Bulwark Storm Claw Druid Endgame Build (Season 2 Updated)

This is a Season 2 Bulwark Storm Claw endgame build for the Druid in Diablo 4 (D4) that was created by AceofSpades. It is a high-damage, low-health basic attack build that uses the Greatstaff of the Crone Claw effect and Earthen Bulwark. Read on for the complete list of Vampiric Powers, Skills, and Aspects you need for the build and how to play it for Season 2.

Bulwark Storm Claw Build Overview

Build Summary

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

Skills

Aspects & Uniques

Stats & Gems

Build Overview and Summary
Bulwark Storm Claw		Tier: Focus: PVE Playstyle: Solo and Party
Active Skills
Passive Skills

Build Overview and Summary
Bulwark Storm Claw		Tier: Focus: PVE Playstyle: Solo and Party
Aspects and Uniques
Greatstaff of the Crone (Staff) Mad Wolf's Glee (Chest) Aspect of Disobedience (Chest) Aspect of Might (Pants) Aspect of Mending Stone (Helm) Ghostwalker Aspect (Boots) Edgemaster's Aspect (Ring) Overcharged Aspect (Gloves) Symbiotic Aspect (Amulet)

Build Overview and Summary
Bulwark Storm Claw		Tier: Focus: PVE Playstyle: Solo and Party
Stat Priorities			Recommended Gems
・Critical Strike Chance ・Lucky Hit Chance ・Barrier Generation ・Damage Reduction from Close Enemies ・Attack Speed Bonus ・Damage Reduction from Poisoned Enemies ・Basic Skill Attack Speed ・Total Armor ・Damage Reduction while Injured			Royal Topaz (Weapon) Royal Diamond (Armor and Jewelry)

This Druid build was created by AceofSpades. Check out the Goblin Inc. Youtube Channel for more of AceofSpades' build guides and catch his livestreams over on Twitch for more Diablo 4 Season 2 content.

AceofSpades' Bulwark Storm Claw build focuses on the synergy between Earthen Bulwark and your basic attacks by taking advantage of the unique effects of the Greatstaff of the Crone, Season 2 Vampiric Powers, Symbiotic Aspect, and the Nature's Fury key passive.

With this build, you play at low HP to proc Damage Reduction while Injured while stacking % Damage Reduction bonuses in order to buff the generated barrier of Earthen Bulwark. This makes the barrier super tanky, surpassing your Druid's max HP by a very large margin. To keep Earthen Bulwark uptime at 100% you rely on the synergy between the Symbiotic Aspect and the Nature's Fury key passive.

For damage, you rely on the unique effect of the Greatstaff of the Crone as well as the vampiric power, Moonrise. Unlike most builds that are Core Skill dependent, this build does not use your Druid's Spirit Resource. Instead, it is a true Basic Attack build that deals a massive amount of damage due to its synergy with the new basic skill-related vampiric powers in Season 2.

Bulwark Storm Claw Build Breakdown

Skill Progression

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

Active Skills

NOTE: Storm Strike should not be added to your skill bar. This skill is leveled since the Greatstaff of Crone's unique effect allows you to cast Storm Strike whenever you use Claw.

Skill		Upgrade Path
Claw (5 Points)	→	Enhanced Claw	Wild Claw
Earthen Bulwark (5 Points)	→	Enhanced Earthen Bulwark	Preserving Earthen Bulwark
Cyclone Armor (1 Point)	→	Enhanced Cyclone Armor	Preserving Cyclone Armor
Poison Creeper (1 Point)	→	Enhanced Poison Creeper	Brutal Poison Creeper
Hurricane (1 Point)	→	Enhanced Hurricane	Savage Hurricane
Petrify (1 Point)	→	Prime Petrify
For Greatstaff of Crone Synergy
Storm Strike (5 Points)	→	Enhanced Storm Strike	Fierce Storm Strike

Passive Skills

Bulwark Storm Claw Passives
Predatory Instinct (3 Points)	Digitigrade Gait (3 Points)	Ancestral Fortitude (3 Points)
Vigilance (3 Points)	Neurotoxin (1 Point)	Envenom (3 Points)
Toxic Claws (3 Points)	Defiance (3 Points)	Natural Disaster (1 Point)
Quickshift (1 Point)	Heightened Senses (3 Points)	Nature's Fury (1 Point)

Skill Progression Breakdown

Recommended Skill Progression
Lv.2	Lv.3	Lv.4	Lv.5
Claw	Enhanced Claw	Wild Claw	Storm Strike
Lv.6	Lv.7	Lv.8	Lv.9
Enhanced Storm Strike	Fierce Storm Strike	Predatory Instinct	Predatory Instinct
Lv.10	Lv.11	Lv.12	Lv.13
Predatory Instinct	Digitigrade Gait	Digitigrade Gait	Digitigrade Gait
Lv.14	Lv.15	Lv.16	Lv.17
Earthen Bulwark	Earthen Bulwark	Earthen Bulwark	Earthen Bulwark
Lv.18	Lv.19	Lv.20	Lv.21
Earthen Bulwark	Enhanced Earthen Bulwark	Cyclone Armor	Enhanced Cyclone Armor
Lv.22	Lv.23	Lv.24	Lv.25
Preserving Cyclone Armor	Ancestral Fortitude	Vigilance	Vigilance
Lv.26	Lv.27	Lv.28	Lv.29
Vigilance	Hurricane	Enhanced Hurricane	Savage Hurricane
Lv.30	Lv.31	Lv.32	Lv.33
Neurotoxin	Envenom	Toxic Claws	Envenom
Lv.34	Lv.35	Lv.36	Lv.37
Envenom	Quickshift	Heightened Senses	Heightened Senses
Lv.38	Lv.39	Lv.40	Lv.41
Heightened Senses	Nature's Fury	Claw	Claw
Lv.42	Lv.43	Lv.44	Lv.45
Claw	Claw	Storm Strike	Storm Strike
Lv.46	Lv.47	Lv.48	Lv.49
Storm Strike	Storm Strike	Preserving Earthen Bulwark	Petrify
Renown Skill Points (Lv50 Onwards)
R1	R2	R3	R4
Prime Petrify	Defiance	Defiance	Defiance
R5	R6	R7	R8
Ancestral Fortitude	Ancestral Fortitude	Poison Creeper	Enhanced Poison Creeper
R9		R10
Brutal Poison Creeper		Natural Disaster

Spirit Boons

Bulwark Storm Claw Spirit Boons
Wariness (Deer)	Take 10% less damage from Elites.
Scythe Talons (Eagle)	Gain +5% increased Critical Strike Chance.
Swooping Attack (Eagle)	Gain +10% Attack Speed.
Packleader (Wolf)	Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a 20% chance to reset the Cooldowns of your Companion Skills.
Calm Before the Storm (Snake)	Lucky Hit: Nature Magic Skills have up to a 10% chance to reduce the Cooldown of your Ultimate Skill by 2 seconds.

This setup is available if you've bonded with the the Eagle Spirit in Tur Dulra.

Since this build is designed to push high level NM Dungeons, taking Wariness is a no-brainer especially since we're playing at low HP. Bond with the Eagle Spirit in order to get Scythe Talons and any of the other 3 boons (you can replace Swooping Attacks with any of the other two depending on what your setup lacks).

Packleader is specifically for resetting the cooldown of Poison Creeper since this gives you a lot of damage and CC when pushing NM Dungeons. Calm Before the Storm is there in order to reduce the cooldown of your Petrify to ensure more uptime between Elite packs.

Spirit Boons Guide

Aspects and Affixes

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

Best Weapon

The Greatstaff of the Crone is required to make this endgame build work. This staff is easily farmed once you have access to endgame bosses in World Tiers 3 and 4.

You can get this unique weapon by farming the Echo of Varshan as it is one of the easiest endgame bosses to get boss materials for. String together multiple runs to get a Greatstaff of the Crone drop, easily.

Weapon	Effect and Affixes
Greatstaff of the Crone	Claw is now a Storm Skill and also casts Storm Strike at (120-150)% normal damage. ・+X% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies (Inherent) ・+X% Damage to Close Enemies ・+X% Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies ・+X% Non-Physical Damage ・+X Ranks of Claw

Best Armor

To max out your damage output, AceOfSpades - this build's creator - recommends using a Harlequin Crest in place of the Helmet slot. Since uber uniques can now be target farmed via Duriel in WT4, this substitution works for players who managed to get this helm.

Note: When substituting your helmet for something else, make sure to imprint the Aspect of Mending Stone into your Alternative Chest Armor (replacing Mad Wolf's Glee).

Equipment	Aspects and Affixes
Helmet	Aspect of Mending Stone The duration of Earthern Bulwark is increased by 6 seconds. In addition, killing an enemy with Earth Skills replenishes (XX) of your active Earthen Bulwark's Barrier. ・+X% Cooldown Reduction ・+X% Basic Skill Attack Speed ・+X% Total Armor ・+X% Barrier Generation
Mad Wolf's Glee (Chest)	Werewolf form is now your true form, and you gain +3 Ranks to all Werewolf Skills. ・+X% Maximum Life ・+X% Damage ・+X% Damage Reduction from Enemies That Are Poisoned ・+X% Movement Speed
Gloves	Overcharged Aspect Lucky Hit: Up to a (10-20)% chance when dealing Lightning damage to overload the target for 3 seconds, causing any direct damage you deal to them to pulse 1395 additional damage to surrounding enemies. ・+X% Lucky Hit Chance ・+X% Critical Strike Chance ・+X% Willpower ・+X% Attack Speed
Pants	Aspect of Might Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for (XX) seconds. ・+X% Total Armor ・+X% Damage Reduction from Close Enemies ・+X% Damage Reduction while Injured ・+X% Damage Reduction from Enemies That Are Poisoned
Boots	Ghostwalker Aspect While Unstoppable, and for 4 seconds after, you gain (10=25)% increased Movement Speed and can move freely through enemies. ・+X% Damage Reduction while Injured ・+X% Movement Speed ・+X% Total Armor While in Werewolf Form ・+X% Fire Resistance

Alternative Chest Armor Piece

Equipment	Aspects and Affixes
Chest	Aspect of Disobedience You gain (0.25-0.50)% increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to (66)%. ・+X Ranks of Earthen Bulwark ・+X% Total Armor ・+X% Damage Reduction from Close Enemies ・+X% Damage Reduction from Enemies That Are Poisoned

If you don't have Mad Wolf's Glee, you can use a chest armor piece with the following affixes (above). Imprint it with Aspect of Disobedience to increase your chances of survival at high level Nightmare Dungeons.

Best Jewelry

Jewelry	Aspects and Affixes
Amulet	Symbiotic Aspect When the Nature's Fury Key Passive triggers a free Skill, your non-Ultimate Cooldowns of the opposite type are reduced by (3-5) seconds. ・+X% Damage Reduction while Injured ・+X% Ranks of the Envenom Passive ・+X% Movement Speed ・+X% Damage Rediction from Close Enemies
Ring	Edgemaster's Aspect Skills deal up to (10-20)% increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. ・+X% Barrier Generation ・+X% Damage to Close Enemies ・+X% Critical Strike Chance ・+X% Maximum Life
X'Fal's Corroded Signet	Lucky Hit: Your damage over time effects have up to a 50% chance to erupt, dealing 5.0-6.0 damage of the same type to Nearby enemies. ・+X% Resistance to All Elements ・+X% Fire Resistance ・+X% Cooldown Reduction ・+X% Lucky Hit Chance ・+X% Damage Over Time ・+X% All Stats

Best Gems

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

Gem Type	Effect Explanation
Royal Topaz (Weapon)	+20.0% Basic Skill Damage The main damage source of this build is your Basic Attack paired with the effect of the Greatstaff of the Crone. +% Basic Skill Damage provided by Royal Topaz gems will allow you to maximize your DPS when slotted into your weapon.
Royal Diamond (Armor)	+5.0% Barrier Generation Your % Damage Reduction bonuses will also apply to your generated barriers. Since you'll be playing at low HP, slot Diamonds into your Armor for tankier shields via Earthen Bulwark.
Royal Diamond (Jewelry)	5.0% Resistance to All Elements Royal Diamonds in Jewelry slots will grant you Resistance against All Elements. Players can adjust and replace these accordingly with other gems depending on their current resistances.

Best Vampiric Powers

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

NOTE: Some of these Vampiric Powers are locked behind the Season 2 Questline. Make sure to finish the season's main quest to get powers important to the build like Moonrise.

Vampiric Power Cost	Effect Explanation
Prey on the Weak 2 0 0	You deal 16% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Enemies are Vulnerable while affected by a Vampiric Curse from your other Vampiric Powers. Since you'll constantly be procc'ing Vulnerable using Storm Strike via the Greatstaff of the Crone, Prey on the Weak will grant you bonus damage against affected enemies.
Resilience 0 0 2	You gain 1% Damage Reduction for each 2% Life you are missing. Since this build deploys a Low HP playstyle, Resilience will help out by granting you a stacking % Damage Reduction stat that, in turn, also stacks with items that give Damage Reduction while Injured. Essentially, this allows you to play with much more "HP" than your actual max life via barriers and fortify.
Sanguine Brace 0 1 1	When you kill an enemy, Fortify for 6% of your Base Life. While you have more Fortify than half of your Maximum Life, you gain 8% Critical Strike Chance. This power plays off of Bulwark's Fortify, allowing you to easily raise your Fortified HP above the half of your max life threshold (which, in turn, grants increased Critical Strike Chance).
Ravenous 3 0 0	Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to increase your Attack Speed by 40% of your Total Movement Speed for 6 seconds. Ravenous plays on your increased movement speed granted by both Moonrise and the Ghostwalker Aspect. Essentially, you get a chance to increase your basic attack speed based by 40% of your buffed movement speed when Ravenous procs.
Moonrise 6 0 0	Hitting an enemy with a Basic Skill grants you 4% Attack Speed for 10 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Upon reaching maximum stacks, you enter a Vampiric Bloodrage, gaining 160% Basic Skill damage and 15% Movement Speed for 10 seconds. Moonrise is the bread and butter of this build. Since basic attacks are your go-to for both DPS and CD Reduction, Moonrise allows you to kick it up a notch by giving you stacking attack speed which, in turn, grants more basic skill damage and movement speed.
Total Pacts Required 11 | 1 | 3

List of All Vampiric Powers

Replace Sanguine Brace with Hectic for More CD Reduction

If you find yourself wanting to play with more cooldown reduction for your active skills, you can opt to replace Sanguine Brace with Hectic since this grants you cooldown reduction after every 5 basic attack casts. Do note that you'll be trading away the increased Critical Chance when you swap out one for the other.

Hectic Effect and How to Get

Paragon Board Setup

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Summary		Skill Progression		Aspects & Affixes
Gems		Vampiric Powers		Paragon

Glyphs Focus on Stacking Damage Reduction

The Storm Claw Bulwark build focuses on building up your Damage Reduction in order to maximize the HP of your barrier via Earthen Bulwark. It is for this reason that you should aim to get the additional bonuses from your glyphs since they grant more Damage Reduction under certain conditions.

Glyphs like Werewolf, Protector, Undaunted, and Territorial all offer additional bonuses when you manage to unlock their additional bonuses, so make sure to expand their Glyph areas by getting them to Level 15 as soon as possible.

Bulwark Storm Claw Playstyle

Bulwark Storm Claw Build Tips
Recommended Openers and Rotations Always Keep Earthen Bulwark Up Spam Basic Attacks Even When There are No Enemies Play at Low HP to Max Out Your Damage Reduction

Recommended Openers and Rotations

Trash Mob Opener and Skill Rotation

Boss Opener

Always Keep Earthen Bulwark Up

Always make sure to use Earthen Bulwark when it's off cooldown. This is central to the survivability of this build since your generated barrier will benefit from the multiple % Damage Reduction stacks of your items and Vampiric Powers. Remember, you'll be playing on low HP. The only thing standing between you and death will be your barrier and fortified HP.

Spam Basic Attacks Even When There are No Enemies

Your basic attacks are the key to giving the Earthen Bulwark skill a 100% uptime. Make sure to keep spamming them in order to tap into the synergy between your Symbiotic Aspect and the Nature's Fury key passive that reduces the cooldown of Earthen Bulwark by 3-5 seconds each time their interaction procs.

Note: Since the Earthen Bulwark uptime hinges on Basic Attack spam, it is recommended to use this build on a controller setup since you can attack even when there are no enemies around. If you're playing on mouse and keyboard, you will need to hold down Shift + Basic Attack Button to achieve the same effect.

Play at 35% HP or Below to Max Out Your Damage Reduction

In order to capitalize on your stacking % Damage Reduction, make sure to play at 35% HP or below since this triggers the Damage Reduction stat of the Damage Reduction while Injured affix. Given that Damage Reduction applies to your barriers, your "real HP" when using this build will be the HP of your generated Barrier.

For this reason, it is very important to keep Earthen Bulwark at 100% uptime. You can miss any of your other skill activations and rotations, except Earthen Bulwark.

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