Are you playing Druid because you wanted to shapeshift into fantastical forms like a Werewolf and Werebear? Me neither. Shapeshifting is a crutch used by lesser Druids who lack the force of will to harden their human bodies against the forces of Hell. It’s Lightning time, baby.
Lightning Druids are a primarily (barring extremely rare Uniques) Human-form build that relies on Lightning Storm, Hurricane, Cyclone Amor, and Cataclysm. Throw in your fifth skill of choice (I opted for Earthen Bulwark for a little extra defense), and you’re good to go. Gear up for Vulnerability bonuses and Lightning Damage, as well as Critical Strike, and it’s time to start looking at the best Legendary Aspects to complement it all.
Best Offensive Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Lightning Dancer: This is a build-defining Offensive Aspect that is not in the Codex, meaning you’ll need to find and either use or extract it from world drops. It gives our Critical Strikes the added bonus of spawning 3 Dancing Bolts that seek out foes and deal huge damage. It’s especially useful in large packs, as the bolts cannot hit the same target they’re shed from.
Overload: Another hugely important Offensive Aspect, this time complimenting both our single and multi-target damage. Overload gives our Lucky Hits a chance to cause the target to release a damaging lightning burst on each instance of direct damage. This basically turns the target into a lightning rod and absolutely melts Bosses and Elites.
Related: Diablo 4 Extracting Aspects Explained
Runeworker’s Conduit: This is another Critical Strike-dependent Aspect that makes our Storm Skill Critical Strikes cause Lightning Strikes in the area. Additional Critical Strikes extend the effect.
Aspect of the Tempest: This Aspect increases our Hurricane’s damage by a percentage for every second it’s active. Less important than those mentioned above, but still powerful since we will be using Hurricane at every opportunity.
Best Defensive Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Cyclonic Force: This Defensive Aspect makes our Cyclone Armor grant Physical Damage reduction in addition to its usual non-Physical reduction, and also applies it to all nearby allies. Who said we can’t play a little support?
Earthguard (if using Earthen Bulwark): This Aspect increases the barrier granted by our Earthen Bulwark by a percentage for each enemy we Crowd Control. Since there’s so much Slow and Immobilize baked into our passive Lightning Skills, the bonus is basically always going to be 100%.
Mending Stone (if using Earthguard): If you’re going all-in on Earthen Bulwark, this Aspect increases its duration to 6 seconds. Combine this with the huge shield from Earthguard listed above for a meaty defensive option.
Best Utility Aspects for Lightning Druids in Diablo 4
Exploiter’s Aspect: This increases the duration of Crowd Control effects and grants bonus damage to Unstoppable Enemies. The increased duration of our Crowd Control feeds into damage % bonuses against them granted by our Paragon board and Passive skills.
These are my personal, and there for objectively best, choices for Lightning Druid Aspects in Diablo 4. Truth be told, though, the best build is the one you enjoy most.
If you’re still a little confused, we have a guide for both Legendary Aspects and the Codex of power. How convenient!
