PD2 Waypoint
Mode
Druid portrait

Build guide / Druid

Druid / Summon

Summon Druid (Wolves / Grizzly / Spirits) -- PD2 Season 14 Guide

by PD2 WaypointUpdated

01Overview

Season 14 rating

hiimpd2 S14: starter list (Summons); solo mapping Decent; Vision of Terror T0 Easy; group Top (Summon (Dual Spirit (Sword/Any Shield)), Spirits + Vines). Odealo S14 tier list: A
The Summon Druid is one of the safest Season 14 starters, not one of the fastest mappers. hiimpd2's S14 starter list includes 'Summons' for Druid with the widest set of farming tags of any starter: Travincal, Chaos, Early Map, Key Farming and Uber Tristram. hiimpd2's bossing list rates the Summoner 'Easy' for tier 0 Diablo Clone (Vision of Terror), based on TDL's kill video. T2 is unrated, and the Summoner is not listed for Rathma (Voidstone) or Lucion (Shadow of Hatred). For solo mapping, hiimpd2 rates 'Summon Druid' only Decent. In group play, summons are valued as a 'summon wall': the dual-spirit Summon build and Hiim's Spirits + Vines build are Top in the S14 group list. Odealo's S14 tier list puts the Summoner Druid in A tier, but that list was last updated on 2026-09-28, before launch. S14 buffed Dire Wolves and spirit wolves and nerfed the Grizzly. This guide covers the community wolf-focused version for league start and its full-zoo endgame, and also Hiim's bear-heavy variant.

Summary

The Summon Druid fights through an army of pets. Summon Ravens (cold damage, cannot be hurt), Summon Spirit Wolf (up to 6, more with Fenris or Athena's Wrath), Summon Dire Wolf (up to 3, physical damage with physical pierce since S14) and Summon Grizzly (1 bear, 2 at 20 hard points) all fight at the same time. A druid spirit supports them, usually Heart of Wolverine for +damage and attack rating. Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper eat corpses to heal you and restore mana. You stay behind your pets, resummon what dies, and use Gust (a short-range teleport with a cooldown) to move the pack forward.
Why it is a league-start favourite:
  • No gear needed. The PD2 wiki calls it 'the easiest druid starter build with zero gear requirements'. Almost all damage comes from summon skill levels, so cheap +skills (a Neophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2) club and a Lore pelt with +3 to a summon skill, a magic +3 Summoning amulet) are your main upgrades.
  • Safety. Wolves and bears body-block melee monsters and absorb ranged attacks while you stay out of reach. hiimpd2's group list notes that summon builds do well in public games 'because of the safety wall they provide'. That is also why summoners are a hardcore favourite.
  • Early farming. hiimpd2 tags the starter version for Travincal, Chaos Sanctuary, early maps, key farming and Uber Tristram. The wiki adds the Pits and Stony Tomb, and says that with mid-game gear you can do Uber Tristram for your own Hellfire Torch.
  • T0 Diablo Clone. hiimpd2 rates the Summoner 'Easy' at T0. Your mercenary cannot enter the arena, but your summons can.
Damage types: physical (wolves, bears) plus cold (ravens), so no single elemental immunity stops you. Physical immunes are the main problem. They are handled with Amplify Damage from the merc, Dire Wolf and Fenris physical pierce, and the ravens' cold damage.
Versions. All community versions share the same core. They differ in where the big points go:
  • Wolves (league start, this guide's main line): the PD2 wiki starter guide (updated for S14) and TDL's S14 planners max Summon Ravens, Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Dire Wolf and Heart of Wolverine, put 1 point in Summon Grizzly and the rest into Gust. Odealo also centers the build on Dire Wolves after the S14 buff.
  • Full zoo (endgame): the clvl 99 S14 showcase planners (Foxjaeger, Earl_Grey) max all four summons plus Heart of Wolverine. Odealo says Grizzly 'should eventually be maxed'.
  • Bears (Hiim): Hiim's S14 planners max Summon Grizzly instead of Summon Dire Wolf. His end-game version uses Denmother (4 bears, no wolves) with Heart of the Oak and Spirit Ward.
Weak points: hiimpd2 rates its solo mapping Decent, because summon AI and travel time slow it down in open maps. Lucion and Rathma are not rated for the Summoner. Physical immunes need help from the merc.

What works

  • Zero gear requirements: the cheapest Druid start in S14 (PD2 wiki starter guide)
  • Very safe campaign and early endgame: pets tank everything, which makes it a common hardcore choice
  • Widest farming tags on hiimpd2's S14 starter list: Travincal, Chaos, early maps, key farming and Uber Tristram
  • Rated Easy for tier 0 Diablo Clone on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list. Summons enter the arena even though the merc cannot
  • Mixed physical + cold damage: no single elemental immunity stops it
  • S14 buffs: Dire Wolves (more damage, 57% life per level, up to 20% physical pierce) and spirit wolves (+50% life per level)
  • Levels with the same skills it uses at the endgame: no respec needed (PD2 wiki, Odealo)
  • Top-tier party value: summon wall, Heart of Wolverine and Oak Sage for the group (hiimpd2 S14 group list)

What to plan around

  • Solo mapping is only Decent on hiimpd2's S14 list. Clear speed is limited by summon AI and travel time (Odealo agrees)
  • Not rated for Rathma (Voidstone) or Lucion (Shadow of Hatred) at any tier on hiimpd2; T2 Diablo Clone is unrated
  • Physical immunes need Amplify Damage from the merc or pierce
  • Gust has a cooldown (6.3 seconds at level 1, down to 0.52 seconds at level 30), so it is not a Teleport replacement until you invest heavily
  • Constant resummoning: wolves and bears die in hard content and must be recast
  • S14 nerfed Grizzly damage and Heart of Wolverine's real scaling. Grizzly's bonus damage to the wolves now counts hard points only
  • Pet-heavy screen: harder to see monster attacks in dense maps

Playstyle

You never attack. Summon the full army, keep Heart of Wolverine up, then walk or Gust behind your pets and let them clear. Resummon anything that dies. Dire Wolves eat corpses to gain +100% damage for 20 seconds (PD2 wiki), and Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper eat corpses to heal you and restore mana. Ravens recast often: each raven hits 5 times and then disappears. Gust moves you to the next pack, and summons follow you; S14 also increased the leash distance of all player pets (patch notes).
Rotation
  • Before a fight: Heart of Wolverine (spirit), Summon Spirit Wolf (up to 6), Summon Dire Wolf (up to 3), Summon Grizzly (1-2), Carrion Vine and/or Solar Creeper, Cyclone Armor
  • Cast Summon Ravens repeatedly on the pack. You can keep up to 15 ravens; at 10 and 20 hard points one cast summons 2 and 3 ravens
  • Stay behind the pets. Gust forward when the pack has cleared the screen. The pets follow
  • After a hard fight, resummon the dead wolves and bears before you move on (the Grizzly has a 2-second cooldown)
  • Endgame precast (Odealo): if you carry a high-skill weapon on switch (e.g. Athena's Wrath), summon with it equipped, then switch back
Positioning: Stay one screen-half behind your summons. Let wolves and bears reach melee packs first, and stay out of range of shamans, archers and casters. Use Gust to reposition, not to dive: Gust chills nearby monsters on arrival, but it has a cooldown, so you cannot always Gust out again. Pets need corpses (Dire Wolves, Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper), so fight where things die. In hardcore, never Gust into an unexplored room ahead of your army.
Bossing: T0 Diablo Clone (hiimpd2: Easy). Your merc does not enter the arena and most buffs are removed. Recast Heart of Wolverine and resummon everything after you enter (hiimpd2 T0 guide). Diablo Clone has 30% physical and cold resistance, so the Dire Wolves' pierce and Fenris help. Stay within about 10 yards of him or he is immune. Hide behind a pillar during the cold nova waves and resync. hiimpd2 recommends 80-85% maximum fire resistance, 25-30% physical damage reduction, Cannot Be Frozen, 1,500-2,000 life and full rejuvenation potions. TDL's kill used full Aldur's Watchtower, Lava Gout, five Summoning grand charms and resistance charms with Lidless Wall; he notes Stormshield as an upgrade for physical damage reduction. The wiki suggests level 35+ summons for Diablo Clone.
Uber Tristram: a starter-list tag. The wiki says mid-game gear can farm it for your own Hellfire Torch, but since S13 a low budget makes it much harder. TDL's S13 beta video shows constant resummoning and an Amplify Damage merc as essential. Act bosses and Uber Ancients (wiki): keep resummoning and keep the merc alive.
Mapping: hiimpd2 rates solo 'Summon Druid' mapping Decent. Odealo's cons: clear speed is lower than top casters and minion AI can reduce damage uptime on scattered monsters. Map with Gust (more Gust points means a shorter cooldown) or Enigma's Blink charges (Odealo's premium Fenris setup), and keep moving so the pets do not fall behind. Prefer dense, open maps where wolves always have targets. Use corpses for Dire Wolf rage. Mobile ranged packs pull the pets apart, so bring an Amplify Damage merc and avoid 'physical immune' and 'monster physical resistance' map modifiers. In groups, summons are a top-tier support pick (hiimpd2 group list).

02Skills

Level 30 · 33 skill points

  • Summon Ravens 10
  • Summon Spirit Wolf 8
  • Summon Dire Wolf 7
  • Arctic Blast 1
  • Carrion Vine 1
  • Cyclone Armor 1
  • Gust 1
  • Heart of Wolverine 1
  • Poison Creeper 1
  • Solar Creeper 1
  • Summon Grizzly 1

Skill order

  • Summon Ravens from clvl 1 (your only attack until 12), Heart of Wolverine 1 point at 6
  • Summon Spirit Wolf from 12 (6 points = 6 wolves), Poison Creeper 1 + Carrion Vine 1
  • Arctic Blast 1, Cyclone Armor 1, Gust 1 at 18
  • Summon Dire Wolf from 24 (3 points = 3 wolves), Solar Creeper 1
  • Summon Grizzly 1 at 30
  • Max Summon Dire Wolf (Odealo: the S14 focus), then Summon Spirit Wolf and Summon Ravens
  • Max Heart of Wolverine
  • Spare points into Gust until clvl 80 (wiki); 5 points is the showcase-planner value
  • Max Summon Grizzly last (full zoo), or follow Hiim's bear variant (Grizzly 20 early, Dire Wolf only as a synergy)

Synergies

The summons boost each other (S14 Skills.txt and the PD2 wiki; synergies count hard points only):
  • Summon Ravens: +8% damage per hard point in Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Dire Wolf and Summon Grizzly. Ravens deal cold damage only (since S13), can't be hurt and benefit from +% cold damage.
  • Summon Spirit Wolf: +8% damage per hard point in Summon Ravens and Summon Dire Wolf. Up to 6 wolves (1 per level up to level 6), +2 from Fenris and +3-4 from Athena's Wrath.
  • Summon Dire Wolf: +5% damage per hard point in Summon Ravens and Summon Spirit Wolf (S14: was 7%). Up to 3 wolves. Physical pierce 8% +1% per 2 levels, 20% at skill level 25.
  • Summon Grizzly: +4% damage per hard point in Summon Ravens and Summon Spirit Wolf. 1 bear, a 2nd at 20 hard points, +2 with Denmother. Hard points in Summon Grizzly also give both wolf types +25% enhanced damage at 1 point and +10% per extra hard point (215% at 20). This is the main reason the endgame maxes Grizzly.
  • Heart of Wolverine: +25% damage and attack rating at level 1, +8% per level (S14 fix; it was really giving 10%). Pets and party in its radius get the bonus.
  • 1-point utility: Poison Creeper (the PD2 patch notes call it Poison Creeper) is the prerequisite for Carrion Vine (heals you from corpses) and Solar Creeper (mana from corpses). Arctic Blast and Cyclone Armor are the prerequisites for Gust (Cyclone Armor also absorbs elemental damage).
  • Gust: an instant short teleport with a cooldown of 6.32 seconds at level 1, -0.2 seconds per level, minimum 0.52 seconds at level 30 (PD2 wiki). The community versions put 1-15 hard points into it.

About these skill plans

  • Leveling (level 30): 33 points = 29 from levels + the 4 Normal quest points (Den of Evil, Radament, Izual x2). Summon Ravens carries levels 1-11. Summon Spirit Wolf from 12 (6 wolves at 6 points). Summon Dire Wolf from 24 (3 wolves at 3 points). One point each in the vines and the Gust prerequisites, and 1 point in Summon Grizzly at 30. The S14 wiki guide says early damage has shifted to the wolves: points go into spirit and dire wolves, with only 1 point in bears. The exact per-level split is this guide's implementation of those priorities.
  • Early endgame (wolves) (level 80): 91 points = 79 + 12 quest points. The PD2 wiki S14 layout: max Summon Ravens, Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Dire Wolf and Heart of Wolverine, 1 point in Summon Grizzly, the rest into Gust. TDL's S14 planners show the same layout at clvl 90 with Gust at 15. Hiim's starter base planner (clvl 80) is the bear version of this tier: Summon Grizzly 20 and Summon Dire Wolf 1 instead of the reverse, everything else identical (91 points).
  • Endgame (full zoo) (level 99): 110 points = 98 + 12, identical to the two clvl 99 S14 showcase planners (Foxjaeger's 'Summon Build', Earl_Grey's 'Zoo Druid'). The 19 points after clvl 80 go into Summon Grizzly: a second bear at 20 hard points, +215% enhanced damage for both wolf types, and +4% Raven synergy per point. Odealo also maxes all four summons (he keeps Heart of Wolverine at about 15 and Gust at 1). Hiim's end-game bear variant (clvl 95, 106 points): Summon Ravens, Heart of Wolverine, Summon Spirit Wolf and Summon Grizzly 20, Summon Dire Wolf 11, Gust 10, plus the same 1-pointers, with Denmother (no wolves, 4 bears). There the wolf points only serve as synergies.

Dealing with immunities

Your damage is physical (wolves, bears) plus cold (ravens), so you only struggle against physical immunes (and monsters immune to both).
  • Amplify Damage from the merc: Witchwild String or the Wrath runeword on the Act 1 Rogue (Odealo, wiki), The Reaper's Toll on an Act 2 merc (Hiim's bears), or an Act 4 Dark Ascendant (Hiim's mid stage, TDL's early planner). In PD2, resistance reduction breaks immunities at 1/2 effectiveness.
  • Physical pierce: Summon Dire Wolf has 8-20% physical pierce (S14), and Fenris adds -5-8% enemy physical resistance. S14 also shows physical pierce on the advanced character sheet.
  • Ravens deal cold damage, so physical immunes still take their damage. Cold immunes still die to the wolves.
  • hiimpd2's group notes: very high level Amplify Damage plus Battle Cry can break all T4 physical immunes except the stone-skin Blood Bringer. In solo maps, reroll physical-immune or monster-physical-resistance modifiers.

03Stats

Strength and dexterity for gear, all the rest into Vitality. Your attributes add almost nothing to minion damage, and extra life keeps you alive when you Gust next to a pack (Odealo).
AttributeRecommendation
StrengthEnough for your gear. The wiki says to prepare 82 strength / 82 dexterity for Athena's Wrath (Battle Scythe) or 95 strength for Denmother. TDL's and Hiim's starter planners use 80 strength. Hiim's end-game planners use 140 base strength and Foxjaeger's 130, for Arkaine's Valor (165) and Occultist (151) with +strength from gear.
DexterityOnly for gear: 82 for Athena's Wrath (Fenris gives +20-30 dexterity). Hiim's and TDL's starter planners use 62.
VitalityEverything else (wiki, Odealo). Hiim's starter planner has 268 Vitality at clvl 80; the clvl 99 showcase planners have 375-402.
EnergyNone. Mana comes from Solar Creeper, gear and the S14 mana per level buff (+3 per level for druids).

04Leveling

Leveling plan

Summon Druids level through the Summoning tree from clvl 1, with no respec (PD2 wiki starter guide: 'The build works for SC and HC. In normal Ravens and wolves are all you need, later Bears will tank for you'; Odealo: 'one of the easiest Builds to level directly through the Summoning tree, without requiring an early respec'). The leveling timeline below is the Summon route of our Druid leveling guide (leveling/druid.json, route 'Summon (Ravens -> Wolves -> Grizzly)'): its phases carry the skill points, gear, mercenary and tips for every stage, and its skill points match this build's skill tiers. The Druid guide's main route (Fire Elemental) is not used for this build. Summon Ravens carry levels 1-11. spirit wolves take over at 12 and Dire Wolves at 24. Since S14 the wiki puts the early points into the wolves and only 1 point into bears. Gust (18) is your free teleport: 'you're basically a tanky sorc' (wiki). The steps below summarize the same route.
Switching to your main skill: There is no switch: the summons are the leveling skills. Summon Ravens until 12, the wolves from 12/24, and the full army by 30.
Respec: Not needed for the wolf route. If you change version (e.g. to Hiim's Denmother bears, which lowers Summon Dire Wolf to 1-11 and raises Summon Grizzly to 20 early, or to Odealo's Heart of Wolverine at about 15), use Akara's free respec or a Token of Absolution (Twisted, Charged, Burning and Festering Essences from Nightmare/Hell act bosses).

Level 1 to endgame: Summon (Ravens -> Wolves -> Grizzly) route

  1. Level 1–11Normal

    Act 1-2 Normal (Ravens)

    Summon Ravens is your only damage skill for the first eleven levels (PD2 wiki starter guide: 'In normal Ravens and wolves are all you need'). The ravens cannot be hurt and every new cast refreshes the flock, so keep recasting between packs. One point into Heart of Wolverine at level 6 adds damage and attack rating for your pets. Since S13 ravens deal only cold damage, so early damage is lower than in older guides (wiki). Odealo: the Summon Druid is 'one of the easiest Builds to level directly through the Summoning tree, without requiring an early respec'.
    Skill points
    1. +10Summon Ravens
    2. +1Heart of Wolverine

    Gear

    • HelmRusset Wolf Head of the FoxFilled as a standard pick: life and fire resistance. The wiki's tip is a druid pelt with a +1-3 Summon Ravens automod -- pelts roll it on top of these affixes (not part of this configuration); a white 2-socket pelt with +3 Ravens is kept for Lore at 27. How to get: Drops in Act 1-2; check Akara/Charsi after every level. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • ArmorRusset Quilted Armor of the FoxFilled as a standard pick: life and resistance. How to get: Drops. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • AmuletRusset Amulet of the FoxFilled as a standard pick until skill amulets: 'Trainer's' (+1 Summoning) needs clvl 15. How to get: Gamble at Gheed or vendor-check. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary WeaponVicious Short Bow of ReadinessFilled as a standard pick: the wiki says to give her IAS (pierce does not roll on magic bows) -- 10% IAS and enhanced damage. How to get: Drops, Charsi. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary ArmorRusset Quilted Armor of the FoxFilled as a standard pick: life and resistance. How to get: Drops. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.

    Skills

    • Level 2-5: Summon Ravens +4 -- First point at level 2 (characters start with no skill points). Recast often; more points = more and stronger ravens.
    • Level Den of Evil: Summon Ravens +1 -- Quest point.
    • Level 6: Heart of Wolverine +1 -- One point for the damage/attack rating aura; it is maxed much later (levels 62+).
    • Level 7-11: Summon Ravens +5 -- Ravens reach 10 hard points at level 11.

    Stats

    Mostly Vitality. A few points of Strength around level 10-12 for a pelt and a light shield (same as the main route).

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): The PD2 wiki starter guide lists the Act 1 Fire Rogue for Vigor first, and Odealo calls her one of the strongest summon partners: Vigor lets the pets move between packs faster. Hire her after the Den of Evil (or for free after Blood Raven).

    Where to farm

    • Act 1 Normal Countess (Forgotten Tower): Guaranteed runes; first source of Tal Rune, Eth Rune, Tir Rune and Ral Rune for Stealth and Leaf. Drops: Low runes (El Rune to about Ral Rune in Normal - vanilla table, not confirmed for PD2)
    • Act 1 Normal Den of Evil, Cold Plains, Stony Field: Fast early XP; you do not need to farm, just clear as you go. Drops: Low runes, magic pelts

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point (and Akara's free respec). Do it first thing; the point goes into Firestorm.
    • Sisters' Burial Grounds (Blood Raven) (Act 1, recommended): Rogue mercenary for free. Hire an Act 1 Cold Rogue afterwards: in PD2 she carries a Meditation aura.
    • Tools of the Trade (Horadric Malus) (Act 1, recommended): Charsi imbue. Save the imbue for a good staff or a pelt to roll extra Elemental skills (rare result is random).
    • Radament's Lair (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point. Usually done at 13-15, counted in phase 2.

    Tips

    • Cast Summon Ravens before you enter a pack; the ravens do not die, they expire after a number of hits, so recast when the flock gets small.
    • Let the merc and the ravens tank; walk behind them instead of in front.
    • Mistake: Spending early points outside Summon Ravens and the single Heart of Wolverine point -- the wolves only unlock at 12.
    • Mistake: Skipping Den of Evil: you lose a skill point and Akara's free respec.
  2. Level 12–23Normal

    Act 2-4 Normal (Spirit Wolves)

    Summon Spirit Wolf unlocks at 12 and becomes your tank and main physical damage; keep adding points (wiki: since S14 the early points go into the wolves). Take Poison Creeper and Carrion Vine (healing from corpses), then Arctic Blast and Cyclone Armor as the prerequisites for Gust, which you take at 18: a short-range teleport -- 'you're basically a tanky sorc' (wiki). Radament gives +1 point. Make Stealth at 17 and look for a white 2-socket club or pelt with +3 to a summon skill for Neophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2) (Thul Rune + Tir Rune) at 23 (wiki).
    Skill points
    1. +8Summon Spirit Wolf
    2. +1Poison Creeper
    3. +1Carrion Vine
    4. +1Arctic Blast
    5. +1Cyclone Armor
    6. +1Gust

    Gear

    • WeaponNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)30% FCR (S14 data) in a white 2-socket club that rolled +3 to Summon Ravens or +3 to a wolf skill -- the weapon of the wiki's, TDL's and Hiim's starter setups. Clubs can roll druid skill mods in PD2, and the club's +3 counts as soft points for that summon. How to get: Thul Rune + Tir Rune in a white 2-socket club (clvl 23).
      • orTrainer's Club of the ApprenticeBefore 23: +1 to Summoning Skills ('Trainer's', clvl 15) and 10% FCR. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • 2nd HandAncients' PledgeWith a one-handed club: +13 all resistances and +30 cold resistance at clvl 21 (main route). How to get: Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Tal Rune in a 3-socket shield.
    • HelmTrainer's Wolf Head of StabilityFilled as a standard pick: +1 to Summoning Skills ('Trainer's', clvl 15) and 24% FHR; the pelt's random summon automod comes on top. How to get: Drops, Act 2 vendors. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • ArmorStealth20% FCR, 20% FHR and 10% FRW at clvl 17 -- the wiki's leveling armor. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor.
    • GlovesBloodfist+40 life and 30% FHR (S14 data), level 9 -- Hiim's and TDL's starter gloves. How to get: Drop/trade; very cheap.
    • BeltLenymoLevel 7 sash: 10% FCR, mana regeneration and +5 all resistances (main route). How to get: Drop/trade.
    • BootsRare Heavy BootsFilled as a standard pick: 20% FRW ('of Haste', 30% 'of Speed' needs clvl 29), 10% FHR and two resistances. How to get: Drops, Charsi/Fara. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • AmuletTrainer's Amulet of the Apprentice+1 to Summoning Skills ('Trainer's', clvl 15) with 10% FCR -- the build's first step toward the +3 Keeper's amulet. How to get: Vendors and Gheed's Fortune gambling.
    • Mercenary WeaponRare Short Battle BowFilled as a standard pick: 20% IAS ('of Alacrity'), enhanced damage and life leech; any fast bow works until Witchwild String. How to get: Drops, Charsi. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary HelmRare HelmFilled as a standard pick: resistances and life leech. How to get: Drops. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthTDL's S14 early planner and the wiki give the merc Stealth too. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket armor.

    Skills

    • Level 12: Summon Spirit Wolf +1 -- Unlocks at 12 (needs Summon Ravens and Heart of Wolverine).
    • Level 13: Poison Creeper +1 -- Prerequisite for the vines.
    • Level 14: Carrion Vine +1 -- Heals you from corpses.
    • Level Radament: Summon Spirit Wolf +1 -- Quest point.
    • Level 15: Arctic Blast +1 -- Prerequisite for Cyclone Armor / Gust.
    • Level 16: Cyclone Armor +1 -- Prerequisite for Gust; also absorbs elemental damage.
    • Level 17: Summon Spirit Wolf +1
    • Level 18: Gust +1 -- Mobility from 18: a short teleport on a cooldown.
    • Level 19-23: Summon Spirit Wolf +5 -- 8 hard points in Summon Spirit Wolf at 23.

    Stats

    Vitality; Strength to about 40 for Stealth bases and a small shield (main route stat plan).

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): Keep the Vigor Rogue: she is the wiki's long-term choice and Hiim's starter planner uses her. Give her IAS and enough resistances to survive.

    Where to farm

    Quests

    • Radament's Lair (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
    • Lam Esen's Tome (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
    • The Golden Bird (Act 3, recommended): Potion of Life (+20 life)
    • The Fallen Angel (Izual) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points
    • Hell's Forge (Act 4, recommended): Random rune. Rune table depends on difficulty.
    • Siege on Harrogath (Larzuk) (Act 5, must do): Sockets an item. Save it for a 4-socket-capped staff (Battle Staff/Gnarled Staff) for the Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) staff, or for a Nightmare base. Socket count depends on item level (vanilla rule: ilvl 26-40 = max 4).
    • Rescue on Mount Arreat (Act 5, recommended): Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Tal Rune (and a socketed item). These three runes are part of Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) and Insight.
    • Prison of Ice (Anya) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances

    Tips

    • Recast Summon Spirit Wolf after every death; with more points you get more wolves (6 at 6 points).
    • Use Gust to jump past packs and to escape; the wolves follow you.
    • Mistake: Skipping Carrion Vine: corpse healing is what keeps a low-gear summoner alive.
    • Mistake: Putting more than one point into Arctic Blast or Cyclone Armor -- they are only prerequisites.
  3. Level 24–30Nightmare

    Act 4-5 Normal into Nightmare (Dire Wolves)

    Summon Dire Wolf at 24: three points give all three wolves, then keep adding points (S14 buff, and Odealo's 'main focus'). Solar Creeper (24) restores mana from corpses. One point in Summon Grizzly at 30 adds a tank. Izual gives +2 points. Put Lore into your +3 pelt at 27. At the end of the phase you match the build's clvl 30 tier: 33 points.
    Skill points
    1. +7Summon Dire Wolf
    2. +1Solar Creeper
    3. +1Summon Grizzly

    Gear

    • WeaponNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)Keep the +3 club. How to get: See above.
    • 2nd HandRhyme+25 all resistances, Cannot Be Frozen and block at clvl 29 -- the build's early shield alternative before Splendor (37). How to get: Shael Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket shield.
      • orAncients' PledgeKeep it until 29.
    • HelmLore+1 all skills in the white +3 summon pelt you kept (wiki), clvl 27. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune in a 2-socket pelt or helm.
    • ArmorStealthKeep until Smoke (37) or Hustle (39).
    • GlovesBloodfistLife and FHR.
    • BootsRite of Passage30% FRW and Cannot Be Frozen at clvl 29 -- Hiim's and TDL's starter boots. How to get: Drop/trade (The Disciple set boots).
    • AmuletCaretaker's Amulet of the Apprentice+2 to Summoning Skills ('Caretaker's', clvl 30) with 10% FCR. How to get: Gambling/drops.
    • RingNagelringHiim's and TDL's starter rings: magic find and mana after each kill; your pets do the killing. How to get: Drop/trade (cheap).
    • Mercenary WeaponRare Short Battle BowFast bow (IAS) until Witchwild String at 39. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary HelmRare HelmFilled as a standard pick: resistances and life leech. How to get: Drops. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
    • Mercenary ArmorStealthKeep.

    Skills

    • Level 24: Summon Dire Wolf +1 -- Unlocks at 24 (needs Summon Spirit Wolf).
    • Level Izual: Summon Dire Wolf +2 -- The two Izual points (Act 4) -- all three Dire Wolves at 3 points.
    • Level 25: Solar Creeper +1 -- Mana from corpses.
    • Level 26-29: Summon Dire Wolf +4 -- 7 hard points at 29.
    • Level 30: Summon Grizzly +1 -- One bear as a tank; the wiki puts only 1 point into bears early since S14.

    Stats

    Vitality; Strength only for gear (Rhyme/small shields, pelts).

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): Same Rogue. TDL's planners keep the merc in cheap defensive gear until Witchwild String.

    Tips

    • Dire Wolves are the S14 damage dealers (base damage 36-42, physical pierce): recast them first after a fight.
    • In Nightmare, let the army engage first and stand where Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper can reach corpses.
    • Mistake: Pumping Summon Grizzly now: the wiki route keeps it at 1 point until the wolves are maxed.
  4. Level 31–45Nightmare

    Nightmare (max Dire Wolves)

    Max Summon Dire Wolf first (Odealo: Dire Wolf first; the wiki maxes Ravens, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) Wolves, Dire Wolves and Heart of Wolverine), then start on Summon Spirit Wolf again. The Nightmare Den of Evil and Radament points go into the wolves. Gear: Splendor or Smoke at 37, Hustle at 39 and Gloom's Trap (36) are the S14 starter planners' pieces, and a Keeper's amulet (+3 Summoning, clvl 45) is the big upgrade at the end of the phase. Give the Rogue Witchwild String at 39.
    Skill points
    1. +13Summon Dire Wolf
    2. +4Summon Spirit Wolf

    Gear

    • WeaponNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)Keep the +3 club until Athena's Wrath (42+, 82 Str / 82 Dex).
    • 2nd HandSplendor+1 all skills, 20-35% FCR at clvl 37 -- Hiim's and TDL's starter shield. How to get: Eth Rune + Lum Rune in a 2-socket shield.
      • orRhymeBefore 37.
    • HelmLoreKeep the +3 pelt with Lore.
    • ArmorHustleHiim's starter armor at clvl 39: level 6 Quickness self-aura, 20% IAS, +10 all resistances and half freeze duration. How to get: Shael Rune + Ko Rune + Eld Rune in a 3-socket armor.
      • orSmoke30-50 all resistances and 20% FHR at clvl 37 (wiki alternative).
    • GlovesBloodfistKeep.
    • BeltGloom's Trap10-20% FCR, 15% max mana and mana regeneration at clvl 36 (Hiim, TDL). How to get: Drop/trade.
    • BootsRite of PassageKeep.
    • AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the Apprentice+3 to Summoning Skills ('Keeper's', magic-only, clvl 45) with 10% FCR: the wiki's '+3 Amulet', and Odealo calls it 'surprisingly affordable early on'. How to get: Magic drops and gambling (item level 60+ for the +3 prefix); keep the Caretaker's until then.
    • RingNagelringKeep both.
    • Mercenary WeaponWitchwild StringAmplify Damage on hit, 20-40 all resistances, deadly strike per level and 2-4 sockets (S14 data), clvl 39. How to get: Drop/trade.
    • Mercenary HelmRockstopperResistances, 10% damage reduction and 30% FHR (TDL's midgame merc helm), clvl 31. How to get: Drop/trade.
    • Mercenary ArmorRockfleece10-15% damage reduction (TDL's midgame merc armor), clvl 28. How to get: Drop/trade.

    Skills

    • Level 31-41: Summon Dire Wolf +11 -- Dire Wolf is the damage priority.
    • Level Den of Evil (NM): Summon Dire Wolf +1 -- Quest point.
    • Level Radament (NM): Summon Dire Wolf +1 -- Quest point -- Dire Wolf reaches 20.
    • Level 42-45: Summon Spirit Wolf +4 -- Back to Summon Spirit Wolf (12 hard points at 45).

    Stats

    Vitality. Use Lam Esen's Tome (+5 stat points) in Nightmare Act 3.

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): The wiki calls Witchwild String her ideal bow: Amplify Damage on hit raises the wolves' physical damage a lot. TDL's midgame merc wears Rockstopper and Rockfleece.

    Where to farm

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Nightmare) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point, free respec
    • Radament's Lair (Nightmare) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
    • Lam Esen's Tome (Nightmare) (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
    • The Fallen Angel (Nightmare) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points
    • Prison of Ice (Nightmare) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances

    Tips

    • Switch to the Keeper's amulet as soon as you hit 45; +3 to every summon is the biggest single upgrade of the route.
    • Nightmare Act 3 and 4 have many ranged and elemental monsters: keep Cyclone Armor up and let the wolves body-block.
    • Mistake: Splitting points over many summons before Dire Wolf is maxed -- one maxed damage summon beats several half-built ones.
  5. Level 46–60Nightmare

    Nightmare end to Hell entry (Spirit Wolves, Ravens)

    Finish Summon Spirit Wolf (the Nightmare Izual points help), then push Summon Ravens toward 20 (wiki: max Ravens, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) Wolves, Dire Wolves and Heart of Wolverine). This is when the build's mid-game gear arrives: Athena's Wrath (+2-3 Druid skills, +2 Summoning, 3-4 extra spirit wolves), Fenris (2 extra spirit wolves) and Skin of the Vipermagi -- the wiki's first mid-game targets and Hiim's 'Mid' stage. Fix resistances before Hell.
    Skill points
    1. +8Summon Spirit Wolf
    2. +9Summon Ravens

    Gear

    • WeaponAthena's WrathThe wiki's first mid-game target: +2-3 Druid skills, +2 Summoning skills, 3-4 extra spirit wolves, 50% IAS and life per level (S14 data), clvl 42. Two-handed, so the shield slot stays empty. How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)Keep the +3 club and Splendor until you can wield Athena's Wrath.
    • HelmFenrisThe wiki: 'be on the lookout for a Fenris or Denmother'. +1-2 Druid skills, 2 extra spirit wolves, +2 Summon Spirit Wolf and +2 Heart of Wolverine, clvl 40. How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orLoreKeep it until you find Fenris.
    • ArmorSkin of the Vipermagi+1 all skills, 30% FCR, 20-30 all resistances (S14 data), clvl 29 -- wiki, TDL's midgame and Hiim's mid stage. How to get: Drop/trade.
    • GlovesTrang-Oul's Claws20% FCR and 30 cold resistance, clvl 45 (TDL's midgame planner, Hiim's mid stage). How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orBloodfistKeep it for life/FHR.
    • BeltGloom's TrapKeep.
    • BootsRite of PassageKeep.
    • AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the Apprentice+3 to Summoning Skills with 10% FCR.
    • RingNagelringHiim's and TDL's midgame rings.
      • orRaven FrostCannot Be Frozen, dexterity and mana if you need them (clvl 45).
    • Mercenary WeaponWitchwild StringKeep.
    • Mercenary HelmRockstopperKeep.
    • Mercenary ArmorRockfleeceKeep; add String of Ears as her belt (TDL).

    Skills

    • Level 46-51: Summon Spirit Wolf +6
    • Level Izual (NM): Summon Spirit Wolf +2 -- Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) Wolf reaches 20.
    • Level 52-60: Summon Ravens +9 -- Ravens 19 at 60; the last point follows at 61.

    Stats

    Vitality; Strength/Dexterity to 82 only if you wield Athena's Wrath (Battle Scythe).

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): Same Rogue with Witchwild String; TDL's midgame merc adds String of Ears for leech and damage reduction.

    Where to farm

    • Act 1 Hell Countess: Rune upgrades for the Spirit (Sword/Any Shield)/Insight copies and later high runes (Infinity for the merc). Drops: Runes up to Ist Rune (bonus table higher) - vanilla table
    • Hell Cow Level: Fast XP, no fire-immune cows; Cow King no longer prevents opening the level in PD2. Drops: Bases, runes

    Quests

    • Den of Evil (Hell) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point, free respec
    • Radament's Lair (Hell) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
    • Lam Esen's Tome (Hell) (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points

    Tips

    • With Athena's Wrath and Fenris your spirit wolf count jumps well above the base maximum: recast after equipping.
    • Use Gust to reposition behind the army in Hell; you are the weak point, the pets are not.
    • Mistake: Entering Hell with negative resistances: the army survives, you do not.
  6. Level 61–80Hell

    Hell to Baal, first maps (Heart of Wolverine)

    Finish Summon Ravens and max Heart of Wolverine; spare points go into Gust for a shorter cooldown. At 80 you match the PD2 wiki / TDL S14 layout and the build's early-endgame tier (91 points). Farm Travincal, Chaos Sanctuary, Corrupted Zones and keys for Uber Tristram (hiimpd2 starter tags). The merc gets Odealo's end-game Wrath runeword (63) in a crossbow for Amplify Damage on hit.
    Skill points
    1. +1Summon Ravens
    2. +19Heart of Wolverine
    3. +4Gust

    Gear

    • WeaponAthena's WrathHiim's S14 spirit wolf planner and both clvl 99 showcase planners stay on it.
    • HelmFenrisThe defining helm of the wolf build (Odealo).
    • ArmorSkin of the VipermagiKeep until Arkaine's Valor (85).
      • orChains of HonorOdealo's defensive alternative from clvl 63 when resistances are short.
    • GlovesTrang-Oul's ClawsKeep (FCR).
    • BeltArachnid Mesh+1 all skills, 10% FCR at clvl 80 (Hiim, Foxjaeger, Earl_Grey; Odealo's offensive choice). How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orGloom's TrapUntil 80.
    • BootsMarrowwalkStrength, dexterity, Cannot Be Frozen and mana regeneration at clvl 66 (Hiim, Foxjaeger). How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orRite of PassageUntil you find them.
    • AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the ApprenticeKeep; Hiim corrupts his for +all skills.
    • RingBul-Kathos' Wedding Band+1 all skills, life per level and life leech at clvl 58 (Hiim, Foxjaeger, Earl_Grey, Odealo). How to get: Drop/trade.
    • CharmHellfire TorchA Druid torch: +skills, Vitality, Energy and all resistances; Uber Tristram is a starter-list tag for this build (clvl 75). How to get: Uber Tristram (Pandemonium event).
    • Mercenary WeaponWrathOdealo's end-game merc weapon, clvl 63. How to get: Pul Rune + Lum Rune + Ber Rune + Mal Rune in a 4-socket bow/crossbow.
      • orWitchwild StringKeep it until you have the runes.
    • Mercenary HelmRockstopperKeep until Andariel's Visage (83).
    • Mercenary ArmorRockfleeceKeep until Templar's Might (74; 232 Str).
      • orTemplar's MightOdealo's pick from clvl 74: a Might aura for the physical pets.

    Skills

    • Level 61: Summon Ravens +1 -- Ravens reach 20.
    • Level 62-78: Heart of Wolverine +17 -- The damage/attack rating aura for all pets.
    • Level Den of Evil + Radament (Hell): Heart of Wolverine +2 -- Heart of Wolverine reaches 20.
    • Level 79-80: Gust +2 -- Shorter cooldown.
    • Level Izual (Hell): Gust +2 -- Gust 5 at 80.

    Stats

    Vitality. Only the Strength/Dexterity your gear needs.

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): Odealo's end-game combination is the Wrath runeword on the Rogue: Amplify Damage on hit (60% chance), IAS and Cannot Be Frozen, on top of Vigor.

    Where to farm

    • Hell Pit, Hell Ancient Tunnels, Tower Cellar (area level 85), Hell Cows (area level 81): High area level, mostly non-fire-immune monsters. Drops: Runes, uniques, Worldstone Shards
    • Corrupted Zones (Hell, rotating every 15 minutes): Area level 85 and +50% Worldstone Shard drops in S14. Drops: Worldstone Shards, high-level items
    • Tier 1 map The Poisoned Well (from 80): New S14 map with no immunities in its first season. Drops: Maps, map currency

    Quests

    • The Fallen Angel (Hell) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points. Last skill points from quests.
    • Prison of Ice (Hell) (Act 5, must do): +10 all res and free tier-1 map(s) (PD2 wiki: 3 per General Changes, 1 per Maps page)
    • Eve of Destruction (Hell) (Act 5, must do): Map access at 80+. Killing the Hell Ancients is required to open maps.

    Tips

    • Farm Travincal and Chaos Sanctuary: the army handles the council and the seals well (hiimpd2 starter tags).
    • Gust spares you an Enigma; put the extra points into it once Heart of Wolverine is maxed.
    • Mistake: Buying luxury items before the skiller package: Odealo says to finish +Summoning grand charms first.
  7. Level 81–99Hell

    maps and ubers (full zoo)

    Every remaining point goes into Summon Grizzly: a second bear at 20 hard points, and both wolf types gain +25% enhanced damage at 1 point plus +10% per extra hard point (S14 data, hard points only). This is the full-zoo layout of the clvl 99 S14 showcase planners (Foxjaeger, Earl_Grey). End-game gear: Arkaine's Valor, Occultist, Arachnid Mesh, two Bul-Kathos' Wedding Bands, the Keeper's amulet and +1 Summoning grand charms. Alternative: respec into Hiim's bear layout if you find a Denmother.
    Skill points
    1. +19Summon Grizzly

    Gear

    • WeaponAthena's WrathBoth clvl 99 showcase planners stay on it; Earl_Grey corrupts it to 5 sockets with all-resistance/FHR jewels.
      • orBeastOdealo: Fanaticism for the whole army (one-handed, with a shield).
    • HelmFenrisKeep (Hiim, both clvl 99 planners).
      • orDenmotherHiim's bear version.
    • ArmorArkaine's Valor+1-2 all skills, 40% FHR, Vitality per level, damage reduction (every Hiim end-game summon planner, Foxjaeger), clvl 85. How to get: Drop/trade.
      • orEnigmaOdealo's alternative.
    • GlovesOccultist20% FCR and max mana (Hiim, Foxjaeger), clvl 70. How to get: Drop/trade.
    • BeltArachnid MeshKeep.
    • BootsMarrowwalkKeep.
    • AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the ApprenticeThe amulet in Foxjaeger's and Earl_Grey's clvl 99 planners.
      • orMara's KaleidoscopeOdealo: +2 all skills, attributes, all resistances.
    • RingBul-Kathos' Wedding BandTwo of them in all end-game planners.
    • CharmAnnihilus+1 all skills, attributes, resistances (every end-game planner); Diablo Clone drops it, and this build kills him at T0 (hiimpd2). How to get: Diablo Clone event.
    • Mercenary WeaponWrathKeep.
    • Mercenary HelmAndariel's VisageOdealo: 'Andariel's Visage or another durable Mercenary Helmet' (clvl 83). How to get: Drop/trade.
    • Mercenary ArmorTemplar's MightLevel 6-8 Might aura for the physical pets (Odealo), clvl 74. How to get: Drop/trade.

    Skills

    • Level 81-99: Summon Grizzly +19 -- Grizzly reaches 20: 2 bears and the wolf damage bonus.

    Stats

    Vitality; nothing else beyond gear requirements.

    Mercenary

    Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor aura): Odealo's end-game Rogue: the Wrath runeword plus Templar's Might, so the army gets Amplify Damage, Vigor and Might. Foxjaeger's planner uses an Act 5 Might merc instead.

    Tips

    • Keep Summon Grizzly for last: its wolf bonus only counts hard points, so it is the natural sink for levels 81-99.
    • For Diablo Clone, leave the Rogue at home: she cannot follow you into the arena (hiimpd2 T0 guide).
    • Mistake: Respeccing out of the wolf layout without a Denmother: the bear version needs it.

Rune shopping list

Alternative leveling builds

  • Firestorm -> Molten Boulder -> Fissure/Volcano -> Armageddon (Fire Druid): Community route (Odealo pre-launch S14 Fire Druid guide): Firestorm early, Molten Boulder as main skill from level 6 because it has no cooldown and strong fire + physical damage, Fissure for area clear in open areas, Volcano 'as soon as possible' for elites and bosses, then invest heavily into Molten Boulder, Fissure, Volcano and Armageddon, which synergize each other. Gust becomes your mobility skill. No respec is needed before maps. Maxroll's (D2R) Fissure route is the common alternative: more Firestorm early, Fissure maxed first. If you stay Fire Elemental there is nothing to respec - the leveling points are the endgame points. Community timings for switching: Rabies - late Nightmare/early Hell (Odealo pre-launch S14 Rabies guide); Wind (Tornado/Hurricane) - around level 38, before Nightmare Mephisto (Maxroll, D2R route). Respec only once you hold the core gear for the next build.
  • Arctic Blast -> Hurricane (Cold Elemental): Cold Elemental is Top tier on the S14 solo list. Arctic Blast is a channeled cold beam that per the PD2 wiki reduces enemy cold resistance while it hits (-6% at level 1, -1% per level); Hurricane adds a damage aura around you. Arctic Blast is mana hungry at low level. Odealo's pre-launch S14 Arctic Blast guide says the build can be leveled around its final playstyle 'surprisingly early'. If your endgame target is Cold Elemental, or you want to avoid fire immunes in Hell. Use an Act 1 Cold Rogue (Meditation) early to fix mana. Full level 1 -> endgame route: see the 'Arctic Blast / Cold' leveling route.
  • Werewolf Fire Claws / Rabies: Fire Claws (level 24) was completely reworked in S14: its Firestorm trails no longer shotgun, travel 50% faster and hit much harder, and it is synergized by Molten Boulder and Armageddon (+24% each). Rabies is Top tier on the S14 solo list. Odealo's pre-launch S14 Rabies guide: level as Fire, respec into Rabies in late Nightmare or early Hell once you have basic Rabies gear.
  • Twister / Tornado (Wind): S14 buffed Twister (more damage, hit delay 10 -> 9) and Tornado (hit delay 25 -> 9) and both now benefit from deadly/critical strike. Physical damage avoids elemental immunities. If you want to end as Twister/Wind Druid. Damage is weak before the synergies come online, so most players still level as fire and respec. Maxroll's (D2R) route levels as Fire/Fissure and respecs to Tornado/Hurricane around level 38 before Nightmare Mephisto; hiimpd2 lists Wind Elemental as an S14 Druid starter.

Respecs

  • When to respec on this route: None needed: the leveling points are the endgame points (wiki, Odealo). Optional: switch to Hiim's Denmother bear layout (Dire Wolf 1-11, Grizzly 20) or Odealo's Heart of Wolverine-at-15 version with Akara's free respec or a Token of Absolution.
  • Free respecs: Akara offers one free skill and stat reset per difficulty after you complete the Den of Evil (standard D2 behaviour, PD2 keeps it). The Normal one is the most useful because you will never need it for this route.
  • Token of Absolution: Cube Twisted Essence of Suffering (Andariel/Duriel), Charged Essence of Hatred (Mephisto), Burning Essence of Terror (Diablo) and Festering Essence of Destruction (Baal); in PD2 essences drop in Nightmare and Hell. Tokens are also cheap to trade.

Common leveling mistakes

  • Leveling the bears early: since S14 the wiki puts the early points into the wolves and only 1 point into Summon Grizzly.
  • Forgetting the Rogue: Vigor and an Amplify Damage bow are a big part of the army's damage (wiki, Odealo).
  • Spreading points across all three trees early - the fire chain needs every point until the four core skills are maxed.
  • Delaying Volcano - the community route adds it as soon as it unlocks.
  • Choosing 3-socket bases for 2-rune words (Stealth, Leaf, Lore).
  • Playing without a mana source: Insight on the Act 2 merc fixes mana.
  • Forgetting that Molten Boulder/Volcano/Armageddon are half physical - they are your answer to fire immunes, not a reason to respec.
  • Hiring an Act 2 'Holy Freeze' or 'Might' merc - neither exists in PD2 Act 2.

What is different in PD2

  • Skill names in game: Fissure (internal name Eruption), Summon Dire Wolf (internal Summon Fenris), Carrion Vine (Cycle of Life), Solar Creeper (Vines), Werewolf/Werebear, Lycanthropy (Shape Shifting).
  • Fissure S14: synergies 12% -> 14% per level, spawn delay 6 -> 5 frames, and the delay drops every 5 base levels instead of 10.
  • Fissure and Volcano have a 13-frame (0.52 s) cooldown in PD2, so you weave Molten Boulder in between.
  • Gust is a PD2 Druid mobility skill (level 18, needs Cyclone Armor); its cooldown falls from about 6.3 s at level 1 to 0.52 s at level 30+.
  • Druid mana per level rose from 2 to 3 in S14.
  • Mercenaries: Act 1 Cold Rogue has Meditation, Act 4 Ascendant (staves) has Amplify Damage (Dark) or Sanctuary (Light) variants; mercs get full XP from your kills in S14.
  • Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) has a staff version: +2 all skills and 55% FHR instead of +1 and 25% FHR.
  • Rune upgrades in S14 data: 3 runes up to Pul Rune, 2 runes from Pul Rune upward, no gems needed.
  • S14 raised the maximum sockets of many armor bases from 2 to 3 (e.g. Splint Mail, Plate Mail, Field Plate, Ghost Armor, Serpentskin Armor, Demonhide Armor), which makes 3-rune armors like Rain easier; for Stealth you still need a base with exactly 2 sockets.

05Gear

Character

HelmLore
AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the Apprentice
WeaponNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)
ArmorHustle
2nd HandSplendor
GlovesBloodfist
BeltGloom's Trap
RingNagelring
RingNagelring
BootsRite of Passage
  • WeaponNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)30% FCR (S14 data) in a white 2-socket club that rolled +3 to Summon Ravens or +3 to a wolf skill. Clubs can roll druid skill mods in PD2 (S14 ItemTypes), and the club's +3 counts as soft points for that summon. The weapon of the wiki's, TDL's and Hiim's starter setups. How to get: Thul Rune + Tir Rune (clvl 23) in a white/normal 2-socket club with a +summon skill mod. The wiki says these bases drop in dense areas like the Cow Level or the Flayer Jungle; use a low filter strictness and no MF.
    • AlternativeSpirit (Sword/Any Shield)+1 all skills, 25-35% FCR (clvl 25). TDL's S13 budget Uber Tristram setup used Spirit (Sword/Any Shield).
  • 2nd HandSplendor+1 all skills, 20-35% FCR (S14 data). Hiim's and TDL's starter shield. How to get: Eth Rune + Lum Rune (clvl 37) in a 2-socket shield (Hiim uses a Bone Shield).
    • AlternativeSigon's Guard+1 all skills; named by the wiki as a good early shield.
    • AlternativeRhymeCannot Be Frozen, 25 all resistances; in TDL's S13 budget setup.
  • HelmLore+1 all skills. Look for a white 2-socket druid pelt with +3 to Summon Ravens, later +3 to a wolf skill (wiki). TDL uses a Wolf Head, Hiim a Spirit Mask. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune (clvl 27) in a white/normal 2-socket pelt with a +summon skill mod.
  • ArmorHustleHiim's starter armor: a level 6 Quickness self-aura (S14 data), +20% IAS, +10 all resistances and half freeze duration. It speeds you up between packs. How to get: Shael Rune + Ko Rune + Eld Rune (clvl 39) in a 3-socket body armor (Hiim: Archon Plate).
    • AlternativeSmokeTDL's S14 early armor: 30-50 all resistances, 20% FHR (clvl 37).
    • AlternativeStealthFrom clvl 17 until Smoke/Hustle.
  • GlovesBloodfist+40 life and 30% FHR (S14 data). Hiim's and TDL's starter gloves. How to get: Random drop (Heavy Gloves, L9).
  • BeltGloom's Trap10-20% FCR, 15% max mana, mana regeneration (S14 data). Hiim's and TDL's starter belt. How to get: Random drop (Mesh Belt, L36).
  • BootsRite of Passage30% FRW and Cannot Be Frozen (S14 data). Hiim's and TDL's starter boots. How to get: Set drop (Demonhide Boots, L29).
  • AmuletKeeper's Amulet of the Apprentice+3 to Summoning Skills is the best damage per slot (wiki: '+3 Amulet'; Odealo: 'surprisingly affordable early on'). Hiim's and TDL's planners use a 'Keeper's Amulet'. Shown with the 10% FCR suffix ('of the Apprentice'); a life or resistance suffix instead is just as valid. 'Keeper's' is magic-only on amulets and needs required level 45, so it arrives at the end of this stage. How to get: Magic drops and gambling (the +3 prefix needs an item level 60+ amulet; required level 45). Until then use a 'Trainer's' (+1, level 15) or 'Caretaker's' (+2, level 30) amulet.
    • AlternativeCaretaker's Amulet of the ApprenticeCheaper step before the +3: +2 to Summoning Skills ('Caretaker's', required level 30) with 10% FCR. A 'Trainer's' (+1, required level 15) amulet bridges the levels before that.
  • RingNagelringHiim's and TDL's starter rings: magic find, attack rating, mana after each kill. Your pets do the killing, so the slot goes to magic find early. How to get: Random drop (L7).
    • AlternativeRare RingIf you need FCR or resistances instead of magic find: 10% FCR ('of the Apprentice'), life and two resistances.
  • RingNagelringSecond Nagelring (Hiim, TDL). How to get: Random drop.
    • AlternativeRare RingIf you need FCR or resistances instead of magic find: 10% FCR ('of the Apprentice'), life and two resistances.

Charms

Odealo, Hiim and all S14 showcase planners agree: +1 Summoning Skills grand charms are the priority, because every summon and Heart of Wolverine scale with skill levels. The base is a Druid Hellfire Torch and Annihilus, then as many Summoning grand charms as fit. Odealo says to finish the skiller package before buying luxury upgrades. Fill the rest with life, resistances and FHR. TDL's Diablo Clone kill used five Summoning grand charms plus resistance small charms. The wiki notes that Large Charms can roll FCR (useful for early FCR breakpoints).
  • Grand charms: +1 to Summoning Skills (Druid Only) - 'Trainer's' prefix (grand charm, required level 42), ideally with life ('of Vita') (Foxjaeger: 9 with life); +1 Summoning (Trainer's) with 12% FHR ('of Balance')
  • Large charms: 'Mystic' Large Charm: 5-6% FCR (prefix, required level 42) to reach 46/68% FCR early (wiki: FCR on Large Charms)
  • Small charms: Shimmering Small Charm of Vita: 3-5 all resistances + 16-20 life (Foxjaeger's clvl 99 planner); Life + single resistance (fill resistance gaps; TDL's Diablo Clone setup used resistance charms); 5% FHR ('of Balance') to reach your FHR breakpoint (Odealo)
  • Annihilus: +1 all skills, attributes, resistances, experience (every end-game planner). Drops from Diablo Clone, which this build can kill at T0.
  • Hellfire Torch: +skills of a random class (you want a Druid Hellfire Torch), Vitality, Energy, all resistances. From Uber Tristram, a starter-list tag for this build.

Socket fillers

06Mercenary

Which mercenary

Act 1 -- Fire Rogue (Vigor aura)
Aura: Vigor (faster movement for you and your pets). Her bow adds Amplify Damage on hit (Witchwild String, or the Wrath runeword)
The PD2 wiki starter guide lists the Act 1 Fire Rogue for Vigor first, Hiim's starter planner uses her, and Odealo calls her one of the strongest partners: Vigor makes the wolves move between packs faster, and an Amplify Damage bow greatly raises their physical damage. Odealo's end-game combination is the Wrath runeword plus Templar's Might, so the army gets Amplify Damage, Vigor and Might while you add Fanaticism with the Beast runeword. Give her IAS and pierce (wiki). Note: she cannot follow you into the Diablo Clone arena (hiimpd2 T0 guide).
Alternatives

Mercenary

HelmLore
WeaponRare Short Battle Bow
2nd Hand
ArmorStealth
GlovesBloodfist
BeltGloom's Trap
BootsRare Heavy Boots
  • Mercenary WeaponRare Short Battle BowThe wiki says to give her IAS and pierce wherever possible. Pierce does not roll as a magic/rare affix on bows, so this standard pick is a fast bow with 20% IAS ('of Alacrity'), enhanced damage and life leech. Any fast bow works until Witchwild String. How to get: Drops, Gheed, Charsi. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.
  • Mercenary HelmLoreTDL's S14 early planner gives the merc a Lore helm (on his Act 4 merc). Mercs can wear any helm. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune in a 2-socket helm (clvl 27).
  • Mercenary ArmorStealthTDL's S14 early merc armor (Act 4 version) and the wiki's Act 4 suggestion. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor (clvl 17).
  • Mercenary GlovesBloodfistTDL's early merc gloves. Cheap, with life and 30% FHR. How to get: Random drop (L9).
  • Mercenary BeltGloom's TrapTDL's early merc belt. How to get: Random drop (Mesh Belt, L36).
  • Mercenary BootsRare Heavy BootsFilled as a standard pick: resistances keep her alive (boots cannot roll life). TDL gives the merc Rite of Passage, which you wear yourself at this stage. How to get: Drops. Standard pick: no cited source names an item for this slot at this stage -- a common, stage-appropriate choice.

07Breakpoints

StatBreakpointsAim forNotes
FCR (cast rate)0410193046689916346% or 68% for smooth resummoning (wiki); Odealo: 68% comfortable, 99% optional and not worth giving up Summoning skill levelsDruid (human form). Starter: Neophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2) 30 + Splendor 20-35 + Gloom's Trap 10-20 gives 60-85 (46 or 68). Mid: Skin of the Vipermagi 30 + Trang-Oul's Claws 20 + Gloom's Trap 10-20 = 60-70 (46 or 68). Endgame with Athena's Wrath: Occultist 20 + Arachnid Mesh 10 + amulet 10 = 40 (the 30% step). Add FCR jewels or a Mystic Large Charm for 46. Hiim's bear setup (Heart of the Oak 30 + Denmother 20 + Occultist 20 + Arachnid Mesh 10 = 80) reaches 68.
FHR (hit recovery)Staves, polearms (Athena's Wrath), bows and other weapons: 0/5/10/16/26/39/56/86/152/377. One-handed swinging weapons (club, Flail, axes): 0/3/7/13/19/29/42/63/99/174/456Odealo: 39% comfortable, 56% target (these are the 'other weapons' steps, which match Athena's Wrath)Druid (human form) - depends on the weapon. Arkaine's Valor alone gives 40% (39 step). Add a Shael Rune rune, FHR jewels or charms for 56. With the Neophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2) club early, Bloodfist's 30% FHR already reaches the 29% step of the one-handed table.
FRW (run/walk)—You walk behind your summons. Rite of Passage (30%), Hustle's speed aura, the Act 1 merc's Vigor and Gust cover movement. In the endgame Enigma (25% FRW + Blink charges) or Waterwalk/Aldur's Advance help (Odealo).

08Tips & Tricks

Tips

  • Look for white 2-socket clubs and pelts with +3 to Summon Ravens or a wolf skill, and make Neophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2) and Lore in them. The wiki says the best spots are dense areas like the Cow Level and the Flayer Jungle, with low filter strictness and no MF.
  • Gust requires Arctic Blast and Cyclone Armor. Take both at 1 point; Cyclone Armor also absorbs elemental damage.
  • Summon Grizzly is worth 1 hard point early, but at endgame each hard point gives both wolf types +10% enhanced damage (S14: hard points only), so max it last.
  • Recast Summon Ravens often. Each raven hits 5 times and expires; at 10 and 20 hard points a single cast summons 2 and 3 ravens.
  • Dire Wolves eat corpses for +100% damage (20 seconds), as do Carrion Vine (life) and Solar Creeper (mana). Don't fight where corpses are already gone.
  • Use Heart of Wolverine as your spirit for damage. Spirit Keeper allows a second spirit (Oak Sage for life), which is what hiimpd2's Top group builds use.
  • Summon with a high-skill weapon on weapon switch, then swap back (Odealo: keep Athena's Wrath on switch for precasting).
  • Diablo Clone: your merc stays outside. Resummon and recast Heart of Wolverine as soon as you enter, and stay within 10 yards of him (hiimpd2 T0 guide).
  • Give the Act 1 Rogue an Amplify Damage bow (Witchwild String, later the Wrath runeword). It is the biggest damage boost for physical pets against physical-resistant monsters (wiki, Odealo).
  • +1 Summoning grand charms are the core inventory (Odealo). Finish them before buying luxury items.
  • Keeper's (+3 Summoning) can now also spawn on dropped rare clubs and druid pelts (S14 patch notes). A rare pelt with +3 Summoning and resistances is a strong mid-game helm.
  • Physical pierce now shows on the advanced character sheet (S14). Check how much your Dire Wolves and Fenris actually remove.

Where to farm

  • Travincal (Hell): hiimpd2 starter tag. The wiki and philanthropy777's S13 Day 1 Summoner (Trav/CS/CZ) farm it first. The council packs are dense, so wolves always have targets.
  • Chaos Sanctuary (Hell): hiimpd2 starter tag; Day 1 farm in philanthropy777's guide and the wiki. Pets tank the demons while you stay back.
  • Corrupted Zones (area level 85): Worldstone Shards (+50% drop in S14) for Hiim's corruptions (sockets/+skills). philanthropy777's Day 1 summoner farms them.
  • Pits, Stony Tomb, Shenk and Eldritch (Hell): The wiki's farming list: get Athena's Wrath as soon as possible.
  • Countess, Summoner, Nihlathak (Hell) and Blood Raven, Bloodwitch, Izual: hiimpd2 'Key Farming' tag: Keys of Terror, Hate and Destruction for Uber Tristram (PD2 adds the second group of key bosses).
  • Uber Tristram (Pandemonium): hiimpd2 starter tag. With mid-game gear you can get your own Hellfire Torch (wiki). It also drops the Black Soulstone for the Vision of Terror.
  • Early T1 maps: hiimpd2 'Early Map' tag. Pick dense, open layouts.
  • Diablo Clone T0 (Vision of Terror): Rated Easy on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list. It drops Annihilus. The wiki suggests level 35+ summons.
  • Uber Ancients: The wiki: keep resummoning bears, wolves and ravens and keep the merc alive.

Hardcore

Summoners are a classic hardcore pick. The wiki says the build 'works for SC and HC', and Hiim's group summon planners are tagged for hardcore. Your pets take the hits, so you rarely stand in danger yourself. HC-specific advice from the community sources:
  • Put all spare stats into Vitality (Odealo, wiki). TDL's budget Uber Tristram run put some points into Lycanthropy and Werewolf for extra life. The wiki says to do the same for bossing instead of extra Gust points (keep 1 point in Gust).
  • Odealo recommends Stormshield (physical damage reduction) and Verdungo's Hearty Cord for hardcore or aggressive play. TDL notes Stormshield as an upgrade for Diablo Clone.
  • Gust has a cooldown. Don't use it to dive ahead of your army, and keep a Town Portal ready. Enigma's Blink charges (Odealo) give a second escape.
  • In the Diablo Clone arena your merc is missing: rely on the summons, stay behind a pillar for the nova waves, and bring 80-85% maximum fire resistance, 25-30% PDR and Cannot Be Frozen (hiimpd2 T0 guide).
  • Rathma and Lucion are not rated for the Summoner on hiimpd2, so attempt them in hardcore only with proven gear.
  • Our own note (not from a source): avoid maps with extra-damage or reduced-resistance modifiers, and watch out for elemental-enchanted packs that kill wolves quickly.

09FAQ

About this build

How do Summon Druids level? Do I need to respec from Fire?
No. Both the PD2 wiki starter guide and Odealo level the Summon Druid through the Summoning tree from clvl 1 without a respec: Summon Ravens until 12, spirit wolves from 12, Dire Wolves from 24, a Grizzly at 30. Our general Druid leveling guide uses Fire Elemental; use its quest and rune advice, but take the skill picks from this guide's leveling section.
Wolves, bears or full zoo: which version should I play?
For league start, wolves: the S14 wiki guide and TDL's S14 planners max Summon Ravens, both wolves and Heart of Wolverine, with 1 point in Summon Grizzly. At endgame, max Summon Grizzly too (full zoo, as in the clvl 99 showcase planners and Odealo's guide). Hiim's planners use the bear layout (Grizzly 20, Dire Wolf 1-11) and end in Denmother with 4 bears. That is more concentrated single-target damage, but it gives up the wolves and was hit by the S14 Grizzly nerf.
Which mercenary should I use?
An Act 1 Fire Rogue for Vigor, with an Amplify Damage bow (Witchwild String, later the Wrath runeword) and IAS/pierce (wiki, Odealo, Hiim's starter planner). Alternatives: Act 4 Dark Ascendant (Amplify Damage curse; Hiim mid stage, TDL early planner), Act 2 Blessed Aim with The Reaper's Toll + Templar's Might (Hiim's bears), or Act 5 Might with The Vile Husk (wiki, Foxjaeger).
How does it do against Diablo Clone (Vision of Terror)?
hiimpd2 rates the Summoner Easy at T0 (T2 unrated), based on TDL's kill. TDL used full Aldur's Watchtower, Lava Gout, five Summoning grand charms, resistance charms and Lidless Wall (Stormshield is the upgrade). Your merc can't enter, so resummon and recast Heart of Wolverine after you enter. Bring 80-85% max fire resistance, 25-30% PDR, Cannot Be Frozen and 1,500-2,000 life, and hide behind pillars during the novas (hiimpd2 T0 guide). The wiki suggests level 35+ summons.
Can it farm Uber Tristram and keys early?
Yes. Key Farming and Uber Tristram are both hiimpd2 starter tags for this build. The wiki says mid-game gear (Athena's Wrath, Aldur's helm, Skin of the Vipermagi) is enough for your own Hellfire Torch, but since S13 a very low budget makes it slow. TDL's S13 beta budget run needed constant resummoning and an Amplify Damage merc.
How good is it in maps?
Decent solo (hiimpd2 S14), with lower clear speed than top casters because of minion AI and travel time (Odealo). It is Top in party play as a summon wall. Use Gust or Enigma for mobility, pick dense maps, and keep an Amplify Damage merc for physical-resistant monsters.
How do I deal with physical immunes?
Amplify Damage from the merc (Witchwild String, the Wrath runeword, The Reaper's Toll or an Act 4 Dark Ascendant), Dire Wolf pierce (up to 20%), Fenris (-5-8%) and the ravens' cold damage. Resistance reduction breaks immunities at 1/2 effectiveness in PD2.
What FCR and FHR do I need?
FCR: 46% or 68% for smooth resummoning (wiki, Odealo); 99% is optional. FHR: Odealo's targets are 39% (comfortable) and 56%. They match the Druid table for staves/polearms/bows (Athena's Wrath). One-handed swinging weapons use a different table.
Why 1 point in Poison Creeper, Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper?
Poison Creeper is only the prerequisite. Carrion Vine eats corpses to heal you and Solar Creeper eats corpses to restore mana, so 1 point each is enough for sustain. All community planners (Hiim, TDL, showcase planners) take exactly 1 point in each.
How many points should go into Gust?
It depends on the source: Odealo 1, the showcase planners 5, Hiim 5-10, TDL 15 (the wiki puts leftover points there). Each level cuts its 6.32-second cooldown by 0.2 seconds. With Enigma's Blink charges you can keep Gust low (Odealo).
Fenris or Denmother?
Fenris for the wolf/zoo build: 2 extra spirit wolves, +2 Summon Spirit Wolf, +2 Heart of Wolverine, -5-8% enemy physical resistance (Odealo calls it the defining helm). Denmother is for a bears-only build: 2 additional Grizzlies, +2-3 Summon Grizzly, 20% FCR, but you can no longer summon wolves (Hiim's end-game bear stage).
Do summons keep the skill level I summoned them with?
The wiki's S14 guide says that S14 removed the active-skill check for the wolves' synergies, so 'in theory' you can now snapshot them by summoning with extra +skills on weapon switch. It adds that vines and spirits already worked that way, and that only Grizzlies still use your active skills. It also says 'it remains to be seen if this is useful'. Odealo recommends keeping Athena's Wrath on switch for precasting. Test it in game before you rely on it.
Is it good for hardcore?
Yes, it is one of the safest HC starters: pets tank and the build needs no gear (wiki: works for SC and HC). Stack Vitality, use Stormshield or Verdungo's for PDR (Odealo), don't Gust ahead of your army, and treat Rathma and Lucion as unrated.

Leveling questions

Is Fire still the best way to level a Druid in S14?
It is the most straightforward: the leveling skills are the endgame skills, Fissure was buffed in S14, and Leaf/Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) staves are cheap. Summon is safer on Hardcore; Wind/Cold are fine if you already know you will end there.
Firestorm or Molten Boulder first?
Firestorm for the first few levels, then Molten Boulder as your main skill from level 6 (Odealo's PD2 route). Maxroll's D2R route keeps more points in Firestorm early - both work, since both skills are synergies for Fissure.
Do I max Fissure first?
Not in the community PD2 route. Molten Boulder is the main skill, Fissure and Volcano are added as soon as they unlock, and all four core skills (Boulder, Fissure, Volcano, Armageddon) end up maxed by around level 77; Firestorm is finished last.
Does Leaf really work for a Druid?
Yes. Leaf gives '+3 to Fire Skills', a generic bonus that applies to Firestorm, Molten Boulder, Fissure, Volcano and Armageddon. The extra +3 Fire Bolt/Warmth lines are sorceress-only and do nothing for you.
How do I deal with fire immunes while leveling?
Molten Boulder, Volcano and Armageddon deal half physical damage, the merc kills the rest, and in Hell an Act 4 Dark merc (Amplify Damage) speeds that up. Skip fire-immune packs that are not in your way.
Which merc should I use?
Act 1 Rogue early, Act 2 Defensive (Defiance) with Insight from early Nightmare, and for endgame an Act 4 Dark Ascendant with an Infinity staff (Conviction + Amplify Damage). Budget endgame options: Act 1 with Pus Spitter or Act 2 with The Reaper's Toll.
When do I respec?
Only if you change builds, and only after you own the core items of the new build. Use Akara's free respec (once per difficulty) or a Token of Absolution.
Where do I get Tal Rune and Eth Rune for Stealth early?
The Countess in Act 1 Normal (Forgotten Tower level 5) drops runes every kill; Tal Rune and Eth Rune also drop from normal monsters in Acts 1-3. You can cube 3 Ith Rune into 1 Tal Rune and 3 Nef Rune into 1 Eth Rune.

General PD2 questions

How do I respec: Akara or a Token of Absolution?
Akara: after you finish Den of Evil, Akara offers one free full respec (skills and stats) per difficulty. Use the Normal one right after switching from your leveling build. Respeccing early is fine because you get more chances later.
Token of Absolution: cube one of each of the four essences:
In PD2 the essences drop in Nightmare and Hell at the same rates, and they stack in the materials tab. Right-click the token to reset all skill and stat points. Tokens are also easy to buy from other players, so a respec is rarely a big deal. Experiment with builds freely.
Which mercenary should I hire?
PD2 reworked every merc. They have the same stats whichever difficulty you hire them in, and they all wear helm, armor, gloves, boots and belt. The PD2 merc table:
  • Act 1 Rogue: Fire (Vigor aura), Cold (Meditation), Physical (Slow Movement). Bows and crossbows.
  • Act 2 Desert Guard: Defensive (Defiance), Offensive (Blessed Aim), Combat (Thorns). Polearms, spears and javelins; one-handed weapons do double damage. There is no Might, Prayer or Holy Freeze Act 2 merc in PD2.
  • Act 3 Iron Wolf: Fire (Cleansing), Cold (Prayer), Lightning (Holy Shock plus Static Field, which Season 14 reduced to 8% life).
  • Act 4 Ascendant (new): Dark (casts Amplify Damage), Light (Sanctuary). Staves.
  • Act 5 Barbarian: Combat (Might), Warcries (Battle Orders plus Battle Cry).
The usual default is an Act 2 Defiance merc in Insight (mana, and survives well). Physical builds love Might or Battle Orders, and casters often like Act 3 Cold for Prayer. Season 14 mercs get full XP from your kills, so they keep up easily.
What are breakpoints and which ones matter?
Diablo 2 animations run in whole frames, so Faster Cast Rate (FCR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Faster Block Rate and Increased Attack Speed only help once you reach the next threshold. Anything between thresholds is wasted. PD2 uses the vanilla FCR tables, for example:
  • Sorceress FCR: 0/9/20/37/63/105/200. Frozen Orb and Chain Lightning use a slower table, 0/7/15/23/35/52/78/117/194.
  • Paladin and Necromancer FCR: 0/9/18/30/48/75/125.
For most casters, 105% (Sorceress) or 75% (Paladin and Necromancer) is the main target. Get one or two FHR breakpoints for survival, such as 42-60% on a Sorceress. PD2 attack mechanics differ from vanilla: Whirlwind ignores IAS and hits at fixed intervals, Berserk uses Frenzy breakpoints, and item IAS has diminishing returns. Use the PD2 wiki breakpoint tables or an S14-aware planner for your class and weapon. Check a breakpoint before paying a lot for 5% more FCR.
Where do I get Stealth early, and how do I farm Tal Rune and Eth Rune?
Stealth is Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor and needs clvl 17. It gives 20% FCR, 20% FHR, 10% faster run/walk, +6 Dexterity and 3 magic damage reduction, which makes it the standard leveling armor for nearly every class.
Save spare Tals: they also go into Ancients' Pledge, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) and Insight. With Season 14's stash rework, runes stack in their own tab and upgrades need no key.
How does the rune upgrade cube recipe work in Season 14?
Per the Season 14 game data (CubeMain.txt) and the PD2 wiki:
You can put a whole stack in at once. The same goes for gems: 3 of a gem make the next quality, and 3 flawless make a perfect (also without a key in S14). Because of the 2:1 ratio from Pul Rune upward, high runes are much easier to reach by cubing than in vanilla. Mid runes like Pul Rune, Um Rune and Mal Rune still trade well, so check the market before you cube up.
How does corruption with Worldstone Shards work?
Put an item and a Worldstone Shard in the cube and transmute. The result depends on the item:
  • Normal (white/grey) items without sockets: 50% they gain sockets (up to the base maximum), 50% they become a random rare.
  • Magic, rare, set or unique items that can have sockets (helm, chest, shield, weapon, quiver): 25% sockets (1-3 on armor, 2-4 on one-handed weapons, 3-6 on two-handed), 50% a corruption modifier, 25% "brick" into a random rare of the same type.
  • Items that cannot have sockets (gloves, boots, belt, ring, amulet): 75% a corruption modifier, 25% brick.
Modifiers come in low, mid and high rarity tiers. High-rarity rolls are things like +1 all skills or 20% FCR on chests, +1 all skills on weapons, helms and shields, or +15% FRW on boots. A corrupted item can never be corrupted again, but most other recipes still work on it, including Puzzleboxes for sockets afterwards. Runewords count as regular socketed items and can't be corrupted. Make the base corrupt first.
What should I corrupt, and in which order?
Corrupt items where a 25% brick doesn't hurt much and a good roll is worth a lot:
  • Runeword bases before you socket them. A white 0-socket base has a 50% chance to get max sockets, so it is the cheap way to make Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) shields, Insight polearms or 4-socket armor. A bricked white base costs almost nothing.
  • Duplicate uniques or sets, or cheap ones you have spares of. Aim for sockets or high-rarity modifiers.
  • Rings, amulets, gloves, boots and belts that are good but replaceable: 75% to gain a modifier.
  • Annihilus uses the special Tainted Worldstone Shard from Rathma, not a normal shard.
For socketable uniques, the community advice is to corrupt first and Puzzlebox second. Shards are cheaper than Puzzleboxes, and boxing first doesn't lower the 25% brick chance, so you'd risk losing the box. Never corrupt your only copy of a build-defining item unless you can afford to lose it.
How do maps work, and what do I need to open one?
Maps are PD2's endgame zones. To open one you need a level 80+ character who has killed the Hell Ancients. Right-click the map in your inventory while in Harrogath in Hell. Only one map or uber zone can be opened per game. The tiers:
  • Tier 1: area level 87
  • Tier 2: area level 88
  • Tier 3: area level 89
  • Tier 4 (dungeons): area level 92, made from a T3 map with a Horadrim Scarab and meant for strong groups
Your first maps come from Anya's Hell reward, rare drops in Hell and Nightmare Act 5, and corrupted zones. After that, maps mostly drop inside maps, with a chance of higher-tier maps. Each map has affixes that add density, experience and magic/gold find, plus monster modifiers. Before opening a map, check its immunities against your build. Map events (11% on normal, 22% magic, 33% rare maps) add bonus content such as the Treasure Fallen, the Dark Wanderer (extra Worldstone Shards) or Shadow of Mendeln (Splinter of the Void).

10Season 14 changes

S13 -> S14 changes (PD2 wiki Patch Notes, hiimpd2 Season 14 page; the example numbers are approximate and come from the wiki's S14 skill tables):
  • Summon Dire Wolf buffed: base damage 33-38 -> 36-42, higher scaling at every level bracket, life per level +50% -> +57%, and new physical pierce of 8% +1% per 2 levels (max 20% at skill level 25). Hiim's page adds that rage damage went from 50% to 100% (not in the official notes). Synergies from Summon Ravens and Summon Spirit Wolf dropped from 7% to 5% per hard point. Example at skill level 30 with both synergies maxed: S13 about 166-200 base x (1 + 2.8) = about 695 average; S14 about 246-287 x (1 + 2.0) = about 800 average (+15%), plus 20% physical pierce.
  • Summon Spirit Wolf buffed: less damage at levels 2-16, more from 17 (at skill level 30 about 116-122 -> 125-160, roughly +20%), and +50% life per level (was +35%).
  • Summon Grizzly nerfed: base 20-30 -> 17-26 and lower scaling (at skill level 30 about 325-335 -> 269-294, roughly -15%). The spirit wolf attack-rating synergy was replaced by +50 AR at level 1 and +25 per level.
  • Grizzly's enhanced-damage bonus to the wolves now counts hard points only (25% + 10% per extra hard point). With 1 hard point and +10 from gear it was about 125% in S13 and is 25% now. That is why the S14 endgame maxes Summon Grizzly (215% at 20 hard points).
  • Heart of Wolverine: it was really giving +10% per level instead of the displayed 8%; S14 fixed it to 8%. At skill level 30: about 315% -> 257% damage and attack rating.
  • Summon Ravens: no change in S14 (the big raven nerf, cold-only damage and 8% synergies, was in S13).
  • Poison Creeper (Poison Creeper): no cooldown, synergies 14% -> 25%, its poison-resistance reduction no longer stacks. Carrion Vine and Solar Creeper now heal and restore mana as displayed. Spirit of Barbs now grants deadly strike to summons.
  • General: summons now benefit from critical and deadly strike bonuses. Pets have a longer leash distance. Druid mana per level +2 -> +3 (+79 mana at clvl 80). Keeper's (+3 Summoning) can spawn on dropped rare clubs and pelts. Fenris' physical-resistance reduction is now -5-8% (was -5-10%). Mercs get full experience from your kills.
  • Net effect: a better league start (wolves), similar or slightly better endgame for wolf/zoo setups, weaker bear-only setups.

11Sources

  1. hiimpd2 - S14 Starter Builds (Druid 'Summons': Travincal, Chaos, Early Map, Key Farming, Uber Tristram; updated 2026-10-15) ↗
  2. hiimpd2 - S14 Solo Tier List (Summon Druid: Decent; updated 2026-11-04) ↗
  3. hiimpd2 - S14 Bossing Tier List (Druid 'Summoner': Vision of Terror T0 Easy, T2 Unrated; updated 2026-10-15) ↗
  4. hiimpd2 - S14 Group Tier List (Summon (Dual Spirit) Top, Spirits + Vines Top, Summon Good) ↗
  5. hiimpd2 - Season 14 Changes (Summon Druid / Summon (Spirit Wolf): Buff; Summon (Bear): Nerf) ↗
  6. hiimpd2 - T0 Bossing Guide (Diablo Clone, Rathma, Lucion) ↗
  7. hiimpd2 planner - 'Summons' (Hiim, S14 starter base planner, clvl 80: Neophyte club + Splendor, Act 1 Vigor merc) ↗
  8. hiimpd2 planner - 'Summon Druid' (Hiim, S14 solo; stages: Starter Raven + Splendor / Mid Athena's Wrath + Vipermagi / End-game Ravens (Eaglehorn) / End-game Bears (Heart of the Oak)) ↗
  9. hiimpd2 planner - 'Druid - Summon (Spirit Wolf)' (Hiim, S14 group list Good: Fenris + Athena's Wrath, clvl 95) ↗
  10. hiimpd2 planner - 'Druid - Spirits + Vines' (Hiim, S14 group list Top: Spirit Keeper, clvl 96) ↗
  11. hiimpd2 planner - 'Ravens and Wolves - Early Game Gear' (TDL, S14, linked from the PD2 wiki starter guide) ↗
  12. hiimpd2 planner - 'Ravens and Wolves - Midgame Gear' (TDL, S14, linked from the PD2 wiki starter guide) ↗
  13. hiimpd2 planner - 'Ravens and Wolves - Aldurs' (TDL, S14, linked from the PD2 wiki starter guide) ↗
  14. hiimpd2 planner - 'Summon Build' (Foxjaeger, S14 showcase, clvl 99 full zoo: Fenris + Athena's Wrath, Act 5 Might merc) ↗
  15. hiimpd2 planner - 'Zoo Druid' (Earl_Grey, S14 showcase, clvl 99: '15 Ravens, 12 spirit wolves, 3 dire wolves and 2 bears') ↗
  16. PD2 Wiki - Starter Summon Druid - Ravens, Wolves and Bears (TDL; updated for Season 14, last edited 2026-10-18) ↗
  17. PD2 Wiki - Summoning Skills (Druid) ↗
  18. PD2 Wiki - Elemental Skills (Druid) (Gust) ↗
  19. PD2 Wiki - Patch Notes (S14 Alliance) ↗
  20. PD2 Wiki - Breakpoints ↗
  21. PD2 Wiki - Mercenaries ↗
  22. PD2 Wiki - All Unique Non-Weapons (Fenris, Denmother, Spirit Keeper, Arkaine's Valor) ↗
  23. PD2 Wiki - Corruptions ↗
  24. Odealo - [S14] Summoner Druid Build Guide for PD2 (last updated 2026-09-24, pre-launch) ↗
  25. Odealo - Project Diablo 2 Best Builds Tier List [S14] (Summoner Druid: A tier; last updated 2026-09-28, pre-launch) ↗
  26. TDL Plays Games - 'Project Diablo 2 Season 12 - Druid Summoner vs Diablo Clone | Full Aldurs Set' (S12; hiimpd2's T0 kill video for the Summoner) ↗
  27. philanthropy777 - 'PD2 S13 Druid Guide - Full Progression (Day 1 -> Midgame -> Endgame)', chapter 'Druid Day 1 - Summoner (Trav/CS/CZ)' (S13; hiimpd2 starter-list video) ↗
  28. TDL Plays Games - 'Project Diablo 2 Druid Guide - Ravens Summoner Normal Run' (May 2025, before the S13 Raven nerf) ↗
  29. TDL Plays Games - 'Project Diablo 2 Druid Summoner Guide - Early Farm & Ubers' (May 2025, pre-S13) ↗
  30. TDL Plays Games - 'Project Diablo 2 Season 13 Closed Beta - Budget Druid Summoner vs Uber Tristram' (April 2026) ↗
  31. PD2 Wiki - Shape Shifting Skills ↗
  32. PD2 Wiki - General Changes ↗
  33. PD2 Wiki - Maps ↗
  34. Odealo - Fire Druid Project Diablo 2 Guide ↗
  35. Maxroll - Druid Leveling Guide (D2R; Fire/Fissure route, used where PD2 does not differ) ↗
  36. Odealo - [S14] Rabies Druid Project Diablo 2 Guide (levels as Fire Druid, then respecs) (last updated 2026-09-23, before the S14 launch on 2026-10-23) ↗
  37. Odealo - [S14] Arctic Blast Druid Project Diablo 2 Guide (last updated 2026-09-29, before the S14 launch on 2026-10-23) ↗
  38. Odealo - Best Leveling Runewords in Project Diablo 2 ↗
  39. Odealo - PD2 Best Leveling and Starter Items ↗
  40. PD2 Wiki - Recipes (Essences) ↗
  41. PD2 Wiki - Monsters (The Countess) ↗
  42. Odealo - Corruption and Worldstone Shards guide ↗