar/20s with BotDZ/other high damage 5 frame weapons excepting fanged knife (which needs +max instead of extra enhanced damage %)

II. Build:

Strength for Gear, stat to Cerebus/Rare Pelt (or whatever your lowest stat helm is)
Dext for Max Block*
Rest to Vita
Nothing to Energy

Max Werewolf, Lycanthropy, Fury, Oak Sage, Rest to Cyclone Armor and then Twister/Tornado/Hurricane for the rest of the spare points (synergizes cyclone armor and prevents torch kills). Heart of Wolverine is generally bad in most duels because you'll get put into FHR more often.

*if you have a 4 frame fanged knife, feel free to add dexterity for more damage. A usable build is 100 base vita and rest to dexterity, but this is going to be a glass cannon with only 6500 to 7k life.

When shapeshifting, do this order:

Battle Command, Summon Oak Sage, Battle Command (extra skill level on Oak Sage), Battle Orders, Cyclone Armor, Werewolf.

III. Strategy:

This is pretty basic. Say !Go over your head, and WALK toward your opponent to maintain max block.

If you press and hold the shift key as soon as you click and start walking toward your opponent, you will stop walking at the edge of your weapon's range, which can give you an advantage in landing the first hit. However, this only works if your opponent doesn't know about shifting, since it's pretty easy to counter.

This post was edited by inkanddagger on Mar 20 2015 03:35pm

IV. Examples:

Here's a FoC/4 frame phase/24fhr craft belt/Cerebus setup (using 20fhr breakpoint):



Here's the setup with Guillaume's/Steelrends (using 42fhr breakpoint):



Damage with BotDZ:



This post was edited by Sire on Feb 4 2020 03:48pm

Very nice guide!

Well written!

Thanks, its nice, but around 10 years to late.
Next time try be a little bit faster.

Looks great Ink, it'll be nice to have a current guide to post to those looking for a write up instead of piecemeal'ing quotes and subs from you.

I think your being modest with "Over the years, I've gained a reputation as one of the most experienced wereform Druid players on the realms. " Ive always respected your thoughts on shapers. Would you care to add an addendum on the rabies variants and +/- to that spec?


I dont know if you still have them, but it would great if you could post up the links to some of your youtube fury wolf duels? It's always fun seeing the pro's in action.


tactics addition : A point in spirit wolves to break up fury/zeal attacks is well worth the one point. It also helps see thru dysnc and get in the way of chargers coming at you. This works particularly well in pubs.

This post was edited by Master_Zappy on Mar 20 2015 03:58pm

I still get a lot of questions so I made this as a quick reference. But yes, I never made a guide because I never really considered it necessary until now.

Most of the guides are also oriented toward rabies and public dueling. This is for private melee vs melee.

Haha

1. This is intended for strict melee vs melee league duels, and there are some rabies guides around already so I didn't want to really overlap them. In the future I can add some info. The main tweaks would be always using 45 life shapers, and werewolf stays at level 1 (+ extras after rabies/poiosn creeper/oak sage is done). In melee games, rabies can dominate without really trying. For pub games, the skill layout and gear is totally different. I actually don't max oak sage for my pub duelers.

2. This does work wonders if it's acceptable where you duel. It's not considered good manners in melee league duels, and people already complain enough about oak sage splits. But in public games, it's a great way to take the heat off the Druid.

This post was edited by inkanddagger on Mar 20 2015 10:14pm

What about Eth Zodded and 2x 40/15 Tombreaver w/ 150% FRW build for pubbing? Is that viable?

Was hoping to hit more DS % with fury.

Or maybe eth death cleaver works well with SS for pub?

This post was edited by xSkellingtonx on Mar 20 2015 11:38pm

From the fury master himself!




Edc is actually really good vs zealots in my experience (me being the zealot vs the fury).